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I was on an extended 5-week trip so had little chance to play around with dForce for a while. I saw a post in one of the forums from a week ago asking about seat belts, and although most commentators thought dForce would not work, I'm always up for a challenge. I still have some fine tuning to do before I post the instructions, so here is a teaser image showing it works.
Cool!
Dana
WOW.... this is cool!
58. Creating a Seat Belt. Someone on the Daz Forum mentioned the fact that most 3D car models lack seat belts. Turns out dForce can create a seat belt that will wrap around a sitting passenger. My first attempt used a single long plane with 3 helper cylinders - it worked but was a little hard to setup. A second attempt using two planes was much easier to setup and simulate, so that is the approach I will discuss here.
a. Create a 2 inch primitive cube with 4 divisions. Change it to a color of your choice. This will serve as a reference for trimming larger planes to size.
b. Create a 2.75 foot primitive plane, y-positive, with 66 divisions. This is for the chest seat belt – depending upon the car model, it may need to be a bit longer.
c. Open the Geometry Editor from the Tools Settings pane. Right click in the viewport and set Selection Mode to Marquee Selection.
d. Hold down the left mouse button and drag from the upper left to mid-right. Make sure all the squares above the guide cube are selected (orange).
e. Right click in the viewport and select Geometry Visibility/Hide Selected Polygons.
f. Repeat step d and e for the lower half.
g. Right click in the viewport and select Geometry Editing/Delete Hidden Polygon(s). This will permanently eliminate the hidden part of the plane leaving just the thin belt.
h. You may wonder if you could just scale down the plane, and you can, but the behavior of the belt during simulation leaves a lot to be desired.
i. Now create a 2.25 foot primitive plane, y-positive, with 54 divisions. This is for the lap seat belt – depending upon the car and figure models, it may need to be a longer. Follow steps d to g for the second plane.
j. Add a dForce dynamic modifier to both planes (Edit/Object/Geometry/Add dForce Modifier: Dynamic Surface).
k. Set the Density parameter on the Surfaces Pane to 2 for both belts.
l. Create 3 helper cylinders that are 3 inches long, 0.5 inches in diameter, 20 segments and 32 sides (see image).
m. For the car model, I chose Car Ranger from Daz 3D. For the driver, I chose a Genesis 3 female. Pose the figure and make whatever adjustments are needed for her to sit in the driver seat with the hands in whatever final position you want them in.
n. This next step will depend upon the car model you are using. Most of the geometry will interfere with and slow dForce simulation, so we want to temporarily hide it. Choose the car in the Scene pane. Select the Geometry Editor from the Tool Settings pane. Under Surfaces, click on each open eye and close it except for the Seats.
Depending upon the speed of your computer, it may also be helpful to temporarily hide each of the other seats (in this model there are 4 others).
o. Next we need to position the objects we created. Position the lap belt across the figure’s lap, raised and slightly in front of the hips. Position the chest belt at an angle in front of the abdomen. Have the console end of the belts overlapping each other. I found it helpful to increase the length of the belt to 105% x-scale.
p. Position a helper cylinder at either end of the lap belt, with the first row of the belt’s polygons embedded in the cylinder. Do the same for the door side of the chest belt (see image above).
The image below shows how the belts are embedded at the console end.
(see next post for continuation)
q. We will be doing an animated simulation. Setup a timeline as follows:
1. Select the G3F figure, go to frame 30, and click on the set keyframe icon. This is to keep the figure’s final pose set, as we will need to move the arms out of the way.
2. At frame 2, set another keyframe for the G3F figure.
3. At frame 0, move the figure down and back. This will allow the figure to rise up into the belt as the belt moves down towards the seat. Also move the figure’s arms up and out to the side so the moving belts won’t hit into them.
4. At frame 8, move both the cylinders for the lap belt down and to the back and in towards the seat. This will be the final position of the belt end. (only one of the two cylinders are shown, but do the same for both).
5. At frame 8, move the free end of the chest belt to the left and up, positioning it in front of the figure’s left breast.
6. At frame 10, move the free end of the chest belt to the left and up, positioning it near the shoulder.
7. At frame 12, move the free end of the chest belt to the left and up, positioning it near the door jamb where a seat belt would attach.
r. Run the dForce simulation. You should get the following results:
Frame 2: Frame 8:
Frame 10: Frame 12:
Frame 25: Frame 30:
s. Go back and unhide all the surfaces you hid in step n (see previous post). Choose the car in the Scene pane. Select the Geometry Editor from the Tool Settings pane. Under Surfaces, click on each closed eye to open it. If you hid parts of the seat, a quick way to restore them is to click on the seat’s open eye to close it then click again to reopen it.
(see next post for conclusion)
t. Add a texture to the belt planes. Hide the cylinders if they are visible in your view. I also created a small cube to act as the door jamb anchor for the belt. Here are two final renders of the belt in use.
Very cool!
Dana
Thought I'd let you know that in collaboration with Digital Art Live, I'm presenting a webinar on the use of dForce on October 27 & 28. Details can be found here.
There are two parts to the webinar. In the first one, I'll be doing a live demonstration on the basics of dForce using primitive projects that all Daz Studio users have access to. It will cover how to apply the modifers, use the environmental and simulation interface and properties, how to manipulate surface properties, how to setup animations, and more. Since it is interactive, I will be able to point out things and answer questions that can be difficult to convey only with printed text. Part one is especially helpful for those new to dForce or who have had difficulty getting it to work. For more experienced users, it will be a helpful refresher.
The second part covers specific examples from this thread. Most of these rely on some form of animation which can be more easily understood when you can see the movement rather than a partial series of screenshots. I've picked out four examples that help add more "realism" to Daz renders (e.g., footprints showing a figure that walked, not leaped, into position).
I'm excited to be able to offer this additional way to learn dForce. Hope its of value to others.
In case we can't be there live, will they be recorded for future download and viewing?
Dana
Usually DAZ sells the tutorials, where relevant, in the store. I never attend because of time constraints. I'm SO looking forward to this purchase.!
Yes, I think the plan is to offer them in the store sometime after the webinar.
Oh, well. Another thing that will simply go into my wishlist. Thanks.
Dana
Yes - that's correct we set up the webinar recording as a product in the store, within a few weeks after the webinar is broadcast. With attending live at the webinar, you can get your own questions answered instantly and it's possible RGCincy will be offering some class materials (TBC) as part of the event.
You can register for the webinar here:- (use "dForce10" discount code for a $10 saving)
https://digitalartlive.com/event/powerful-dforce-discoveries-and-solutions/
dForce is a powerful physics engine for DAZ Studio. This webinar set teaches how to use the engine plus goes further in exploring essential case studies, that go beyond the normal uses of dForce with clothing.
Richard Schafermeyer (RGcincy) teaches how to simulate the aspects of gravity, wind, and collision with other objects using dForce. He goes over four projects that demonstrates how dForce can be used in common situations to ensure the realism of a scene.
dForce adds powerful new capability to Daz Studio. Its primary purpose at this point is to help clothing better drape around posed figures but it also can be used on other objects such as primitives available within DS.
Session 1 : Saturday 27th of October 20:00 BST (London)/12:00 PDT (Los Angeles)/15:00 EDT (New York)
Although easy in concept, dForce can be tricky to use because of the large number of simulation and surface settings that are possible as well as interactions between poses, figures, and collisions involving other objects. In part one of this seminar, the student is introduced to the basics of dForce: how to apply the modifers, use the environmental and simulation interface and properties, how to manipulate surface properties, how to setup animations, and more. Part one is especially helpful for those new to dForce or who have had difficulty getting it to work. For more experienced users, it will be a helpful refresher.
Session 2: Sunday 27th of October 20:00 BST (London)/12:00 PDT (Los Angeles)/15:00 EDT (New York)
Part two of the seminar covers specific examples using dForce. These are drawn from the over 50 examples contained in the Daz Forum thread:-
“How to Use dForce: Creating a Blanket, Draping Clothes on Furniture, and Much More”
Our live action, interactive webinar will make it easier to appreciate these more complex examples.
Four case studies with dForce : using physics to provide realism
About the presenter : Richard Schafermeyer (rgcincy)
Rich Schafermeyer is a long-time 3D artist and programmer. He got his start with the original Poser and Bryce 3D. In 2001, he wrote his first 3D modeler that evolved into the still available Shape Magic. He began to use Daz Studio in 2012. With a research and engineering background, the physics of dForce grabbed his attention! He decided it would be helpful to others if he shared his learnings which he also does within the DAZ forums.
Polylines are working for dForce Add Ons now in DS Beta 4.11.0.231.
This looks like it will be amazing! How long is registration going to be open?
Oh good, I'll have to take a look. Was it straightforward to use them?
I'm not entirely sure but since it's a webinar, up until the day before? I'll try and find out.
Polylines should be very useful for keeping things together when using dForce - I used polylines to keep a rounded hem from falling out and to give a bit of thickness to the coat :) Figure right is with polylines, left is without.
Select the vertices in pairs and run the script until done, then use the transfer utility to fit it to the clothing item. Set as a dynamic surface add-on in the dforce dropdown menu and sim.
thanks for the tip Mada! I'll be giving this a try
Indeed!
It's one of the reasons, and a main one, why I don't buy, and/or return Dforce items; cloth needs depth - it isn't infinitely thin.
True, but I dislike stiff floating in the air fabric more than that so I'll take thin but falling realistically over gravity defying cloth for now :)
Thanks to Mada for the tips on polylines. Here is a more detailed explanation on using polylines in Daz 4.11 beta.
59. Polyline Dynamic Add-On. A new feature coming in Daz Studio 4.11 is the use of polylines. These are linear, non-rendering geometry which can be used as a dForce dynamic add-on. Unlike the polygon add-ons, these do not have to be hidden at render time to make them invisible.
a. To use polylines, you must first install the Daz Studio Beta product, 4.11.0.231 or later. The beta does not replace your current Daz Studio general release (4.10 or earlier), both can coexist on the same computer.
b. Daz has released a script that makes adding polylines much easier. You can find it here. Save the .dsa file to My Daz3D Library/Scripts Folder. You can also create polylines in some 3D modelers or by hand, but using the script is the easiest.
c. If the Script IDE pane is not already open, select from the main menu Window/Panes (Tabs)/Script IDE.
d. From the Script IDE pane’s menu, choose File/Open Script… and choose the downloaded script: Generate_Polyline_Dynamic_Surface_AddOn.dsa
e. Create a primitive cylinder in Daz Studio: two foot length, two foot diameter, 20 segments, 32 sides. Y-positive.
f. In the scene pane, select the cylinder. From the Tool Settings pane, select the Geometry Editor and the Polygon selection tool (left icon in upper row of the pane). Select the top faces then right-click in the viewport and hide them (Geometry Visibility), repeat for the bottom faces. Next select a column of faces on the front and hide them. Then delete all the hidden faces (Geometry Editing). You should end up with something like this:
g. Select the cylinder and from the main menu choose Edit/ Object/Geometry/ Add dForce Modifier: Dynamic Surface.
h. From the main menu, choose Create/New dForce Modifier Weight Node. Go to the Node Weight Map Brush in the Tool Settings pane. Add the influence weight map. Paint a bit of blue on the upper left and right edges (remember to hold down the Alt key to remove the full-strength red). This will be enough to hold the cylinder in space during simulation.
i. Continuing to use the Geometry Editor, choose the third icon at the top of the pane, the Vertex Selection tool. In the viewport, select two vertices on the prop. I picked one on either side of the split on the top row. Select one with the mouse, then hold down the Ctrl key and select the second.
j. Click on the Execute button at the top of the Script IDE pane. You will find that Daz Studio has added a new line between the two vertices.
There will also be a new item with the word AddOn parented to the object whose vertices you selected.
k. You can stop here, having made one polyline. Or you can select two new vertices 4 rows down, click on the Execute button again, and add another polyline to the addon. You will not see any change in the scene pane, as the new line will be added as part of the same object. You can repeat this as often as you like, adding as many polylines as needed.
l. After creating the polyline, you need to select the Cylinder AddOn in the scene pane and from the main menu choose Edit/Object/Geometry/Add dForce Modifier: Dynamic Surface Add-On. After doing this, run the simulation. You will find the polylines hold the gap closed (see below).
m. Although you can see the polylines in the viewport, they will be invisible in the render. That can be an advantage or a disadvantage, depending upon what you are trying to do.
n. As another example, I will use the split cylinder I made in Silo for section 55. See that section for the initial steps.
o. This cylinder shows up one oddity when creating the addon. The split I made in Silo is on the side of the cylinder. To center it in the scene, I rotated the cylinder 28 degrees. When you add the polylines, they do not appear where the selected vertices were located. Instead, they are rotated 28 degrees whether you parent them in place or not.
p. In spite of the misposition, you can go ahead and go to the main menu and choose Edit/Object/Geometry/Add dForce Modifier: Dynamic Surface Add-On. Run a simulation and the polyline(s) will pop into place and act as desired. Or do as I did, and rotate the AddOn 28 degrees. (on some other models, you may find you need to zero put X, Y, and Z translate as well).
After creation of polylines: After rotation:
q. Below is the viewport after simulation, with the split cylinder without any add-on at the left, the polyline add-on in the center, and a polygon add-on at the right. The polylines and the polygon give similar results as they are in the same position.
After rendering, you can still see the polygons (until you hide them), whereas the polyline is not visible.
r. In section 55, I showed how you used the Transfer Utility after creating and before using the Add-on. I have found this was not really necessary. You can still do so, but the dForce add-on will work without it.
I just forgot to mention it - I'll add it (done).
@IceDragonArt - you asked how long this event will be open for registration; it's open right until it ends. Registration includes the HD webinar recording.
If anyone else on the thread has something they'd like RGcincy to show in real time during the webinar, then mention it and we'll see what's possible.
https://digitalartlive.com/event/powerful-dforce-discoveries-and-solutions/
I just updated the PDF's. Part 1 is the same as before, part 2 is updated with sections 49 and 50 added, and part 3 is new with sections 51-59. There's now a total of 221 pages that cover the instructions posted in this thread. Enjoy!
Go here for the PDF's
Cool and thanks
Long awaited and massively appreciated!