Tutorial: Converting Textures from Gen2 to Gen3

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  • RedzRedz Posts: 1,459

    Lol I'll try it tomorrow and if I feel there are any additions to the tutorial that would help a novice like myself, I'd be happy to add them 

  • j cade said:

    Towards the start of the tutorial I said "Unless you're only planning on converting 1 uv set you'll also want to install this http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/UV/Copy_Paste_UVs" But didn't explain anything about it because evidently I like to be mysterious (I totally forgot to).

    ...

    Fantastic! Thanks so much! I wondered if you'd used it at one point and changed your mind :D That is way easier than the other way :D

     

     

    j cade said:

    @ChangelingChick Do you mind if I place a link to your improved version of the tutorial on the original post? So future people who read this thread don't get intimidated mb my directions and not read through the thread and find your clearer directions. (also if you want to read through this mess and translate it into English, I and the rest of the world would be much obliged)

    Absolutely :D I will attempt to put that in the pdf too (or in a second one) when I can get someone to distract my kids :D

  • j cadej cade Posts: 2,310
    j cade said:

    Towards the start of the tutorial I said "Unless you're only planning on converting 1 uv set you'll also want to install this http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/UV/Copy_Paste_UVs" But didn't explain anything about it because evidently I like to be mysterious (I totally forgot to).

    ...

    Fantastic! Thanks so much! I wondered if you'd used it at one point and changed your mind :D That is way easier than the other way :D

     

     

    j cade said:

    @ChangelingChick Do you mind if I place a link to your improved version of the tutorial on the original post? So future people who read this thread don't get intimidated mb my directions and not read through the thread and find your clearer directions. (also if you want to read through this mess and translate it into English, I and the rest of the world would be much obliged)

    Absolutely :D I will attempt to put that in the pdf too (or in a second one) when I can get someone to distract my kids :D

    Sadly, its not an alternative to all the texture baking stuff as you can only copy the uvs from a gen2 figure to another gen2 figure, but it does make it easier to copy textures from say something with callie uvs and then s6 uvs without repeating as many steps, so it can definitely save you a bunch of time. (It means you only have to do steps 8-14 In your tutorial once, where otherwise you'd have to do them for any uv set you wanted to convert)

  • XanaviXanavi Posts: 5

    Hi there, I have an issue where after I bake, I click on the "Save All Images" but it seems to mash together all the textures into the one blank.png file (it's quite a mess!). How do I get it to save each individual texture separately (i.e. head/torso/legs, etc.)

  • RedzRedz Posts: 1,459
    Xanavi said:

    Hi there, I have an issue where after I bake, I click on the "Save All Images" but it seems to mash together all the textures into the one blank.png file (it's quite a mess!). How do I get it to save each individual texture separately (i.e. head/torso/legs, etc.)

    You need to make sure you have assigned the vertices for each of the texture groups (torso/legs etc) to its own separate blank png in the UV/Image editor window. I think it's covered as a step in the tutorial that was posted earlier. 

  • XanaviXanavi Posts: 5
    Redz said:
    Xanavi said:

    Hi there, I have an issue where after I bake, I click on the "Save All Images" but it seems to mash together all the textures into the one blank.png file (it's quite a mess!). How do I get it to save each individual texture separately (i.e. head/torso/legs, etc.)

    You need to make sure you have assigned the vertices for each of the texture groups (torso/legs etc) to its own separate blank png in the UV/Image editor window. I think it's covered as a step in the tutorial that was posted earlier. 

    You are right! I accidentally assigned it to the same image! Haha ;D

    Another question. The V4.2 texture maps are 4000x4000 while V4, G2F, G3F are all 4096x4096. Will the different resolutions affect the baking? Thank you Redz!

  • RedzRedz Posts: 1,459

    No as long as you've copy and pasted the V4 Uv and have that selected when you bake, the textures should still bake to the size you set your blank png. (At least that's been my experience) 

  • The final size will be whatever size the blank image you've set for the area is. You can even have a V4 skin with some 4000x4000 and some 4096x4096 and some 250x250, but if your blanks are all 4096x4096, that's what they'll be once baked. Now, there will possibly be a slight quality loss going from 4000 to 4096 (it would be just like resizing an image), but because of the method, it should be a pretty minor loss. This method is a *lot* like developing pictures (the old school way). You have a projector that projects the image onto a blank slate and burns it in (basically). The original image (your negative) is tiny, but you can still blow it up to an 11x14 photo without issue. 

  • XanaviXanavi Posts: 5

    Very cool, thanks for the tips guys! Will try and see how it goes :)

  • XanaviXanavi Posts: 5

    Worked like a charm, thanks Redz and ChangelingChick!

  • RubinaRubina Posts: 13

    I want to say a big thank you for the tutorial!!!!!!! Thanks so much :-) I never used Blender before and I was really exited if it will works for me or not, but with this tutorial I was in good hands :-)

  • carol leecarol lee Posts: 14
    edited November 2015

    Thanks for sharing=-)

    Post edited by Chohole on
  • Can this be used to translate the normal maps too or is there a way to have Blender create new normals through the baking process?  In the Bake Mode dropdown I see a "Normals" option but I'm not familiar enough with Blender to know what this does or what setup it would need.

  • Whatever maps you set as the texture will get converted. You can do all the utility maps for a character, but you'll have to do it one type at a time. 

  • j cade said:
    First things first, you will need this  http://www.sharecg.com/v/81631/view/21/DAZ-Studio/Texture-Conversion-Helper-morphs ; It will make Gen3's gen2 clone line up better with the original gen2. It also moves out the eyes and teeth so they don't interfere with the texture projection.

    Any chance we'll ever see a version of these morphs for G3M?

  • j cadej cade Posts: 2,310
    j cade said:
    First things first, you will need this  http://www.sharecg.com/v/81631/view/21/DAZ-Studio/Texture-Conversion-Helper-morphs ; It will make Gen3's gen2 clone line up better with the original gen2. It also moves out the eyes and teeth so they don't interfere with the texture projection.

    Any chance we'll ever see a version of these morphs for G3M?

    You will! I plan to get on that. I am on vacation and not with a computer at the moment. But its back to the grind soon.
  •  

    j cade said:

    Any chance we'll ever see a version of these morphs for G3M?

    You will! I plan to get on that. I am on vacation and not with a computer at the moment. But its back to the grind soon.

     

    You are the bestest!

  • j cade said:
    j cade said:
    First things first, you will need this  http://www.sharecg.com/v/81631/view/21/DAZ-Studio/Texture-Conversion-Helper-morphs ; It will make Gen3's gen2 clone line up better with the original gen2. It also moves out the eyes and teeth so they don't interfere with the texture projection.

    Any chance we'll ever see a version of these morphs for G3M?

     

    You will! I plan to get on that. I am on vacation and not with a computer at the moment. But its back to the grind soon.

     

    Awesome :D I've been using a circuitous route through G3F to convert :D

  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    edited December 2015

    Since Blacksmith3D has released an add-on for their Texture Transformer/B3D Pro, I wanted to do some testing to see how quickly, once the initial prep-work was finished, this method can convert skins.  Depending on the images, I was running between 5 and 20 minutes, including loading the textures on the 'from' model. 

    The info posted in the thread talking about product and the images posted for promos indicate there is, most likely, the same amount of post-conversion work that needs to be done with that add-on and this method.   Under the hood, both are probably the same or very similar process.  The main difference...the setup work for the TT add-on is load V4, click a MAT file, export a CR2...press a 'convert' button somewhere.  And it seems to do a full set of loaded maps at once (bump, spec, diffuse, etc).

    But the end result of my playing around is this...

    Reciecup's Shy on G3F...

    shy3_4.jpg
    800 x 1000 - 640K
    Post edited by mjc1016 on
  • j cadej cade Posts: 2,310
    edited December 2015

    And here's the G2m and G3M morphs, they actually work a bit better than the female version (The eyelashes work and the eyes and mouth also might). I almost had to redo the g2m one but blender saved my keister.

    The morphs work just like the lady versions and have the same name: Tex_converter_prep

    I'll add them at sharecg when it actually loads, but until then they'll be here.

     

     

     

     

    Post edited by j cade on
  • MelanieLMelanieL Posts: 7,091

    Great! Thank you very much for the Male version. I got quite a lot of use out of the female one, but have even more male textures I'd like to transfer. You're a star smiley

  • j cadej cade Posts: 2,310

    Annd Whhops, g2ms nipples were running away! fixed version hopefully

    zip
    zip
    G2M-G3M Texture Conversion Helper Morphs.zip
    480K
  • Eustace ScrubbEustace Scrubb Posts: 2,686
    edited December 2015

    Sorry:  wrong thread.

    Post edited by Eustace Scrubb on
  • You are fabulous!! :D

    Of course I'm in the middle of nowhere with no net or cell service when you share it :D 

  • OK. After a few spits and sputters to get my head around Blender. I'm still having issues. First off, it needs to be mentioned that it's very important that both OBJs are lined up EXACTLY in Blender. I made the mistake of accidently moving one and the results were a mess. Secondly I found it easier to take my exported OBJs into UVMapper an assign the texture regions like how you're doing it thru Blender. I think I'm going to have to go back and assign G2 the regions that are specific to her. But as it stands now my results look like this (see attached). What am I doing wrong? I have the texture maps assigned to G2 according to the instructions. Not understanding where I'm going wrong.

    G3F_Arms.jpg
    2000 x 2000 - 449K
  • Finally able to get it to work. Seemed somehow in the process the textures I was using for G2F had been overwritten. Luckily I had copied the originals to a new folder for ease of adding them to the model. I also found it helpful if the materials are named in the same order for both models. Not sure if it was necessary but it did help clear up some issues I think. Here's a test render.

    G2F-to-G3F-test-render-01.jpg
    1136 x 960 - 206K
  • The white texture map, in my experience, happened when I wasn't assigning the image maps in the right place/right mode on one of the figures, but it looks like you got it worked out. :D 

  • IrrafayIrrafay Posts: 14
    Thanks for this. It's been a life saver! Been using it to transfer all my skins to G2F and then using the UV product from rendo to plop them on my G3 girls. Gets better results for me.
  • There is a converter from M4 to G3M for Blacksmith that has just been released.

  • Tried another one. Finally was able to add my Denobulan texture for M4 to G3M...

    G3M-Denobulan-Posed-02.jpg
    1500 x 2100 - 919K
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