Hi folks,
it's been a while, but now I did the upgrade to iClone 8 and CC4. I didn't intended to, but I need IC8 for some work I am doing right now, so I bought this overpriced software.
This weekend I had some time left, so I tested the software a little bit and I did little beach scene to test the new volumetric light feature.
As always, iClone 8 is a mixed bag. Even after two days of work with this software, I've found stuff to like and to hate. First of all, the volumetric lighting is great. It gives your scene depth and atmosphere.
But there is always a catch. If you use this light, you'll notice that the opacity map of the hair don't like the fog this light is creating. There are graphic errors on the edge of the hair.
The only solution I could find is to use "Alpha Treshhold" instead of "Shadow Treshhold". It's not the best solution, but there seems to be no other way to get rid of this graphical error.
When I created the cameras for this scene, I realized that the DOF system hasn't been touched at all. I was hoping, Reallusion would work on a better "depth of field" system, but that's not the case. All the errors and graphic glitches we all know from iClone 6 and 7 - you'll find them here too. It's a shame and a very big disappointment. Aömost every game engine has a good depth of field system, but for some strange reason there is no solution for Reallusion's engine. I guess they don't have the needs to do anything about it, because they want you to convert your stuff to UE4.
What I really like is the new facial animation system. That works really good and finally the characters are able to smile naturally. Even with the face puppet tool you can get really convincing results.
That's it for now. I don't know when I will start with a new project. I have so much work this year. It will be difficult to find the time.
Greetings, Direx