For those who don’t know the tool: Headshot is a plug-in inside Character Creator 5 for turning photos or head meshes into rigged CC characters that can move on to Autodesk Maya, Blender, Unreal Engine, and Unity.

Two ways in: photo or mesh

Headshot now sits at version 3 and requires Character Creator 5. The tool targets digital humans built from either a single portrait or an existing 3D head model, with both paths ending in a fully rigged CC character ready for animation work.

The image workflow starts from a facial photo and runs through automatic 3D head generation plus topology and shape refinement, camera lens correction, normal map creation, and texture reprojection. The mesh workflow targets static head models and runs automatic head wrapping, mesh refinement, and texture baking. The same product page frames the mesh workflow as optimized for photogrammetry, sculpted assets, and mobile scanned models.

Both workflows chase the same goal: convert reference into a character that stays on CC topology so facial animation and downstream retargeting behave predictably. That matters more than the marketing word salad, because your rig cares about edge flow, not adjectives.

Image workflow: faster first pass, more knobs after

The image workflow focuses on building a likeness from a single portrait. Headshot 3 adds AI Image Enhancement tools described as head leveling, expression neutralization, lighting correction, stray hair removal, and 4K upscaling, all applied to source photo material used for the head build.

Headshot 3 also adds AI Image Generation, (text to image generation) with portrait images up to 4K resolution and side or full body images up to 2K resolution. AI Image Generation is powered by Google Nano Banana and requires credits for each generation. The same ecosystem also promises you can swap or replace textures after mesh changes, with texture reprojection that updates after mesh modifications.

For anyone who has ever tried to fix a face by nudging ten sliders and then regretted it on frame 180, Headshot 3 adds preset driven morphing on top. The version has 58 facial presets intended to enhance depth and highlight unique features, with an adjustable slider for fine tuning per applied preset. This is the part to pressure test early. New tools and innovations should be tested before use in production, especially when your deliverable lives or dies on a tight closeup.

Mesh workflow: wrap, sculpt, and keep topology honest

The mesh workflow centers on converting a static head model into a fully rigged CC character using head wrapping, refinement, and baking. It is positioned for turning scans and sculpts into animation ready characters while keeping CC topology.

Headshot 3 adds a spline based reshaper that supports portrait and profile views for alignment of features such as double eyelids and nasolabial folds, described as enabling more accurate facial animation. As well as Bezier controls for refining front and side profiles, with granular adjustment aimed at eyelid structures, mouth curves, and the flow of laugh lines when used with CC5 characters.

Texture work also gets more explicit tooling. The forum post describes a De light function that removes shadows and highlights to produce a clean albedo texture and can generate roughness and normal maps automatically for a full PBR texture set. It also brings a 3D mask brush for removing unwanted blemishes and photo artifacts such as stray hair or eyelashes, with edits on selected texture channels or across all channels at once.

Body matching and the bigger character pipeline

Headshot 3 pushes beyond the head with body matching. The launch post describes using full body reference photos so the AI automatically generates a matching body shape to complement the face, producing a cohesive character build that is fully rigged and ready for animation within the Character Creator 5 ecosystem.

On the promo side, that means a single workflow aims to move from reference to a complete character rather than a floating head. On the pipeline side, it means you still need to verify your own handoff points like shading conventions, texture packing, and how far the exported result matches your studio standards for facial rigs and blendshape naming.

If you are tracking internal workflow topics, this release lands squarely in character animation and the places where facial rigs meet real production schedules. It also sits close to mocap cleanup, since a fast character build only helps if the face holds up once you start driving it.

Again, new tools and innovations should be tested before use in production. Do the boring tests now so you do not do the expensive ones later.

Pricing, promos, and what is actually specified

There is an Early Bird Offer running April 27 through May 31 and it includes Headshot Morphs 1400 plus valued at $99 and 100 AI Image Gen Credits valued at $30. It lists a starter package for Character Creator 5 at $329 from $498, Headshot 3 at $129 from $199 as a member special, and an upgrade price of $99 for Headshot 2 customers.All prices are for Windows perpetual licenses.

New users can purchase Headshot 2 for $129 as a special offer and get Headshot 3 free at launch, and that Headshot 1 and 2 owners can upgrade to Headshot 3 for $99 starting on launch day. The early bird offer runs until May 31st, 2026.

If you plan to lean on AI Image Generation, remember the product page also states it requires credits for each generation. Test the workflow, confirm what consumes credits in your actual use, and validate liekness under your lighting and animation range before you commit it to a client deliverable.

https://www.reallusion.com/character-creator/headshot/

https://discussions.reallusion.com/t/headshot-3-is-coming-pre-launch-offer-live-now/16736

The post Reallusion ships Headshot 3 for CC5 first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

(Advertorial) By embedding powerful AI into generative stages while simultaneously keeping the control of traditional 3D workflows through cinematic RTX Rendering, upgraded image-to-3D in Headshot 3, precision AccuFace 2 capture, CC Mesh Wrapping Tools, Image to Cloth, and realistic Joint Corrective Morphs.

RTX Render: Achieve Cinematic Path-Traced Realism

Elevating render quality has long been a shared desire among our users, and Reallusion is doing just that by introducing RTX rendering as a free update. Developed in collaboration with NVIDIA, this integration leverages advanced RTX technology to deliver the cinematic quality of path-traced rendering at near real-time speeds.

With RTX GPU and DLSS technology, artists can showcase their work at its absolute best with exceptional clarity and performance. Optimised for Reallusion’s digital human shaders, RTX rendering offers control over hair, skin, and subsurface scattering, bringing characters to life with full realism.

Beyond digital humans, RTX unlocks new possibilities across commercial visualisation and industrial design, enabling more immersive visual experiences. With dynamic time-of-day transitions, adjustable cloud density, and natural atmospheric motion, achieving perfect lighting has never been easier.

Headshot 3: Next Level of Lifelike Digital Double Generation

Headshot 3 represents a massive leap in digital identity. Reallusion has developed and trained a proprietary AI model specifically for accurate image-to-3D head reconstruction. Trained on a vast dataset of facial scans, this model interprets facial landmarks, depth cues, and subtle anatomical features more accurately from 2D images. As a result, it produces a more precise head mesh with improved topology, enhanced identity preservation, and more accurate proportions.

In addition, Headshot 3 has included a range of powerful new features designed to achieve significantly higher likeness and precision. This includes 4K AI image generation from text prompts, spline-based head-shape refinement with fully controllable Bézier adjustments for portrait and profile, and built-in lens correction.

Users can also take advantage of texture channel enhancement and intuitive mask brush tools to effortlessly remove shadows and blemishes. For even greater accuracy, new body matching capabilities support full-body image measurements, ensuring accurate proportions for a more faithful digital double.

To celebrate this release, Reallusion is currently offering an exclusive prelaunch offer, allowing users to secure Headshot 3 for free by purchasing Headshot 2 before its official release.

AccuFACE 2: Highly Accurate, Lips and Facial Tracking

With the introduction of the new HD facial profile in Character Creator 5, Reallusion has correspondingly upgraded its motion capture capabilities with AccuFace 2. Adopting a newly trained tracking system optimised specifically for CC5 characters, this major update delivers exceptional accuracy and responsiveness.

The system captures even the most subtle high-frequency lip-sync details for natural expressions and speech. With support for both live webcam input and video-based tracking, AccuFace 2 offers flexible capture workflows without compromising quality.

When combined with video motion capture, you can produce high-quality facial and full-body animation seamlessly within the Reallusion toolset.

Mesh Wrapping: Open The Gateway to the Character Creator Ecosystem

As AI-generated 3D models become increasingly prevalent in the industry, integrating these static assets into professional animation pipelines has become vital. To address this, Reallusion is introducing CC Wrap.

This powerful tool allows you to effortlessly wrap any models, alongside traditional 3D models and cloth meshes into standard Character Creator (CC) topology.

By conforming to CC topology, this technology acts as a gateway to the entire CC & iClone ecosystem. You can seamlessly access Reallusion’s extensive asset libraries and instantly transform static meshes into fully functional characters, completely ready for highly detailed facial expressions and body animations.

In addition, detailed 3D outfits can be created from image references, featuring automatic skin weighting that significantly streamlines the entire character creation workflow.

Joint Corrective Morphs (JCM): Ensure Anatomical Accuracy with Realistic Muscle Deformation

In our pursuit of more realistic animation quality, Reallusion is introducing “Joint Corrective Morphs” (JCM) as a free update. This feature delivers enhanced accuracy for body shapes across a wide range of poses. Built on a joint-based deformation system, this technology goes beyond basic shape correction for extreme poses. It produces more natural and realistic muscle deformation, ensuring characters maintain anatomical integrity during complex animations.

AI Studio: 3D Previs to AI Render – Effective Hybrid Production

AI Studio is a true game changer for iClone and CC users, transforming 3D previs projects into photorealistic images and videos. It also supports stylized rendering, allowing you to tailor visuals to your unique creative vision. The built-in AI Actor Creator ensures character consistency across every shot while delivering lifelike dialogue and performances.

These AI-powered tools also enable precise character interactions and camera control, guided by iClone motion data and reference footage. Powered by Reallusion AI Cloud services, the pipeline is streamlined for efficiency without the need for additional hardware.

iClone 9: Rig anything. Animate everything.

Take a first look at how we’re unlocking more creative freedom in 3D character production. No longer limited to human characters, you can add skeletal structures to any model. You can retarget motion between characters with matching hierarchies to ensure consistent animation transfer.

Use custom Control Rigs for precise animation control, apply squash and stretch for expressive deformation, and add spring dynamics and secondary motion with ease. By enabling collision-aware simulations, artists achieve greater flexibility and control in every stage of animation.

Stay Ahead of the Curve: Choose Your Access

Reallusion is dedicated to keeping our users at the vanguard of the CG-AI transformation, providing the cutting-edge tools needed to ensure peak production efficiency.

To maintain that competitive edge, you now have flexible ways to integrate these upcoming innovations into your pipeline. By joining our Subscription plans, users will automatically receive updates to the latest versions and all these great upcoming features at no additional cost. Alternatively, users can choose to acquire Permanent Licenses upon their official release dates.

The post Reallusion Announces 2026 Vision: Redefining 3D Production through Hybrid AI first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

For those who don’t know the tool: Reallusion’s iClone and Character Creator sit at the intersection of real-time animation and 3D character production, integrating with pipelines in Maya, Blender, Unreal, Unity, and others via standard formats and plugins.

Reallusion adds subscription licences alongside perpetual ownership

Starting in early January 2026, Reallusion introduced new subscription licensing options for several of its flagship tools, including iClone, Character Creator, and Cartoon Animator. These subscriptions are offered alongside the existing perpetual licences, giving creators more choice in how they pay for production software.

Official documentation confirms that subscriptions provide the same rights and privileges as perpetual licences under the Reallusion EULA. Subscription plans are available with monthly or annual billing, allowing short-term access for smaller projects or budget-conscious creators, while perpetual licences remain an option for long-term production stability and a solid place in a studio toolbox.

Annual subscription pricing examples published by Reallusion include low entry tiers, such as Character Creator at around $8.30 per month and iClone at around $16.90 per month on the entry plans, with higher tiers rolling up into more complete bundles. Reallusion emphasises its continued support for perpetual licences for studios and teams that require fixed version control and long-term licence stability.

AccuPOSE INFINITY repositions as one time purchase

Alongside the broader licensing shift, AccuPOSE INFINITY, a pose library and motion editing add-on closely tied to iClone workflows, has moved from a subscription model to a permanent purchase.

The official community announcement states that more than 1,400 AI-trained poses are now available under a one-time licensing fee of 149 USD, effective on and after 6 January 2026. All previous subscribers, active or expired, receive the full perpetual licence automatically.

The AccuPOSE update also includes a new Cartoon category targeting expressive and stylised animation, alongside other pose themes such as Free Fight and Aerial Fighter. Updates beyond the current library will continue, but they will not follow a fixed schedule, according to Reallusion.

What this means for production pipelines

This licensing expansion signals a more flexible budgetary model for Reallusion tools within production pipelines. Subscription licences reduce upfront cost barriers and may suit short-term or freelance work, while perpetual licences still serve studios with long-term version-control needs. Shifting AccuPOSE INFINITY to a one-time purchase eliminates recurring costs for pose libraries, simplifying integration into stable character animation workflows.

As always, new licensing models and pricing should be evaluated against your project schedules, team size and version control requirements before committing to any purchase.

The post Reallusion expands licences for iClone and Character Creator first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

When a group of architectural illustrators set out to test Chaos Vantage, they planned a few small real-time experiments. Instead, they built Unbox, a fully animated short film where an architectural cube folds open like a mechanical puzzle. From “a few little minis,” it grew bigger – there are worse outcomes for a stress test.

DP: What was the initial spark for testing Chaos Vantage and why risk it on a narrative short instead of a comfy archviz sizzle?

Peter Stulz: Honestly, at first we intended to do a few little minis in Vantage… and then the second test spinned out of control and grew bigger each day. But no regrets, we embraced the prospect to develop a narrative architectural piece ourselves.

You see, we are architects and not an animation studio. So this was a massive learning journey for us: sequencing shots in an attractive manner, telling a story, how to reveal information and how to retain it… Vantage was fantastic, because it allowed us to be quite experimental here, make mistakes and learn while working on it.

DP: Give us the pipeline in one breath: DCC(s), renderers, interchange (Alembic/FBX/USD), and the editorial path from storyboard/animatic to picture lock.

Peter Stulz: Natively we use 3ds Max in our studio, still the main tool for architecture. Our studio mostly renders in Corona Render, but I feel very home in Vray. For asset creation I use Blender which then sent to Max via FBX. The animation was rendered in Vray CPU – 5 months was tight enough and I know Vray as an engine that delivers without funky surprises.

For the creative part, I drew initial sketches and the storyboard in Procreate. We were lucky to have my friend and cinematographer Olaf Aue (LinkedIn) on board, who was kind enough to share some of his Know-How. The storyboard was straight away sequenced in Resolve with some stand-in SFX and music, just to get a feeling for timing. The stills were then replaced with Vantage Previz shots; the iteration frequency could be kept fastpaced due to Vantage, that was a tremendous relief. Finally for that project we also familiarized ourselves just enough with character creator and Iclone to pull off a somewhat decent protagonist – which then is mostly kept out of focus anyhow :).

Depth of field and lighting are crucial in linear storytelling formats. Vantage allows for having these available during the early layout phase, enabling us to evaluate the flow and precise timing of edits early on, resulting in fewer iterations and more streamlined communication, features that Olaf, as a cinematographer, found lacking in the animation feature films he previously worked on.

DP: Hardware reality check: what exactly were the two workstations (CPU/GPU/VRAM/RAM/storage), and how did that cap scene size, proxies, and iteration speed?

Peter Stulz: There are two parts to this, the GPU and CPU specs: For working with Vantage, I had a 4060TI with 16GB. It was mainly the ground displacement in Vantage that was the key factor for VRAM necessity. Otherwise Vantage is smart when scaling to smaller GPUs. You don’t need massive GPUs to get started with Vantage.

For the final CPU rendering – we have several AMD 9950x in our studio with 64GB Ram, totally unspectacular workstations. In fact rendering moved between machines, whatever was available, the bottleneck was that we had just two render licenses available. Another thing, that I really appreciate about Vray CPU – it stays pretty consistent even if you throw in an older architecture.

DP: How did you keep the master scene nimble?

Peter Stulz: 3ds Max can become a real chore, when scenes get too heavy. I wholeheartedly hate unresponsive scenes – anything that breaks the creative flow has to be solved. Technically, there are several approaches: obviously using Proxies for heavy assets is a must; staying parametric if possible also keeps my scenes small; my modifier stacks can get quite impressive and I avoid baking them.

I xref wherever it makes sense, especially if parts of your scene are used in different settings. If I find the time, I localise heavy textures and reduce them – tedious but worth the effort later. Ideally the Master Scene only contains the camera, the lights and a few key assets. All the heavy load is loaded from external files. These scenes mostly are only a few MB in itself – helping with autobackups.

DP: Camera language before pixels: how did boards/animatic evolve once you could “walk the set” in Vantage?

Peter Stulz: It was important to develop a storyboard outside of 3D first to avoid thinking as a 3d designer. The environment was conceived like a sandbox, so we could freely explore the set with different lenses and angles. The superfast iterations we could do with Vantage really helped to test alternatives. That felt very powerful. Obviously some storyboard shots were then adapted or omitted. Vantage was great to secure we are on the right path.

DP: Lighting in Vantage: What translated 1:1 to finals, and where did parity crack?

Peter Stulz: At first it is scarily impressive how close Vantage can feel to the final look. We did a few final shots directly in Vantage and realised afterwards we could have done more in Vantage to prove the point. The extra turntable animation is done 100% in Vantage, but we really had to go deep in the settings to get rid of some flickering.

You have to understand, Vantage works like this: It downscales automatically to achieve close-to realtime speed and then gradually refines the look. But that logic causes limitations: For example GI depth in tricky setups might cause visible flickering. If you want to get rid of unwanted artefacts like these, you have to go deeper into the settings; and then you get these Vray 2010 vibes again :). Apart from that the denoiser might create some artefacts, textures are getting blurry, VDBs were not possible etc.

DP: Materials & lookdev: which shader features were non-negotiable, and what did you simplify for real-time parity?

Peter Stulz: Since we decided to use Vray CPU for finals, we just accepted that some stuff for Previz looked different – we knew it would be ok in the finals. But to answer the question we used Vantage for a another client project and it became clear again: If you want to produce in Vantage you can not set stuff up in Vray and hope for the best. In that case we had a semitranslucent ocean setting and that looked quite diffferent in Vantage and had to be especially adapted.

DP: The moving house: How was it rigged , and what broke first under real-time playback?

Peter Stulz: The architectural cube is in fact one scene with 2000 frames of animation. No cheap tricks – nothing appears magically out of thin air – it’s all in there. Only the initial cube with the rough surface is a different prop because it had a tricky blending shader which was animated ( animating materials in 3ds Max is a disaster …).

The rig for the unfolding was very basic and was built out of a lot of nested helpers. That was the most simple way to avoid the “locked axis” problem. What is this? Well, rigging a rubics cube is in fact not so straightforward as it seems: after a few twists the individual parts start to move quite unexpectedly – try it yourself, it’s actually pretty hard. The nested helpers solved this, now it was a matter of adjusting the right timing; how fast is the right speed for a massive 12m cube? You want to correspond a certain weight without boring the viewer. At the end we sprinkled some subtle secondary movements on top.

DP: Performance metrics: What were typical FPS for look-dev in Vantage and per-shot render times? Both for Vantage previews and V-Ray finals?

Peter Stulz: We could render out playblasts in Vantage (+/- 200 frames) over a toilet break in 1.5k resolution at 1:2.39. For finals in Vray I attempt to stay around 10 minutes / frame. If you want to use Vantage for final quality in FullHD, you crank up the settings to 1 minute / frame. If there was any noise left, the Resolve temporal denoiser is the last polish.

DP: The famous 95%: where did Vantage land “close enough” to V-Ray and what are the missing 5%?

Peter Stulz: Every “resolution” in Vantage is more coarse. I am not only talking textures, but sampling, atmospherics, global illumination. Obviously the denoiser also tends to smear everything. Everything is just lower definition than in Vray / Corona. That’s why oldschool rendering is still very valid to achieve that crispy level of detail.

DP: Editorial rhythm: how often did you re-cut while “shooting in engine,” and what told you a shot was edit-locked before triggering finals?

Peter Stulz: In our case that answer is quite simple: the presentation date was coming up, so we had a very strict timeframe when shots had to be done. Only thing we updated in the last days, we extended a few shots by 30 frames, because they felt rushed in the beta cut. That little change improved the rythm quite substantially.

DP: Pitfalls & fixes: three things that wasted time before you found the trick and what was the trick?

Peter Stulz: Vantage is built in a way that it actually could be used as a standalone loading in VrayScenes. Since I had my friend Olaf Aue as a cinematographer on board we tried to use it in that way. Theoretically that works, but with a lot of drawbacks and very limited editing and getting the changes from Vantage back into 3dsMax is hard.

We omitted that concept and resorted to live link only with 3ds Max. But actually that standalone option is not so bad – Chaos could really focus there more.

DP: If you rebuilt “Unboxed” today at 100% Vantage, what would the delivery plan look like? QC, shot classes that stay real-time, and the shortlist that still goes offline?

Peter Stulz: I know, that there are more shots that could be realised in Vantage directly. But if you plan this, it is smart to set up the whole project more focused on Vantage directly. Switching to Vray, if needed, is easy, the other way can be frustrating.

DP: What did “Unboxed” change in how you scope, price, and pitch real-time narrative work to clients?

Peter Stulz: We can offer fast animation works more easily which don’t need very high quality or are visually suitable for Vantage (clay shots).

DP: Wishlist to Chaos: What are the top parity/features that would let you ship more shots straight out of Vantage next time?

Peter Stulz: I would like easier quality settings if you intend to use Vantage as final renderer. We had to do a lot of tweaking for specific scenes or even change the 3d scene to avoid artefacts. Additionally Vantage ships with specific assets like a water surface or animated plants. These are great, but in LiveLink they are hard to be used, because there is not way to insert them in your Root Scene.

DP: For Vantage newcomers: What is your “first-day” checklist?

Peter Stulz: Familiarize yourself with the basic UI and do some stress tests to find the limits. Additionally I would look for a study project that comes close to a client environment. There is no point in having all the bells and whistles, if in a real production case you are missing the crucial components.

DP: One more hypothetic: with one extra week or one extra GPU, which single area would you invest in—and why?

Peter Stulz: Funny alternatives. As described above a half-decent GPU is good for previz which was the main usage in “Unbox”. Having a week extra is always great – so I would opt for that!

DP: Where exactly did you keep the “cube layer” for the whole piece: did we start life on the Blender Default Cube, and how much of that origin survived?

Peter Stulz: It sure was great that we could hire the mighty default cube as a support role. It didn’t even mind too much to be shipped into another 3d-suite – what a humble character and it really outshined itself in our short. 3d-artists should show more appreciation to have it per default all free!

DP: The cube’s side text: What does it say, and why?

Peter Stulz: The cube text gives instructions how to mix the perfect Daiquiri as it is served on Kepler 5 but it is quite explicit so I can’t go into depths here. But if you look for easter eggs, we have hidden various personal items in the architecture. Talking about audio my friend Olaf had a lot of fun browsing through his SFX library and pull out quite unusual sounds for the cubes inner mechanics.

The post The Cube Moved: Go for the Chaos (Ad) Vantage first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Reallusion has released Video Mocap, an online AI motion-capture service integrated into iClone. The feature was developed with AI mocap firm QuickMagic and arrives alongside iClone 8.63, a minor update focusing on plugin support and FBX export fixes. Video Mocap extracts actor movement from uploaded footage and generates editable animation directly inside iClone. Unlike standalone online services that export FBX data, the new plugin connects the AI pipeline to iClone’s animation system, allowing users to clean up artefacts such as foot slippage using iClone’s native tools.

Capture options and limitations

The service offers full-body or upper-body capture, including finger tracking. Facial motion capture is not supported and remains a separate paid add-on in the iClone ecosystem. Each motion-generation task processes up to 60 seconds of video for a single character and costs 250 DA Points, equivalent to $2.50. DA Points are Reallusion’s digital currency, sold with a minimum purchase of $10. Video processing takes place entirely online, and users can submit multiple clips in a batch. Up to ten motion files can be generated per batch if a video contains several performers.

Compatibility and pricing

The Video Mocap plugin is available as a free download for iClone 8.63 and Windows 10+. iClone itself remains a paid application with a $599 perpetual licence. Video Mocap operates on a pay-per-use model. Each clip must be trimmed to a maximum of 60 seconds, though source videos up to 15 minutes can be uploaded. Supported formats include .mp4, .mov, .avi, .mkv, and ten others. Reallusion recommends a minimum resolution of 720p, while 4K and 8K files may reduce performance.

Recording recommendations

Reallusion advises recording footage with a static, eye-level camera, ensuring the performer’s full body or upper body remains visible, depending on the capture type. AI tracking may fail if the subject leaves the frame, wears clothing similar to the background, or performs rapid or occluded motions such as flips or combat. The firm also recommends removing empty video sections before upload to improve motion-tracking accuracy. These and other technical notes are detailed in the iClone Video Mocap Online Manual.

Context: AI mocap enters production tools

Video Mocap joins a growing field of AI-based motion capture systems that interpret human movement from standard video footage. Reallusion’s implementation distinguishes itself by integrating this functionality directly into a production-ready 3D animation platform, avoiding intermediate export steps.

As with any AI-driven system, actual performance and accuracy will depend on recording conditions, motion complexity, and camera quality. Artists should test the service with their own material before integrating it into production pipelines.

The post Video Mocap: Reallusion’s AI Gets Moving first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Reallusion has released iClone 8.6, a point update that focuses on deeper integration with Character Creator 5, introduces a new generation of shaders for digital human eyes, and delivers extended export options for Unreal Engine 5. The release also refines facial animation, improves rendering performance, and resolves a series of stability issues that had been slowing down production workflows.

CC5 Compatibility

The most noticeable addition in iClone 8.6 is its extended support for Character Creator 5. CC5 HD characters and facial profiles are now natively supported inside iClone, while MetaHuman facial animations can be imported directly if CC5 is installed. Compatibility has also been broadened to include CC3+ Extended-Plus corrective shapes, which means that facial rigs can now carry far more nuance into iClone without requiring additional workarounds. The result is a smoother connection between character creation and performance animation, making the two tools feel more like components of the same pipeline.

Eye Shaders

Reallusion has reworked one of the most critical details in digital humans: the eyes. iClone 8.6 introduces two new shader types designed to remove long-standing artifacts. The Digital Human_Occlusion shader closes the gap between eyeball and socket, preventing hard intersections that tended to break realism under close-up lighting. Alongside it, the Digital Human_Tearline shader brings a corrected UV layout and sharper specular highlights, which makes tear lines react more naturally to illumination. These changes elevate the look of close-up shots and address one of the more distracting weaknesses in earlier versions.

Export and Animation

Pipeline exports have been updated to match current production environments. New FBX presets are included for Marmoset Toolbag as well as multiple Unreal Engine 5 targets, with UE5 Skeletons, UE5 Mannequins, and UEFN all receiving their own dedicated profiles. The existing Unreal preset has been renamed to UE4 Skeleton to avoid confusion. This makes it easier to match exported assets to the correct rig on import, reducing the time artists spend reconfiguring skeletons or poses.

Animation work also benefits from fresh controls. A new Facial Parts Strength option in the timeline allows animators to amplify or reduce expression intensity on specific regions of the face, rather than adjusting entire performance tracks. Subdivision controls for CC5 characters have been introduced, offering finer mesh smoothing for close-up animation. Motion LIVE now supports non-linear curves in facial animation, giving higher fidelity to CC5 HD and CC3+ Extended-Plus characters when recording live input.

Rendering and Workflow

Rendering improvements in iClone 8.6 may not be headline-grabbing, but they address key pain points in everyday use. A dynamic mipmap option has been added to real-time rendering, reducing noise when working with detailed wrinkle maps. Project files are also lighter thanks to mesh and animation compression, though iProject containers themselves remain uncompressed. Together these changes improve responsiveness without altering the core look of the renders.

Fixes and Stability

The release also closes several long-standing bugs. FBX export from iClone now correctly aligns controllers for UE5.6 control rigs, while crashes linked to specific imports have been eliminated. Motion editing functions such as Edit Motion Layer and Motion Direction Control have been stabilized, and the issue of characters growing in size when flattening animation layers has been resolved. Rendering has also been corrected: AVI exports are once again properly compressed, and DLSS no longer introduces mosaic artifacts.

What’s Next

Reallusion has confirmed that a compatible AI Render plug-in for both iClone 8.6 and CC5 will be released on September 1, 2025.

The post iClone 8.6 Update Adds New Eye Shaders, and UE5 Export Presets first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Character Creator 5 (CC5) officially arrived on 27 August 2025, and this time Reallusion is putting the HD badge front and centre. Gone are the days when your assets lived somewhere between “game-ready” and “film-aspiring.” With a new HD Character Base (official page), CC5 can now scale from lightweight assets to subdivision-heavy models that survive close-up shots.

Subdivision is not just a toggle here: CC5 pushes mesh detail up to 16× denser than CC4, supporting 4K and 8K skin textures, displacement mapping, and an upgraded shader pipeline. You can freely switch between a game-ready mesh and a film-quality mesh without losing rigging, morphs, or animation compatibility.

“HD character bases bridge the gap between cinematic quality and real-time performance,” says Reallusion’s launch note. Translation: you don’t have to keep two separate character libraries anymore.

Facial Animation Gets a Brain Transplant

With CC5, facial animation is no longer an afterthought. The new HD Animation system (official page) introduces micro-expressions, corrective morphs, and constraint-based deformations, which together prevent the dreaded “clay-face” look.

Each facial expression now drives a deeper set of blendshapes, which can layer details like cheek tension, eyelid flutter, or asymmetric lip pulls. Corrective systems kick in automatically when you start stacking expressions. The result: characters can now smile without breaking their jawline.

To fully unlock this, iClone users need the latest Motion LIVE for iPhone and AccuFACE updates. Together, they stream high-fidelity facial mocap directly into CC5 rigs.

Beyond mocap, the HD Expression Profile adds a redesigned library of emotion presets, built to scale from subtle social cues to dramatic theatrical expressions. Artists can blend or customise them at sub-expression levels—controlling everything from nostril flares to jaw clench intensity. Importantly, these are layered on top of anatomical corrections, so stacking them will not collapse the mesh into noise.

CC5 also includes a new Sticky Lips System and Eyelid Constraint Engine, making phoneme-driven speech far more realistic. Lip movements now feature adhesion during closed-mouth consonants, while the eyelid system calculates squints and blinks based on eyeball rotation rather than simple linear morphs. Together with wrinkle-based displacement maps, these additions finally bring facial realism in line with the upgraded HD base mesh.

MetaHuman Compatibility: CC5 Learns the Language

One of the bigger headline changes: CC5 characters now share the same facial control structure and skeleton as MetaHuman. This means mocap data, animations, and expressions can be exchanged between MetaHumans and CC5 assets without retargeting hacks.

If your pipeline involves Unreal’s MetaHumans, you can now drop a CC5 character in, hand them the same mocap or audio-to-face data, and expect them to move in sync. CC5 even includes an HD Face Board, which mirrors MetaHuman’s control system, for one-to-one editing.

Meet ActorMIXER: DNA Splicing for CG-Characters

Reallusion calls it “next-gen character generation.” The rest of us can call it what it is: Frankenstein’s lab, but with sliders. ActorMIXER (official page) lets you non-destructively mix entire bodies, heads, or individual features from multiple characters.

Drag two characters into ActorMIXER, spin the Mixer Wheel, and you can blend their DNA into something new. ActorMIXER Pro unlocks even more: it can convert any character into a mixable source, generate randomised characters at scale, and export custom mixer assets for collaboration or reuse.

The Deluxe Bundle: Everything and the Kitchen Sink

CC5 is available standalone, but Reallusion also rolled out the CC5 Deluxe Bundle (official page), priced at $499. The bundle includes:

• Character Creator 5
• ActorMIXER Pro with Core Library (44 HD scanned heads across four ethnicities)
• HD Ultimate Morphs pack (fine-tuned morph sliders for body and face)
• HD Human Anatomy Set (12 full avatars with anatomical diversity, ready for ActorMIXER)

The key value here is the Core Library: scanning 44 heads independently would cost thousands. Bundled, they become mixable DNA inside ActorMIXER. The HD Ultimate Morphs add sub-surface detail like crow’s feet, lip asymmetry, and muscular tension—all slider-driven, and bakeable into normal maps for low-poly assets.

Pipeline Expansions: Maya, Marmoset, ZBrush, Blender, Unreal

No release is complete without pipeline updates. CC5 expands Auto Setup to cover Maya, Arnold and Marmoset Toolbag, joining the existing Blender, Unreal, and Unity bridges. That means shaders and rigs arrive pre-configured, saving the joyless task of re-wiring materials.

The Maya bridge in particular is a major milestone. Characters exported from CC5 arrive in Maya with Arnold-ready materials, subdivision levels intact, and displacement maps already hooked into the shader graph. For artists who prefer Arnold for cinematic rendering, this eliminates hours of manual material rebuilding. Reallusion states that skin shading, subsurface scattering, and even tearline and eye reflections are mapped correctly on export. For production pipelines already invested in Arnold, this makes CC5 a far more attractive option for film and episodic work.

What’s notable is that CC5 also passes on animation rigs without requiring conversion, meaning facial animation data and ActorMIXER variants can move directly into Maya. This is a shift from previous CC workflows, where much of the rigging had to be revalidated or rebuilt for Maya compatibility. Now, the bridge promises near one-to-one parity with what you see in CC5, making it viable as a character front-end for high-end rendering pipelines.

ZBrush support via GoZ continues, now with higher subdivision detail and wrinkle-to-displacement baking. Blender Auto Setup was updated to handle HD meshes in both Eevee and Cycles, complete with displacement and facial animation support. For Unreal, CC5 characters can now export with UE skeletons aligned to MetaHumans, making them immediately usable in UEFN projects. Live Link for iClone has been updated for UE 5.5/5.6, and includes a free HD Face Control panel for direct editing in-engine.

CC4 vs CC5: What Actually Changed?

Mesh & Detail

• CC4: Mid-poly base mesh, normal-map driven detail.
• CC5: HD base mesh, subdividable up to 16×, displacement and microdetail supported.

Facial Animation

• CC4: Basic blendshapes with limited corrective morphs.
• CC5: HD Expression Profile, Sticky Lips, Eyelid Constraints, displacement-based wrinkles.

Pipeline to Maya

• CC4: Manual material rebuilds in Maya, no Arnold-ready shaders.
• CC5: Arnold-ready shader graphs, displacement mapped, subsurface scattering intact.

MetaHuman Sync

• CC4: Retargeting required for animations.
• CC5: Skeleton and controls identical to MetaHuman, direct animation sharing.

Content Expansion

• CC4: Marketplace content, Ultimate Morphs pack.
• CC5: ActorMIXER + Core Library, HD Ultimate Morphs, HD Anatomy Set.

Final Verdict

Character Creator has always been a flexible mid-tier character tool. With CC5, it now has the foundations to sit comfortably alongside MetaHuman while still being production-friendly. ActorMIXER adds a dash of creative chaos, the Deluxe bundle fills the content pipeline, and the Auto Setup bridges remove friction. As always: test new workflows in production before committing.

And, while you are thinking about that: Here is a Playlist with tutorials to all the new features: Character Creator 5 Tutorials, so you have something to watch tonight. Enjoy!

The post Here’s Character Creator 5 — Now in Hero-Quality, MAya-Friendly, MetaHuman-Friendly, and Armed with ActorMIXER first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Seamless 3D & AI Integration

The foundation of AI Render is built on Reallusion’s custom node for ComfyUI, enabling a seamless two-way connection between your AI workflow and Reallusion’s 3D tools. It transfers full 3D scene data—character poses, lighting, camera angles—from iClone and Character Creator, with no technical setup. Fully embedded in iClone and CC’s intuitive UI, it allows visual, interactive work while generating AI content with precision and control.

22 Built-In Style Presets

AI Render includes 22 professionally tuned presets across three categories: Realistic, 3D stylized, and 2D illustration. Each preset comes with optimized ControlNet settings, prompt templates, and rendering configurations for fast, consistent results.

Prompt + Reference-Based Customization

Users can guide AI results using traditional text prompts or reference images. The plugin supports IP Adapter, which allows AI to match the style and tone of any uploaded image without the need for complex prompt engineering.

Precise 3D ControlNet Guidance

Unlike AI tools that rely on 2D estimations, AI Render uses 3D-driven ControlNet inputs for stable, accurate generation across frames:

• Depth: Spatial layering and facial accuracy
• Pose: Reliable skeletal tracking, even with occlusion
• Normal: Surface lighting and shading
• Edge (Canny): Clean outlines for stylized renders

All inputs are generated directly from real-time 3D environments built in iClone and Character Creator, using Reallusion’s library of over 13,000 easily searchable, drag-and-drop assets, including characters, motions, lighting, and cameras. This makes it fast and intuitive to build structured scenes that provide AI with the consistent, frame-by-frame guidance it needs.

LoRA Dataset Creation for Character Consistency

To maintain consistent character appearances across AI videos, LoRA (Low-Rank Adaptation) training is supported. AI Render does not perform training directly but enables rapid dataset creation in iClone using batch rendering, pose libraries, and automated camera paths. Reallusion will provide project templates to assist in generating LoRA training sets for unique characters.

AI-Powered Storytelling for Character IP

AI Render is ideal for creators developing original IP characters. With Character Creator and iClone, users can design fully rigged, production-ready characters. It enables AI-generated movies, commercials, and storytelling, maintaining consistency in look and style. This isn’t just visuals; characters can now appear in AI content with real actor-like continuity and expressiveness.

Community Challenge: Win Character Creator 5

To celebrate the launch, Reallusion is hosting a public AI Makeover Challenge from July 28 to August 29, 2025. Participants can transform their Character Creator 4 (CC4) characters using AI Render and submit images or videos for a chance to win a free copy of Character Creator 5 (CC5). Check out the official discussion thread for more details.

Visit the Reallusion Official Forum now to download AI Render, follow setup guides, and connect with the community.

Reallusion Inc. provides innovative 3D character creation and animation platforms for entertainment, Metaverse, digital twinning, and AI simulation. Their flagship products—iClone, Character Creator, and Cartoon Animator—enable scalable digital human development across creative and industrial projects.

The post AI Render for iClone & CC with ComfyUI Integration, Available in Open Beta first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

MetaHumans have never been easier to dress. Hologress has officially released the public beta for its MetaTailor Unreal Engine Bridge plugin, promising true single-click transfer of both MetaHumans and fitted clothing between Unreal Engine 5.6 and MetaTailor. If your pipeline includes wardrobe changes, this may be the plugin that finally stops the FBX shuffling.

MetaTailor, a 3D clothing solution aimed at making virtual wardrobe fitting as simple as possible, already works with a wide variety of avatars and retail clothing assets. The new Bridge plugin, now in open beta, brings this automation directly into Unreal workflows—minus the manual export and import headaches.

How It Works: Send, Fit, Return

Start in Unreal Engine 5.6 by selecting your MetaHuman and hitting “Send to MT.” This exports the avatar into MetaTailor, baking down materials for compatibility. Inside MetaTailor, users can auto-fit clothing (including most retail 3D assets) with automatic layer sorting and skin weighting. The plugin also supports sculpting tweaks and attaching accessories directly in MetaTailor.

Once everything fits, a single click on either “Send Outfit to Unreal” or “Send Avatar to Unreal” sends the results straight back to Unreal. No manual file handling, no hair-pulling required.

Who Gets In: Beta Terms and Pricing

The Bridge is available as a public beta for Windows users with a free MetaTailor account, but slots are limited—so registration is mandatory. The free version includes up to 10 FBX exports per month, and access to the plugin for testing. A Pro subscription, priced at $35 per month or $336 per year, removes export limits and unlocks more advanced features. MetaTailor itself is available on a rental-only basis, with no perpetual license option in sight.

Compatibility and Integration Notes

As of now, the Bridge plugin is tested only on Unreal Engine 5.6. According to Hologress, a similar MetaTailor integration is already available for Reallusion’s Character Creator (Pro required). A Unity Bridge plugin is “coming soon,” so Unity shops will have to wait a little longer before jumping on the one-click clothing bandwagon.

Good News for Pipeline Artists (with the Usual Caveat)

For pipeline artists, technical directors, riggers, and anyone stuck manually dressing digital actors, the MetaTailor Bridge plugin is a welcome bit of automation. The click-based round-trip replaces tedious export/import cycles, layer management, and skin-weighting with something resembling simplicity. Of course, this is a beta. As with any early-stage tool, users should rigorously test stability and output quality before deploying it in a production environment.

The post MetaTailor’s One-Click Dress-Up: Unreal Engine Bridge Plugin Arrives in Public Beta first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Reallusion’s free AccuRIG tool just made entry-level rigging and animation almost suspiciously simple. The new AccuRIG 2.0 release puts an AI-powered animation browser and preview window right inside the app, giving users instant access to over 4,500 ActorCore motion clips—without ever leaving the interface. Search and filter tools (including multilingual and style-based search) mean less scrolling, more animating.

One Ecosystem, Fewer Silos

Reallusion AccuRIG 2.0’s motion retargeting pipeline now blends even more smoothly into Reallusion’s wider ecosystem. Choose an animation from the ActorCore library, retarget it to your freshly rigged character, and export everything to FBX or USD with DCC-friendly presets for Blender, Cinema 4D, Maya, Unreal Engine, Unity, Omniverse, MotionBuilder, and 3ds Max. No extra fees, no surprise licensing. You just need a free ActorCore account.

Mixamo’s Got Company

Adobe’s Mixamo still offers fast auto-rigging and a motion library. But AccuRIG 2.0’s approach—a combined body/finger rig and in-app motion browsing—leaves fewer tabs open and more time for, well, actually animating. The update introduces a 19-joint rig (plus finger rig), whereas Mixamo continues to offer only a body rig and lacks internal animation browsing.

Steady Upgrades, Steady Pace

Alongside AccuRIG, Reallusion’s development roadmap is moving at a refreshingly consistent tempo. The next major update, Character Creator 5, is scheduled for August and promises new HD base meshes (with subdivision), improved shader tech, and more advanced facial animation systems. In the meantime, AccuRIG 2.0 receives interface upgrades, performance optimizations, and various bug fixes—further smoothing out the artist’s first steps into the Reallusion workflow.

Test, Then Trust

Every new workflow promises speed, but actual production always demands proof. Always test animation and rigging exports inside your target DCC environment before sending your assets into the wild—especially if you’re working in deadline-driven settings.

All-in-One, Free, and Still in Motion

Reallusion’s latest updates confirm: it’s never been easier to experiment with 3D character animation. The real surprise is just how cohesive the Reallusion ecosystem is becoming, update by update—at a pace the rest of the industry might want to keep an eye on.

AccuRIG Release Note – ActorCore

The post Animation for All: Reallusion AccuRIG 2.0 and Friends Keep Things Moving first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Reallusion has released Character Creator 4.54 and iClone 8.54 for Windows, and this update finally answers the age-old production question: “Why do I have to leave my software just to try out assets?” Now you don’t. CC4.54 and iClone 8.54 drop a streamlined, trial-and-buy asset workflow right inside the viewport. No more browser detours, no more context-switching, and no more asset regret before you hit version one.

Smart Search Means Fewer Interruptions, Faster Versions

The big news is AI Smart Search, which delivers over 130,000 premium 3D assets directly inside both Character Creator and iClone. It’s a search box and asset browser built right into the UI—type a keyword, paste a reference image, or even use natural language, and see the results live in your project, complete with watermarks for trial use. You can try on outfits, test facial hair, add props or environments, and animate with full-quality motion data, all without ever leaving your timeline or breaking focus.

You can trial a mix of 30,000+ clothing items, 5,500+ shoes, 3,000+ hairstyles, and 23,000+ motion clips. And, thanks to the watermark, you can pitch, iterate, and block out scenes before opening your wallet. The only catch? There’s a limit to how many watermarked items you can trial at once (currently set to 10), but this can be managed by removing unused assets as you go.

DA Points: In-App Checkout, No Card Required

Reallusion’s DA Points system makes in-app purchasing almost painless. Your DA Point balance is always visible in the UI. When you’re happy with a test asset, you just right-click and purchase instantly—no cart, no website detour, and no external payment popup. DA Points can be loaded in advance and used without extra transaction fees, which speeds up asset approval in team settings and helps avoid procurement slowdowns.

The iContent Licence: Cheaper, But With Render-Only Limitations

Not every artist needs to export assets for game engines or offline rendering. That’s why Reallusion has launched the iContent licence, which lets you render with an asset in Character Creator or iClone at about 30% of the price of a standard licence. The limitation: iContent assets are watermarked and can’t be exported or used outside the Reallusion ecosystem, or in external renderers, games, or for 3D printing.

It’s a solid option for concept, previz, or when you need to whip up a client proof-of-concept without overcommitting the budget. If you want to export later, you can upgrade to a standard licence by paying the difference—your content and settings remain intact, and of course you now own the asset, for when you are going through with your show or game.

Within the scene management is an option to show purchased and unpurchased assets, so you always can check what is available to you, what has to be bought, or which background character is running away with a test-asset.

Under the Hood: Technical Details

The asset search draws from Reallusion Content Store, Marketplace, and ActorCore and can be accessed from the main UI or the Smart Content Manager. Deep Search uses AI to return results based on keywords or even visual similarity when you drag in an image. Purchases and trials work with project- or user-level asset libraries, so teams can centralise approvals and control costs.

Both Character Creator 4.54 (build 4.54.4225.1) and iClone 8.54 run on Windows 7 or newer. Perpetual licences are $299 for Character Creator and $599 for iClone, with the update available as of June 26, 2025.

Pipeline Impact: Less Friction, Faster Approval

For artists, TDs, and supervisors working in post, VFX, realtime, or any content creation pipeline, the new workflow means less downtime and less wasted budget on assets you might not even use. You get fast block-outs, quicker look-dev, and easier asset review—all in your working context. If you like an asset, just right-click, pay, and keep moving.

Of course, for those needing external export, keep an eye on licence restrictions and test asset compatibility before locking your pipeline around any new tool.

Test Before You Trust

As always, new features should be vetted on non-critical projects or in a staging environment before rolling into a live show or client delivery.

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// Character Creator 4.54 – Now Available (Reallusion Forum)

// iClone 8.54 Has Arrived: Reallusion Unlocks Creative Potential … (Reallusion Forum)

// Reallusion Content License Policy

The post Reallusion’s CC4.54 & iClone 8.54 Let You Snag, Try and Buy Assets Without Leaving the App first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Expansion 4 on the mat

Reallusion has rolled out Expansion 4 for its AccuPOSE INFINITY library, adding eight AI-trained pose models to the subscription roster. Daily-life capture gets Kids’ Act, Shopping, Dining Party and Social Hangout, while the combat corner receives Karate, Taekwondo and Muay Thai. The eighth entry is teased but unnamed, so expect one more surprise when you hit download. (discussions.reallusion.com)

Pocket-money price, pro-grade updates

The INFINITY pass costs US $8.25 per month, offering Full Access & Infinite Updates – Reallusion’s promise that new styles will keep landing without extra fees. Each release slots into six master style categories, so animators can cherry-pick context-appropriate moves without rummaging through unrelated data. (reallusion.com) Current categories—Daily Life, Communication, Occupation, Combat, Action & Adventure, and Dance—act as a fast index. Click a category in the INFINITY hub and the matching AccuPOSE entries fan out for preview. The structure is simple enough that even an exhausted layout TD can hunt down a “left-foot-forward roundhouse” after an all-nighter.

From playground to punch-up

Kids’ Act covers hopscotch, chasing and exaggerated playground gestures; Dining Party supplies raised glasses, cutlery motions and the inevitable “someone just told a joke” body language. Shopping and Social Hangout address bags, browsing and small group gesticulation—useful for crowd shots that need nuance, not clones frozen like mannequins. On the martial side, Karate, Taekwondo and Muay Thai deliver disciplined stances, blocks and those limb-lengthening kicks choreographers love to overuse. Test them in pre-viz before letting digital actors bruise each other’s normals.

Pipeline pragmatism

All AccuPOSE clips arrive fully retargetable through iClone’s standard rig, so nothing exotic is required to map data onto bespoke bipeds. For teams lodging mocap on GPU-bound real-time stages, the AI-generated keyframe density is modest, keeping viewport FPS healthy. The low monthly fee makes the library more cost-effective than spinning up a mocap shoot for each elbow-twitch.

Stability over spectacle

Reallusion’s AI poses are procedurally generated and then human-curated. Nonetheless, production artists should quality-gate every clip before it lands in a client spot—especially where martial arts spins meet cloth-sim capes.

No hidden kung-fu paywalls

Because the Expansion sits inside the existing subscription, there is no fractioned pricing tier. Download the INFINITY installer via Reallusion Hub, update to version 1.04 or newer, and the new folders appear. Version-control naming keeps legacy scenes intact; the new motions slot as additional takes rather than overwriting older builds.

Final pose check

Expansion 4 widens INFINITY’s range from everyday gestures to ring-ready strikes, all at a coffee-budget price. As with any new motion source, run a quick QC pass before committing it to final projects—especially where client deadlines and network-render clusters stand ready to amplify any unnoticed popping knee.

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About Reallusion

Reallusion Inc. provides innovative 3D character creation and animation platforms for entertainment, Metaverse, digital twinning, and AI simulation. Their flagship products—iClone, Character Creator, and Cartoon Animator—enable scalable digital human development across creative and industrial projects.

The post AccuPOSE Infinity Expansion 4: Kids, Kicks & Caffeine-Free Chaos first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

With the release of iClone 8.53, Reallusion delivers a trio of practical updates: support for timecode syncing and streamlined export pipelines for NVIDIA Omniverse and Unreal Engine. All three may sound less exciting than a new dancing robot, but for production artists, syncing, tracking, and exporting tend to matter more than choreography.

Timecode support for camera and audio syncing

One of the headline features in iClone 8.53 is timecode support. This lets users sync iClone’s camera animation with footage captured from physical cameras and audio recorded on external devices. Syncing is done via LTC (Linear Timecode), which encodes SMPTE timecode as audio. Reallusion recommends using the free Visual-VCS app to generate LTC for this purpose. Use cases? According to Reallusion, it helps align live-action reference with virtual camera animation or face and body motion capture. It also enables syncing mocap data from facial capture sessions recorded with third-party apps like FaceCap, Face Mocap Plug-in, or MVN Animate. In short, it’s for anyone who’s ever shouted “slate!” and still got drift in post.

Simplified scene export to Omniverse and Unreal Engine

iClone 8.53 also improves the export process to NVIDIA’s Omniverse and Epic Games’ Unreal Engine. The new scene export options provide better control over which assets get sent and how. Users can now choose to export selected objects only. For instance, instead of dumping the entire scene, you can cherry-pick specific props or characters. Assets can be exported in world space (absolute position) or local space (relative to parent objects). That’s especially handy when exporting to pipelines where spatial consistency matters, such as when syncing lighting or animation across tools.

Reallusion also streamlined the way camera animations are exported. Previously, getting your iClone camera into Omniverse or Unreal might’ve triggered minor alignment nightmares. Now, with proper world-space export and isolated selection, those shots stay right where they belong.

Compatibility and availability

iClone 8.53 is available for Windows 7 or later. It’s part of the iClone 8.x update cycle, and available to users with a valid iClone 8 license. Pricing for iClone 8 can be found on the official Reallusion product page.

Stability and production-readiness

All updates should, as always, be tested thoroughly before deployment in live production environments. Facial mocap via Meta Quest Pro, for example, depends on both hardware and software stability, and LTC syncing demands consistent frame-accurate timecode management across devices. If the phrase “Frame-Accurate Timecode” doesn’t trigger a Pavlovian flashback to syncing nightmares, congratulations. But you probably need this update anyway.

The post iClone 8.53: Now in Sync first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Since its debut in 2015, Character Creator (CC) has been widely embraced across industries and has grown into one of the most powerful 3D character creation tools on the market. As Character Creator marks its 10th anniversary, CC5 arrives with groundbreaking upgrades, including HD character workflow with subdivision support, enhanced shaders, and a next-generation facial animation system.

Auto Setup

In parallel, Auto Setup has evolved to broaden pipeline compatibility, seamlessly integrating industry-leading solutions with the Reallusion ecosystem, offering pre-configured skeleton and material setups for 3ds Max, Blender, and Unreal Engine. Auto Setup plugins are updated to support CC5 HD characters at no additional cost, with support for Maya and Marmoset introduced with the release of Character Creator 5.

Prelaunch?

Reallusion celebrates the CC5 release with a special CC5 Prelaunch Offer. Customers spending $399 or more before CC5 launches will receive CC5 (worth $299) for free. The first 1,000 participants get an extra $50 in Bonus Points for future purchases. With CC5 arriving this summer, now is the time to secure this limited offer and gear up for next-gen real-time 3D character creation. Moreover, all existing CC4 plugins and content will remain compatible with CC5, ensuring a smooth upgrade for users.

Learn more about the upcoming updates here.

The post The First Look at Character Creator 5: Prelaunch Offer Starts NOW first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Advertorial.

Animation artists using Unreal Engine’s Metahuman framework can now take advantage of a free tool designed to simplify facial and body animations. Developed by UE5 Filmmaker Anthony Koithra, the Metahuman Animation Tool (MAT) enhances the usability of the Face Control Rig and Body Control Rig, allowing precise character animation directly within Unreal Engine. Even better, the tool isn’t limited to Metahuman rigs—it also works with the UE5 Mannequin skeleton and the CC4 skeleton via Reallusion’s custom Metahuman Control Rig.

Face and Body Control Integration

The tool focuses on real-time fine-tuning of facial expressions and body movements. With Unreal Engine’s Metahuman Creator, the Face Control Rig allows animators to adjust intricate facial details, from eyebrow movements to subtle lip animations. The Body Control Rig enables fluid and natural body animations, streamlining the creation of lifelike character motion. Its added compatibility with the UE5 Mannequin skeleton and Reallusion’s CC4 skeleton ensures greater flexibility for artists working across varied character setups.

Who Is It For?

The tool is a boon for VFX professionals, animators, and game designers aiming to achieve precision in character animations while maintaining compatibility across different character skeletons. By supporting both Metahuman rigs and widely-used skeletons like UE5 Mannequin and CC4, it enhances workflows in Unreal Engine’s ecosystem.

Where to Get It

Curious to try it? Download the tool for free from Fab. Whether it’s the game-changer your workflow needs or just another experiment, its success depends on how well it integrates into your current setup.

While the Metahuman Animation Tool shows great potential, its readiness for full production use is something only time—and rigorous testing—will reveal. For now, enjoy the expanded compatibility and see if it suits your animation needs.

The post Free Metahuman Animation Tool: Rig It Right first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

>> Check out the iClone 8.52 new features video

AccuPOSE: Revolutionizing Natural 3D Posing

AccuPOSE, an AI-powered innovation utilizing deep learning models trained on ActorCore’s extensive motion database. AccuPOSE understands human movement across countless scenarios, enabling users to create highly natural poses with minimal effort. Beyond hand-key animation, this technology plays a vital role in connecting motion clips, refining motion layers, and dramatically simplifying mocap data cleanup.

• Control Full Body Movement: Achieve full-body transformations merely from minimal inputs. AccuPOSE’s real-time body pose estimation guarantees natural postures during editing. 
• Pose-Driven Gestures: Arm adjustments naturally drive wrist movements and hand gestures, generating authentic human behaviors with minimal effort.

>> Check out the demo on the product page

Fully Controllable AI Guidance

To work in harmony with AI technology, controllability is a huge factor. The real brilliance of AccuPose lies in its unmatched flexibility and precision. You have the power to decide which parts of the body the AI adjusts and which parts remain untouched. This allows you to fine-tune every movement to your exact needs.

• Precision & Freedom: By applying Transformation and Rotation constraints to selected joints, designers can control AI pose suggestions with precision and flexibility.
• Constraints & Lock: Utilize T/R Constraints to maintain manual control flexibility. Use the Lock feature to securely fix the end effectors in place.
• AI Suggestion: You can specify which part of the body the AI should provide suggestions for, while preserving the desired sections by using locks and move/rotate constraints.
• Mirror: The Mirror feature ensures that AI-generated poses for hands or legs maintain symmetry with mirrored postures during any adjustments

>> Check out the demo on the product page

Seamless Integration with Existing Works

Getting started with AccuPose is straightforward. Simply open the tool, select an AI behavior model, and transform any pose effortlessly with the guidance of natural posing techniques.

• Works with Normal Poses: Transform existing poses into AccuPoses with selected behaviors, and experience the precision of natural posing with customizable IK constraints.
• Clip Layer Editing: By incorporating AI-assisted layer keys, users can effectively enhance motion velocity in selected motion clips.
• Keyframing from Library: Easily add dynamic poses from the AccuPOSE to arrange keyframes on the timeline, optionally filling in custom in-betweens and curves for smooth transitions. 

>> Check out the demo on the product page

Accelerates All Key Animation Workflow

Curious about how AI-assisted posing can enhance your workflow? It’s incredibly adaptable and can be applied wherever setting keyframes is needed, making it a valuable tool across various creative tasks.

• Handkey Animation: Driven by deep-learned human motions, the posing suggestion enhances the efficiency of quality keyframe posing and supports the creation of compelling animation styles.
• Connecting Clips: The intelligent posing feature simplifies the process of filling in missing poses between motion clips, creating more natural transitions.
• Mocap Correction: The natural AI posing capability can effectively solve the mocap challenges such as shoulder stiffness, motion distortion, and even enhances animations with realistic hand gestures.
• Curve & Trajectory: iClone’s motion curve and motion trail functions empower animators to refine keyframe timing and spatial trajectories, ensuring high-quality animation outcomes.

>> Check out the demo on the product page

Download AccuPOSE CORE Free and Subscribe INFINITY for All 

3D Posing with the assistance of AI might sound exciting itself, but AccuPOSE is way more than that. It comes with a big library of AI-training models that answer your diverse scenario demands. 

The same control applied to a selected joint can yield entirely different results depending on the chosen AccuPOSE model, giving users absolute control over the character’s AI reactions.

AccuPOSE is a free plugin for iClone 8.52, all users will have access to the CORE Library, it supports fundamental human body movements like stand, sit, walk, kneel, lie, prone, etc.  For those seeking advanced features, the INFINITY expansion offers an extensive library of over 1,000 AI-trained poses across 41 genres, along with continuous updates. 

>> Download & Subscribe

Elevates Motion Editing to Pro Level

The iClone 8.52 release brings four highly acclaimed professional animation features, voted by animators as essential to their workflows. These tools are meticulously crafted to serve as the foundation of daily productivity.

Motion Trail

The motion trail feature enables professional animators to visualize trajectories for selected joints. It supports real-time editing of keyframes directly on the trail or within the curve editor, providing an efficient approach to managing motion paths and animation timing. Additionally, users can adjust the path range and customize the trail’s color to improve control and visualization.

Non-Destructive Editing

Users can now break motion clips without worrying about losing data, as cut-out portions remain recoverable. Additionally, for clips edited with motion layer keys, our non-destructive approach retains all layer data for further editing. 

Curve Filters 

Several new filter options are added. These include tools that remove jitters while preserving motion details, fix peak noise, reduce keys for bezier spline editing, and smooth selected tracks seamlessly.

Curve Performance Enhancement

Motion Curve performance has been significantly enhanced for intensive editing across multiple tracks. Users can now enjoy near-instant responsiveness when selecting, moving, copying, pasting, or deleting keys in extended curve sequences.

Related Sources

iClone 8.52 full announcement

AccuPOSE Tutorials

Check out iClone 8.52 new features

iClone 8.52 release note

Learn more about iClone 8

Online manual

FAQ

The post iClone 8.52: A Major Leap for Animation Editing first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Advertorial.

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.

The post Free Update: Reallusion’s Blender Auto Setup Plugin Enhances CC4 Workflows first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Reallusion has rolled out updates for iClone and Character Creator, pushing both to version 8.5. These updates bring several key features and enhancements that aim to simplify animation pipelines and character creation workflows for digital artists. The changes target improved flexibility in character rigging and facial animation, integration with Python for scripting, and support for the latest Unreal Engine features, including Unreal Engine 5’s Lumen and Nanite.

iClone 8.5 introduces an advanced blendshape editing tool, giving users greater control over facial expressions. The updated system allows for detailed animation, providing better results for lip-sync and emotion-driven scenes. Artists can use this tool to tweak each aspect of facial movement, from subtle expressions to more exaggerated animations, ensuring precise control.

One significant update in iClone 8.5 is the expanded Python API, which enables users to automate various tasks, from custom scripts to complex workflows. This is especially relevant for users who work with large datasets or need to automate repetitive processes. The update also enhances compatibility with Unreal Engine, allowing for seamless export to the engine’s Lumen and Nanite systems, critical for real-time rendering in high-fidelity environments.

Character Creator 8.5, meanwhile, refines its ability to create highly detailed and realistic digital humans. The update includes improved skin shaders and material definitions, helping artists produce characters that look more lifelike in various lighting conditions. A new facial topology update allows for better deformation when animating expressions, making it easier to create natural-looking faces with fewer artifacts.

The integration of AccuRIG, a feature that helps automate the process of character rigging, reduces the manual workload and provides more accurate skeletal structures for 3D characters. Artists can import characters into Unreal Engine or Unity, making it easier to integrate these assets into game development or VFX projects. Character Creator 8.5 also supports extended import/export options, providing compatibility with popular file formats and pipelines used in major production environments.

Reallusion notes that these updates are a response to community feedback and evolving industry standards. However, it’s essential to thoroughly test the new features in your specific production environment before adopting them fully, as software behavior can vary depending on the project and hardware.

For more details, you can view the official documentation here:
iClone 8.5 Documentation
Character Creator 8.5 Documentation

Visit the manufacturer here: Reallusion

The post Reallusion Releases iClone 8.5 and Character Creator 8.5 first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

 

Reallusion (R): Hello Cesar, please tell us something about yourself.

Cesar (C): Hello, let me start at the very beginning. i started my journey as a filmmaker in 2004 with my first war film about the 1982 Falklands War, for which I produced VFX close-ups that seamlessly blended real images with 3D animation. I went on to direct my first documentary film on the same subject for the History Channel, which featured over 60 minutes of captivating aerial combat animation.

As part of my creative journey of discovery, I ventured into the area of fan films and gained worldwide attention with a production about Robotech. In Japan in particular, the film received a huge response with over 200,000 views within one day.

R: How did you come up with the idea of making the science fiction film “Nick 2040”?

C: Based on my previous experiences, I ventured into my own science fiction world, which I called “Invasion 2040”. This transformative endeavour took seven years. Along the way, I secured an Epic MegaGrant and our project caught the attention of Reallusion, whereupon we participated in their Pitch & Produce programme.

With “Nick 2040” I went one step further and raised the production to cinema level, I filmed with RED cameras in 6K. The post-production was meticulously rendered in 4K, completing the trilogy of short films. This last part serves as a proof of concept for an ambitious feature-length film, which is currently in the pre-production phase.

The prerequisite for this is that a large part of the VFX preparations have already been completed before shooting begins. At the moment I am actively involved in this preparation phase – every scene, character, animation and VFX test created for the short film will be seamlessly integrated into the full feature film. This dual role allows me to act as both co-director and VFX director.

R: Please describe your workflow using the Reallusion software?

C: Phase 1 – Creating realistic characters with headshot and dynamic wrinkles

I started by scanning the robot’s face with Reality Scan. At the same time, I created a face from a photo using Headshot. In parallel, I used ZBrush to connect the two models and create a mesh that closely resembled the target face. I then imported the mesh and texture created in iClone into the Character Creator using the Headshot plugin. Once completed, I transferred all the components into the Unreal Engine to generate the robot’s face in a metahuman framework. Additionally, I scanned the clothing to improve the realism of the final rendering.

I carefully worked out the antagonist, a tall giant, and designed the facial features down to the smallest detail. I was inspired by the facial expressions of the metahumans and went beyond conventional methods. Using Blender, I seamlessly merged an AccuRIG body with a metahuman face, which led to an amazingly impressive result.

The key breakthrough was creating facial animations with Dynamic Wrinkles. This allowed us to realistically render the protagonist’s face as well as the characters in the invasion scenes.

For some scenes, the actress’s face had to be recreated, which was not possible with conventional shooting methods. I scanned the actress’s face with the Headshot plugin and optimised the mesh with ZBrush in combination with CC4. I then animated it in iClone 8 and seamlessly transferred all the data into the Unreal Engine via Live Link, which led to a fantastic result.

With CC4’s advanced dynamic wrinkle features and the use of face mocap, I was able to create complicated facial expressions effortlessly in a matter of minutes.

Phase 2 – Animating the fight scene with iClone and ActorCore

The integration of iClone played a crucial role in the development of the transformation animation for Invasion 2040. This was particularly crucial as the character seamlessly stands up and places his hands on the ground as he undergoes a dynamic metamorphosis into a robotic form.

The invasion scene in “Nick 2040” was carefully crafted in the Unreal Engine with a mix of characters from different platforms – some from Metahumans and others from iClone. Using the handy and easy-to-edit Actorcore scans retrieved via iClone’s Live Link proved ideal for seamlessly integrating the various animations from the“Run For Your Life” pack and perfectly complementing the intensity of the invasion sequences. To create a cohesive scene, I cloned the iClone animations onto the skeletons of the Metahuman characters in Unreal.

Reallusion and iClone 8 allowed me to create complex animated scenes with epic battles between giants and robots. These scenes, which are at the heart of my films, are brought to life by the powerful features in my workflow pipeline. The possibilities offered by these tools, especially in the field of computer graphics and animation, play a crucial role in realising the vision and complexity of my cinematic creations.

Phase 3 – Immediate preview of results with Unreal Live Link

The Live Link extension is truly remarkable. The process of transferring animations to Unreal is both seamless and stable. Correcting a motion is a simple task – I make the adjustments in iClone and make sure I adhere to the start and end times on the timeline. Then I simply replace the animation with the Unreal Sequencer and complete the process with a few clicks. In a few moments, the updated animation is finished and ready to render.

Timecode Sync Rendering has also revolutionised my workflow. Now I can seamlessly transfer objects into iClone, animate characters and use these objects as references. The speed at which I can send the animation to Unreal is remarkable. It only takes a few seconds. This streamlined process has made animating incredibly easy and fast, which has greatly improved my efficiency and creative ability.

The final fight between the robot and the jumper was a two-step process. Firstly, I choreographed the movements of the two characters using Mocap, executed the choreography in person and perfected the hits in iClone to achieve effective results. These animations were then sent via Live Link to Unreal for rendering. At the same time, the fight scene was supplemented with additional sequences from the Reallusion Marketplace to increase the dynamics and intensity of the fight scene.

R: Why did you choose Reallusion?

C: We are currently finalising the storyboard, shooting, budget and VFX plan for “Nick 2040” – an important task that forms the foundation of our feature film. In a compact animation studio where the tasks are inherently complex, our small animation team has developed unimagined possibilities through this process.

• Stability: The entire process is characterised by maximum stability without crashes.
• Speed: Animations with more than 1000 frames are transferred to Unreal in less than a minute. It is remarkable that the processor and GPU are often not overloaded during this fast process.
• Organisation: I streamline my workflow by storing different animations in iClone’s Content Browser. This allows for quick retrieval and use in different scenes of the film, as virtually all the sequences I need are stored there.
• Practicality: Integrating animations from various sources, including Noitom Mocap, Mixamo animations and Unreal character animations, is a breeze. Simply drag and drop these animations from Explorer into iClone and they are seamlessly integrated into the project.

Nearing completion, the trailer gives a first glimpse of our work and we look forward to the release of the final short film.

Learn more

• Episode Nick 2040 created by Cesar Turturro
• Animating 3D characters and film scenes with iClone
• Create realistic characters with the Character Creator

The post Mech vs. Giant Slugfest mit iClone & Character Creator first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

The project “Ballerina” is a 30-second CG animation, Kay John Yim’s first personal project with an animated photorealistic CG character staged in a large baroque round hall. The ballerina character was created mainly with Character Creator, animated in iClone and rendered with Redshift and Cinema4D.

Kay John Yim is an architect at Spink Partners based in London. He has worked on a variety of projects in the UK, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, including property development and landscape design. His work has been published on Maxon, Artstation, CG Record and 80.LV.

Yim’s growing passion for designing architecture using technology gradually led him to become a CGI artist, developing visuals that serve not only as client presentations but also as a communication tool for the design and construction team. Since the COVID lockdown in 2021, he has attended courses in CG and has since won more than a dozen CG competitions.

This making-of tutorial article is an abridged version of “Ballerina: A CGI Fantasy”, written by Kay John Yim. The full version can be found at the Fox Renderfarm News Centre.

The making of Ballerina

The animation is a representation of the inner conflicts I have with all artistic endeavours, both metaphorical and literal. Ballet, an art form that is known to have strict beauty standards and is highly susceptible to public criticism and self-criticism, is the metaphor for my daily professional and artistic practice. As an architect, I work on architectural visualisations during the day, where every detail is scrutinised by my colleagues, senior architects and clients. As an artist, I work on my own CG projects at night, doing hundreds to thousands of iterations to find the perfect composition and colour scheme. No matter how much I grow in my professional and artistic skills, the inner struggle never goes away.

Months of trial and error have taught me a lot about efficient character animation and rendering. This article is a guide for all indie artists like me who want to develop their CG art.

The guide is divided into 4 main parts:
● The Architecture
● The character
● The animation
● The rendering

I used the following software, among others
● Rhino
● Moment of Inspiration 4 (MOI)
● Cinema4D (C4D)
● Redshift (RS)
● Character Creator (CC)
● iClone
● ZBrush & ZWrap
● XNormal
● Marvelous Designer 11 (MD)
● Houdini

1. The architecture

My main software for architectural modelling is Rhino. There are many different ways to approach architectural modelling. The main advantage of Rhino over some other popular DCCs like Cinema4D (C4D) or Houdini is the ability to edit very detailed curves in large quantities.

As an architect, every model I built always started with a curve, usually in the form of a wall section, cornice or plinth section drawn along another curve of a plan. Rhino’s command list may seem overwhelming at first glance, but I used almost exclusively a dozen of these commands to turn curves into 3D geometry:

● Rebuild
● Trim
● Blend
● Sweep
● Extrude
● Sweep 2 Rails
● Flow Along Surface
● Surface from Network of Curves

The key to architectural modelling is to use references wherever possible. I always have PureRef open in the bottom right hand corner of my screen to ensure I am modelling in the correct proportions and scale. This usually includes actual photos and architectural drawings.

For this particular project, I used the hunting room of the Amalienburg in Munich as the primary reference for the architecture.

Although the architecture consisted of three parts – the rotunda, the corridor and the end wall – it was basically the same module. Therefore, I first modelled a wall module consisting of a mirror and a window, duplicated it and bent it along a circle to obtain the walls of the rotunda.

The module was reused for both the corridor and the end wall to save time and (rendering) memory. As I had built up a library of architectural profiles and ornaments over the last year, I was able to reuse and recycle profiles and ornaments for modelling the architecture.

Modelling ornaments can be a difficult task, but with a few ornaments modelled, I simply duplicated and geometrically rearranged them to create unique shapes.

All objects within Rhino were then assigned to different layers based on the material; this made material assignment much easier later in C4D.

Note: The best way to familiarise yourself with Rhino navigation is to model small objects. Simply Rhino offers a great beginner’s series for modelling a teapot in Rhino: for those who are stuck, there are pre-made ornaments that can be purchased from 3D model shops such as Textures.com; some ornament manufacturers offer free models for download on Sketchfab and 3dsky.

Exporting from Rhino to C4D

Rhino is primarily a NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines) software; and although NURBS models are very accurate in representing curve and surface data, most render engines or DCCs do not support NURBS.

For this reason, I exported the NURBS and MESHES to .3dm and .FBX respectively and used Moment of Inspiration (MOI) to convert the NURBS model to a mesh.

MOI provides the best conversion of NURBS to quad mesh (compared to Rhino or other DCCs) – it always provides a flawless mesh that can then be easily edited or UV mapped for rendering.

Import into C4D

Importing the FBX file into C4D was relatively easy, but there were a few things I paid attention to, specifically the import settings, model orientation and file unit, which are listed below in order of execution:
1. Open a new project in C4D (project unit in cm);
2. Merge FBX (merge FBX);
3. Select “Geometry” and “Material” in the merge panel;
4. Change the orientation of the imported geometry (P) by -90 degrees in the Y-axis;
5. Use the “AT Group All Materials” script to automatically organise Rhino materials into different groups.

I modelled half of the architecture in Rhino and then mirrored it as an instance in C4D as everything is symmetrical.

The floor (Versailles parquet tiles) was modelled using the photo texturing method propagated primarily by CG artist Ian Hubert. I took a photo of the Versailles parquet tiles as a texture on a layer and then sliced the layer with a “knife” tool to get the variations in reflective roughness along the tile joints. This allowed me to add subtle colour and dirt variations using Curvature in Redshift.

The floor tile was then placed under a cloner to duplicate it and stretch it across the entire floor.

Note: C4D and Rhino use different Y and Z orientations, so the FBX exported directly from Rhino must be rotated in C4D.

Architectural shading (Cinema4D Redshift)

Since I grouped all the meshes by materials in advance, assigning materials was as easy as dragging and dropping them onto the material groups as cubic maps or tri-planar maps. I used Textures.com, the EMC material pack from Greyscalegorilla and Quixel Megascans as base materials for all my shaders.

For ACES to work correctly in Redshift, each texture must be manually assigned to the correct colour space in the RS Texture Node; in general, diffuse/albedo maps belong to “sRGB” and the rest (roughness, displacement, normal maps) to “Raw”. My architectural shaders were mostly a 50/50 mix of photo texture and “dirt” texture to add an extra touch of realism.

2. The character

The underlying character was created in Character Creator 3 (CC3) using the Ultimate Morphs and SkinGen plugins, both of which are very user-friendly and offer self-explanatory parameters.

Ultimate Morphs offered precise sliders for each bone and muscle size of the character, while SkinGen offered a wide range of presets for skin colour, skin texture and make-up. I also used CC3’s Hair Builder to create a game-ready hair mesh for my character.

Facial texturing

The face was one of the most important areas of the CG character and required special attention. The best workflow I found to add photorealistic detail was the “killer workflow” using the VFace model from Texturing XYZ and Zwrap.

VFACE is a collection of state-of-the-art photogrammetric human head models produced by Texturing XYZ; each VFACE comes with 16K photoscanned skin textures, displacement and utility maps; Zwrap is a ZBrush plugin that allows you to automatically fit an existing topology to a custom model.

Using the “Killer Workflow”, I can transfer all the VFACE details to the CC3 head model once the two mesh shapes are aligned.

My customisation of the ” Killer Workflow ” can be described as follows:
2. Export T-Pose character from CC3 to C4D;
3. Delete all polygons except the head of the CC3 character;
4. Export CC3 head model and VFACE model to ZBrush;
5. Use MOVE/Smooth brush to adapt the VFACE model to the CC3 head model as far as possible;
6. Start ZWRAP and click and adjust as many points as possible, especially around the nose, eyes, mouth and ears;
7. ZWRAP processes the matching points;
8. ZWRARP should then be able to output a VFACE model that perfectly matches the CC3 head model;
9. Input both models into XNormal and bake the VFACE textures onto the CC3 head model.

Note: Full “Killer Workflow” tutorial on the official Textureing.XYZ Youtube channel: VFace – Getting Started with Amy Ash. I recommend saving the matching points to ZWRAP before processing. I also recommend baking all VFACE maps individually in XNormal as they are very high resolution and could cause XNormal to crash if baked in batch.

Skin Shading (Cinema4D Redshift)

Once I had finished the XYZ texture maps, I exported the rest of the character’s texture maps from CC3. I then imported the character into C4D and converted all the materials into Redshift materials.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing, Redshift did not yet support Randomwalk SSS (a very realistic and physically accurate model for subsurface scattering that can be found in other renderers such as Arnold), so I had to do a lot more tweaking when rendering the skin.

The 3 layers of subsurface scattering were controlled by a single diffuse material with different “colour correct” settings. The head shader was a mix of the CC3 textures and the VFACE textures; the VFACE multi-channel displacement map was mixed with the CC3 displacement map “microskin”.

A “redshift object” was transferred to the character to activate the displacement – only then did the VFACE displacements become visible during rendering.

Hair shading

After experimenting with C4D Ornatrix, Maya Xgen and Houdini, I decided that using the baked hair mesh from CC3 was more efficient across the board for the “Ballerina” project. I’m using a Redshift “glass” material with CC3 hair texture maps fed into the “Reflection” and “Refraction” colour slots, as hair (in real life) reacts to light like little glass tubes.

Note: For anyone interested in making CC3 hair even more realistic, CGcircuit has a great parchment tutorial on how to create and simulate hair.

3. Animation/Character Animation: iClone

I then exported the CC character to iClone for animation. I considered several options to achieve a realistic animation of the character, including:
1. using mocap data from the catalogue (Mixamo, Reallusion ActorCore);
2. Hiring a mocap studio to create a customised mocap animation;
3. Using a mocap suit (e.g. Rokoko or Xsens) for customised mocap animation;
4. Conventional keyframing.

After experimenting with various off-the-shelf mocap data, I realised that Mixamo’s mocaps were far too generic and mostly very robotic looking; Reallusion Actorcore had some very realistic movements, but I couldn’t find exactly what I needed for the project. Since I had no budget and (my) very specific requirements for the character’s movements, options 2 and 3 were out of the question. This led me to classic keyframing.

First, I recorded videos of ballet performances and laid them out frame by frame in PureRef. Then I overlaid the PureRef reference (with half opacity) over iClone and adjusted each joint of the character to my reference using“Edit Motion Layer“.

The animated characters were then exported to Alembic files.

Note: While my final project concept shows ballerinas in slow motion, my original idea was to keyframe a 20-second ballet dance, which I quickly realised was a bad idea for several reasons:
1. Slow motion allowed many frames to be interpolated, but real-time movement required many individual frames, so much more fine-tuning was needed;
2. more frames meant more rendering problems (flickering, tessellation problems, etc.).

As this is my first project to animate a character, I decided to create a slow motion style sequence instead – 2 unique poses with 160 frames of motion each.

Clothing simulation

The clothing simulation was by far the most difficult part of the project. The two main cloth sims/solvers I considered were Marvelous Designer (MD) and Houdini Vellum.

While Houdini Vellum was much more flexible and reliable than Marvelous Designer, I personally found it far too slow and therefore impractical without a farm (one frame of fabric simulation could take up to 3 minutes in Houdini Vellum versus 30 seconds in Marvelous Designer on a Threadripper PRO 3955WX with 128 GB Ram).

While fabric simulation in MD is generally much faster to set up than Houdini Vellum, it was not as easy as I had imagined. Simulated garments in MD always had some kind of error;

These included flapping fabrics, soaking through the character, or just outright contortions. Below are some of the settings I tweaked to minimise problems:
1. Using “Tack” to attach parts of the garment to the character;
2. Increasing the “Density” and “Air Damping” of the fabric to prevent the garment from moving too quickly and getting out of position;
3. Simulate parts of the garment in isolation – this is not physically accurate, but I was able to iterate and debug much faster.

In addition to the above changes, I reduced the “gravity” to achieve a slow motion look.

Note: On the official Marvelous Designer Youtube channel there are many livestreams on clothing modelling, which I find very helpful for learning MD. Alternatively, there are many 3D garments available online (especially on the official Marvelous Designer website or on the Artstation Marketplace) that I have used as the basis for many of my projects.

MD is extremely crash-prone. Also, there is a bug in both MD10 and MD11 that prevents simulated garments from being saved 90% of the time, so you should always export simulated garments as Alembic files and not rely on MD to save the simulation.

Cleaning up the simulation

After dozens of simulations, I imported the alembic files exported with MD into Houdini, where I did a lot of manual cleanup, including
1. manually correcting clashed fabrics and characters with “Soft Transform”;
2. Reducing simulation noise with “Attribute Blur”;
3. Blending together the best simulations from different Alembic files with “Time Blend”.

Alternative to clothing simulation

For those frustrated by the impractical simulation times for Houdini Vellum fabrics and MD errors, an alternative is to literally attach the garment to the character’s skin in CC3 – a technique most commonly used in game production.

Note: You can find Reallusion’s official guide to making game-appropriate clothing here.

Baking and shading garments

Once I was done with the fabric simulation in MD and the cleanup in Houdini, I imported the Alembic file into C4D. MD Alembic files always appear in C4D as an Alembic object without selection sets; this makes material assignment impossible.

This is where C4D baking came into play – a process with which I converted the Alembic file into a C4D object with PLA (Point Level Animation):
1. Drag the Alembic object into the C4D timeline;
2. Switch to the menu item “Functions”;
3. “Bake Objects;
4. Select “PLA”;
5. Then bake.

The above steps gave me a baked C4D object from which I could easily select polygons and assign multiple materials using selection sets. I then exported an OBJ file from MD with materials, imported it into C4D and dragged the selection sets directly onto the baked garment object. This eliminated the need to manually reassign the materials in C4D.

I used a mixture of linen texture maps (from Quixel Megascans Bridge) and Redshift Car Shader to simulate the sequin fabric found on many professional ballet tutu dresses.

WARNING: Do not use AO or curvature nodes for the simulated clothing materials (or other animated objects), as these can potentially lead to disturbances in the final rendering.

4. Rendering

Lighting and environment

Although I tried to keep the lighting as minimal as possible, I had to do a lot of tinkering for the “Ballerina” project due to the nocturnal surroundings.

The nighttime HDRI didn’t provide enough ambient light for the interior, and the chandelier bulbs were far too dim as the main light source. In the end, I placed an invisible spotlight under the chandelier in the centre and used a spotlight to illuminate only the architectural ornaments. The spotlight provided an extra level of indirect light that provided just the right amount of illumination without destroying the moody atmosphere.

I also added a “Redshift environment” multiplied in the Z-axis with “Maxon Noise” to add depth to the scene. In the outdoor area, I added 2 variations of dogwood trees with C4D “Matrix” distributed in the environment. They were lit in the scene from the ground to create additional depth. The lighting of the scene includes:
1. Dome light (HDRI for night) x 1
2. Chandelier (mesh lights) x 3
3. Spotlight (centre) x 1
4. Exterior area lights x 4
5. Artificial area lighting under the chandelier (contains architectural ornaments only)

Note: The trees were generated with SpeedTree. It takes a lot of practice to perfect the lighting. In addition to my daily CG practice, I spent a lot of time watching clips from films – I was very inspired by Roger Deakin’s lighting and cinematography, for example, as well as Wes Anderson’s composition and colour combinations.

Camera movements

All my camera movements were very subtle. This included tracking shots, camera pans and rotations, all controlled with Greyscalegorilla’s C4D plugin Signal. I personally prefer using Signal because of its non-destructive nature, but old-school key-framing would also work very well for similar camera movements.

Draft Renderings

Once I had the character animations, cloth simulations and camera movements finalised, I started with low-resolution test renders to make sure I wouldn’t have any surprises in the final renders:
1. Flipbook renders (openGL) to make sure the timing of the animations was optimal;
2. Rendering a complete sequence with low resolution and low samples to make sure there are no glitches;
3. Rendering high resolution (2K) high sample still images with AOVs (diffuse, reflection, refraction, volume) to check what contributed to the predominant noise, if any;
4. Submitting test renders to Fox Renderfarm to ensure the final renders match my local renders.

This process took over 2 months of repeatedly creating renders and making corrections.

Final renderings & denoising

For the final renderings, I used a relatively high rendering setting, as interior scenes in Redshift are generally prone to noise.

I also had motion blur and bokeh turned on for the final renders – in general, motion blurs and bokehs look better (more physically accurate) in the render than motion blurs and bokehs added via compositing.

Half of the final 2K sequence was rendered on a local workstation, while the rest was rendered on Fox Renderfarm, totalling in about 6840 hours of render time on two RTX 3090 machines. I used Neat Video for denoising the final shot, while the close-ups were cleaned up with Single Altus (in Redshift).

Note: Always switch off “Random Noise Pattern” under Redshift “Unified Sampling” when using “Altus Single” for denoising.

Redshift Rendering GI trick

Redshift’s GI Irradiance Cache calculation can be quite costly; for example, my final renders have an average of 5 minutes of GI Irradiance Caching time per frame.

In Vray, there was an option in the IR/LC settings called “Use camera path” that was specifically designed for scenes where the camera is moving through a still scene. Once the “Use camera path” option was enabled, Vray calculated only one frame of the GI cache for an entire sequence. Following Vray, I use the following motion blur settings to calculate the first frame of the Irradiance cache:

The one Irradiance cache is then used to render the entire sequence. Two shots of the project were rendered with a single GI cache, resulting in an overall 10% faster render time.

Note : The GI trick is only applied to shots with very little movement. For example, when I applied it to the two close-up shots of the “Ballerina” project, I got slight blotches and ghosting on the character’s skin.

Conclusion

Working on the project for months gave me a new appreciation for traditional character animators – I never realised how much effort goes into creating character animations and how many subtle details are required to bring convincing CG characters to life.

Although I wouldn’t describe myself as a character artist, I believe that character animation is very effective in bringing CG environments to life and will therefore continue to be an essential part of my personal CG work in the future.

More information :
– Kay John Yim’s personal website https://johnyim.com/
– Kay John Yim’s ArtStation https://www.artstation.com/johnyim
– Character Creator https://www.reallusion.com/de/character-creator/download.html
– iClone https://www.reallusion.com/de/iclone/testversion.html
– Reallusion https://www.reallusion.com/de

The post Ballerina: CGI-Fantasie mit C4D, Character Creator und iClone first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.