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any iClone users? (question about program)

assmonkeyassmonkey Posts: 0
edited December 1969 in The Commons

1st, are there any really good tutorials out there for this program?

2nd, from what I saw, you use the 3dXchange program to covert BVH motions (that are not iclone's) to fit with iClone's own skeleton bones of their Avatars. Can I by-pass the 3dXchange program, and use motion builder to convert the BVH files over? Like, is there a way I can get an FBX format of their base Avatar to convert the BVH files to fit them?

Comments

  • Dream CutterDream Cutter Posts: 1,224
    edited September 2013

    Yes, you could do it that way. Applying a generic BHV is a standard operation especially for a biped. Its overkill if this is your only use for IC 3D Exchange Pipeline because there are many tools that will do this that are much cheaper. However if you have broader needs in the future like more game conversions, movie making and animation work, then by all means I recommend it. Most figure rigging systems will allow you to map a BHV to their bone systems from milkshape to fragmosoft, to ultimate unwrap 3d deepMesh3d to start on the low cost side. And of course, Poser and DAZ.
    Whats involved is selecting mesh groupings or vertices and assigning them to the appropriate BHV node name. Some apps also allow you do define vertices weighting for bend smoothing/blending across groups.

    Post edited by Dream Cutter on
  • assmonkeyassmonkey Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    I have motion builder on my computer, that's what I use to convert BVH files to work with Genesis

    What I want to do, is apply the edited BVH files to use in iClone

  • Dream CutterDream Cutter Posts: 1,224
    edited September 2013

    >>Like, is there a way I can get an FBX format of their base Avatar to convert the BVH files to fit them?<< Ok its the FBX part that through me. You dont need FBX for that, but the answer is yes, its easy. With 3d exchange pipeline you can open a bhv mocap and send it to iClone, no fbx needed. <br />
    Conversely if you have an FBX with animation and morphs baked in, that too can be sent to IClone w/o a BHV being necessary for the animation to remain intact. BHV's are a nice way to transfer mocap between formats such as fbx, dae and .x, however it does not contain any vertices info (mesh shape), only the rotation and translation of bones. You need to scale and assign bhv bones to mesh groups of the format to implement the animation. Mapping rigs is is where pipeline excels, especially for genesis because the node info is pre-loaded.

    Post edited by Dream Cutter on
  • assmonkeyassmonkey Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Yes, I know 3dXchange can do the BVH stuff

    BUt what I wanted to know is if I CAN take the base Avatars from iClone, so I can convert the BVH files to work with them Motion Builder

    From what I understand, every motion you take into iClone, they're all fixed to work with their own Avatars

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,512
    edited December 1969

    if you mean motions from Reallusion marketplace or content store, you need an export license for each.
    Included motions can be exported via 3DXchange 5 pipeline
    (as can mocap,I do not have it)
    BVHacker is good for retargeting/renaming bones.
    that said I am not terribly good at it.
    Is best exported from the figure you wish to use it on retargeted in iClone 3DX5 pipeline first.
    You do not actually have to export to iClone at all.

  • assmonkeyassmonkey Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    No...these are FREE BVH files that I'm using here

    I want to export out the iclone figures, so I cna covert the motions to work with the iclone models

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,512
    edited September 2013

    Do you
    A) want to export BVH?
    BVH is just bone data
    B)want to export figures?
    figures need to be FBX
    I am kind of lost as to what you wish to do.

    maybe start by saying which BVH files you are using and what they are for such as CGspeed Daz or Max CMU mocaps, Secondlife BVH etc

    Post edited by WendyLuvsCatz on
  • assmonkeyassmonkey Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    1) I want to export the iclone figures out
    2) I want to take them into motion builder
    3) I want to take BVH files and convert them to iclone's figures

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,512
    edited December 1969

    why don't you then just export them as FBX with the motions you want?
    (I do not own motion builder but most programs that import FBX should open them animated)

  • Dream CutterDream Cutter Posts: 1,224
    edited September 2013

    Vata Raven said:
    1) I want to export the iclone figures out
    2) I want to take them into motion builder
    3) I want to take BVH files and convert them to iclone's figures

    # 1 is possible - Using 3D Exchange you can export FBX versions of IClone actors that have embedded actions. These actions are just keyframe sequences of translations and rotations in the FBX.

    # 2 Not sure - dont have Autodesk Motion Builder - not even sure what value it adds that IClone does not. I am assuming you will use it to export BHV ?? Like what Wendy said - if it Imports the IClone FBX, why not just create the animations and export again as FBX and call it a day?

    #3 You dont CONVERT BHV motions, you APPLY THEM to the figure (FBX, Collada, Poser DSF etc). I explained how earlier. It seems like you are still mis-understanding the concept of MOCAP format BHV, and the animatable mesh (figure) formats FBX, DAE, .X, CR2, .DSF,VOB etc all of which depend on the app. AGAIN - BHV DOES NOT INCLUDE THE FIGURE MESH. IT BONES MOVE YET HAS NO SCALING, NOR are the bones associated to mesh groups or figure "SKIN" body parts. As such the BHV is portable to other mesh's and can be re-applied by assigning vertices to the bones.

    Post edited by Dream Cutter on
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