My problem is that iclone freezes after about 6 avatars.
The sound stops/starts (sputters??) after more than one prop and it renders with the sputtering.
Rendering takes a loooooooooong time and sputters.

So besides low-poly alternatives I realize that I may have to do the following.
 1. Record short sections of video (about 1-20 seconds long) without audio.
 2. Use an editor join the hundreds of pieces of video
 3. Use an editor to add sound effects and voice later.

I will be using Audacity to prepare my audio files for several documentary style videos. Iclone seems to work with mp3 not wav.
I am about to evaluate editors but can't get past the perky/optimistic/missing jargon to find what is valuable such as:
1. Unlimited amount of clips joined. If there is a limit (e.g 10) then can I join those 10 in a new file and then count that as one and join ten megafiles.
2. Unlimited audio clips, if not can I get around the limits in the same way.

3. Unlimited video and audio file sizes.
4. There are "tracks" If I understand how the concept works then I plan to put sound effects on one track, background music on another and conversation on a third.
   This allows me to swap out English conversation for another language.
5. Closed Captioning. Can I enter the text with the video or is this separate.

6. Transitions. A nice to have feature.

So RECOMMEND a cheap software. Tell me any other basic/useful/required/needed features you think one should need or does my proposed car only have 2 tires?

I am still a newbie learning on her own for one year now so bear with me.
I know NOTHING about animation before buying Iclone.

I take several layer of my set in animation outs and place them literally in layers in the editor. This is so efficient regarding iClone streamlining that I sit back now and start wonder how far I can push that because I can cram 4 times the content into any one take and not have to suffer iClones inability to work so hard in one go.

For practical reasons it is a good idea to split your movie up into scenes of up to a minute. If you want to make change in one scene you don't have to re-render all others.

As to audio files, iClone works with wave files and there is no preference for MP3s.

I use Sony Vegas Pro as video editor, but that is not a cheap solution.

Regarding

Yes, yes and yes.
You might find that this is the best way anyway to create
1. superior transitions from one take to the next
2. grossly superior video effects and corrective lighting, coloration and hue.
3. The best audio processed output
4. unmatched credit scolls
5. layers of other content and effects

and the list my friend goes on endlessly.
 

A good suggestion.

When you're new to something, free is good.

Try it, get used to the workflow, and when you start to run into limitations in Windows Movie Maker (which shouldn't take long), you'll be equipped to do some more knowledgable shopping.

There is a free and a Pro version available. It's being used to edit a number of Hollywood movies and has a very steep learning curve. The free version has a number of restrictions, but can still be used to produce a decent film.

2) "seppgirty (1/17/2014)

IMO, the above Posts are the most relevant to your immediate requirements (And - It is just an opinion ;) )

There are many Video Editing Programs; Professional / Semi-Professional / Consumer. Very expensive / Expensive / Cheap / Free. 

Windows XP OS has Free Windows MovieMaker. Windows Vista & W7 have Free Windows Live MovieMaker.

If you plan to not Author (make) DVDs & just Upload Video Files to eg; Youtube / Vimeo, you need to ensure that the Free Programs can handle the Highest Definition for both Importing Video files for Editing, from iClone & Exporting. By the Time Youtube / Vimeo have converted them they "Could" be unwatchable. (I have a Vimeo paid subscription for HD Conversion). 

Tip; You need to decide at the outset what Medium your final Video is going to be, before you start an iClone Project. This is covered in Forum Member Warlord's iClone Beginners Guide.

If you're new to 3D Animation, IMO, you're trying to run before you can walk ;)

It's well-worth purchasing Warlord's iClone Beginner's Guide (Based on iC4, but includes the new Features introduced with iC5, but not all of iC5 later versions).

3D Animation isn't easy. It can be made easier by adopting the right approach in the first place ;)

I, like many others, have encountered many problems by not initially adopting the right approach. Starting with iC1.5 

You'll find a lot of Video Tutorials by Reallusion & Forum Members.

However the question of "But where do I start?" still remains.

IMO, the best way to start (Others may differ), is to go through Stuckon3D's Free Video Tutorials, which cover iClone Basics. These are based on iClone 4, which don't include the many new Features in iC5.

When you've gone through those, you'll be better placed to tackle the iC5 Tutorials provided by Reallusion.

Warlord's Purchase Tutorial Book also based on iC4 but with iC5 new Features added, goes into the basics in more depth, with his own Content provided for individual Project-based Tutorials.

1) Stuckon3D

Here; https://forum.reallusion.com/Topic31003-33-1.aspx

2) Warlord:

Here; http://www.iclonebeginnersguide.com/

3) Reallusion iC5 Video Tutorials

Here; http://www.reallusion.com/iclone/iclone_training.aspx

http://video-editing-software-review.toptenreviews.com/

The only one I've used here is VideoPad Pro. It was a good editor but they had no customer support. A computer crash could leave you in a bind as they don't have a re-download feature and you would have to re-purchase in order to replace the software lost.

Good Luck :)

:cool: pete 

AUDIO OUTPUT
Based on your comments that it should work I rechecked everything since I have installed all bug fixes since my last rendering attempt and this is what I found.

 Media - WAV File error message
  I have 4 MP3 test files that work with Iclone and with my default window player.
  I have 4 wav test files, 3 do not work with iclone. All play on the default player
   - Failed to load audio file, this is an unsupported audio format

VIDEO OUTPUT
I have 5 dancing avatars against a background wall
Testing live the audio and video still degraded with multiple avatars or more than one audio and minimum props.
When rendering I previously only checked AVI and WMV - preview - 30 frames and the rendered output was almost as bad as the live output.

Since your responses I checked again and this time tried MP4 and received an error message about installing codecs.
   "This output forms...needs to be online activated in order to ensure legal license"
So I followed the procedure.
The AVI and WMV presented other choices for a "compressor" that they never did before.
I chose full frames uncompressed and the rendering was definitely better in the audio.
The MP4 performed much better than the others. There was some jerky behavior but much better than previously

If my problem was the codec and if AVI was defaulting to Uncompressed then that may have been part of my problem as suggested.

SYSTEM
Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit, 2.2GHz. 2 GB memory
Used Frame rate 30

AUDIO OUTPUT
Based on your comments that it should work I rechecked everything since I have installed all bug fixes since my last rendering attempt and this is what I found.

 Media - WAV File error message
  I have 4 MP3 test files that work with Iclone and with my default window player.
  I have 4 wav test files, 3 do not work with iclone. All play on the default player
   - Failed to load audio file, this is an unsupported audio format

VIDEO OUTPUT
I have 5 dancing avatars against a background wall
Testing live the audio and video still degraded with multiple avatars or more than one audio and minimum props.
When rendering I previously only checked AVI and WMV - preview - 30 frames and the rendered output was almost as bad as the live output.

Since your responses I checked again and this time tried MP4 and received an error message about installing codecs.
   "This output forms...needs to be online activated in order to ensure legal license"
So I followed the procedure.
The AVI and WMV presented other choices for a "compressor" that they never did before.
I chose full frames uncompressed and the rendering was definitely better in the audio.
The MP4 performed much better than the others. There was some jerky behavior but much better than previously

If my problem was the codec and if AVI was defaulting to Uncompressed then that may have been part of my problem as suggested.

IMO, that's the cause of your Problems.

I'm not sure  your CPU meets Reallusion's Recommended Spec; 2.4GHz? which in practise, should be considered the Minimum.

And - IMO, you need  a minimum of 4GB System RAM to Run iClone 5.

I suspect your PC's Graphics Processing Unit might also be under-powered.

Go to; Start / Search & enter; "dxdiag" / Display Tab, for details & Post those.

It looks like you're going to have to limit what you have in a Project, to the limiting factor of your PC Hardware. 

Under-powered PCs have caused many a problem for many Users over many years in Video Editing per se, Forums.

A. Video Studio Pro or Ultimate http://www.corel.com/static/product_content/vsp/x6/VSPX6_Matrix_EN.pdf
I was considering Video Studio Pro or Ultimate (formerly Ulead?) until Iclone had those great Christmas sales.

B. A 2012 Sony Movie Studio on amazon was $59.44 marked down from $129.95, so good deal if I can get an on-line upgrade.
C. I will definitely research the pros/cons of Compressed Vs Uncompressed
D. Thanks to my limitations I did figure out that this IS the best/most flexible way to create.
E. Tip from Maxae - very useful. I am assuming you are talking about the popvideos. I had wondered how well popvideos in the background would work and if they sucked up CPU but I could not render a good test movie.
F. Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. I saw that option in the old post and thought it might be a cheap alternative but only after I really learned how to use similar software.
G. Lightworks. Since it is an annual subscription it is the same issue as Adobe. The free option seems limited but I will try it after Movie Maker.
H. Tip from Colour. Thanks I want very good quality but the marketing information on these software never seems to address the limitations on size and quality.
   But your tips reminds me that I need to find a standard size and an output format (mpg4, wmv, avi, flash ) and see what is most compatible with all devices
   The videos will be about 30 minutes, on Youtube but I want to make a good CD quality.
   I learned/am learning Iclone by watching ALL the instructional and finished videos I could, deconstructing all the freebies and setting up little test cases.
I. Tip from Peterblood. I thought that Corel would give good support, theirs was the product I might select.
j. Final tip from Colour. Did not realize that I was below the Iclone minimum. This problem is the genesis of my decision to make many tiny little videos and sew them together then add audio.
   Fortunately these are mostly instructional, documentary style with some short action and limited characters talking to each other.
   However I don't want it to be a glorified Powerpoint presentation.

Here are the HORRIBLE "dxdiag" results.
Name: Mobile Intel (R) 4 series express chipset family
Chip Type: same as above
DAC type: Internal
Approx Total memory: 829 MB
Current display mode: 1366x768 (32 bit) (60 Hz)]
Monitor: Generic PnpMonitor
Drivers:
   Main Driver:igdumdx32.dll,  igd10umd32.dll
       Version: 8.15.10.2202
          Date: 8/25/2010
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
DDI Version: 10
Driver Model: WDDM 1.1

DirectX Features:
DirectDraw Acceleration: Enabled
Direct3D  Acceleration: Enabled
AGP Texture Acceleration: Enabled

Hmmmm.............Looks like Intel GMA GPU integrated within your PC's MOBO, with all of it's Video RAM  shared with System RAM. With only 2GB System RAM, that's not good news.

................and - Lightwave is a Professional Video editing Program used by Motion Picture Houses with a very high learning curve & won't Run on your PC, anyway..

Corel VideoStudio ok, but with only User to User Forum support. No Corel Forum support.

In any event, your low PC Hardware Specs will rule-out most of the Video editing Programs apart from Windows Moviemaker that's only available with XP, anyway & Windows Live Moviemaker.

Which windows OS are you Running; XP / Vista / W7. If Vista / W7, 32 or 64Bit ? & which iClone 5 Version 32/64 Bit?

Answers to the above determines the best possible HD Export & Resolution for WMV for Import into an NLE Program. 

3D animation programs need a lot of memory, especially for textures, so that will be your bottleneck. As you have only 2GB and your OS needs some and then your graphics module, there won't be much left.

As to editors, I was going to suggest HitFilm Express, which is current available for free, but it requires a 64-bit Windows OS.

..........and;

2) "am still a newbie learning on her own for one year now so bear with me.
I know NOTHING about animation before buying iclone"

In view of the above & what has been Posted re; your under-powered PC, IMO, if you want to achieve 1), you need a new PC. You can't do it with your current PC, I'm afraid.:ermm: 

2) Animated Film Production & Video Editing is difficult-enough using PC's that are sufficient, without adding more difficulties with a PC that isn't. Your PC is preventing you from learning iClone .

Animated Film Production & Video Editing can be an expensive hobby. You're looking at up-to £1000 for a new PC

Plenty of Expert advice has & can be given as to what PC to purchase according to your Documentary Style Videos requirements. You would need to look at the current Threads re; that & Start your own.

Here's a current Thread; https://forum.reallusion.com/Topic175282-281-1.aspx. A lot of "Technobabble" I'm afraid ;)

http://www.reallusion.com/iclone/iclone_requirements.aspx

Thanks for the info. I did understand the techno babble if not the name of specific products/suppliers.

http://www.reallusion.com/iclone/iclone_requirements.aspx

Thanks for the info. I did understand the techno babble if not the name of specific products/suppliers."

As previously stated, the Recommended should be considered the Minimum.

All software Developers State a Minimum Spec, but by implication don't Recommend it, to increase Sales to those with under-powered PCs.

Dishonest, IMO :ermm:

Well it's updated to include W8, Job :ermm:

I'll call it "Mis-leading", to be nicer ;)

FWIW - Pinnacle Systems that was, were criticised so much for quoting a Minimum Spec, they eventually only quoted a Recommended (& More) spec.

.....................and - Here's Reallusion's Reply to Roberto Columbo's request re; PC Specs for Running iC5; Not exactly Minimum or Recommended, is it?

Here, as promised, is RL answer about my questions.
I think they offer an interesting point of view.

1. A good graphics card is very important for iClone5. Having a powerful card with plenty of on-board ram will allow you to work with higher resolution textures and handle more objects on screen. However the processor is also very important so I would suggest a 60 -40 share in favour of the graphics card.

2. Having more than 4GB of Ram with a 32Bit operating system will not offer any real benefits. However if you have a 64bit operating system then system Ram becomes very important, especially if you plan to work with larger scale projects. 16GB will be ideal for iClone5.

3. We do recommend Nvidia cards but latest AMD cards are still a good choice too. The Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 would be perfect for iClone with a GTX 680 or 760 being a close second.

4. SSD drives can improve the loading speed of iClone (and all your software) but the size is often the problem. If the SSD drive is used for the C: drive then along with iClone it will also contain the OS as well as your iClone temp files which can get very large. For this reason a minimum 256GB card is the best option. The small sizes such as 64GB are not really suitable as they will fill up almost immediately which counters any gains you have made by using SSD.

5. At this stage I don't think there is any difference between using Windows 7 or Windows 8. Both work perfectly with iClone offering the same performance levels. Personally I use Windows 8.1 because of the other benefits it brings, but for iClone only there really is no difference.

For now I will have to see the limits of the minimum and find creative ways to work with it. I STILL LOOOVEEE Iclone and its potential. The good prices, freebies and user community are really a God send. I hope I don't have to buy a new version of Iclone with a switch to a 64 bit operating system!!

Please share where you get systems at a good price. It sounds like a build to order not off the shelf.