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Low Poly People. Full Tutorial in 4 parts.

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Comments

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,623
    edited December 1969

    The thread title being what it is, I think this might be something really cool. I never knew it could load DAZ figures. Really.
    When I click into my animation zone, in my world, I like to consider the DAZ store as my art department. When they complete my assets, I pay them my percentage and I now have my new scenery, props, costumes, etc., to choose from in making my stuff. Saves me all the time it would take for me to think that stuff up, model it, fight over the UVs, texture, etc., I just don't want it to be like that! LOL
    I do love to model - but I don't feel like having to do it all myself. At least not for what I'm playing with right now.

    So where SciFi Funk Steve has all of these low poly people running around doing things, I'm thinking that you could plan your angles for the shots you need of them, render either layers of them, or just a whole scene full of them to use as a backdrop animation for use in Carrara - where you render the focus of the scene using Carrara more time-consuming render engine in all of its glory. Use them together.

  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited December 1969

    Dartanbeck said:
    No, I'm no joking. Looks really cool, and like a very good deal for all that it does. The thing is that, and this only comes from never have tried iClone ever - I understand that iClone has less realism in the render output - but much faster. It takes advantage of the same sort of immediate responses, like a game engine renders - which is very cool. I'm thinking that this might make for a great addition to my animation workflow. Now all I need is permission! LOL
    That's gonna take some time. I've already been granted, and have spent, some good investment coin in this realm recently ... I better not push it for a while.

    I dont have that problem, lol, For me its a business expense. I plan years in advance and over budget for things (just incase, lol) My other only issue is when exporting from DS to iclone its more of a one way trip, unless you use obj format. I am not a good at rigging (more work than I care to take on. (yet I did hear about a unlock for DS characters that might solve that issue a little) For me dealing with modelling, less is more, lol. I would rather model a building, etc then the human body.
  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited December 1969

    Dartanbeck said:
    The thread title being what it is, I think this might be something really cool. I never knew it could load DAZ figures. Really.
    When I click into my animation zone, in my world, I like to consider the DAZ store as my art department. When they complete my assets, I pay them my percentage and I now have my new scenery, props, costumes, etc., to choose from in making my stuff. Saves me all the time it would take for me to think that stuff up, model it, fight over the UVs, texture, etc., I just don't want it to be like that! LOL
    I do love to model - but I don't feel like having to do it all myself. At least not for what I'm playing with right now.

    So where SciFi Funk Steve has all of these low poly people running around doing things, I'm thinking that you could plan your angles for the shots you need of them, render either layers of them, or just a whole scene full of them to use as a backdrop animation for use in Carrara - where you render the focus of the scene using Carrara more time-consuming render engine in all of its glory. Use them together.

    For my current project I have 80% of my exterrior props for my scenes and playing around with aniblock to make modified clips to use, looking forward to see what carrrara can do (wish there was more info on this, hint lol)

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,623
    edited December 1969

    Right. Who wants to have to rig a model that already has a great set up? Not me!

    There's sort of an issue that way with Carrara as well. At least as it stands. Once you optimize your model in Carrara, you're done. To get that back into DAZ Studio, it would be faster to start over in DAZ Studio than to try and get from Carrara back into DS. The closest export we have for that is obj. I actually do everything in Carrara anyways. But DAZ Studio is immensely powerful for setting up character presets in duf format. So if you want to just make a bunch of people assets for your library, open up DS and create a bunch of characters, saving them as duf character files. Then you can open them in Carrara and DS. Shaders made in Carrara can go into the browser - and dragged onto new characters as you bring them in. Then just switch the texture maps to make totally new characters. Each time you do this, you can save off the whole shader set (the multi-colored ball) so you eventually have a variety to choose from for each of your figures.

    Shaders like the ones that Dimension Theory, GKDantas, and Ringo Monfort sell are great for this sort of thing - because you can use them over and over on other versions of person that you make using the same figure base. The just switch out the main skin textures and so on - save the new multi-shader set. It helps to make adding many people to a scene much easier. Every time I optimize for Predatron's LoRez people or animals, I save the new Carrara shaders. Makes the next one I load that much faster to set up.

  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited December 1969

    Dartanbeck said:
    Right. Who wants to have to rig a model that already has a great set up? Not me!

    There's sort of an issue that way with Carrara as well. At least as it stands. Once you optimize your model in Carrara, you're done. To get that back into DAZ Studio, it would be faster to start over in DAZ Studio than to try and get from Carrara back into DS. The closest export we have for that is obj. I actually do everything in Carrara anyways. But DAZ Studio is immensely powerful for setting up character presets in duf format. So if you want to just make a bunch of people assets for your library, open up DS and create a bunch of characters, saving them as duf character files. Then you can open them in Carrara and DS. Shaders made in Carrara can go into the browser - and dragged onto new characters as you bring them in. Then just switch the texture maps to make totally new characters. Each time you do this, you can save off the whole shader set (the multi-colored ball) so you eventually have a variety to choose from for each of your figures.

    Shaders like the ones that Dimension Theory, GKDantas, and Ringo Monfort sell are great for this sort of thing - because you can use them over and over on other versions of person that you make using the same figure base. The just switch out the main skin textures and so on - save the new multi-shader set. It helps to make adding many people to a scene much easier. Every time I optimize for Predatron's LoRez people or animals, I save the new Carrara shaders. Makes the next one I load that much faster to set up.

    I am kind of a supersuit junky at the moment, LOL I got hooked and cant get away from it right now. The suits are the bases of my movie (I hate Daz for doing that to me, lol) I need to understand shaders better I am familiar with how it works with Photoshop, alpha channels etc. but then I get a headache, lol. I will deal with it in time or just keep asking you to death, lol

  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited December 1969

    There were some animations I made in iclone I need to export to Carrara, I am trying to see how to do this if possible (I know it prob is just need to see if Daz has a video on it LOL) LMAO!!!!! Sad part they prob do!!!

  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited December 1969

    zaintc said:
    There were some animations I made in iclone I need to export to Carrara, I am trying to see how to do this if possible (I know it prob is just need to see if Daz has a video on it LOL) LMAO!!!!! Sad part they prob do!!!

    SEE!!!! LOL
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEPgnkY3QXw
  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited December 1969

    zaintc said:
    zaintc said:
    There were some animations I made in iclone I need to export to Carrara, I am trying to see how to do this if possible (I know it prob is just need to see if Daz has a video on it LOL) LMAO!!!!! Sad part they prob do!!!

    SEE!!!! LOL
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEPgnkY3QXw
    Ok in defense of Daz, Iclone posted this one... (hmmm)
  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,623
    edited December 1969

    Well that just looks cool!
    Truly, I had no idea it worked on DAZ figures like that. I did notice that it doesn't have the auto-support stuff for V4 and so on, just Genesis, but that's cool. Then we can tweak the motions using aniMate 2 and bake them to aniBlocks to use in Carrara!
    Suddenly I'm wishing I had an extra $600 laying around! LOL

    Hey, thanks for this.

  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited December 1969

    Dartanbeck said:
    Well that just looks cool!
    Truly, I had no idea it worked on DAZ figures like that. I did notice that it doesn't have the auto-support stuff for V4 and so on, just Genesis, but that's cool. Then we can tweak the motions using aniMate 2 and bake them to aniBlocks to use in Carrara!
    Suddenly I'm wishing I had an extra $600 laying around! LOL

    Hey, thanks for this.

    Uhm what about this why do we have to do all that if we can just do this
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-YePspTd0E&list=PL511383E90B92CC0E
    and if not I didnt know DS could convert BVH to aniblocks, COOL!!

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,623
    edited December 1969

    Right. We don't need iClone for the matter of adding animation. But it could be handy if you've already been saving animation files within iClone and now want them for other things. AniMate 2 can bake keyframes from the DS timeline into new aniBlocks. I don't know if this is present in the free aniMate that comes with DS, because I bought the full version. But aniMate 2 has some great tool for messing around with aniBlocks. The GoFigure YouTube channels has all sorts of great tips.

  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited December 1969

    Dartanbeck said:
    Right. We don't need iClone for the matter of adding animation. But it could be handy if you've already been saving animation files within iClone and now want them for other things. AniMate 2 can bake keyframes from the DS timeline into new aniBlocks. I don't know if this is present in the free aniMate that comes with DS, because I bought the full version. But aniMate 2 has some great tool for messing around with aniBlocks. The GoFigure YouTube channels has all sorts of great tips.

    I like the video's better, lol I have old eyes even with glasses (and I am not old lol

  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited December 1969

    I purchase this a while back I can find a use for this in Carrara for ethnic characters)
    http://www.daz3d.com/carrara-surface-and-skin-shaders/

  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited December 1969

    Dartanbeck said:
    Right. We don't need iClone for the matter of adding animation. But it could be handy if you've already been saving animation files within iClone and now want them for other things. AniMate 2 can bake keyframes from the DS timeline into new aniBlocks. I don't know if this is present in the free aniMate that comes with DS, because I bought the full version. But aniMate 2 has some great tool for messing around with aniBlocks. The GoFigure YouTube channels has all sorts of great tips.

    I have 2 M5 Characters I wanted to use in Carrara can you possibly tell me why they wont work, I can send them to you (if you wouldn't mind looking at them and your not toooo busy?)

  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited December 1969

    Dartanbeck said:
    Right. We don't need iClone for the matter of adding animation. But it could be handy if you've already been saving animation files within iClone and now want them for other things. AniMate 2 can bake keyframes from the DS timeline into new aniBlocks. I don't know if this is present in the free aniMate that comes with DS, because I bought the full version. But aniMate 2 has some great tool for messing around with aniBlocks. The GoFigure YouTube channels has all sorts of great tips.

    I didnt know it was that simple, Really?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4YgSkvfwM0

  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited December 1969

    zaintc said:
    Dartanbeck said:
    Right. We don't need iClone for the matter of adding animation. But it could be handy if you've already been saving animation files within iClone and now want them for other things. AniMate 2 can bake keyframes from the DS timeline into new aniBlocks. I don't know if this is present in the free aniMate that comes with DS, because I bought the full version. But aniMate 2 has some great tool for messing around with aniBlocks. The GoFigure YouTube channels has all sorts of great tips.

    I didnt know it was that simple, Really?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4YgSkvfwM0

    Found this as well
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x554fyLlhs

  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited January 2014

    Almost forgot about this, you kind of got almost all of my wish list,
    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/15970/

    Why wont anyone make a tutorial on character animation using (puppeteer, BVH and aniblocks) explain the animation controls in a more detail for Carrara and anything I might have forgotten. I find the principles are not much different from app to app, just the controls are for the most part (and sometimes control rigging)

    Post edited by zaintc on
  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited December 1969

    How do you add a clock display in Carrara?

  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited December 1969

    zaintc said:
    How do you add a clock display in Carrara?

    I am so embarrassed, lol (never mind :(

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,623
    edited December 1969

    It's in File > Preferences
    One of those tabs allows you to add a clock.

  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited December 1969

    Dartanbeck said:
    It's in File > Preferences
    One of those tabs allows you to add a clock.

    Thanks, right after I posted that I found it, felt a little silly
  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,623
    edited December 1969

    Well... you said you were embarrassed, but not that you've found it ;)
    I thought I would mention where it is, in case you were embarrassed for asking - thinking that it was a silly question regarding something that doesn't exist. Hell, you should see some of the questions I've asked over the years! LOL ;)

  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited December 1969

    Dartanbeck said:
    Well... you said you were embarrassed, but not that you've found it ;)
    I thought I would mention where it is, in case you were embarrassed for asking - thinking that it was a silly question regarding something that doesn't exist. Hell, you should see some of the questions I've asked over the years! LOL ;)

    No more so when I found it and missed seeing it before, I am not new to forums, just to this one like the wheel we all had some from time to time, lol
  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited January 2014

    Following this video for some reason I am unable to save a aniblock I created its grayed out
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnXP7xhNOAw
    I am using DS 4.6 pro
    It also says animate lite (not animate 2) Prob why it wont work

    Post edited by zaintc on
  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited December 1969

    zaintc said:
    Following this video for some reason I am unable to save a aniblock I created its grayed out
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnXP7xhNOAw
    I am using DS 4.6 pro
    It also says animate lite (not animate 2) Prob why it wont work

    I solved my problem, just stay in version 4.5 (SMH)
  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,623
    edited December 1969

    To me, aniMate 2 has been worth vastly beyond what I paid for it. I'm not sure what all the Lite version has, but I love the full version.

  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited December 1969

    Dartanbeck said:
    To me, aniMate 2 has been worth vastly beyond what I paid for it. I'm not sure what all the Lite version has, but I love the full version.

    Using the lite version wont let you save modified aninlocks
  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,623
    edited December 1969

    I think there's more that's missing as well.
    GoFigure's YouTube Library is packed with excellent reasons to get the full version. I'm not trying to sell it... but saving keyframes to aniBlock, and saving new aniBlocks in general already makes it worth the price. But check out what else it can do! It's been a while since I've used it - since when I do use it, I'll work in it for the whole day, and often for several days, making all sorts of aniBlocks. Then I'm done using it for a while.

  • zaintczaintc Posts: 282
    edited December 1969

    Dartanbeck said:
    I think there's more that's missing as well.
    GoFigure's YouTube Library is packed with excellent reasons to get the full version. I'm not trying to sell it... but saving keyframes to aniBlock, and saving new aniBlocks in general already makes it worth the price. But check out what else it can do! It's been a while since I've used it - since when I do use it, I'll work in it for the whole day, and often for several days, making all sorts of aniBlocks. Then I'm done using it for a while.

    I have been playing with animate 2 and like that you can merge, separate, splice, etc
  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,623
    edited December 1969

    zaintc said:
    Dartanbeck said:
    I think there's more that's missing as well.
    GoFigure's YouTube Library is packed with excellent reasons to get the full version. I'm not trying to sell it... but saving keyframes to aniBlock, and saving new aniBlocks in general already makes it worth the price. But check out what else it can do! It's been a while since I've used it - since when I do use it, I'll work in it for the whole day, and often for several days, making all sorts of aniBlocks. Then I'm done using it for a while.

    I have been playing with animate 2 and like that you can merge, separate, splice, etcSo you can do those things in the free lite that comes with DS? That's cool.
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