thansk again for all your help.  i like the look of iclone but mybe for other projects that i might use it for.  for now i want to create my animations of scripts.

what is the store to purchase characters for CTA then?  can i draw my characters and import them also?  would like to see if there was any ones already there to purchase that might suit though.

thanks again

I would have to say CrazyTalk Animator has the much shorter learning curve. They both share the same style timeline so once you learn one it will help greatly with the other if you ever wish to use both products.

The great thing about CTA for newcomers is that any image or drawing can become a prop. So say for example you found a nice photo of a chair you wanted in your movie. All you would need to do is save it, drag it into CTA, remove the background and you have a chair prop ready. All this would only take a few minutes. Likewise you can turn a head photo of anyone into a fully talking character in just a minute or two.

I would say that if you are totally new to any kind of animation then CTA would be the best way to get started. But if you would like to try out iClone then there is a free non-expiring version called iClone4 EX which you can try out and see how you like it. You can find it HERE if you are interested.

                                                                

Peter
Forum Administrator

www.reallusion.com

thanks for all your help.  what is the better product for me to use then?  crazy talk or iclone?  i have written a number of scripts that i would like to animate as they seem to have went down quite well with people that have read so far.

iclone or craz talk?  which is easier to use?

thanks again

Yes all content packs sold through Reallusion are royalty free. This means any video or images you create can be used for commercial purposes.

The pack you link to above is for iClone not CrazyTalk Animator. These are two separate programs. iClone works in 3D and CTA in 2D. For CrazyTalk Animator characters please take a look HERE.

Also if you are thinking of purchasing several packs then you may be interested in the Power Tools bundles 1 to 3. These contain a variety of content to get you started without needing you to create your own.

                                                                

Peter
Forum Administrator

www.reallusion.com

thanks for your help.  i will try learn some more using the trial and hopefully i can get to grips with it and purchase it.

the content packs i can use you say for commercial use if i want?

also looking at the starter kits, do they come with characters?  for example this:

http://www.reallusion.com/contentstore/promo/iClone_Starter_Kit/

looks like it comes with motions but not characters, what one would be best for characters and backgrounds pack?

looking at a more 2d cartoon style.  but like 3d also.

many thanks again

CrazyTalk Animator doesn't contain video editing features itself so you would output each scene from CTA to video and then edit them together. Movie Maker is perfectly usable for this process as is any other video editor you may have.

And any movie you make with CrazyTalk Animator is yours entirely. Be it for private or commercial use, you have complete rights to any videos or still images produced. Plus any content packs you may buy for use in your movie are royalty free for video or image use. So you don't have to worry about any restictions on the use of content.

                                                                

Peter
Forum Administrator

www.reallusion.com

thanks for the help.

i have to say the support response is making me sway to purchasing the product.

one thing though.   say you did make it in 2 or 3 different projects for a movie does crazy talk put it together or do you jjust use movie maker or something?

also if i purchase the product and use it for my anitmations.  do i own the rights to it or does crazy talk have some hold over me?

thanks again

Hi..

To create animations in CTA you will make use of the Timeline frequently. This is where keyframes are placed as you move your character about.

The normal way you would work on your movie is to create it in one or more "Projects". So for example if you had a movie that was set in two locations, say a house and a park, then you would create these two scenes separately. Then you would export them to video and then join them up in a video editor afterwards. Of course if your movie is set in only one location then you can record the whole thing as one single project if you wish.

I'm afraid to get the most out of CTA will require a little learning first. The best thing to do is watch as many of the video tutorials as you can HERE. Also read through the Help Guide (Press F1 in CTA) and these will guide you on your way.

As a simple example to get you started try the following.

1) With a new empty project started, try dragging one of the comic characters into your scene and place him/her on the right hand side.

2) Now drag the Play Bar (under preview window) to say Frame 200. Then move your character from the right hand side over to the left hand side by dragging him with the mouse.

3) Finally use the play controls to wind back to the beginning and and press Play. You should see your character move across the screen from left to right.

Now although you never even opened the Timeline, what you have done is set a keyframe for your character to move from the left side of the screen to the right side at frame 200.

Obviously you now need to give your character a walk animation to make it look realistic. You do this by opening up Puppeteering from the left toolbar and and then record a simple walk motion from frame 1 to 200.

Give this a try and see how you get on. :)

                                                                

Peter
Forum Administrator

www.reallusion.com

thanks however i am finiding it difficult to understand how to make it all work.

new to animation and flash so maybe you can help.

i used goanimate breifly as it was really simple to work and go through the scenes but was a bit limitless and they owned the animations in the end.

so looking for something easy to use like that but where i own the animation.  i have trialed toon boom and this and this is a bit more easier but still finding it difficult.

the timeline, how does this work?  is youe whole movie one scene?  or what?  do you need to create a new scene for each movement of the character?

with goanimate i click new scene and dragged characters in, background and made them move or not and it was easy.

if you can help give me a brief of how it works i.e. how the timeline is in lamens terms i reckon i could pick it up and purchase the full version but i need to know just the basics of how a movie works with your software.

your help is greatly appreciated.

p.s. once the movie is created, do i own the movie?

Hi..

This is very easy to do. Just follow the video through below and you should get the idea.

                                                                

Peter
Forum Administrator

www.reallusion.com