iClone is missing contests and fun learning projects.


https://forum.reallusion.com/Topic414643.aspx 		Print Topic | Close Window

By Dragonskunk - 5 Years Ago
I was hoping there would be by now a recreate this in iClone type contest where a video is shown of either a real life or a simulated effect and see who could recreate it best. It would be an fun way to learn interesting creative ways make things happen with iclone. To see how users could be able to recreate a scene based only on a gif or video. More things created with iClone would attract more users to get iClone and those who already have iClone a fun challenge to keep things interesting.

Just an idea.
 
A challenge example based on real life:
https://forum.reallusion.com/uploads/images/12271e89-daec-4edd-922b-34a3.gif 

A challenge example based on other CG software.
https://forum.reallusion.com/uploads/images/153b2e78-0fe8-4097-a267-9e53.gif
By The-any-Key - 5 Years Ago
I think this would be a great idea. Like a game jam but for iClone.
We could try mimic a thing or use a theme and the users can create and post a video tutorial or rendered video to show how to mimic it. This would also be a source to inspire new plugins for iClone (I was thinking on a plugin to create the cupcake iceing animation). The forum can then vote on the best tutorial and scene. The tutorials would be a great learning resource while scenes would show what you can do in iClone. Users could also give away stuff as prizes to get some advertisement of their content. Ex if I want too, I could state that I give away a plugin for the winner and another smaller plugin as the jumbo prize. Or a prize for top 3... (But I don't know if the marketplace got features that allow you to give content to specific users for free). Plugins are fine as they can be handed over by providing the user with the zip file.
By Dragonskunk - 5 Years Ago
Maybe prizes if it gets popular.
It doesn't have to be prizes other than maybe a iProp of a trophee.
Maybe a small animation of your favorite avatar getting an award. 
By justaviking - 5 Years Ago
That sounds like a great idea.  It could a nice way to develop a specific skill.  There should be nothing stopping you (or anyone else) from organizing little contests (or "challenges") like that.

I like the idea of it focusing on a specific task or technique.  That should be much less of a time commitment than trying to write and animate an entire movie.

Each person should be expected to at least describe how they did it.

Perhaps Reallusion could support it with some "Points" for the winners to spend in the store.  You could use a Forum "poll" to let people vote on the winners, or the contest organizer could also be the judge.
By 3dtester - 5 Years Ago
Good idea! I vote for it Smile
By animagic - 5 Years Ago
We used to have the "Pinhead" competitions, which were a lot of fun, but also a lot of work for the organizers.

RL used to organize more competitions themselves in the past. At some point they introduced Facebook voting, which I think is a very bad idea and gives skewed results. So judging is indeed a challenge. A poll may not be so bad.
By 3DPiXL - 5 Years Ago
I think this is a great idea. Always good to see how people achieve results. 
By Dragonskunk - 5 Years Ago
justaviking (6/4/2019)
That sounds like a great idea.  It could a nice way to develop a specific skill.  There should be nothing stopping you (or anyone else) from organizing little contests (or "challenges") like that.

If I'm not doing my own projects I'm writing bugs to Feedback Tracker. I never made so many bug reports... Probably why 7.41 has been around for a while. And there's my day. As for organizing... Maybe when I get my pilot episode made and 7.5.1 comes out and I don't have to fight the software to make it do what I want it to do then I'll see. 
By kungphu - 5 Years Ago
I'm with Ani here. Poll voting would be way better than FB voting. Great video by someone not very active on FB gets trounced by someone active on FB with 2,000 friends. Would be fun to do short vids kinda like what Drangonskunk is mentioning here. Longer vids like the Pinhead contests are great, but very involved. I never participated because I did have the time to devote to it. Doing something like the "11 Second Club" does would be fun as well. A shot 11 second clip and you have to animate it any way you see fit. Would be cool to see what comes out of iClone instead of professional animators like the 11 Second Club.
By Dragonskunk - 5 Years Ago
I don't do the 11 second club since I been using iClone, silly but I feel like I'm cheating using iClone for that contest. 
By animagic - 5 Years Ago
Dragonskunk (6/6/2019)
I don't do the 11 second club since I been using iClone, silly but I feel like I'm cheating using iClone for that contest. 

I tried once years ago, and I ended almost last. I like to think it was because my clip didn't have the required Maya cartoonish look...Crying



The sins of our past...Tongue
By Dragonskunk - 5 Years Ago
animagic (6/6/2019)
Dragonskunk (6/6/2019)
I don't do the 11 second club since I been using iClone, silly but I feel like I'm cheating using iClone for that contest. 

I tried once years ago, and I ended almost last. I like to think it was because my clip didn't have the required Maya cartoonish look...Crying



The sins of our past...Tongue


Maya cartoonish look?
You're kidding right?
I hope you're kidding.
By kungphu - 5 Years Ago
Ha! Awesome vid. Yeah, you don’t see many machinima vids posted there for sure. Now if we posted iclone facial mocap vids there we’d probs get roasted. It’s a bunch of pros and students entering. Mocapping would kinda be cheating but I guess if you key framed a bunch of expressions it may slide? I find it super cool to see the direction that some of the participants take the dialogue. Usually see great use of squash and stretch in those vids as well. I watch them as a learning process. Would be fun to do an iclone only version in a safe “non-judgey” forum like this one.
By kungphu - 5 Years Ago
Ha! Awesome vid. Yeah, you don’t see many machinima vids posted there for sure. Now if we posted iclone facial mocap vids there we’d probs get roasted. It’s a bunch of pros and students entering. Mocapping would kinda be cheating but I guess if you key framed a bunch of expressions it may slide? I find it super cool to see the direction that some of the participants take the dialogue. Usually see great use of squash and stretch in those vids as well. I watch them as a learning process. Would be fun to do an iclone only version in a safe “non-judgey” forum like this one.
By Dragonskunk - 5 Years Ago
Mocap doesn't work with "good" animation. Animation is about exaggeration of what real life motion is so you would still have to know what to exaggerate. It's kinda like saying I'll trace a photograph and have the best looking cartoon image. And mocap doesn't equal an advantage either, you could be a really bad mime as well.  
By kungphu - 5 Years Ago
Basically mocap a performance as a starting point. Similar to a professional animator making several reference videos. From there go to the curve editor. The end production wouldn’t be a simple mocap. The mocap would only emphasize the basic arcs. Different approach than pose to pose with tweens.could work in a pinch.

I think a more apt comparison would be, let me trace this picture lightly. I’ll use it as a base and draw over it for a caricature. Different ways to skin a cat. I’ve Defoe rly done that in the past with charcoals. But... probably not an orthodox way of working.

My comment about mocap cheating is that if you entered that contest and just mocap a bunch of motion... that kind of spoils the “animation” part of the contest since there would be none. Just pressing record. Not sure if that makes sense? I’m more and more interested just based on the different positions of our convo here how this would work out with a small iclone contest. I bet we’d have a diverse looking set of entries. Could spark some good convo, kinda like this has. Always interested to hear how people work and their thoughts. Smile
By animagic - 5 Years Ago
Dragonskunk (6/7/2019)
Mocap doesn't work with "good" animation. Animation is about exaggeration of what real life motion is so you would still have to know what to exaggerate. It's kinda like saying I'll trace a photograph and have the best looking cartoon image. And mocap doesn't equal an advantage either, you could be a really bad mime as well.  

What is considered "good" animation is up for debate. Some feel that you absolutely need to follow the 12 principles, but I disagree. I have seen many interesting forms of animation that go beyond that, fortunately.

If you view games a form of animation (and why not), other considerations (including realism) play a role.
By Dragonskunk - 5 Years Ago
animagic (6/7/2019)
Dragonskunk (6/7/2019)
Mocap doesn't work with "good" animation. Animation is about exaggeration of what real life motion is so you would still have to know what to exaggerate. It's kinda like saying I'll trace a photograph and have the best looking cartoon image. And mocap doesn't equal an advantage either, you could be a really bad mime as well.  

What is considered "good" animation is up for debate. Some feel that you absolutely need to follow the 12 principles, but I disagree. I have seen many interesting forms of animation that go beyond that, fortunately.

If you view games a form of animation (and why not), other considerations (including realism) play a role.

Well their idea of good animation is what the big studios want. They are a school and they want to teach students the method that impresses the big studios. So they teach the most impressive techniques and their contest reflect that. But it's not prejudice against a visual style or platform. If you make animation that is worthy of something that will end up on the big screen is the "good" animation.   
By AutoDidact - 5 Years Ago
There are many purists that consider any Character 
animation that was not painstakingly curated by hand as 
not legitimate. 
I have noticed (over the years ) that they all have one thing 
in common.
They  nearly All create "Cute Stuff" ,inspired by Pixar, 
with cartoonish styled characters with over exaggerated 
movements etc etc etc.
Nothing wrong with  the "cute stuff"
I just do not care to make it and rarely watch it.
and when, I do, it is Sci-fi/ space based
 ( WAll-E, Escape from planet earth etc.)
I want to tell sci fi/space based stories with a certain visual 
effects asthetic that appeals to people from the comic book 
& video game demographics
 (admittedly mostly male viewers from early twenties to 
middle age)
This notion that  exclusive focus on  the 12 principles& 
cute stuff, if one hopes to "make it in the industry", is not 
supported by the Video game revenues and Box office of 
the decidely NON cute Marvel Comic based Movies
I have seen the "cute stuff" creators "Boast" about 
completing a few seconds of "quality" animation per week 
as some masochistic Badge of honor ,yet will very nearly 
fall into a crippling anxiety attack if separated from the 
instant gratification of their modern smartphones for more 
than 15 minutes.
Iclone gives us an incredible set of  story telling&motion 
building tools that do not require us to prove to anyone 
that we are willing to endure the vicissitudes of tedious 
frame by frame, hand curation of our animations.
The 12 principles are important however, IMHO  the many 
principles of cinematography, story pacing and camera 
cuts/shot framing are even more important than the
 "cute stuff"..at least for me.
By animagic - 5 Years Ago
Autodidact, that was a good summary of my own position on this.