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Altering G3 or G8 mesh in Blender

priyalalspriyalals Posts: 5
in The Commons

Hi,

I want to create a unique face with some fearures (apparntly cannot do with face morphs).

Is there any way that I can export G3 or G8 mesh to blender /Maya and make changes there and import it back to Daz?

I understand that you cannot add any new polygons to the base mesh. Is that correct?

If I want to add new poligons to daz base mesh, is there any other way?

Thanks in advance.

Comments

  • andya_b341b7c5f5andya_b341b7c5f5 Posts: 694
    edited November 2018

    Is there any way that I can export G3 or G8 mesh to blender /Maya and make changes there and import it back to Daz?

     You can export an OBJ file from DS and import it into Blender.  There are more detailed explanations available e.g. Youtube videos, other forum posts, so I won't repeat those here, but essentially

    • i) Hide everything except the figure in DS.
    • ii) Set the figure to Base Resolution if you intend to create a morph later.  It will be simpler if the figure is at world centre, has not been scaled, has no morphs applied. 
    • iii) File->Export, choose a file name and the options you want from the dialog.  Take care with the scale: which one you use isn't as important as remembering it, as you will need to use the same when importing back to DS.  I set it to Custom and 100%.
    • iv) Import the OBJ into Blender.  Make sure that the Keep Vertex Order and Polygroups options are checked.
    • v) The figure will be huge by Blender standards.  Under Display in the N panel, set lines to 200 and scale to 5.
    • vi) Make your changes.  If you are creating a morph target do not add verts, or change the vertex order.  Grab, sculpt, proprtional edit all are fine.  (Shape keys are a boon if you are creating numerous morphs for the same figure.)
    • vii) Export to OBJ.  Check the Polygroups and Keep Vertex Order options on export.
    • viii) Import OBJ into Daz as a static object, or use in Morph Loader Pro if you are creating a morph.  Specify the same scale you used when exporting from DS.

    I understand that you cannot add any new polygons to the base mesh. Is that correct?

    If I want to add new poligons to daz base mesh, is there any other way?

    Correct.  You would have to create a geograft to add new polys, though a parented prop may be good enough in some scenarios.

    Post edited by andya_b341b7c5f5 on
  • Syrus_DanteSyrus_Dante Posts: 983
    edited November 2018

    GeoGraft examples for Genesis at ShareCG

    Forum posts about GeoGrafts

    Geograft/Clothes With Extra Bones In Daz Studio 4.9 Part 1 SikleYield - YouTube

     

    Forum posts about Blender

     

    There are various options to export/import the OBJ files in Daz Studio and Blender.

    In the thread How to export only selected clothing as an object in DS you can read about creating automated "silent" OBJ Export scripts with all settings as a preset. There is even an option to only export what is selected instead of what is visible.

    If this seems to be too complicated you could also use this script from mCasual mcjHideAllBut that will hide everything exept what is selected before exporting. Unfortunately you have to use this script twice, first press Hide All But Selected, then export next run the script again and choose Show All Objects. Otherwise you get trouble to unhide everything because this script hides every node by node in the scene.

     

    I once explained the OBJ export/import form Daz Studio to Blender and back here.

    [Quote] https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/233461/interconnecting-cables-for-guitar-pedals-on-pedal-board/p1

     

    I think step by step instructions are the best to explain this process, also for other interested readers. Here we go...

     

    1. Export the OBJ from DazStudio

    As I saied before... ehm wait maybe somwhere else allready, in the DS "OBJ Export Options" dialouge use the DAZ Studio (1 unit = 1 cm) preset (Scale: 100%).

    What you dont want to export needs to be hidden (see "Ignore Invisible Notes"). You get an OBJ that you can easily import again without remembering which export options you had used. Its all Daz scale and orientation with this.

    Export_OBJ-Options_IgnoreInvisibleNodes_1.png 382 x 507 - 61K

     

    2. Import this OBJ file into Blender

    Once you are in the import OBJ window you get these options in the bottom left.

    "Keep Vert Order" and "Poly Groups" had to be selected everytime once you opened up Blender. At least with the latest Blender versions.

    But for the orientation (in DS its called ''Axis Conversion") you also have to change the settings to Forward: -Z Forward and UP: Y Up.

    Again there is no standarisation how to call the axis for up/down, left/right and front/back XYZ.

    Edit: It's not just brining it to another 3D space its like brining it to another universe where the laws of physics are different.wink

    Your imported object should now have the right orientation within Blender. The default Daz scaling is quiet big compared to the default Blender scale but this dosnt matter.

     

    3. Export OBJ from Blender

    Something that I may have forgotten to explain before, because once set you never have to change that, are the "Export OBJ" options. Here I have created myself some preset.

    You see Forward and Up are setup the same way like in the import options - strange somehow I thought it must be inverted +Z Forward and -Y Up but no - these settings turn it around to the DS orientation again. Once you have changed all settings save yourself a preset with pressing the plus.

    Blender_ExportOBJ_1.png 481 x 562 - 91K

    1 Smooth Groups - this is refering to the specific edge weight for shading angle - it is sayed that DazStudio cant import those and the OBJ format dosnt support this - at least thats how I interpreted what Richard saied here: Help unwrapping a "simple box top" seems it requires some testing

    2 Write Normals - here they meant the 'Vertex Normals' which means the overall shading angle can be set in "Auto Smooth - Angle:"

    3 Write Materials - with this the .MTL file gets written to the same location as the .OBJ file - that saves the Material Groups (in DS they are called Surface Groups) and Texture references

    4 Polygroups - in Blender this is setup with the "Vertex Groups" and in DS its called the Face Groups, but be carefull with that - in Blender you define the groups with single vertices and a vertex can also be assignd to more that one group - in the OBJ file format the groups are defined by polygons and can only be assigned to one group - if you dont fix that within the Blender "Vertex Groups" your Face Groups in DS gets messed up.

    Not everything is needed to be saved into the OBJ file - it depends of weather you want to use this as a Morph Target (nothing except the vertex possitions are needed for that) or a new object that maybe should become a figure in DS.

    No warranty for correctness of the abouth information - just my rougth guess.

     

    [Edit_1] Further references and links:

    Creating Clothing Morphs With Blender and Daz Studio by SickleYield at Youtube

    Watch this video @ minute 3 the Export/Import gets explained.

    Post edited by Syrus_Dante on
  • marblemarble Posts: 7,500

    Excellent post, SD - thank you. I vaguely remember another useful facility in Blender - I think it was Shape Keys? Something about being useful for incremental morphs?

    Another question that popped up while reading this thread - is it possible to geograft on a geograft? I'm thinking of a third-party add-on which is itself a geograft but it would be useful to add another extension to it involving more polygons (and, perhaps, rigging). I'm assuming it would be possible but the process is not quite clear in my head yet.

  • nicsttnicstt Posts: 11,715

    Shape keys, are in affect, morphs.

  • marblemarble Posts: 7,500
    nicstt said:

    Shape keys, are in affect, morphs.

    I think what I remember is that I could export the figure and a garment, make a morph and associate that with a shape key and export that back to DAZ Studio. Then, with the objects still loaded in Blender, create another shape key and continue morphing and export that as a second/third/etc., importing each back to DAZ Studio with Morph Loader.

    This was more convenient than re-exporting the figure/clothing for each individual morph. Without searching for the original tutorial, that's how I remember it.

  • priyalalspriyalals Posts: 5

    Thank you, andya_b341b7c5f5,  Syrus_Dante, marble, nicstt 

    Thanks for your valuable inputs. 

    The specific issue for me was that the cheek area of Daz models. Almost all of them has some volume muscles either side of the nose, and cheek bone morph. But this is not sufficient to relfect some South-asian faces. (Daz has some East-asian face figures- e.g Mei Lin has some volume in this area).

    Thank you all again.

     

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