Step 1 – Prepare your Custom Character and Environment

I am hoping that this process helps others out there who are looking for an affordable solution, to get their dream off the ground, and take it from paper to the screen.

The workflow is applicable to other characters. In this tutorial, I am using the little girl called Nankya, as the case study. Using the iClone facial animation tools, I was able to create convincing dialogue for my series. Being able to bring custom characters into iClone, using 3DXchange, opened the animation possibilities to me. It wasn’t until I started using iClone, that I truly felt I had finally found a program that made it possible for me to realize that dream. I tried for several years to bring the idea to life with the help of friends, family, and my two close 3D artist friends Bruno Ssekandi (Uganda) and Nateon Ajello (USA), but the progress was slow going because we all had other responsibilities including family obligations. I have had this dream since I was a kid growing up in Uganda, of bringing my stories to life using animation, but I didn’t have the funds and team to pull it off. This tutorial covers my workflow of how I used iClone to create both Facial and Body animations for the characters in my Ugandan/African animated children’s TV Series, “The Adventures of Nkoza and Nankya.” I am a Ugandan 3D Artist and animator based in the USA, with over 15 years’ experience creating content for Games, Cinematics, Simulations and Virtual Reality apps. Software used: iClone 7, iClone 3DXchange, Axis Neuron, 3ds Max, Maya

Faceware facial mocap