Head Pose Controls, adding to the mix (Tutorial Link)

wancowwancow Posts: 2,708
edited December 2012 in Daz Studio Discussion

http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/userguide/creating_content/assembling/tutorials/pose_control/start
(link added 12/15/2012)
Okay, here's something we can do as a community... and hopefully someone will help me understand how:

Create MORE pose controls for the face.

As far as I can tell, most if not all of those pose controls are not simply morphs, but morph controllers.

I was looking at Victoria 4's expression controls, and I noticed, for instance, that the Pucker set to a value of -50% (or -.5) is a fantastic smirk.

However, I can't make that work with the Genesis by turning the limits off. Just doesn't have any effect below a value of 0.

So... there are obviously a tonne of little morphs being controlled by these dials. And since we can organize them, we can add to them and have them be operable. There are no tongue controls, for instance, save for the Visemes.

We can make her better! We have the technology...

Oh, and while we're at it... if we can figure out how to do this... or if one of the gurus already knows, and can share the knowledge, we can add to the Body pose controlls as well!

Post edited by wancow on
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Comments

  • cridgitcridgit Posts: 1,757
    edited May 2022

    Redacted

    Post edited by cridgit on
  • wancowwancow Posts: 2,708
    edited December 1969

    UUU RAWK!

  • athenenoctuaathenenoctua Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Thank you so much for posting this, Wancow and all.
    The concern I have is that the pose controls are not as organized in DAZ as in other 3D programs. most everything else is so intuitive, perhaps what's needed is an organizational system.

    Here's a PDF from a presentation from Jeremy Ernst given at the 2011 Game Developer's Conference, called "Fast and Efficient Facial RIgging." He describes the system he created for Gears of War 3, including using FACS for the face.

    http://jeremyernst.wordpress.com/2011/03/30/fast-and-efficient-facial-rigginggdc-2011-talk/

    http://www.unrealengine.com/files/downloads/Jeremy_Ernst_FastAndEfficietFacialRigging2.pdf

    And I agree--pose controls would be better. Pose controls organized like this might work.

  • athenenoctuaathenenoctua Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    The best start, I think, would be to create a separate user interface for the character expressions. I'm trying to figure out how to do that using the Designer tool included in DAZ 4.5.

  • wancowwancow Posts: 2,708
    edited December 1969

    I have no clue how they're organized in other software (except Poser, and it always was terrible to navagate, IMHO) I LOOOOVE the way pose controls are organized in DS. I just needed to be able to make my own, especially for specific characters who have unique expressions.

    Even so, thank you very much for those PDFs.

  • wancowwancow Posts: 2,708
    edited December 1969

    The best start, I think, would be to create a separate user interface for the character expressions. I'm trying to figure out how to do that using the Designer tool included in DAZ 4.5.

    Have you looked at Power Pose? That would be a great template for it.

  • athenenoctuaathenenoctua Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Yep I have. It's a great model, especially for rotational movements. Is it customizable? Because I would like at least 15 controllers on the head silhouette, whereas PowerPose has about three.

    :: searching on my Mac ::

    OOooo--here are some templates in XML format!

    Well there goes another day's worth of productivity on the projects I'm supposed to be doing 8-)~

  • athenenoctuaathenenoctua Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Gah. PowerPose uses bones, not morphs. No wonder there are so few controls.

    If I (with my skill level) rigged up a head with bones, it would move with all the realistic fluidity of a zombie crocodile.

    Which might be useful in some applications....

  • athenenoctuaathenenoctua Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Here is a ui I made in QT Designer, which Daz includes in their package because they want user-added functionality--like this.

    I made it semi-transparent so you could overlay the controls onto the actual face. You could push the sliders and turn the knobs, and the face just under it would move, just as if you were turning the dials in Parameters--because you would be.

    As soon as I figure out the qt syntax to bind the actual names of the parameters to a corresponding .dsa file.

    Little help here?

    Screen_Shot_2012-12-05_at_7.43_.17_AM_.png
    1280 x 800 - 718K
  • athenenoctuaathenenoctua Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Alright, I think I have a coder for this!

    All we need is some decent documentation:

    http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/referenceguide/interface/panes/script_ide/start

  • wancowwancow Posts: 2,708
    edited December 1969

    Awe, that looks amazingly cool!

  • BlackFeather1973BlackFeather1973 Posts: 739
    edited December 1969

    Sweet !!
    I'm keeping my eye on this thread...

  • ReDaveReDave Posts: 815
    edited December 1969

    Here is a ui I made in QT Designer, which Daz includes in their package because they want user-added functionality--like this.

    I made it semi-transparent so you could overlay the controls onto the actual face. You could push the sliders and turn the knobs, and the face just under it would move, just as if you were turning the dials in Parameters--because you would be.

    As soon as I figure out the qt syntax to bind the actual names of the parameters to a corresponding .dsa file.

    Little help here?

    Woooow, that would be amazing! o_O
  • athenenoctuaathenenoctua Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Well thanks, all!

    Currently over here we need information on the UI Widget Map. Here's the comprehensive help page located in the DAZ Documentation Center:

    http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/referenceguide/interface/panes/ui_widget_map/start

  • athenenoctuaathenenoctua Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Hi, all--

    On the advice of the esteemed Richard Haseltine, I am discussing some technical issues in the API boards about connecting morph values to sliders (yes, I'm a noob; yes, I have to script it myself).

    Once I do that, I'll return to this discussion with results.

  • wancowwancow Posts: 2,708
    edited December 1969

    Hi, all--

    On the advice of the esteemed Richard Haseltine, I am discussing some technical issues in the API boards about connecting morph values to sliders (yes, I'm a noob; yes, I have to script it myself).

    Once I do that, I'll return to this discussion with results.

    Way flipping kewl! Thanks!

  • athenenoctuaathenenoctua Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Hi, again.

    Until I get a competent coder, which I'm not, I think I'll see if I can get Puppeteer to do what I'm envisioning.

    Thanks for the help.

  • wancowwancow Posts: 2,708
    edited December 1969

    Just to test this, I created two pose sliders... and I'll be darned, IT WORKS.

    Two mistakes I made before finally figuring out how to do it properly.

    1. I created Right Leg Stand before I realized it was actually left leg stand, so I simply changed the name in the slider parameters, to Left LEg Stand, and then created Right Leg Stand.

    DO NOT DO THIS! If you make a mistake like that, delete the morph and start over. You will get errors opening Genesis if you try to fudge it.

    DO save your poses as pose presets just in case. I failed to do this, and since creating a pose dial erases the pose for the slider, I had to start from scratch.

    Anyway, I'll get these up on ShareCG

    Stand on Left Leg and Stand on Right Leg

    SRL.jpg
    461 x 603 - 26K
    SLL.jpg
    461 x 603 - 28K
  • athenenoctuaathenenoctua Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    SQUEEE! You are my hero.

    Thanks. Will check ShareCG presently.

  • creativemodelsbecreativemodelsbe Posts: 0
    edited December 2012

    Here is a ui I made in QT Designer, which Daz includes in their package because they want user-added functionality--like this.

    I made it semi-transparent so you could overlay the controls onto the actual face. You could push the sliders and turn the knobs, and the face just under it would move, just as if you were turning the dials in Parameters--because you would be.

    As soon as I figure out the qt syntax to bind the actual names of the parameters to a corresponding .dsa file.

    Little help here?

    that would be great improvement to shape expressions (visual).
    in what ds version will this be available?

    Post edited by creativemodelsbe on
  • athenenoctuaathenenoctua Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    It will be AMAZING for visually-oriented artists.

    It'll have to be a widget. If I end up making it, I'll probably release my version free on ShareCG.

    I'm waiting to see the magic that is Wancow's code, but unfortunately the ShareCG site is down right now. Arg. Murphy's Law.

  • wancowwancow Posts: 2,708
    edited December 1969

    It's simple enough to make them... the tutorial is easy to follow. I added the link to the first post.

  • wancowwancow Posts: 2,708
    edited December 1969

    Thank you so much for posting this, Wancow and all.
    The concern I have is that the pose controls are not as organized in DAZ as in other 3D programs. most everything else is so intuitive, perhaps what's needed is an organizational system.

    Here's a PDF from a presentation from Jeremy Ernst given at the 2011 Game Developer's Conference, called "Fast and Efficient Facial RIgging." He describes the system he created for Gears of War 3, including using FACS for the face.

    http://jeremyernst.wordpress.com/2011/03/30/fast-and-efficient-facial-rigginggdc-2011-talk/

    http://www.unrealengine.com/files/downloads/Jeremy_Ernst_FastAndEfficietFacialRigging2.pdf

    And I agree--pose controls would be better. Pose controls organized like this might work.


    Very very interesting document. Thank you for posting it... Creating these specific sets of morphs is a little beyond my ability to do, however. I imagine you'd really need something like ZBrush or something a little more stable than Hex to make them, however. I'm wondering how many of these are actually already part of the Genesis arsenal... have you done any comparrison at all?

  • athenenoctuaathenenoctua Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Ah, it was on Page One of this thread.

    So that's part of the puzzle put together. What I need to do is take your information, Mr. Hazeltine's information, Tugpsx's information, rbtwhiz's, cridget's, etc., and create a nonstandard slider control widget that will overlay onto the 3D window.

    All the pieces are there....

  • athenenoctuaathenenoctua Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Current issues:

    1. I was advised to post my questions in the Daz Script forum instead of the IDE forum. I can't find the hypothetical, theoretical Daz Script forum anywhere.

    2. I can't find the syntax to call the .ui file. Rob's coding examples show how to call nested .ui's. I successfully tested this theory by replacing "Select the property group from the list on the left" with "THE CAKE IS A LIE" in the "What do I do?" widget.

    Also, the example code formats the widget to match the other panes/widgets in the user interface. That formatting would make my widget useless.

    After reading an eyeball-blurring quantity of the Daz Script and QtScript documentation, the best I can come up with is this:

    //Declare and hook up the ui

    var sUiPath = String(“FACS/FACS.ui”);
    var oUiFile = new DzFileInfo( sUiPath );
    if( oUiFile.exists() ){

    // Call the FACS widget into existence.
    // Call the sliders QSliders into existence.
    // Connect morphvalue names such as CTRLMouthOpen to the corresponding QSlider with that name
    // Use Signals/Slots concept to make the sliders do exactly what the Parameters controls would do

    } else {
    MessageBox.information( sUiPath, "The Cake is a Lie", "&OK;" );
    }

  • wancowwancow Posts: 2,708
    edited December 1969

    Yah well, you have to post in the DAZ Script forum because you code geeks routinely make the heads spin on normal twerps like me...

  • athenenoctuaathenenoctua Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Sadly Wancow, I am a coder wannabe--a coder "poser", if you'll pardon the pun.

    That being said, could you direct me to the actual Daz Script forum?

    Much grass.

  • KeryaKerya Posts: 10,943
    edited December 1969

    Sadly Wancow, I am a coder wannabe--a coder "poser", if you'll pardon the pun.

    That being said, could you direct me to the actual Daz Script forum?

    Much grass.

    At least I know that (don't understand scripting at all):
    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/categories/92/

  • BlackFeather1973BlackFeather1973 Posts: 739
    edited December 1969

    Sadly Wancow, I am a coder wannabe--a coder "poser", if you'll pardon the pun.

    That being said, could you direct me to the actual Daz Script forum?

    Much grass.

    The Script forum would be the Developer Discussion forum.

  • wancowwancow Posts: 2,708
    edited December 1969

    Developer's Discussion Forum... down in the Dungeon where evil geniuses plot to do evil things to unsuspecting users like you and me... go there IF YOU DARE!

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