No one asked me - Diomede screenshots on whatever - Warning AI Discussion OK

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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157
    edited April 2017

    Headwax - there is a thread in the Commons forum in which people discuss the inspiration for their forum avatars and screen names.  Some people have very poignant stories.  Not me.  I just thought the Illiad was an interesting story, and I always wondered why Diomedes did not get more popular attention.  I'm sure he would be more famous if he rode a cyclopstritch.

     

    Vyusur - thanks for the kind words.  In practice, Bryce is a better landscape tool.  However, I am generally happy with Carrara.  Here is a landscape that I did for a prior challenge.  I was pleased with the ability to blend the more dense hillside texture with a less dense side of the trail.  It looks more like a path and less like a sharp road to my eye. 

    .

    Post edited by Diomede on
  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,508

    Yeah, the blending feature in those landscape shaders is really nice! 

    Great render, Diomedes! I've missed many of these challenges. One day I'd like to start a cycle where I go through the first challenge, all the way through, then the next, then the next. Just take a bit of time each day to get a little further. Bummer that there's just so much other stuff to do!

    Anyway... Awesome work!

  • wgdjohnwgdjohn Posts: 2,634

    Diomede,  I've sent you a PM.

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157

    Thanks, I have replied

     

     

    wgdjohn said:

    Diomede,  I've sent you a PM.

     

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157

    Thanks, Dart

     

     

    Yeah, the blending feature in those landscape shaders is really nice! 

    Great render, Diomedes! I've missed many of these challenges. One day I'd like to start a cycle where I go through the first challenge, all the way through, then the next, then the next. Just take a bit of time each day to get a little further. Bummer that there's just so much other stuff to do!

    Anyway... Awesome work!

     

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157
    edited April 2017

    Full Body Morphs for Genesis and Genesis 2 - Carrara to Studio and Back to Carrara

    I am going to show the steps I use to create a Genesis 2 Male character in Carrara for use in Carrara, but using Studio's morphloader.  This first half will be the shape.  The second half will be a material set based on a ForbiddenWhisper merchant resource.  Finally think I understand this workflow after watching a SickleYield (SY) tutorial.  Although SY used Blender, the same concepts can be adapted for Carrara.  Here is the basic workflow.

     

    - Open G2M default figure in Carrara

    - Enter the vertex modeling room and ignore the protected topolog warning

    - Do not add or subtract any vertexes

    - Make sure subdivision is zero

    - Use the vertex modeling tools to change the shape as desired. 

    - Remember, can also use the displacement brush - set strength to all the way down to 1 - then clean up with smooth setting

    - When finished, export to wavefront obj file

    - Set obj type/scale to Daz Studio morph target, include checkbox for morphs and skinning

    - Open Daz Studio and load G2M default figure

    - Edit figure to start morph loader pro

    - Navigate to saved morph and accept, change its name if desired

    - ** If you exported from Carrara using az Studio Morph scale, then you can choose Carrara scale when loading the morph  **

    - Morph will appear in parameters tab under morph loader pro - click gear icon to change parameters range if desired

    - Use joint editor to get skeleton to match any changes in proportions

    - Right click in parameers pane to bring up menu for joint editor

    - from menu, use EDIT : Adjust Rigging to Shape

    - VERY IMPORTANT - use parameters pane of morph for ERC freeze

    - click accept

    - save as support asset : morph asset

    - should be able to start a new scene in Studio or Carrara and find your saved morph  Note - default location for morph loader pro is at the figure level

    Post edited by Diomede on
  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157

    Here is the SickleYield tutorial from which the above was based.

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157
    edited April 2017

    My big hurdles with creating morphs for Studio/Carrara for genesis and genesis 2 figures were scale and proportion changes.  It turns out that these are not such big problems.  Studio's joint editor can try to match the changes with one click.  yes

     

    In the following, I will try to show some screenshots adding detail to the general steps outlined above.  I will create a basic body morph for G2M to make the limbs longer in relation to the torso.  Think body for Olympic runner instead of swimmer.

    https://www.ted.com/talks/david_epstein_are_athletes_really_getting_faster_better_stronger

     

     

    Post edited by Diomede on
  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157

    As per above, I started a new empty Carrara scene.  I loaded G2M default figure from the browser.  For the forum TOS and naked Daz figuees, I changed the Assemble room display to wire mesh.  Yuck.  I entered the vertex modeler.  It gave me a topology warning.  I ignored it. 

    aa01 load g2m andchange display type for TOS.JPG
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    aa02 wrench modeling room ignore topology warning.JPG
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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157

    I took some preparatory steps. 

    - Made sure that subdivision is set to zero

    - Selected a polygon and turned on symmetry

    aa03 subdivision none and zero.JPG
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    aa04 symmetry.JPG
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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157

    I want to pause and point out two tools that I don't see get used very much.  The top tool menu has many grayed out icons.  However, the magnet and the displacement brush are both still active.  The displacement brush can be very useful, but the strength setting must be reduced to a very low number.

    aa05 note 2 active tools magnet and sculpt.JPG
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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157

    To start, I simply wanted to lengthen the long portion of the shin and the long protion of the thigh relative to the rest of the figure.  To do this, I selected the entire figure down to the mid shin and turned on the soft select (set to 3 or above).  I then translaed the selection a desired amount in the z axis.  I repeated for the thigh.  Together, these two changes lengthen the legs in relation to the torso, and lengthen the straightportion of the shin in relation to the calf.

     

    Repeating this process to extend the forearm and bicep was a little more subtle because the meshes of the arms do not extend directly in the x axis.  Concept is the same, though.

    aa06 soft select all above ankles.JPG
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    aa07 repeat for thighs.JPG
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    aa08 hands wrist.JPG
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    aa09 biceps.JPG
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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157

    Same process but to a muchsmaller degree was applied at the waist and the neck.  Use small amount here to avoid negating the proportion change.  A return to the Assemble room will show that the figure is now taller.

    aa10 waist.JPG
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    aa11 head neck.JPG
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    aa12 back in asemble room notice skeleton not match mesh anymore.JPG
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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157

    For the next step, I used the displacement brush to make the figure more muscular. When clicking the displacement brush, the figure turns a solid white.  I find it better to educe the strength of the brush.  In this case I set it to 1.  Note that the brush itself can be changed.  I used the default brush. 

    aa13 displacement brush tool change mesh to solid appearance adjust brush.JPG
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    aa14 reduce brush strength to 1.JPG
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    aa15 choice of brushes.JPG
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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157

    For the next step I used the displaement brush to enhance the major muscle groups.  When finished, I changed the brush setting to "smooth."  I brushed over the areas that I had displaced to smooth the results.  I then returned to normal vertex editing mode by choosing another tool.  You can confirm that the number of vertexes has not changed so the morph should be fine.

    aa16 displacement brush add muscle definition chest arms shoulders neck.JPG
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    aa17 smooth setting of brush change strength and size.JPG
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    aa18 finish go to selection tool see mesh no change in poly count.JPG
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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157
    edited April 2017

    That is enouh change for this demonstration.  The next steps will be to export to Studio.  Preserving scale from one program to another is usually a hassle.  The key here will be to export as an obj with the setting of Daz Studio Morph and then importing in Studio with scale set to Carrara.  To do so, return to the Assemble room, and use File : Export and choose the wavefront obj format.  When the menu appears, set the target to Daz Studio Morph Target.  Make sure "export object with morph and skinning" is checked.

     

     

    aa19 export obj dialogue Daz Sudio Morph option check top3 boxes.JPG
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    Post edited by Diomede on
  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157

    The next steps are in Daz Studio. Open a new scene and load default G2M.

    aa22 open Studio load default G2M.JPG
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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157
    edited April 2017

    To start morph loader pro, go to the top menu bar and select EDIT : FIGURE and morph loader should be an option.  Its menu will appear.  At the top of the morph loader menu, it says convert to and from. If you used the scale suggested above, then set the "from" to Carrara.  Then navigate to your saved obj file using the "choose morph files" menu.. 

    aa25 change geometry from option to CARRARA so correct scale.JPG
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    aa26 choose morph files navigate to saved obj.JPG
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    Post edited by Diomede on
  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157

    Your morph will load with the name of your file.  You can change the name and some other features in this menu.  Click the triangle next to your morph name to expand the menu.  I clicked the file name to change the name of my morph to BrashBodyTry1.  In SY's tutorial, she changes the morph's location (figure level or actor level) here but I missed how it was done.

    aa27 see morph listed under item click triangle to see more info name delta tolerance etc.JPG
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    aa28 double click name to change to smaller.JPG
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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157
    edited April 2017

    The morph will work within this scene but is not saved yet for future use.  First, it is good to find and test the morph in the current scene.  To do so, go to the G2M figure's paramters pane.  Because I left it at default, mymorph can be found in the morph area for morph loader pro.  I clicked the gear icon in the upper right to edit the morph's properties. I set the minimum value to 0 because this morph is designed only to be increased.  I then set the morph to 100% and observed the figure's shape adjust as expected.  yes​ 

    aa29 click accept and new morph appears under morphs morph loader.JPG
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    aa31 set minimum to zero in this case.JPG
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    aa32 test morph works OK but skeleton not match new morph.JPG
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    Post edited by Diomede on
  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157
    edited April 2017

    There is a problem.  By changing the limb proportions, the skeleton no longer matches the mesh.  To confirm this, check the joint editor.  Start the joint editor, look under the tools tab in the top menu.  Notice that the arms of the mesh are higher than the skeleton.

    aa33 find joint editor tool top left under tools will show skeleton not match.JPG
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    Post edited by Diomede on
  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157
    edited April 2017

    The joint editor can be used to fix the skeleton. 

    Right click in an empty area of the scene.  A menu will come up for the joint editor.  Use EDIT : ADJUST RIGGING TO SHAPE.  A menu with a list of bones will appear.  Check the bones that you want to adjust.  In this case, I want to adjust all of the bones because of the scale changes. 

    aa34 right click in viewport EDIT ADJUST RIGGING TO SHAPE brings up box.JPG
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    aa35 expand bone list to include in this case all so click accept.JPG
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    Post edited by Diomede on
  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157

    The skeleton will shift to match the morphed mesh.  See how the arms of the skeleton moved vertically.

    aa36 see how skeleton shift up to arms now match better.JPG
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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157
    edited April 2017

    VERY IMPORTANT

    Looking good, but still not done.  It is very important to use something called ERC freeze so that the changed skeleton does not apply to all future G2M figures.  To find ERC freeze, return to the figure's parameters pane (not joint editor).  Find the morph again.  Because I used default, mine is sill at the top figure level under morphs, morph loader.  You will now have to do two right clicks,

    First, right click on the morph name and choose EDIT MODE

    Second, right click again and choose ERC freeze and new box coms up with accept.

    aa37 find morph in parameters right click on name and choose EDIT MODE.JPG
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    aa38 right click morph name again and choose ERC freeze new box comes up.JPG
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    aa39 click accept now morph will adjust and skeleton with it.JPG
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    Post edited by Diomede on
  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157

    OK, I returned to Daz Studio's main scene area and tested out my morph.  Hopefully, you can see that the figure's major muscles are enhanced as per the Carrara morph

    aa40 save as support asset morph asset enter info navigate to morph location check and accept.JPG
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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157

    That is it.  The morph should now work.  I did some tests.

    First, I started a new Studio scene.  I loaded default G2M.  I found my morph in the morph loader pro area.  I loaded a G2M clothing set and used fit to.  Worked fine.

    aa42 dial up to 1.JPG
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    aa43 load clothes and see autofit try to work.JPG
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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157

    I then did a test for Carrara.  Using the figure and clothing in my Studio test, I used File : Save As : Scene Subset to save the morphed figure and clothes as a duf file.  I opened Carara and loaded the duf file.  Lods fine.  yes  I then did a side by side comparison of default G2M in the same clothes as my morphed G2M.

    aa46 load in Carrara but my morph is under g2m level not actor but still work.JPG
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    aa47 brash morph next to default g2m.JPG
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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,157

    Hope you find this method useful.  Suggestions welcome.

  • PhilWPhilW Posts: 5,145

    Thanks for setting this out so clearly, a useful set of techniques to add to the armoury!

  • StezzaStezza Posts: 8,043

    +1 

    it's good fun pulling and prodding vertices and such to see what you end up with smiley

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