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PavMike CC GoZ Plus Tutorial Part 1 – Prop from Character Creator to ZBrush

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In this article, we will discuss the CC GoZ Plus workflow that makes it easier for you to work with bodies, clothing, accessories, and props between Character Creator (CC) and ZBrush. Going from Character Creator to ZBrush, you can convert color and normal maps to polypaint and high-res details with just a click of a button. Similarly, you can transfer your polypaint and high-poly sculpt from ZBrush to Character Creator using the same button, creating color and normal maps for use in CC. Let’s begin!

CC GoZ Plus Installation

We can already natively GoZ assets from ZBrush to Character Creator and back again – but in order to send assets from ZBrush to Character Creator AND have it bake a base color and normal map, AND have it plug those textures into a material for us, we need the CC GoZ Plus plugin installed for ZBrush. In order to do that, we need to GoZ something from Character Creator to ZBrush — in this case, I’m going to grab the “Lion Head” asset from “Content > Props > PBR”:

With your object selected in the “Scene” tab, press the “GoZ” button in the menu bar:

When you see the “CC GoZ Plus” prompt, choose the correct version of ZBrush from the drop-down menu, and hit “OK”. This will install the plugin to the correct path (“C:\Program Files\Maxon ZBrush 2024\ZStartup\ZPlugs64”).

In the “GoZ Settings” dialog box, the “Template” setting should default to “Create”, and you can see we’ll be baking the color map to the ZBrush assets vertex color (polypaint), and the normal map in Character Creator will be baked to a “Detail Layer” in ZBrush! Let’s choose 5 in the dropdown menu for “Subdiv” — this will give us more than 6 million triangles, plenty of polygons to transfer our color map to our polypaint, as well as plenty of polygons to sculpt with! Hit the “GoZ” button at the bottom to send everything over to ZBrush.

As you can see, our subtool in ZBrush has 5 subdivisions, and the normal details are in a layer called “CC_Detail 1”. I want the details to be applied to my highest subdivision geometry, so I’m going to press the “Bake All” button in the layer palette.

Let’s change this into a dark steel eagle head! Choose a gray color in the color palette, then go to “Color > FillObject”

Use ZBrush sculpting brushes to change the lion into another animal — in this case, an eagle head. Feel free to polypaint on your asset as well to add color variation. Since this is a symmetrical object, I’ll hit X on my keyboard to turn on symmetry while I sculpt. Feel free to drop down to a lower subdivision in order to make broad changes, and step back up in subdivisions to dial in your details!

Lion sculpted into an eagle head
Polypaint color variation added

In the “ZPlugin > CC GoZ Plus” menu in ZBrush, press the GoZ button — with the default options, this will send the model back with the new low-res vertex positions, as well as bake your high-res sculpt detail to a normal map, and your polypaint to a base color map, with one button press!

Back in Character Creator, you’ll see that the GoZ Options have defaulted to the “Update Mesh & Texture” option, which will ensure that the “Mesh” and “Texture” boxes get checked, which means the mesh will update, and the new textures will be applied to our model after you click the Update button.

Textures and Materials

This particular asset has a displacement map applied; With your object selected, navigate to the material tab and select the displacement texture. Press the garbage can icon to delete it:

If your color map is too light or too dark, you can go back to ZBrush and adjust the polypaint, or you can click on the Base Color map, then click the “Adjust Color” button, and play with those sliders to get the exact look you want!

Right now the Metallic and Roughness textures are giving the asset a very grungy feel. If you want to modify those maps, you can double-click their map to load in your own custom texture, or press the “Launch” button to open the textures in an image editor. I’m going to go ahead and Launch the Metallic and Base Color textures!

I’ll fill the Metallic texture with white (I want the entire object to appear metallic in the shader), Ctrl+S to save, close the window, fill the Roughness map with a middle gray, save, close, and head back to Character Creator.

When we arrive back in Character Creator, you’ll see that your Metallic and Roughness maps have been updated. Feel free to use either the “Launch” or “Adjust Color” feature to tweak your asset’s appearance!

Original prop
Modified with CC GoZ Plus

About The Author

Michael Pavlovich earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Animation from RSAD in 2005. Initially, he contributed to the development of environment and character art for popular video games such as Madden and NCAA Football. Later, he relocated to Austin to join Daybreak Games, where he worked on the creation of art assets for DC Universe Online.

Presently, Michael holds the position of Director of Character, Weapon, and Vehicle Art at Certain Affinity. His expertise lies in implementing iterative pipelines for Certain Affinity artists helping develop renowned video game franchises, including Halo, Call of Duty, and DOOM. To stay updated on his latest tutorial projects, you can visit Michael’s YouTube or ArtStation page.

>> Check Michael’s Artstation

>> Check Michael’s Youtube Channel

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  • PavMike CC GoZ Plus Tutorial Part 2 – Accessory from ZBrush to Character Creator
  • PavMike CC GoZ Plus Tutorial Part 3 – Body, Clothing, and Accessories from ZBrush to Character Creator

3D artist Arnoldo Atencio Vazquez recreates the iconic Dragon Ball character Vegeta. With his expert skills in ZBrush, Arnoldo seamlessly integrates Character Creator with the ZBrush Face Tools plugin, transforming Vegeta into an expressive and animation-ready 3D character.
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Recreating Dragon Ball Vegeta with ZBrush Face Tools & Character Creator

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This article is featured on 80 Level

Arnoldo Atencio Vazquez / Arnold.3D

Arnoldo Atencio Vazquez is a seasoned graphic designer specializing in 3D modeling and art. Despite the challenges of growing up in a small town in Venezuela, Arnoldo pursued his dream of becoming a 3D artist.

After earning a degree in graphic design, Arnoldo seized the opportunity to work at one of the top advertising agencies in Venezuela. Driven by a desire to create innovative and unique designs, he drew inspiration from Disney movies and mastered various modeling and texturing tools, including those offered by Reallusion.

Arnoldo’s diverse portfolio includes designing custom maxillofacial prosthetics for 3D printing, collaborating on virtual and augmented reality experiences, and contributing to indie game development. His dedication and passion for 3D art have propelled him to excel in the industry, continually pushing the boundaries of his craft.

Gathering Reference

Before starting, I suggest gathering reference images of the original character in different moods or situations. This way, we can comprehend every relevant muscle detail for crafting its expressions.

CC Base Settings in Character Creator

I started with using the stylized CC base character “Eddy”, deleting the redundant elements, and only leaving the body.

To further customize Eddy’s base model, some CC morph sliders were used to achieve the final look. To push the anime style, I also straightened out the teeth. Once completed, I initialized the Face Tools Plugin, left the default settings, and sent him off to Character Creator.

Once exported, we can find all of the pieces that make up the character in the “Subtools” panel, including the head, body, tongue, eyes, and teeth.

Head Base Sculpting & Eyes Setting

The Face Tools plugin provides 6 levels of subdivisions. Always select the lowest level for head base sculpting. The plugin also offers the option to visualize the boundaries of each muscle section. It allows me to take care of the boundaries of each section, and manipulate the topology correctly and according to the style of our character.

For example, Vegeta’s eyes have a very particular triangular shape, and with the “Range” visualizer, I can see where the eye begins or ends, its upper and lower parts, and thus maintain a good point of reference to achieve the proper expressions. I now place a plane in front of the head and insert a texture with the character’s face to precisely match its proportions.

From the Content Manager, we’ll swap out the eyes for ones more in line with his style.

Polypaint

Since Vegeta is an anime-style character, I prefer to apply polypaint before sculpting the expression details; as this helps me visualize the modifications that are to follow.

Click on the “Diffuse” button to show the diffuse map. To start painting, I will need to convert the existing texture to polypaint. Then activate the “MRGB Channel” button found in the “Draw” panel, and finally press the “Polypaint From Texture” button. After this, we can turn off the “diffuse” option and start painting Vegeta.

I leveraged the existing textures on Eddy, as they are already suitable for the stylized result we want. I then painted skin details in various areas of the face, such as the eyes, eyebrows, ears, nose, and scalp, to work in the resemblance to Vegeta. 

After painting the character, I clicked “Update to Character Creator” again, this time, ensuring that the “Polypaint-Diffuse” option is selected in the export popup window.

Now, in the “Go-Z” popup window, you’ll see the option to apply the head color to the body. In the color update, you’ll see that the color we added to the head automatically matches that of the body.

Skin Details

Now that we have a good base ready and painted, it’s time to add the smallest details to our character’s skin. To start, we need to set the subdivisions of the model higher, in this case, we have 6 levels, so we set it to the maximum of 6 to have a more defined mesh.

Then, activate the “Detail Layer” button to visualize the skin details; And to start editing, press the “Record” button in the “Layers” panel. This will allow us to record all the details we make on the skin while sculpting on it, and when exporting to CC4, it will be “Baked” onto the normal map.

Now, I begin to add some base skin details using noise for certain parts of the surface. We can also utilize specific preset brushes in ZBrush to create finer details.

Again, when we finish the details, we update by pressing the “Update to Character Creator” button. This time, we only need to select the “Detail – Normal” option in the popup window.

As you can see, the normal map now possesses way more details than before; and, our model is looking better as well.

Accessories

Before we move on to the next stage, let me quickly show you the progress I’ve made on accessories like hair, clothing, gloves, and boots. This helps in getting the character closer to the original concept.

Custom Expressions – eyes, teeth, tongue, jaw

In this section, I will ensure the expressions are in line with the topology of each facial section and optimized. In the Face Tools “Expression” panel, there is a list of 13 sets of Facial Expressions that we can use to achieve the character’s original look.

You can notice how each of these expressions corresponds to each muscle group of the CC4 facial editor.

If we want to modify these expressions, we can deactivate the “Detail Layer” option to hide the details we worked on previously and go back to the lowest subdivision level.

Pess the update button for the eyes, teeth, and tongue so that these objects are automatically updated and modified along with the expressions.

I’ll start by working on the “Jaw Open” morph as that is one of the most commonly used expressions throughout the Dragon Ball Z series; particularly when it comes to battle scenes.

While sculpting and modifying the expressions, it’s important to consider all three axes while doing so. By considering the X-, Y-, and Z-axis of the model, rather than working from one fixed point of view. Therefore, we aren’t misled into thinking in just two-dimensional terms of a 2D anime character.

Use the “Polygroups” view and isolate each of the groups offered by the plugin. This way, it’s much more comfortable and easier to edit the parts of the expressions that overlap each other. While adjusting this expression, I also tweaked the teeth and tongue to align with the expression.

Custom Expressions – facial expressions and brows

When we proceed to export to CC4, select the “Update Expressions / Wrinkles” option and “Expression Morphs”. Then, select the expression that we have created — in this case, the “Jaw Open” expression. Once I update the character in CC4, open the “Edit Facial” menu to discover the changes made to the custom expressions for the character’s face.

Now, let’s continue with one of the parts of the face that, for me, is more representative of Vegeta, his eyebrows. As you can see, no matter his mood, this character is always frowning. Select the “Brows Drop” expression in the “Face Tools” expressions panel. Repeat the same process as in the previous expression, and update to CC4 selecting with the same parameters in the export panel; except that we change to the current expression “Brows Drop”. Repeat the same process for the other expressions you need to modify from the list in the Face Tools panel.

Create Wrinkles

Now, let’s see how to adjust the wrinkles in the expressions. To start, we adjusted the subdivision level to the highest, in this case, we have 6 of them. Note that wrinkles are visible when we set one of the expressions activated. Once this is done, we start adding more details to the expression, hoping to get the expression closer to the reference images.

We will also use this process to mark the expression lines with polypaint and convert the texture to polypaint as we did before and add them.

While working on this expression, I added veins that appear above the eyebrows when Vegeta furrows his brows. For the export to CC4, I activated the expression morph options “Wrinkle-Normal” to include the details in the normal map, and “Wrinkle-Diffuse” so that when the expression is used, the lines are heavily marked to have a greater impact on what the character is conveying.

Now we can see how the expression lines are marked in the center of the eyebrows. This way, we can play with and try each expression to achieve the desired results.

I hope you liked this tutorial on how to bring the expressions to life with this wonderful tool. You can generate other versions and transformations of Vegeta to take advantage of the versatility of this great software. Stay tuned for more lessons in the future. This is Arnoldo Atencio signing out, and I hope to see you next time!

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The original article was written by Arnoldo and is also featured on 80 Level.

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AccuRIG and ActorCore Accelerates Creation of Sci-fi Game Character for 3D Modeler

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This article is featured on BlenderNation

Nathan Olsen

Nathan Olsen is a character artist from Canada specializing in weapons, creatures and cool-looking characters. He has focused mainly on developing art for video games since 2019 and is keen on learning all methods required for this type of 3D art.

Best Tools for 3D Character Creation

As with any job that one may undertake, it is always great to have the best tools available for the project at hand. In this project the desired tools happen to be AccuRIG, ActorCore 3D store, ZBrush, Blender and Marmoset Toolbag 4. 

Let’s start by looking at the process that is involved with the creation of a fully-rigged and animated character and why this method works best for me.

ZBrush, Essential for Sculpting 3D Models

To begin you will need ZBrush for the creation of the high poly sculpt and the low poly, UVed mesh. The Matcap Baker plugin is great for getting ID maps out in the end stages. 

Let us take a more in depth look at ZBrush and the Matcap Baker plugin, as it is the starting point for the workflow. After you have sculpted your character, unless you re-meshed it as you worked (this is what I suggest) then now is the time for a re-mesh and projection of the high-poly details back onto the re-meshed character. The reason we do this is to give a better topology for the UVs and animation deforms in AccuRIG.

Pro-tip 1

Try to avoid adding lots of parts around joints that will deform and model in a T- or A-Pose.

Pro-tip 2

Re-mesh all subtools before you combine or merge them into more manageable sub-tools. Try to keep in mind the texture size limits of your project when combining your sub-tools.  You can always combine uv’s in a program like Blender and re-import to give your model new/updated uv maps if you have a very high poly model that requires many sub-tools to keep the sub-tool-poly-count down and export as a single FBX.

Pro-tip 3

When sculpting your details, sculpting with MatCap color painting turned on is essential for your material ID maps for later texture generation. For every part of your model, you should use a different MatCap. At the end, make all matcaps a flat material with none being the same color. Use UVMaster plugin that ships with ZBrush with poly-groups turned on in the plugin. 

AccuRIG, Auto-rigger with Fast & Accurate Results

Next, you will need AccuRIG free software available from the ActorCore website. This program allows seamless transfer of the rigged model from a posed static one.

Open up AccuRIG auto-rigger, import your model that you exported from ZBrush and let the magic begin! AccuRIG auto-rigger is an amazing tool for getting your bipeds rigged fast, efficiently and most importantly, accurately. If your AccuRIG generated perfect guide placement on the first go, you’re all set.  If not, move them (use the guides) around to the joint placement you would like. AccuRIG also does hands — and does it well — with the ability to rig up to five fingers, including the thumb.

ActorCore, 3000+ Professional Mocap Animations

ActorCore 3D store makes it incredibly easy to pick something that will fit any flavor you could want. With a huge online library of 3D assets to choose from, you can find a subtle idle or an animation that empowers your character to do back flips. The possibilities are really endless, so have some fun!

Navigation in ActorCore has been streamlined for users, with a search bar that has a huge list of words it recognizes and a generalized nav bar with an expanding list on the left side that holds all the animations on the site. Along the way, if you find an animation that interests you, you can always favorite it by clicking the heart icon on the preview image to revisit later. After exploring the site, pick your animation and give it a double-click. It will appear on your character in the 3D preview window.  Click the purchase button and go through the next screens to make the animation downloadable and have permanent access to it.

Blender, Free Character Animation Editing

Blender is a great, free program you need for the combination of animation and model.  It has been around for many years and undergone substantial changes from when I was young.  With Blender, you can import many different files like FBX, with the rigs attached. Also skeleton files with keyframe data.  It also allows us to import animation to our rigged character and export them as a single object. 

Essentially, we will be attaching the animation to the fully-rigged and weighted model downloaded from ActorCore.  Simply import your rigged actor and desired motion to Blender, then, with a few steps you can have the motions perfectly retargeted to the actor without any issues.  

Pro-tip 4

Do not worry about deleting the original keyframes — the ones you are about to paste will occupy the same space and will overwrite the old ones.

Marmoset, Building Sophisticated Looks

Lastly, we need Marmoset Toolbag 4 for the final renders of any poses and the fully animated sequences. 

It is time to see your work in action! With Marmoset Toolbag 4 open and ready, apply any and all textures created in whatever program you decided to use (I like Marmoset Toolbag 4).

Tweak your render, camera, lights and sky so you can get the perfect animation capture possible. The animation tab and your timeline are important to match up with the loop you are trying to create. So, here we are just making sure that the full sequence is captured and there are no partial repeats of it during rendering. Adjusting the animation speed directly on your model by first selecting the root in its hierarchy can help a lot with fine-tuning the speed of how the animation plays out during render times.

Press F5 (animation) and F11 (keyframe render) on your keyboard after you have done all required modifications to the settings and have the best-looking environment for your character. Wait for your render to record and think about angles for some single-frame renders that will really help highlight your project.

Final Thoughts

The method outlined here is my favored approach for a complete rigged, animated and rendered character simply because it works! It is quick, efficient and yields accurate and pleasing results. Before we had such a powerful tool (AccuRIG) to add to our pipeline, this was all done painstakingly by hand… Now with a few clicks, you’re ready for action! 

This workflow and AccuRIG auto-rigger are a must-have, for the budding 3d artist and seasoned vet alike. Not only will it save you time and frustration, it will help you focus your workflow into a sharper point with a great UI and straight-to-the-point flow.  Try it yourself and have some fun!!!

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The original article was written by Nathan Olsen and is also featured on BlenderNation.

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Turning Hosted Podcast into 2D Character Animation

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Lucky Planet’s self-introduction

Hi, I’m Lucky Planet. I’ve been a huge fan of “WiTcast,” one of Thailand’s first science podcasts, since 2012. Their stories always spark my imagination, and I thought it would be amazing to visualize them. So, one day, I reached out to see if they’d be interested in turning their stories into animations. That’s how it all started. The idea was simple: take a 3-hour podcast episode, distill it down to its key message, and create a vibrant 3-minute animation. This project got its initial boost from the Thai government media fund, which supports great content for all ages — exactly what we’re doing here!

From live broadcast to 2D character animation

Designing the 2D character animations took some time. I sketched a lot until I found the perfect designs. To cut down on production time and costs, I gave the characters longer arms and legs, which made their gestures more articulate and expressive. And, since they mostly stood or sat during the show without much action, this approach was ultimately the right decision.

Meet Professor Almond, our main host. He’s an alien dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of our world as a science communicator and advocate. I drew inspiration for his appearance from renowned science figures like Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye. His facial features are simple, mostly circles and squares, with distinctive rabbit ears to highlight his non-human origin. With broad shoulders, Almond defies the typical scientist stereotype. His signature color is blue, reflecting his cosmic origins and evident in his choice of fashion.

Next is Cookie, Almond’s co-host. She has no background in science, but dreams of becoming a YouTuber. To pursue this ambition, she’s teamed up with the Professor. Cookie’s design contrasts Almond’s — her color is red, and she wears huge pants to make her lower half look bigger compared to Almond’s top-heavy frame. We’re not sure if Cookie is human, since she has a big lucky clover on top of her head — a mystery for another day.

The most important feature for both 2D characters are their big, expressive eyes with large white areas. This allows them to clearly connect with the audience as they guide us through the amazing world of science.

Animating dynamic facial expressions

The audience will watch these two hosts’ faces for three minutes in every episode. In that timeframe, their facial expressions have to be interesting and relatable. Mostly, the characters would be talking directly to the camera or interacting with each other, keeping the 2D character animations dynamic. To achieve this, I used CTA’s “360 Head” feature, which allows for natural-looking and easily controlled head movements.

(3D Head Creator transforms 2D art into 3D styled characters with up to 360 degree of motion)

As expected, the voice actors really nailed it on their podcast. My only sole concern was to animate them as authentically as I could; and having known them for years definitely helps. I crafted approximately 10 mouth shape designs, and then let the software handle the lip-syncing automatically. However, it didn’t quite sync up perfectly with the Thai audio. With CTA version 4, I had to manually adjust about half of it. Interestingly, in version 5, I’ve noticed a significant improvement — it only requires about 30% manual editing now.

(Import a WAV file or capture your voice with an integrated recorder. A vast library of phoneme shapes is ready to be deployed on your images. )

Enhancing character motion with spring bones

“Spring bones” is a fresh addition in CTA version 5. It effortlessly applies dynamic movements onto stiff bones, as seen in elements like the rabbit’s long ears, hair, and the fluttering leaf. Once I animate the head and body, the rest simply falls into place, resulting in 2D character animations that are even more endearing.

The key lies in striking the perfect balance: Too many bones can bog things down, whereas too few can result in choppy movements. Cartoon Animator 5 offers a range of spring types to suit your needs, from highly elastic for exaggerated, cartoony motions to stiffer options for more nuanced or realistic movements.

Given that our 2D character animations steer clear of the exaggerated movements found in Looney Tunes, I prefer stiffer springs. This choice also helps keep the audience’s attention on the characters’ facial expressions. Setting up Almond’s ears posed a challenge, especially with the 360 Head feature in use. At certain angles, the inner and outer ear parts move independently. To manage this, I had to incorporate two separate bone sets for precise control.

Behind the scenes on character setup and storyboarding

With the character setup complete, it was time to dive into animation! I began by sketching out a basic storyboard to outline the timing and pacing. Given that it’s a talk show format, the animation remained fairly straightforward. I implemented a breathing motion clip as a default loop cycle and then layered on the arm and body movements. However, the main focus was on animating the facial expressions, as they’re crucial for engaging with the audience. It took me about a week to animate a single episode, followed by another week to create and integrate the illustrations into the storyline.

The show’s production kicked off in 2023, and we’ve now wrapped up the first season comprising 25 episodes. The response from Thai audiences has been phenomenal, with one episode even surpassing 3 million views on TikTok! This project initially received a boost from the Thai government media fund. However, I have grander aspirations — I aim to dub it in English and introduce it to a global audience. With this journey just starting, I’m in the process of securing funds and seeking out potential sponsors to make this vision a reality.

If you’re keen on helping this science show become a global sensation, feel free to reach out to me to discuss potential opportunities. Let’s collaborate and share the magic of podcasts with audiences worldwide!

Follow Lucky Planet

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/luckyplanet

X: https://x.com/LuckyPlanet_One

Email: wonderlugia@gmail.com

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2D Animation Software for Cartoon Maker | Cartoon Animator

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The original article was written by Lucky Planet and is also featured on Cartoon Brew.

ZBrush guru Mike Thompson and his iconic Cammy sculpt, made with Character Creator and ZBrush
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3D Sculpt of Street Fighter Cammy: Power posed with ZBrush Pose Tools and Character Creator

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Mike Thompson / Stylus League

Mike’s career in the creative industry is nothing short of extraordinary. With over two decades of experience, he has worked with AAA companies, leading high-profile projects and mastering both 2D and 3D realms. His clientele includes industry titans like Hasbro, Electronic Arts, Dimension Films, and Sideshow. Recently, Mike, a Clio award laureate, joined Microsoft Games as an Art Outsourcing Manager. His journey is a testament to his relentless pursuit of creative excellence.

Why I chose Character Creator and Pose Tools

Ever since I started collecting statues of my favorite comic book heroes, I’ve been captivated by their dynamic poses. I aim to infuse this dynamism into my sculptures, but it’s no easy task! Before discovering Reallusion’s Character Creator, I relied on Transpose Master in ZBrush for posing. It was functional, but far from ideal, and quite destructive. Once a pose was set, altering it was a challenge.

Then came Character Creator Pose Tools, a game-changer with its user-friendly interface and flexibility. It allows me to experiment with multiple pose iterations before finalizing. No matter how well-sculpted, textured, or detailed a character is, a weak pose can undermine the entire piece. When I decided to sculpt Cammy, I knew her pose had to be powerful. Thanks to Character Creator, I was confident I could achieve it.

Detailed Walkthrough

ZBrush Modeling

My process for preparing Cammy to go from ZBrush to CC4 is very similar to the one I use for ZBrush posing. The key is to ensure a low-poly mesh that gracefully supports intricate details at higher subdivision levels. Equally crucial is a topology with loops that accommodate joint deformation. Naturally, this is my initial step before assigning polygroups for effortless selection, aiding in isolating tricky parts for detailed sculpting.

Original Capcom Cammy Art – StreetFighter 5. Copyright Capcom

GoZ and AccuRig

Seamlessly moving a file between ZBrush and Character Creator requires some preparation. I begin by ensuring each element is named for easy identification in AccuRig (organization is key). With all subtools in view, I utilize the PoseTools plugin to scale down my model before exporting it to CC via GoZ.

ZBrush Modeling

I chose to exclude Cammy’s exaggerated ponytails, as posing them in ZBrush later would be simpler. By toggling off their visibility along with the base, I can send the remaining elements to CC4 for AccuRigging. It’s crucial to uncheck ‘All Meshes’ and check ‘Selected Meshes’; thus allowing me to choose only the components I wish to deform organically.

Posing in Character Creator

Once the AccuRigging process is complete and pose dots are fine-tuned, it’s time to bring Cammy to life! I had a few options: manual posing, using the motion library, or a blend of both. Character Creator boasts an impressive motion-captured library, perfect for selecting the ideal animation or static pose.

As a non-animator, this feature is a godsend! The Reallusion store also offers additional pose packs for purchase. For Cammy, I had a distinct pose in mind, so I opted for manual posing. The focus was on conveying weight distribution and kinetic energy, vital elements for a dynamic pose.

Fine-tuning in ZBrush

Having refined Cammy’s pose in CC4’s Edit Pose window and diligently saved iterations, I’m on the home stretch. I bypassed ‘Weight Painting’, leaving minor compression areas to address. No worries, though! A quick return to ZBrush lets me rectify any anatomical issues, then reintroduce the hair and base. With the pose finalized, re-sculpting problem areas is a breeze. I typically employ a trio of brushes – Move, Clay Buildup, and Dam Standard – to infuse volume and detail into my sculpt.

Create a turntable podium for Cammy

Upon finalizing the pose and detailing, I utilized ZBrush to ready my model for 3D printing. With a vision of a 1/6th scale statue, I employed Scale Master to aptly size all my subtools. Then, I strategically DynaMeshed the parts together. The final steps involved cutting and keying everything, followed by using the 3D Print Hub to convert the parts into .stl files, ready to be sent to Lychee Slicer. This meticulous process ensures a seamless transition from digital sculpting to physical manifestation.

Final thoughts

Integrating Character Creator into my workflow has been a game-changer. As a long-time ZBrush sculptor, I yearned for a tool that could help me swiftly generate poses for iterative and future sculpting. Character Creator not only fulfills this need but does so with an intuitive learning curve. I’m particularly fond of the pose libraries and body morphs that CC4 offers. This software has become an invaluable addition to my pipeline, and I eagerly anticipate the advancements in its future iterations.

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Filmmaker Richard Mans Reveals Workflow Secrets with iClone, Unreal Engine and Cargo!
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Filmmaker Richard Mans Reveals Workflow Secrets with iClone, Unreal Engine and Cargo

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This article is featured on 80 Level
Filmmaker Richard Mans Reveals Workflow Secrets with iClone, Unreal Engine and Cargo!
Filmmaker Richard Mans and his latest vertical shorts on Fuzzy Realms channel

Richard Mans / Fuzzy Realms

Richard Mans is a New Zealand-based artist and filmmaker renowned for his fantastical short-form videos. His acclaimed 2011 animated short film “Abiogenesis” garnered widespread acclaim, winning awards and enjoying an extensive festival run globally. He also focused on animations and user experiences for prototype display technologies in the Automotive industry, where Mans continued to innovate.

Excited by the possibilities of high-quality real-time rendering, he is now dedicated to creating captivating short-form videos. “Fuzzyrealms” serves as his online portfolio, showcasing his latest works. Passionate about crafting brief glimpses into fantastical worlds, Mans finds inspiration in daily creativity. Follow him on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, or subscribe to his mailing list for updates.

Act out your dreams

My initial idea is very loose. No storyboards, I just dream and edit shots in my head. Once I settle on an idea I put on my motion tracking suit (I use a Perception Neuron 3 suit) and start acting out the characters in the scenes, this process helps me further refine my idea.

I record my Motion Capture directly in iClone using the Motion Live Plugin. I find that seeing my motion capture in realtime on a human character helps me troubleshoot issues with the motion capture performance that I may not see using a plain Motion Dummy.

Refine your performance with iClone

Two tools in iClone that I always use for editing my motion capture are the Smooth Filter and the Edit Motion Layer tool.

The Smooth Filter (found in the Curve Editor) eliminates any unwanted jittering noise that is usually in the raw Motion Capture Data. Sometimes I may not even notice the jittering until my final render when I’ll notice what looks like the character skipping frames. So I find It’s good practice to start with the Smooth Filter.

I use the “Edit Motion Layer” tool to fix more obvious issues like hands passing through the character’s leg, and correcting the character’s posture.

Give it soul

Once I’m happy with the edited motion capture, I blend various facial animation clips (from Reallusion’s “Digital Soul” pack) in the timeline. This way I can quickly create a natural-looking facial performance that matches my motion capture.

Simulate a crowd in iClone

Looking at reference videos (on YouTube) of busy streets in New York City reminds me that there’s often a flow of pedestrians walking down a street. For example, groups of people moving in one direction tend to stick to a certain side of the path. So I create two paths with characters flowing in opposite directions to achieve this effect. Then add a few more people to a third path in the distance to give the scene more depth.

Creating crowds of characters can be taxing on system resources, so preferably every character needs to end up in the final camera shots. So I restrict the paths to areas where I imagine the camera shots will go.

Send everything to Unreal Engine

Transferring everything to Unreal Engine is very straightforward using iClone’s “Unreal Live Link” plugin. First under the “Transfer File Settings” I deselect “Place Actors in Scene” and select “Bake all animations to sequencer” then transfer my two main Characters. Then I change the “Transfer File Settings” to “Exclude Morph Targets” and transfer all the other characters (the crowd). This way everything is optimized and organized nicely into Sequences in Unreal Engine.

Now that everything is transferred to Unreal Engine, I play with my cameras in Unreal Engine until I’m happy with my shots and the camera cuts in Sequencer.

Dress it up with Cargo

With the performances and cameras in place, I use Cargo (a plugin by KitBash3D) to dress up the shots.

Cargo gives me access to a huge library of assets that I can instantly import into Unreal Engine. I simply select the asset in the Cargo interface, click import and after a few seconds the asset loads in Unreal Engine with all the materials applied.

Finishing touches and thoughts

I add color grading and VFX elements (like the dust particles at the end of this short) using Adobe After Effects. Then sound effects and music using Adobe Audition. I love playing around with the sound and music, it’s where the short really comes to life.

Thanks for joining me through this process and I hope you’ve gained some valuable insights into creating short-form animations. With tools like iClone, Unreal Engine, and Cargo, the possibilities are endless. So, whether you’re an aspiring filmmaker or a seasoned pro, keep pushing the boundaries of creativity and never stop dreaming big! Please check out my @fuzzyrealms social media channels to see more of my work. Thanks!

Follow Richard Mans / Fuzzyrealms

instagram.com/fuzzyrealms/

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The original article was written by Richard Mans and also featured on 80 Level.

Learning

Beginners Guide to the BuildingGen Plugin

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Generative building creation comes in many forms including extrusion-based, agent-based, and procedural. More complex generative applications like CityEngine can create an entire town or city but can be extremely complex to learn if you are unfamiliar with procedural generation.  

iClone’s BuildingGen plugin is the opposite of complex with Reallusion’s typical “easy to use” approach as you only need to keep up with a few things. We can learn its basics with primitives as used in the tutorial below, or the supplied building pack and the new French Style pack.

There are a couple of things you must pay attention to, or you will get, what seems to be, very chaotic results when the plugin is simply doing what it was instructed to do.

One errant dropdown menu choice or checkbox in the plugin concerning Levels or Type can produce unexpected results.  Understanding why this happens can open the door to using your own or other building kits. As long as the kits provide separate walls, floors, and a few other necessary components that the plugin needs, BuildingGen can use them to create custom buildings.

While this plugin has a slight learning curve, it is not a complicated tool; all one has to do is wrap their head around exactly what they are telling the plugin to do.

If, for example, you add the short trim wall to the top level and forget to uncheck the default first level checkbox you get a combination of the regular wall and short trim wall on the first and top floors creating what looks like a jumbled-up mess but was in fact what you told the plugin to do by failing to uncheck the proper checkboxes.

Left: A properly created customer BuildingGen package. Right: Same package with only a couple of mistakes in checkboxes. This is covered in the tutorial.

Learning the Basics

I thought the easiest way to learn the plugin was to create a new BuildingGen package using the props that came with the plugin or the French-style pack. Using these, instead of a custom or third-party building kit would help me to understand what is happening and why it happened. This is because I would be working with props that I know are sized right and will work with the plugin. If you get unexpected results with these props, then you know you have an error.

While this did help me to learn the plugin, it was still a bit confusing with the actual windows, doors, and other props getting in the way of a clear view and now I needed to learn how to import props of differing sizes. I decided to create a building package (simple template) out of primitives that come with iClone.

One of the most important things I discovered was it does not matter how precise building pieces are in dimensions as you can alter the scale on any axis to make it a 2-, 3-,4- or whatever meter package. By this I mean does the floor take up 2 X 2 grid squares or 3X3, 4X4? We get to determine that by resizing the components to whatever size meets our needs for that particular building package or we can just go with the native sizing. All the plug-in needs to run without error is a floor and wall prop so this is where we will start in the tutorial. After this, we will add the other components.

The tutorial shows each step for the wall, floor, door, window, and Pillar. Some of you will pick it up quickly after watching the first floors and walls packaged and won’t need to watch the entire video but each component is covered for those that want to see it all come together. Once you’ve built your first successful package you apply the same principles to custom kits.

NOTE: I start with the floor.  Scale it first as in the video tutorial. It serves as the visual guide for the sizing of the remaining walls, doors, windows, and pillars. Most building kit components will not need to be rescaled, but they still can be if you need to. This makes the plugin very flexible in terms of importing our own custom-made props that might not be exact in dimensions.

NOTE: In Kai’s tutorial on external assets, he talks about having to center an object and reset its transform so it will be at the world center with a proper pivot. This is necessary because many building kits have assets spaced out across the workspace which sets their pivot points to the center of the entire project, not each prop within the kit. In my template example, we are building the props at the world center so there is no need to reset the transform as required in Kai’s tutorial.

Toon Castle

This was a fun project. It came from Sketchfab and not all the parts are used but it does have the necessary doors, windows, and pillars the plug-in needs for a basic building package. I made a floor 4 X 4 grid squares out of primitive and gave it a wood plank texture for the floor.

This tutorial demonstrates how to import the usable parts of the building kit, create a custom BuildingGen package from those parts, and then make a castle with buildings, towers, and walkways surrounded by castle walls within minutes.

Think Outside the Box

There are a lot of building kits out there, but you won’t be able to use all of the components in them like oddly shaped walls or roofs. However, you can use the regular walls, doors, windows, and pillars so look for those items in particular when searching for kits.  If there are windows and doors but no walls, then grab the texture(s) from the building and create your walls out of primitives using the textures from the kit.

The Toon House from Sketchfab is a good example of using parts from a kit and making your own for the parts that may be missing due to the way the model is created. In this case, there was no separate wall or floor. The walls were two different, irregular meshes versus a wall.

To remedy this, I created a wall and then used the eyedropper tool in materials to grab the texture from the irregular walls and transfer it to my newly made wall component. All I had to do was scale it which is easy using the window and other props as size guides. I repeated the same process for the floor prop. This method is detailed in the template tutorial.

The image below shows the various parts of the Toon House and the irregular walls. In front is the wall and floor I made to work with the other kit components to be able to make toon houses.

Left: Individual parts in the kit that can be used. Middle: The irregular walls. Right: The original Toon Building. Front: The wall & floor created from primitives.

French Style Atrium Building

As I wrote earlier my first try at learning the BuildingGen plugin used props from the French Style pack to create a conservatory/atrium-style building like a fine arts center.  I was looking for an elegant style with old-school vibes and large windows but not just plain windows. The AT windows in the pack made it work. I also had to correct the texture on the window glass when making the package so it would be transparent with some reflection mapping. This only had to be done on one window to change all of them.

In my testing example below, I used the custom BuildingGen package to create the major structures then built out the connecting walkway and used roof props for a different roof. I later learned I could have used the plugin to create the walkways as I did for the castle walls in the Toon Castle tutorial.

CAUTION: The video below has audio.

Below is the final package for the Atrium building for those that have the French Style pack and want to re-create the basic building package.

The secret to BuildingGen is… there is no secret.

Just pay close attention to the checkboxes and dropdown menu selections for each item. If you get an erratic result, go back to your packager and make sure the affected level doesn’t have conflicting or multiple props. The drop-down menu Type and Level Checkboxes can create a great custom-building package or a nightmare of conflicting parts with just a couple of errant checkboxes.

Quick Tip

You can make an interior hallway with BuildingGen using a two-sided wall or a wall turned 180 degrees to face the interior instead of the exterior.

I hope these tutorials can get you jumpstarted on creating custom BuildingGen packages along with Kai’s great tutorials over at Reallusion Courses.

A BuildingGen pack by Ranger J – Cartoon City – New York Style. Inspired by New York City architecture.

From the Product Page:
This product contains tons of props, and buildings with different structures can be quickly produced using the building gen plug-in. In addition, I have prebuilt the assembled buildings and even prepared the streets and scenes, so even people without a plug-in can enjoy the fun of this pack.

REALLUSION COURSES
Getting Started
Intro to BuildingGen Units
Creating Buildings From Blueprints
Best Practices for Tiled Roof, Cloister, balconies
BuildingGen Creation from External Source Material Part 1
BuildingGen Creation from External Source Material Part 2

MANUAL

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

News

Innovating the Future of 3D Animation Education at CMII

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The Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII) has been at the forefront of integrating cutting-edge technology into its curriculum, ensuring that students are well-prepared for the dynamic world of media and entertainment.

Professors at Creative Media Industries Institute in Atlanta, Georgia , James Martin and Max Thomas, have been instrumental in this innovation, particularly in the fields of Advanced Visual Effects (VFX) and 3D Animation. Leading the way with projects focused on helping students develop their storytelling skills along with a valuable introduction to core technical requirements that will help them compete in the everchanging world of 3D animation and VFX.

CMII Professor James Martin, 3D Animation

Professor James Martin’s approach to teaching 3D Animation (CMIS 4160) is a testament to how modern tools can revolutionize education. Using Reallusion iClone software, Martin introduces students, many of whom are first-time animators, to animation through practical, real-world production scenarios. The course is structured around three comprehensive modules: Character Animation, Crowd-Simulation creation, and Motion Capture Animation cleanup.

CMII Professor James Martin, 3D Animation

“Reallusion iClone provides an accessible yet powerful toolset for students to immerse themselves in the world of animation. By simulating real-world production scenarios, students not only learn the technical skills but also understand the workflow and collaboration required in the industry.”

James Martin, CMII Professor 3D Animation

3D Animation CMIS 4160

25 Students – 16 Weeks – 3 Modules

Character Animation: In this module, students delve into the fundamentals of character animation. They learn to create and edit animations using the Timeline and Non-linear editing techniques in iClone. This hands-on approach helps students grasp essential concepts such as Transition Curves, Motion Blending, and Pipeline exporting. Through custom motion creation, they explore face, body, and hand animation, which are crucial skills for any aspiring animator.

Crowd-Simulation Creation: This module introduces students to the complexities of creating large-scale character animations to bring scenes to life. By working on crowd simulations, students learn to manage and animate multiple characters simultaneously, a skill highly valued in the industry.

Motion Capture Animation Cleanup: In the final module, students engage with motion capture data, learning how to clean up and refine this data for use in their projects. This involves applying motion editing and Motion Layer editing techniques to character rigs, combining keyframing and curve editing to achieve performance animation.

The Role of Discord in Learning

A significant innovation in Martin’s course is the integration of Discord as a teaching tool. This platform fosters a sense of community and accountability among students, allowing them to share their work, receive peer feedback, and grow collectively. Peer reviews on Discord are crucial as they enable students to critique, respond to feedback, and refine their projects in a collaborative environment.

The curriculum is delivered through a blend of online and lab-based instruction, supplemented with highly curated tutorials, assessments, and live training. Over 16 weeks, students benefit from lectures, demonstrations, and materials provided by Reallusion and curated by Professors James Martin and Max Thomas. The use of Discord extends the learning environment beyond the classroom, enabling students to remain engaged with their projects and peers.

3D Animation Student Showcase

Throughout the semester, students showcase their work on Discord, culminating in final projects that highlight their skills and creativity. These projects demonstrate the comprehensive knowledge and competencies they have acquired, setting the stage for successful careers in animation. Each semester the CMII invites students to showcase their work at a public event that allows students to present their semester projects and receive opportunities to to engage with local businesses, university administrators and fellow students.

Top 10 Student Animation Projects from each 3D Animation module:
Character Animation, Crowd Sim, Mocap Cleanup

Module 1: Character Animation: Alex Criss

Module 1: Character Animation: Ian Chasse

Module 2: Crowd Simulation: Alex Criss

Module 2: Crowd Simulation: J Wilson

Module 2: Crowd Simulation: Travis Le

Module 2: Crowd Simulation: J Clark

Module 3: Mocap Clean Up: Ian Chasse

Module 3: Mocap Clean Up: Alex Criss

Module 3: Mocap Clean Up: J Clark

Module 3: Mocap Clean Up: Emily Tran

Continuing Innovation at the CMII – Preparing Students for the Evolving Animation Pipeline

The innovative teaching methods and tools employed by Professors James Martin and Max Thomas at CMII exemplify the institute’s commitment to providing cutting-edge education. By integrating tools like Reallusion iClone and platforms like Discord, they prepare students not just to enter the world of animation but to excel in it. The skills and experiences gained in these courses equip students to contribute to the vibrant entertainment industry in Georgia and beyond.

At the Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII), the curriculum is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the animation pipeline, ensuring they are well-equipped to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of digital media and animation. The courses emphasize the importance of mastering a wide range of tools and technologies, connecting students to industry-standard software and practices. 

The teaching pipeline at CMII is meticulously designed to mirror real-world production workflows. Students begin with foundational skills in modeling and animation, gradually progressing to more complex tasks such as rigging, motion capture cleanup, and integrating animations into interactive environments. This structured approach ensures that students not only learn the technical skills but also understand the workflow and collaborative nature of the industry.

Reallusion Toolset and Workflow Curriculum

Students at CMII are introduced to a robust pipeline of character and animation tools, essential for a career in animation and VFX. The curriculum covers:

  • Reallusion Character Creator and iClone for learning how to create and animate highly transferable characters for games, films, virtual production and AEC visualizations and simulations.
  • Unreal Engine: Students learn to integrate their animations into Unreal Engine, a leading platform for creating interactive experiences and real-time 3D content.
  • Nvidia Omniverse: The integration of Nvidia Omniverse allows students to collaborate and simulate complex scenes, leveraging real-time ray tracing and AI-enhanced workflows.
  • Unity: Unity’s versatile platform is used to teach students about creating interactive animations and game development.
  • Maya: An industry staple, Maya is employed for character rigging, animation, and VFX, providing students with a strong foundation in professional-grade software.
  • Generative AI workflows as an artist’s tool and how to incorporate AI into the creative process.

Lifelong Learning in a Rapidly Evolving Industry

The courses at CMII emphasize the necessity of lifelong learning. With technology and industry standards constantly evolving, students are encouraged to stay aware of the latest developments and continuously refine their skills inside the institute and beyond. The comprehensive training in various tools like Reallusion and Unreal ensures that graduates are adaptable and ready to tackle the challenges of the competitive animation and entertainment industry.

James Martin, CMII Professor 3D Animation

By equipping students with a diverse skill set and a deep understanding of the animation pipeline, CMII prepares them for a future in an industry that demands both versatility and specialization. The integration of tools like Unreal Engine, Nvidia Omniverse, Unity, ZBrush, Blender, and Maya ensures that students are not only proficient in current technologies but are also prepared to adapt to future advancements. This comprehensive education model fosters a culture of lifelong learning, essential for success in the rapidly evolving world of animation and VFX.

Reallusion is offering the following benefits for educators and students:

News

World’s Lightest Face Capture Device with iClone AccuFACE

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It’s Time to Ditch the Bulky Helmets:

Rokoko Unveils World’s Lightest Face Mocap Device

Copenhagen, Denmark – May 22, 2024 – Rokoko, the leader in affordable motion capture technology, is thrilled to announce the launch of the Headcam. Designed to address the long-standing issues of cumbersome, bulky helmets and the impracticality of iPhones dangling over your face, the Headcam offers a non-intrusive, portable, and versatile solution for real-time face capture at an accessible pre-order price of just $495.

Goodbye Bulky Helmets

Everyone has seen footage of large, uncomfortable, and restrictive helmets used by motion capture actors. Rokoko’s Headcam eliminates these issues with its lightweight, ergonomic design, offering unrestricted freedom of movement without the neck-aches. Weighing just 240 grams, the Headcam features a high-resolution 60 fps camera, dimmable LED lights, and a built-in microphone, all housed within a perfectly balanced and adjustable head rig.

“We created the Headcam to solve the problem of the bulky and often comically impractical helmet that has dominated the facial motion capture industry.. As the demand for animation and 3D content continues to explode, we believe it’s crucial to offer tools that are not only effective for professionals but also accessible to creators at all levels.”

Jakob Balslev | Founder and CEO of Rokoko

Empowering creators in the age of 3D and animation

In line with Rokoko’s product ethos, the Headcam is designed to be workflow-agnostic, and can integrate with AccuFACE, Faceware, and VSeeFace for a multitude of use-cases. Furthermore, Rokoko’s new Face Capture app for Android also comes with its own mocap solver, which is included free for the first 12 months with pre-orders, and syncs the Headcam directly to their Studio software enabling real time full-body performance capture. This adaptability makes the Headcam an essential tool for a wide range of animation and 3D projects, from indie animators to professional studios.

Facial mocap with iClone’s AccuFACE

“AccuFACE plugin for iClone is an AI facial tracker powered by NVIDIA RTX GPU, capable of capturing facial expressions from Rokoko Headcam and conventional video files to empower remote collaboration with performers around the world.”

Enoc Burgos | Director of Marketing at Reallusion

Balslev continues that “Camera-based solutions are often impractical, but essential for face capture since sensors can’t be placed on the face. There’s a clear lack of sensible solutions for smooth face filming. With the Headcam, we’ve addressed this need and are excited to see what our community will create with it.”

The Headcam can be pre-ordered today for $495, with worldwide shipping starting early August.

About Rokoko

Rokoko is a pioneering company in the field of motion capture technology, with offices in Copenhagen, Athens, and San Francisco, serving over 300,000 users in more than 125 countries. We are dedicated to empowering creators with tools that bring their digital characters to life in the most intuitive and efficient ways possible.