Create iClone Character with Maya

Welcome to iClone tutorial for importing Maya template into iClone. In this lesson you will need 3DXchange, iClone and the newest FBX lugin a!aila"le for Maya. #he following image illustrates the pipeline of how to import Maya Characters into iClone.

How to get iClone Standard Character?

If you ha!e purchased 3DXchange ro from $eallusion, the iClone %tandard Character is included in the resource pac&.

Step-by-Step
In this tutorial we will guide you through the process of how to modify the e'isting (3 Character model and import it to iClone. )fter you are done with this tutorial, you will "e familiar with the following concepts* Character Ma&eup and Construction Import Character FBX #emplates %cale and fit the $+ Bone %ystem to your character meshes reparation for Model ,diting o o %a!ing %&in Weight Delete $igging and %&inning Information Model )dditional Mesh for the Character Com"ine )dditional Meshes into -ne iece Import the re!ious Weighting Map )d.ust Weighting of the /ew Meshes

,dit Character Models o o o o

Character #e'turing for iClone ,'port the Character from Maya Con!ert from 3DXchange to iClone

Character Makeup and Construction

o Concept 01: #here are 0 interchangea"le "ody parts allowed in iClone.

Characters are handled in a specific way in iClone. %o "efore we "uild any characters for iClone, there are some concepts we need to discuss in order for the process to progress smoothly.

-n the iClone (3 character, you will find 1 interchangea"le "ody parts. -f those parts, only 0 can "e created from scratch or edited from an e'isting model. #he "asic "ody parts are* Face* #he face is the only part you don2t e'plicitly model. #his o".ect is handled differently as will "e discussed in the 3)"out the 4ead %ection3. 4ands* #he hand parts are separate from the upper lim"s to allow for interchangea"ility. 5pper "ody* #he upper "ody contains the torso and arms. +ower "ody* #he +ower "ody contains the waist, upper and lower legs. %hoes* #he shoes are separate from the lower "ody to allow for interchangea"ility. o Concept 02: #he !erte' and edge "order rules* $ule 67* #here must "e a specific num"er of !ertices and edges that ma&e up the "order "etween any two "ody parts. For e'ample, where the nec& attaches to the 85pper9 "ody, there must "e a specific num"er of !ertices on

the "ottom "order of the nec&, and top of the torso where the nec& attaches.

$ule 6:* #he !ertices from each section must "e a"le to connect to each other. #his is fairly simple; <ust ma&e sure that the !ertices from "oth pieces of geometry align together. It2s -= to mo!e the !ertices to accomplish this. <ust ma&e sure there are e>ual num"ers of !ertices on each section. #o a!oid any gap "etween the connection "order line, you may use the snap !ertices tool to align the !ertices closely together. For e'ample* connect05 !pper andconnect05 Hands"

#lign$ent with %ap

Correctly #ligned

$ule 63* #he !ertices must ha!e appropriately named selection sets. ,ach "order of !ertices is gi!en a specific selection set name at the su" o".ect le!el. For each "order line, it should ha!e two sets. ,g. the "order line for connect?7 should ha!e two selection sets, one is selected with the face mesh and the other one is with the upper "ody. #here should "e a total of 7: selection sets.

If you ha!e not yet see the selection set in the outliner, here are the steps to add %elect %et in Maya. #he "order !ertices must adhere to the !erte' and edge count re>uirements mentioned pre!iously. For each "ody parts we will set an indi!idual "ody connection set. 7. 4ighlight the face and select the nec& line !ertices. :. (o to Create @ Sets @ &uick Select Set and enter the name* connect01 'ace.

3. /otice an additional connect01 'ace is added in -utliner. 4. Do the same for connect01 !pper( "ut this time select the nec&
!ertices with the upper "ody selected.

5. %elect the !ertices along the "ottom "order of the 5pper Body in the
waist area. /ame it connect20 !pper. 1. #hen select the !ertices of the lower "ody across the top Awaist areaB. /ame it connect20 )ower.

C. )nother connection set should also add to the an&le section. D. %elect the )*'+ #,-)* !ertices of the upper "ody and the shoe and name the select set for these !ertices connect0. )ower and connect0. Shoes.

E. For the /0%H+ #,-)* !ertices of the upper "ody and the shoe and name the select set for these !ertices connect01 )ower and connect01 Shoes.

7?. /ow, select the 4)/D%. %elect the "order !ertices of the )*'+ 2/0S+ of the upper "ody and hands, and name it connect05 !pper and connect05 Hands.

77. For the /0%H+ 2/0S+, select the "order !ertices of the 3upper3 "ody and name the select set connect03 !pper and connect03 Hands.

Before you proceed to the ne't step, please ma&e sure all the "order lines match to the num"er of !ertices for each "ody part. o Concept 0.: #he "one structure is different in iClone. Maya has its own "one system, so please do not change the naming and structure of the $+ "ones.

0$port Character '45 +e$plate

When you are importing iClone %tandard Characters into Maya using the FBX file, you do not need to ad.ust any of the settings in the FBX Importer. Fou may lea!e the settings as the default.

Scale and 6it the /) 4one Syste$ to your character $eshes

By scaling the $+ Bone of the iClone %tandard Character, you will "e a"le to change the o!erall proportion and the "ody shape of the character. 7. +aunch Maya. Import the file right into Maya "y dragging and dropping the f"' file.

:. +etGs first transform the (3 character into a muscular superhero "y scaling its $+ "ones.

3. %elect a $+ Bone from -utliner to scale.

Note: Fou may scale multiple "ody parts "y holding shift and selecting additional $+ "ones. ItGs useful when ad.usting left and right lim"s simultaneously at the same time to maintain symmetry. H. %elect the "ody parts you want to ad.ust "y clic&ing on the $+ "one. %cale the "ones to deform the mesh and e'aggerate the muscle "ulge.

0. 4ere is my character after ad.usting the characterGs "ody.

Before

)fter

7reparation 6or Model *diting

Sa8ing Skin 2eight %a!ing s&in weights sa!es us a lot of time when ad.usting e!ery single part of the "ody. By doing this, we can easily load the weighting from the iClone %tandard character after we ha!e modified all the meshes. Before you sa!e the s&in weight of the character, you need to thin& a"out which "ody part mesh will "e modified. For my character, I will "e modifying the upper "ody and lower "ody with a new mesh. #hus, the upper and lower "ody are the -/+F two parts I will sa!e the s&in weight maps for. 7. 4ighlight the upper "ody mesh and choose *9port Skin 2eight Maps to sa!e s&in weights.

:. %elect a place to store the s&in maps and confirm the num"er of s&in maps to "e written.

3. Clic& :es to confirm the writing.

/ow, I will repeat the same procedure for lower "ody. ;etach /igging and Skinning 0n6or$ation For us to add a new mesh to the character, you must first detach the information on the s&in from the s&eleton, then "ind the s&in again after you finish modifying the meshes of the character. lease remem"er you only need to detach the parts of the modified s&in mesh. ,.g. if I ha!e modified the s&in mesh of the upper "ody, then I only need to e'port the weight maps of the upper "ody. 7. %elect the upper "ody mesh from the outliner.

2. (o to *dit @ ;elete by +ype @ History. #his remo!es all the relation

"etween the mesh and "ones, and gi!e us a clean mesh to wor& on. 3. /ow, all the "ones ha!e no weights.

*dit Character Models

Model #dditional Mesh 6or the Character #his part of the tutorial is completely su".ecti!e. Fou can edit your o".ect anyway you li&e. #o enhance your a!atar2s characteristics, we can add and design additional meshes for the character. I ha!e planned to ma&e my character wear a "adge on "oth arms. 7. Choose a cu"e polygon and ad.ust the num"er of su"di!isions and the siIe of the polygon.

:. Model the polygon "y using the e'trude tool.

3. #hen, use the merge tool to com"ine the !ertices of the two faces. H. #he o!erall shape has "een modeled. Fou may now refine the details of the model.

5. -nce you ha!e completed the right side, you may ;uplicate Special to the
other side. Inside the ;uplicate Special window, select 0nstance and then +ranslate to mirror the other side.

1. When you mo!e the !ertices on the left side armor the right side armor also mo!es. Fou can use the steps descri"ed a"o!e to ma&e any other mirror o".ects.

Model ;ress 6or your Character 7. )dd a olygon ipe and set to appropriate su"di!ision.

:. %ince e'trusion is really handy when modeling in Maya, I will use the e'trude tool to model my dress. 3. ,na"le the -eep 'aces +ogether for the "ac& side of the dress, this will &eep all the chosen faces together when you e'trude.

H. Disa"le the =eep Faces #ogether for the front part, this will ma&e the chosen faces separate slightly once they are e'truded.

Character +e9turing 6or iClone

#e'turing in iClone is handled on a per o".ect "asis, meaning you create the specific maps you need .ust for that o".ect. )ayered +e9tures are supported so

you can ha!e : materials per o".ect. #his is how you te'ture s&in and clothes at the same time. Before you "egin te'turing, you will need mapping coordinates for your geometry. !< +e9ture Mapping is not co!ered in this tutorial "ecause this is considered a core s&ill to &now for this tutorial. ,a$ing /ule: When you modify a character for iClone, you should follow the naming rule for "oth the s&in and cloth. )s you can see in the illustration "elow, all the s&in te'tures include 3Skin3 in front of e!ery "ody part. For the cloth part, 3Skin3 has "een eliminated and only &eeps the "ody part names for iClone to identify.

Skin ,a$ing

Cloth ,a$ing

4ere are the steps for the lower "ody in more detail* ). Create a s&in material named 3%&in3, set the diffuse color white A:00, :00, :00B. 5sing your fa!orite imageJediting program, create a te'ture map that appro'imates what the s&in of your character would loo& li&e without clothes. It isn2t necessary to create all the details, .ust the details that will "e seen. $emem"er, a 7?'7? pi'el swatch from the s&in map is used for the s&in tone matching system. Be sure that this is present in the s&in te'ture map Aas well as the othersB. B. Create the Clothes Material named 3+ower3, set the diffuse color to white A:00, :00, :00B. )gain, using your fa!orite imageJediting program, create a te'ture map that represents the clothes your character will "e wearing. 4ere are e'amples of the Cloth map and the %&in Map used for the 3+ower3 "ody.

#e'ture Map for +ower Body

#e'ture Map for the +ower Body %&in

#pply Material 7. %elect the polygons to apply new material to.

2. (o to )ighting=Shading @ #dd ,ew Material and pic& phong to apply the

"adge. 3. In the Co$$on Material #ttributes change the color to sil!er.

H. In the %pecular %hading section ad.ust the specularity for the "adge to a higher le!el.

0. $epeat the steps for the other additional meshes.

Co$bine #dditional Meshes into >ne 7iece Before com"ining additional meshes into one piece, please remem"er that all the "ody parts are separate meshes, which di!ide the character into fi!e parts* Face, 4ands, 5pper, +ower and shoes. #hus, if you ha!e additional meshes for the upper "ody, you only need to select the new meshes of the upper "ody to com"ine. 7. With the upper torso and armors selected, clic& 3Co$bine3.

:. /ow all the meshes ha!e merged into a single piece.

3. Do the same for the lower "ody.

0$port the 7re8ious 2eighting Map )pplying the pre!iously sa!ed weight map is the stage where you need to use Maya2s "ind s&inning techni>ue to allow the $+ Bone system to s&in with the character mesh again. %elect all the "ones and "ody parts for importing weight maps. 7. (o to Skin @ *dit S$ooth Skin @ 0$port Skin 2eight Maps to apply.

:. %eeK My character can now mo!e after applying the pre!ious weighting map.

lus, all the additional meshes mo!e with it too.

Note:

o -nly 3Face3 can "e s&inned to the 3<aw3 "one. %&inning "ody part models other than 3Face3 to t will cause a con!ersion error.

#d?ust 2eighting o6 the ,ew Meshes %ince not all the points are weighted to the desired points as we wish, with the Co$ponent *ditor, you can directly modify the !alues of indi!idual s&in point weights.

7. %elect the s&in points you want to weight.

2. %elect 2indows @ %eneral *ditors @ Co$ponent *ditor.

#he Co$ponent *ditor displays the component data for currently selected components in the wor&space.

3. Clic& on the S$ooth Skins ta". #he S$ooth Skins ta" lists all the weights assigned to a s&eletonGs .oint.

In the Co$ponent *ditor you can enter the weighting !alues of the points to define which "one they should "e weighted to.

*9port the Character

%ince we ha!e added the desired accessories and ad.usted the character, we can now e'port the FBX file.

1. (o to 'ile @ *9port #ll.

:. %elect FBX file type to "e the e'port option. 3. #he '45 *9porter pops up for ad!anced options.

,nsure that Selection Sets is selected for the connection "oundary to "e identified when the character is imported into iClone.

,na"le *$bed Media for the te'ture maps to "e em"edded with the character.

When you e'port the FBX file, please ma&e sure that you ha!e @ 5p )'is selected.

Con8ert 6ro$ .;5change to iClone

7. Import the FBX file to .;5change1. Chec& the character after importing into .;5change1.

:. If you are satisfied with the character, you can then con!ert it into an iClone1 a!atar.

3. Import into iClone and apply motions to the character to see the result.