A simple question: I assume that in order to use exported stuff in Unreal, export licences are required for DRM-based content? That would be a cost to consider even though the plugin is now free.

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Very true, I'm no spring chicken myself. At the same time I realize that I can't hold back progress for everyone else.  I also can acknowledge that in the last year especially, RL has made great leaps when it comes to the render quality of iClone as a standalone product.  I'm not just going to blast them because they are expanding their market.  Tighter Integration with Unreal Engine will bring valuable new resource for all Reallusion users, and help to establish the software as premiere character creation and animation tools.  Not to mention the added revenue from new user helps to fund developing that new native graphics engine many folks desire.  It's a win for everyone.  And like you said, it's FREE. 

Can we pull landscape into unreal with the unreal Live Link Plugin

Anthony Hairston

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iClone 7... Character Creator... Substance Designer/Painter... Blender... Audacity...
Desktop (homebuilt) - Windows 10, Ryzen 9 3900x CPU, GTX 1080 GPU (8GB), 32GB RAM, Asus X570 Pro motherboard, 2TB SSD, terabytes of disk space, dual  monitors.
Laptop - Windows 10, MSI GS63VR STEALTH-252, 16GB RAM, GTX 1060 (6GB), 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD

And when I say that RL has not forgotten about the vets who want better renders in iClone, last year they added:
- PBR Rendering
- Global Illumination
- Emissive Materials & Particles as Light Sources
- Lut Grading
- HBAO+
- Real Cameras and lenses
- Digital Human shader with SSS
- Improvements to the lights
- iRay
- etc

All of those things are important components to better native rendering.  That's why I feel the criticism that they've forgot about native iClone users is invalid.

I also hope iClones native render will get improvements (Volumetric lights!) soon.

But it is good news the Unreal Live Link is free now, should have been free from the beginning.
I would feel bad if I had purchased it for 699$ (Early Bird) or 999$ (regular Member Price).
Getting back the money spent in DA points is better than nothing but not ideal.
I don't know how many licences were sold, but RL should allow those buyers
to get whatever they want from Software Store/Content Store/Market Place worth what they spent...
My first impression of Unreal, a few months ago, was "a lot to learn and a heavy impact on my PC - resources".
And seeing "node based" stuff makes me "shaky" :blush:
I didn't open the program since then...
I would like to check it out further now i have this "magic" Link.
How do i get these:



Found no way to get access to those learning videos (only as Bonus with purchase)...


Toystorylab on Vimeo :     Crassitudes (my "Alter Ego") on Youtube: 

This is great news for those wanting to use Unreal, and thanks Reallusion for making it free!

I am also another filmmaker who wants to make films in IClone, not in Unreal. When I say 'make films' I mean create scenes, and export those rendered scenes into an actual film editor like adobe premiere. IClone really isn't a good 'film editor', even if it has that functionality. I don't think Reallusion should focus on improving 'editing' features anyway, as Adobe Premiere, avid, etc. are designed for editing.

IClone has all the tools necessary to make great rendered scenes, but there is always room to continue to improve the quality of the native renderer. Maybe with this partnership, Reallusion will be able to add the Unreal renderer inside of IClone or have the technology to improve their own native renderer. Who knows.

IClone V7 has improved tremendously adding lots of higher quality materials, effects, and such. It's a big step up from IC5 when I started. As long as Reallusion continues to develop IClone with higher quality visuals and improves the renderer, there's no way we can't have the best of both worlds. Those who want to use Unreal engine for games or films will be able to, and those of us who want to render their scenes in IClone with higher quality will be able to.

IMDB: James Muia
Aviticus Dragon on YouTube

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Toystorylab,  Those videos are available on the Reallusion youtube.  There is a playlist with 26 videos in it.  I watched them this morning.
You are right, nodes are intimidating at first sight.  But they are easy once you get how they work and EXTREMELY powerful.  It seems like all apps are quickly moving to being node based.

You know, not for nothing, but no one is saying that Unreal must be used.  It's now an open option to use the LiveLink plugin. 
And before this you could always, if you had pipeline, use FBX/OBJ/Alembic to get content into Unreal, so it's not like Unreal just suddenly showed up now and is butting into our domain or territory.  It has been there as an option for years..
I mean, it's not like RL has abandoned the user base or anything.  They just came out with DH shader, which was for all intensive purposes 'born' from iClone's attempt at making a RL shader for Unreal.
They could have just left this in the Unreal domain and left iClone/CC3 alone, but they didn't.  They bought it into the RL-internal app render engine, which was a big improvement for iClone-only users.

But anyway...just take the plugin and use it! 
TAKE IT!
USE IT & ABUSE IT!

Oh....and on another note-
The Unreal community is the most pompous stuck up obnoxious community in all of history.  Octane Render community is meticulous as hell, but never really obnoxious.
But Unreal community is the worst.  They really believe they have the prime best, when there is a TON of room for improvement. 
I love the idea of RL users swarming in and ripping their engine's horrid elements to shreds.  For example, the timeline and camera system in Unreal is so awful.  Absolute horrible compared to iClone.
Now, I know the Unreal engine is a game making engine, which has its own history and culture, and I respect that.  But I also understand it does things not as a good as iClone. 

I am very pleased with the idea that iClone users would go in there, in mass, and critically compare it to iClone. 

Look, don't defend iClone and all its innate values to us, here, as you are preaching to the choir.
Rather, go into the Unreal forums and preach to them!...
Speaketh thine word to those who have not seen. 
For they have nor not yet born witnesseth to the majesty and utmost high excellion of the iClonian Engine.

DA Points can be spent in the Reallusion Software Store, Content Store or Marketplace. They are no longer restricted to just the Marketplace.

https://www.reallusion.com/contentstore/buydapoint.html


                                                                

Peter
Forum Administrator

www.reallusion.com