Sagan: A DAZ Studio to Blender Alembic Exporter

TheMysteryIsThePoint · October 2

Verified that Sagan can export SBH as a Mesh Object, if you prefer. It can, but I don't know if that's a consequence of other changes that I made more recently, or if it always could.

Notice that in the first picure, Joanie Hair is a mesh object, not a curves object like her eyebrows. In the second, I guess I use something higher than side=2, which I should probably reduce.

fading.club1 · October 2

@TheMisteryIsThePoint
Oh, my apologies, I actually meant the regular export through File -> Export -> .mdd, but instead I mistakenly said 'classic Alembic export.' lol

Yes, I completely understand. I was more referring to the fact that I must have been doing something wrong when I tried exporting the hair simulation to Blender. With .mdd, my mesh would break, and my attempts to do it through 'Sagan' also didn’t work out. But in the case of your addon, I understand that the function isn’t working properly yet. Either way, thank you for your feedback. I’ll be keeping an eye on the updates, legend!

TheMysteryIsThePoint · October 2

@fading.club1

*blushes* Not a legend, just a persistent geek :)

OK, gotcha. I think the next version will do everything you need. Shouldn't be longer than two weeks or so.

TheMysteryIsThePoint · October 22

Hi Guys,

Sagan4 is just about ready. Can anyone help me beta test? It'd be useful to also have some Maya, C4D, Unreal, Houdini, and Marvelous Designer users to test the new transform logic that I redid.

starslinger · October 22

Hey I'd love to test the beta! Although im on blender only.

fading.club1 · October 22

@TheMysteryIsThePoint
Whats up! Nice to see you. I'd would be happy to help as well :) I work in MD sometimes

TheMysteryIsThePoint · October 24

@starslinger @fading.club1

I'm down to the last bug, having to do with Group Nodes, and then I'll put the new v4 DLL somewhere where you guys can grab it. Should be some time tomorrow (Friday).

I appreciate your help.

TheMysteryIsThePoint · October 26

@starslinger @fading.club1

And anyone else who wants to help test, of course...

Hi Guys, download it here. I didn't virus scan it, but I don't access the internet with my windows box. But take your normal precautions.

sha256sum 6b48317959afc14027e0e9dc405c8ff0c763c4689fbd533ada387551f763b8a9 sagan4.zip

Config files go in Documents/iws_sagan, now.

You can ignore the Hitchens button for now.

starslinger · October 26

Looks like the plugin wont load in DAZStudio6 Public Build(BETA or ALPHA idk), from what I can tell they changed how plugins work there I think dll's need a specifc naming scheme now, so I adjusted that but still it says fail to load plugin bcs it was made for different DAZStudio version. Not sure how relevant this, or will be, but its the only issue I found today but mentioning it because its maybe an easy fix hopefully it doesnt require rewrite or something once DAZStudio6 is released.

Tomorrow I will test exporting geometry, the new layout looks nice and tidy!

Richard Haseltine · October 26

starslinger said:

Looks like the plugin wont load in DAZStudio6 Public Build(BETA or ALPHA idk), from what I can tell they changed how plugins work there I think dll's need a specifc naming scheme now, so I adjusted that but still it says fail to load plugin bcs it was made for different DAZStudio version. Not sure how relevant this, or will be, but its the only issue I found today but mentioning it because its maybe an easy fix hopefully it doesnt require rewrite or something once DAZStudio6 is released.

Tomorrow I will test exporting geometry, the new layout looks nice and tidy!

Plug-ins need to be compiled against the same "SDK" - they need to know where the Daz Studio features they call on are triggered in order to work. DS 2025 has a different set of binary libraries, a somewhat different core architecture, and so any plug-in will need some degree of updating and certainly recompiling once the SDK is made available.

TheMysteryIsThePoint · October 27

starslinger said:

Looks like the plugin wont load in DAZStudio6 Public Build(BETA or ALPHA idk), from what I can tell they changed how plugins work there I think dll's need a specifc naming scheme now, so I adjusted that but still it says fail to load plugin bcs it was made for different DAZStudio version. Not sure how relevant this, or will be, but its the only issue I found today but mentioning it because its maybe an easy fix hopefully it doesnt require rewrite or something once DAZStudio6 is released.

Tomorrow I will test exporting geometry, the new layout looks nice and tidy!

Hi @starslinger Yes, as Richard said, it isn't compatible, and may never be. DAZ support for its SDKs is just too poor for me to go through any kind of re-write if it's going to be anything like the DS4.x experience. Looking forward to your input.

starslinger · October 27

starslinger said:

Hey uh, since you are working on it, SBH hair object gets imported to blender in the original scale and orientation from daz studio, which is different from blender. Its not a big problem since you can just rotate and scale down the object on object level, however applying the orientation or editing the python function to rotate the points themselves breaks the strands, makes them look like thick cylinders. So you have to keep the modified rotation and scale values. But its not a big deal just though i should mention it if you dont already know.

I came across this SBH issue again, the hair strands in blender cycles whether vewport or rendered, look like thick strips/cylinders. The hair imports in proper position now but with the issue I mentioned.

starslinger · October 27

TheMysteryIsThePoint said:

starslinger said:

Looks like the plugin wont load in DAZStudio6 Public Build(BETA or ALPHA idk), from what I can tell they changed how plugins work there I think dll's need a specifc naming scheme now, so I adjusted that but still it says fail to load plugin bcs it was made for different DAZStudio version. Not sure how relevant this, or will be, but its the only issue I found today but mentioning it because its maybe an easy fix hopefully it doesnt require rewrite or something once DAZStudio6 is released.

Tomorrow I will test exporting geometry, the new layout looks nice and tidy!

Hi @starslinger Yes, as Richard said, it isn't compatible, and may never be. DAZ support for its SDKs is just too poor for me to go through any kind of re-write if it's going to be anything like the DS4.x experience. Looking forward to your input.

When the SDK is out, if there is no one more qualified willing to take on updating Sagan to work with DazStudio6, I would be willing to give it a try altho might need some help setting up the build environment. But its possible to just work in daz 6 and then open scene in 4 and export.

TheMysteryIsThePoint · October 27

starslinger said:

starslinger said:

Hey uh, since you are working on it, SBH hair object gets imported to blender in the original scale and orientation from daz studio, which is different from blender. Its not a big problem since you can just rotate and scale down the object on object level, however applying the orientation or editing the python function to rotate the points themselves breaks the strands, makes them look like thick cylinders. So you have to keep the modified rotation and scale values. But its not a big deal just though i should mention it if you dont already know.

I came across this SBH issue again, the hair strands in blender cycles whether vewport or rendered, look like thick strips/cylinders. The hair imports in proper position now but with the issue I mentioned.

@starslinger

Thanks for the testing.

That's to be expected. I think the SBH gets a default Geometry Node setup. Try appending the strand_hair node from this blender file which is a crude attempt but much better than the default. It might server as a decent base to tweak to taste.

Let me know if that addresses the issue.

Thanks!

TheMysteryIsThePoint · October 27

starslinger said:

TheMysteryIsThePoint said:

starslinger said:

Looks like the plugin wont load in DAZStudio6 Public Build(BETA or ALPHA idk), from what I can tell they changed how plugins work there I think dll's need a specifc naming scheme now, so I adjusted that but still it says fail to load plugin bcs it was made for different DAZStudio version. Not sure how relevant this, or will be, but its the only issue I found today but mentioning it because its maybe an easy fix hopefully it doesnt require rewrite or something once DAZStudio6 is released.

Tomorrow I will test exporting geometry, the new layout looks nice and tidy!

Hi @starslinger Yes, as Richard said, it isn't compatible, and may never be. DAZ support for its SDKs is just too poor for me to go through any kind of re-write if it's going to be anything like the DS4.x experience. Looking forward to your input.

When the SDK is out, if there is no one more qualified willing to take on updating Sagan to work with DazStudio6, I would be willing to give it a try altho might need some help setting up the build environment. But its possible to just work in daz 6 and then open scene in 4 and export.

Thanks! But let's first hope for 1) That the SDK changes are not so invasive, and 2) that support is good this time around. I won't place probabilities on either of those happening, but failing both, I'll certainly help anyone who wants to try in any way I can.

starslinger · October 27

TheMysteryIsThePoint said:

starslinger said:

starslinger said:

Hey uh, since you are working on it, SBH hair object gets imported to blender in the original scale and orientation from daz studio, which is different from blender. Its not a big problem since you can just rotate and scale down the object on object level, however applying the orientation or editing the python function to rotate the points themselves breaks the strands, makes them look like thick cylinders. So you have to keep the modified rotation and scale values. But its not a big deal just though i should mention it if you dont already know.

I came across this SBH issue again, the hair strands in blender cycles whether vewport or rendered, look like thick strips/cylinders. The hair imports in proper position now but with the issue I mentioned.

@starslinger

Thanks for the testing.

That's to be expected. I think the SBH gets a default Geometry Node setup. Try appending the strand_hair node from this blender file which is a crude attempt but much better than the default. It might server as a decent base to tweak to taste.

Let me know if that addresses the issue.

Thanks!

Yes that worked! Altho those modifications can be done with hair object modifiers, I think they are more performant.

So I think Sagan is working fine, haven't found any real issues. Altho my preference would be to be able to config the path where the export config and other auto generated files go, instead of it going to Documents without any way to change it.

@TheMisteryIsThePoint thank you for making Sagan Exporter! I think it is by far the best exporter for rendering.

TheMysteryIsThePoint · October 27

starslinger said:

TheMysteryIsThePoint said:

starslinger said:

starslinger said:

Hey uh, since you are working on it, SBH hair object gets imported to blender in the original scale and orientation from daz studio, which is different from blender. Its not a big problem since you can just rotate and scale down the object on object level, however applying the orientation or editing the python function to rotate the points themselves breaks the strands, makes them look like thick cylinders. So you have to keep the modified rotation and scale values. But its not a big deal just though i should mention it if you dont already know.

I came across this SBH issue again, the hair strands in blender cycles whether vewport or rendered, look like thick strips/cylinders. The hair imports in proper position now but with the issue I mentioned.

@starslinger

Thanks for the testing.

That's to be expected. I think the SBH gets a default Geometry Node setup. Try appending the strand_hair node from this blender file which is a crude attempt but much better than the default. It might server as a decent base to tweak to taste.

Let me know if that addresses the issue.

Thanks!

Yes that worked! Altho those modifications can be done with hair object modifiers, I think they are more performant.

So I think Sagan is working fine, haven't found any real issues. Altho my preference would be to be able to config the path where the export config and other auto generated files go, instead of it going to Documents without any way to change it.

@TheMisteryIsThePoint thank you for making Sagan Exporter! I think it is by far the best exporter for rendering.

OK, glad to hear it.

As for the config file, I just did it that way because it was the fastest thing to do and I was more concerned with other functionality. When everything is the way it's supposed to be, I'll revisit.

Thanks again!

fading.club1 · November 3

@TheMysteryIsThePoint

So, I’d like to share my impressions of working with Sagan.
First of all, I want to thank you once again for such a useful tool. Now that it’s possible to work with Daz hairstyles through the new Hair Geometry Nodes in Blender, it opens up some really cool possibilities for fine-tuning and customization — all without having to do any grooming.

So far, I’ve only tested the plugin in Blender. I’m not yet sure how it can be used together with MD, but I’ll be looking into it.

1. Working with classic Alembic seq (without hair curves)
Everything works great here — it bakes without issues, and with proper tessellation imo the hair looks identical to the Daz render. That’s perfect if you don’t want to mess with nodes and just bake the simulation directly in Daz, then import it into Blender.

2. Working with hair curves
This one is definitely a game changer for me. It takes some practice to understand how the node system works, but the flexibility is impressive. At first, I used the .blend file shared by @TheMysteryIsThePoint and extracted everything I needed from it, but later I refined the setup a bit — added fuzz and other details.

Thank you — it’s an amazing tool. I’ll keep actively participating in this thread, so feel free to share your thoughts as well.
And apologies if my review seems a bit “surface-level” — I’m not great with technical stuff, so this is more about general impressions. I might add more details later.

P.S. Haven’t encountered any bugs so far :)

Here is few quick tests with hair curves + sim:
https://youtube.com/shorts/3-Rg2OZyawo
https://youtube.com/shorts/vjvTFr47NnA

Singular3D · November 3

Great results! You should definitely make a tutorial for beginners with one use case for dummies like me!

TheMysteryIsThePoint · November 3

@fading.club1

Wow. Thank you so much for this!

TheMysteryIsThePoint · November 3

An appeal to others: Do we have any C4D, Maya, UE, Houdini, or Marvelous Designer users who can try something, anything? I made a pretty invasive change to the output transformers, and while I think I got it right, I may have made simple, stupid copy/paste errors causing the export to be scaled or otherwise transformed incorrectly for those individual apps.

starslinger · November 18

TheMysteryIsThePoint said:

An appeal to others: Do we have any C4D, Maya, UE, Houdini, or Marvelous Designer users who can try something, anything? I made a pretty invasive change to the output transformers, and while I think I got it right, I may have made simple, stupid copy/paste errors causing the export to be scaled or otherwise transformed incorrectly for those individual apps.

I can try to install some of that software to test things out when I get some time, since nobody else seem to be at it so far. If there is something specific, othere then obvious scale/orientation things, I need to pay attention to let me know.

TheMysteryIsThePoint · November 18

starslinger said:

TheMysteryIsThePoint said:

An appeal to others: Do we have any C4D, Maya, UE, Houdini, or Marvelous Designer users who can try something, anything? I made a pretty invasive change to the output transformers, and while I think I got it right, I may have made simple, stupid copy/paste errors causing the export to be scaled or otherwise transformed incorrectly for those individual apps.

I can try to install some of that software to test things out when I get some time, since nobody else seem to be at it so far. If there is something specific, othere then obvious scale/orientation things, I need to pay attention to let me know.

Thanks! I'll be putting up a new version today or tomorrow to fix some issues we've found so far. I'm, particularly interested in apps other than Blender, Geografts, Geoshells, G9 Fiber Brows and hair conversion with different hair assets.

TheMysteryIsThePoint · November 20

There's a new beta at https://iwasserious.com/sagan4.zip for whoever wants to help testing it.

The first thing it'll do is ask for a place to store its config files and other Sagan specific data, called the Sagan Base Directory. You can just choose Documents/iws_sagan, the previously hardcoded directory, or choose another directory and copy the files from Documents/iws_sagan to there.

Ignore Hitchens for now, as I haven't finished the Blender plugin that is the other end of the Live-Link.

You can play around with gathering/loading, but for now, it doesn't collect the base JCMs. ABSOLUTELY DO NOT TRUST GATHERING/LOADING WITH IMPORTANT DATA FOR NOW.

Did I mention ABSOLUTELY DO NOT TRUST GATHERING/LOADING WITH IMPORTANT DATA FOR NOW? :)

starslinger · November 21

So I've tried exporting basic Genesis 9 nothing more, I get error "Failed sanity check". This is what I found in logs:

2025-11-21 06:57:00 C:\Users\Owner\Documents\iwasserious\src\lib\sagan4\packaging\packaging.cpp:546 - Couldn't parse asset file d:/daz3d_content/data/Daz 3D/Genesis 9/Base/Morphs/Daz 3D/Base/body_bs_Navel_HD3.dhdm2025-11-21 06:57:00 C:\Users\Owner\Documents\iwasserious\src\lib\sagan4\packaging\packaging.cpp:546 - Couldn't parse asset file d:/daz3d_content/data/Daz 3D/Genesis 9/Base/Morphs/Daz 3D/Base/head_bs_MouthRealism_HD3.dhdm

Also, could you add a quick export action, so something we can keybind into. Something that directly exports according to current config, so we don't have to open the panel, click dropdown then click export?

TheMysteryIsThePoint · November 21

starslinger said:
So I've tried exporting basic Genesis 9 nothing more, I get error "Failed sanity check". This is what I found in logs:
2025-11-21 06:57:00 C:\Users\Owner\Documents\iwasserious\src\lib\sagan4\packaging\packaging.cpp:546 - Couldn't parse asset file d:/daz3d_content/data/Daz 3D/Genesis 9/Base/Morphs/Daz 3D/Base/body_bs_Navel_HD3.dhdm2025-11-21 06:57:00 C:\Users\Owner\Documents\iwasserious\src\lib\sagan4\packaging\packaging.cpp:546 - Couldn't parse asset file d:/daz3d_content/data/Daz 3D/Genesis 9/Base/Morphs/Daz 3D/Base/head_bs_MouthRealism_HD3.dhdm
Also, could you add a quick export action, so something we can keybind into. Something that directly exports according to current config, so we don't have to open the panel, click dropdown then click export?

@starslinger

Thanks for putting in the time to help test.

This error was with gathering, right? These are DAZ Studio's HD morph files that are encoded in a binary format, and not JSON; definitely not something Sagan should be trying to parse. Good catch.

As for the hot key, I don't know how to do that but it seems like a pretty useful function. I put it on the TODO list.

Thanks again!

starslinger · November 21

TheMysteryIsThePoint said:
starslinger said:
So I've tried exporting basic Genesis 9 nothing more, I get error "Failed sanity check". This is what I found in logs:
2025-11-21 06:57:00 C:\Users\Owner\Documents\iwasserious\src\lib\sagan4\packaging\packaging.cpp:546 - Couldn't parse asset file d:/daz3d_content/data/Daz 3D/Genesis 9/Base/Morphs/Daz 3D/Base/body_bs_Navel_HD3.dhdm2025-11-21 06:57:00 C:\Users\Owner\Documents\iwasserious\src\lib\sagan4\packaging\packaging.cpp:546 - Couldn't parse asset file d:/daz3d_content/data/Daz 3D/Genesis 9/Base/Morphs/Daz 3D/Base/head_bs_MouthRealism_HD3.dhdm
Also, could you add a quick export action, so something we can keybind into. Something that directly exports according to current config, so we don't have to open the panel, click dropdown then click export?
@starslinger
Thanks for putting in the time to help test.
This error was with gathering, right? These are DAZ Studio's HD morph files that are encoded in a binary format, and not JSON; definitely not something Sagan should be trying to parse. Good catch.
As for the hot key, I don't know how to do that but it seems like a pretty useful function. I put it on the TODO list.
Thanks again!

I am not sure what gathering is, however what I can say is that the first thing I did is save the scene, then I did the gathering thing to see what it is, it exported some daz files to a folder, then i tried running just export from the top of the dropdown menu, I did it in that order if it matters. So gathering didn't error, it was the export itself.

As for the hotkey it is very simple, in the workspace customization miscellaneous section where you put the sagan action that opens a window, add another action that directly exports thats equal to clicking the export button. Then we can just assign a key to it like we would for opening the panel.

Also could you elaborate on the gathering and what it's intended use would be?

TheMysteryIsThePoint · November 21

@starslinger

Stupid mistake. Please re-download: https://iwasserious.com/sagan4.zip

BTW, "gathering" does just that... it gathers all the scene files into one directory, or to a zip file. It speeds up loading because it only loads teh assets that the scene uses. It's not ready for prime time yet, though.

starslinger · November 21

Thanks, that fixed it! I tried the unreal engine today, geometry seemed fine from what I could tell, including geoshells and eyebrows, however unreal is not detecting SBH hair. I've consulted with chatgpt, it said that in order for unreal to read alembic hair it needs to be specially formatted otherwise it wont even detect it. Same .abc imported hair properly into blender tho

TheMysteryIsThePoint · November 21

Hi @starslinger

That's strange. Do you have the Alembic Groom Importer and Groom plugins installed?

Notifications

Sagan: A DAZ Studio to Blender Alembic Exporter

Comments

Adding to Cart…