The FBX key is needed as you found to transfer models back into CC3 and iClone as an FBX file. Where you get the key from is ( You export out a base character in the T pose as an FBX ) this will make an FBX Key. in the file where your exported character is you will see a file folder right beneath it that says FBX Key.
Now for example: go into CC3. When the initial project is loaded, it is the cc.base female in the A pose. So go into poses on the left content screen, in template and look for the motions folder. Find the T pose for the female. The icon will show a female in greyscale (in other words the little picture of the female in the thumbnail will be grey with no texture.) Click on this to pose the default cc.female base character in the scene into the T pose.
Now go up to the file button. Select Export as an FBX. It will give you another box with options in the middle of the screen to include motions and textures and such. That is not important, just go ahead and hit OK.
Select to where to export her to, and or pay attention to where its exporting her to.
Now go into file explorer and there should be the FBX Female that you exported, and you could import her into Blender / 3DS Max, ect. There should be the FBX key right beneath the actual FBX object.
Now if you import her into Blender (or the program of choice) as an FBX she should be in there as a Grey Shape of the female base and her Rigging bones should be visible also.
If you want to export her back out with IE lets say a Blouse that you made, of in my case a Sword, then you Have or want to Scale the object to proportion to her. A Blouse you would want to fit to her body so its not clipping and is in the T pose.
The tricky part is now. You have to attach the Blouse / IE object to the Avatar bone hierarchy. I still dont exactly know how to do this. I had a guy on Skype from Germany show me once, and I should have had my screen recorder on at the time. I think he will walk me through it again some time, but he has a plateful with the Corona crap at the time.
Anyway if you can attach the clothing/Sword/hair to the avatar, then you Export it from Blender as either the same file name, or you can change it. I think it is just easier to use the same file name wich overwrites the base FBX with the same one, but with the added piece/s.
Now go back into CC3, and choose import from the file menu, (not the Create button) Choose import FBX. It will give you the box with the FBX slot to ad the key. Right click and copy the FBX Key that was generated from the initial export that I described earlier.
Paste the FBX key into the slot and hit import, or OK in the box, and it will bring the cc.female_base back into CC3 with the models that you attached to her.
You will most likely have to add textures separate. That is a whole other ball of wax. Anyway I hope that helps. I know haw it works now, but like I said there are still steps that I dont know how to do.