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Disney VFX Animator Revives the Nostalgic Magic of Hand-drawn Animation with Cartoon Animator

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Declan Walsh – Hand-drawn VFX Animator

About Declan Walsh

Hey there, I’m Declan Walsh. Let me take you back to my first-ever interview in the animation industry. When they asked about my experience, I must have frozen like a deer caught in headlights! My previous gig involved packing TV cases on a factory floor, but I had a feeling that wasn’t exactly what they were seeking. So, I decided to approach it differently… I leaned in, looked the interviewer straight in the eyes, and declared, “If I can’t nail this job in three months, I’ll give myself the boot!” That momentous occasion took place 25 years ago, and I’m proud to share that I’ve since amassed a wealth of experience working on classic movies, games, and various other projects. 

However, here’s the thing… I’m still learning! In this industry, learning never stops. My latest escapade brings me to Cartoon Animator (CTA), where I got to collaborate with Reallusion to showcase its features. The thing I absolutely adore about CTA is its inclusive approach that embraces artists of all skill levels. It allows me to keep honing my traditional animation skills, even in the face of the latest industry advancements. And let me tell you, their community is incredibly supportive — just like any top-notch animation studio would be!

A Glimpse into A 90s Animation Studio

Amidst the cubicles, the faint sounds of muffled music seep from headphones. Two nearby animators are engaged in conversation with their attention focused on a shot sequence. They rewind the VHS tape back to the beginning, eagerly watching as the animation came to life. Rewinding, playing again, and scrutinizing every movement with their trained eyes. They kept a keen eye for any imperfections, any slight pops in motion that lacked follow-through. And when it worked, a smile spread across their faces. This was a routine part of my daily life for many years, and I cherished every single second of it.

During those times, animation was entirely hand-drawn and traditional animators were adept at rolling the paper quickly to assess the timing of their rough animations. Then, they would take it to the video by carefully placing each drawing on the animation disc, ensuring the lighting was just right, so the blue foundational drawings are clearly visible.

In those days, cameras weren’t particularly advanced. Each frame had to be captured on video before you could witness your animation. I relished the anticipation that accompanied this process.

But what I loved, even more, was the soundscape of an animation studio — pencils roughly scratching as artists brought the next scene to life, the rhythmic flipping of crisp paper, and the tactile sensation of the pages gliding through my fingertips. It instantly transports me back to a time when animators from Los Angeles, Brazil, Canada, the Philippines, and all corners of the globe converged to create the next classic animated feature for the silver screen! I vividly recall being told two things:

“You’re only as good as your last scene.”

“Whatever you put out into the world, remains there for all time; there’s no going back.”

In those days, the creation of animation was an immense undertaking! It required the collaboration of over 350 individuals, including story writers, storyboard artists, color design teams, character animators, background professionals, special effects artists, and many more. They seamlessly worked together within a vast studio equipped with colossal cameras!

Fast-forward to The World of Animation Today

The year is 2023 and animation has changed drastically! With the rapid advancement of computers and software like Cartoon Animator (CTA) and Photoshop, our ability to draw, color, and animate directly on-screen has revolutionized the game. Gone are the days of traditional methods; now, we can wield an entire studio’s worth of tools and resources on a single laptop. A vast library of characters, backgrounds, effects, and built-in animations awaits, limited only by the boundaries of our own imagination. It’s a breathtaking reality I could never have envisioned.

Yet, I’ll confess, there are moments when I yearn for the tactile sensation of flipping through paper with my fingertips. As I write this, my collection of old animation discs adorns the walls, gazing down upon me. If those discs could speak, I imagine they would share tales of a remarkable journey and murmur, “Hell of a ride, kid…” before succumbing to slumber, lost in dreams of bygone glory. Meanwhile, I press forward into the current era and adapt, wielding my XP-PEN tablet in pursuit of artistic expression and preserving the age-old tradition of 2D animation.

At its core, the process of animation remains unchanged: crafting a compelling story, storyboarding, creating color keys, and more. The difference lies in the abundance of tools now at our disposal, and it’s truly awe-inspiring! In CTA, an entire studio lies within reach, with an array of tools readily available at our fingertips.

The Art of Storyboarding

Let’s dive into the topic of storyboards! But before we delve into it, let me make one thing clear: you don’t have to be a skilled artist to create one. Stick figures or written descriptions in panels will suffice.

What truly matters is focusing on the camera angles and ensuring they capture the motion of the piece in the best possible way. Consider the character’s trajectory and how it aligns with the connected scenes. Express your thoughts on the page, freeing them from the confines of your mind. I assure you, your animations will flow more smoothly once you accomplish this.

Achieving the right timing can be challenging, so here’s a handy tip: grab your phone and time yourself acting out the character’s movements. For instance, if you’re timing a character’s breathing and you know the timeline operates at 30 frames per second, you can measure your own breath — two seconds for inhale and two for exhale — for the first board. Consequently, your first keyframe would be at frame 60, and the second at frame 120. Repeat this process for each panel, so you have a rough idea of timing before you start. 

I also recommend recording yourself performing the scene so that you can utilize it as a reference for your 2D character animation. CTA is very flexible and allows you to do this easily. 

My Choice of 2D Animation Software

Now, let’s talk about the tools available to us. I must admit, the abundance of tools in Cartoon Animator is simply mind-boggling — it’s a veritable playground for individuals like myself!

To illustrate, I recently created an animation featuring a character breathing under a blanket. To achieve the desired effect, I utilized the Free Form Deformation (FFD) editor. This powerful tool allowed me to manipulate and deform the blanket as the character breathed, enhancing the realism of the scene. By keyframing the transformations on the timeline, I seamlessly brought the prop and character to life.

Furthermore, Cartoon Animator offers a range of presets that greatly aid in the animation process. For instance, I made use of the squash and stretch presets, making slight adjustments to tailor them precisely to my needs. These presets provided a solid foundation upon which I could build the desired results. Additionally, in a particular moment of my animation, bubbles needed to appear on the screen, and once again, the FFD editor proved instrumental in achieving the desired effect.

One thing I truly appreciate is infusing subtle movements into my scenes, as it adds a captivating level of vitality. I meticulously identify areas where I can introduce motion, always ensuring it complements the focus and main action without overshadowing them. It could be something as simple as floating bubbles, twinkling stars around the character’s head, or gentle ripples on the water. These subtle touches breathe life into the animation, making the scenes more immersive and captivating.

Create Animated GIFs & Sequence Image Animation

 In one of my scenes, I depict a character seated on a massive lantern, gazing at the Moon character literally sitting in the water. It presented a perfect opportunity to add a candle flame, subtly enhancing the scene’s atmosphere. However, I wanted to ensure the candle flame didn’t overpower the main focus on the characters in the scene.

Thankfully, Cartoon Animator (CTA) now supports the import of GIF and APNG motions. In previous versions, when these files were dragged onto the stage, they remained static as individual graphics.

It’s worth noting that GIF files have a limited color palette, supporting up to 256 colors, while APNG files can accommodate millions of colors. For my specific purpose, I opted for a GIF format as the flame would be positioned behind a soft glow, ensuring it wouldn’t dominate the scene.

Importing a file with sequence images directly into CTA doesn’t grant access to its individual frames within the software. However, if you need to manipulate the GIF, such as erasing a color background, removing, or adding frames, here’s how you can do it:

1. Bring your GIF into Photoshop.

2. Photoshop will separate the images into layers, allowing you to view the individual frames. You can then edit them as needed.

3. Group the images into a folder within Photoshop; it doesn’t matter what you name the folder at this stage.

4. Place that folder inside another folder and label it “Sequence.”

5. Import the modified GIF into CTA and open the sprite editor. Now, all the frames will be displayed there for further adjustments and animation.

Real-time Editing with PSD Editors & Illustrator

In the scene featuring the Moon sitting in the water, I wanted to incorporate ripples around the character’s body and feet. Since the character’s feet remained stationary, I separated them into their own element. Within CTA, I disabled the character’s feet and animated the ripples around them in Photoshop. This approach allowed me to layer the ripples effortlessly, achieving the desired effect. I anticipated that some adjustments might be necessary after completing the animation. It could be a matter of aligning elements properly or tweaking the timing. The thought of repeatedly switching between CTA and Photoshop, setting up frames in the sprite editor each time, seemed like a daunting task. However, this recent update offers a more streamlined workflow.

Within CTA, I utilized the “create in PSD editor” feature by opening the file at the top right corner. This functionality also works with SVG files, extending the flexibility. By locating and selecting the PSD file, CTA seamlessly launched Photoshop while establishing a link between the two programs. Any adjustments made in Photoshop now automatically update in CTA. I can fluidly switch back and forth, working on the animation and making necessary edits without the need to repeatedly set up the frames. This real-time production flow process with synchronized updates significantly enhances efficiency, whether using Photoshop for PSD files or Illustrator for SVG files.

Pro Tip: When transferring sprites from the sprite editor to the timeline, utilize the arrow keys for swift navigation between images, making for a faster process.

Animating Spring Bones on 2D Characters

In the initial scene where the Moon tumbles out of bed, I had already animated the bedclothes cascading away. As the scene progressed, the Moon falls past the camera and through the clouds. Always eager to infuse motion into my scenes, I swiftly set up spring bones on the cloth held in the character’s hand. Once he was in motion, the spring bones automatically handled the realistic flailing of the cloth during his descent. Spring bones are a remarkable feature that adds secondary motion to characters or props. With their pre-set options and precise adjustment controls, achieving the desired effect is effortless.

Now, a final note. Personally, I haven’t utilized the camera feature in CTA extensively, although it is an exceptional tool. In this particular project, I embraced its capabilities, and I must say, it truly enhances the overall outcome. If you, like me, have underutilized this feature, I highly recommend taking the time to familiarize yourself with it. The camera feature can elevate the storytelling and presentation of your animations to new heights.

The process of creating animations has become incredibly accessible, especially with CTA providing us with a vast library of characters, backgrounds, and props. Additionally, I have curated over 200 hand-animated special effects available in the store, each containing 3 to 5 unique animations. Feel free to explore DexArt for these remarkable resources.

With a solid workflow in place, anything is achievable, from simple animations to the most intricate and elaborate scenes. So, go ahead and unleash your creativity. It’s time to create and bring your visions to life — just as I have done!

Know more:

2D Animation Software for Cartoon Maker | Cartoon Animator

FREE for 30 days plus over 1,700 ready-made assets:

2D Animation Software Download | Cartoon Animator

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The original article is written by Declan Walsh and also featured on Creative Bloq.

Product Release

Cartoon Animator 5.1 Highlights: Embrace the Freedom of Sequence Animation

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Cartoon Animator 5.1 (CTA 5.1) is a powerful 2D animation software created specifically for illustrators and professionals in the field. It offers a wide range of features, including lip-sync generation, drawing tools, photo animation, and PSD/SVG animation capabilities. CTA has been continuously evolving its feature set in recent years, and the 5.1 update introduces two major additions.

The first significant feature is the roundtrip vector editing workflow with Adobe Illustrator. By leveraging the power of Illustrator, artists can bring their vector artwork seamlessly into CTA, enhancing their animations with detailed and scalable visuals. The second highly anticipated feature is the introduction of image sequences. This addition is particularly exciting for traditional 2D animators who excel at free-hand sequence drawings. With image sequences, artists can now unleash their creativity and explore a wide range of expressive possibilities beyond the limitations of 2D bone-driven animation. Furthermore, CTA 5.1 supports popular GIF or APNG sequences, offering the ability to apply instant animated effects sourced online or derived from third-party tools.

Cartoon Animator revolutionizes the world of design by bridging the gap between static graphics/images and captivating animations. Through the power of CTA and its compatibility with PSD/SVG tools, it effortlessly resolves all design challenges. Regardless of whether you’re undertaking ambitious projects or just beginning your creative journey, CTA 5.1 offers the ultimate solutions for achieving time-saving, high-quality production that propels you to new heights in 2D animation.

See the latest updates in CTA 5.1:

Sequence Image Animation

By utilizing image sequences, artists can explore various forms of hand-drawn animation to break free of prior limitations. This includes showcasing intricate frame-by-frame drawing processes, crafting dynamic 360-degree rotations, and integrating visual effects. It’s as simple as synchronizing the sequence image layers with your preferred PSD/SVG tools like Photoshop or Illustrator to achieve a fluid workflow.

*Having the PSD/SVG sequences stored in the Sprite Editor allows artists to apply frames to the timeline or start the animation directly from the Action Menu.

*A simple right-click gives access to various motion effects for the object.

New Key Features:

  • Effortlessly import image sequences to CTA, with support for both PSD (bitmap) and SVG (vector) formats.
  • Transform grouped sequences into multiple animations that can be triggered with a single click on the object.
  • Refine sequence image effects using the Timeline Editor.
  • Integrate motion enhancers, including free-form deformation.
  • Supports ongoing modifications of sequence images via Photoshop and Illustrator.

GIF & APNG Animation

With CTA, users can effortlessly import animation assets in GIF or APNG format with ubiquitous support on the web. These assets can be easily obtained online or created by the artists themselves. Simply drag and drop premade GIFs or APNG files into CTA, or convert them into animation sequences for further editing with just a few clicks.

*Seamlessly integrate GIFs into CTA & retain their original animation settings

*High-quality transparent APNGs can be obtained from widespread auto-converters and image editors.

New Key Features:

  • Once GIFs are imported into CTA, they are automatically converted into standard image sequences, opening new avenues for editing.
  • Users can effortlessly create APNGs by generating 24-bit true-color frame data using 3D software or a video editor of their choice.

Vector Animation: Roundtrip Editing

CTA offers a comprehensive solution for animating in Illustrator by enabling real-time roundtrip editing of SVG files. By offering a way to unleash your creativity with highly optimized vector graphics, you can bring your ideas to life like never before.

New Key Features:

  • Launch exciting vector characters or props to Illustrator and synchronize SVG updates with CTA.
  • Add new elements to existing objects with bone-rig and motion effects while retaining the original settings.

Recommended Assets

 

To fully take advantage of CTA 5.1’s powerful new features and see what CTA5.1 can do, make sure to look into these new content series.

Know more about Cartoon Animator 5.1:

2D Animation Software for Cartoon Maker | Cartoon Animator

FREE for 30 days, and get 1,700+ ready-made content:

2D Animation Software Download | Cartoon Animator

Learning

Creating an Animated Archviz Simulation with 3D People in Action

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Artur Szóstakowski

Hi there, my name is Artur Szóstakowski. I am a CG artist and architect based in Poland. In the past, I often used static people to display human activities in my architectural design. Recently I was introduced to 3D character animation so I decided to integrate animated 3D people to my work.

My first task was to find a viable solution, including fully controllable rigged characters, realistic 3D motions, and a tool which can put everything together nicely. I was so happy to find all I needed in one company, Reallusion with their well-integrated workflow that was ready for the Blender pipeline.

So this is my first attempt to migrate from static to animated visualization, using 3D content from ActorCore, iClone and Blender software. This article demonstrates my workflow so that everyone in archviz can easily understand how I have achieved it and get their hands on it quickly. 

Image credit: Artur Szóstakowski, Bergen Office

Image credit: Artur Szóstakowski, Brick House

Introduction  

Riverside is an architectural animation project which I’ve developed with an intent to work on a solution for adding animated 3D people to my pipeline. I created an urban environment that would reflect some possibilities for daily interactions of pedestrians and I made use of 3D characters and 3D motions from the ActorCore asset store together with the iClone animation software. 

Here you can watch how I have populated my project with animated 3D people:

Inspirations

I started with gathering ideas and references for the project and I made use of PureRef software for that. It is really a simple tool for organizing images into a collage which is very useful when looking for some inspirations.

Image credit: Artur Szóstakowski

I decided that I wanted to explore an urban environment with a river that would reflect the architecture. I thought that would be a nice setup for pedestrians, as usually similar places in cities are popular destinations for outdoor activities and meetings. 

Working on the Scene

First, I built a basic architectural model together with the site which I could experiment with. For modeling and rendering, I used Blender together with some useful add-ons like E-Cycles, scatter, vegetation and Poliigon plug-in for textures.

Image credit: Artur Szóstakowski

Image credit: Artur Szóstakowski

I made sure all the elements which I planned from the beginning were in the project. I added some green areas between the river and the building and I worked on the background to give it a solid urban feel.

Adding 3D People

Now it was time to add 3D people in the scene and see how they could interact with the project. Here I would like to show how I did this for the first part of the animation which is a shot of a moving camera with jogging people.

Image credit: Artur Szóstakowski

I went to the ActorCore website and picked the right model for the scene. There are hundreds of 3D people for all kinds of scenarios. I clicked the Actor tab and then the Sportswear category to look for a good asset. I could view my selected model in the 3D preview window and check it with sample motions and lighting.

ActorCore Asset Store with over 300 Rigged Characters. Image credit: Artur Szóstakowski and Reallusion

When I got the right model, it was time to find motions. Again I clicked the Motion tab on the website. There are even more motions — thousands of them! The contents are well organized by category and theme. I could also use keywords or tags to narrow down my search and find the relevant motions. I looked specifically for jogging motions and chose the one I wanted. By clicking on that motion, once again, I could see a preview of the motion together with the model I picked earlier. In this way, I was able to confirm the model and animation were exactly what I was looking for before purchasing them.

2000+ 3D Motions in the ActorCore Content Store. Image credit: Artur Szóstakowski and Reallusion

After selecting my jogger and the motion, I went to the checkout and then opened iClone. In iClone, I loaded up my model together with the motion and I checked to make sure they were compatible. 

One of the useful features of iClone is motion blending. I was amazed how easily I could blend motion clips together with perfect motion alignment. I also used animation layer editing to alter some sequences on top of those mocap clips. 

I was happy with the results so I exported everything as FBX for use in Blender.

Motion Blending in iClone. Image credit: Artur Szóstakowski and Reallusion

Getting Started in Blender

For fast and easy importing of characters and motions, I used the Auto Setup for Blender add-on offered by Reallusion to bring my FBX model to Blender. It automatically converted the materials and shaders of the model with a correct look in Blender, saving me time and effort for all the material settings. 

Reallusion’s Auto Setup for Blender. Image credit: Artur Szóstakowski and Reallusion

In Blender I could place the model wherever I wanted and for that I designed a nice path along the river and the main building so everything played out in the center of the animation.

Image credit: Artur Szóstakowski

Animations

As for the animation, I wanted to add a slow camera movement revealing the main building from within some vegetation models. I added keyframes to the camera and moved it around 3 meters from first to the last 400th frame. Lastly, to push the visual side of the animation, I added vegetation like grass, animated trees and bushes from the vegetation addon which has pre-generated keyframed motions that you can adjust for your scene.

It is also good to check if the motions on the 3D people play out nicely within the timeline. I thought that revealing the jogging person midway into the animation is the best way to showcase it since at the beginning viewers will need a few seconds to familiarize themselves with the building, and just before they lose their attention, a person would be jogging into the camera – that will definitely help keeping viewers’ attention and in that way we won’t show all the interesting aspects at the same time. 

Image credit: Artur Szóstakowski

Final Comments

Overall, it was an exciting exploration for me to break the barrier from static archviz presentations. Now I can easily build a simulation with lively people, making my projects much more interesting and realistic.

And this is a very simple process of adding 3D people to an architecture project which I would recommend to any archviz artist, especially if you are familiar with Blender. I learned a lot about animation and managing a heavy architectural 3D scene to work properly for the animation. 

ActorCore assets turned out to be really useful. You can simply choose models and animations in the asset store, and apply them to Blender without any trouble. Using iClone, you can edit motions even if you are new to animation. I fully encourage you to give ActorCore and iClone a try and work on 3D character animations for your next archviz project.

Learn More:

Artur Szóstakowski’s ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/megatecture

Learning

Cartoon Animator for Commercial Projects: Use Graphic Animation For Fictional Video Games

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The “Winner Tips & Tricks ” series covers practical workflows and techniques shared by winners from the “2022 Animation At Work Contest”. To let users see the full spectrum of the Cartoon Animator pipeline, we are introducing projects that received attention and credit from the community. Let’s now take a look at “Ninja” to see how Ronny Gomez worked his magic with Reallusion Cartoon Animator (CTA).

About Ronny Gomez

Ronny Gomez is a composer and music producer specializing in music for video games and cartoons. He is also the Director of Music for PowerUp Kids and a music composer for the Cartoon Network, Sony, Google, Nickelodeon, and Hasbro, among others. His love for video games and animation has not only led him to compose music but also to learn Cartoon Animator. In 2020, his PowerUp Kids video entry: “Color by Color” won third place in the YouTuber category for the Reallusion Animation At Work contest of that year.

Why choose this entry topic? 

I chose this topic because, since I was a child, I have been fascinated by classic Super Nintendo and arcade games as well as anime and cartoons. In addition to this, I have always liked traditional martial arts, so I put all of these interests together, put them in a blender, and out came “Ninja”.

Why choose Cartoon Animator?

Pre-rigged characters and facial animations are, in my opinion, the two crucial areas that CTA dominates. As a 3D animator, I can confidently say that these aforementioned facets take a lot of time in production. CTA makes the turnaround twice as fast with results that can compete with other software. User-friendliness and large, clear user interfaces are a must for me, and CTA provides it in spades.

How I did it with CTA

Step 1: Character Creation & Rigging

As for the creation of the characters, I first made some sketches on paper, then when I’m satisfied with the results, I turn them into vector drawings with Affinity Designer and mount the rigs from the templates provided by Reallusion.

Step 2: Character Customization (Facial, Hands)

First, I reused the face of one of the characters that came with Cartoon Animator. I make modifications to the eyes, face, and eyebrows. For the hands, I chose to use the ones that CTA4 comes with.

Step 3: Character Animation (Facial, Lipsync, sprite)

For the lip sync, I used the automatic function, and once ready, I manually corrected the synchronization of the details. For the sprite animation, I imported the first image of the sequence and then added the missing sprites in Composer and Sprite Editor mode. Then I animate them in the timeline.

Step 4: Scenes creation & composition

For the scenes, I was looking for something minimal, simple, and with a composition that looked cinematic.

Step 5: Camera setting

My aim was the cinematic use of cameras especially paired up with the 3D depth of the tunnel scene at the end.

Follow Ronny Gomez

YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@tikitakagames4640/featured

Join the 2023 Animation at Work Contest

This year, we are accepting new submissions from June 8th to August 13 (PST). Partnering with XP PEN, Magix, and Affinity, we have prepared a total value of $15,000 in cash and prizes! So get your entries prepared, and good luck on winning!

Featured Story

Unreal Animation Director and CG artist replaces MotionBuilder and Maya with iClone 8

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Alireza Fattahi – Unreal Animation Director and CG Artist

Alireza (Mehran) Fattahi

With a decade of hands-on experience as an animation director and expertise in 3ds Max, Maya, MotionBuilder and Unreal Engine, Alireza Fattahi has executed numerous projects, delivering content across diverse media platforms. His expertise lie in creating realtime environments, directing and utilizing advanced lighting and cinematography techniques that bring life to realistic cinematic animations for games, advertisements and TV shows.

He started his journey as an architect renderer using 3ds Max and V-ray. However, he soon realized that it wasn’t enough for him. So, he began working on short-animated personal projects using the same workflows. Simultaneously, he explored Maya for rigging and animations and created several short animations and advertisements for local TV channels. During this time, he gathered a few friends with different areas of expertise and together, they formed a team of five professional animators. Their team was able to create an entire TV series in just six months, thanks to their efficiency and speed.

However, they needed new solutions and software to continue improving their workflow, and the biggest bottleneck they faced was rendering. To overcome this, they quickly adopted new real-time workflows using primarily Unreal Engine. Their second breakthrough was in the animation department, where they discovered iClone and its impressive set of tools for editing and combining motion captures, a vast library of ready-made motions, and fantastic ways of creating automated animations. Currently, they have several projects at hand, including a fan-made Batman short animation, several advertisements, and their greatest passion: a cinematic animation for a new game.

“Many indie and small teams that do not have an army of animators and technical artists to brute-force through every problem with complex software. iClone and Unreal Engine give us the opportunity to compete with much larger studios in terms of the scale and quality of our projects, mainly cinematic teasers for games, and more.”

Alireza Fattahi – Unreal Animation Director and CG Artist

Q: Hello Mehran, and welcome to the Reallusion Feature stories! Its nice to have you here. Kindly introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your Batman short-animations and your cinematic animation for a new game.

Hello! I am pleased to be here and grateful for the opportunity. My name is Alireza (Mehran) Fattahi, and I am an animation director and CG artist with a specialization in cinematography and rendering. I am also responsible for CG supervising and technical directing for most of my projects.

After several years of working on various commercial projects, I decided to pursue a lifetime passion project of mine. As a child, I grew up loving Batman and it’s cinematic world and stories. Therefore, it was natural for me to choose this as the theme for my cinematic animations.

Initially, I decided to create only a short teaser, all by myself with no budget, using new and fast software solutions without traditional pipelines. After receiving positive feedback from numerous CG artists, I decided to expand the project into a full 5-minute short animation. To achieve this, I collaborated with a group of highly skilled friends from various departments, again utilizing new and fast software solutions such as iClone and Unreal Engine.

Q: You mentioned that you have been a long time user of Maya and MotionBuilder for your animation projects. Please share with us why you decided to transition into real-time animation software like iClone and Unreal Engine? What advantages do these new tools bring and what cost savings do you see?

Yes, the reduction in iteration time, instant feedback, user-friendly interface, and intuitive nature of this new technology are very appealing to work with. This solution is like a breath of fresh air for many indie and small teams that do not have an army of animators and technical artists to brute-force through every problem with complex software. iClone and Unreal Engine give us the opportunity to compete with much larger studios in terms of the scale and quality of our projects, mainly cinematic teasers for games, and more.

With tools like Character Creator and MetaHuman Creator, we can even accomplish the impossible task of natural animated faces that were once only achievable by certain big productions a few years ago. This is like a dream come true and opens up new possibilities for smaller studios and individuals.

Q: iClone has developed into a full-fledged production suite with many powerful features that now provide an alternative to MotionBuilder. Can you name some of the most used features you are using for mocap cleanup and animation in general?

The release of iClone 8 has definitely caught the attention of many experienced CG artists. Suddenly, all the powerful tools of more established software are available with the ease and intuitiveness of modern technology. At first, I couldn’t believe that with just a few simple clicks I could have a fully automated rig that works with every tool and asset in iClone. No more characterizing every character and every animation pack, which used to be a headache due to issues with scale and mixing motions, etc.

” The release of iClone 8 has definitely caught the attention of many experienced CG artists. Suddenly, all the powerful tools of more established software are available with the ease and intuitiveness of modern technology. At first, I couldn’t believe that with just a few simple clicks I could have a fully automated rig that works with every tool and asset in iClone. No more characterizing every character and every animation pack, which used to be a headache due to issues with scale and mixing motions, etc. “

Alireza Fattahi – Unreal Animation Director and CG Artist

With iClone, we also have a set of awesome motion mixing and cleanup solutions that are incredibly easy to use. The automated animation tools like Motion Director/ Nav points for -walking Animations-, along with a vast library of Reallusion motion captures like the Hand-to-Hand Combat content pack are useful additions too.

https://www.reallusion.com/ContentStore/iClone/pack/3D-Animation-Hand-to-Hand-Combat/default.html

All of these features make the iClone 8 a powerful tool that saves time and effort while delivering high-quality animations. When comparing the iClone suite to software like Maya and MotionBuilder, the most impressive aspects are:

  • The best-in-business auto-rigging and characterization solutions.
  • The ability to direct captured motions in any direction and path, with ease.
  • Mostly flawless matching of every animation clip from every source, to previous, or next motion.
  • Robust automated tools to correct motions in regard to noise, clipping, and other issues.

Q: As a seasoned director and CG artist, what advice would you give to other MotionBuilder and Maya users that are looking to switch to real-time software to streamline their productions?

I urge every artist to try out iClone in at least one of their projects. This software not only has every tool you need to complete your tasks, but I guarantee that you will also love their friendly and intuitive approach to complex tasks.

In terms of rendering, you will appreciate the real-time feedback of Unreal Engine and the incredible set of features that tools like MetaHuman and Quixel bring to your projects. And I believe that this new pipeline is capable of achieving the impossible by allowing us to create high-budget looking animations with a fraction of the cost and manpower. As it opens up new possibilities for small teams and independent artists, giving them the opportunity to create impressive animations that can compete with those produced by larger studios. So, take the leap and try out iClone with Unreal Engine. You won’t regret it!

Follow Alireza Fattahi:

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alireza-fattahi-a98360170/

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@tigermehran/videos

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/alireza_fattahi_cg/

ArtStation:
https://www.artstation.com/mehranfattahi

Featured Story

Reimagining Traditional Choreography: Contemporizing Performing Arts with iClone

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A Renaissance in the Matrimony of Animation Editing and Hybrid Dance

Niels Bosch of Het Nieuwe Kader & Tpose.com

Hello, I’m Niels, the Creative Producer at Het Nieuwe Kader and Tpose.com. In 2016, alongside Berko Mulder, we founded our company as a green screen studio fueled by our passion for 3D animation and visual effects. Since then, we have evolved into a reputable agency with a dedicated team of over a dozen professionals, delivering top-notch content to the industry.

In addition to content creation, our company’s core passions reside in interactive games and apps, virtual production, and motion capture. Reflecting our relentless pursuit of innovation, we proudly launched Tpose.com in 2023, a dedicated venture that encompasses everything and anything related to motion capture and 3D characters. To further elevate our operations, we recently bid farewell to our old 1900s studio and embraced the dawn of a new era in our freshly built, state-of-the-art offices. This move not only enhances the studio experience for our esteemed clients but also cultivates an environment for our talented staff to thrive in.

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Popularizing Hybrid Dance via 3D Digitization

Introdans is a prestigious Dutch dance company with a rich heritage of seamlessly blending classical ballet, modern dance, and contemporary choreography. With a history spanning over five decades, the dance company is now seeking to revitalize its website and recruit new dance members. To help them accomplish this, we decided to use motion capture technology on one of their accomplished dancers, infusing a contemporary vibe into their time-honored tradition.

We had the pleasure of recording Alberto, an exceptionally talented professional dancer, in our studio. To capture his movements, we utilized the cutting-edge motion-capture suit from Xsens and the Quantum Metagloves, a state-of-the-art motion-capture glove, from Manus. During the session, we documented a variety of dances, swiftly retargeting them to a 3D template character using iClone. Subsequently, we generated individual videos of each dance, allowing Introdans to select their favorites. The entire shoot, including preparation, spanned approximately half a day, while the overall production lasted around 2 weeks. This collaborative endeavor was achieved with fluid coordination and adaptability, resulting in an outcome that both parties took immense pride in.

iClone as a Crucial Element

For animation editing, I collaborated with my colleague Tim de Haan, who played a pivotal role. By referencing Reallusion’s free iClone motion editing tutorials to supplement his industry expertise, Tim was able to establish a feasible production pipeline. With the latest features in iClone added to the mix, our workflow was further optimized, resulting in substantial time savings.

We designed and developed a captivating character specifically for the Introdans webpage, utilizing the powerful tools of Character Creator 4. With a straightforward process, we seamlessly transferred the character to iClone. Thanks to the integrated motion profiles, importing the Xsens data into iClone became a breeze. However, given the variance in body proportions between the dancer and our character, some animation refinement was necessary. Fortunately, iClone proved to be an invaluable asset in this regard. Without further ado… allow us to present some remarkable case studies:

Motion layers proved to be indispensable in resolving mesh penetration. By leveraging motion layers, we were able to precisely position the arms and legs, effectively eliminating any intersection with adjacent geometry.

The utilization of distinct animation layers provided a clear project overview. Applying the same principle, we also implemented posture correction to make movement more natural.

iClone proved to be highly advantageous in seamlessly incorporating foot contact into the movements. This was effortlessly achieved by accurately positioning the hips at the appropriate height, allowing the inverse kinematics to naturally bend the knees and firmly plant the feet on the floor.

To achieve a smooth rolling motion of the feet over the ground, we utilized the Curve Editor to identify and address any erratic keys. By smoothing out these keys, we were able to achieve a much more appealing result. The implementation of footstep stabilization proved to be immensely helpful in resolving any hovering motion. This had a significant positive impact on the final outcome, and we found it effortless to make any necessary adjustments along the way.

Other Useful Tools

We finalized the animations with facial and hand animations. The Digital Soul pack proved to be an excellent resource for achieving expressive facial animations. Additionally, the Hand Gesture Puppeteering Plugin facilitated the seamless recording of various hand poses. Leveraging the Unreal Live Link plugin for iClone, we effortlessly imported the character into Unreal 5 with accurate precision.

Digital Soul effectively emoted our dancer.
Animating hand gestures with a simple-to-use puppeteering tool.
Unreal Live Link was used to view our animations in real-time.

The dance stage was created in Maya and Unreal Engine 5 by Jurre. To achieve ultra-realistic textures, Substance Painter was utilized. As the final touch to enhance the realism, the built-in Unreal 5 virtual camera, combined with an iPad Pro, was employed.

We are thrilled to present this remarkable animation editing pipeline to you. If you would like to explore more of our work or collaborate with our talented team for your projects, please don’t hesitate to connect with us by using the links below!

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At Tpose, our flagship service is the Remote Motion Capture Shoot, enabling clients to direct and review their motion capture data on our custom-made platform. This gives our international clients the ability to direct their motion capture shoots without having to fly out to us, keeping cost and travel time manageable and redirecting budgets to where they are needed most: creativity.

Our clientele includes renowned fashion icons such as Karl Lagerfeld and Cara Delevingne, as well as esteemed motion capture industry players like Manus and Xsens. We invite you to explore more about our business through the links below and discover the possibilities.

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Featured Story

Academy of Arts Instructor Enhances Caricature and Star Wars Actor with Character Creator and iClone

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Using the Dynamic Wrinkle System on a Caricature of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lifelike Grand Moff Tarkin of Star Wars

John Blalock

John’s background and education are in the traditional visual effects pipeline, mainly as a Compositor. Over the years, he has had the opportunity to work at visual effects studios such as Rhythm & Hues, along with game companies such as Sony Playstation (SCEA) in cinematic compositing. While he enjoyed those studio experiences, he found a greater love in passing along what he has learned and has taught in the college education sector in Southern California for over 12 years, including the Academy of Art University.

He still takes on some freelance and consulting work but was bitten by the “real-time” bug back when he saw a beta version of iClone 6 demoed at Siggraph years ago — and has been entranced by their possibilities and integration with other tools, such as Unreal, ever since. John is also co-founder of the YouTube channel AsArt and also runs a tutorial-based channel, Johnny HowTo. He would love for you to stop by and join him on his adventures!

Reallusion’s Dynamic Wrinkle system

Just like how the eyes are the “windows to the soul”, expression-driven wrinkles can reveal a persons’ emotions, and at times, their thoughts. When it comes to 3D animation, incorporating dynamic wrinkles may fall short of improving a poorly executed animation, but will certainly enhance the character’s presence. Picture an old woman recounting a story: the expressiveness of her creased brows allude to years of experience and, subconsciously, the tell-tale signs from her furrows captivate and lull as she speaks. On the other hand, the fast and tense wrinkles that appear on the bridge of the nose and around the mouth of a snarling man alerts us to potential danger and keeps us on our toes.

Apply Realistic Dynamic Wrinkles on the Character.

Having digital characters act to this degree is no easy task due to the need for sophisticated technologies; Technologies that have historically been reserved for high-end digital film and commercial characters, and utilized by a few AAA game titles on occasion. Regardless of use-case, budget remains the deciding factor because having expression-driven wrinkles is just too prohibitive in terms of time and effort required to create the underlying systems.

Then came Reallusion with their groundbreaking approach to real-time wrinkles. Having done the heavy lifting, Reallusion’s solution is at the ready to add an extra level of immersion to any digital actor — and it’s only a click or two away. For both realistic and stylized characters, there is really no reason not to take advantage of this new technology, and it’s a feature I have been eager to get my hands on for quite some time.

The Dynamic Wrinkle system was first announced as a late lifecycle update for iClone 7. That didn’t end up happening, but what has now arrived in iClone 8 and Character Creator 4 is absolutely worth the delay. Simply click a few buttons and your actor is given dynamic wrinkles. On top of that,  the wrinkle parameters can be adjusted and tweaked to be as subtle or pronounced as you want. My first foray involved taking a few of my premade characters and running them through the painless setup process in Character Creator. The fact that it worked well with realistic and stylized characters was a pleasant surprise.

My hands-on experience with Dynamic Wrinkles

“Uncle Arnie” is my caricature of Arnold Schwarzenegger: He’s not quite as fit as he once was, but still has the underlying musculature that made him a household name. He’s still bombastic and expressive however, which makes him the perfect test candidate for Reallusion’s new wrinkle system.

My initial creation process used several pipeline features of Character Creator. That includes exporting a base mesh into the Wrap software, re-importing, combining with a CC body preset, and then the extensive reworking of both the head and body via morphs and other tools. While it took some time, it also worked perfectly for what I needed. Arnie being an older file, a quick conversion of the facial profile was also required, which was a single-click effort on my part. Finally, I enabled dynamic wrinkles… and that was it!

On the spur of the moment, I decided to use him for a quick one-minute opening for our channel’s video (AsArt on YouTube) covering the new wrinkle system. It involved some quick face motion capture using an iPhone Xs combined with some equally quick lighting, camera work, and subtle hand animations. The final render came straight out of iClone 8. Even without much polish, the near-instant results were quite pleasing. I would eventually use the legacy wrinkle set from the Wrinkle Essentials content pack to age Arnie even more — he’s seen some rough times, after all! All of this was as easy as pie to deploy, literally just drag and drops!

Eventually the intent is for Uncle Arnie alongside my caricature of Sylvester Stallone in a “Beavis and Butthead-esque” online series titled “Arnie & Stone”. When I get to it, Stone will surely be getting the wrinkle treatment as well!

Applying Dynamic Wrinkles on Realistic Characters

Having tested the wrinkle system on stylized characters, I decided to test it on realistic characters. Lucky for me, I had made a digital double of Grand Moff Tarkin for another AsArt video that showcased the digitization process of an existing actor. For those of you who are not as nerdy as myself, Grand Moff Tarkin is Darth Vader’s boss in Star Wars: A New Hope, played by Peter Cushing, an actor with a uniquely gaunt physique.

(Left: Dynamic wrinkle is off. Right: Dynamic wrinkle is on.)

Tarkin’s wrinkle integration was even easier, as his facial profile didn’t even need to be converted. I simply activated the checkbox, adjusted a few sliders, and that was it! Since he has a much paler complexion, I enjoyed the look of the reddening skin tones as the wrinkles activated, making his performance more immersive and believable like how real skin reacts when it expands and contracts.  Also, since he’s a much older character, I used a more saggy wrinkle profile, even though he looked just fine with the default profile.

The Dynamic Wrinkle system is the real deal of vital tools that artists can’t do without. And it’s ultra-simple to use. I plan on making some slight adjustments to the some of the wrinkles positions to adhere to the character’s distinct skin textures, but, with the already-dynamic nature of the wrinkles, it’s actually pretty difficult to even notice they don’t perfectly line up — that is, unless you’re the one doing the animation!

(Left: Dynamic wrinkle is off. Right: Dynamic wrinkle is on.)

Free Download :

• Character Creator

• iClone

Learn more :

• John Blalock: AsArt. Johny HowTo

• Dynamic Wrinkle Arises

• Where to Find New Wrinkle Assets inside Character Creator 4 (Free Embedded Content)

Product Release

CC-to-ZBrush Posing Pipeline, Available Now!

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Strike Unlimited Poses with Pose Tools

Reallusion has partnered with Maxon to develop an innovative approach on character posing that was years in the making. We are now pleased to announce the Character Creator (CC) to ZBrush Posing pipeline as the ultimate fruition of this collaboration.

The ZBrush Posing pipeline greatly streamlines the character posing workflow. Thanks to the auto-rigging tool (CC AccuRIG) that works with ZBrush subtools containing both soft and hard surfaces, you can perform custom pose editing with HumanIK and hand gesture controls in just minutes. All details sculpted in ZBrush are preserved through the intuitive GoZ and subdivision workflow, while the Reallusion motion and mocap ecosystem offers boundless pose possibilities.

The free Pose Tools plugin allows you to build and manage your personal library, refine individual poses, and switch between poses with a single click. Experience the excitement of creating limitless poses with CC at your fingertips — Download the pipeline tools below and unleash a multitude of ZBrush poses with Character Creator today.

Release note | Strike Unlimited Poses | ZBrush Character Pose Management | Free Download

See the feature highlights of the CC-to-ZB Posing pipeline :

  • Auto-rigging for ZBrush Characters that works with individual subtools. – Multi-mesh models can be auto-rigged with automatic skin weighting in the seamless CC-ZBrush roundtrip.
  • Limitless pose possibilities from motion clips and mocap sequences.
  • Custom pose editing with HumanIK and hand gesture controls.
  • Hard/soft surface treatment and nuanced accessory management
  • Powerful & Flexible Pose Management. – Free ZBrush plugin for character artists.

1. A Liberating Posing Workflow

The Character Creator (CC) Pose Tools for ZBrush seamlessly integrates with ZBrush layers, facilitating CC’s automated rigging, posing, and real-time updates across all subtools. Alongside pose management, it allows intricate detailing of character designs at high resolutions, letting you refine poses with precision.

2. Auto Rig ZBrush Characters

Rig Multi-mesh Models : Parsing Hard and Soft Surfaces

Rigging ZBrush characters with multiple subtools is no longer a challenge. With AccuRIG, joint positions are accurately placed, and naturalistic skin weights are applied to soft surfaces. Hard surfaces are automatically attached to the nearest bones, ensuring solid integrity. The flexibility to manually fine-tune bone placement, adjust skin weights, and modify bone attachments is readily accessible at all times.

Automatic Skin Weighting and Bone Placement

The animation quality of a rigged character is highly dependent on the proper skin-weight assignments related to its governing bones. AccuRIG mimics the weight-paint patterns of professional riggers for natural articulation of the body joints.

3. Roundtrip Character Design with GoZ

Design Evolution : Iterative Design

With the innovative GoZ roundtrip design, artists can effortlessly refine a character’s body shape while maintaining the integrity of its mesh flow and vertex count. GoZ enables the seamless reapplication of poses, eliminating the need to recreate the character rig. >> Learn more

Adding Accessory

With the ability to add and interchange accessories, a single model can transform into a diverse collection of unique figures. These accessories can be quickly applied to any body part and synchronized with their counterparts using GoZ. The gallery in Character Creator serves as a centralized hub for managing a wide range of accessories across characters, enabling the attachment of weapons to the hands and the strategic placement of armor parts.

Accurate Physics Simulation

Whether elevating the cinematic presence of super heroes with flowing capes or choreographed dancers with gracefully twirling ribbons, physics simulation is imperative in creating a sense of believability. By eliminating the need for sculpting fabric wrinkles and folds, physics can establish natural cloth formations, ready for artistic refinement.

4. Powerful Posing

Motion to Unlimited Poses : Thematic Poses from the Motion Library

Unlock a world of unlimited poses with our thematic motion library where each frame of animation becomes a potential source for unique poses. Character Creator offers an extensive collection of free animations and poses to inspire creative choices. Additionally, ActorCore provides access to thousands of premium mocap animations and meticulously hand-keyed, stylistic motions, all thoughtfully organized into distinct categories.

Human IK & Gesture Controls

Experience the unparalleled ease of creating natural poses with the renowned HumanIK editor, à la Maya and MotionBuilder. Maintain impeccable character balance while adjusting root movement or lean the body when dragging a limb. A comprehensive collection of gesture control gizmos and a gesture library are also provided, saving countless hours of meticulous finger tweaking.

Detail Refinement

Go beyond adjusting silhouettes and dive into the exquisite details of each pose, like sculpting flexed muscle and intricate wrinkles. These changes will be recorded exclusively for the current pose, without spilling into other poses.

5. Powerful Pose Management

Growing Library

Updating subtools while adding or switching layers in ZBrush involves significant work. However, Pose Tools can directly receive poses from Character Creator, efficiently manage the pose library, and automatically update all subtools when transitioning between poses. Finally, say goodbye to the tedious process of manual updates!

Scale Fitting

ZBrush models can be resized to match the scale conventions in Character Creator, a crucial initial step towards achieving accurate auto-rigging and posing compatibility between these two programs.

Overall Subdivision

Freely traverse the subdivision levels of all subtools. Increase or decrease the subdivision levels or apply the highest or lowest subdivision level all at once.

Overall Detailing

Utilize Detail Layers to embellish character design. These overlaid effects can be applied to all poses managed by Pose Tools, providing a versatile and efficient way to enhance the character’s appearance.

>> Learn more : Benefits of CC-to-ZBrush Posing Roundtrip

6. Free ZBrush Plugin for Character Artists

With ZBrush Pose Tools, designers have the freedom to effortlessly manage and refine multiple poses for the same character. Switching between poses is just a click away — the ultimate in convenience and flexibility! >> Free Download

ZBrush Layers to Poses

To make the most of ZBrush Pose Tools, start by importing existing poses from ZBrush layers. There is the option to import all layers or selectively import hidden layers. These converted layers are labeled with “ccPose_” to maintain synchronization between ZBrush layers and the pose library.

One-Click Posing

The process of updating subtools while adding or switching layers in ZBrush can be quite elaborate. On the other hand, Pose Tools offer a seamless solution by effortlessly transferring and managing poses. Moreover, it automatically refreshes subtools when necessary, streamlining the workflow.

Easily Add New Poses

Create new poses with just one click to enable layer recording for all subtools involved. This feature integrates ZBrush mask posing and modifications from the Transpose Master.

Edit & Refine Poses

Enhance each pose by adding muscle and wrinkle details. These changes will be recorded exclusively for the current pose, without spilling into other poses.

>> Learn more : Continuous Workflow with ZBrush Pose Tools plugin

Website: Strike Unlimited Poses | ZBrush Character Pose Management | Free Download

Forum: CC-to-ZBrush Posing Pipeline Discussion

Learning

Animate Illustrations with Blender Grease Pencil, Affinity Designer, and Cartoon Animator

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About the Artist

Katherine Dellimore is a 2D digital animator from the UK who specializes in making animated videos and tutorials on YouTube. Many of her followers know her as “KDSKETCH” or “KD” for short. Her YouTube channel focuses on the creation of 2D animation while she elaborates on the process for character design, storyboarding, and various tips for aspiring animators.

Katherine is no stranger to Cartoon Animator (CTA), having experimented with CTA 4 back in 2019. Among her videos, two tutorials stand out the most to us: one introduces CTA’s newer and more advanced features — with lip-sync topping her favorites — and the other demonstrates the use of mocap plugins for creating motion capture animation. She continues to release new tutorial videos regularly, including CTA5’s latest features: vector animation and spring dynamics.

Add on Free Form Deformation

In this video, KD showcases the advantages of integrating free form deformation (FFD) into 2D character animation for bringing objects to life. Using tools like Blender Grease Pencil and Affinity Designer, KD expertly designs an intricate Asian-style deity, magical balls, and other simple-style characters. Not only does she apply FFD effects, but she also incorporates spring bones into certain parts of the character.

(Using the FFD motion editor)
(Customize bone settings with the spring editor)

To showcase the layering of the background, KD utilizes the highly accurate 3D Camera System, providing an immersive experience. The end result is a creative and unique animation, made possible by the abundance of quick-and-easy presets available in Cartoon Animator.

KD is renowned for her meticulous attention to detail and her ability to explain software features and tips in an easily understandable manner. If you aspire to become an animator, this video is an absolute must-watch!

Know more:

2D Animation Software for Cartoon Maker | Cartoon Animator

FREE for 30 days plus over 1,700 ready-made assets:

2D Animation Software Download | Cartoon Animator