Lee's Morphs, Men, Muscles, and Dial-spinning Mayhem

My name is Lee Moon and I wanted to start this thread to share what I do with DAZ Studio.

My main starting point with 3D rendering was probably with Videoscape 3D on the Commodore Amiga in the 1980's.  I moved on to Lightwave 3D on an Amiga 2000 with NewTek VideoToaster.  I really got into working with 3D figures with Poser 1 and had continued to use that until about 2.5 years ago.  Though my time with DAZ Studio has been short, I've been buying DAZ assets for Poser since the beginning.  Enough about my 3D background.

So, I enjoy using the DAZ male figures.  I'd like to show some of the character shapes that I spin up and perhaps some lighting set ups and post-render image touch up techniques as I post things.

Make no mistake, I'm not full of myself.  Others have asked for this info and I thought I'd throw it all in one place. :) 

So, let's get started...

Lee

 

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Comments

  • Why not jump right in with Genesis 9?

    Here's a base shape I dialed up to get a mildly stylized/toony looking muscular/athletic figure.

     

    G9-BaseToAthleticShape-4.png
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  • leemoon_c43b45a114leemoon_c43b45a114 Posts: 825
    edited November 2022

    I typically make use of a (wide) range of products to fine tune a character shape to my liking.

    Rather than list a recipe for all this dial spinning, I've created a shape preset to make things easier for all of us.  I hope you don't mind.

    Here's the shape preset with instructions:

    Genesis 9 Base Athletic Masculine Physique Shape Preset

    I’ve been tinkering with Genesis 9 and wanted to dial in a muscular/athletic shape that I could use as a base for different characters going forward.  The shape preset dials in a slightly stylized/toon body and head shape.

    The idea behind it was to give others a little jumping off point to create their own variations of the Genesis 9 masculine shape.

    DAZ Support has let me know that I can freely share this shape preset.  Note that this includes no products, only the dial settings for achieving the figure shape.

    In order to make use of the preset and achieve the shape as shown, you will need the following DAZ products:

    Genesis 9 Starter Essentials

    https://www.daz3d.com/genesis-9-starter-essentials

     

    Genesis 9 Head Shapes

    https://www.daz3d.com/genesis-9-head-shapes

     

    Genesis 9 Body Shapes

    https://www.daz3d.com/genesis-9-body-shapes

     

    Body Morph Kit for Genesis 9

    https://www.daz3d.com/body-morph-kit-for-genesis-9

     

    Face Morph Kit for Genesis 9

    https://www.daz3d.com/face-morph-kit-for-genesis-9

     

    Growing Up for Genesis 9

    https://www.daz3d.com/growing-up-for-genesis-9

     

    Toon Heroes for Genesis 9

    https://www.daz3d.com/toon-heroes-for-genesis-9

     

    Michael 9 HD

    https://www.daz3d.com/michael-9-hd

     

    To use the shape preset:

    1) Load the base Genesis 9 figure.

    2) Select Genesis 9 in the scene.

    3) Open the parameters tab and set the View SubD Level to 3 and the Render SubD Level to 3.  These will show good detail.  Adjust higher or lower as you see fit.  I recommend 3 initially to see the shape properly.

    4) Optionally, dial the FACS Detail Strength, Body Pose Detail Strength, and Flexion Automatic Strength to 100%.  These are set to 0% in the base Genesis 9 figure by default.

    5) Now you’re ready to apply the Athletic Masculine Physique shape preset.  Locate the preset and apply it with Genesis 9 selected.  You may also drag and drop the shape preset .DUF file from where you saved it onto the Genesis 9 figure in the viewport.  Genesis 9 should then have the Base Athletic Masculine Physique applied. 

    6) The shape preset has set the various parameters to create the head and body shape.  Please explore the various dial settings in the Currently Used section of the parameters tab.

    7) Continue to customize the shape by adjusting the parameters to your liking and/or mixing in additional parameters that you have in your content library.

     

    Thanks for trying out this shape preset.  I hope you find it useful or informative.  Please let me know if there are errors in the instructions or requirements and I will revise them.

     

    Lee

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    Post edited by leemoon_c43b45a114 on
  • HylasHylas Posts: 4,744

    I will be following this thread with interest, I always enjoy your work :)

  • Hylas said:

    I will be following this thread with interest, I always enjoy your work :)

    Thank you, Hylas! :)

    Here's a look at what's next.  Another G9 variation derived from the base Athletic preset plus another G9 figure.  Hint: It's going to require RawArt's Sasquatch. :)

    This is Hank...

     

    Lee

     

    G9 Hank.jpg
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  • HylasHylas Posts: 4,744

    Hank McCoy? That was honestly my first thought before you even mentioned Sasquatch, when you first posted him in The Commons.

  • nonesuch00nonesuch00 Posts: 17,890

    Yes, thanks for the thread. It's nice to learn how to do alternative toon styles. Who knows what G9 will actually bring as far as toon products from DAZ and the PAs, eg The Guy 8 products never came for G8M.

  • inquireinquire Posts: 2,088

    Hi, Lee: Wonderful work. I starred this forum and will be watching closely. I have all of the base products except 2: the Growing Up and the Toon Heroes. Maybe I'll get those. But even without those, I'll probably get most of the preset, correct?

  • Hylas said:

    Hank McCoy? That was honestly my first thought before you even mentioned Sasquatch, when you first posted him in The Commons.

     I was definitely inspired by a certain marvelous character when I saw RawArt's Sasquatch in the store.  Thought I might see what I could come up with.  I am very pleased with the result and hope others will be as well.  :)

    Lee

     

  • leemoon_c43b45a114leemoon_c43b45a114 Posts: 825
    edited November 2022

    nonesuch00 said:

    Yes, thanks for the thread. It's nice to learn how to do alternative toon styles. Who knows what G9 will actually bring as far as toon products from DAZ and the PAs, eg The Guy 8 products never came for G8M.

    You're quite welcome, nonesuch00, and thanks for joining in!  I do have a fondness for spinning up stylized/toonish characters, so there should be more on the way.  Of course, one could always increase some of the Toon Hero and/or Growing Up morphs to get a stronger toon look.  That's why I went with shape presets, to give others access to continue to customize what I'm showing.  And to see what I typically do with respect to dial settings to achieve certain physique styles. :)

    Lee

     

    Post edited by leemoon_c43b45a114 on
  • inquire said:

    Hi, Lee: Wonderful work. I starred this forum and will be watching closely. I have all of the base products except 2: the Growing Up and the Toon Heroes. Maybe I'll get those. But even without those, I'll probably get most of the preset, correct?

     HI, inquire!  Thank you!  I did apply my preset and then dialed out the Toon Hero and Growing Up parameters.  It resulted in a different shape that didn't look too bad.  You could likely use the other products to mold him into a shape you like.  I actually encourage everyone to play with all the dials at their disposal.  It's fun to play around and see what works. :)

    Lee

     

  • leemoon_c43b45a114leemoon_c43b45a114 Posts: 825
    edited November 2022

    As promised, here's Hank.  He's your favorite, human-form, beastly comic book hero.

    The requirements to use his shape preset: you will need the same products as my Genesis 9 Base Athletic Masculine Physique Shape Preset (see my earlier post) with the addition of RawArt's Sasquatch for Genesis 9 found in the DAZ store: https://www.daz3d.com/sasquatch-for-genesis-9.

    Instructions for using him are the same as well.  Load the base Genesis 9 figure, set the SubD levels, etc. and then apply my "G9 Base Sasquatch Muscular Man Shape Preset" .DUF file.

     

    It would be great to see what Hank looks like with Sasquatch's fur applied.  Maybe have the fur and body textures tinted a different color.  Blue maybe?  I'll leave that to you! :)

    I hope you enjoy exploring the dials in this shape preset.  Try giving Sasquatch a bit more strength in the parameters for a more beastly look.  Have fun!

    Lee

     

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    Post edited by leemoon_c43b45a114 on
  • Here's a fun one I'm working on.

    I started by loading https://www.daz3d.com/cb-marli-hd-for-genesis-9.  Her skin is quite lovely and I thought she could use a male companion (Marley) with similar skin.  I then applied my G9 Base Athletic Masculine Physique Shape Preset and started adjusting/adding parameters from there.

    Still a work-in-progress, but I think I'm getting there. :)

    Marley's skin and shape look good.  Marli is a female only character, so I'm working with the pectoral area to try to move everything to a more masculine shape.  As such, I'm using the female nipple parameters since they line up with the texture.  Also, for the curious, I put together a basic male AE texture using part of the female AE texture and then adjusting the surface settings to blend with the body.  It works well enough at the moment, so that's doable for those who wish for male textures down there. :)

    If I can get Marley dialed in to a pleasing shape, I'll post a preset for him as well.  No textures for the male AE since they are derived from the Marli product.

    So this is what Marley looks like beside Marli...

    Lee

    G9 Marli and Marley.jpg
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  • inquireinquire Posts: 2,088

    What are these FACS Detail Strength, Body Pose Detail Strength, and Flexion Automatic Strength? I have hunches about two of them, but haven't a clue about the FACS Detail Strength.

  • nonesuch00nonesuch00 Posts: 17,890

    inquire said:

    What are these FACS Detail Strength, Body Pose Detail Strength, and Flexion Automatic Strength? I have hunches about two of them, but haven't a clue about the FACS Detail Strength.

    More or less the effect seems like it raises the subD around the areas having expressions applied to them so, e.g., the brow is knit much more wrinkled, in say, an angrey expression.

  • inquireinquire Posts: 2,088

    Ah, thanks.

  • nonesuch00 said:

    inquire said:

    What are these FACS Detail Strength, Body Pose Detail Strength, and Flexion Automatic Strength? I have hunches about two of them, but haven't a clue about the FACS Detail Strength.

    More or less the effect seems like it raises the subD around the areas having expressions applied to them so, e.g., the brow is knit much more wrinkled, in say, an angrey expression.

    It doesn't tocuh the SubD level, it does enable HD morphs thata re also linked to the expressions.

  • nonesuch00nonesuch00 Posts: 17,890

    Richard Haseltine said:

    nonesuch00 said:

    inquire said:

    What are these FACS Detail Strength, Body Pose Detail Strength, and Flexion Automatic Strength? I have hunches about two of them, but haven't a clue about the FACS Detail Strength.

    More or less the effect seems like it raises the subD around the areas having expressions applied to them so, e.g., the brow is knit much more wrinkled, in say, an angrey expression.

    It doesn't tocuh the SubD level, it does enable HD morphs thata re also linked to the expressions.

    OK, I thought HD was just another way of systemically adding more polygons (subdividing polygons) to to an existing set of polygons like subD does. 

    So HD morph data does divide polygons into more polygons for a given subset of applicable polygons?

  • nonesuch00 said:

    Richard Haseltine said:

    nonesuch00 said:

    inquire said:

    What are these FACS Detail Strength, Body Pose Detail Strength, and Flexion Automatic Strength? I have hunches about two of them, but haven't a clue about the FACS Detail Strength.

    More or less the effect seems like it raises the subD around the areas having expressions applied to them so, e.g., the brow is knit much more wrinkled, in say, an angrey expression.

    It doesn't tocuh the SubD level, it does enable HD morphs thata re also linked to the expressions.

    OK, I thought HD was just another way of systemically adding more polygons (subdividing polygons) to to an existing set of polygons like subD does. 

    So HD morph data does divide polygons into more polygons for a given subset of applicable polygons?

    No, the division settings determine how many times the mesh is divided (for preview and for render). The HD morph moves the vertices created by SubD, up to a limit.

  • leemoon_c43b45a114leemoon_c43b45a114 Posts: 825
    edited November 2022

    This fellow is a bit of Casey HD for Genesis 9 https://www.daz3d.com/casey-hd-for-genesis-9 and a bit of a beefy physique. :)

    Shape Preset coming soon.

    Lee

    G9 Beefy Casey.jpg
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    Post edited by Richard Haseltine on
  • inquireinquire Posts: 2,088

    Very nice, Lee. I bought Casey yesterday.

  • inquire said:

    Very nice, Lee. I bought Casey yesterday.

     Thank you, inquire!  I'll work on getting the shape preset that works with Casey uploaded a little later today. :)

    Lee

  • This one is the Beefy version of Casey/Michael for Genesis 9.

    To use this shape preset, you will need the same products installed as required by Genesis 9 Base Athletic Masculine Physique Shape Preset, as listed in the post near the top of this thread.  Additionally, Casey HD for Genesis 9 is required.  You can find him in the store here: https://www.daz3d.com/casey-hd-for-genesis-9

    With all the required products installed, load the (base) Genesis 9 figure, adjust the SubD levels and optional parameters as indicated in my Genesis 9 Base Athletic Masculine Physique Shape Preset instructions, and then apply the G9-Casey-Beefy-ShapePreset-1.DUF file (found below.)

    Adjust the figure's parameter dials to your liking. Mixing different figures in/out is fun.  Also, applying the Shape Preset on top of an already loaded character (male or female) can produce a beefier version of that character, though adjustments will likely need to be made.

    Have fun and I hope you enjoy exploring these shape presets!

    Lee

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  • I have a Toon Male starter shape in the works that doesn't make use of the People characters (Casey, Michael, etc.) allowing you to get a basic athletic toon male shape that you can build on.  Stayed tuned for that.

    After that, I plan on providing some of my G8M and G8.1M shape presets of the characters I've been using.

    Thanks! :)

    Lee

     

  • HylasHylas Posts: 4,744

    leemoon_c43b45a114 said:

    After that, I plan on providing some of my G8M and G8.1M shape presets of the characters I've been using.

    Yes please laugh

  • nonesuch00nonesuch00 Posts: 17,890

    leemoon_c43b45a114 said:

    I have a Toon Male starter shape in the works that doesn't make use of the People characters (Casey, Michael, etc.) allowing you to get a basic athletic toon male shape that you can build on.  Stayed tuned for that.

    After that, I plan on providing some of my G8M and G8.1M shape presets of the characters I've been using.

    Thanks! :)

    Lee

    Your Casey based morph is good & I'm looking forward to a Toon Base. Thanks!

  • inquireinquire Posts: 2,088

    What happens if you apply one preset on top of another? For example, if a muscle preset is at 15 for the forearm in one preset; and a second preset is applied with the muscle preset also at 15, does nothing happen? Or, is the result 30 for the forearm muscle preset?

    Similarly, if a muscle preset is at 15 for the first preset, and 5 for the second, would the application of the second preset reduce the 15 down by 5 to 10? Or, would it change the preset all the way down to 5?

    I haven't tried this. I'm just wondering how the application of one preset on top of another would work.

  • edited December 2022

    Thanks so much for sharing, your shape presets are just excellent! yes

    Post edited by jos.heesakkers_b7ca128826 on
  • leemoon_c43b45a114leemoon_c43b45a114 Posts: 825
    edited December 2022

    Here's a look at my next shaping preset.

    This one's for G8M/G8.1M.  I've dubbed him the Renaissance Man.

    He should be ready to upload in a day or two.  The preset is done, I just need to write the instructions and list of DAZ products needed to make the preset work.  Be warned that Renaissance Man will use a good number of DAZ products. :)

    Thanks for the encouragement and kind comments on these presets!  I appreciate those so very much.

    Lee

     

    G81M-RenaissanceManShape-Preview.jpg
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    Post edited by Richard Haseltine on
  • leemoon_c43b45a114leemoon_c43b45a114 Posts: 825
    edited December 2022

    Genesis 8/8.1 Male “Renaissance Man” Shaping Preset

    My “Renaissance Man” shape for Genesis 8/8.1 Male was inspired by some AI generated artwork depicting a muscular man dressed in Renaissance style clothing.  Hence the name of this shaping preset. :)

    This is my attempt to reduce the number of products used by my Renaissance Man preset to make it easier on everyone.  As such, Renaissance Man isn't an exact preset for the version I use for my personal renders.  He's close, but I think giving you a more "base" figure will let you dial in different characters (especially the heads) to get your own unique look.  Or you can use him as-is. :)

    You will need all of the following DAZ store products to use this preset:

    Genesis 8 Starter Essentials

    https://www.daz3d.com/genesis-8-starter-essentials

     

    Genesis 8 Male Body Morphs

    https://www.daz3d.com/genesis-8-male-body-morphs

     

    Genesis 8 Male Head Morphs

    https://www.daz3d.com/genesis-8-male-head-morphs

     

    Body Morph Kit for Genesis 8 Male

    https://www.daz3d.com/body-morph-kit-for-genesis-8-male

     

    Musculature HD Morphs for Genesis 8 Male

    https://www.daz3d.com/musculature-hd-morphs-for-genesis-8-male

     

    SWOLE for Genesis 8 Male

    https://www.daz3d.com/swole-for-genesis-8-male

     

    SWOLE for Genesis 8 Male: Fibo - Advanced Muscle Deformation

    https://www.daz3d.com/swole-for-genesis-8-male-fibo--advanced-muscle-deformation

     

    The Brute 8

    https://www.daz3d.com/the-brute-8

     

    Ezra for The Brute 8

    https://www.daz3d.com/ezra-for-the-brute-8

     

    Shape Shift for Genesis 8 Male(s)

    https://www.daz3d.com/shape-shift-for-genesis-8-male-s

     

    The Brute 8 HD Add-On. (This is optional)

    https://www.daz3d.com/the-brute-8-hd-add-on

     

    Instructions for use:

    1) Download the “G81M-RenaissanceMan-Base-ShapingPreset.duf” file (found at the end of this post) and save it to a suitable location on your computer (the desktop is fine for quick access.)

    2) Load either the Genesis 8 Basic Male figure -or- the Genesis 8.1 Basic Male figure into your scene.  The preset works on either version.

    3) Select the figure and set the SubDivision Level to 3 and the Render SubD Level (Minimum) to 3.  You can adjust these later as desired.  SubD levels of 3 work well to show off the figure’s details.

    4) With the figure selected, apply the “G81M-RenaissanceMan-Base-ShapingPreset.duf” file to the figure.  You can also drag and drop the file onto the figure in your viewport to apply the shape.  Accept the Preset Exceeds Limits dialog by clicking on “Turn Limits Off” as I have dialed some parameters beyond their defaults.

    5) You should end up with the figure looking like my promo images.  Explore the Currently Used parameters to see what parameter dials I’ve used and adjust them to suit your needs.

    6) If you do not have the Brute 8 HD Add-On, the figure will look a little less defined, ortherwise the Brute HD Details morph will apply at 65%.  Adjust that parameter as desired or simply set it to 0% and/or use another HD Details dial that you may have installed.

    7) Have fun!

    Thank you for trying out the Renaissance Man.  Feel free to share some renders if you find him useful.

    As always, please let me know of errors so I can correct them and update the instructions, requirements, and/or preset.

    I hope you enjoy this preset and please do use it to dial in your own versions or use him to experiment with creating morph-dialed characters unique to you. :)

    Lee

    * Swimwear is not included - here's the link to this awesome outfit: https://www.daz3d.com/mi-summer-swimwear-set-for-genesis-8-and-81-males

     

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    Post edited by leemoon_c43b45a114 on
  • nonesuch00nonesuch00 Posts: 17,890

    leemoon_c43b45a114 said:

    Genesis 8/8.1 Male “Renaissance Man” Shaping Preset

    My “Renaissance Man” shape for Genesis 8/8.1 Male was inspired by some AI generated artwork depicting a muscular man dressed in Renaissance style clothing.  Hence the name of this shaping preset. :)

    This is my attempt to reduce the number of products used by my Renaissance Man preset to make it easier on everyone.  As such, Renaissance Man isn't an exact preset for the version I use for my personal renders.  He's close, but I think giving you a more "base" figure will let you dial in different characters (especially the heads) to get your own unique look.  Or you can use him as-is. :)

    You will need all of the following DAZ store products to use this preset:

    Genesis 8 Starter Essentials

    https://www.daz3d.com/genesis-8-starter-essentials

     

    Genesis 8 Male Body Morphs

    https://www.daz3d.com/genesis-8-male-body-morphs

     

    Genesis 8 Male Head Morphs

    https://www.daz3d.com/genesis-8-male-head-morphs

     

    Body Morph Kit for Genesis 8 Male

    https://www.daz3d.com/body-morph-kit-for-genesis-8-male

     

    Musculature HD Morphs for Genesis 8 Male

    https://www.daz3d.com/musculature-hd-morphs-for-genesis-8-male

     

    SWOLE for Genesis 8 Male

    https://www.daz3d.com/swole-for-genesis-8-male

     

    SWOLE for Genesis 8 Male: Fibo - Advanced Muscle Deformation

    https://www.daz3d.com/swole-for-genesis-8-male-fibo--advanced-muscle-deformation

     

    The Brute 8

    https://www.daz3d.com/the-brute-8

     

    Ezra for The Brute 8

    https://www.daz3d.com/ezra-for-the-brute-8

     

    Shape Shift for Genesis 8 Male(s)

    https://www.daz3d.com/shape-shift-for-genesis-8-male-s

     

    The Brute 8 HD Add-On. (This is optional)

    https://www.daz3d.com/the-brute-8-hd-add-on

     

    Instructions for use:

    1) Download the “G81M-RenaissanceMan-Base-ShapingPreset.duf” file (found at the end of this post) and save it to a suitable location on your computer (the desktop is fine for quick access.)

    2) Load either the Genesis 8 Basic Male figure -or- the Genesis 8.1 Basic Male figure into your scene.  The preset works on either version.

    3) Select the figure and set the SubDivision Level to 3 and the Render SubD Level (Minimum) to 3.  You can adjust these later as desired.  SubD levels of 3 work well to show off the figure’s details.

    4) With the figure selected, apply the “G81M-RenaissanceMan-Base-ShapingPreset.duf” file to the figure.  You can also drag and drop the file onto the figure in your viewport to apply the shape.  Accept the Preset Exceeds Limits dialog by clicking on “Turn Limits Off” as I have dialed some parameters beyond their defaults.

    5) You should end up with the figure looking like my promo images.  Explore the Currently Used parameters to see what parameter dials I’ve used and adjust them to suit your needs.

    6) If you do not have the Brute 8 HD Add-On, the figure will look a little less defined, ortherwise the Brute HD Details morph will apply at 65%.  Adjust that parameter as desired or simply set it to 0% and/or use another HD Details dial that you may have installed.

    7) Have fun!

    Thank you for trying out the Renaissance Man.  Feel free to share some renders if you find him useful.

    As always, please let me know of errors so I can correct them and update the instructions, requirements, and/or preset.

    I hope you enjoy this preset and please do use it to dial in your own versions or use him to experiment with creating morph-dialed characters unique to you. :)

    Lee

    * Swimwear is not included - here's the link to this awesome outfit: https://www.daz3d.com/mi-summer-swimwear-set-for-genesis-8-and-81-males

    Thanks, those are nice but I'll try them without the 5 missing required products.

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