I rotated and scaled the DE3 corset to serve as an environment.
I selected the model level and entered the shader texture room.
I then used a layer list shader so that I could use the opacity maps to control all the shaders.
For example, I used my map for the doors to apply black to the alpha cannel to create openings in the front of the buildings. Test render with human figure included for scale.
Although this showed the usefulness of the maps in controlling color, the real intent is to control the replicators.
I used some primitives as stand ins for the grass (cone), stones (cube), and thatch (cylinder).
I inserted the first replicator from the top menu.
In the replicator model room ( select the replicator in te scene and click the wrench o enter the modeling room), I set the corset model as the object to be replicated on.
I chose one of the primitives being used as a stand in (a cone in this case) to be the grass.
To control where the grass is placed, I chose shader in the upper right and then edted the shader and used my grass map.
I reduced the space between objects and increased the number of objects. I also unchecked the normals so that the grass would grow vertically even if on sloped area.
Here is a test render of replicated cones restricted to the fields.
aa29 return assemble room and yet another new shader blank default shader.JPG
1571 x 956 - 117K
aa35 test render with man reference.jpg
640 x 480 - 12K
aa38 choose surface to replicate on corset.JPG
1629 x 770 - 90K
aa39 choose first object to replicate green cone.JPG
Thanks, Phil. The madness continues. After seeing the Star Wars movie, I decided to change the repurpose from a stone age village to Luke's island in the movie. Not really that much of a conceptual change, really. Here is what it looks like with the primitives replaced with Traveler's stone and grass props.
.
I encourage everyone who has an extra image or two that features men as the focus to check out the challenge.
He turned me on to the old (1934?) Flash Gordon serials. I've collected them all now but I've only made it toward the end of the first season. I love 'em! Great ol' shows!
Having problems using the "fit to" function to create conforming clothes for my custom figures, such as Brash and Moxie. Here is an explanation of the poblem that I am having, and how I used NLA clips for a workaround.
The core problem is that for whatever reason, the conforming animation group does not retain "fit to".
Then I selected the animation group for the jacket. The "fit to" menu is an option in the properties tray. I select the testbod animation group for the Fit To.
But, when I select a bone like the chest and twist, the jacket does not follow.
dd09 select jacket animaiton group.JPG
1508 x 944 - 169K
dd10 choose chest bone of bod and rotate note that shirt not follow.JPG
There are at least two ways to try to workaround this problem.
First, the jacket can be manually posed to try to match the testbod.
Second, the pose of the testbod can be saved as an NLA clip to the instances tray. This NLA clip can then be dragged to the sequencer tray and applied to the jacket.
dd11 but shirt can be given same pose.JPG
1525 x 989 - 183K
dd12 created NLA clip from bod pose.JPG
1493 x 965 - 155K
dd13 can drop NLA clip to jacket in sequencer timeline to match pose.JPG
The shoes are simply attached to the same skeleton. The tunic is draped using VWD.
The issue with attaching to the same skeleton is that you have to either weightmap each time, or save a version of the entire figure for each possible combination of clothing items.
Working on getting it to Studio as a hair prop. The hair's shader is a significant contributor to its uniqueness, so I think it is an interesting test. Here is my first full run through, even though I need to go back and try different settings for the base mesh. The fringes of the hair need transmaps to give some fraying.
- I loaded my Carrara dynamic Egyptian hair and cobra head piece
- I selected the hair and entered the model room. I reduced the display percentage under the "general tab" to 7%.
- I used Philemo's plugin to convert the dynamic hair to a prop. I checked curved strands and to enclose the strands. I reduced the width of the root and tip of the strands. Even with the reduced display percentage, this style was still 120,000 polygons.
- I copied and pasted the head piece mesh to the converted hair mesh prop so it was all one piece. I double checked that the converted hair an head piece had different shader domains.
- I exported the converted hair prop as an obj in Daz Studio Full Scene preset.
- In Studio, I loaded a G8F character (Marieke).
- I imported the saved hair obj as Carrara units preset. I had to do some slight adjustment to align with the Marieke character.
- I selected the hair prop and in the surfaces tab selected the hair shader domain.
- I found an Iray preset for black hair to apply to the hair. (PhilW has one) I found an Iray preset for gold metal and applied it to the headpiece
- I did a test render. - stoppd the test at 23%
As you can see, the ends need to be frayed, presumably with a transmap in an alpha channel, or something similar. The top of the hair is not dense enough and some of the skull is exposed. I could export the hair cap and apply a base hair shader to it.
Working on getting it to Studio as a hair prop. The hair's shader is a significant contributor to its uniqueness, so I think it is an interesting test. Here is my first full run through, even though I need to go back and try different settings for the base mesh. The fringes of the hair need transmaps to give some fraying.
- I loaded my Carrara dynamic Egyptian hair and cobra head piece
- I selected the hair and entered the model room. I reduced the display percentage under the "general tab" to 7%.
- I used Philemo's plugin to convert the dynamic hair to a prop. I checked curved strands and to enclose the strands. I reduced the width of the root and tip of the strands. Even with the reduced display percentage, this style was still 120,000 polygons.
- I copied and pasted the head piece mesh to the converted hair mesh prop so it was all one piece. I double checked that the converted hair an head piece had different shader domains.
- I exported the converted hair prop as an obj in Daz Studio Full Scene preset.
- In Studio, I loaded a G8F character (Marieke).
- I imported the saved hair obj as Carrara units preset. I had to do some slight adjustment to align with the Marieke character.
- I selected the hair prop and in the surfaces tab selected the hair shader domain.
- I found an Iray preset for black hair to apply to the hair. (PhilW has one) I found an Iray preset for gold metal and applied it to the headpiece
- I did a test render. - stoppd the test at 23%
As you can see, the ends need to be frayed, presumably with a transmap in an alpha channel, or something similar. The top of the hair is not dense enough and some of the skull is exposed. I could export the hair cap and apply a base hair shader to it.
Any thoughts?
I couldn't get the plugin to work. I even couldn't find it in my carrara.
Misty and Bunyip - good suggestions, I'm just hesitant to do more things that increase poly count.
Veronika - Philemo has a thread that has the download for the plugin. Once installed, find the conversion in the EDIT menu. Note that it is very important to reduce the hair's display percentage in the hair modeling room before conversion.
The "hair display" option is under the general tab in the hair modeling room. It affects how dense the mesh will be when converted by the plugin, as does the hair count.
Comments
I reutrned to Carrara.
I rotated and scaled the DE3 corset to serve as an environment.
I selected the model level and entered the shader texture room.
I then used a layer list shader so that I could use the opacity maps to control all the shaders.
For example, I used my map for the doors to apply black to the alpha cannel to create openings in the front of the buildings. Test render with human figure included for scale.
Although this showed the usefulness of the maps in controlling color, the real intent is to control the replicators.
I used some primitives as stand ins for the grass (cone), stones (cube), and thatch (cylinder).
I inserted the first replicator from the top menu.
In the replicator model room ( select the replicator in te scene and click the wrench o enter the modeling room), I set the corset model as the object to be replicated on.
I chose one of the primitives being used as a stand in (a cone in this case) to be the grass.
To control where the grass is placed, I chose shader in the upper right and then edted the shader and used my grass map.
I reduced the space between objects and increased the number of objects. I also unchecked the normals so that the grass would grow vertically even if on sloped area.
Here is a test render of replicated cones restricted to the fields.
Created additional replicaters and repeated for the stones and the straw of the first building. I didn't do the second to make comaprison easier.
I then used the opacity maps in the layer list shader of the corset to apply some basic terrain appearance.
The whole thing is a placeholder, but I think a mesolithic scene is within reach.
Ingenious - if slightly mad!
Thanks, Phil. The madness continues. After seeing the Star Wars movie, I decided to change the repurpose from a stone age village to Luke's island in the movie. Not really that much of a conceptual change, really. Here is what it looks like with the primitives replaced with Traveler's stone and grass props.
.
I encourage everyone who has an extra image or two that features men as the focus to check out the challenge.
https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/208511/3rd-annual-it-s-raining-men-contest-discussion-thread
I really want to get this and my Carrara monthly challenge project off my desk so I can play with FLUIDOS!
That's looking really cool!
You, Sir, Are an Animal!!! ;)
(and, perhaps a little mad!)
Rock On, diomede! Very, very cool!!!
great imagination ... bravo
I tried to repurpose a bikini top into a sling shot for the raining men challenge but it did'nt work out for me... or the bikini top!
traveling in planes, trains, and automobiles. They land planes in 40 mph winds - scary. Need rescuing. Send the cavalry.
.
So cool!!!
awaaaaay.......
Dart and Stezza, those cavalries would save me! William Tell rocks, and apparently has gogo dancers.
Unfortunately, it appears they sent Captain Parmenter and Sergeant O'Roarke. I may never get home.
Sergeant O'Roarke - gee you must be old.
nice feeling of action in the last render you did
He turned me on to the old (1934?) Flash Gordon serials. I've collected them all now but I've only made it toward the end of the first season. I love 'em! Great ol' shows!
I agree 100%!!! And I love that Cycloptrich figure! So cool
just yell out for Rinny ....
Rin Tin Tin must have done it. I am home at last.
Can't wait to play with FLUIDOS!
There is no place like home.
Awoke in my own snuggly bed!!!! First time in weeks. Thanks for the comments on the render HW, Dart, and Stezza.
Having trouble installing Fluidos. Want to play!
Conforming Clothes for Custom Figures
Problem and NLA Workaround
Having problems using the "fit to" function to create conforming clothes for my custom figures, such as Brash and Moxie. Here is an explanation of the poblem that I am having, and how I used NLA clips for a workaround.
The core problem is that for whatever reason, the conforming animation group does not retain "fit to".
To illustrate the failure to conform, I made a quick low res humanoid mesh called testbod.
I then created a simple rigging for testbod.
I grouped the skeleton and mesh without attaching and saved to the browser.
I modeled a simple jacket to fit.
I loaded the saved group to get a 2nd matching skeleton. I deleted the testbod mesh and inserted the jacket mesh to this reloaded duplicate.
I created an animation group for the testbod and an animation group for the jacket.
Within each animation group, I used the animation menu to attach each mesh to its respective skeleton.
I confirmed that the figures bend with the skeletons.
Then I selected the animation group for the jacket. The "fit to" menu is an option in the properties tray. I select the testbod animation group for the Fit To.
But, when I select a bone like the chest and twist, the jacket does not follow.
There are at least two ways to try to workaround this problem.
First, the jacket can be manually posed to try to match the testbod.
Second, the pose of the testbod can be saved as an NLA clip to the instances tray. This NLA clip can then be dragged to the sequencer tray and applied to the jacket.
Have you tried attaching both the figure and the jacket to the same skeleton?
Yes, I show two other solutions (attaching to same skeleton and use of VWD draping) here.
https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/3254246/#Comment_3254246
The shoes are simply attached to the same skeleton. The tunic is draped using VWD.
The issue with attaching to the same skeleton is that you have to either weightmap each time, or save a version of the entire figure for each possible combination of clothing items.
Philemo's Hair Plugin to get Carrara Hair to Daz Studio
Remember that ancient Egyptian hair style I did as a Carrara freebie?
http://www.sharecg.com/v/87373/gallery/5/3D-Model/Egypt-Dynamic-Hair-for-Carrara
Working on getting it to Studio as a hair prop. The hair's shader is a significant contributor to its uniqueness, so I think it is an interesting test. Here is my first full run through, even though I need to go back and try different settings for the base mesh. The fringes of the hair need transmaps to give some fraying.
- I loaded my Carrara dynamic Egyptian hair and cobra head piece
- I selected the hair and entered the model room. I reduced the display percentage under the "general tab" to 7%.
- I used Philemo's plugin to convert the dynamic hair to a prop. I checked curved strands and to enclose the strands. I reduced the width of the root and tip of the strands. Even with the reduced display percentage, this style was still 120,000 polygons.
- I copied and pasted the head piece mesh to the converted hair mesh prop so it was all one piece. I double checked that the converted hair an head piece had different shader domains.
- I exported the converted hair prop as an obj in Daz Studio Full Scene preset.
- In Studio, I loaded a G8F character (Marieke).
- I imported the saved hair obj as Carrara units preset. I had to do some slight adjustment to align with the Marieke character.
- I selected the hair prop and in the surfaces tab selected the hair shader domain.
- I found an Iray preset for black hair to apply to the hair. (PhilW has one) I found an Iray preset for gold metal and applied it to the headpiece
- I did a test render. - stoppd the test at 23%
As you can see, the ends need to be frayed, presumably with a transmap in an alpha channel, or something similar. The top of the hair is not dense enough and some of the skull is exposed. I could export the hair cap and apply a base hair shader to it.
Any thoughts?
i think they usually paint hair on a skullcap
What about loading the hair twice and offsetting it a bit ?
I couldn't get the plugin to work. I even couldn't find it in my carrara.
Misty and Bunyip - good suggestions, I'm just hesitant to do more things that increase poly count.
Veronika - Philemo has a thread that has the download for the plugin. Once installed, find the conversion in the EDIT menu. Note that it is very important to reduce the hair's display percentage in the hair modeling room before conversion.
Ted, thank you for the explanation. I will be looking for "hair display" option next time.
The "hair display" option is under the general tab in the hair modeling room. It affects how dense the mesh will be when converted by the plugin, as does the hair count.