This demo shows just some of the possibilities for bringing outside models into the world of iClone, using their extremely powerful tool 3DXchange2. While Sketchup isn’t the sole input path, it’s one of the more appealing ones for quick results because of the mind boggling volume of freely available models in Google’s 3D Warehouse.

What’s most impressive to me about this isn’t just the ability to import while preserving textures, but the features like auto smoothing and specularity adjustment - extremely difficult feats for beginners to do via other methods.

Keep an eye out for more 3DXchange videos on Reallusion’s YouTube channel, which is already loaded with fantastic iClone2 tutorials by James Martin.

By way of the 3DXchange add-on, there are a great number of paths by which one can get 3D content into iClone. For a large number of source formats, these can be brought into iClone without owning any large commercial 3D modeling program like Max or Maya.

Check out the following map I put together using Bubbl.us, it illustrates just some of the pathways by which 3d material and animations can make their way into iClone via 3DXchange.

Consider this a work in progress. I made this for myself as a guide when I’m looking at places like TurboSquid or other content stores, if I see a piece of work I’d like to use in one of the machinima programs, I want to see what would be involved in bringing it over. The process underlying any one of those connecting lines is not always easy; eventually, I’d like to turn this map into something interactive, with clickable links to definitions, how-tos, etc.

I focused on intermediary tools that I have in my own possession; you probably have a different set. If you’d like me to share this “mind map” with you via Bubbl.us so you can adapt it to your own setup, feel free to befriend me there (I’m zsoverman), there are some nice collaboration features.

This kind of map does not yet exist for Moviestorm; the paths are still being forged even now. I’m fortunate enough to be working closely with some of the minds taking on this task, so as soon as those paths are paved, I’ll present something similar to this for Moviestorm. As time permits, I plan to do the same for Antics, and for several game platforms like the Source engine, Unreal, and so on.