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Learning

CC5 ActorMIXER: Quick Look

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The new ActorMIXER and ActorMIXER Pro plugins are a beginner’s dream for creating new characters while greatly speeding up the character development process for professionals and hardcore hobbyists. While anyone can use this new plugin, it really excels at empowering beginners to develop their own characters and character styles. What used to take years of development is now just hours or less.

What is ActorMIXER?

ActorMIXER is exactly what the name suggests. It mixes parts of characters to create unique characters or family characters like siblings or different generations of the same family. It is based on a simple wheel concept that allows us to mix between different head, body type and bone dimensions by sliding a mixer dot to different morphs on a clock-face type of control.

ActorMIXER versus ActorMIXER Pro

ActorMIXER comes with Character Creator 5 and includes some sample morphs to get you started on the journey to more unique characters. This basic tool will allow you to acquaint yourself with its features and benefit from the free sample resources included.

ActorMIXER Pro comes with all the features of ActorMIXER plus many more including the Core Library of morphs, Random Face Generator, and the ability to create and save our own Customer Mixer. The standard free version is available to everyone while the Pro version is a commercial plug-in that will appeal to professionals and beginners with its advanced features.

Will Any Character Mesh Work with ActorMIXER

From my testing, ActorMIXER works only with CC3+ characters and up. Non-Character Creator meshes will deactivate the ActorMIXER option. If you have been around morphing for any time, then you know it has built-in restrictions depending on what you want to do. It is not unusual to have to conform to a certain topography and other features, so this is to be expected.

While inconvenient, it’s understandable when you look at some character mesh topology available today, particularly on AI-generated characters. Even when generated in quads the UV Maps can be a chopped-up nightmare to deal with. As long as the character is from the iClone/Character Creator pipeline, CC3+ at minimum… the mixer is available for further modifications.

Mixer Wheel – Nondestructive Blending

The mixer wheel… the backbone of ActorMIXER is a perfect example of how Reallusion simplifies animation with its “dial-in” mixer interface. Intuitive and easy to use the mixer wheel allows us to move a “mixing dot” around the wheel between morphs which changes the character features on the fly for immediate feedback.

This includes the body or head, and the head is broken down into many different parts. There are a lot of options in the Head tab alone with the ability to dial-in the head, head shape, eyes, nose, mouth, chin, ears, and forehead.  Then there is the Body tab with three choices of Body, Body Ratio, and Body Shape.

The mixer wheel covers a lot of territory and while greatly simplifying the process for all users.

Random Face Generation (Pro)

This is a very quick solution for unique characters. We can generate faces based on collections of morphs we have available, and we can choose the location of the morphs to control what morphs are used. In fact, I had to choose the location for it to work. I have my assets on a separate drive so that created quite a shock when I clicked the Random Face button and it created an alien from a group of alien head morphs I was testing earlier.

It took me a minute to catch onto what was going on. No matter what I did, it generated an alien. Reluctantly, I looked at the documentation (this is how spoiled I’ve become using Reallusion products that I rarely look at a manual).  I needed to point my template folder to the location of the morphs, in this case the Core Library location, since I had a custom install path.  It had picked up the custom alien morph heads I had saved as the customer path was pointing to the right location, but the template assets were at another location so it couldn’t find them. I pointed the Template location to the proper folder, and everything fell into place.

After I got this little hiccup sorted it was on to exploring the new feature which took all of a minute or less because you literally push a button. It couldn’t be easier. The morphs in the target location control how the random face is generated. If you want an Asian female face you use the Random Face panel to choose a location that holds the applicable morphs.

After this, you can just click the button and see the face change with each click, as it will generate the face from whatever morphs are available in the selected location, including male and female, if in the same location. While there have been many face generators over the years, this one stands out for ease of use and speed. Practically no learning curve if you are already familiar with morphs, or a little learning curve otherwise.

Like the mixer wheel, just dive it and go for it, nothing there is brain surgery or rocket science. Just good old morphing with a modern slant that overcomes many of the old morphing limitations of the past.

Core Library/Custom Library (Pro)

Key Features include:

  • 40+ HD 3D Scanned Heads
    Includes diverse head presets categorized by ethnicity, age, and gender.
  • Structural Facial Blending
    Mix and reshape individual facial features (brow, chin, etc.) or entire heads with precision.
  • HD Skin Textures
    Real human face scans available in 2K and 4K, fully blendable with any head shape.
  • Ethnic Diversity Presets
    • Asian: 10 head presets, 10 skin textures
    • Caucasian: 14 head presets, 14 skin textures
    • African: 10 head presets, 9 skin textures
    • Middle Eastern: 10 head presets, 10 skin textures
  • Gender Balance
    Supports balanced male and female character generation.

Custom Mixer Wheels

The earlier tutorial shows how to get started with this great new feature of the Pro version that allows us to create and save custom mixer wheels we have put together for characters or families. If you load up a mixer wheel with stock or HD morphs you can save those wheels with the simple controls on the bottom of the Mixer panel. It can be a full or partial wheel and contain a mix of morphs as long as are CC3+ or above character class.

This includes all available morphs from character, body, head and so forth. After saving the custom wheels are available in the content tab with the other morphs.

It’s a great way to keep track of what you are using and to be consistent across the project by always having the same morphs at hand that were used in the project earlier.

My Morph Workflow: Character Creator 5/ZBRUSH

My personal workflow for creating custom morphs is to transfer, via GoZ, a CC3+ or CC5 character into ZBrush from Character Creator 5. I generally use the Create function and sometimes I even clear my GoZ cache in ZBrush. I rarely use the Relink function even though I should explore this option more. This is more born of first use habits than practical, but it works for me.

I prefer to work with the multi-level density mesh instead of the optimized single level mesh. This provides more “meat on the bone” to work with as it gives me a denser mesh to manipulate with brushes and other tools. I can also use the Level slider in ZBrush to move between density levels for sculpting. I can create or modify morphs in 3DS Max but ZBrush is just a more intuitive app for me for that sort of thing. Maya and Blender are great 3D morph tools as well.

After I bring in the mesh and switch to the highest density, I use brushes in ZBrush to mold and sculpt or rather re-sculpt the original Character Creator mesh into a new head, body or both. As of this writing I have mostly experimented with head morphs and had no frustration in learning the process to create custom morphs for the mixer wheel.

I send the finished morphs back into Character Creator 5 with CC GoZ from ZBrush to finish the round trip.

Creating Mixer Assets

This simple panel comes with a lot of options to save all or any part, or any combination of parts, of your character morphs for future use and this includes related items like sliders.

This one panel simplifies the process of what to keep. If you modify the head only, then you can save the head only if you wish to do so.

Once again Reallusion comes through making this a very easy task with its Create Mixer Assets panel.

How to Approach ActorMIXER as a Beginner

First and foremost, it is nothing to be worried or intimidated about. While the actual creation of morphs can be a bit past beginners’ level, we do not have to create morphs to use the mixer wheel. It would not surprise me to see Mixer Packages in the marketplace and store for those that don’t create their own. Not everyone is a modeler but if you have software capable of re-sculpting character meshes then give it a try as basic morphs can be easily achievable for a lot of users.

As to the mixer wheel itself… just dive in. It’s not that complicated and mostly self-explanatory depending on your level of experience. At its basic level we simply need to only move the mixer dot to see immediate changes in the character.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with mixing different morphs. Sometimes piling morphs on top of morphs will have unintended consequences but the mixer wheel eliminates that. As mentioned earlier and on the website, it is a non-destructive blending of morphs. If you need to go back to the original form before any morphs, then all we have to do is move the morph dot back to the center of the wheel and the character is restored or hit the restore button.

There is no reason to not embrace this new plugin to expand your current character library because, if you haven’t figured it out yet, we can never have enough characters as animators. Using a generic character can lead to confusion on the professional level as that character may be used by many different studios and users, so ActorMIXER gives us an easy tool to make unique characters.

If you aren’t sure how to start just click one of the ActorMIXER buttons and let it create a male or female base character, and you can use the wheel to dial in the look you want based on the morphs on the wheel. Don’t forget the Head and Body tabs too!

Summary

ActorMIXER is another great tool from Reallusion that holds true to the company’s tradition of creating easy to use software tools for complex animation tasks.

Since Character Creator came out way back at version one, I have steadily reduced my use of other 3D apps to make characters except for ZBrush. Even my old standby that I used all these years, 3DS Max is seeing less and time on the screen. Character Creator, for me, is easier than reinventing the wheel every time I need a new character or unique characters for crowd filler.

Reallusion’s latest release is another leap in user-friendly 3D character creation technology, and their mission brings animation to anyone who wants to be involved in it.

ActorMIXER

Manual

User Interface

Opening ActorMIXER Panel

Base Character Option

Modes for Editing and Mixing

Random Face Generation

MD McCallum - WarLord

MD McCallum – WarLord

Digital Artist MD “Mike” McCallum, aka WarLord, is a longtime iClone user. Having authored free tutorials for iClone in its early years and selected to write the iClone Beginners Guide from Packt Publishing in 2011, he was fortunate enough to meet and exchange tricks and tips with users from all over the world and loves to share this information with other users. He has authored hundreds of articles on iClone and digital art in general while reviewing some of the most popular software and hardware in the world. He has been published in many of the leading 3D online and print magazines while staying true to his biggest passion, 3D animation. For more information click here.

WarLord’s Workshop
Featured Story

How Ali Tomineek Turns Himself into an Animated 3D Character with Character Creator & Blender

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Ali Tomineek

My name is Ali Tomineek. I’m an artist and 3D creator born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. To be clear, I’m a Hip Hop Artist. Not just a rapper. Everything I do is rooted in Hip Hop culture.

The way I animate, direct, write, and tell stories all comes from that same foundation. Hip Hop isn’t just something I listen to, it’s how I see the world.

I’ve been creating music and videos for over 15 years, but my journey into 3D animation began around six or seven years ago. Like many self-taught artists, I learned Blender through YouTube tutorials, online articles, and community forums. In 2021, I started posting my viral celebrity animations featuring my signature animated character, Lil’ Ali. Those videos quickly took off, reaching over 100 million views, and opened doors to collaborations with brands like BET, ESPN, Hulu, and NBC.

Check out Ali’s Instagram

Using Character Creator to Move Fast Without Losing Style

Speed is everything in animation. The faster I can move from an idea in my head to a character on screen, the better.

Character Creator has been a massive part of that process for me. It removes a lot of the tedious and time-consuming steps that usually slow character creation down. With just a few clicks and morphs, I can turn a concept into a fully realized character.

Sometimes I use Character Creator purely as a brainstorming tool, building out the base of a character before sending it over to Blender for final detailing and scene work. Other times, I’ll create an entire character start to finish directly inside Character Creator. That flexibility is insane. It lets me adapt my workflow based on the project instead of forcing every idea into the same pipeline.

FACE-ing My Fears: Solving Facial Animation and Lip Sync

No character feels alive without facial expression. But for a long time, facial animation was honestly the most intimidating part of my workflow.

I used to animate facial expressions and lip sync completely by hand. Every syllable. Every mouth shape. It was painfully slow. I tried optimizing by creating libraries of saved mouth poses to reuse during lip-sync sessions, which helped a bit, maybe ten percent faster. But I knew there had to be a better way.

That’s when I discovered AccuFACE for iClone.

AccuFACE gave me something I’d been searching for for years: a reliable facial motion capture solution. I could track facial motion from pre-recorded video or even stream my performance in real time directly onto my character’s face.

Watching my digital character mirror my expressions for the first time was wild. It felt like seeing a digital version of myself come to life. Almost like watching your kid say their first words. I’m not a dad, but that’s the closest comparison I’ve got.

Feeling Crowded: Building Worlds with ActorCore

When I think about 3D animation, I don’t just think about individual characters. I think about entire worlds. Concerts. Sporting events. Parties. Full environments that feel alive.

But here’s the problem: you can’t build a believable world without people. And animating dozens or hundreds of characters one by one is a nightmare. Try filling a nightclub scene with 100 dancing characters and your computer will probably tap out before you do.

That’s where ActorCore comes in.

ActorCore handles the heavy lifting by letting me generate, simulate, and animate crowds quickly. With just a few clicks, I can populate a scene with characters that move naturally and independently. Background crowds are one of those subtle details that people don’t always notice when they’re done right, but they’re impossible to ignore when they’re missing.

Communication Is Key: Blender and Reallusion Working Together

Blender is home base for me. Everything eventually ends up there.

That’s why Reallusion’s Auto Setup for Blender is such a big deal in my workflow. I often need to work iteratively, bouncing back and forth between Character Creator and Blender while refining a character or animation. Knowing that the tools communicate cleanly gives me peace of mind.

I don’t have to worry about losing data, breaking shaders, or dealing with weird crashes when using Blender DataLink. I can focus on creating instead of troubleshooting. When software actually works together instead of fighting each other, it makes high-quality visuals feel way more achievable.

The Magic of 3D Animation

Over the past six or seven years, I’ve really come to understand the power of 3D animation. Being able to mimic life, express emotion, and tell stories visually feels like magic.

Animation makes the impossible possible. It lets us communicate beyond language. That’s something I’ve admired since I was a kid watching movies like A Goofy Movie or Shrek. Even back then, I knew I wanted to create my own 3D animated film one day.

That wasn’t a dream or a vague goal. It was a promise. A commitment to keep going, no matter how long it took.

Now, looking at the characters and worlds I’m able to create today, I’m proud of how far I’ve come. And I know this is only the beginning.

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Product Release

Motion Planning Powers Human-Centric Simulations

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Reallusion has been building simulation solutions for years with world-class brands and enterprise teams. We’re proud to deliver what many simulation pipelines still lack: realistic human behavior derived from capturing the timing, variability, and decision points that make results more trustworthy. Building on that foundation, the Motion Planning plugin is our next step toward larger-scale, real-world simulations with believable, repeatable outcomes.

With Motion Planning, teams can build simulations from modular blocks, link workflows across multiple areas, and quickly iterate on layout and process changes to compare results. Setups can then be reused and scaled for high-volume runs.

Key Highlights

1. Build Behavioral Logic with Visual Graph Editor 

Manage and edit simulation logic with a node-based Graph Editor. Design coherent animation flows, extend scripts, set conditions, and add random behaviors. This will help to make your simulations feel more realistic, intelligent, and flexible.

2. Planning Sets: modular building blocks for rapid simulation

Built on top of iClone Motion Director (MD), a Planning Set bundles Characters, MD Props, and Scripts into a reusable module for fast deployment. Choose an existing or custom Planning Set, drag and drop it into your scene, assign tagged characters, make quick scene/prop adjustments, then click Go MD (Run Simulation) to generate an animated simulation instantly.

To help teams get started quickly, Motion Planning includes free embedded starter content in iClone ( including simple Planning Sets and essential props ) so users can run examples right away and understand the workflow in minutes.

3. Scale from one area to an entire system

Motion Planning is not limited to a single department or zone. Using the Graph Editor, you can chain multiple Planning Sets together to build anything from a production line and crowd flow route to a large-scale factory or city-level simulation by combining Planning Sets of different sizes.

From Individual Actions to Large-Scale Scenarios

Reallusion’s human-centric simulation workflow (now completed with the newly added Motion Planning) scales from single-person actions to system-level operations, with modular logic to connect everything at scale:

Reallusion is backed by the industry’s largest asset ecosystem, led by ActorCore for premium characters, props, and motions. Plus, it’s also supported by the Content Store and Marketplace for additional resources. This gives teams scenario-ready assets for everything from factory planning to driving and public-space simulations, so they can build faster without creating assets from scratch.

Proven in Real-World Deployments

World-class brands such as NVIDIA, Google, Samsung, LG, BMW, Ford, Toyota, Hyundai, GM, Motorola, and Axis Communications have leveraged Reallusion’s simulation solution for machine learning training. Motion Planning has also been tested by industry leaders, includingDelta Electronics and Foxconn, global frontrunners in electronics and manufacturing. The solution has supported plant planning initiatives, and relative.berlin—a Berlin-based CG/AI studio specializing in immersive VR/AR experiences—evaluated the workflow through a VR project for the German government.

To bring simulations closer to real-world scenarios, the newly released Video Mocap plays a key role by converting ordinary recordings of real human operations into editable 3D motions, so teams can incorporate authentic timing, posture transitions, and task-specific movement into their simulation workflows.

Common Use Cases

Digital twins and production planning

  • Compare before/after results and quantify time savings and efficiency gains.
  • Simulate layout changes in real time and observe downstream impact.

AI and machine learning data generation

  • Rapidly generate large volumes of simulation footage for training datasets.
  • Support workflows such as anomaly behavior detection, motion prediction, and improving model accuracy through synthetic simulation data.

Presentation, training, and operational demonstrations

  • Create realistic operational workflow simulations for training videos.
  • Clearly communicate processes and results with higher realism and credibility.

Graph Editor Workflow: Expand Faster, Simulate Smarter

Quickly scale up scenes and assignments:

  • Add props and duplicate/edit nodes to expand production line scale.
  • Increase character count and copy/adjust relevant nodes for fast task assignment.
  • Add random behavior nodes to produce more natural actions.
  • Use Auto Assign to randomly distribute tasks for quick rotation workflows, and simultaneously generate simulation data for machine learning.

View full demo on the product page

Five conditional nodes for intelligent behavior

Within the Graph Editor, Motion Planning includes five major condition nodes that enable characters to evaluate the environment in real time and respond appropriately:

  • Position: Detect whether a position is occupied to prevent overlaps and ensure logical flow.
  • Placement: Evaluate object placement state to control process logic.
  • Distance: Trigger behaviors based on proximity like “approach”, “interact”, “stop”, etc.
  • Trigger Zone: Fire events when entering/leaving areas to manage zone-based logic and flow switching.
  • Boolean: Use custom boolean conditions to build complex logic chains and behaviors.

Validate with Logs and On-Screen Feedback

With the Print Node, teams can log key data, such as time, distance, occupancy state, boolean values, and position, to compare before/after changes and evaluate layouts and workflow plans. These values can be written to logs and displayed directly in the viewport for clear, real-time validation.

Clean, Reusable Script Management

The Graph Editor offers flexible tools to keep complex logic manageable and maintainable:

  • Sub-Graphs for modularizing larger workflows.
  • Expandable Joint for extending connections and data flow.
  • Group editing to organize and arrange complex node graphs.

You can also save your work for fast reuse:

  • Save scripts with node logic as Templates.
  • Save complete setups (scene + scripts) as Motion Planning Sets(MP Sets) for rapid reuse and scalable expansion.

Better Review and Smooth Collaboration

With the addition of Fly Camera, you can freely navigate the simulation space—view from above, follow production flow details, and record camera paths for replay and keyframe refinement.

Export characters, props, lights, and cameras to downstream tools such as NVIDIA Omniverse, Unreal Engine, Blender, even Maya (with Live Link support for smoother data transfer) or complete production directly in iClone with real-time rendering preview, enabling a streamlined collaboration and optimization pipeline.

Next-Gen Simulation Starts Here

Reallusion’s focus has been to bring realistic human behavior into simulation, so digital twins reflect how people actually work in the real world. With the launch of Motion Planning, human realism can now scale enormously. This modular, logic-driven workflow connects 3D people, actions, and environments, enabling larger, repeatable simulations and giving confidence to users.

Jumpstart with Motion Planning Content Packs

Beyond the free starter content included in iClone, Reallusion also offers content packs designed for Motion Planning to accelerate factory automation and industrial digital twins setup.

Factory MP Set (Motion Planning Set Pack)

Get started on industrial simulations with 12 factory Planning Sets (Assembly, Production, Transport, Maintenance, Inspection), 25 standalone MD props for common tasks (robotic arm operation, precision processing, machine repair), and 73 factory motions (assembly, supervision, wrench/drill use, packing, and more). Use it with Motion Planning to build modular, repeatable factory workflows faster.

Industrial MD Props Pack

Add realism with 15 heavy-duty interactive props for industrial scenarios. With tools ranging from levers and pressure valves to control panel operations, use a simple drag-and-drop setup for fast deployment.

Check out Motion Planning Product Page

Download Motion Planning – Trial for 30 days

Motion Planning Tutorials

Online Manual

FAQ

Release Note

Learning

CC5 x ZBrush: Create a HD Sci-Fi Vanguard (6/7)- Refining Materials and Look Development

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In Part 5, we focused on establishing the base materials in Substance 3D Painter using UDIM workflows, mesh map baking, and non-destructive layering techniques.

For Part 6, the goal is to push those materials further—adding surface detail, smart materials, emissive accents, and maintaining consistency across the entire armor set—before exporting textures back into Character Creator 5.

Pablo Munoz Gomez

Hello, my name is Pablo Munoz Gomez, and I’m an enthusiastic 3D concept and character artist who is deeply committed to the spread of knowledge. My expertise lies in 3D sculpting, visual development, and engaging in mixed-media projects. I take immense pride in being the creator of Pablander Academy, serving as an outlet for showcasing my work, sharing my workflows, and assisting fellow artists in honing their skills across a wide range of subjects.

Purposefully adding surface details

Small surface details go a long way toward selling functionality.

I like to add padded or ribbed materials around areas that naturally experience stress, such as shoulders, between the chest plate and shoulder pads, or around joints. These details help visually bridge hard armor with softer fabric elements and make the suit feel designed for movement.

I use these accents sparingly—gloves, biceps, strap edges, or the inside of a boot are usually enough. The goal is not to overwhelm the surface with noise, but to suggest how the suit behaves under motion.

Building and Reusing Smart Materials

Whenever a layered material setup works well, I save it as a custom smart material.

For example, once I’m happy with the green coating on the chest plate, I save it and immediately have a reusable base finish for other armor pieces. I often layer this with a simple metal smart material underneath and reveal edge wear using a mask.

Substance Painter’s built-in smart masks are excellent starting points. One of my go-to techniques is filtering for “gun” masks and applying Gun Edges to establish scratches and wear. To avoid a generic look, I refine the mask by subtracting grunge maps and dialing back intensity. Finally, I rely heavily on the HSL Perceptive filter to fine-tune hue, saturation, and brightness so materials stay within a cohesive palette.

Grouping, Instancing, and Single-Source Edits

Once a material setup is dialed in, I group related layers into a folder—for example, an Armor folder—and use Painter’s Instantiate Across Texture Sets feature.

This pushes the exact same material structure to every relevant texture set: chest plate, shoulder pads, boots, and belts. 

Because these are instances, any adjustment made to the original immediately updates everywhere else.

This approach is essential for maintaining visual consistency across complex armor sets without duplicating work.

Adding Patterns, Normal Details, and Emissive Accents

For straps and fabric elements, repeated patterns work best when UVs are straight. If the UVs were laid out cleanly earlier, directional patterns tile predictably across loops and wraps.

For high-frequency hard-surface detail, I avoid adding geometry. Instead, I paint normal details directly in Painter. I load hard-surface normal maps into a brush and paint them onto a dedicated layer. This keeps topology clean while still conveying panel seams, bolts, and subtle bevels.

Emissive elements are an easy way to inject sci-fi personality. I create a fill layer, enable the Emissive channel, mask it black, and paint in glowing accents. From there, I fine-tune color and intensity and add subtle grunge for variation.

Exporting Textures for Character Creator 5

Before exporting, I make sure I’m using the correct Character Creator export preset in Substance Painter. This ensures all channels map correctly when the textures are re-imported.

From File → Export Textures, I disable any unmodified texture sets to keep the output clean. In the Global Settings, I select the Character Creator template, choose PNG, and set the resolution to 4K for optimal quality. Once exported, the texture folders are ready for CC5.

Updating Textures in Character Creator 5

Back in Character Creator 5, I use the Substance Painter pipeline and select Update Textures from Substance Painter. Point CC5 to the exported folder and it automatically assigns every texture to the correct material slot.

If the textures appear darker than expected, it’s usually because a temporary dark diffuse color was applied earlier for deformation testing. Resetting the diffuse color to white immediately restores the correct look.

Why CC5 Excels at Look Development and Iteration

Character Creator 5 stands out for look development and iteration because it removes friction from the workflow by automating repetitive tasks:

  • The Substance Painter pipeline handles texture assignment automatically, eliminating manual slot mapping and keeping the workflow non-destructive.
  • The Update Textures command enables fast, one-click reimports during iterative tweaks.
  • In the Modify tab, facial details such as iris brightness, pupil scale, and sclera images can be adjusted directly inside CC5.
  • While the Dynamic Wrinkle system is excellent for animation, I recommend replacing its default expression-specific textures with Painter-generated maps to maintain visual consistency during deformation.

At this stage, the character is fully textured, validated, and ready for the next step, with CC5 serving as a clean launchpad for rendering, including a streamlined setup for Marmoset Toolbag 5.

Coming Up in Part 7

In the final chapter, we’ll pose the character, refine facial expressions, and render the final images using Marmoset Toolbag 5 with the CC Auto Setup plugin. We’ll focus on lighting, camera setup, and finishing touches that bring the character to life.

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Learning

CC5 x ZBrush: Create a HD Sci-Fi Vanguard (5/7)- Texturing the Character in Substance Painter

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In Part 4, we generated clean UVs, transferred all sculpted assets back into Character Creator 5, fixed deformations, finalized skin weights, and validated the character for texturing.

For this part 5 article, the focus shifts entirely to Substance 3D Painter—exporting from CC5, setting up UDIMs correctly, baking mesh maps, and building non-destructive materials for the suit and gear.

Pablo Munoz Gomez

Hello, my name is Pablo Munoz Gomez, and I’m an enthusiastic 3D concept and character artist who is deeply committed to the spread of knowledge. My expertise lies in 3D sculpting, visual development, and engaging in mixed-media projects. I take immense pride in being the creator of Pablander Academy, serving as an outlet for showcasing my work, sharing my workflows, and assisting fellow artists in honing their skills across a wide range of subjects.

Exporting from Character Creator 5 to Substance Painter

From Character Creator 5, I open the File menu and use the Substance Painter pipeline. After choosing an export location, CC5 generates the OBJ along with all required textures and metadata that Painter can read directly. This automated export saves a significant amount of setup time, as per-material assignments and texture references are already prepared correctly for Painter.

Import into Substance 3D Painter

When importing the OBJ into Substance 3D Painter, the New Project settings are critical. I always double-check the following settings:

  • Normal map format is set to OpenGL.
  • Use UV Tile workflow (UDIMs) is enabled.
  • Preserve UV Tile Layout per Material is checked.
  • Enable Painting Across Tiles is turned on.

With these settings, the character appears in an A-pose, and each material shows up as its own Texture Set, allowing for precise, per-material painting across UDIMs.

Selective Reuse of CC5 Textures

In some cases, I selectively reuse textures from CC5 while rebuilding the rest inside Painter. For this project, I keep the high-quality head textures and recreate the suit and gear from scratch. To do this, I select the head texture set and create a Fill Layer named “Head”. I then import the CC5 head textures into the shelf and manually assign:

  • Diffuse map → Color
  • Normal map → Normal
  • Roughness map → Roughness

Because the mesh uses UDIMs, the head texture may appear repeated across tiles at first. To fix this, I open the tile list and disable all tiles except the one corresponding to the head.

Baking Mesh Maps for Generators and Masks

Baking mesh maps is essential, as generators such as curvature and ambient occlusion depend entirely on these maps. From Texture Set Settings, I open Bake Mesh Maps and follow a few key rules:

  • Disable texture sets that don’t need baking.
  • Set output resolution to 4096 for clean detail.
  • Click Bake Selected Textures.

For thin or single-sided geometry, such as eyebrow planes, ambient occlusion can become too aggressive. When that happens, I rebake AO only and switch the self-occlusion mode from Always to Only Same Mesh Name. This prevents unwanted cross-mesh shading and produces cleaner, animation-friendly results.

Establish a palette and experiment with materials

I start material work by exploring material families and surface patterns, rather than locking colors too early. Built-in Painter materials and assets from the Substance 3D Asset Library are ideal for rapid experimentation. 

I drag candidate materials into the layer stack, preview combinations, and group selected materials into a single folder. To isolate the suit, I add a folder mask and paint black over the head area. Anything inside the folder then affects only the suit, keeping the workflow clean and organized.

Non-Destructive Patterning with Path Tool and Fill Area Mask

For padded panels and fabric joins, I rely heavily on a non-destructive setup. I start with a technical fabric material, add a mask, and use the Path Tool to draw panel shapes. The key advantage is flexibility: points can be moved at any time to refine shapes.

The Fill Area Mask automatically fills any closed path and updates dynamically as the path changes. This allows for rapid iteration without committing to destructive edits.

Using Anchor Points for Consistent Details

To add borders, seams, or tubing around panels, I use Anchor Points. I place anchors on the path-based shapes and reference them inside the masks of secondary materials, such as colored edges or piping. Anchors are placed below the fill area mask so they reference only the intended shapes. If I later adjust the panel shape, all dependent details update automatically. This keeps the entire material system flexible and easy to iterate on.

Why the CC5 ↔ Painter Pipeline Matters

The Character Creator 5 Substance Painter pipeline significantly reduces manual errors. OBJs, materials, and UDIM layouts transfer cleanly, even for assets created entirely in ZBrush.

This setup allows me to reuse CC5 textures selectively, while still giving full creative control over the suit and accessories inside Painter. The result is a non-destructive workflow that supports rapid iteration without breaking consistency.

Coming Up in Part 6

In the next chapter, we’ll refine materials further—adding smart materials, emissive accents, painted normal details, and using instanced layers to maintain consistency across the entire armor set. We’ll also export textures back into Character Creator 5 and fine-tune the look before rendering.

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CC5 x ZBrush: Create a HD Sci-Fi Vanguard (4/7)- UVs Unwrapping, Asset Transfer, and Skinning

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In Part 3, we focused on building sci-fi armor and hard-surface assets in ZBrush, using masking, extraction, Dynamesh, and clean topology workflows to create modular, production-ready pieces.

For part 4, the focus shifts to preparation and validation inside Character Creator 5. We’ll generate clean UVs using Rizom UV, transfer all assets back to CC5 with GoZ Plus, fix deformations, finalize skin weights, and ensure everything is properly organized and animation-ready before moving into Substance 3D Painter.

Pablo Munoz Gomez

Hello, my name is Pablo Munoz Gomez, and I’m an enthusiastic 3D concept and character artist who is deeply committed to the spread of knowledge. My expertise lies in 3D sculpting, visual development, and engaging in mixed-media projects. I take immense pride in being the creator of Pablander Academy, serving as an outlet for showcasing my work, sharing my workflows, and assisting fellow artists in honing their skills across a wide range of subjects.

Generating Clean UVs with Rizom UV

For UV unwrapping, I use Rizom UV because it’s fast, reliable, and integrates smoothly into this pipeline via a free plugin. From ZBrush, select the mesh you want to unwrap (for example, a shoulder pad) and use the plugin button to send it directly into Rizom UV. This avoids unnecessary export steps and keeps iteration fast.

My Rizom UV workflow follows three consistent steps:

  1. Mark seams: Thanks to the clean topology created earlier, edge loops can be selected quickly. Double-click an edge loop and press C to create precise cuts.
  2. Straighten UV islands: Single-click straightening is especially important for straps, belts, and elongated armor pieces. Straight UVs ensure patterns and materials read correctly in Painter.
  3. Pack and optimize: Pack the UVs efficiently while preserving island orientation so fabric patterns and directional details remain consistent across the character.

Once the UVs look correct, send them back to ZBrush through the plugin.

Preparing Assets for Sending Back to CC5

Before sending anything into Character Creator 5, naming consistency is critical. If a mesh originally came from CC5, its name must match exactly. Some tools append suffixes or alter names during export, which can break the automated update process. Take a moment to verify names before transfer. It will save a lot of troubleshooting later.

To transfer assets, use GoZ Plus from ZBrush. Instead of sending meshes individually, use the All option to send everything in one pass. This transfers geometry, subdivision levels, and sculpted detail baked into normal maps. Depending on scene complexity, this step may take a few minutes.

Understanding the GoZ Plus Import Options in CC5

When CC5 receives the data, the GoZ Options window clearly shows what will happen to each mesh.

  • Objects with the CC prefix are recognized as original CC5 meshes and set to Update.
  • Newly created armor or accessories appear with the action set to Create Cloth.

I keep the default settings, ensure the A-pose is selected (unless sculpted in a different pose), and click Update. CC5 automatically skins all new pieces to the base character. This automation alone removes hours of manual rigging work.

Auto Skinning, Weight Templates, and Validation

Character Creator 5 provides several tools that drastically simplify the setup phase:

  • Automatic skinning: New armor and clothing conform to the character immediately upon import.
  • Skin weight templates: Ready-made templates allow fast remapping for common items like gloves or boots.
  • Skin Weights editor: Lock rigid props to specific bones using simple vertex selection.
  • Real-time animation previews: Built-in motion playback lets you validate deformations instantly.

To check deformation quality, I load a simple animation (for example, a walk cycle) from the Motion → Action menu and play it back. For clarity, I temporarily assign mid-gray diffuse colors to new assets so stretching and twisting are easier to spot. These placeholder colors will be replaced during texturing.

Fixing Deformations and Rigid Armor Pieces

Auto skinning is powerful, but CC5 doesn’t always know how a new piece is meant to behave. For example, glove extensions or sleeve elements may appear misaligned. In those cases, select the mesh, open the Settings panel, and use Transfer Skin Weights. Choose the template that best matches the intended region, and CC5 will remap the weights cleanly. For rigid armor pieces like chest plates or neck collars that should not deform at all, I edit skin weights directly:

  1. Select the mesh.
  2. Open the Skin Weights tool.
  3. Select all vertices.
  4. Assign 100% influence to the appropriate single bone (for example, CC_base_pelvis).

After assigning weights, always replay an animation to confirm the piece remains perfectly locked without warping.

Fixing Deformations and Rigid Armor Pieces

Auto skinning is powerful, but CC5 doesn’t always know how a new piece is meant to behave. For example, glove extensions or sleeve elements may appear misaligned.

In those cases, select the mesh, open the Settings panel, and use Transfer Skin Weights. Choose the template that best matches the intended region, and CC5 will remap the weights cleanly.

Rig Testing and Visual Validation

To validate skin weights across the character, I run a simple rig test inside Character Creator 5. Set the Motion dropdown to Action, choose a basic animation such as a walk cycle, and play it back to observe how the armor and accessories deform in motion.

For visual clarity during testing, I temporarily change the diffuse color of newly imported pieces to a mid-gray or dark gray. This makes stretching, twisting, and weighting issues much easier to spot compared to using bright or detailed textures. These colors are purely placeholders and will be replaced later when the character is sent to Substance 3D Painter.

For rigid armor pieces like chest plates or neck collars that should not deform at all, I edit skin weights directly:

  1. Select the mesh.
  2. Open the Skin Weights tool.
  3. Select all vertices.
  4. Assign 100% influence to the appropriate single bone (for example, CC_base_pelvis).

After assigning weights, always replay an animation to confirm the piece remains perfectly locked without warping.

Final Skin Weight Validation Before Texturing

I repeat this process for belts, armor plates, and any other rigid items, assigning them to the appropriate base bone like “CC_base_pelvis”. After these adjustments, the walk cycle shows clean deformation and no unwanted stretching. 

Once skinning and weight edits are complete, I save the CC5 project and run a final confirmation pass before exporting to Painter. I ensure every mesh has UVs without exception and verify that normal maps were successfully baked during the transfer. It is also vital to check naming consistency, ensuring CC-prefixed objects update correctly while new items are properly categorized as cloth or props. 

After confirming that UV orientation allows for predictable texturing, I perform a motion test to guarantee that deformations won’t cause problematic stretching. With everything organized and verified, the project is ready for Substance 3D Painter; this combination of Rizom UV layouts and CC5’s rigorous validation tools creates a smooth pipeline that minimizes surprises. Simply save the scene, back up your assets, and proceed to the texturing stage with confidence.

Coming Up in Part 5

In the next chapter, we’ll export the character from Character Creator 5 into Substance 3D Painter, focusing on UDIM workflows, baking mesh maps, selective texture reuse, and building clean, non-destructive material layers.

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CC5 x ZBrush: Create a HD Sci-Fi Vanguard (3/7)- Sculpting Armor & Hard-Surface Assets

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In Part 2, we covered the ZBrush and GoZ Plus workflow for sculpting the body and suit foundations, managing transferred micro-details, and preparing subdivision-ready meshes for Character Creator 5.

For this part 3 article, the focus shifts to hard-surface asset creation. We’ll build sci-fi armor and accessories such as chest plates, layered panels, and boots using masking, extraction, Dynamesh, and manual retopology workflows, then prepare all assets for clean integration back into CC5.

Pablo Munoz Gomez

Hello, my name is Pablo Munoz Gomez, and I’m an enthusiastic 3D concept and character artist who is deeply committed to the spread of knowledge. My expertise lies in 3D sculpting, visual development, and engaging in mixed-media projects. I take immense pride in being the creator of Pablander Academy, serving as an outlet for showcasing my work, sharing my workflows, and assisting fellow artists in honing their skills across a wide range of subjects.

Creating the Chest Plate with Masking and Extraction

When building armor that needs to hug the body, the fastest and cleanest approach is to work directly on the highest subdivision level of the base mesh and use masking as a blueprint. Start by enabling symmetry and using Mask Lasso to block out the overall silhouette of the chest plate. Once the shape feels right, refine the edges with a sharper masking brush to create crisp panel borders.

With the mask finalized, go to SubTool → Extract. Set the preview thickness to zero and accept the extraction. This generates a clean, single-sided mesh that perfectly conforms to the body surface.

From here, run a quick automatic retopology pass to clean up the geometry. This gives you a solid base for adding thickness, subdivision, and further detailing.

Rapidly Create Additional Panels

For layered armor designs, there’s no need to repeat the entire extraction process every time. A faster method is to duplicate an existing plate, subdivide it, and then cut new panel lines directly into the duplicate. Use selection brushes to isolate the desired polygroup and delete the rest. The result is a new, conforming armor piece with clean topology, which is functionally identical to a fresh extraction.

After a second retopology pass, the panel is ready to stack cleanly on top of the underlying plate. Assigning different display colors to each armor layer is a simple but effective way to keep the hierarchy readable when working with multiple overlapping components.

Adding Thickness and Smoothness

At this stage, the armor pieces are still single-sided. To turn them into functional geometry, thickness is required. Enable Dynamic Subdivision under Geometry to preview both smoothness and thickness interactively. For the final result, either apply thickness using an inflate or inner-extrusion workflow, or convert the dynamic preview into real geometry and polish the edges.

Once one side is complete, mirror and weld the mesh to quickly finalize both halves. These techniques cover the majority of hard-surface armor panels in this project.

Two Design Principles for Believable Armor

When designing sci-fi armor, I follow two guiding principles. First, keep things simple and separate. Even complex designs are best broken down into clear, isolated components, with each part existing as its own subtool. This dramatically simplifies editing, polishing, UV layout, and later texturing. Second, design with function in mind. Even stylized armor should feel believable. Plates should protect the torso while still allowing movement at the ribcage and shoulders. Letting function inform placement, thickness, and articulation helps sell the design far more effectively than surface detail alone.

A Different Approach for Boots: Dynamesh and Freeform Sculpting

For assets where rapid form exploration is more important than clean topology, a different approach works better. I clone the main tool, delete unnecessary areas, and Dynamesh the leg and foot into a sculptable volume. Dynamesh allows you to explore shapes freely without worrying about topology. I usually separate the sole into its own Dynamesh object so I can iterate on the upper and bottom independently. Using cutter brushes, I sketch panel divisions directly onto the sculpt — essentially drawing in 3D instead of 2D.

Manual Retopology with ZSphere and Polygroups

Once the boot silhouette is locked in, it’s time to rebuild clean topology.

Append a ZSphere and switch to its topology tools to manually place points and connect quads. This approach gives full control over edge flow and ensures the topology follows the sculpted volume precisely.

After creating an adaptive skin, set Dynamesh to zero and use the topology layout to assign polygroups. These polygroups become the foundation for further panel extraction and detailing. Using ZModeler, you can QMesh or extrude specific polygroups, vary thickness, and add edge loops where sharper corners are needed. 

Once one boot is complete, mirror and weld it to finish the pair, then add straps or buckles as separate modular elements.

Preparing Armor Assets for Character Creator 5

With all armor geometry finalized, the next step is bringing everything back into Character Creator 5. CC5 significantly streamlines this stage of the pipeline. Multiple subtools can be reorganized into logical layers and groups, improved auto-skinning minimizes deformation cleanup, and export-friendly options preserve mesh separation and polygroups for clean texture baking. Spending a bit of time here to organize folders, label materials, and structure assets clearly pays off later, saving hours during texturing and look development.

With all armor geometry finalized, the next step is bringing everything back into Character Creator 5. CC5 significantly streamlines this stage of the pipeline with:

  • Multiple subtools that can be reorganized into logical layers and groups.
  • Improved auto-skinning reducing deformation cleanup
  • Export-friendly options for preserving mesh separation and polygroups for clean texture baking. 

Spending a bit of time at this stage to organize folders, label materials, and clearly structure assets will pay off later, saving hours during texturing and look development.

Coming Up in Part 4

In the next chapter, we’ll generate clean UVs for all sculpted assets using Rizom UV, then transfer everything back into Character Creator 5 with GoZ Plus. We’ll fix deformations, finalize skin weights, and fully prepare the character for texturing in Substance 3D Painter.

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The Judas Mark: A Student Blender Short Film Pushing Cinematic Character Art

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Introduction: From Student Vision to Cinematic Reality

For final-year student pursuing a BA in Motion Graphics and Animation at Northumbria University – Wagmi Wibhawith, storytelling is more than visual expression, it’s a reflection of belief, morality, and emotion. His graduation project, The Judas Mark, serves as both a technical showcase and a philosophical exploration, brought to life with Reallusion’s Character Creator, iClone, and Blender.

The Judas Mark is a dark, surreal 3D animated short film exploring betrayal as the ultimate, unforgivable sin. The film asks: “What happens when neither heaven nor hell can claim a soul?” The story follows a sinful protagonist who steps into a vast courtroom for judgment. As the statues representing the seven deadly sins remain dark, a final, eighth statue, Disloyalty, ignites. The judges silently reject him, condemning him to a fate worse than hell.

Through this short film, Wagmi proves how accessible, real-time 3D animation software can empower creators to craft visually stunning narratives without the traditional time and budget constraints. For aspiring character designers, his process is a masterclass in using modern digital tools to create your own characters and fully animated worlds.

The Concept Behind The Judas Mark

Set in a surreal, celestial courtroom where souls are judged beyond heaven or hell, The Judas Mark questions the moral weight of disloyalty. The story follows a lost soul confronted by eight towering embodiments of sin, with Disloyalty represented as a new, eighth deadly sin—a haunting metaphor for moral grayness and betrayal.

Inspired by biblical allegory from Genesis’s Cain, Dante’s Inferno, and the existential philosophies of Camus and Kafka, the film merges theological depth with abstract visual design. Wagmi’s worldbuilding immerses viewers in a space that is both spiritual and cinematic—a world crafted from digital sculpture, animation, and emotion.

“The film treats Betrayal as the ultimate unforgettable sin. It asks, what happens when neither heaven nor hell can claim a soul?”

Wagmi Wibhawith – 3D Concept Designer and Artist | Creative Storyteller

Creative Foundations: From Research to Design

Before opening any 3D animation software, Wagmi immersed himself in theological and literary research. His concept evolved through storyboarding, symbolic design, and digital previsualization, setting the foundation for an emotionally grounded story.

To visualize the statues representing the sins, he worked with friends to pose reference photos, which he then composited in Photoshop to experiment with shape, form, and emotion. This photo-bashing technique helped define the surreal tone and served as the blueprint for his 3D modeling phase.

From Concept to Creation with Reallusion Tools

With nine characters to develop, Wagmi needed efficiency without sacrificing quality. That’s where Reallusion’s Character Creator (CC) and iClone transformed his production.

1. Rapid Character Creation and Customization

Using Character Creator, Wagmi sculpted each sin as a symbolic embodiment, ranging from the feminine wrath to the gaunt greed -directly using morph sliders and preset body bases.

“What would have taken months of sculpting and modeling was made really easy. Character Creator let me focus on storytelling rather than technical modeling.”

Wagmi Wibhawith – 3D Concept Designer and Artist | Creative Storyteller

Character Creator’s human creator features gave Wagmi full control over anatomy, proportions, and expressions, helping him to create unique character bases that visually embodied moral corruption and spiritual decay. Each model was generated as a fully rigged mesh with clean topology, ready for animation or export to Blender.

2. Integrated Workflow with Blender

To streamline the process, Wagmi relied on Reallusion’s free Auto Setup plugin for Blender, allowing one-click export of his Character Creator characters into Blender scenes. The integration eliminated file compatibility issues and accelerated iteration between concept and render.

“The Auto Setup plugin built a seamless bridge between softwares,” Wagmi notes. “It saved me tons of time, especially when working with nine characters.”

Wagmi Wibhawith – 3D Concept Designer and Artist | Creative Storyteller

Inside Blender, he refined poses, adjusted materials, and used the Cycles rendering engine for cinematic lighting and ray-traced reflections, blending realism with painterly surrealism.

3. Dynamic Posing and Composition

Within Character Creator, Wagmi could pose characters directly, adjusting facial and body expressions before export. This made it easy to stage his characters in symbolic group compositions, preserving both realism and emotion.

The result was a living tableau—each sin telling a story through gesture and body language. Posing tools inside CC allowed Wagmi to achieve realistic human anatomy and natural hand articulation, avoiding the stiffness that often plagues student productions.

Animating Emotion: iClone and Motion Capture Integration

Wagmi’s film features minimal dialogue, relying on movement and facial expression to convey emotion. To achieve believable animation, he combined AI motion capture with iClone’s real-time facial capture tools.

1. Motion Capture Made Simple

Instead of spending weeks keyframing, Wagmi used QuickMagic AI for iClone AI video-to-motion capture, translating live-action performances into smooth animations for his protagonist.

He then imported these motions into iClone for refinement, where layered motion editing allowed him to tweak timing, clean intersections, and enhance realism.

“I could instantly apply the animations from QuickMagic and iClone’s facial capture,” Wagmi explains. “It gave me the realism I needed to sell these characters as real people.”

Wagmi Wibhawith – 3D Concept Designer and Artist | Creative Storyteller

2. Realistic Facial Animation

For emotional scenes—like moments of shock or realization—Wagmi used iClone’s facial capture system, connecting his iPhone to record his own expressions in real time. The captured data was instantly synced to the Character Creator 4 rig, providing lifelike iClone AccuLIPS lip sync animation and nuanced facial movements.

This seamless link between Character Creator and iClone created a real-time performance pipeline, perfect for indie filmmakers aiming to humanize their 3D characters without massive budgets or complex setups.

Polishing and Rendering

After integrating motion and facial animations, Wagmi completed lighting, shading, and composition in Blender. Certain characters—like the Pride sin holding his own head—required additional manual adjustments, made easier thanks to the rigged skeletons from Character Creator.

By blending iClone’s motion realism with Blender’s cinematic rendering, Wagmi achieved a tone that felt both spiritual and tactile—a reflection of The Judas Mark’s psychological depth.

Why Reallusion Tools Stand Out

The success of The Judas Mark lies not just in its concept but in the tools that made it possible. For Wagmi, Reallusion’s ecosystem offered a perfect balance of speed, control, and creative flexibility.

Advantages:

  • Instant Character Creation: Generate rigged 3D characters in minutes with professional topology.
  • Cross-Software Integration: Auto Setup bridges CC and Blender without manual rigging.
  • Real-Time Motion & Facial Capture: Animate expressive performances without traditional mocap hardware.
  • Focus on Creativity: Eliminate repetitive technical steps to focus on story and emotion.

“The quality and speed that Reallusion offers is unmatched in the industry,” Wagmi concludes. “It helped me tell the story I wanted—without compromise.”

Wagmi Wibhawith – 3D Concept Designer and Artist | Creative Storyteller

It was encouraging to listen to Reallusion’s Director of Partnership Marketing, Enoc Burgos, make direct comments on the style and attention to detail on the project, which really motivated us.

Conclusion: Redefining Student Filmmaking with Reallusion

With The Judas Mark, Wagmi Wibhawith demonstrates how the next generation of storytellers can leverage 3D animation software like Character Creator and iClone to bring ambitious visions to life. His graduation film stands as proof that you don’t need a studio-sized team to create stunning, emotionally rich 3D character animation—just the right tools and a relentless creative drive.

Follow Wagmi

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wagmiwg

https://www.instagram.com/wagmiwg.art

https://www.youtube.com/@wagmiwg/featured

FAQs

What makes Reallusion’s Character Creator ideal for independent artists?

Character Creator provides customizable, fully rigged human bases, making it easy to create your own character designs without sculpting from scratch.

How does iClone improve lip sync animation and facial capture?

iClone supports real-time facial tracking via webcam or iPhone, generating accurate lip sync and emotional expressions instantly.

Can Character Creator characters be used in Blender or Unreal Engine?

Yes. The Auto Setup plugin allows seamless export with materials, rigs, and animations ready for Blender, Unreal, and other DCC tools.

How does Reallusion compare to traditional workflows?

Traditional sculpting and rigging can take months. Reallusion’s ecosystem reduces that to days, letting artists focus on creativity instead of technical bottlenecks.

Is iClone suitable for students or small studios?

Absolutely. iClone’s real-time tools make it perfect for small teams needing cinematic-quality animation quickly and affordably.

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CC5 HD Pipeline Workflow: Creating Fortnite-Style Action Heroes for Animation

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Luis Duarte

Luis Duarte is a 3D digital artist specializing in character creation for animation and video games. His work is distinguished by a strong focus on stylized aesthetics, crafting characters that are highly expressive and full of charisma. Clearly inspired by the visual language of cartoons translated into 3D, Luis excels at simplifying realism with keen artistic judgment, resulting in clean, well-structured, and visually striking designs.

Check Luis’s ArtStation

Overview

Character Creator 5 represents a major step forward toward the next generation of high-definition characters. This version introduces the ability to add multiple layers of detail through subdivision-based workflows, multi-level map baking from ZBrush, and greater flexibility for creating stylized characters with a clearly professional finish.

In this article, I will guide you through the new features of Character Creator 5 and its integration with different tools in the 3D pipeline. We will examine how CC5 connects with ZBrush for high-definition detailing, Blender for polygon count control and optimization, and Substance Painter for texturing—always maintaining a clear focus on a stylized aesthetic inspired by Battle Royale video game characters.

We will explore the workflow used to bring Byron to life, one of the characters included in the HD Urban Kings Content Pack. The pack is now officially available and can be purchased directly from the Reallusion Content Store, allowing artists to easily access and integrate these high-quality stylized characters into their own projects.

For the creation of this character, I used a selection of references gathered from Pinterest. Based on these references, I focused the design on three key aspects: body silhouette and proportions, facial design, and clothing style.

1. Starting with a Neutral Base

With the project open in CC5, I begin by working with a neutral base mesh. This mesh is ideal for establishing a strong character silhouette thanks to its low polygon count, which provides excellent control during the creation process. It also includes a complete skeletal rig, well-organized UVs, and a full set of morphs, making it easy to smoothly create facial expressions and animations.

2. Building the Silhouette with Morph Sliders

Using the morph sliders, I modify the shape of the base mesh, which allows me to quickly build the character’s silhouette. At this stage, I focus exclusively on body stylization, introducing unique characteristics from the very beginning. For example, I can slightly enlarge the hands and feet, elongate the neck, and refine the pelvis and joints, achieving a more dynamic and stylized design early on.

Once I am satisfied with the overall body structure, I save this base project to the Content Library. This allows me to keep a secure and reusable backup.

3. Using HeadShot in the Workflow

The logical next step would be to send the model to ZBrush using GoZPlus to begin sculpting, which works extremely well. However, in this case, I chose a slightly different approach: I modeled Byron’s head structure directly in ZBrush, starting from a basic geometric shape. This process is particularly enjoyable, as it focuses purely on sculpting. For this step, I recommend working at a medium level of detail, since the primary goal here is to define the facial silhouette and head shape.

Later, I use the HeadShot 2 plugin to transfer all the previously sculpted details from ZBrush. I then export the high-density head as an OBJ file and, using the mesh generation process, transfer those details onto a CC5 body.

Tip: Add subdivisions during the mesh redefinition process to achieve a cleaner and more detailed transfer.

To integrate the head with the body, I recommend creating a head slider using the HeadShot-generated project. This allows us to return to the original project, incorporate the head structure, and prepare for the next stage of facial development.

4. Defining Details in ZBrush

Using GoZPlus, I send the character to ZBrush in an A-pose, working with subdivision levels 6 or 7. At this stage, I prepare the model to add the layer of detail that will define the stylized aesthetic of the character.

From a technical standpoint, there are several key rules to follow in ZBrush:

  1. Do not modify the topology, including tools such as Dynamesh, ZRemesher, or ZModeler.
  2. Avoid making excessive pose changes.
  3. Keep all subtool names unchanged.

By following these guidelines, I maintain a solid connection between CC5 and ZBrush, allowing me to switch between both applications as needed. This workflow lets me visualize updates directly in the CC5 avatar, apply additional adjustments in ZBrush, and return using GoZ; all while ensuring an efficient and fluid pipeline.

At this stage, I can add an extra layer of detail. Using various brushes, I enhance fine elements in key areas such as the eyes, lips, fingers, and joint regions.

5. Automatic Map Baking with GoZ Plus

At this point, I send the character back to CC5 using GoZPlus. I enable only the normal maps, disabling the other options that are active by default. I keep SubD set to 0 and choose a balanced 4K resolution. In the update window, I make sure to preserve both geometry and texture details.

Next, I add additional levels of detail. In CC5, I subdivide the mesh to SubD Level 1, and in ZBrush, I activate the SubD 1 option. I repeated the process, but only to update the texture. This allows me to visually compare how the details behave across different layers.

Tip: To add an extra layer of detail, repeat the same process by working at SubD Level 2 in CC and enabling SubD 2 in ZBrush.

6. Clothing and Accessories Modeling

I make sure to create visually appealing accessories, always based on my references and with a unique style. I aim for simple shapes that stand out through high-quality finishes, especially in the texture work.

The final design features an afro hairstyle with braids, a beard, a sleeveless shirt, a loose-fit jacket, pants that match the character’s style, athletic footwear, and several additional accessories.

Since I want to combine the clothing and accessories with characters other than Byron, each piece has its own UVs and is not merged with the others. This allows me to reuse each element independently across different characters.

7. Hand-Painted Texture Style

For Byron’s texturing, I use Substance Painter. I export the avatar from Character Creator along with the normal maps generated during the ZBrush baking process, with the goal of creating a stylized skin look. This can be done directly through CC5’s integrated Substance pipeline or via manual export, as in this case.

The main idea is to focus on the painting technique, replicating brush strokes as if working on a digital illustration. To achieve this, I use darker tones in shadow areas and lighter tones in illuminated regions, without applying any additional effects. I work exclusively with brushes, resulting in a finish that reinforces the character’s stylized aesthetic.

For the hair and other accessories, the process is similar, with the difference that detail maps need to be baked directly in Substance Painter. Additional maps such as Ambient Occlusion, Roughness, and others can also be included depending on the project’s needs. Finally, I export all textures at 4K resolution to ensure optimal quality.

For the internal avatar textures, I adjust tones directly using an image editor (I personally use Photoshop). I start with the eyes, making color corrections, applying white strokes to adjust eyelash opacity, and performing basic adjustments on the teeth, always aiming for a natural result that matches the character’s style.

8. Character Assembly

The first step in assembling Byron is integrating the textures. From the Material Editor, I select each body part and assign the corresponding base maps in the texture slots. This process ensures that every surface of the character has the desired level of detail before moving on to final adjustments.

To create the clothing, I import the pieces as .OBJ accessories using the Create menu. Once an element is correctly positioned in the viewport, I use Transfer Skin Weights to copy the skin weights from the body. I then assign the appropriate category—such as dresses, shoes, or gloves—ensuring each piece adapts naturally to the character.

I use the Skin Weight Editor to correct clothing deformations, a very useful tool that allows me to preview how each garment behaves during animation. For larger areas, I use the brush tool, while for more precise adjustments, I switch to vertex selection mode, ensuring accurate and natural deformation in every movement.

To convert accessories, I use the Convert Accessory module. In this case, transferring skin weights is not necessary, since the accessory is linked only to the nearest bone. This simplifies the process and ensures the accessory remains correctly positioned.

9. Conclusion

Creating Byron has been a journey that combines creativity and technical precision, fully exploring the capabilities of Character Creator 5 and its integration with complementary tools such as ZBrush and Substance Painter. Each stage of the workflow—from the initial silhouette to final assembly—allowed me to maintain a strong and consistent visual identity.

By simplifying shapes, emphasizing color, and ensuring the character is animation-ready, this process demonstrates how a structured and creative approach can transform a simple idea into a cohesive and visually compelling 3D character.

FAQ

Can I edit my character’s colors in Character Creator 5?

Yes. Character Creator includes a color editing module that allows you to work directly on both base textures and materials. This makes it possible to perform fine adjustments within the software, without needing external tools.

Can I store my character’s clothing to use it with other characters?

Absolutely. CC5 allows you to organize each garment within the Content panel, including accessories and specialized items such as gloves. This makes it easy to reuse clothing across different characters and projects.

Can I use another program instead of ZBrush to sculpt my character?

Yes. CC5 is compatible with several sculpting applications, allowing you to adapt your workflow according to your needs and preferences, and choose the tool that best fits each project.

Where can I animate my finished character?

You can preview basic animations directly in CC5. For custom animations, simply send your character to iClone with one click to edit body movements, create facial expressions, add voice lip-sync, or generate animations using motion capture. You can also produce complete multi-character scenes with integrated cameras and environments. These animations can also be live linked or exported for rendering in other software such as Unreal Engine, Blender, or Autodesk Maya, expanding your creative possibilities.

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