LODs and normals
johann.hesters_2e9dd0ece9
Posts: 342
Hello!
I have seen an amazing video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuFov2hRyyU
Unfortunately there is no explanation on how this is done.
I wonder if he just deleted the geometry within DAZ, and I am 100% unsure on how he created the normals. I guess he did not do that in DAZ.
Can anybody tell me more?
Thank you!
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Comments
M4 and V4 both came with LOD capability. 5 levels altogether.
If you have M4 and V4 you can find the LOD versions in your runtime under Geometry/DAZPeople
If I remember correctly you could set LOD auto-switching by distance or do a straight swap.
I am looking for a solution for Genesis 2.
DS has changed direction and gone with Subdivision and Decimation instead of LOD.
Decimator is a plugin available in the store that will do poly reduction. That should do what you want to any figure.
What do you mean by 'creating the normals'?
Subdivision is just the opposite of what I mean. I would like less polygons, not more.
You create the normal map from a highpoly model, then you decimate the model and put the normalmap onto the decimated model to give it back some of the details and give it the illusion of actually still being a highpoly model.
Well, I could use the decimator, but it does not really have a brain.
Having a lower LOD (which was manually created by a human) of the model would help.
That is why I was asking if there is a more low-poly LOD of the Genesis 2 figures available.
And if none are available, does anybody know if I can create it myself?
Genesis 2 is already fairly low-poly -- about 1/4 the polies of V4 at base resolution.
Yes, I know, but I would like to reduce it even more without manual retopo each time. That is why I was hoping a lower LOD already existed.
At base resolution, Genesis 2 is somewhere around 20K...that's not low enough?
20K Polys means ~ 40K triangles.
For desktop software that is already very very high end.
With skilled, manual retopology to 5K Polys (= ~10K triangles) plus a normal map, one can achieve the 20K-Poly-look, and you are on the safe side in respects of CPU / GPU power.
Does anybody know how to put a lower LOD into the Genesis 2 models?
Or does anybody know how did the Genesis 2 models so that I can ask him / her directly?
I would really really like to have this LOD pre-integrated so that I don't have to retopo each new model by hand later on.
The modeling program you use should have some sort of poly reduction. There's no need to do it manually if you don't have to. :-)
Different reduction routines will give you different results, but Decimator seems to work quite well with Genesis.
I don't think you can make real, auto-switching LOD without scripting.
Hmmmm. I am not sure if I could make it clear what I want.
I think Decimator would never be able to give the same great results as a lower LOD done by a human.
If I could somehow integrate a manually done LOD into the "Resolution" (where you currently only find "High Resolution" and "Base") slot of the Genesis 2 figure, I could always absolutely easily switch to that LOD.
Does anybody know how I can integrate my own low LOD into the Resolution slot so that it appears for each "Michael" that I put into my scene?
I am aware that this is not trivial, and it would include changing the .dsf file, but I am not afraid of that.
But I just don't have any starting point on how to do that.
If there is any other solution (but not Decimator, please), please tell me.
If exporting as an FBX to render in another program UU3D (ultimate unwrap 3D) has a very good polyreducer.
I use that to make animated crowds for iClone.
Unreal editor has one too but unless you are just rendering in Unreal Engine you need the game developers license from DAZ to use it in a game.
Using Unreal Matinee to do video and still renders is OK.
That is not the point. :-)
If I had a low-poly LOD (for example like the amazing LODs shown in that video) for Genesis 2 Male, I could easily use that for all new characters that I create.
I only want to do this once. :-) I don't want to decimate each new character that I create, I would rather like to be able to simply switch to the low-poly LOD.
The question is how I can include a new, hand-crafted low-poly LOD into the default Genesis 2 Male figure.
Does anybody actually understand my need / question, or am I perhaps just not able to make my problem understandable? :-)
"Edit > Figure > Geometry > Add Level of Detail..", this will allow you to import the low poly version into the figure as a LOD.
Your biggest problem is going to be saving it, we don't have a LOD asset save preset. Save modified assets might work but I wouldn't bet on it, which leaves you with scene subset, DS will write the LOD data directly into the DUF file, or figure/prop asset and either save it as a new figure or overwrite the original G2M assets.
I have clicked the Send-To-Hexagon button within DAZ. In Hexagon I have decimated the mesh using the Decimate button.
I saved the decimated mesh as an obj from within Hexagon.
Back in DAZ I clicked "Edit->Figure->Geometry->Add Level of Detail" and loaded my decimated obj and selected the Hexagon import settings (scale 100%).
I was then asked to enter a new for this new LOD.
Then I clicked my Genesis 2 Male character and set "Parameters->General->Resolution Level->MyDecimatedLOD".
As soon as I do this, the model disappears. When I set the resolution back to "Base", it appears again.
Do you see what I might have done wrong?
ps: The decimator in Hexagon is pretty amazing. I am highly surprised and enlightend. :-) Really, I have not seen anything better so far, and I tried many decimators.