Are dynamic wrinkle maps possible?
monkeybeard
Posts: 12
Hi I've not used Daz Studio for a long time. I now recently got the new version and I love all how easy it is to organize content, pose figures, and create scenes. One thing that bums me out though is that despite how hi res and realistic the figures look, they are too stiff looking - almost like a doll. Reason is the lack of dynamic wrinkle maps. Is there an easy way to activate/deactivate normal or displacement maps based on pose? I mean even current video games are able to do this in real time. Check out Uncharted 4's models:
source: https://answers.unrealengine.com/questions/544163/how-can-i-make-wrinkles-for-clothingskin.html
I can't figure out an effective way to do this. First of all there are no content out there for this so I'll have to create my own normal or displacement maps. Secondly I'll need to create a unique map that's specific for a pose because a map can consist of several body parts at once. Any tips or words of wisdom? Thanks
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Hi and wellcome to the forum,
This is pretty advanced stuff to ask for in you first post.
First of all - no dynamic wrinkle maps are not provided in the current DazStudio version. But the more I think of it the less I can say it isnt possible to archive something that looks like a dynamic wrinkle map in DazStudio.
By default the software dont animate texures and you wouldnt see them animate in the preview nor do you see any normal or displacement maps in the preview but in the render. I'm sorry to say that there is almost nothing dynamic in DazStudio no dynamics no collision physics because you cant compare it to a comercial game engine and it isnt the best solution for animating at all but at least some say its good for to render still images.
There are scripts / Add-Ons for DazStudio to animate textures (just search the shop for it) but as far as I know they are based on Image sequences - so for a defined range of frames in the DS animation it counts up the Image sequence you first need to edit in some Image Editor. Because of that there will be no link between the body limb bending and the Image sequence just timed by the frame counts and this isnt dynamic.
I see the image sequence scripts for DazStudio are used for diffuse texture maps - I dont know if they work for normal or displacement maps maybe they do - you can try it.
But anyway this would lead to a huge file count and size with most of the normal or displacement areas remain unchaged in the image sequence. You can try to use the "Layered Image Editor" on normal and displacement maps to create an extra image layer for the wrinkles in the bendig areas - I'm not shure if this will work.
The Layered Image Editor can be opend if you first select the figure in the scene then go to the surface pane. Next select a Surface entry from the list and search for maybe diffuse color. Now left-click the image / texture map this will show you a list of textures used in the scene but at the top you can select the Layered Image Editor. If you add a new layer it provides an "Opacity" slider.
If the opacity of the layer from the Layered Image Editor could somehow (I think this would be a task for script writers or Daz developers to make it possible) be controlled by a property in the parameters. The next step would be to link the wrinkle map layer opacity with the bone joint rotation of the figure by ERC-Freeze or the Porperty Hierarchy for example.
You know you can link morphs to bone joint rotations - these are called JointControlledMorphs [JCM] that are commonly used for genesis figures to support a propper shape while bending.
This method of JointControlledMorphs would be another way to archive some sort of wrinkle distortions by the shape of the geomerty itself - but you are limited to use the base geometry resolution for the new wrikle morphs and then the subdivisions on the figure will smooth out most of it.
These are just some thoughts and things that come to my mind - but I hope it can help somehow.
Thanks for the help. Not sure where the animate texture script you are talking about is. I couldn't find it. I managed to use the Layered Image Editor successfully. You can layer cropped out normal maps to isolate the parts you want to wrinkle and move them on top of a full sized normal map layer using the X-Y sliders. However it is incredibly tedious every time you pose a figure to edit the normal map for each body part and readjust its opacity accordingly manually. As you mentioned it would be great if Daz can make it so opacity layers can be controlled by joint rotation. Currently however it is easier to use other 3d programs if I want realistic wrinkles which is a shame because Daz Studio has such a great content management interface.
Looks very cool, though you'll want to cover certain parts of her in the pic above to conform to forum TOS (add a bikini and she'll be fine.)
this could be done by a PA using joint controlled HD morphs created from wrinkle maps
not by an ordinary user as only PA's have access to HD morph creation
Sorry for being ignorant but what is PA? How do HD morphs work exactly? Does it subdivide the figure then actually morphs by shifting around the vertices? I feel that displacement or normal maps would be easier to work with and less taxing on rendering times too
premier artist
so no help to you or me as an end user unless they do it
they do have HD expressions available for Genesis8
its subdivided mesh in Zbrush or some other program loaded onto the base mesh using a special import facility DAZ only allows PA’s access to.
I see. Well I'm surprised there is no content like this that exists in the store yet.
@ klocktimer
Great to hear that the Layered Image Editor works with layered patches of normal maps. Now we just need some way to control the layer opacity by the joint rotation. I wonder if its possible - can someone with knowledge of the DazStudio API tell us if its possible to create an animatable property for that?