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DAZ Productions, Inc.
224 S 200 W, Suite #250
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
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© 2024 Daz Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Comments
yes you can use the expression pack along with AFE. That is what it was designed for.
I have set up so it will work with daz3d Hd expression. this way you can see the HD on AFE.
You can change your character and the AFE will conform to it. So good to go with the expressions.
Quick question, 1st off -- great product! But I noticed besides the On/Off icons, there is an Auto Face Enhancer Wearable. When do you use the wearable function? And how? I applied it to my characters and wow, how it changed them -- to the wrinkled side. Obviously, I'm not using the wearable right. Just asking is there a special use for it? Otherwise, the posing is brilliant.
Thanks
AFE is a G8F face Geograft. It is a wearable object. AFE is a Subdivision level 2 facial area geometry. It conformed onto G8F Base subdivision. It gives you the ability to see the wrinkle on the base level because of wrinkle morphs were set up on the AFE Geometry (face area only). All the detail Wrinkle morphs are on the AFE Geometry.
AFE geometry will always conform to G8F base figures to a limit. The morphs on AFE Geometry are the detail wrinkles.
1-Dial up your Character.
2-Load all your final materials.
3-Select G8F and save the material(s) Preset...save all.
4-Load AFE Wearable object. turn it On.
5-select AFE and Assign the material(s) Preset.
6-Select G8F start using Power PoseI
7-If you are using Subdivision 3 or 4 for your character to do HD Rendering you do not need to use AFE. Deleting AFE geometry you will still have the AFE Expression morphs and the AFE Power Pose but less the wrinkle expression. Hopefully, Subdivision 3 or 4 will have the detail you looking for.
Remember you must load AFE Wearable 1st to activate/load the morphs onto G8F.
This was build to see facial HD level on a Base Figure. Is much lesser than all off G8F having Sub Level 2 on. The only way for me to see the Detail in real-time.
Forgive my ignorance DMaster. I did as you said with the steps above -- worked out perfectly. The Power Pose results are EXACTLY the same as if I just selected the G8F and turn it ON. They both worked with the same level of details and wrinkles. That's why I wondered what is the difference using the wearable as opposed to just selecting the character, turn it ON and use the Power Pose?
RaceDC
The wearable gives more detail to the geometry face.
with the AFE wearable on G8F, try the brow squeeze and check flex slack or AFE Face Compression morphs.
Now try without the AFE wearable. the brow squeeze and check flex slack on power pose or AFE Face Compression morphs.
Turn on your Wire Texture Shader to see the geometry.
RaceDC
If you click on the activate geometry tool you will see the base G8F and the AFE Mesh detail together.
Can you please clarify your statements below for me?
"If you are using Sub 3 or 4. then you don't really need AFE Geometry. AFE is for real-time preview with some additive morphs on AFE. You do not get the detail morphs on G8F Sub 3 or 4 because the morphs built on the AFE mesh only."
I always use SubD 4 on my main characters. What, if any, benefits does AFE offer me in this case?
Okay, here are two quick tries at this. Both renders stopped early, but are enough to give an idea.
I like it! There is A LOT of potential here! There are also a couple of issues, or things I don't know how to resolve, but I can work with them.
1. Is there a way to hide or smooth out the neck area of the AFE geograft? (See pink haired pixie image)
2. I couldn't figure out how to reset all my random PowerPose spasms back to a fresh start. Probably super simple, but it evaded me.
3. I couldn't find the 'included' face/expression morphs. Again, probably looking in the wrong places, but, it was NOT obvious to me! Found 'em!
The baby image makes me laugh - HA HA!
Last one for tonight - side by side without (LEFT) and with the AFE geograft. The pose is from the dial spun expressions that come with AFE. I stopped the render very early, was just trying to get this example up for people to see the with and without versions.
Yes, I also would like to know, how to easily reset all changes made by AFE and start from the scratch.
Good comparison and I also like the wrinkles with AFE, so it is a way to go.
AFE offers you the Power Pose Setting and 26 expressive morphs. You must play with AFE to see the benefits. Some character you use with and some character you don't. Either way you will have the AFE Power Pose and the 26 Expression morphs.
That looks awesome! Immediately jumped into my cart. Can't wait to see the male version too.
Try saving a pose that you can start again = reset
AFE is a cloth on top of the G8F. If you reset G8F....so it go.
Pink haired pixie may push the limit on the AFE morphs. But you can try to remove AFE and the expression will still be on G8F base shape.
Remember to parent the eyelashes and eyebrow to AFE if you have poked through.
Thanks for the tips. I have thought to use memorise of the pose before starting AFE changes.
Gogger
2. I couldn't figure out how to reset all my random PowerPose spasms back to a fresh start. Probably super simple, but it evaded me.
on power, pose menu read the Tip menu at the bottom..# 6
Alt + mouse button
I thought you had said that once the expression was decided on you can turn up the subdivision of the model AFE is used on to 3, 4 or 5 and then delete AFE and if will look almost like with AFE? Is that correct or not?
I'm just a fellow user, (so am not speaking for DMaster) but I think what was meant was the EXPRESSION will remain after removing the AFE geograft. The level of details will depend entirely on your original model and the Subdivision settings as well as if it is an HD model or not. I'm rendering another test right now to try and prove my statement.
To me, in a nutshell, if the face geograft adds the ability to show A LOT more definition (in wrinkles, etc) then when you remove it, if the base model doesn't support that level of detail, you can't expect it to look the same. The expressions on the other hand stay and are true to what they were when you had AFE attached. (Kinda of like if you have a DAZ figure with DAZ's HD applied, you can't expect the model to look the same when you dial out the HD, even if you raise the subdivision level on the non-HD version.
For what it is worth, I probably would have bought this JUST FOR THE AWESOME EXPRESSIONS alone! The expressions have brought some dead-faced characters to virbrant expressive life!
The attached image needs to be viewed full size, and even then you have to look at things like skin creases and wrinkles to really see it. I think this was set to subdivision 5 or so on the figure. Look around the corners of the eyes, around the nose, and around the mouth. In my opinion it makes a big difference. Your results may vary.
So, are you saying that this AFE mesh goes over the regular character's mesh? And a saved material must then be applied to it? Also, you seem to say that you don't need the AFE mesh if you use SubD 3 or 4, yet you say you won't get the AFE geometry if you turn off the AFE mesh, because the AFE geometry is only in the AFE mesh. So, what should one do? I'm a bit confused.
OK, so if you turn AFE off, the AFE Expression morphs will still show up in the render, and the AFE Power Pose movements will also show up in the render. Only the wrinkles will be lost. Is this correct?
And, to ask further, what if instead of using Subdivison 3 or 4, I used just 1 of Subdivision 2? What would happen then?
Another thing I don't quite understand from the above is if I use an expression pack I've already bought, and then try to use AFE to alter it, does that work? Or, must I use only the AFE expressions and, if I wish, the Power Pose option to alter it?
Yes - the mesh goes over the face, like a mask.
I was a little confused when reading, before trying, but once I tried it, following the instructions, understanding them or not, all the confusion went away. And just a little experimentation provided A LOT of understanding.
This is what *I* did and got results I felt were worth the investment.
1. Load a G8F figure and set all the materials, makeup etc. the way you want them.
2. Select the G8F figure in the Surfaces Tab and 'Copy Selected Surface(s) (or you can save a material preset, but seems more steps than necessary, IMHO - I did try both methods though - I like copy\paste best.)
3. Apply AFE (tagged as 'Wearables') from the G8F Shapes folder to your selected G8F figure. (You will see a basic skin colored 'mask' over your G8F's face)
4. Select AFE in the Surfaces Tab and 'Paste to Selected Surface(s)' (You will then see the mask take the colors/eyes/makeups etc that you had selected previously)
- Select AFE in the scene tab and apply 'Auto Face Enhancer ON' (icon tagged as a Shape)
5. Select your G8F character in the Scene Tab
6. Up top of the DAZ Studio interface's menu bar, select Window\Panes (Tabs) and scroll down to PowerPose
- A panel opens - you can dock it somewhere or leave it free floating.
7. Now, there are two ways to apply expressions.
1 - In Power Pose (I had NEVER used it before) select the head and you will zoom in to a face with some dots. Grab dots and push, pull, slide left and right to see the effects. Raising an eyebrow will cause subsequent wrinkles in the forehead - YES!
2. Select the original G8F body in the Scene Tab (I normally select the head directly, but couldn't find the expression dials that way). Select the body and in Parameters Tab select Pose Controls/Head/Expressions/Auto Face Enhancer and VOILA! Get crazy with it!
What AFE does NOT do is take your non-HD character and magically transform it into an HD character that no longer requires AFE. This seems to be the point of confusion for some people. Setting the Subdivision level on your base character will never get you anything more than it would with, or without, AFE. AFE is like a MorphMask that your figure wears and it shows more wrinkles etc. Remove the AFE mask and you remove the benefits of the mask. The EXPRESSIONS can remain, not the fine details of the mask. Maybe this is what is confusing people. If there were no expressions included people might understand more clearly. As I said previously, I bought it BECAUSE of the expressions, the AFE extra details were just the cherry on top.
I think once people grasp it they will wonder why they were ever confused. Just take it for what it is, not what you WANT it to be. <LOL>
And if I didn't like it so much I most certainly would NOT be here spending so much time trying to help people understand it.
I hope I got everything right, and that this helps people. Now get out there and render something! :)
In my experience, and testing since purchasing last night, and JUST NOW triple verified, you CAN use other expressions with (before, during and after) using AFE. I have an extreme expression that I dialed in with AFE and then went to 'Expressions/A Lady' (use whatever dial expressions you want) and dialed in some expressions from there. They blended with (i.e. did not delete and overwrite) the AFE expressions. Best of both worlds!
Thank you very much, Gogger, for both posts. This does help to make things clear. Actually, though, I have not bought the AFE product. I'm waiting for the G8 Male version to be released. But, I'm reading all of this so as to understand what this product is and how it works. No sense in waiting for the next iteration (G8 Male) and then start trying to understand it, right? This does look like an excellent product.
Gogger
Thank you.