There are some tips while using iClone, Character Creator, these following tips can help with increasing productivity, and know about more the software quickly.
1. Hotkey
These following most commonly used operations shortcut. (Must!)
Object Operation:
- Q(Select), W(Move), E(Rotate), R(Resize)
- Focus: F (Front), J (Face), K (View all)…
Camera
- Shift + Mouse wheel (Speed up zoom in/out)
- Alt + Left mouse button (Move Camera view)
- Alt + Right mouse button (Rotate camera view)
Ctrl + G (Toggle on/off grid, the grid means the horizatal)
Ctrl + F (Toggle on/off system information)
Ctrl + Q (Toggle on/off gizmo)
More info about hotkey:
iClone 8
Character Creator 4:
2. Green text means that function can be keyframed
Any operation of the feature with green text will be keyframed into Timeline:
Auto Key
Due to the Auto Keyframe function cannot be turned off, this is the way of iClone to animate. If a key is accidentally recorded, we can go to the Timeline and check the related track to edit back the key.
Method 1 – The first key is the initial state of the object, if you delete the first key, the upcoming key would become the first state, so the auto animation will not be tween. (See the blue mark in the screenshot below)
Method 2 – Another easy way to undo the auto key is copying the target state key, and then replace to the previous key. (See the green mark in the screenshot below)
3. Preview render mode
iClone provides several options to adjust preview rendering. Depends on your needs, you can select Quick Mode to keep the performance, or select High to render all the textures, light and shadow, etc.
For instance, there are a mirror, sky tool, character with hair and a PopcornFX particle in the scene. There are different preview render results shown as below. Note that the preview render options will not affect the final render result.
Kindly Refer to: https://manual.reallusion.com/iClone-8/Content/ENU/8.0/03-Introducing-the-User-Interface/Shading_Methods_of_Preview_Window.htm
4. Drag pictures into viewport with right mouse button
There are some options to import a picture as different types, by dragging the picture with right mouse button into the viewport.
Demo:
See more information here: https://manual.reallusion.com/iClone-8/Content/ENU/8.0/30-Set/Video/Applying_Videos_into_Texture_Channels.htm
5. Quick Duplicate a prop and Make Unique
For quickly duplicating a prop, you can select it and press hotkey [W] to toggle on the Move gizmo, then press [Ctrl] + hold and drag the prop with Left Mouse Button.
This method only works with ‘Prop’, but not for ‘Character’.
The clone prop shares all the textures setting with the original prop, so that you can change one of them to batch change the textures.
You can also make it unique by [Make Unique], so the clone prop will become an unique prop and will not share the textures setting from the original prop.
