Okay this is not my work BUT it is of such value to the work flow for some that golly gee, well here it is, a FREE 3D painting program, Quixel Mixer.
Thanks to WendyLuvsCatz for bringing this to our attention in the Carrara Forum.
It is a whopping 3.4G download and you need to register an account to run the program. This is because they are hoping that you will then subscribe to a monthly service to obtain content which looks like it can be purchased via the program. Not doing that ... One can import their OWN mesh and paint it :-) Mesh needs to have no overlapping uvs. So for some items such as any of the Genesis clan, one might first scoot them through a modeller and delete all but the head so they can paint on the face. May or not need to collapse the uvset first, haven't test this yet.
There'll be a bit of a learning curve like there is for any 3D program but looks to be a very interesting program. Hold down the Alt key when using the mouse to rotate the view of the model.
Once the program is 'registered' then it can be run without being online.
Yeah sadly I saw no way to get past that register box in order to run the program. Once that was done though I went offline and yes the program would run.
And yes, it does seem to be more of a making textures program as it does not paint like the way 3DBlacks does. However it makes the full set of texture images required for the effects. I'll have to experiment more with it to see all what come of this. Also hoping to get a grip on 3DCoat. It's about time.
Thanks for letting us know about this. I will register but I will not subscribe. I have 3D Coat, Blacksmith3D, and Zbrush and I use all 3. New tools that don't break the bank are always welcome.
I did mine with my Epic account BTW so have access to all the megascans free
but of course can only use them in Unreal Engine 4
but that is free too
and I often render in UE4 anyway so not a problem
Somehow I started an Epic account 'cause that's what keeps getting signed in, but there's nothing free about those megascans that I can find. Too bad 'cause their tutorials made it appear to be that much came with the program. Thank you for all those other links for materials :-)
I spent the evening making something of a third eye. First I tested with ready made mesh [i.e. Genesis'], concept works [more or less] ... good idea if any character bearing a third eye is pretty Vulcan stoic. Can raise an eyebrow or 2 but any extreme forehead motion will misshape the eye. There could be additional 'things that can be done' to prevent that however.
Here's the handsome dude for tonight. The red is the border mesh for the geograft.
even so, I am probably going to use my own textures anyway once I get around to taking more pictures with my camera and using Materialize to do the PBR maps.
Been taking photos for years too. Sadly my fav filter [kaleidoscope] doesn't work now in the latest PSP which is now 64 bit. It has its own filter which is not as good. Gone are the days of all those lovely free filters that would work in it. Still have it on my old computer though. Hope that works for as long as I want it.
It seems like a really cool program-- if I can load my own meshes into it. So far, it doesn't look like I can. A damn shame, that! There's only so much one can do with Blacksmith3D's paint program if the material requires multiple sync'd images (Diff/Norm/Disp/Spec/SSS/et c) to achieve its effect, AFAIK.
It seems like a really cool program-- if I can load my own meshes into it. So far, it doesn't look like I can. A damn shame, that! There's only so much one can do with Blacksmith3D's paint program if the material requires multiple sync'd images (Diff/Norm/Disp/Spec/SSS/et c) to achieve its effect, AFAIK.
Yes we can load our own meshes, back in a bit with an image.
I am naturally cynical so I tend to poke free stuff with a stick to see if it will bite me in the kester. I appreciate the heads up and this seems like a very useful program. It is posible to load your own mesh but you need something else to create the multilayer texure base so you can add effects to your object. I would suggest that new users open a Unreal account to access the material for free. I see this being more usefull for 3d artists who work on props and terrain. If you get a free well made prop but the textures are lacking this could make that prop top notch. I have not tried this yet because of time constraints but I will be giving this a spin. Thanks again for the heads up.
Think ... yes the mesh cannot have overlapping uvsets SO only import the part of the mesh that has non-overlapping uvset :-) [that's why Hexagon was invented although the original makers of Hexagon probably didn't know that lol ...]
Okay here are a bunch of pictures. For those new to my tutorial stuff, remember, of my followers include some very special people who are very intelligent BUT have some certain challenges in life when it comes to comprehending the written word. So pictures and a fair bit of repetition is sometimes in order to help them. So for those who don't have any such problems, congrats and be patient please.
[n.b. Apparently exporting the figures from this edition of DS is not such a good idea as it messes up the locations of which uvset goes where, at least according to Hexagon. So FIRST send model over bridge to Hexagon, THEN export out an .obj from there. This is with regards to the Genesis clans.]
Upon opening the program after the flash screen we have this:
It is very important to type a name for your new project. The smaller the image, the crappier the end result.
And here it is in Daz Studio, appearing as it was in Quixel :-)
1 - new mix.png
1236 x 773 - 53K
2 - name and select size.png
1210 x 769 - 37K
3 - under model select - then browse for to load it.png
1593 x 629 - 171K
4 - there it is.png
1584 x 842 - 418K
5 - add layers masks etc.png
1593 x 855 - 956K
7 - can save as the new mat.png
1222 x 780 - 258K
8 - does this then with no further prompts so have folders already set up.png
One can click on the individual 'layers' and drag them to re-arrange their positions.
One can paint directly on the model with colours.
To get textures on the images requires a different approach. One needs 2 layers with the texture image underneath and then from the paint layer above, use the eraser brush.
If anybody figures out how to paint texture images to the model directly please keep us informed ;-) tia
By shooting the Genesis figures over the bridge to Hexagon they arrive in one piece with all the surfaces intact. One can select all but the desired surface and delete that mesh. Then export out the mesh with the non-overlapping surface. Import that into Quixel and have some fun. If one uses a ready made material and clicks on the square one can load their own image ... which will probably be tiled a lot. With the appropriate layer selected, on the right side if there be a word 'placement' - click on that for options to appear. One is for tiling.
For some of the mask options, white is full strength and black is zippo.
Okay that's all I've found so far too. I'm also finding that certain features of one function would be handy for other functions but the options are not there, so that's a bit frustrating. I checked their online material options [through the program] and there is NOTHING for people skins so there's a gap that needs filling.
The good news with their paint is it doesn't 'run down the sides' like 3DBlack's did/does [my copy is very old now].
How's Mixer with generating normal maps with DAZ content?
I remember seeing an option for that, but I forgot where.
It will generate the full spectrum of texture images including normals. For the material there is a long list of what is, or is not, available and a check box to place a tick in for inclusion on exports.
And any $ software not sold at Daz3D and comes with a statement {on their page} that says this: "The preview version has many rough edges and the experience may be frustrating." is NOT something I'm interested in, but thank you for trying.
Plugging the free Quixel for texturing models for use in Daz Studio because this is my tutorial thread ;-)
All right, preparing the Genesis clans for import into Quixel.
First and for this project VERY important .... do not simply export out an obj to be imported into Hexagon. There is a communication issue. Here illustrated is one example:
Open D/S and load one of the figures. Now it appears that transfers over the bridge do have the uvset collapsed, this is good. IF it doesn't then one would have to apply a collapsed uvset [which hopefully we've all made following a previous tutorial].
Concept is to transfer figure to Hexagon using the bridge, in Hexagon deleting all but the desired Shading Domains and then exporting out one .obj file. Clear scene, return to D/S and send the figure over the bridge again and repeat selecting another shading domain or two, etc. NO overlapping shading domains. When done with the one figure, close Hexagon and return to D/S. Clear the scene and load in the next figure. Repeat exercise. End result if doing this for Genesis 8 would be to have at least 8 .obj files ready to be imported into Quixel.
001 this is not going to work.png
1583 x 856 - 487K
002 send over to Hexagon.png
1542 x 780 - 242K
003 select the undesired shading domains and delete them.png
1586 x 865 - 284K
004 rename and export out.png
498 x 447 - 34K
005 export settings size does not really matter.png
461 x 349 - 24K
006 clearing scene in Hexagon, notice the materials remain IF changing figures close Hexagon to clear field.png
1333 x 823 - 105K
007 use the transparency toggle BUT make visible the desired mesh before deleting the rest.png
One can click on the individual 'layers' and drag them to re-arrange their positions.
One can paint directly on the model with colours.
To get textures on the images requires a different approach. One needs 2 layers with the texture image underneath and then from the paint layer above, use the eraser brush.
If anybody figures out how to paint texture images to the model directly please keep us informed ;-) tia
By shooting the Genesis figures over the bridge to Hexagon they arrive in one piece with all the surfaces intact. One can select all but the desired surface and delete that mesh. Then export out the mesh with the non-overlapping surface. Import that into Quixel and have some fun. If one uses a ready made material and clicks on the square one can load their own image ... which will probably be tiled a lot. With the appropriate layer selected, on the right side if there be a word 'placement' - click on that for options to appear. One is for tiling.
For some of the mask options, white is full strength and black is zippo.
Yes thank you for that idea, using one uvmap. Took it a step further and figured let's make use of that seldom mentioned tool, the Texture Atlas.
With the Texture Atlas one can make 'one uvmap' for any of the Genesis figures including 3 and 8 BUT some tweaking is required to help TA do its task. The newer figures are using a different type of uvmap so these must be collapsed.
The end result could be very useful for decorating background figures. With a little more work, they could be further edited to full sized templates. At any rate here goes the picture show ....
One needs to apply the basic 3Delight shader preset to the figures. Holding down Ctrl while doing that will enable the popup with the option to keep the textures. One also needs to apply the collapsed uvset.
008 apply basic shader keeping the images fix the eyes.png
1594 x 844 - 519K
009 delete the eyelashes and set to collapsed uvset.png
1594 x 803 - 440K
010 run Atlas.png
1159 x 731 - 391K
011.png
1241 x 679 - 432K
012 save uvset first.png
1592 x 815 - 220K
013 select only the one.png
1110 x 606 - 123K
014 save material preset.png
527 x 722 - 59K
015 apply basic iray keeping images fix eyes save mat file.png
1557 x 806 - 311K
016 over the bridge to Hexagon remove eyelashes.png
I've read here and there of some having troubles getting D/S to load textures on their objects. So tip for this week is Remember to use "one_word" and no funny characters in the titles at least for the .mtl file ... and inside the .obj file, make sure that the reference in there also has no spaces or funny characters ;-)
History lesson {should be great for some stories}
Take a "paradise" and have in it a couple of people who will never die. Their bodies rejuvenate and their souls live forever. One "law" ... it was SO simple. Do NOT eat the apple. Why? Nobody asked back then apparently. Problem, many people who eat fruit tend to eat the seeds. Apple seeds are known to contain POISON. And so was introducted one heck of a problem in "paradise" ... souls that exist forever BUT their bodies die. Once introduced into the system, the poison does NOT go away. Moral of this story, if you have a question ask because I no not normally practice mind reading. Think about that for awhile ;-)
Free Rendered image of an Apple. {public domain}
Apple .obj is/was free over at Turbosquid. Light Preset used is from 'the key' that is available in today's sale. {I turned off the floor and the draw dome -- it's a very nice set of light presets}
Have Hexagon installed and the D/S bridge options set to Advanced.
Load figure and clothing, pose figure somewhere down the Timeline, select the DForce clothing and run the Simulation.
Select the clothing and shoot it over the bridge to Hexagon. In D/S 'clear the simulation' ONLY. In Hexagon select the clothing and send it back over the bridge to D/S. Make the morph :-)
Polish the morph dial, zero and Save the New Morph.
Comments
sadly that pretty much rules out most software these days including Poser as all need to phone home occasionally
a smartphone as a hotspot would do if have the data
use a prepaid to be safe
you can buy a cheap android
years ago when I had no landline I used my 3G Samsung Android tablet as my modem but yeah data was tight
Yeah sadly I saw no way to get past that register box in order to run the program. Once that was done though I went offline and yes the program would run.
And yes, it does seem to be more of a making textures program as it does not paint like the way 3DBlacks does. However it makes the full set of texture images required for the effects. I'll have to experiment more with it to see all what come of this. Also hoping to get a grip on 3DCoat. It's about time.
Thanks for letting us know about this. I will register but I will not subscribe. I have 3D Coat, Blacksmith3D, and Zbrush and I use all 3. New tools that don't break the bank are always welcome.
from my post in Carrara forum
some sites you can grab PBR textures from instead of subscribing to Megascans
https://texturehaven.com
https://www.poliigon.com/
https://3dtextures.me
https://www.cgbookcase.com
http://www.texturise.club/
I did mine with my Epic account BTW so have access to all the megascans free
but of course can only use them in Unreal Engine 4
but that is free too
and I often render in UE4 anyway so not a problem
Somehow I started an Epic account 'cause that's what keeps getting signed in, but there's nothing free about those megascans that I can find. Too bad 'cause their tutorials made it appear to be that much came with the program. Thank you for all those other links for materials :-)
I spent the evening making something of a third eye. First I tested with ready made mesh [i.e. Genesis'], concept works [more or less] ... good idea if any character bearing a third eye is pretty Vulcan stoic. Can raise an eyebrow or 2 but any extreme forehead motion will misshape the eye. There could be additional 'things that can be done' to prevent that however.
Here's the handsome dude for tonight. The red is the border mesh for the geograft.
the megascans are only free for UE4
maybe it knows if you have UE4 installed
even so, I am probably going to use my own textures anyway once I get around to taking more pictures with my camera and using Materialize to do the PBR maps.
Ah okay, no I don't have UE4 installed.
Been taking photos for years too. Sadly my fav filter [kaleidoscope] doesn't work now in the latest PSP which is now 64 bit. It has its own filter which is not as good. Gone are the days of all those lovely free filters that would work in it. Still have it on my old computer though. Hope that works for as long as I want it.
No one give anything away for free. They want people to subscribe so you can milk you for money like everyone else unfortuantly.
but you don't have to
like DAZ studio and the starter essentials
It seems like a really cool program-- if I can load my own meshes into it. So far, it doesn't look like I can. A damn shame, that! There's only so much one can do with Blacksmith3D's paint program if the material requires multiple sync'd images (Diff/Norm/Disp/Spec/SSS/et c) to achieve its effect, AFAIK.
Yes we can load our own meshes, back in a bit with an image.
I am naturally cynical so I tend to poke free stuff with a stick to see if it will bite me in the kester. I appreciate the heads up and this seems like a very useful program. It is posible to load your own mesh but you need something else to create the multilayer texure base so you can add effects to your object. I would suggest that new users open a Unreal account to access the material for free. I see this being more usefull for 3d artists who work on props and terrain. If you get a free well made prop but the textures are lacking this could make that prop top notch. I have not tried this yet because of time constraints but I will be giving this a spin. Thanks again for the heads up.
the meshes cannot have overlapping UV's so most DAZ content excluded
doesnt see UDIM either by looks
but something with a single UV works quite well, you can tile and paint layers, and export maps
I tried Xerr but he has an overlapping UV too sadly
Think ... yes the mesh cannot have overlapping uvsets SO only import the part of the mesh that has non-overlapping uvset :-) [that's why Hexagon was invented although the original makers of Hexagon probably didn't know that lol ...]
Okay here are a bunch of pictures. For those new to my tutorial stuff, remember, of my followers include some very special people who are very intelligent BUT have some certain challenges in life when it comes to comprehending the written word. So pictures and a fair bit of repetition is sometimes in order to help them. So for those who don't have any such problems, congrats and be patient please.
[n.b. Apparently exporting the figures from this edition of DS is not such a good idea as it messes up the locations of which uvset goes where, at least according to Hexagon. So FIRST send model over bridge to Hexagon, THEN export out an .obj from there. This is with regards to the Genesis clans.]
Upon opening the program after the flash screen we have this:
It is very important to type a name for your new project. The smaller the image, the crappier the end result.
And here it is in Daz Studio, appearing as it was in Quixel :-)
One can click on the individual 'layers' and drag them to re-arrange their positions.
One can paint directly on the model with colours.
To get textures on the images requires a different approach. One needs 2 layers with the texture image underneath and then from the paint layer above, use the eraser brush.
If anybody figures out how to paint texture images to the model directly please keep us informed ;-) tia
By shooting the Genesis figures over the bridge to Hexagon they arrive in one piece with all the surfaces intact. One can select all but the desired surface and delete that mesh. Then export out the mesh with the non-overlapping surface. Import that into Quixel and have some fun. If one uses a ready made material and clicks on the square one can load their own image ... which will probably be tiled a lot. With the appropriate layer selected, on the right side if there be a word 'placement' - click on that for options to appear. One is for tiling.
For some of the mask options, white is full strength and black is zippo.
Brush step set to '1' has less drag {lagginess}.
you can sort of paint texture images to the model by masking
ie revealing the one underneath with an alpha brush which can be a greyscale image
I cannot find a way to polypaint one though with an RGB image brush like I do in Carrara and Zbrush
Okay that's all I've found so far too. I'm also finding that certain features of one function would be handy for other functions but the options are not there, so that's a bit frustrating. I checked their online material options [through the program] and there is NOTHING for people skins so there's a gap that needs filling.
The good news with their paint is it doesn't 'run down the sides' like 3DBlack's did/does [my copy is very old now].
How's Mixer with generating normal maps with DAZ content?
I remember seeing an option for that, but I forgot where.
It will generate the full spectrum of texture images including normals. For the material there is a long list of what is, or is not, available and a check box to place a tick in for inclusion on exports.
And any $ software not sold at Daz3D and comes with a statement {on their page} that says this: "The preview version has many rough edges and the experience may be frustrating." is NOT something I'm interested in, but thank you for trying.
Plugging the free Quixel for texturing models for use in Daz Studio because this is my tutorial thread ;-)
All right, preparing the Genesis clans for import into Quixel.
First and for this project VERY important .... do not simply export out an obj to be imported into Hexagon. There is a communication issue. Here illustrated is one example:
Open D/S and load one of the figures. Now it appears that transfers over the bridge do have the uvset collapsed, this is good. IF it doesn't then one would have to apply a collapsed uvset [which hopefully we've all made following a previous tutorial].
Concept is to transfer figure to Hexagon using the bridge, in Hexagon deleting all but the desired Shading Domains and then exporting out one .obj file. Clear scene, return to D/S and send the figure over the bridge again and repeat selecting another shading domain or two, etc. NO overlapping shading domains. When done with the one figure, close Hexagon and return to D/S. Clear the scene and load in the next figure. Repeat exercise. End result if doing this for Genesis 8 would be to have at least 8 .obj files ready to be imported into Quixel.
Ghastly has a Genesis1 UV set that doesn't overlap at all. https://sharecg.com/v/70652/gallery/21/DAZ-Studio/Genesis-1-Single-UV-Maps-and-Utility-Paint-Morph
Oooh, thank you this is great idea for Genesis 1. I was just going to use as a prop texture tool.
Yes thank you for that idea, using one uvmap. Took it a step further and figured let's make use of that seldom mentioned tool, the Texture Atlas.
With the Texture Atlas one can make 'one uvmap' for any of the Genesis figures including 3 and 8 BUT some tweaking is required to help TA do its task. The newer figures are using a different type of uvmap so these must be collapsed.
The end result could be very useful for decorating background figures. With a little more work, they could be further edited to full sized templates. At any rate here goes the picture show ....
One needs to apply the basic 3Delight shader preset to the figures. Holding down Ctrl while doing that will enable the popup with the option to keep the textures. One also needs to apply the collapsed uvset.
You're welcome: as it happens, my current texture need is for Genesis1, so I'm interested in this project too.
I think I have Texture Atlas, but never made use of it yet...
We all have Texture Atlas ;-) I'm using the workspace City Limits and it shows on the right sidebar.
For Genesis 1 and 2 we need not be concerned about collapsing the uvsets.
I've read here and there of some having troubles getting D/S to load textures on their objects. So tip for this week is Remember to use "one_word" and no funny characters in the titles at least for the .mtl file ... and inside the .obj file, make sure that the reference in there also has no spaces or funny characters ;-)
History lesson {should be great for some stories}
Take a "paradise" and have in it a couple of people who will never die. Their bodies rejuvenate and their souls live forever. One "law" ... it was SO simple. Do NOT eat the apple. Why? Nobody asked back then apparently. Problem, many people who eat fruit tend to eat the seeds. Apple seeds are known to contain POISON. And so was introducted one heck of a problem in "paradise" ... souls that exist forever BUT their bodies die. Once introduced into the system, the poison does NOT go away. Moral of this story, if you have a question ask because I no not normally practice mind reading. Think about that for awhile ;-)
Free Rendered image of an Apple. {public domain}
Apple .obj is/was free over at Turbosquid. Light Preset used is from 'the key' that is available in today's sale. {I turned off the floor and the draw dome -- it's a very nice set of light presets}
Making Morphs of Clothing Simulations is easy.
Have Hexagon installed and the D/S bridge options set to Advanced.
Load figure and clothing, pose figure somewhere down the Timeline, select the DForce clothing and run the Simulation.
Select the clothing and shoot it over the bridge to Hexagon. In D/S 'clear the simulation' ONLY. In Hexagon select the clothing and send it back over the bridge to D/S. Make the morph :-)
Polish the morph dial, zero and Save the New Morph.