[martok2112]

Several years ago, I wrote a fanfiction based on the original Battlestar Galactica from 1978. The story is a continuation called "Dark Exodus", and it tells the tale of Galactica and the rag tag fleet finding Earth in the year 2033.

Or, I could do a fanfilm of my other fanfiction which melds both classic and new Galactica shows together in such a way that it actually works. It is a retelling of the fall of the Colonies called "Galactica: The Last Battlestar".

Well, my dreams of doing a fanfilm are getting much closer to reality. I picked up Magix Movie Edit Pro 15 (a series of programs I've really enjoyed using because of its many features) but THIS version I could not pass up, because it came with additional software. iClone 3 SE is a 3D character model animation program, with which you can also create custom clothes/costumes, sets, lip sync the characters to recorded or texted dialogue, just...all sorts of cool.



As I continue to learn iClone 3, I get more excited at the prospects of actually turning one of my Galactica fanfics into a fanfilm.

I've been learning how to make custom clothing for the CG actors in the program...and I wanted to see if I could do a Colonial Warrior.

The default model even looked enough like Starbuck, so I just ran with that, and drew the clothes over his template. (The template is not nude...Thank God...but a mesh grid).

The uniform is drawn on in Photoshop, using the diffuse template. So, while there are nifty little details, this is very basic. I tried to even work in the Colonial Patch, but until I figure out how to align things a little better, that's gonna be a project unto itself. As I learn this proggie better, I'll be able to do things like adding in wrinkles and fold effects...bumping, in other words. I can also get other model clone cloths that might make the uniform look like a more natural fit, instead of form fitting like it is right now.

I just wanted to see if I could recreate a workable Colonial Uniform/Warrior sample.

So, here he is, the original Starbuck recreated by moi...




Whatcha think?

[Jed Starkiller]

I can't see the pic here at work I'll look at it at home can I ask the cost of the software? I have a fan film Idea myself. (Completely different universe than yours)

[That Metal Beastie]

Looking good Martok. Keep us posted.

[FanWriter45]

Better than 90% of the crap you see on "Adult Swim" these days.

[jtrek79]

martok,i wish u best of luck,good job

[martok2112]

Thanks, everybody. Most kind.

As I get better, the clothes will look more convincing. There are tons of tutorials on YouTube, and they are VERY informative. They cover every aspect of iClone, and I plan to learn them at least as well as I know Adobe Photoshop and Image Ready.

Jed, Magix Movie Edit Pro 15 came with iClone 3 Special Edition, and the whole package only cost me $49.99 at Best Buy. That's a fargin' bargain. Thing is though, it does have some limitations with exporting. You have to upgrade (which I need to do), in order to export larger video files and such. I think with this default pack-in edition, you can only export 30 seconds of video at a fixed resolution.

Beastie, I will definitely keep y'all posted. I'm having a blast with this proggie.

Fan, thanks for the kind words. Hopefully I'll be able to render animations that are slightly better than Adult Swim as well. I'm not anticipating Pixar or DreamWorks quality, but it should be more than effective enough to tell my stories when I get down to animating them.

Thanks for the well-wishes, Jtrek. This indeed will make my endeavor hella easier.

Hell, with this program folks, I might just be able to make a Star Trek fanfilm.

[Jed Starkiller]

You say it works with iclone is it only a mac software?

[omegaman]

Originally Posted by Jed Starkiller

You say it works with iclone is it only a mac software?

PC Only.

[martok2112]

Omegaman's right. It's a PC title. However, I can understand your question. It does sound like something that belongs on a Mac, doesn't it?

[martok2112]

Here are a couple more images I just did today.

Col. Apollo and Capt. Starbuck, ala my fanfiction Dark Exodus.