File Size
Hurdy3D
Posts: 1,047
Hey,
if I import a Gensis 8 Character (SubDiv2) the blender file size is around 700 to 800MB.
This is really big, you doing comics, and save a lot of similar scenes.
The DAZ approauch fits here my needs. DAZ studio saves only a reference to the used figure and a diff of changes done (diff e.g. for the pose, attached morphs or with mesh grabber the diff to the original mesh).
Is there something similar in Blender? I don't want to include everytime the same figure and textures into a blend file. I want to save them one, reference them in other files and save only the difference to the original reference.
Comments
The textures are not included in the blend file, it's the shapekeys (morphs and JCM's) that's making the file so large.
Blender's implementation of shapekeys is downright horrible. It stores a value for every vertex in a mesh for every shapekey in the mesh regardless of how many verts actually modify the base mesh.
The Daz importer applies all of the characters shapekeys to clothes, hair, shoes, etc. even if the shapekey has no effect. There is a command to remove unnecessary shapekeys, but in my experience it does not work that well.
If you exported your character in subd 1 or 2, consider re-exporting it at subd 0. That should shrink the file size considerably.
I wish mine only came to 700 or 800MB, when I bring it over with Daz to Blender, my file sizes are usuallly somewhere between 4 to 9GB and I use the command to clear the unnecessary shapekeys when bringing it in too. And I use subd 0.
Have you cleared orphan data?
May or may not help
In the outline, there is an option next to it that allows you to select Orpha Data, Purge what isn't required..
Yeah, I did that too. I've given up using the Daz to Blender thing because my computer can't handle the file size. I thought I had 16GB of RAM but it turns out I only have 8GB, so one character does my system in and brings it up to like 98% full on memory. Gotta get some more RAM.
To answer the original comment. As long as you're not changing anything other than the pose. You can have one initial file with your character and then link that character in another scene. Currently you can make it so you can pose the rig but not edit other elements of the figure like the materials (though the ability to override other things is currently being developed)
You can also do this for other elements than the character. If you have one background that you're using a bunch you can have it in it's own file and then link it whenever you use it.
If you search "blender linking proxies" you should probably find some useful tutorials