Hello,
I am animating characters in iClone, export them to FBX and import them in 3ds Max to render with V-Ray. When I change something in iClone I can basically repeat the steps to update the existing animation in 3ds Max without losing the work done for materials etc. This works okay so far, until I tried to put a second character in. Then I get lots of naming conflicts during FBX import, because even with different characters with different character names in iClone, all the objects are named the same (“CC_Base_BoneRoot” etc.). Is there a way to give every object in iClone a unique name or am I doing something the wrong way in this pipeline?
Thanks,
Bob
I don’t know if this would work, but Autodesk has a tool to convert binary FBX to ascii (text) FBX, which you should be able to edit. You can then convert back to binary.
It is older software, but I believe it still works: FBX Converter Archives | Autodesk Platform Services.
Thanks for the quick response and the idea. I have just given it a quick try and unfortunately it creates other problems (besides it being a little cumbersome to do it the same way for every animation update): The textures get lost in the process, and maybe more perhaps due to converting to a much older FBX version, it is hard to tell without deeper investigation at the moment.
How do you usually deal with more than one character in an external software (I am new to iClone)?
Thanks,
Bob
I don’t use external software, but many here do so hopefully they can fill you in.
Hi,
you should be using the official 3DSmax pipeline tool from Realliusion
to avoid such conflicts.
Thanks for leading me to the 3ds Max pipeline. I have seen that and unfortunately had to stop at the system requirements (3ds Max 2023 and V-Ray 6), I am using 2022 and V-Ray 4, the newer versions are just too expensive… So I did not continue looking at it. I have seen the same problem in the feedback tracker in a 4 year old issue. It says that in Character Creator it is possible to rename the parts on export, unfortunately that is not the case for iClone.
Hi
I am not a 3DS max user but I do have/use Autodesk Maya
and it seems inconceivable to me that max cannot import or reference two identical copies of the same FBX file without conflicts.
I just tried it in Maya and got two copies of the same CC3 FBX export with no errors
there must be some import or reference setting in Max you are missing somehow.
I believe the OP’s problem is having issues with importing two different characters because they both have the same bone names (or something to that effect).
It should not matter theoreticaly .
CC4 characters exported as FBX may have superficially different meshes(morphed shape hair & clothings)
However the internal bone structure naming convention needs to be identical/standardized if these “pipeline” tools are to have any effectiveness in being converted to the native control rigs of the external Apps that have have professional animation systems like Blenders rigify, Maya’s human IK or Max’s Biped system.
such standardization is the only way the actor core commercial motions can have any value outside of Iclone.
For example when you take a random humanoid biped mesh from sketchfab etc and rig it with Accurig that mesh now has a standard CC bone structure that is auto recognized by the whatever 3DCC Preset you chose when exporting from Accurig
There has to be some misstep the OP is doing in 3DsMax
Thanks for your thoughts on that problem. I do can import different FBX characters, as long as I use the “Add”-option in the FBX import options. The problem occurs when I change the animation in iClone, re-export as FBX and try to re-import into 3ds Max, this time using the “Update”-option, so I do not lose the work done in 3ds Max on materials, changes to the geometry etc. and just update the animation. This is when the FBX importer does not know which “CC_Base_BoneRoot”-object it should update for example. Ignoring the error results in chaos.
I see.
If you can add a second character in 3DS max.
why not just use the add function to import the new updated animation and retarget it to the fully textured Character with 3DS Max’s retarget tools as this is guy is doing
in this video.
Thanks again! Unfortunately this Retargeting-function is a specific function for characters rigged with the CAT system, it cannot be used to retarget one FBX skeleton from iClone with another. The target rig has to be a CAT rig. Newly rigging and skinning every iClone character would be a lot of work of course. But you made me think of trying a different function, the save/load motion funtion of 3ds Max. It takes longer and more steps than just using the FBX update but seems to be a usable workaround, thanks. I wish I could just give a prefix for the bone names in iClone on export, it would make things so much easier…