The release of iClone v3 was eagerly awaited by many. For myself it all seemed too good to be true. In readiness for v3 I have been upgrading my computer. First step was to go from 1gig ram to 2 gigs. Next step was to find an nVidia graphics card above 7000 series. My current card is a 5200. Problem is my board is socket 478 and doesn’t have pci express slots and all the latest cards need PCIex.
The only card that would do the job for me has to be for the AGP slot. Further problem is that they are not manufactured anymore. The solution turned out to be ebay. I found a 7950GT card which turns out to be the best (and the last) of it’s type. It actually performs better than the 8000 series. I actually bought it using my usual ebay sniping technique - bidding in the last 40 seconds - for just over £60, a bargain actually.
Having done all this I have decided to defer from upgrading to iClone v3 because there appear to be numerous problems. Any way, Nigel gave me a wireless modem/router and I have been having fun getting that to work. Not only that but I have rebuilt (it was cannibalised) my old Pentium 3 computer and got it working as a standby for the net.
It operates in an upstairs room on the wireless connection independently of the main computer, whilst the latter is connected to the router by a RJ-45 cable. That way I get blisteringly fast connections, as opposed to the old USB modem.
All of this standby computer stuff was sparked off by the rogue Antivirus XP 2008 which infected my computer, almost took complete control and took me 3 days to scourge from my system. At least I have all the protections in force now. I recommend Spyware Doctor to prevent it happening in the first place and Malwarebyte’s Anti Malware to remove it if it did get into the system.
Freedom Island is the new home of the Freedom Forum which sank without trace some months ago. It was sabotaged, of course. A few of us have got together to bring the Freedom Forum back. It was a place where we could discuss mainly iClone. I for one have always spoken highly of iClone.
The Freedom Forum is about machinama and the best software for doing it. It’s also about a group of like minded people getting together and sharing ideas, vids, and free bits for the software we use.
I have uploaded the infamous film by Geert Wilders to my viddler channel. The official viewing sites are overloaded but this one is not. You can also do a quick download of the movie from there should you wish. You can watch the whole 15 minutes in it’s entirety - no 10 minute limit - as on YouTube - so I have embedded it here.
Further to previous posts on this subject I have made a tutorial on which I consider to be the easiest method. It’s true that other software has to be used other than iClone. After all, who would create their dialogue in iClone itself? Much better to use audio editing software such as Audacity - free download here - to create the dialogue tracks.
As for the holy grail of doing it all in iClone and not having to use video editing software, well, that’s a “no brainer” because surely everyone uses editing software anyway. How would anyone title their vid? Can’t be done in iClone. Can’t fade in/out. iClone projects are rendered to avi so what’s the problem. I have made mention of the way it can all be done in iClone, using the third unseen character, and also the ridiculous chroma screen method:
Holy shit! Just half an hour after posting the “Challenge To Reallusion” item it was found by a Google search of CoolClones on page 3. Of course that’s the point isn’t it?
I have created a new YouTube channel for my more controversial political stuff. Consequently most of those have been removed from RubbishMan1940. New vids of that type are now on CommonSenseAnon If anyone was subscribed to RubbishMan1940 because of the political stuff then perhaps they would subscribe to CommonSenseAnon instead/as well.
There have been a couple of threads on the Reallusion Forum in the last few days about how to get two characters talking within iClone. I have been doing it my way and I thoroughly understand the issues involved. I have contributed to the first thread by saying how I do it.
It’s a funny thing but most times I do that there has been a put down response from the CoolClones nasty man, Cricky. This time was no exception, here’s what was said in the second thread with his quote from the first thread, got it? The Tricky Cricky quote is in red AND the bolding within that is mine because THAT is the point at issue:
Sorry to bug you Peter, but I was aware of this method. The questioner on the other thread was complaining that more than one character could NOT converse WITHIN iClone which I believe most of us know. I said that the second character dialogue track was to be added in editing. I assumed that two characters talking did not carry over to rendering to avi and perhaps I was wrong in that assumption. Cricky however, in his usual way, said it can be done, i.e. two characters talking and audible WITHIN iClone:
I keep seeing this come up and I have put out two different videos showing it CAN be done, and without post edits beyond iClone. This information has been available, with the process to do it, for over a year, and people still say it cannot be done. One of the videos showing it being done using an interview can be seen here. There were two people who recently asked this on CoolClones and only one asked for the information on how it’s done; they received the answer by message.
The video sample above intentionally left the characters in a still position so viewers can see that there is no post edits or overlays used.
My point is this; if it can be done as he says surely Reallusion must know about it too and surely they have an obligation to reproduce the information for all those iClone users that are not allowed access to his information on CoolClones. I know iClone well enough to say that I have my doubts as to the Cricky post on this matter. I repeat, the criterion or question is can iClone make the dialogue track of two characters talking, audible, within iClone itself. I suspect that that original question has been fudged for other motives. If I am wrong I apologise now.
It will be interesting to see if Reallusion rise to this - let’s face it - a not unreasonable request/challenge.
That’s the title of my latest vid. I went out yesterday (Remembrance Day) and filmed the event. First time I have been to a religious service for many a year. I was filming, however and didn’t join in. I completed the film - with extra effectrs etc - by 6pm but I was unable to upload to YouTube because it was playing up. There must have been excessive demand/uploads yesterday. Anyway it’s done now, here it is:
(1) You don’t believe in free speech
(2) You want to make me believe in your god and will kill me if I don’t.
(3) You’re a politically correct twat.
(4) You’re a slitty eyed Japanese dolphin eater.
That’s the basis of my first Bran Caughan’s vlog rants. It won’t always be a rant but at the moment there’s plenty to rant about; immigration, Islamic takeover, fat cats, society, England, the world, the universe …. oh, it’s endless but I will find something more lighthearted and will try to inject some humour/sarcasm/cynism into each posting. Some of them will be posted from the future. How? I found a time machine. More later. Here’s the first one:
A masterpiece of music vids released in a timely fashion on this day by WarLord. Stands head and shoulders above the usual examples of the genre. The animation is superb and the storyline in the song is followed faithfully. This goes on this website as an example of what can be achieved with iClone. What more can I say … except watch it as an excellent example:
The link below is to the most amazing animated film I have seen. Extremely funny most of the times but very gory and cruel at other times. Not for children, this is X rated because of the ‘bloody’ content. Having said that kids have probably seen it all in a playstation game.
Having said all that try to work out how some of the scenes were done - like flicking a car off the road into the sea - brilliant!!
I have been asked by quite a few people from YouTube about the software I use for my animations. If they watched my major productions they would have the answer but on the minor productions where I use my character Bran Caughan for introductions I don’t bother with credits.
Well, the answer is iClone Click on the link for full details of this amazing software. I say amazing because it’s easy to use. Yes, I mean that. I had a look at Poser and Daz and got nowhere.
If you view my Sex With The Aliens #1 on YouTube you will see what I was able to do after 2 weeks of playing with iClone, yes, only a couple of weeks. As I progressed I learned more and got better. I would have to say I would not have been able to do that with ANY other animation software.
I am interested in getting results quickly and then improving. I think with Daz or Poser I would have lost patience after 6 months. It is available as a free trial download - the proof of the pudding is in the eating. My advice is get the Studio Version when you come to buy - the dollar is at an all time low right now so it’s a bargain.
So what about Crazy Talk? Well there’s more details below this posting. It’s use with iClone is for producing scripts that can be incorporated into iClone productions with lot’s of special effects. It’s not necessary, but it comes with the Studio Version of iClone anyway.
In the last post I described how I had been banned from the Coolclones forum for no reason at all other than being a member of the Freedom Forum. it seems that a lot of other people have also been banned from the Coolclones forum without any reasons. I opened up a thread on the Freedom Forum about this and here’s a link to it: Banned at Last
No, not what you might think. iClone is a brilliant piece of software that is relatively easy to use and is capable of great things as Armstrong has shown. No, I mean the small mindedness exhibited by those that run CoolClones.
It seems I have been banned from the forum - probably because I am a member of the Freedom Forum. I have been a member of many forums on many different subjects but never would anyone be banned because they belonged to another forum.
Most of the folks on the Freedom Forum have also been banned by Coolclones - and that’s why the Freedom Forum was set up - which was the obvious thing to do. After all Coolclones cannot send anyone into the wilderness. The stupid thing is it does Reallusion no good at all because they are seen to be closely linked/or support Coolclones, so many people have moved to other software such as Daz or Poser.
Now the good folk on the Freedom Forum have been taking the piss out of CoolClones in their ire, and now I understand that they may well be right to do so but I never joined in, preferring to remain somewhat neutral. In the event, I never, ever, said anything derogatory about Coolclones so the only reason they could have banned me was because I am actually a member of the Freedom Forum.
It really is pathetic that they should ban someone who has actually purchased from their online store. Well, no more, they have lost a customer and gained my derision.
It seems that the iClone world is rife with this sort of nonsense since I was also banned from Armstrong’s site for absolutely no reason at all - see the previous posts. Perhaps some of those who run forums have delusions of grandeur and the power goes to their heads - in the iClone world that is.
Well, the muse came back and started filling my head with dialogue and storyline for Living/Sex With The Aliens so I did a test anim of SWA#8. I needed a jacket for Phill Amaani - it’s a musical interlude - and put a request on the Freedom Forum
Within a minute Pupino posted and said she’d work on it. What a great bunch of guys and gals they are there. I put it on MySpace, here it is:
This week I have uploaded stuff purely to see if I could get maximum viewers in the hope that they would look at my “real” films i.e. “Sex/Living with the Aliens” and the Phill Amaani music vids.
To that end I uploaded Sky News pics of the poor man who died in the Hull floods due to incompetence by the emergency services. The thinking is that it was on Sky news for one day and would soon be forgotten, many people would have missed it. To that end I will leave it where it is and not delete it as it seems to be the only one on YouTube.
Others I will delete later are the J K Rowling interview on the Jonathan Ross show last Friday. There are plenty available on YouTube some with tens of thousands of viewings. It seems to me that the secret is to upload such things immediately and not wait until the next day as I did.
As a consequence of this my other vids have increased their viewings and I have added a couple of subscribers - not many really considering. The stuff about the Islamofacist terror threat have attracted extremists but that is to be expected. On the other hand we are dealing with Muslim extremists here and I do feel strongly about that situation as well. It’s only commonsense after all and not racist to discuss these issues.
Well, that’s the title I have given to the vid I got off the Richard & Judy show on monday. I have added an intro and an ending with Bran Caughan standing in for me. He’s in a field with Brentor in the background. It features also in “Sex With The Aliens” part 3 - the church on the hill.
That’s what I titled the latest YouTube contribution. It was my daughters boyfriend’s band and I stood on the pool table at the Tamar Inn, Calstock to film their gig either late 1990 or early 1991. Of course, it was the people in the pub who were of interest and strangely enough they seemed to like it. So why bother? Well, I have had the black dog -Churchill called it that - visit me since my ‘muse’ left me after a manic three weeks when I made at least 5 episodes of ‘Sex with the Aliens’.
I’m now struggling to finish part 3 - there’s only a minute or so to go - before I can upload the rest of them. When you are on a ‘high’ you have to come down, so down I have been and I don’t like it. I know it’s only chemicals in the brain so I have been forcing myself to make vids from my archives just to try to kickstart things again, hence “crap band, crap song”. Maybe the rest of it isn’t that bad and maybe I’m just feeling like that.
In the 1990’s I took many videos of local events. Edward Woodward opening the Calstock Carnival in 1991 was one of them. What comes through is that he is a really nice guy. I waited patiently to ask him a question whilst he was signing autographs in aid of the Cornwall Air Ambulance. I was using a large Sony Hi8 video camera, shoulder mounted, and I think he thought I was from one of the TV stations. This video has remained unseen until now it is on YouTube. He relates an anecdote re Sir Lawrence Olivier when I asked him if he knew he was known locally as Mr Threewoods.
It has to be edited down because of YouTube limitations but it was recorded in high quality format. I took many other videos in that time; the raft race, fashion shows, women v mens football match etc and usually tried to get a response by asking questions and receiving replies from the locals. It’s now over 15 years since they were taken and video cameras were not as prevalent as they are today. Those little children will be all growed up now. Not only that but someone’s dad, mum, grandad etc will no longer be with us. If I get enough interest I will make them available on DVD. Anyone interested could leave a comment - with an e-mail address - for the moment until I put up an e-mail address.
It was 22 years ago that Wiltshire police attacked a convoy of travellers. I thought it was to do with the summer solstice, that’s why I uploaded it today. In fact it took place on June 1st 1985. They were on their way to a festival in Savernake forest and were ambushed and forced into a beanfield when the police systematically beat up people and vehicles.
I don’t remember where I got the original video from but it was distributed on the underground by, presumably, the cameraman. It was never broadcast in this form. A lot of people won’t know about Thatcher’s Britain where society changed forever. A lot of people got rich and a lot of people got poorer. And so it has been ever since.
The travellers wanted none of Thatcher’s society and tried to opt out. They were crushed, but on the other hand they or some of them behaved badly. Perhaps it was a reaction - for every action there is an opposing reaction. If you do not want to be a cog in the machine there is no where for you to go in Britain - unless you are an Irish gypsy, then you can almost do what you want.
After several attemps I got SWA2 on YouTube. Within an hour the “spoiler” had come in and added their one star to the five stars already there. Exactly the same thing has happened previously and the main suspect is still Neil Armstrong of iClone Tutorials.com
AS I did not announce the upload on any of the forums I can only think that someone who is in league with him is one of those on my subscription list. It cannot be coincidence - it always happens within an hour of uploading. On the other hand I can’t imagine ANYONE on the subscription list would do that so I’m baffled.
I removed it, uploaded again got some trusted friends to view, got some ratings and then disabled ratings. It’s a pity that some mean spirited person is out to do this sort of thing, and they are!! I have seen other people’s ratings that have been on YouTube for weeks without malignant interference.
UPDATE 30.06.07: It only happens to my “SWA” series vids, not the other stuff. That’s left alone and some of it is accumulating good ratings with no interference.
The problem with titling a film is if it’s on YouTube is it has to ‘grab’ attention unless of course you have a large number of ‘fan’s like geriatric1927 and then you can do what you want when you want.
My instinct was not to use the word “Sex” in “Sex with the aliens”. It is really about living/coming to terms/appreciating that the colour of the skin is not important it’s what lies below and beliefs that matters. So it’s about the conflict that can arise, love and ultimately sex.
That’s fine to a point but I realise that by titling it the way I did I am attracting the wrong sort of people, not the sort of people who might understand that (1) it is quite well made (2) it has a proper story (3) that there are underlying messages - in the love scene in Pt6 Bran explains the meaning of love, now some people might actually learn from this. And it does, after all, come from being a bit older and having a little wisdom. That’s why geriatric1927 has a huge following of young people.
It seems to me that young people nowadays quite often get it wrong and get hitched with the wrong person. All of this is explained in Pt6. Maybe they won’t appreciate it, who knows.
I find it difficult to understand the viewing figures and ratings of 95% of the YouTube stuff. Most is either completely banal or simply a rip-off of some equally banal pop song. Oh well.
I decided that I would censor my films rather than have Armstrong do it for me. Now I am censoring on the basis of 2007, TV output and commonsense rather than 1937 when Snow White came out as Armstrong did. I put the re-edited DTP#1, now known as Sex with the Aliens#1 on YouTube yesterday. The previously offending word “shit” no longer appears, you know the word in very small letters in the titles that caused all the Armstrong hoo ha. It’s not in the titles because it’s not appropriate anymore, I’ve sorted out where it fits in the saga.
I rather like the old style “U” Certificate at the front of the film. I hope I can find an “X” when the time comes. It would have come in part 3 when two characters have a naked hug. I have self censored this by giving them some undies. Why? because one of the forums doesn’t like naked bodies and I don’t want to lose the link at this stage.
Below is the response from the high and mighty Armstrong on the iClone Forum. I have italised statements that are blatant lies. The man seems to think that if he repeats a lie long enough that it becomes the truth,. My response to the lies is in capitals. I detest liars.
Bran has an issue with the truth
PEOPLE LIKE HIM ALWAYS TURN THE TRUTH ON ITS HEAD
His requests at my forum for instructions on how to host his video on the forum in question were denied
THERE NEVER WAS ANY QUESTION OF ME HOSTING MY VIDEO ON HIS FORUM I SIMPLY ASKED THE QUESTION AS I WAS THINKING THAT SHORT SEQUENCES (NOT DTP#1) WHERE I ASK HIM HOW I COULD CORRECT SUCH AN SUCH A PROBLEM. I HAVE SINCE FOUND OUT THAT HE THINKS HE KNOWS IT ALL BUT IT HAS BEEN PROVED HE DOESN’T
his WWW was deleted from his profile and an external body, by written instruction from me, deleted his account on the grounds that the P.G. rating system we use has a very strict set of protocols that his works clearly violated
AS MY WORK WAS NEVER GOING TO BE ON HIS SITE IT SEEMS HE HAS SET HIMSELF UP AS A CENSOR OF OTHER PEOPLES WORK WHERE EVER IT IS. Read the rest of this entry »
It goes on. Armstrong is threatening legal action, even talking about the police because he is mentioned by name and ’stalking’ is a criminal offence. Well, what an ignoramus. Posting on public forums is not stalking. I think he would be prosecuted for wasting police time. Anyway, legal action and talk of police is nonsense, and as long as he ignores the validity of the original PM’s - which will be put to the top of this page - and maintains the lie that I was attempting to upload “Down The Pan1#” to his site then this will go on.
Should anyone want to see what this was all about I suggest they go to Viddler where it is still available to view. I have taken it off YouTube as it has been re-edited and re-titled to fit in with SEX WITH THE ALIEN as part one:
Lastly, an apology to clonebelle/whoever, re comments. when I made my posting to the iClone forum I HAD NOT seen any comments. In fact I had never seen any comments. I then discovered that comments were set to be approved before display and were in a moderation queue. I had not looked at this feature before but the comment was there along with numerous spam comments. I have replied to this comment now and it is displayed.
Yes, he’s irked and he reads these postings. Someone has been into the official iClone forum and registered today specifically to jump to Armstrong’s defence because someone thought some artwork there was mine. It’s transparently obvious that it’s Armstrong. I offered him an olive branch early on in an e-mail but he chose to ignore it.
There was supposed to be a comment on my earlier posting from Armstrong/Clonebelle but I haven’t seen it. I asked him not to immediately go in when I put new work on YouTube and give it a 1 star rating. He responded in the usual convoluted bullshit way but did not deny that it was him. So, yes it is him doing that. I have found a way to beat him in future.
On the subject of beating him I can go into his site whenever I want. I have three identities that were registered a couple of weeks ago. He can’t stop me. Having said that I do admire his graphic abilities and he does some awesome stuff. Pity he has a such a vindictive nature.
