Reallusion’s Blender Auto Setup plugin has received a new update, reinforcing its utility for Character Creator 4 (CC4) and iClone users working within Blender. The free tool simplifies the transfer of CC4 and iClone character assets into Blender, ensuring rigs, materials, and animations are accurately configured upon import. This enhancement addresses common bottlenecks in character animation workflows and real-time rendering pipelines.
Improved Rigging and Animation Workflows
The updated plugin introduces a refined rigging system that directly imports CC4 and iClone character rigs into Blender with minimal need for manual adjustments. Bone alignment and weight mapping have been fine-tuned, reducing inconsistencies that previously required manual correction. The result is a smoother process for animators, particularly those using Blender’s tools for character animation.
For motion capture and animation editing, the plugin now ensures imported rigs retain compatibility with Blender’s pose and animation features, cutting down on troubleshooting time during production.
Shader Setup Upgrades
One standout improvement is the automatic setup of Blender-compatible shaders. The plugin translates CC4 and iClone materials into Blender’s Principled BSDF shader, preserving texture maps and visual fidelity. This includes support for PBR (physically based rendering) workflows, ensuring assets appear consistent across rendering engines like Eevee and Cycles. These upgrades reduce the time spent tweaking materials to achieve the intended look in Blender.
Support for Real-Time Rendering
The plugin enhances the real-time rendering experience in Blender, particularly for those utilizing the Eevee engine. By ensuring seamless material and rig compatibility, the update enables smoother iteration during the asset design and rendering process.
Pipeline Integration with iClone and Character Creator 4
For studios using iClone alongside CC4, the plugin streamlines the character creation-to-Blender pipeline. Reallusion notes that this tool is especially useful for artists working in VFX, game development, or previsualization, where asset iteration speed is crucial.
The Blender Auto Setup plugin, now rebranded, has its roots in Victor Soupday’s open-source CC/iC Blender Tools, first released in 2021. The plugin was designed to simplify the import of characters from Reallusion’s Character Creator and iClone into Blender. It also supports stock characters from Reallusion’s ActorCore library.
Open-Source and Free Availability
Reallusion’s Blender Auto Setup plugin is completely free to download from the Reallusion website and is also available on GitHub, encouraging community feedback and collaboration. For technical details, the full plugin source code is accessible, offering customizability for advanced users.
