I've been learning and developing my workflow for about 9 months and am still not ready to put anything out there to share. I've been scouring youtube, the forum, Facebook and even LinkedIn for the best of the best examples. Animation sequences that we can all look at and think, "wow, there's the bar, that's the quality level I'm after". While I can totally appreciate the effort everyone puts in, I am still yet to see the ultimate lifelike example. Even when people use stock motions and mocap animation you can generally spot where the blends are and there's usually a giveaway somewhere. Can anyone point me in the direction of the best of the best? Finished examples using mocap suits? Just curious to see how far we can really go using Reallusion/Unreal/Substance etc in terms of animation, texturing, rendering - the whole package... or if I'm just expecting too much from the tools we have...

If your aim for animation is for it to be lifelike, what exactly do you mean? Many of the most successful animated series for example are far from lifelike, but they are entertaining.

In my experience, if you submit to a festival, the first and foremost the organizers look at is story. Without a story all your effort is useless.

You can either give it a try and put t out there or try for the ultimate perfection and never have anything to show for.

This may sound harsh, but lately people are focused too much on technology and forget about artistry.

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Animagic you do make compelling points. The story is the main thing I do have and I want the presentation to do it justice. I'm going for as close to cinematic as I can get so my workflow is developing through to post production as well. For me content/scene creation comes first, then animation, then render prep (lighting, effects etc) then post production (more effects potentially, audio and editing). I've seen great work in all areas but never anything where i've thought that was the level I was aiming for. Do you think that, perhap, because each person has their own aims that, in a sense, I may not see what I expect to see?

Nick, the way I see it is that you can learn from the work of others. For example, I'm doing 3D animation but there is work from 2D animators that I like a lot because of the way things are portrayed. 

Don't forget live action movies that speak to you as well, because animated movies are movies.

If you say "cinematic" then I assume "mood" is important; you want to draw the viewer into the scene. All other things you mention are good, but I would suggest you take it step by step.

My first narrative animation is from about ten years ago. I took an old radio play and animated it, so the dialog was already there. If I look back I see many faults, but it least I had produced something. Then, with every new movie, I try to improve, often concentrating on a particular aspect, such as lighting.

I don't, but some here have a filmmakers background and especially with lighting and camera work you can see that they benefit from that.

As to the best of the best, that is a difficult call, as it all depends.

You could check here for movies made with Reallusion products: https://www.reallusion.com/reallusiontv/#/iclone/feature-showcase. I wouldn't call them the best of the best, but if you search for "zuijlen" you'll find some of mine.

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search for direct74 videos.



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saying the "Best of the Best"  is assuming that I think everything you find awesome is great.  lol
Animation is a combination of disciplines,  each of which can take a lifetime to learn half the truth. 

If you want the best of the best,  then look at disney,  he made a theme park,  movie studios,  record labels,  and a streaming service,  and they employ thousands of people, put many people through college, and make their customers happy. and disney had very little drawing skills.

Look at artstation,   it has the people that have worked on the most popular projects -  such as
https://www.artstation.com/garethjensen

the biggest challenge,  "Be YOUR best"  - avoid this "competitive" view of everyone else,  because you can be more talented than someone,  but the producer thinks you are so caught up on being the best that you are annoying the team and hires the guy less skilled than you,   that's why people get jobs they aren't the best at. 

Truth is,  for every one thing you try in 3D -  there are at least 1,000 people on fiver who have 20 years more experience and willing to do it for 5 dollars.

The one thing they don't have is you   -  if you limit your vision to what someone else already achieved,  then - that will be "your:" best. 

Don't compete,  set a new standard.

that's what this guy did and got 3 billiion views, - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzG4uDgje3M

hardly the best,  but show me 1 ...just 1 dc or marvel comics video with 3 billiion views

was this guy the best .....or simply the most popular ?

Stop the madness!!

"It's like a finger pointing away to the moon. Do not concentrate on the finger or you will miss all of the heavenly glory!"
- Bruce Lee

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As Job and PSD say.  

It's really all what you want to accomplish.  If you are after "views" then you need to rethink your perspective (my MOST viewed video, by a LONG shot, is a takeoff on "The Incredibles" and "Toy Story" and "Grinch".  All done in 2D.  Hundreds of thousands of views.  Nowhere near as "good" as some of my 3D stuff.  But very, very popular).

If you are after a personal vision -- then no one can point you to ANYTHING.  It's personal.

If you are after a "lifelike" look -- look no further than out your window.  That's life.  You'll never get better (or even close -- if you REALLY want realism, skip animation and go with live action.  Easier/cheaper/better in every single way.  And you can still do FX and make it anywhere you want).

There's a reason that animation is animation -- it's not MEANT to be real life.  The very first animated film was "Gertie the Dinosaur".  Get the idea/

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Mike "ex-genius" Kelley

do you guys even read posts? or just push your postcounts?
he was asking for best examples of iclone animation,
guys that are pushing the software to its limit
as in not you 3 guys

Take a look at this recently published iClone video:
https://forum.reallusion.com/480175/New-Guardian-Angel-Elite-video



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See all the G-Tools Plug-Ins available for iClone here: G-Tools Plug-Ins

thank you for your feelings 1970gtx -   they were much appreciated. <3
he said "Reallusion/Unreal/Substance etc"   

Best of the best,  no such thing,  and if there was - My post is among the best of the best responses lol.

see guys,  It's not me  -  when you stand with the best of the best,  people just keep coming at you,  it's lonely at the top.

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"To define Tao is to defile it" - Lao Tzu