Dear Reallusioners,
Many of you have high expectations for iClone 8 (iC8) and Character Creator 4 (CC4), and after a long wait, we are happy to announce that they are ready for preview. In this first look into the future of character production, we’ll show off the BIGGEST feature-packed release ever, slated for release in 2022. We here at Reallusion have not only listened closely to your requests, but we have also continually strived to innovate beyond your expectation.
The new platform for character creation and animation is defining the future of 3D characters ready for any given render engine and 3D application. We aim to provide a character solution fit for every environment that can be enlivened by digital actors.
The innovations presented in Character Creator 4 and iClone 8 make these two technologies the pillars of power for creation and animation. New tools provide ease of use, the ability to animate with precision and bring characters to life.
For more information, see the 3D Character Creation & Animation webpage.
What’s New in iClone 8 and Character Creator 4
iClone 8
For iClone 8, we strove to keep strengthening the core values of character animation with Motion Director game-play controls and powerful editing capabilities, such as animation layer editing, bi-directional blending, reach target offset for interactive motion, end effector editing, and more. With the latest innovative update, iClone 8 makes it easy to create animation enjoyably and productively.
We expect users who are new to the 3D industry or who are veterans of professional tools like Maya and MotionBuilder to find the best of worlds in the powerful motion functionalities available in iClone 8. And to them we say: Give it a try, you just might find it indispensable for your next production!
For more information, take a look at the new features in Clone 8.
Character Creator 4
The main focus of Character Creator 4 is to enliven and give personality to any biped humanoid, whether they are humans or creatures.
In version 4.0, imagination and creativity are no longer limited by an existing character base. Instead, any rigged character can be imported, characterized, and optimized in Character Creator 4. Characters will be fully compatible with iClone for lip-syncing, facial/body animation, and also be ready for ActorCore mocap animations to save time in production.
To present a character’s personality, Character Creator 4 supports customizing facial expression morphs to create vivid, and unique facial expressions. Users can further check talking and body animation, cloth/hair physics, spring dynamics, and preview animations directly in Character Creator 4.
For more information, take a look at the new features in Character Creator 4.
RTX GPU Based Path-Traced Renderer with NVIDIA Omniverse
iClone 8 and Character Creator 4 can connect to NVIDIA Omniverse – an RTX GPU-based path-traced render engine, which supports USD (Universal Scene Description) data architecture for collaborative design projects. With it, users will be able to generate commercial-quality visuals directly from iC8 and CC4.
You may refer to this video for an overview of Omniverse rendering.
Those who have purchased iC8 and CC4 will have free access to Omniverse Connector, and a preliminary version will be provided for early experience.
For more details:
How to Get iClone 8 and Character Creator 4
To receive the upcoming release of iClone 8 and/or Character Creator 4 for FREE, all you need to do is purchase to build an Accumulated Order Value of over US$399 to US$799 during the 2021 Year End Treats event from November 1st to December 31st, 2021.
Go check the Reallusion Year-End Treats to get the best deal.
Product Portfolio Change
To ease the path to 3D production, we will simplify our product portfolio to make iClone 8 and Character Creator 4 work independently, while seamlessly compatible with one another. That means:
- iClone 8 will come in the pipeline version only. No 3DXchange is required in order to export FBX, OBJ, etc.
- 3DXchange will be discontinued. All related features will be integrated into iClone 8 or Character Creator 4.
- iClone 8: any motion FBX files imported into iClone 8 can be automatically retargeted to standard CC characters or non-standard characters.
- Character Creator 4: besides the characterization features mentioned above, CC4 allows importing any object, editing mesh elements to sub-nodes, and easily turning objects into props, accessories, clothes, hair, shoes, etc.
- Motion LIVE and Curve Editor functions will be built-in in iClone 8 without extra purchases, and the End Effector animation and facial animation curves will be added.
- Only the pipeline edition of Character Creator 4 exists; there will no longer be a free version for iClone 8 users.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: Will the existing plug-ins be compatible with iClone 8 and Character Creator 4?
Question: What are the key features of iClone 8 and Character Creator 4 compared to the previous versions?
If you own the following iClone 7 and Character Creator 3 paid plug-ins, you will get a free upgrade version to be compatible with iClone 8 and Character Creator 4.
- iClone: All mocap profiles for Motion LIVE Plug-in, iClone Unreal Live Link, PopcornFX, Iray Render Plug-in
- Character Creator: Headshot Plugin, SkinGen Premium Plug-in, Iray Render Plug-in
* iClone 8 comes integrated with built-in Motion LIVE and Curve Editor, absent the need to install plugins.
Please check the full feature comparison table:
Question: When will iClone 8 and Character Creator 4 be released? Can I get early access to iClone 8 and Character Creator 4?
The official launch date is scheduled for Spring of 2022. No early access is planned at the moment.
Question: Will the existing iClone 7 python plug-ins be compatible with iClone 8?
Due to some function changes, some Python scripts will require an update by Python developers. We will contact Python developers in early 2022, so developers can adjust their scripts accordingly. As a developer, you have the right to decide to release your script as a free or paid update.
If you have further questions, please contact our Support Team, or join the discussion at Reallusion Forum.
