Reallusion ships iClone 8.4 and Character Creator 4.4
Reallusion has released iClone 8.4 and Character Creator 4.4, the latest free updates to the developer’s real-time character animation software and 3D character creation tool.
iClone 8.4 is a major release, adding an intuitive-looking new crowd simulation system, and further updates to the software’s Motion Director toolset.
Character Creator 4.4 adds support for HumanIK profiles when exporting a character in FBX format, and improves search in the Content Manager.
iClone 8.4: complete new crowd animation and simulation toolset
iClone 8.4 is by far the bigger update, adding a complete new crowd simulation toolset.
Users can distribute crowd characters throughout a 3D scene using a set of new Scatter tools, with options to spawn actors in a specific area, on top of objects, or in preset formations.
The movement of characters around the scene can be controlled by a game-style navmesh, or by creating linear paths for them to follow, using simple point-and-click controls.
Built-in flocking and avoidance behaviours control how close crowd actors get to one another.
To very the appearance of crowd characters, users can arrange them into Actor Groups with custom material settings. The groups can then be paired with specific motions.
To improve performance, characters can be switched to Lite mode, which locks certain animation functions; and the toolset supports DDS image compression to reduce load times.
iClone 8.4: Updates to Motion Director
iClone’s Motion Director toolset, which lets users animate characters semi-automatically using game-style controls, also gets a sizeable update.
Key changes include the option to mix custom upper body motions with Motion Director-generated leg movements.
Characters driven by Motion Director also now have customisable avoidance settings.
In addition, the update introduces a new run-time solution to reduce foot slippage, although it’s currently limited to the embedded Motion Director packs (iMDs).
Character Creator 4.4: updates to FBX export and the Content Manager
Character Creator 4.4 is a smaller update, with the software now including a HumanIK (HIK) profile when exporting a character in FBX format, for use in apps that support HIK, like Maya.
Search workflow in the Content Manager has also been improved, with a search history, support for multi-word searches, and greater support for custom tags.
Price and system requirements
Both iClone 8.4 and Character Creator 4.4 are available for Windows 7+. New perpetual licences cost $299 for Character Creator, and $599 for iClone. Both updates are free to existing users.
Read a full list of new features in iClone 8.4 on Reallusion’s forum
Read a full list of new features in Character Creator 4.4 on Reallusion’s forum
Have your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we don’t post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.