Create Your Own Character in Real Time!

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Ease of Character Creation with Character Creator
3. Customization and Deployment of 3D Character Models
4. New Features in Character Creator 4.1
   • Integration of AccuRig for Rigging
   • Altered Proportions After Rigging
   • Saving Character Templates
   • Decimation and Subdivision Export Options for Hyper-Realistic Characters
   • U Subdivide Mesh for Smoother Surfaces
   • Subdivision Export for Better Quality Mesh
   • Conforming Hair on Head with Weight Painting
   • Preservation of Pauses and Body Scale when Importing via Mutual Bridges
   • Batch Importing of OBJ Files
   • Facial Expression Modifications with External 3D Tools
5. Conclusion

Introduction

Character creation for animation films and games is becoming increasingly important in today's digital entertainment industry. The ability to create unique and customizable characters not only enhances the artistic process but also allows for more immersive storytelling. One of the leading character creation tools available in the market is Character Creator by Reallusion. In its latest release, Character Creator 4.1, the software continues to improve upon its features, making it an indispensable tool for artists and animators.

Ease of Character Creation with Character Creator

Character Creator has gained popularity for its user-friendly interface and efficient workflow. Artists can easily create 3D humanoid characters with a wide range of customizable options. Whether it's adjusting facial features, body proportions, or clothing styles, Character Creator offers a comprehensive set of tools to bring characters to life. Additionally, the software provides pre-built character templates that can be reused and modified as needed.

Customization and Deployment of 3D Character Models

One of the main strengths of Character Creator is the ability to customize and deploy 3D character models. Artists can not only create unique characters but also animate them for various purposes. With the recent release of Character Creator 4.1, artists now have more flexibility in character customization, pre-animation testing, and exporting to different animation tools. This update aims to address the challenges artists face when wiring characters for animation, exporting to multiple tools, and maintaining a high level of detail.

New Features in Character Creator 4.1

Integration of AccuRig for Rigging

AccuRig is Religion's independent rigging system, used for generating full body and finger rigs for biped characters. With Character Creator 4.1, AccuRig is fully integrated into the software, allowing artists to create animation-ready characters from any static mesh in seconds. This new implementation provides artists with additional creative control over character proportions, even after rigging.

Altered Proportions After Rigging

Character Creator 4.1 introduces the ability to alter character proportions even after the rigging process is complete. This feature gives artists more flexibility in modifying and refining their characters' appearance, enhancing the overall creative process.

Saving Character Templates

In Character Creator 4.1, artists can now save character templates for reuse with other characters. This time-saving feature allows for efficient character creation, especially when working on multiple projects or similar character designs. It streamlines the workflow and ensures consistent character creation across projects.

Decimation and Subdivision Export Options for Hyper-Realistic Characters

Creating realistic characters for films and games often requires extreme attention to detail, particularly for close-up shots. The new decimation and subdivision export options in Character Creator 4.1 address the need for high-quality, hyper-realistic characters without sacrificing real-time performance. Artists can now export characters with customizable levels of detail, ensuring optimal quality for different viewing distances.

U Subdivide Mesh for Smoother Surfaces

To improve the overall look and feel of character models, Character Creator 4.1 introduces the U Subdivide Mesh feature. This functionality generates smoother surfaces, enhances details, and refines shading. Quad-based rigged and unrigged characters benefit from this feature, resulting in a more polished appearance.

Subdivision Export for Better Quality Mesh

Character Creator 4.1 includes subdivision export options for FBX, OBJ, and USD formats. This allows artists to decide the level of detail and whether textures should be baked into the exported mesh. The enhanced subdivision export ensures better quality mesh exports, catering to specific project requirements.

Conforming Hair on Head with Weight Painting

In previous versions of Character Creator, head hair, eyebrows, and beards could not fully conform to facial expressions. However, Character Creator 4.1 introduces the conforming hair on the head with weight painting feature. This new option enables artists to assign facial hair vertex on specific parts of the model, resulting in a more realistic and accurate facial motion during animations.

Preservation of Pauses and Body Scale when Importing via Mutual Bridges

To maintain consistency in character proportions, Character Creator 4.1 preserves the pose and body scale of characters when importing via mutual bridges such as ZBrush. This feature ensures that characters remain true to their original design and eliminates the need for additional adjustments or modifications.

Batch Importing of OBJ Files

Character Creator now supports batch importing of OBJ files. This feature streamlines the process of adjusting expressions for characters. Artists can export the characters in OBJ format, modify them using external 3D tools, and batch import the updated files into Character Creator. This provides artists with greater flexibility and control over facial expressions and modifications.

Facial Expression Modifications with External 3D Tools

For artists who prefer to make their own modifications to characters using external 3D tools, Character Creator 4.1 offers a round-trip workflow. Artists can export characters in OBJ format, make desired facial expression modifications using tools like Maya, Blender, or 3ds Max, and then use the facial profile editor in Character Creator to update the existing sliders or create new ones. This functionality provides artists with more creative freedom and flexibility when customizing characters.

Conclusion

Character Creator 4.1 brings a host of new features and improvements to the already impressive software. With enhanced rigging capabilities, better customization options, and improved mesh export, artists can work more efficiently and achieve higher quality results. Whether creating characters for animation films or games, Character Creator provides the tools and flexibility needed to bring unique characters to life. As the digital entertainment industry continues to evolve, Character Creator remains a valuable asset for artists, providing them with the means to unleash their creativity and push the boundaries of character creation.

Highlights

• Character Creator 4.1 is a powerful tool for character creation in animation films and games.
• The software offers a user-friendly interface and customizable options for creating unique characters.
• New features in Character Creator 4.1 include AccuRig integration, altered proportions after rigging, saving character templates, decimation and subdivision export options, conforming hair with weight painting, preservation of pauses and body scale when importing via mutual bridges, batch importing of OBJ files, and facial expression modifications with external 3D tools.
• These new features improve the efficiency and quality of character creation, allowing artists to unleash their creativity and push the boundaries of character design.
• Character Creator 4.1 is a valuable asset for artists in the digital entertainment industry, offering a comprehensive set of tools for character customization, animation, and deployment.

FAQ:

Q: What is Character Creator? A: Character Creator is a software tool that allows artists to create and customize 3D characters for animation films and games. It offers a range of features and tools to make character creation easier and more efficient.

Q: What is the new feature in Character Creator 4.1? A: Character Creator 4.1 introduces several new features, including AccuRig integration, altered character proportions after rigging, saving character templates, decimation and subdivision export options, conforming hair with weight painting, preservation of pauses and body scale when importing via mutual bridges, batch importing of OBJ files, and facial expression modifications with external 3D tools.

Q: How does Character Creator improve the quality of character creation? A: Character Creator provides artists with a comprehensive set of tools to create and customize characters. With features like AccuRig integration, customizable rigging, and mesh export options, artists can achieve higher quality character models, both visually and performance-wise.

Q: Can I use Character Creator for both animation films and games? A: Yes, Character Creator is suitable for both animation films and games. Its features and customization options cater to the needs of artists working in various industries within the digital entertainment field.