In nuce: Effective TD, an online platform for software, educational content and exchange related to the FX & Technical Direction industry, has announced that it is now offering its online training for free. All courses are designed to teach the professional use of the Thinking Particles system. Effective TD was founded by Eloi Andaluz Fullà ( FX Artist at Scanline) and Goran Pavles ( Owner of and VFX Supervisor at Stormborn Studios)

In toto: In total, the training programme consists of eight courses; see the list below(for a complete overview).

• Thinking Particles: Zero to Hero: Aimed at those artists who want to learn – and understand! – want to learn. This course starts with the basics and then gradually increases in difficulty.
• TreeRigging with TP6 part 1: Using a procedural tree simulation, advanced Thinking Particle techniques are learnt and professional rigging is demonstrated.
• TreeRigging with TP6 part 2: Part 2 of the series on rigging a procedural tree simulation.
• Thinking Particles: Easy to intermediate course (in Spanish): This beginner to intermediate course approaches the topic of thinking particles from a motion graphics perspective.
• Thinking Particles Chain Tool Course: The aim of this course is to create a chain tool. The course demonstrates what it takes to create chains on an object surface and rotate the chains with the help of Thinking Particles.
• Thinking Particles: Procedural Road Creation: The aim of this course is to create a procedural road – in real time. The road is controlled via a spline.
• Houdini vs. Thinking Particles: How to work with fields – whether with Thinking Particles or with Houdini? The course shows how it’s done. The description of the course states that you will find out during the course: Houdini and Thinking Particles are more similar than perhaps previously thought.
• Thinking Particles Drop7 New Features: Interesting for those who want to simulate realistic-looking drops of water. Included in this course are 11 3ds Max files.

Click to continue: The complete range of courses can be found at effectivetds.com .

The post How do Thinking Particles actually work? first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: U-Render, in co-operation with sales partner Toolfarm, is offering a free webinar. The webinar will take place tomorrow, Thursday 7th July, at 7pm. The webinar is called “From Previsualisation to Final Frame Rendering in Real-time”.

Who is the webinar aimed at? According to U-Render, the webinar is primarily aimed at users who want to learn more about the use of U-Render – especially with regard to the respective work steps, starting with pre-visualisation and ending with final frame rendering in real time. The webinar is divided into the following three points:

• First steps: A quick introduction to U-Render
• Advantages of real-time: Achieve results quickly – without waiting times
• The latest functions: Focusing on non-photorealistic rendering (NPR), screen space global illumination (SSGI) and multi-materials

Who teaches the webinar? The webinar will be led by Glenn Frey. Glenn’s enthusiasm for 3D modelling began with Cinema 4D. He fell in love with the programme in 2004 and soon wrote the associated Quick Start manual for Maxon – and gave workshops on C4D. He has been working full-time at Maxon since 2009. Glenn Frey is an old acquaintance to readers of Digital Production. The U-Render Evangelist was last present at animago 2017. Glenn has been with U-Render since November 2021 and explains what works and how.

Click further: All further information about the webinar. The following, current real-time showcase for U-Render captures with show values.

Real-time Showcase Collection June 2022 – U-Render Showcase

The post Attend the free webinar on U-Render! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

• New software versions: Reallusion releases Character Creator 4 and iClone 8.
• Online training: Virtual Production Dojo course on working with Digital Humans. Ideal for anyone who wants to get to grips with the new versions of the Reallusion tools now

In nuce: Reallusion has released two new software versions: Character Creator version 4 and iClone version 8. Character Creator 4 (CC4 for short) is a comprehensive software solution for creating high-quality 3D characters – whether for further processing with iClone, Maya, Blender, Unreal Engine, Unity or similar 3D tools. IClone 8, on the other hand, is a real-time 3D animation software for – as the official description says – film, previs, animation, video games, content development, education and art.

What new features can you expect? According to Reallusion’s self-promotion, Character Creator is set to join industry-leading pipelines with its release. The declared aim is to offer a one-stop solution with Character Creator, from the creation of a 3D character, through asset management, to the rendering of a look development. A commentary by the development team states that the “user-friendly production environment” of iClone 8 “merges character animation, scene design and cinematic storytelling”.

What are the flagship features of Reallusion? The following key points are among the features that are intended to enhance working with CC4 and iClone. In the two videos, which we have linked below, you can see in picture, sound and colour which innovations are coming. You can find full information on CC4 at manual.reallusion.com and on iClone 8 at manual.reallusion .

• CC4: Improved face display
• CC4: Custom Expression Blendshapes
• CC4: Animation preview, display & rendering
• CC4: Now works better with InstaLOD

Character Creator 4 Launch | Universal Character System for Animation, Game, XR and Metaverse

• iClone 8: Motion Director – Offers gameplay controls for the first time, allowing you to manoeuvre characters, apply motion triggers & move dynamic (virtual) cameras – all in real time.
• iClone 8: Improved real-time visualisation – Has been expanded to include: volumetric light, motion blur improvements, lens flare and mirror plane shaders.
• iClone 8: RTX GPU-based path trace rendering – Connection to Nvidia Omniverse is possible, including support for USD.
• iClone 8: Performance – According to the developers, the software architecture has been optimised. Features that should make it easier for users to manage large-scale creative projects are planned for the future.

iClone 8 Demo Video | Dramatically Simplify Character Animation

Course from Virtual Production Dojo: As mentioned at the beginning, the “Reallusion Intensive Certificate – Character Creator & iClone” course is particularly attractive for those of you who want to get to grips with Character Creator 4 and iClone 8. During the course, you will learn from scratch how to create realistic-looking 3D characters.

Learning content of the online course: The second course module deals specifically with iClone. Below is a selection of the learning objectives that course participants will be aiming for. All further information on participation, duration and price can be found at virtualproductiondojo.com.

• Real-time animation – and how it works
• Scene design and construction
• Tools & methods for animating the body and face
• Achieving lip sync with the help of AI tools
• Lighting & camera animation
• Rendering & Exporting

Click further: Homepage of Reallusion.

The post Character Creator 4 & iClone 8 released! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.