It seems to me that just offering "Standalone - no import/export" for hobbyists or full "Pipeline" versions for heavy users of these programs would be a lot easier for everyone to comprehend and decide what to buy, than having all these confusing intermediate import/export abilities, add-ons that only work with some programs, upgrades and such. I've spent at least 20 hours over the past several weeks just trying to figure out what I need, while the contest that initiated my interest in the first place ends 10 days from now - it's too late. That kind of inefficiency really needs to be addressed, if only out of respect for your (potential) customers' valueable time. But also, that would increase your revenues: People WITH the software spent money on that software, and then go on to spend money on content, and produce real-world results that others see and admire (i.e., word of mouth). People who spend weeks just trying to figure out what the software does don't spend any money at all, or buy the wrong product and create only brief "tests" - or they just give up and download DAZ 3D, etc.

It's sad to see such unique and innovative products being hindered, and your brands diluted, by a status quo that is the author of so much confusion and frustration when it doesn't have to be that way.


"I know you feel these are the worst of times. I do believe it's true. When people lock their doors, and hide inside... rumor has it it's the end of Paradise."
-Styx

If you just want iClone 7, you get CC3 free with it. The free version of CC3 lets import and export between iClone 7 and CC3.
The Pipeline version of CC3 is a standalone program and does not require iCloneIf you do buy just iClone 7, it is on sale for $149 until Sep 30th. 
There is a 10% coupon (RLnews) for your first order with Reallusion  that gives you an additional $14.90 off.
So you only pay $134.10 for iClone 7 and CC3. Then if you download the free clothes and avatars they have for the AccuLips Contest, those clothes are worth over
$20. iClone Lip Sync Animation Contest 2021 - Free Resourses | Reallusion.

In case it sounds like I'm being too hard on Reallusion, allow me to publicly thank them for NOT going the subscription route. I wouldn't have given Reallusion a 2nd look if they used subscriptions, just like I walk through this world as if Adobe doesn't even exist. Subscriptions are offensive at every level. The more I research things the more I believe Reallusion's prices are actually quite good, considering the power and unique features you get. My only problem above is that it is nearly impossible to calculate what the ultimate cost will be BEFORE you buy their products, where the "pro" vs. "pipeline" import/export issues can come back to haunt you. And if you take the research time needed to figure all that out, you can lose many weeks of productivity, when a clear statement of all these facts up front would have solved the problem from day one. This thread comes close, but it's not quite there, and it's not located on the main website.

The one thing I would request from Reallusion is to bump the # of computers you can authorize simultaneously from 2 to 3. My "scratch"/internet laptop was recently murdered by a vicious gang comprised of iLock and Microsoft Update both trying to install root-level changes and reboot at the same time. It took me at least eight weeks to get that computer running again. I had to lose one "seat" (or whatever they call it) to get Crazy Talk reinstalled on the exact same computer. Meanwhile, I had another laptop to use (my "powerhouse") the entire time, but it couldn't have Crazy Talk installed due to the two computer limitation. The 2nd authorization is on my desktop computer, which I only see when I pull it out of storage and get a hotel room for 1.5 days each week.

So for a variety of reasons it seems reasonable to allow us to install Reallusion products on up to 3 computers at a time. That gives us some breathing room as we make both planned and unexpected changes to our computer systems. We're paying for the products, so it's a bit difficult to swallow when the company we paid hinders our ability to use their products on all the computers that we also paid for. Reallusion - please consider bumping the allowed simultaneous installations from 2 to 3.



"I know you feel these are the worst of times. I do believe it's true. When people lock their doors, and hide inside... rumor has it it's the end of Paradise."
-Styx

Hello,

For an upcoming project, our studio is interested in creating cartoon-stylized characters who have more realistic skin & hair (similar to image). Is this possible with just Character Creator or should we get the Cartoon Character Designer pack? Does the Cartoon pack limit the user to its own preset modifiers, materials, & textures or can we add in realism?

Apologies if this was already answered somewhere else in the forum. I wasn't able to find a sufficient answer in my (admittedly brief) search. 

Thank you,
Michael

Hi Michael

If you are looking for realistic skin then the 4 in 1 Bundle below will give you everything you need to achieve this. This bundle contains the SkinGen Premium Plug-in, Realistic Human Skin, Ultimate Morphs and the Makeup & SFX packs. All the packs can be purchased individually if you don't think you'll need them all but the 4 in 1 bundle is ideal if you want total control.

https://www.reallusion.com/character-creator/digital-human-skin-morph.html

In addition, if you want some toon characters to get started with then the Cartoon Character Designer pack will give you a variety of toon morphs to start creating custom characters straight away without starting from scratch.


                                                                

Peter
Forum Administrator

www.reallusion.com

Thank you for the quick reply, Peter. With the Cartoon Pack, are we limited to cartoon materials/textures/hair, or can we make a cartoon character with realistic skin and hair? 

Best,
Michael

No you are not limited to the cartoon textures. Any materials or hair can be applied to any character. Also as the cartoon characters are standard CC characters you can apply any CC clothing to them as well.

                                                                

Peter
Forum Administrator

www.reallusion.com

Well explained. Thanks pal.

Crazytalk 8 seems to be pretty limited on resolution capabilities, and the ability to modify the face fitting editor seems to be fairly limited too. It works great for certain talking heads, but if it needs to be tweaked, it does not work very well for me. I am wondering if Cartoon Animator would be an upgrade to give me better resolution and more control over the animations?

Not sure if this helps on what product would be best, but this is the type of image I am animating for an artist. Will Cartoon Animator be a good choice?