Content Dev:CC5 HD Character
Contents
- Main article: CC Avatar.
CC5 HD characters have many detailed specifications that must be met to satisfy the stringent standards of the RL Content Store.
Mesh
Mesh specification covers topology, elements, morph structures, and more.
Topology guide
The fundamentals of the base mesh are covered in the CC Body Topology Guide and CC Face Base Topology Guide with the following information as concepts that are particular to the CC5 HD mesh:
No matter the character's appearance, it's best to keep the topology as close to the neutral mesh as possible.
The eyeballs should stay within the borders of the eyelids, while also not being too deeply set (as highlighted by the orange line in the illustration below).
The brow line should go through the center line of the eyebrow textures.
The frown lines should align naturally with the nostril flaps, following the curve of the flap indentation. If the frown lines are not placed correctly, the character’s expressions may appear unnatural.
The bottom of the chest needs to line up with appropriate edge loops in order to have a more natural look for the body morphs.
Eyeballs (for realistic characters)
Since the default CC eyeballs are larger than real human eyeballs, it is recommended to resize them proportionally to 83% of their original size. Be sure to use the Proportion mode when resizing, as omitting it may produce unexpected results.
Tongue (for realistic characters )
The default CC tongue is not compatible with the CC5 HD profile and may cause issues with mouth animations. It is recommended to replace it with either the "HD Neutral M" or "HD Neutral F" tongue.
Teeth
There are no definitive rules for setting the teeth; however, it's best to ensure their positioning supports natural facial animations. The most common issue is mesh penetration between the teeth and the surrounding mouth mesh. It is recommended to use the following four expressions to test proper teeth placement.
Download iTalk Calibration Files
You can apply each iTalk calibration motion to makes sure that the whole assembly of individual mouth parts, including the teeth, tongue, lips, and mouth cavity do not intersect while animated.
Morph structure
The following CC5 HD morph specifications are considered optional enhancements and are not an essential production procedure for your store offerings.
To be compatible with Actor Mixer, CC5 HD characters include 11–12 additional morphs on top of the original 2. Embedded characters contain 12 additional morphs, while user-created characters only need to include 11.
Material
The 3 main material adjustments include texture settings, shader textures, and shader settings. Embedded characters typically feature 3 resolution types for skin presets. The following texture specifications are intended for internal Reallusion production but are provided here for developers as a reference.
The following textures should all be in JPG format:
| Map Type | Std_Skin_Head Body, Arm, Leg |
Std_Nails | Std_Tongue | Std_Eyelash |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base Color | 2K / 4K / 8K | 2K / 4K / 8K | 1K / 2K / 4K | 2K / 4K / 8K |
| Opacity | - | - | - | - |
| Normal | 2K / 4K / 8K (×3 for Head) | 2K / 4K / 8K | 1K / 2K / 4K | 2K / 4K / 8K |
| AO | 1K | 1K | 1K | 1K |
| Metallic | 128×128 | 128×128 | 128×128 | 128×128 |
| Roughness | 1K / 2K / 4K | 1K / 2K / 4K | 1K / 2K / 4K | 1K / 2K / 4K |
| Displacement | - | - | - | - |
| Glow | - | - | - | - |
| Blend | - | - | - | - |
Multi-level normal creation
For a multi-level visual system, every subdivision must have a corresponding normal map to maintain visual fidelity.
1st method
This method requires a high-poly mesh and the use of GoZ Plus in ZBrush to bake multi-level normals onto the character (Zplugin > CC GoZ Plus).
2nd method
Use the Bake SubD Normal Maps function in Character Creator to transfer normal details to lower subdivisions. This method requires a high-resolution normal map generated from higher subdivision levels.
Shader settings & textures
The following are internal specifications that serve as optional processes for developers. These steps offer significant flexibility; at the basic level, only the cavity needs to be replaced, while the default settings are sufficient. The only required adjustments are to the textures.
Shader texture
For realistic characters, usually changing out the cavity map is sufficient. Cavity maps should be in JPG format and range in 2K, 4k, and 8K texture resolutions.
Shader settings
The default Cavity and Roughness settings are as follows:
Cavity Creation
The following are internal specifications that serve as optional processes for developers.
The cavity channel in Character Creator 5 is able to enhance the reflectivity of the Digital Human Shader, make the visuals more realistic.
High-quality settings
The cavity map needs to be baked from a high-poly mesh in ZBrush. The following table displays the recommended resolution for each ZBrush subdivision level. You'll want to derive a specific resolution according to the subdivision level you are working in.
- sDiv 6 → 2K Resolution
- sDiv 7 → 4K Resolution
- sDiv 8 → 8K Resolution
Cavity mask creation
In ZBrush, convert the mesh details into a mask via Tool > Masking > Mask by Cavity.
Turn the mask into a texture for export via Tool > Texture Map > Create > New From Masking.
In Photoshop, invert the map and increase the contrast level using the level and curve functions.
Import the texture into Character Creator and adjust it's strength via Shader Settings > Textures > Cavity Map.
It's recommended to enable the roughness chanel when adjusting the cavity strength slider to view the results.
Facial expressions
The facial profile settings have a direct impact on the animation quality.
Facial profile correction order
General direction for morph corrections:
- From big to small details.
- From foundation to advanced.
- From highly used to lesser used.
- From ArKit and Face Tools related to other morphs.
- Follow this order: Eyes → Mouth → Cheeks → Corrective → Neck → Secondary expressions
See the CC5 MHA Expressions Fix Priority List
Facial profile correction precautions
The following are precautions for individual facial features.
Eyes
Ensure the following criteria is met:
- Eyeballs do not intersect with the eyelids.
- No gap between the eyeball and the eyelids.
- Proper shape of the eye sockets.
- Prioritize the ArKit morphs.
Verification process:
- Playback the calibration motions.
- Maximize the animation strength to spot the aforementioned problems, commonly found with "Blink" and "Look Down".
Mouth
Ensure the following criteria is met:
- Non-intersecting teeth, tongue, mouth cavity, and lips.
- Proper lower jaw and neck shape.
- Prioritize the ArKit morphs.
Verification process:
- Playback the calibration motions.
- Maximize the animation strength to spot the aforementioned problems, commonly found with "Jaw Open".
Neck
Ensure the following criteria is met:
- No strange protrusions between the lower jaw and neck line.
- Side profile of the lower jaw follow the natural contours of the neck muscles.
Verification process:
- Playback the calibration motions.
- Maximize the animation strength to spot the aforementioned problems, commonly found with "Turn Down" and "Turn L&R".
Corrective Morphs
Ensure the following criteria is met:
- Finish the base facial morphs before fixing the corrective morphs.
- Apply the same principles for correcting the facial profile.
Verification process:
- Playback the calibration motions and pay special attention to possible mesh penetration of the eyes and teeth.
- Maximize the animation strength to spot the aforementioned problems.
- Execute the verification process in this order: Eyes → Mouth → Eyebrows → Cheeks → Miscellaneous Morphs
Wrinkles
The following are internal specifications that serve as optional processes for developers.
CC5 HD characters can only store 1 set of wrinkle normals, so it's impossible for wrinkle normals to maintain consistency across all subdivision levels. Currently, subdivision level 1 is the standard mesh density for the embedded wrinkle normal maps.
Suggested max texture resolutions for individualized and generalized wrinkles (all in JPG format):
| Individualized Wrinkles |
2K | 4K | 8K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diffuse | 2K | 4K | 8K |
| Normal | 2K | 4K | 8K |
| Roughness | 1K | 2K | 4K |
| Flow (optional) | 1K | 2K | 4K |
| Generalized Wrinkles |
2K | 4K | 8K |
|---|---|---|---|
| AO | 2K | 4K | 8K |
| Normal | 2K | 4K | 8K |
| Redness | 2K | 4K | 8K |
| Flow (optional) | 1K | 2K | 4K |
The following are the standard Wrinkle > Normal export settings.
