Quick Workflow: Building a Character in iClone Character Creator Lite
Overview of the Workflow
- Prepare project settings and references
- Choose a base character and adjust proportions
- Sculpt facial features and expressions
- Customize skin, hair, and clothing
- Retopology, UVs, and texture considerations (where applicable)
- Rigging and export for animation
1. Prepare project settings and references
- Start by creating a new project and set the units (usually meters) and frame rate that match your target pipeline (24/30/60 fps).
- Gather reference images: front and side facial shots, body references, clothing style, and color palette. Having references visible while sculpting speeds decisions and keeps proportions consistent.
2. Choose a base character and adjust proportions
- Open Character Creator Lite and load a base template (male, female, or neutral). These templates are designed to be morph-friendly and animation-ready.
- Use the quick sliders for height, weight, and body proportions to block out the silhouette. Focus on broad shapes first; getting proportions right early saves detailed sculpting time.
- Adjust limb lengths, torso height, and head size to match your reference. Use symmetry while blocking out to keep the mesh consistent.
3. Sculpt facial features and expressions
- Switch to the face editing mode. Character Creator Lite includes morph sliders for nose, eyes, mouth, cheekbones, jawline, and more. Work from large to small: overall face shape → major features → finer details.
- For unique features, combine multiple sliders subtly rather than pushing a single slider to extremes, which can produce unnatural results.
- Test expressions with the built-in expression presets to ensure the face deforms well. Adjust morphs if necessary to avoid clipping during smiles, frowns, or eye squints.
4. Customize skin, hair, and clothing
- Skin: Choose a base skin material and tweak color, roughness, and subsurface scattering (if available). Use texture layers for blemishes, freckles, and makeup. Subtle variation in skin tone improves realism.
- Hair: Lite often includes standard hair assets or base styles. Select a hairstyle that matches the character’s personality. If detailed strand-level hair isn’t available in Lite, choose well-fitting hair cards and adjust color and glossiness.
- Clothing: Pick garments from the included library. Resize and fit clothing to the body proportions. Use layering (undershirts, jackets, accessories) to add realism. If clothes require adjustment, use cloth-fitting tools or basic morphs to reduce clipping.
5. Retopology, UVs, and texture considerations
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