Greetings, my name is Peter Alexander (aka Mythcons). I’m a character designer who specializes in Character Creator related workflows. In this new age of AI, I’ve been looking at ways to leverage this technology so that users can more easily take advantage of it for use in Character Creator and iClone. So I’d like to present this workflow, which may assist for both AI generated characters and traditionally sculpted characters you’d like to bring into this 3D ecosystem.
Step 1: Generate & Import Your AI Mesh
Use Tencent Hunyuan 2.5 or a similar AI mesh generation tool (or use your own sculpted design). Upload your character reference image and generate the base mesh. Then open Character Creator 4 (CC4), send a CC3+ base character to ZBrush using GoZ Plus, and append the AI mesh into the SubTool hierarchy.
Step 2: SubTool Hierarchy Setup
In ZBrush, place the CC3+ base mesh at the top of the SubTool stack, and the AI mesh directly below it. This setup is important for using Zwrap.
Step 3: Point Alignment for Wrapping
Use Zwrap to align key landmarks between the base mesh and AI mesh. Focus on areas with no armor like the face and torso. Align eyelids to eyelids, fingertips to fingertips, etc.
Step 4: Execute the Wrapping Process
With points aligned, initiate the wrapping process. Adjust point placement if needed and confirm the result. This gives you a wrapped version of the CC3+ base mesh that matches the AI sculpt.
Step 5: Sculpting & Corrections
After wrapping, use the Morph Target system to correct distorted areas like the eyes and mouth. Mask affected zones, then invert the mask and use the Morph Target slider to bring those regions back into place.
Step 6: Extract & Remesh Accessories
To recreate armor or accessories, mask relevant areas on the AI mesh, extract them, then use ZRemesher for clean topology. You can use polygroups and poly paint to organize and texture them.
Step 7: ZRemeshed Accessory Example
This shows a remeshed accessory, optimized for CC4 using ZRemesher with polygroups to maintain detail and edge flow.
Step 8: Bake & Transfer Textures via GoZ Plus
Bake your Diffuse and Normal maps from polypaint and sculpt detail, then use GoZ Plus to transfer the mesh and textures into CC4. If the mesh is distorted, repeat the GoZ transfer.
Step 9: Clothing Hierarchy & Conform Options
Once in CC4, organize your clothing items by hierarchy. Ensure pieces like boots are above pants if they should overlay. Use the Hide Mesh feature to prevent poke-through.
Step 10: Adjust Skin Weights
Use CC4’s skin weight tools to paint and fix areas of poor deformation. This step is crucial for maintaining animation quality.
Step 11: Facial Profile Editing
Open the Facial Profile Editor in CC4 to adjust and test facial expressions. For stylized characters, you may want to sculpt these morphs in ZBrush and bake them back into the system.
Step 12: ZBrush Expression Tweaks
If facial expressions aren’t working perfectly, GoZ them to ZBrush, adjust as needed, then bake them back into CC4 using the GoZ Plus workflow.
Conclusion
You’ve now completed the full pipeline for converting an AI-generated 3D sculpt into a fully functional Character Creator 4 (CC4) avatar. This process allows for creative flexibility with AI-generated content while leveraging the robustness of CC3+ topology and rigging. With GoZ Plus, ZWrap, and CC4’s tools, you can efficiently build expressive, game-ready characters with custom meshes, accessories, and animations. Don’t be intimidated by the steps — with a bit of practice, you’ll be creating high-quality avatars ready for animation, games, or cinematic projects.
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