LIVE! In the store NOW!! LowPi - the Low Poly Figure, and Crowd Creator Scripts

Artini · September 25

Yes, I looked at the manual and still do not understand, how to create area setups.

Will try to search on the net to see if somebody has a simpler description.

In manual there are examples with many zones, but I just need only one.

Totte · September 25

In the Area and Slope Manual
2.3 Creating an Area Setup on page 3
2.4 Saving an Area Setup on page 4

Artini · September 25

In the mean time - Little Planet.

Totte · September 25

Nice one @artini, very small planet indeed ;-)

Artini · September 25

Thanks, @Totte

barbult · September 25

@Artini separate your thought process and activities into separate operations:

First, create an area setup.
Second, define a path in your real scene.
Third, use that area setup and path in your real scene.

First: To create the Area Setup:

Start by creating just a simple primitive plane. The size is unimportant. (You can do all this in your real scene, but I find it simpler to do it separately like this.)
Put three or more Border Markers on it; the location of the markers is not important as long as they define a convex area.
Run the Crowd Generator
Select and add the set(s) you will want to use later for your your two point path people.
Set the percentage of instances you will want to use later for your path people. The number of LowPis doesn't matter.
Select the skins, eyes, lips that you want to use later on your path people.
Select the morphs. that you want to use later on your path people.
At the bottom of the Crowd Generator window, click the Save Area Setup button and give the Area Setup a name and click the save button. Now you have created and saved an Area Setup that you can use later in any scene with Paths or Areas. (You can create and save many different Area Setups and use any of them later in a scene with Paths or Areas. You can even edit an Area Setup later from inside the Crowd Generator.)

Second: Define a path in your real scene

Create or open your real scene where you want a path of LowPi people to be generated.
Add two or more Path Markers to the scene to define the path. (You don't need any Border Markers to define just a path.)
The path must have one Start Marker and one End Marker, and may have no Middle Markers or many Middle Markers. All start as Middle Path Markers. Then you select the marker that should be the start (at one end of the line of path markers) and go to the Parameters pane and in the Misc section, you change the marker type from Middle to Start. Select the Path Marker on the other end of your line of Path Markers and similarly change it from Middle to End.
Each Path Marker must point to the next Path Marker.
- Select each Path Marker and rotate it on the Y axis so its arrow points to the next marker on the path.
  - The easiest, fastest, and most reliable way to do this is to view the scene from the orthographic Top view.
  - Run the tool "LP Show Path Rays" script. Now you can see a line extending from the arrow.
  - Rotate each Path Marker so that line intersects the next Path Marker. Don't worry what it intersects beyond the next Path Marker; that doesn't matter.
  - Do this for every Path Marker, except the End marker. It doesn't matter where the End marker points.
  - Run the "LP Remove Path Rays" script to get rid of the distracting lines in the viewport.

Third: Use the Area Setup on a Path:

Open the Crowd Generator and go directly to the Markers tab.
- Near the bottom of the Markers tab you will see a description of your path.
- It shows the number of markers in your path, the length or your path, the type of path (refer to the manual) and other parameters.
- The two most important parameters here are # and Area Setup.
  - The # is the number of LowPis that will be generated along your path. It defaults to 10. Right click on the 10 to select a different number of LowPis from a big list.
  - In the Area Setup section, the "value" defaults to blank. Right click in that blank area below the words "Area Setup" and select one of your previously defined Area Setups.
Click the Generate Crowd button to generate LowPis along your path.
In the Extensions Configuration, check "After Population has been done" and select PopPlus, so your generated LowPis follow the terrain of the path scenery. You can optionally check "Placement of LowPis" and select InstanceAdjuster to put instances farthest from the camera..
In the Extension data window, select the render camera and the terrain node that your path is on.

That's it. Now that you have a scene with a path in it, you can save the scene and reuse it with a different Area Setup to generate different LowPis along that same path. Or use the same Area Setup on a different path in the same or different scene. Or use the same Area Setup with a defined Area, rather than a path.

Since I wrote this mostly from memory, I might have skipped something. If you have problems, ask again.

Artini · September 26

barbult said:

@Artini separate your thought process and activities into separate operations:

First, create an area setup.
Second, define a path in your real scene.
Third, use that area setup and path in your real scene.

First: To create the Area Setup:

Start by creating just a simple primitive plane. The size is unimportant. (You can do all this in your real scene, but I find it simpler to do it separately like this.)

Put three or more Border Markers on it; the location of the markers is not important as long as they define a convex area.

Run the Crowd Generator

Select and add the set(s) you will want to use later for your your two point path people.

Set the percentage of instances you will want to use later for your path people. The number of LowPis doesn't matter.

Select the skins, eyes, lips that you want to use later on your path people.

Select the morphs. that you want to use later on your path people.

At the bottom of the Crowd Generator window, click the Save Area Setup button and give the Area Setup a name and click the save button. Now you have created and saved an Area Setup that you can use later in any scene with Paths or Areas. (You can create and save many different Area Setups and use any of them later in a scene with Paths or Areas. You can even edit an Area Setup later from inside the Crowd Generator.)

Second: Define a path in your real scene

Create or open your real scene where you want a path of LowPi people to be generated.

Add two or more Path Markers to the scene to define the path. (You don't need any Border Markers to define just a path.)

The path must have one Start Marker and one End Marker, and may have no Middle Markers or many Middle Markers. All start as Middle Path Markers. Then you select the marker that should be the start (at one end of the line of path markers) and go to the Parameters pane and in the Misc section, you change the marker type from Middle to Start. Select the Path Marker on the other end of your line of Path Markers and similarly change it from Middle to End.

Each Path Marker must point to the next Path Marker.

Select each Path Marker and rotate it on the Y axis so its arrow points to the next marker on the path.

The easiest, fastest, and most reliable way to do this is to view the scene from the orthographic Top view.

Run the tool "LP Show Path Rays" script. Now you can see a line extending from the arrow.

Rotate each Path Marker so that line intersects the next Path Marker. Don't worry what it intersects beyond the next Path Marker; that doesn't matter.

Do this for every Path Marker, except the End marker. It doesn't matter where the End marker points.

Run the "LP Remove Path Rays" script to get rid of the distracting lines in the viewport.

Third: Use the Area Setup on a Path:

Open the Crowd Generator and go directly to the Markers tab.

Near the bottom of the Markers tab you will see a description of your path.

It shows the number of markers in your path, the length or your path, the type of path (refer to the manual) and other parameters.

The two most important parameters here are # and Area Setup.

The # is the number of LowPis that will be generated along your path. It defaults to 10. Right click on the 10 to select a different number of LowPis from a big list.

In the Area Setup section, the "value" defaults to blank. Right click in that blank area below the words "Area Setup" and select one of your previously defined Area Setups.

Click the Generate Crowd button to generate LowPis along your path.

In the Extensions Configuration, check "After Population has been done" and select PopPlus, so your generated LowPis follow the terrain of the path scenery. You can optionally check "Placement of LowPis" and select InstanceAdjuster to put instances farthest from the camera..

In the Extension data window, select the render camera and the terrain node that your path is on.

That's it. Now that you have a scene with a path in it, you can save the scene and reuse it with a different Area Setup to generate different LowPis along that same path. Or use the same Area Setup on a different path in the same or different scene. Or use the same Area Setup with a defined Area, rather than a path.

Since I wrote this mostly from memory, I might have skipped something. If you have problems, ask again.

Thank you very much, @barbult

I write such step by step lists for myself and use them in more complicated setups in my work.

I will test your tips during the next few days.

Thanks again.

Totte · September 26

Thanks @barbult for that writeup.

Artini · September 27

Finally got it, at least the basics.

Also tested the new: https://www.daz3d.com/medieval-bell-towers-2

barbult · September 27

Yes, you got it.

Artini · September 27

Thanks a lot, @barbult for guiding me in the right direction.

You are the best.

barbult · October 5

The new LowPi Beach set from PhilW is great fun! It's my favorite add on set. It has a large number of options. PhilW made some great promo images for the set, too. They really give you some ideas of what you can do with it. All of the beach towels, chairs, loungers, umbrellas, clothes, drinks, hats, footwear come with the set. The palm tree, frond, grass and HDRI beach were other things that I added to the scene.

Totte · October 5

Yes!

I love PhilW's work on this, LowPis can finally go on vacations!

barbult · October 6

Here is another LowPi render with the beach set. The environment is https://www.daz3d.com/polish-whitewave-beach-mega-environment-bundle

There are a lot of LowPi sitting in the outdoor cafe chairs. Richard Haseltine is even in the render, although he is not very many pixels. The dog is a billboard I made a long time ago. There is one waiter from the Dinner and a Show set.

Artini · October 6

Very nice, @barbult

I especially like the hats in the set, so I do not need to use hairs on LowPi people.

Are there any simple procedure to change hairs materials on LowPi to look similar

to the regular hair on Genesis 9/8/3?

Totte · October 6

Artini said:

Very nice, @barbult

I especially like the hats in the set, so I do not need to use hairs on LowPi people.

Are there any simple procedure to change hairs materials on LowPi to look similar

to the regular hair on Genesis 9/8/3?

The hairs are simple low poly hairs, but if you want a hair from a Genesis generation, you can always convert it, but keep in mind, one hair might have more polygons that 100 fully setup LowPis, you you risk crashing if you use "real hair".

Artini · October 6

Ok, thanks Totte.

It looks like I will be using more hats on LowPi.

Richard Haseltine · October 6

barbult said:

Here is another LowPi render with the beach set. The environment is https://www.daz3d.com/polish-whitewave-beach-mega-environment-bundle

There are a lot of LowPi sitting in the outdoor cafe chairs. Richard Haseltine is even in the render, although he is not very many pixels. The dog is a billboard I made a long time ago. There is one waiter from the Dinner and a Show set.

Found me, probably checking if I satisfy the dress code. I was worried you might have put me in one of the palm trees after my comment on cats' shortsightednes the other day.

barbult · October 6

I did have a passing thought of having you climb a palm tree, but I didn't even associate that thought with your previous comment. I guess you could have gotten a good view of the area from up there. There are a lot of palm trees of different kind in my yard, but I've never seen a cat climb one, but the squirrels do.

barbult · October 6

Artini said:

Very nice, @barbult

I especially like the hats in the set, so I do not need to use hairs on LowPi people.

Are there any simple procedure to change hairs materials on LowPi to look similar

to the regular hair on Genesis 9/8/3?

I've converted hair from Genesis generations, to LowPi. I almost always decimate them a lot and reduce the texture sizes with V3D Scene Optimizer. My favorite conversion is Harlow Hair 2. Toon Generation hairs and older Genesis hairs work pretty well. I even converted the latest Librarian Hair. I don't try to convert Strand-Based hairs.

Totte · October 6

@barbult: You should make a tutorial on all this for the store.

barbult · October 6

Totte said:

@barbult: You should make a tutorial on all this for the store.

That sounds like work. I'd rather play.

luci45 · October 6

The converted hair looks great, barbult. And so does your Whitewave beach scene. I bought those two sets yesterday when they were $5.99 intending to do something like that. Perfect together. Is Richard begging for food?

barbult · October 6

luci45 said:

The converted hair looks great, barbult. And so does your Whitewave beach scene. I bought those two sets yesterday when they were $5.99 intending to do something like that. Perfect together. Is Richard begging for food?

Richard says he's checking the dress code, but I bet he smells tuna.

Richard Haseltine · October 6

barbult said:

luci45 said:

The converted hair looks great, barbult. And so does your Whitewave beach scene. I bought those two sets yesterday when they were $5.99 intending to do something like that. Perfect together. Is Richard begging for food?

Richard says he's checking the dress code, but I bet he smells tuna.

The one might be the motivation for the other.

barbult · October 7

Richard Haseltine said:

barbult said:

luci45 said:

The converted hair looks great, barbult. And so does your Whitewave beach scene. I bought those two sets yesterday when they were $5.99 intending to do something like that. Perfect together. Is Richard begging for food?

Richard says he's checking the dress code, but I bet he smells tuna.

The one might be the motivation for the other.

Ah, yes, that makes perfect sense. You see things so clearly (in spite of any visual impairment).

Artini · October 7

barbult said:

Artini said:

Very nice, @barbult

I especially like the hats in the set, so I do not need to use hairs on LowPi people.

Are there any simple procedure to change hairs materials on LowPi to look similar

to the regular hair on Genesis 9/8/3?

I've converted hair from Genesis generations, to LowPi. I almost always decimate them a lot and reduce the texture sizes with V3D Scene Optimizer. My favorite conversion is Harlow Hair 2. Toon Generation hairs and older Genesis hairs work pretty well. I even converted the latest Librarian Hair. I don't try to convert Strand-Based hairs.

These are looking great. Thank you for showing them up.

memcneil70 · October 7

barbult said:

Artini said:

Very nice, @barbult

I especially like the hats in the set, so I do not need to use hairs on LowPi people.

Are there any simple procedure to change hairs materials on LowPi to look similar

to the regular hair on Genesis 9/8/3?

I've converted hair from Genesis generations, to LowPi. I almost always decimate them a lot and reduce the texture sizes with V3D Scene Optimizer. My favorite conversion is Harlow Hair 2. Toon Generation hairs and older Genesis hairs work pretty well. I even converted the latest Librarian Hair. I don't try to convert Strand-Based hairs.

@barbult those are excellent. I also agree you need to pull together your tutorials scattered across all the threads and publish them, or at least start an Art Studio thread collecting them. You have helped so many people but those comments can get buried and forum searches get buried too easy.

Mary

Artini · October 8

Testing on LowPi:
https://www.daz3d.com/rawr-outfit
https://www.daz3d.com/grrr-for-rawr
Now I need to find some solution for the look of hands.

Artini · October 8

Thinking, still thinking...

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