Introduction:

If you've ever fancied trying your hand at game design or CGI, you'll probably have had a look around the internet and run into all sorts of artciles on software, tutorials and books on how to design, animate etc using a range of sophisticated software.  However, for beginners, getting into CGI animation and learning the basics through to a more advanced level doesn't necessarily require a knowledge of programming or hands on experience with Photoshop: Reallusion iClone provides a intuitive interface (with gaming like controls) for real-time 3D animation and our latest review is on iClone 5 Pro.  We previously reviewed iClone 3 (sorry we missed iClone 4!) which was an excellent piece of software and we were very keen to see how things have changed.

Specifications:

Real-time Production

• Intuitive user interface and in-screen editing.
• Just-in-time animations for studios and live TV productions.
• Real-time creativity for live-action previzualizations.

Digital Actors

• Replicate real-life actors with photo-to-3D actor creation.
• Design & direct 3D characters ready-rigged for body & facial animation.
• Multiple character styles for human and non-human types.

Motion Puppet

• Audition and record body motions with innovative actor puppeteering.
• Blend MixMoves mocap library motions to create
  seamless transitions between motions.
• Animate on-the-fly with real-time Microsoft Kinect motion capture.

Smart Props

• Natural prop physics animation with fall, collide and bounce effects.
• Interactive object controls with iScripts.
• Tons of prop templates for custom textures and dynamic designs.

Stage Settings

• Modular elements and components for scene setups
• Create beautiful scenery with natural world systems: terrain, sky, water, grass and tree.
• Make sophisticated art directions with HDR, IBL, AO and other atmospheric styles.

Camera & Lighting

• Multiple camera view settings and live switch
• Smart filmming techniques with look-at, link-to and smooth path controls.
• A variety of lighting effects using ambient light, directional light, spot light & point light.

Open Pipeline

• Free 3D modeling tool and assets from Google's SketchUp and 3D Warehouse.
• Bring other 3D content into iClone in 3DS, OBJ, and FBX formats via 3DXchange.
• Essential character and content development through 3DS Max plug-ins.

Visual FX

• Template particle effects and custom parameters with attributes.
• Material effects with 7 texture channels.
• Key-able post effects such as color filters, lens blur and NPR. 

Render & Output

• Real-time preview renders in wireframe, smooth shader and pixel shader modes.
• Popular images and video format export.
• Create eye-popping, 3D stereoscopic videos with customizable convergence distances.

Content Platform

• Template-based content for quick character and stage setup.
• Expandable content library with Reallusion's Content Store and Marketplace.
• Live content access and enjoyable try-before-buy system.

Review:

As is obvious from the specifications listed above (and our previous review) the software has a massive amount to offer whether you're starting out or have some experience in real-time animation. The software allows users to fully design and customise their characters and environment whether human, animal, alien....etc. from a range of templates or inputs and control them within their environment.  The environment itself can be modified to change any number of factors from lighting through to physics.  The true gem with the new version is the addition of the iClone Mocap device plug-in which allows any user with a Kinect (PRO version only I'm afraid) to track full body motion for inclusion in their animation. It is this tool that really opens up animation to both beginners and younger users (most likely with adult help) and give a studio-like capability, allowing the production of more professional looking animation (not that the standard animation is bad!).

In comparison to iClone 3, the interface is similar, but improvements over the implementation of the animation allows for better automated transitions between set animations, and more control over scenery, props and cameras angles.  Additionally the Kinect interface plugin allows for a fantastic way of speeding up the animation process.

Price:

~£90 (Amazon )

Verdict:

4.5/5 - All in all, another great release from Reallusion with enough improvements for intermediate to advanced users to potentially warrant an upgrade (especially if you want to use the Kinect interface).

Introduction:

Building a media center or other small format PCs from scratch can be a pain, especially if you want to install a reasonably powerful processor due to the lack of space and airflow. Watercooling is certainly out of the question for most setups (who wants a radiator sitting around their living room?) and the best air cooled CPU coolers tend to be fairly hefty.  So it was a pleasant surprise when we discovered that Cooler Master had released the Gemin II M4, a CPU cooler especially deisgned to fit small format cases.

Specifications:

CPU Socket: Intel® LGA1366/1156/1155/775, AMD FM1/AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2

Dimension (W / H / D): 137 x 122 x 59mm (5.4 x 4.8 x 2.3 inch)

Weight: 289g (0.64 lb)

Heat Sink Material: 4 Direct Contact Heat Pipes, Aluminum Fins

Heat Sink Dimensions: 120x 118 x 44 mm (4.7 x 4.6 x 1.7 inch)

Heat Sink Weight: 210g (0.46 lb)

Heat Pipes Dimensions: Ø6mm

Fan Dimension (W / H / D): 120 x 120 x 15mm (4.7 x 4.7 x 0.6 inch)

Fan Speed: 500 - 1600 RPM (PWM) ± 10%

Fan Airflow: 17.4 - 58.4 CFM ± 10%

Fan Air Pressure: 0.18 - 1.76mm H2O ± 10%

Fan Life Expectancy: 40,000 hrs

Bearing Type: Long Life Sleeve Bearing

Fan Noise Level (dB-A): 8 - 30 dBA

Fan Weight: 79g (0.17 lb)

Connector: 4-Pin

EAN Code: 4719512032930

Review:

As can be seen for the specifications list, the Gemin II M4 is desgned to be compatible with all but the latest LGA 2011 CPU sockets. In order to get the best cooling performance, the heatsink is designed so that the four heatpipes are slightly flattened and are held in direct contact with the CPU allwoing for fast heat dissipation.  The heat pipes are effectively standard U shaped pipes laid on their side and these conduct heat away from the heatsink to the radiator which has a large (but slim) fan to effectively dissapate heat.  The fan is spring mounted, making it easy to "upgrade" should the need arise (for most people and indeed purposes this fan would be fine though).

Insstallation, although easy, is a bit of a bugbear if the cooler is to be fitted as an upgrade, as the whole system needs to be disassembled so that the back of the motherboard can be accessed, but for new builds this is obviously easy..  The Gemin II M4 comes with a series of retention plates for fitting (dependent on your socket type), which are fitted onto the cooler and then screwed through the motherboard on to a backplate, which secures the CPU cooler to the CPU..  This way of fixing CPU coolers is far more secure and allows for the correct pressure to be maintained on the CPU, in turn preventing damage when installing.

We tested the Cooler Master Gemin II M4 into one of our compact media center PCs on an AM3 socket. As mentioned (and consistent with the majority of higher specification CPU coolers) we had to disassemble the machine before we could install the cooler, but it was simple and straightforward to fit to the motherboard and CPU. Once the machine was rebuilt, we ran consecutive runs on OCCT to fully load the CPU and compared the relative temperatures at idle and under full load against the stock fan.  At idle the temperatures were similar (~2-3°C lower than the stock), however under full load the Gemini M4 II showed a massive improvement (~12°C on average lower than the stock cooler).  It is important to note however that these figures were monitored in a compact multimedia case and that there would be variability from case to case dependent on the airflow design/fan setup and also the CPU installed. Although we could have tested the cooling under overclocking, small factor cases and multimedia cases are not ideal setups for overclocked system due to limited airflow.

Price:

~£26 (at the time of writing)

Verdict:

4.5/5 - As a dedicated CPU cooler for a small format/multimedia center case, the Gemin II M4 is ideal, providing enhanced cooling over the stock cooler we compared it against at stock CPU speeds.