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Tutorial: Adding Surfaces in DS with the Geometry Editor tool

fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,565
edited December 1969 in The Commons

In this tutorial, I'm going to show how to add a new Surface (also called a material zone) to an object. I'm going to be using the "Princess Crown Circlet" from Crown Circlets For Any Figure by EmmaAndJordi. This circlet comes with material presets for changing the color of the gems or hiding them, but it does this for all 3 gems. I'm going to create a new Surface for the middle gem, so that I can change it separately from the other two.

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  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,565
    edited December 1969

    From the Tools menu, I select Geometry Editor. When I move the cursor over the circlet, a red circle shows the geometry I could select. I clicked on part of the gem and a rectangle made of yellow X's shows the polygon that has been selected (I moved the cursor circle out of the way so you could see it better).

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  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,565
    edited December 1969

    Since I want to select the whole gem, not just one poly, I need to expand the selection. I right-click to bring up the Geometry Editor menu and choose Geometry Selection > Select Connected. Now all the polygons connected to the poly I selected are also selected -- that's all the polies in the middle gem.

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  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,565
    edited December 1969

    Now that I've selected the polies I want, I right-click and choose Geometry Assignment > Create Surface from Selected. A dialog box opens for me to name the new surface. I'll call it "middle gem".

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  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,565
    edited June 2014

    When I hit the Accept button, the middle gem has lost its color, because it is no longer part of the "Jewel" surface. To get back the prior settings, I go to the Surfaces pane.

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    Post edited by fixmypcmike on
  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,565
    edited June 2014

    In the Editor tab, I select the "Jewel" surface. Then from the top menu bar I choose Edit > Copy > Copy Selected Surface(s).

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  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,565
    edited December 1969

    Then I choose the "middle gem" surface, and then Edit > Paste > Paste to Selected Surface(s).

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  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,565
    edited December 1969

    From the Tools menu I switch back to the Node Selection tool, then go back to the Content Library. There's a material preset for making the jewels blue. When I double-click it, only the left and right jewels are in the "Jewel" surface, so only those two jewels change.

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  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,565
    edited December 1969

    And there you have it. I can now save a Scene Subset and use the Circlet with the new Surface whenever I like.

  • JimmyC_2009JimmyC_2009 Posts: 8,891
    edited June 2014

    This will be very useful Mike, thank you.

    Added to my list of Useful Links :)

    Post edited by JimmyC_2009 on
  • alexhcowleyalexhcowley Posts: 2,310
    edited December 1969

    Mike,

    An excellent tutoria.

    Many thanks,

    Alex.

  • jestmartjestmart Posts: 4,449
    edited June 2014

    I would add that switching to Wire Shaded Draw Style allows you to see the polygons before selecting.

    Post edited by jestmart on
  • KharmaKharma Posts: 3,214
    edited December 1969

    Thanks for the tutorial mike, bookmarked for future reference. This is very useful information for me :)

  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,565
    edited December 1969

    jestmart said:
    I would add that switching to Wire Shaded Draw Style allows you to see the polygons before selecting.

    Thanks, good tip.

    And thanks everyone for the comments.

  • Melissa ConwayMelissa Conway Posts: 590
    edited December 1969

    Exactly what I needed. Thank you!

  • SpitSpit Posts: 2,342
    edited December 1969

    Thank you for this. I just used it to make a new material zone on the bridle that comes with Merlin's new Medieval Wagon. The bridle/reins has a single mat zone. It was easy to add the new one following your tute!

    When I did the Select Connected it selected all the polys on one of the reins (I was worried it would select everything). I created a material from the selection, then repeated with the other one. Instead of creating a new material for the other rein I added it to the material zone I just made.

    Worked a treat. All I had to do then was set this zone's opacity to 0 and voila.

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  • SertorialSertorial Posts: 962
    edited July 2014

    Thanks for this.

    I accidentally created a surface I didn't intend to. I have figured out how to recombine it with the surface it came from, but the old name still exists in the surfaces pane. How can I delete this?

    Also, how do I rename existing surfaces?

    EDIT: no problem, I have figured out how to do this.

    Post edited by Sertorial on
  • FelinaLainFelinaLain Posts: 29
    edited December 1969

    Is there a way to create 'feathered' edges instead of those big block edges? I'm trying to create a new surface on an imported obj so I can't use the 'select connected'

  • JimmyC_2009JimmyC_2009 Posts: 8,891
    edited December 1969

    I don't know what you mean?

    Can you post an image, that might help?

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 96,696
    edited December 1969

    Materials zones are all or nothing, you can't have a polygon partially in one zone and partially in another. What you could do, if you want a graded blend between two very different materials (say stone to skin as a victim is petrified by one of the gorgons) is use a geometry shell, so effectively you have two copies of the mesh, with the base mesh and the shell having the different materials and then use a transparency map to hide the unneeded portions. You could also use a single mesh, set both materials up in the same Shader Mixer network and use a map to blend the materials.

  • FelinaLainFelinaLain Posts: 29
    edited December 1969

    Ok, I'll try do those then and see which one look better, thanks for the help ^^

  • IndigoJansonIndigoJanson Posts: 1,100
    edited December 1969

    Excellent tutorial, thanks Mike (and thanks Artini for linking to it).

  • MN-150374MN-150374 Posts: 923
    edited December 1969

    Thank you very much for this tutorial. Very helpful!

    A translation to German language can now be found in this thread: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/35040/P30/#670226

  • kyoto kidkyoto kid Posts: 40,560
    edited August 2014

    ...fixmypcmike: Nice job explaining how this tool works. Was thinking of doing the same but just not online as much anymore.

    I've been using this tool for some time now to create new surfaces as well as for minor "kitbashing" without having to resort to a modelling app.

    In one instance I took a .3ds model of a bus stop shelter I converted to a .obj in Hexagon and set up all the surfaces using this tool. Granted it as a bit painstaking as the mesh was well detailed (including an inner/outer surface for the glass) but the end result was worth the time spent compared to wrestling with Hexagon's somewhat anemic UV tools or the free UV Mapper.. True, I don't have separate texture map files, but again saving it as a scene subset I can merge it in anytime I need it.

    I'm actually considering adding a folder called "Converted Props" to the Library/Scenes/Scene Subset folder tree.

    Currently working on a .3ds model of an old highway bus. A lot more involved than the shelter but as I go along I have been renaming all the individual parts of the mesh to something more indicative (in such conversion you only get a numeric name like "Mesh 00001", "Mesh 00002", etc) I also group related components (like the front wheel hubs & tyres) together so I can later rig them to move as well as the entire model so I can position it (the grouping tool has been one of the other really useful additions).

    Yeah, I know I could use simply Poseray in this situation, but never could get that to work quite right for me.

    Post edited by kyoto kid on
  • wistfultigerwistfultiger Posts: 30
    edited December 1969

    Thanks, @fixmypcmike. I wish all the tuts were this clear and simple! The defenseless [fill in the blank] that you saved from my wrath today also thank you. =)

  • OstadanOstadan Posts: 1,123
    edited December 1969

    Sertorial said:
    Thanks for this.

    I accidentally created a surface I didn't intend to. I have figured out how to recombine it with the surface it came from, but the old name still exists in the surfaces pane. How can I delete this?

    Also, how do I rename existing surfaces?

    EDIT: no problem, I have figured out how to do this.

    I haven't figured out how to do this. I created a custom bit on a G2M character, now every G2M has it, uninitialized, when loaded.
    How do I get rid of this surface; and how can I make one that only applies to one instance of G2M?

  • 3Diva3Diva Posts: 11,287

    This is a fantastic tutorial! Very helpful! Thank you! :D

  • pwalters58pwalters58 Posts: 72

    Thanks for the tutorial! Very helpful.

  • nonesuch00nonesuch00 Posts: 17,922
    edited April 2017

    I've done the DAZ Seal but am about to start a something much more, I guess tedious would be the right word, tedious model, so your tutorial is appreciated. Thanks

    Post edited by nonesuch00 on
  • 3Diva3Diva Posts: 11,287

    Thanks again for this great tutorial! It helped me make a metal bit for a bikini top I made in Zbrush:

    Excellent and easy to follow tutorial! :)

  • RKane_1RKane_1 Posts: 3,037

    Great tutorial! Concise and informative! I appreciate it! :)

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