iClone 5 animation tools

jaebea

I have been playing with iClone 5 the past few days and I have to say I am totally in love with its animation tools. I think Daz should take a look as they are building the new animation tools for Daz 5. Although I will not use it as my main program, I am seriously considering adding it and 3dxchange to my workflow. Being able to import Daz characters in, animate and export as BVH into Daz to create aniblocks is FABULOUS!!! I will be doing all the animation in iClone for the music video I'm working on.

Artman009

Same here, jaebea. After years of posing & animating a DAZ character in Studio and waiting sometimes hours to see the final result, it's a thrill to see the same character walk around in a 3D environment with real-time lights and shadows.

It's too bad, though, that iClone's rendering engine is still very video game quality. Also, what's up with the limit of only 4 spot and 4 directional lights per scene?

Anyway, working with both DAZ Studio and iClone offers a lot of advantages. However, there are two major caveats with how they work together:

1. Cannot import pre-existing morph animation

Currently, any facial or morph animation done in DAZ Studio and exported via FBX will not import into 3DXChange. The morph shapes themselves will transfer but their animation will not. Any morph animation (facial or otherwise) has be started and done in iClone.

This stinks as I was working on a project where I had intended to do motion captured facial animation done with Brekel Face Pro (http://www.brekel.com/brekel-kinect-pro-face/) on a DAZ Genesis character in Studio and export it to iClone via FBX, but unfortunately, the animation cannot transfer (at least, at the moment). I hope iClone's creators, Reallusion, will update 3DXchange to allow this in a future update.

2. Facial animation done in iClone cannot be exported back into DAZ Studio

With the recent addition of facial animation on a DAZ Genesis character in iClone and the handy lip sync tools (http://youtu.be/DR9ChxwN_68), I was hoping I could simply animate lip sync animation in iClone and export out via FBX back into DAZ Studio. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to work as the FBX from iClone seems to rename all morph sliders (so aniBlocks cannot be created to be used on other Genesis models) and the skeleton rig for the character seems to be stripped from the model completely.

Again, it would be great if Reallusion would add a DAZ Studio profile for users to select on export.

kitakoredaz

I really content about iclone5 and exchange 5, for daz figures .%-P

it seems most simple and reliable way, to move (animate) daz genesis with expression more free,
without many problem.

then last few days,
I have tried to export gen2female character with facial expression, to icone 5 as same as genesis.

and find there are some difference .

user may need manually adjust, when export gen2female with facial motion data.

1 we can still use DAZ user profile of reallustion.
and icloneFacekey.duf. (for genesis ) about genesis2female.

but about some expression,
the icloneFacekey.duf can not make expression. (can not change property value for expression) for gen2F.

so that, manually adjust and make expression then record key, on each frame,
compare with Daz Genesis Avatar Face Key Sequence. I clip pics for parameter value which used for genesis
on each frame ,then copy value manually for gen2female ^^;

2 after export as fbx with expression data, and check face animation, most of property value work as double.
it make really strange terrible face ,,,

it is because,, genesis2female expression controller (assigend head nodes) has been changed the way.

about gen2female these head controller are assigned with head are, alias . not controller.
So that,, FBX export all alias controller value as same as actuall morphs.
(or 3d exchange load them as same as morphs, it can not recognize Alias and actual morphs)
it cause double effect.

I needed to remove all value of head controller (Alias). in 3d exchagen face animation editor.

there are already, Actuall morphs for expression assigend root genesis2 node. and keep same value as Alias of head.
I need to change all head morph (controller) value to zero. and remain genesis root node PHM values only.

3. about hands, we need to re-adjust T-poze. I do not like,, these manuall setting time,,,

I hope reallusion version up the character profile and face key duf, for genesis 2 female too,
though I already made them for my Actor,,

please some one request realussion ^^;
====================================================
then,,About ds morph Animation, Actually I feel difficulity.

it is not only iclone5, blender too. I think if FBX can not record morph animation of daz studio.
though it can export as morph data . it is same about blender with Collada too.

But,, Artman009 mentioned,, we can export morph data of genesis to iclone5.
and we can export auto-generated morph data in clothing too.

that means, when I change shape Actor to GIA (or any body morph, or any character, ) from gen2f or genesis,
we can force clothing fit to the shape as same as daz studio.

To export auto-generated morph, I need to change setting of generated morph parameter
in daz studio. then this is my way. (if there is more easy way, teach me please,,)

1 turn hide generated morph parameter of clothings, to visible parameter,
and change type as usuall shaping morph (from generated) in parameter setting.

2. tweak parameter of generated morph only, and record as new key on another flame then record the value.
to export these morphs.

if just export with genesis morph animation,
clothing morph can not export at all. only genesis shape morph data are exported.
it cuase poke through, when change genesis shape in iclone5

3 after export morphs as FBX,
at current in i clone 5, there seems no way to tweak these morph parameter value, directly.

At first,,
we must work in 3d exchange 5, then assign them as facial animation user profile, as same as expression morphs.
after that make morph animation by facial puppet tool in iclone 5 with mouce controll.

In facial animation editor of 3d exchange, set GIA parameter to 0.8 for genesis.
at same time, I change genearated GIA parameter for clothing (tops ,bottomes etc) to 0.8 too.

and record it user custome facial motion.

now I move mouce in facial puppet tool,, character shape and clothing shape change to GIA
at same time. so that there is no poke through.

argus1000

Artman009 said:

2. Facial animation done in iClone cannot be exported back into DAZ Studio[/st

I cried and I cried when I realized I could not export iClone's facial animation to DazStudio. I paid good money for that special DUF file. But then I realized it's Daz's fault Their FBX import function is out of whack.

argus1000

jaebea said:

I have been playing with iClone 5 the past few days and I have to say I am totally in love with its animation tools. I think Daz should take a look as they are building the new animation tools for Daz 5. Although I will not use it as my main program, I am seriously considering adding it and 3dxchange to my workflow. Being able to import Daz characters in, animate and export as BVH into Daz to create aniblocks is FABULOUS!!! I will be doing all the animation in iClone for the music video I'm working on.

I agree. iClone's animation tools are generally superior. Most of the time, now, I start from iClone, then import in Daz Studio and render in Carrara.

jaebea

Yeah, and DS4.6's collada is broken too. I can no longer use it with my Marvelous Designer 2!