One Year, One Schmuck, 207 iClone Characters

So it's been a year now since I got the full version of iClone. I thought I'd go and count how many iClone characters I've created this past year. I couldn't believe that it came to 207 as of this morning. That's a lot of "cloning". Also, pretty cool how the number is 207 as we approach the year 2007. Makes ya think, eh? Dum da dum dum (What a Geek)! So my question to my self is, ..."Self,... do you need to get a life?". As we say goodbye to 2006, I've come to the conclusion that my life is just fine. In addition to all the great blessings I've had, I've found something wonderful in iClone, allowing me to take my imagination as far as it will go. And more importantly, something that I could share with my child. I can only begin to envision what this next year will bring, in regards to the evolution of iClone. I'm also thankful for meeting John Martin from Reallusion), and getting to know him and his team over the past year. Without them, I couldn't have enhanced my iClone character development further. So a HUGE thank you, guys. Here's my hope for you iClone users out there, ... next time you're creating in iClone, think about the past, and then the future. Realize the achievement of your work since you started and see the growing development process. Know that you're getting better and better at it every day. This realization alone, should be a general daily affirmation of self awareness and growth. I don't mean to sound like a holier-than-thou Guru here. I'm just a middle aged schmuck from Queens, NY. But I'd be lying if I didn't admit that iClone has opened up a world of positive self discovery for me. Ok, enough with the sappy chatter. I usually write here every day. But I'm going to take tomorrow off and gear up for New Years Eve with my family. But for 2007, I really look forward to sharing my iClone character files, tips, & techniques, with all of you here. So I wish you all a Happy New Year filled with great blessings (don't drink and drive :) )!

Till Next Time, .... "Keep Cloning" ... Pauly

A Tip & FREE Character 4U: ORC WARRIOR

Here's another FREE iClone character for you. Meet the "Orc Warrior". He must have escaped from a prison at some point, judging by the shackles still on his neck and wrists. It's an iClone PROJECT FILE, complete with character and accessories. Here's another tip for you too...... if you're using a photo for body or face texture(s), make sure it's a very high resoltion image. This particular character is a good example of a character made from very high resolution textures. Sometimes when some iClone users make a character, the character doesn't look that great when close up. And if you plan on making iClone movies, you definitely want to have that option of nice close ups on your character(s). So by using a very high res photo of a face or body, you'll be sure to have such a character.
Till Next Time, ..."Keep Cloning" ... Pauly

DOWNLOAD ORC PROJECT FILE HERE

iClone VS Family

WARNING: The iClone Surgeon General Has Determined That iClone Can Be Addictive. Actually, there is no iClone Surgeon General. At least not that I know of. But really,... iClone VS Family? Sounds like a no brainer on who should take priority, huh? But actually, you would be surprised to know that because of how much fun iClone is, there are tons of iClone users who spend more time with their "i-cloning", than with their families. I admit, I was one of these types when I first got the full version of iClone. If I had no other work to do, I'd wake up early and go right to my computer and start cloning away. It got to be to the point that my wife felt like she had lost me to another woman. Yeah, sure, I could easily make "digital babes" in iClone. And these babes were great because they never talked back (Ooooo, the wife's gonna kill me for that one). But let's face it, when a man has a new toy, like a car, a football, a remote control for the TV, or iClone, he's going to pay attention to the new toy, .....at least for a while. The good thing about my new iClone addiction, was that I was able to share my new interest with my young daughter, Hali (who I had written about earlier). However, everything eventually sorted itself out. Time management is something that is a must when you have both a family and iClone. Simply find those times of the day or evening when iClone won't interfere with quality time with your family. There's enough time for both. And if you can bring the two together somehow, all the more better.

Till Next Time, ... "Keep Cloning" .... Pauly

Tips & Techniques: Creating a Unique Face

When creating a face in iClone, it's easy to slap on a texture, then move on. However, many people using the program fail to realize that you can make the most out of creating a face, by using the face morph sliders. Yeah, sure, you can load a unique face from a photo. But then when you see the character from another angle, the features are pretty one dimensional. By using the different face morph sliders, you can get some really defined shapes and sizes, giving your character a really unique and interesting appearance. For example, the picture above shows the default "male body suit" face provided in iClone (I think the body suit(s) is provided as a free download at Reallusion.com, if it doesn't already come with the latest full version of iClone). As you can see by the face on the right, by using the facial sliders (found in FACE, MODIFY), you can get some great results when creating your next character. Add some new eyes, teeth, and perhaps a different shade for the skin, and presto, you have a one-of-a-kind iClone character. Also, if you've pushed those sliders as far as they can go, but want your character to have bigger or smaller features, simply SAVE your face by clicking ADD when in FACE mode. Then go and find the face in the CUSTOM section, double click on it, and it will pop in your window. Now go back to MODIFY, FACE, and you will see that all the sliders are back to their neutral positions, enabling you to further enhance the facial features of your new character. Hope this first tip helps you.

Till Next Time, ..."Keep Cloning" ..... Pauly

FREE Christmas Gift For You: SANTA CLAUS

Merry Christmas, everyone. Here's the first of many free iClone characters, which I hope to share with all of you here. Many great iClone artists have made their own versions of jolly 'ol Saint Nick. So I figured I'd have a go as well. It's an iClone project file, with the .vns files for Santa, and his hat, belt, collar, and glasses accessories. Hopefully there will be no problem with your download. Enjoy, and again, Merry Christmas!

Till Next Time, "Keep Cloning" ..... Pauly

DOWNLOAD SANTA PROJECT FILE HERE

An iClone Christmas

As I mentioned in an earlier entry, I bought myself the full version of iClone about a year ago. It was to be a Christmas gift to myself. But it became more than that. It became a gift of self growth and creative potential for me, and more importantly, for my little girl, Hali.

I mentioned that I have ADHD. I need to do a million things to keep me going, and they MUST be creative things. Well, Hali is a lot like me. Life can be difficult for people like us. My big mouth and impulsivity has gotten me into trouble on several occasions. And it can be even more difficult especially when you're a child. Other kids with less patience and understanding can be pretty cruel at times. But what keeps my daughter going is the unconditional love she gets from me and my wife, and her creative abilities. You see, Hali LOVES to write, read, and watch movies. If you ask her what she wants to be, she'll tell you an author and director. But Hali is not like most little girls. Although she's beautifully "girly" in appearance, Hali hates the idea of playing with Barbie Dolls, or watching BRATZ movies. Hali would rather read GOOSEBUMPS, play SIMPSONS video games, watch Cartoon Network Anime shows, and write her own adventures of LORD OF THE RINGS. I love this kid! When I shared iClone with her, the focus she had in learning this program, was amazing. She focused beautifully on my tutorials and picked the methods up within a few hours. She was amazingly natural at navigating her way through the program. She said, "Dad, I'm gonna write a story and make an iClone movie about it". She called her first movie, "WRAPPED". It's the story about two young boys who meet a bunch of mummies in Egypt. I helped her with the editing and camera work in iClone. But she did everything else,...directed, wrote the story, the script, did the voices, chose the music, and even designed and built each character herself in iClone. It was a project that she did in her spare time. It proved something very important to her,.... she can use her unique ways, creativity, and her passion for the odd, to make her dreams a reality. She did just that with a little help from iClone. So from Hali and me, we wish you all a beautiful Holiday Season, and hope all your dreams are fulfilled this New Year.

Till Next Time,...."Keep Cloning". ...... Pauly

Twas the Eve before the Eve of Christmas

not a creature was cloning, not even Abu
shopping for gifts, I only got a few
don't know what to get, not even one clue

anyways, my first post here- it was about a year ago December 12 to be exact when i first got iclone. Before that i dabbled in truespace, poser, made a few pictures and videos here and there.
But sadly i spent more time learning and figuring out how the software worked rather than creating stuff.

So it was quite a delight to discover iclone -got me making a music video from thinking about it to finished video in 2 hours (yep, that's the 'Bush Hates Me' video Pauly mentioned).

so now it is a year later, iclone has grown, and so has the community. There are quite a few iclone based videos, machinimas floating around -i can't believe the amazing videos created - all you have to do is check out Hurlooks 'Reich and Roll' at youtube and you'll know what i mean.

Well back to planning my last minute christmas shopping day - my thinking is most people would be out and about on Saturday night so I'll take that opportunity to do my last minute shopping..... i was going to join the procrastinator's club, but i'll wait till next week.

Gabe 'Aknzrdude'

"Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in thier shoes...that way if they get mad, you're a mile away and you have thier shoes"

How iClone Got Me Through A Mid Life Crisis

Well, after almost a year or so of being a passionate iClone artist, I've decided to post my art work, thoughts, special links & resources, for any of you out there who enjoy iClone as much as I do.

I remember how I discovered iClone. After a few 15 minutes of fame moments in my earlier career as an actor and writer, I was now going through somewhat of a mid-life crisis, waiting for another void to be filled. I have ADHD, big time, so I need to do a million things to keep me going. I was surfing through YOUTUBE, checking out 3d animation (And yes, I admit, checking out all the babes shakin' their booties). But I've always appreciated 3d art & animation, and wished I had the training to create it. At age 41, I felt perhaps I missed the boat and that it would take years to learn something like this. Back at YOUTUBE, I found a 3d animated video called BUSH HATES ME. The guy who created it said he made it in iClone (the creator of the vid, Abukhatar, later became a friend of mine). After watching his video, I immediately did a search on Google for "iClone". Low and behold, I found Reallusion, Inc., the company who makes the iClone program. So I downloaded the free trial version of iClone, and could not believe how freakin' easy it was to create 3d animation. I made my first video in just a few minutes. I had to have the full version of iClone. I had the option of getting it through the mail, or getting it sent through my computer. Like I said, I HAD to have it, so I chose the latter. That night, I made my first animation, "A HOBBITS TALE...Sort Of". I was going through my Lord of the Rings obsession at the time, so hobbits and orcs were on my mind daily (I know, what a dork, eh?). After tinkering around with iClone, I realized I had a knack for creating characters. One of my first iClone Characters was Gollum, from LOTR. I even made Gollum dancing on YOUTUBE. I knew then, I found something very special, not just for me, but also for my little girl, Hali (I'll share her iClone accomplishments with you in future posts).

It's almost a year now since I discovered this amazing software. My original content now sells at Reallusion, and also at www.icloneuniverse.com. I'm a happy camper :). I'll try to make this a regular thing,.... this BLOG thing, I mean. The concept is new to me, but I hope to share some insight, news, links, resources, and other cool things with all of you.

Till next time, ...Keep Cloning. .... Pauly