Free Auto Setup for 3DS Max | iClone 8 & Character Creator 4
Most animators are on the lookout for real looking cinematic renders. There may be an business dedicated to third-party renderers that may attest to this. Reallusion as soon as once more extends the benefit of use that comes with iClone to a different blockbuster rendering instrument that can also be full of many different options and will arguably be thought-about the granddaddy of 3D apps.
Autodesk’s 3DS Max is without doubt one of the strongest 3D software program instruments accessible. It not solely supplies modeling and sculpting instruments, however it additionally supplies highly effective animation instruments, curve editors, dope sheets and plenty of extra professionally oriented instruments which were embraced by main studios and indie studios of all sizes. It has POST options and results that weren’t all the time accessible from its rivals.
3DS Max produces and renders a few of the greatest-looking scenes in computer-generated animation with VRay and its inbuilt renderer Arnold. With the proper lighting and supplies each renderers can produce close to photo-realistic outcomes. Alternatively, they’ll additionally produce nice high quality “Pixar” sort toon renders.
It appears I’ve been married to Autodesk merchandise in some kind (3D Studio, Max, Maya) because the daybreak of time, and it has been a fantastic trip and really fruitful. Studying the software program that many triple-A studios adopted afforded earnings alternatives for its customers. 3DS Max remains to be used for film and tv manufacturing to at the present time which demonstrates its endurance as a modeling and animation utility.
It solely appeared pure to incorporate 3DS Max into the “straightforward to animate” area of iClone by producing a free plugin, Auto Setup for 3ds Max, that takes care of one of the necessary components of rendering a personality, correct supplies, and shaders. It additionally contains some lighting presets and different options. The significance of correct supplies and shaders can’t be overstated as that instantly impacts how the render will look, notably realism.
Set up
As common, Reallusion has made the set up into 3DS Max quite simple with a free obtain that incorporates a batch file and supporting information that may both set up or uninstall the plugin with no different motion required. Only a few clicks and you might be in your method to utilizing Auto Setup inside 3DS Max.
Go to the webpage to obtain the model or variations of 3DS Max relevant to your scenario. Unzip the file and click on on the set up batch file. It’s that straightforward.
Auto Setup Import Versus Customary FBX Import
Seeing is believing so let’s check out what occurs if you import a personality FBX instantly into 3DS Max versus utilizing the free Auto Setup plugin. Within the picture beneath the LEFT-SIDE character was imported into 3DS Max with the Auto Setup plugin. The RIGHT-SIDE character was imported through the usual import menu selection in 3DS Max bypassing the plugin.
As you may see the distinction is day and night time. I adjusted the pores and skin roughness on the plugin-imported character to take out some shiny areas on the face and fingers. This was straightforward because the plugin supplies sliders below totally different tabs relying on the duty it’s worthwhile to accomplish.
The Auto Setup Menu, Tabs, and Sub-Tabs
The Auto Setup Menu is the center of the plugin and may be docked or free-floating. As the next menu breakdown reveals, it has a LOT of choices that will help you get that proper look and much-improved render.
I will likely be specializing in the native Arnold renderer because it produces nice outcomes with out a variety of interplay and comes with the appliance at no extra price. Any photographs rendered utilizing Auto Setup on this article use Arnold which you choose within the first tab of the Auto Setup menu.
The plugin interface is self-explanatory as you will note within the following overview. There are a LOT of CHOICES so experimentation is very beneficial and may even aid you develop a private render model for characters. There may be additionally a web-based manual accessible.
That is the place you import your CC4 characters into 3DS Max. That is the Import tab, the primary tab on the high of the menu.
First, we should select our renderer which must be suitable with Auto Setup. This dropdown record is populated by the renderers accessible to 3DS Max in your system.
In my case, I had just one suitable renderer which was the native Arnold renderer. Though it’s native to the system it isn’t a second-class renderer by any means.
As talked about earlier, should you for any motive import a personality into 3DS Max through the usual import menu you’ll not get a nice-looking character because the supplies won’t match the renderer. That is the large benefit to utilizing the plugin because it kinds all that stuff out for us. Though Kai’s tutorial mentioned it exported from CC4 I exported from iClone which produces the wanted JSON file too.
Now we transfer the Look Dev tab and the Look Dev sub-tab. That is the place the facial physique lighting presets are positioned.
These are one-click presets that may be chosen whereas the renderer is operating relying on the complexity of the scene after all.
There may be additionally a one-click button to take away the lighting answer utterly. This contains any props or different objects loaded by the preset.
The presets can be a fantastic place to begin as they supply lights that you may duplicate and transfer round to get that “good” lighting setup earlier than the ultimate render.
There may be additionally a Macbeth Chart for coloration matching that may be added and eliminated with a click on.
The HDR sub-tab provides you a selection of 4 HDR photographs or you may load your individual.
There may be additionally a rotational offset slider and a normal energy slider.
When you examine World Publicity, you get entry to the Publicity Worth slider and the White Stability decisions comparable to Illuminant, Temperature slider, or Customized coloration.
Illuminant provides you a lot choices like Daylight, Daylight, Shade, Overcast, Incandescent, fluorescent, and plenty of different decisions together with Halogen, Xenon, and Sodium amongst others. As in iClone and Character Creator 4, HDR is a vital a part of the general scene lighting scheme and can produce outcomes from uninteresting to vibrant relying in your wants.
Now we’re transferring over to the Materials tab and the Pores and skin sub-tab specifically. All of those sub-tabs are fine-tuning for the general look of the pores and skin within the render.
Experimentation is inspired, notably in case you are not conversant in all the sliders so you may see the visible influence of every one.
Sub Floor Scattering is a vital a part of gaining realism within the render. An excessive amount of and areas of the pores and skin will seem to glow. Too little and the pores and skin will look uninteresting and lifeless relying on the pores and skin coloration. There may be additionally a Head or Physique selector for the second part of this sub-tab. This contains Regular Power, Roughness, Specular, Micro Regular Tiling, and Micro Regular Power.
These two panels include a large number of superior sliders that management the Roughness on the left and Sub Floor Scattering (SSS) on the proper.
Whereas not precisely glamorous these two sub-tabs present simply how a lot element you may drill right down to for added realism. Each embrace sliders for additional enhancements to the nostril, mouth, ears, cheek, brow, and chin areas.
The wrinkle sub-tab supplies pre-defined areas through the dropdown menu:
- Brow Traces
- Frown strains
- Eyelid Crease
- Tear Troughs
- Bunny Traces
- Crow’s Ft
- Nasolabial Folds
- Lip Traces
- Smile Traces
- Marionette Traces
- Pebble Chin
- Neck Traces
- Neck Veins
Every choice has a slider for Power and Fee of Look which is the pace by which a wrinkle seems.
In line with Kai’s tutorial, the Wrinkle system is impartial of the essential texture maps for an extra degree of realism. One more space for experimentation even in case you are conversant in the controls.
These two tabs management the facial expressions from the Face Rig tab (left) or create a customized physique rig with the Physique Rig tab (proper).
Your character should have a facial profile to work with the Facial Rig and you’ll see this rig is kind of in depth. It offered greater than sufficient controls to create customized expressions in your characters inside 3DS Max. The Physique Rig tab supplies a one-click Biped or CAT rig should you desire these management rig sorts.
Abstract
I’ll admit to relegating 3DS Max to modeling and simulations because the introduction of easier-to-use instruments like iClone and Character Creator 4 turned accessible. My 3DS rendering and rigging abilities have suffered. With the preset lighting, it didn’t take lengthy for this previous Max veteran to begin getting nice renders. The presets offered a place to begin to repeat gentle and reflectors after which reposition them for added lighting results to additional improve the renders past the presets.
Whereas there’s a guide as I said earlier, I believe I solely had to take a look at it briefly a few instances as Auto Setup for 3DS Max may be very straightforward to make use of with little to no studying curve like most Reallusion merchandise. The prolonged facial rigging and talent to change to Biped or CAT is one other plus for Max veterans if that’s the rig they’re most proficient with.
The plugin is freely available for 3DS Max 2023, 2024 and 2025. Obtain your copy immediately!
MD McCallum – WarLord
Digital Artist MD “Mike” McCallum, aka WarLord, is a longtime iClone consumer. Having authored free tutorials for iClone in its early years and chosen to put in writing the iClone Novices Information from Packt Publishing in 2011, he was lucky sufficient to satisfy and trade methods and suggestions with customers from all around the world and likes to share this info with different customers. He has authored tons of of articles on iClone and digital artwork on the whole whereas reviewing a few of the hottest software program and {hardware} on the earth. He has been revealed in lots of the main 3D on-line and print magazines whereas staying true to his largest ardour, 3D animation. For extra info click on right here.
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