OK All, here's a stupid question.

A viseme is just a morph, right? and we can create morphs? Would it be possible to create a set of viseme morphs and install them on a character like any other morph package?

It looks really nice except... it looks like you've got an issue with the shoulders poking through the base of the helmet.  To avoid stuff like how the girl in the white in retro Scene 2 has her arm completely bisected by the helmet rim, can there be a morph to shrink the helmet or a helping morph that indents the bubble base to fix that?    

Ah, that's exactly what I'm looking for.  Trying the hex=morph route.  Hmm.  When I try that the whole cape gets rotated away from the body.  Any idea why it's doing that?  Or how to fix it?  It's a parented garment so it doesn't like rotating independent of the body.

https://thinkdrawart.com/how-to-save-a-daz-studio-dforce-frame-as-a-morph

Ah, that's exactly what I'm looking for.  Trying the hex=morph route.  Hmm.  When I try that the whole cape gets rotated away from the body.  Any idea why it's doing that?  Or how to fix it?  It's a parented garment so it doesn't like rotating independent of the body.

How long before we get motion capture and expression capture in Daz Studio?!!

when Philemo solves his issues with the Carrara SDK I guess

he apparently can get it to work in DAZ studio from what I read

You're right.

SDK problems are solved. Expression capture works for the most part and transfer to facial morphs also (at least for Genesis 1).

The transfer uses a DUF file that can be saved and imported into Studio.

I am now in the tweaking part. I'll soon start a new thread to share where I am and request some help.

You'd need to unfit, rather than unparent, the hair - morphs that are not present in the fitted item are projected into it by DS, and follow the values of the base figure. Also, if the hair has been AutoFitted from a different fgure the facial bones will be projected nto it. You can block morphs by creating a new property with the same name (name, not label, which you can obtain from the Parameter Settings dialogue - the gear icon on the slider) before the morph on the figure cn be projected (DS will thens ee the property and not create a new one); you can also use the Geoemtry Editor to select the hair, or at least the bangs (probably possible via right-click menu - the Geometry Selection sub-menu has several options), then right-click>Geometry Assignment>Create Rigidity Group from Selected; however, this will block all morph projection, which wold be a  problem if your figur's head had shaping applied.

The current HD vascularity options on DAZ's store are of poor quality, because they don't even have a translucency map for the veins, that means there is no green color for the veins which looks terrible. The vascularity systems currently available have too many god damn veins all over the place. 

I need to make my own HD Vein Morph for G8F, but DAZ seems to only let me work with the base resolution in Zbrush, but I need higher subd level in order to make nice rounded veins. 

I already made veins using displacement maps which looks fantastic, BUT at certain angles IRAY doesn't render displacement maps properly. The best solution is to make my own HD veins morph. UNLESS one of the PA's steps up and makes a proper vascularity system and doesn't neglect the creation of translucency maps with the green color for the veins, and you can't just spam the body with random veins, you need to follow an actual vein diagram chart of human physiology.

Just wanted to add to this, I know, not exactly on-time, but the easiest way to do what you are asking - To create a single morph dial that will consolidate all of your other used morphs:

Create your character as you want it.  with the figure selected, change the Resolution Level (Under Parameters>(your figure)>General>Mesh Resolution to "Base" and the SubDivision Level to 0.

Export as .obj

This .obj file is essentially your morph.  Clear out your figure and load in a new base-figure.  It would have to be the same.  So M4 to M4 or G3M to G3M, etc.  Otherwise you'll likely have issues.  

Set the Resolution level to "Base" and SubD to 0 again. 

Edit>Object>Morph Loader Pro - click Choose Morph Files and select your exported .obj

click the drop-down to the left of the selected file, change the name to what you want the morph to be called and the Property/Group to where you go to find it.  Change Create Control Property and Reverse Deformations to Yes.  Accept.

The dial "should" now work.  If you get an error after hitting accept about verticies not matching, or if it works but then when you use the morph the figure explodes, you may have either not changed the resolution down to base at some point, or if you edited the .obj in another program and didn't keep the verticy order when you imported and/or exported.  Morphs only work in this case when the morph and item being morphed have the exact same number of vertices.

well in Carrara you can use Alberto's morph eraser on it and save a much smaller file

DAZ studio you are left with Misty's method

a separate figure save

that is save as new figure asset your name, go through data and delete unneeded morphs

I think she actually moves the morph folder before saving

For anyone following this who uses the same DS/Carrara workflow, the DS GenX2 plugin/tool has a tab/option that lets you disable/enable specific morphs (one or many) on a figure. Best I can tell, it simply appends '.OFF' to the selected morphs to disable them, and then removes the '.OFF' suffix when you re-enable them.

The thing about this that might be particularly valuable, is that it probably also manages the dependent morphs (morphs that build on each other) when you enable/disable them. This would be a royal pain and probably very error-prone if you try to manage/tweak specific morphs using the Windows file-manager manual approach. That said, the Windows folder management approach does work when working with folders of morphsets (enabling/disabling folders at a time works pretty well for me).

For the adventurous/curious, try opening the GenX2 plugin (in DS) if you have it, and play with the enable/disable buttons as you watch the contents of the related morph folders - way down in the 'data' folder of your DS library(s). Then see how those same DS libraries work in Carrara with the figure. This might be an easy win for those that use both and have GenX2, or can script something together to accomplish the same.

YMMV,

--ms

Thank you nice morph

well in Carrara you can use Alberto's morph eraser on it and save a much smaller file

DAZ studio you are left with Misty's method

a separate figure save

that is save as new figure asset your name, go through data and delete unneeded morphs

I think she actually moves the morph folder before saving

Makes sense.

Like Misty, I would also probably do the bulk of the shaping and morph management (dialing and thinning) in the DAZ Studio plugin :), and then load/import the resulting figure into Carrara.

I like and use alberto's tool, but it also gets rid of morphs that I sometimes plan to use but haven't activated in the character yet - so they get 'thinned' too :) - I suppose I could 'preserve' those by adding a very small use of the morphs I want to keep and then 'thin' the rest out pre-save. Hmm.

After putzing with the Genx2 tools, I figured out how the DS 'data' morph folders work, so doing a manual mass-morph-cleanout of a figure in the DAZ Studio duf/lib 'data' folder structure isn't too crazy to manage using the windows filemanger, otherwise it's kind of a brute-force shlog through the list using DS itself.

interesting/tnx,

--ms

The problem with your "consolidation" method is that you will lose all corrective morphs which would have applied due to one of the individual morphs used.

For example let's say your character is made from morphs A and B, and there are corrective morphs made to fix the figure expressions or joints when using morph A. Those morphs would be triggered when you use the character as "A + B" because A is used. But if you create a combination morph C, then it won't trigger the corrective morphs for A since it's a different morph.

Thanks for that response/detail!

So keeping the originally used sliders intact/present is required to preserve the corrective effects, and doing the export/import-to-new-slider will lose those... Urg, but good to know. I knew it couldn't be that easy... :)

So, options at this point (?):

- Thin out the now-extranious shaping morphs, but keep the active morphs 'as-is' with the character. This might still be a useful thinning effort.

or

 - Consolidate the figure as described and add our own corrective morphs to the new character. It believe this is an art in itself, but perhaps it's still doable for those who are good with the tools.

yes/no/maybe?

thanks,

--ms

well in Carrara you can use Alberto's morph eraser on it and save a much smaller file

DAZ studio you are left with Misty's method

a separate figure save

that is save as new figure asset your name, go through data and delete unneeded morphs

I think she actually moves the morph folder before saving

The problem with your "consolidation" method is that you will lose all corrective morphs which would have applied due to one of the individual morphs used.

For example let's say your character is made from morphs A and B, and there are corrective morphs made to fix the figure expressions or joints when using morph A. Those morphs would be triggered when you use the character as "A + B" because A is used. But if you create a combination morph C, then it won't trigger the corrective morphs for A since it's a different morph.

Like many, I've got way too many unneeded morphs on my Genesis base figure.

As inspired by Dart's new Genesis1-based Rosie, I wondered...

(And this is in concert with alberto's wonderful morph thinning tool)

Has anyone (esp animators) tried to reduce the morph loading (count) of a carefully dialed character by consolidating the character shape, then pulling *all* of the no-longer-needed shaping morphs from the remaining figure base and saved/worked with that minimized character/figure?

e.g. something like:

• take a carefully dialed character and export it as an OBJ
• reimport this shape as a new single morph slider
• (add ERC corrections for eye oddness, etc.?)
• get rid of almost everything else related to shaping in your Genesis morph list leaving expressions, visemes, and maybe some 'primary' facial expression controls (e.g. brows, cheeks, mouth controls, hand-controls, etc.)
• then save and animate the thinned figure from there?

My thinking is that once the primary character is shaped and dialed, 'consolidate' it and then 'thin' out the extranious shaping morphs in preparation for the new character's actual use.

Is there a flaw in this logic, or perhaps some mechanical issues with going down this path? (Of course I can try/experiment, but perhaps this road is already a known quantity)

Obviously, muscle, smoothing, and other morphs and slider controls may still be desired and retained/re-added for the new consolidated character-save - but as I've got every friggin morph made for Genesis1, and probably only need 10% of them once the character is 'set', carrying this extra baggage is eating me alive (time and performance-wise). While I've got Alberto's great morph thinner tool and completely depend upon it, I also think the above workflow may actually cure the real problem, rather than the symptom. Why am I carrying all of this shaping overhead after I'm done shaping?!? I don't need the ethnics, various character P/FBMs, or head/body-morph kits once my character is 'complete', but I *do* need facials, expressions, hand-slides, and maybe musculature, right?

Anyone else try/do this?

cheers,

--ms

If you're just starting, I suggest that you---specifically using your chosen example---buy the Core (numbered) character with a head closest to your subject (in this case Leroy 8 for the head morph and Silas 8 for the skin). Then buy Daz Originals Genesis 8 Male Head Morphs and EJ Face Morphs & Details for Genesis 8 Male. (If you can afford it, get 200 Plus Head & Face Morphs and RareStone's Face Morphs Collection for Genesis 8 Male. EJ Artist Reference Studio would also be quite helpful or convenient to be able to work from a likeness superimposed on your Hendrix head as you morph it, though there are other ways to do this). Find a pleasing straight-on portrait photo of the master and a profile photo. Now start learning what your tools (morphs) will allow, beginning with face shape, chin/jaw, eye height (eye relative position to brows), etc.

SWAM has the most suitable frizzy afro available at Renderosity (Afro Magic 2), and you can try mixing it with Shaft Hair. Lewis has a suitable mustache, but look around and see what you can find. You'll need to go into surfaces and darken the diffuse to almost pitch black in order to get rid of the fake highlights that mess up the effect. Bon voyage!

After seeing @barbult's work using these pants/trousers, I thought I'd share my own experience using Mesh Grabber on these.

I used the "wrinkles" morph, but in this pose, you could see poke-though inside the front pockets. Other issues included the width of the belt varying, belt loops buried in the front fabric, and the waistband intersecting the belt in several places. I was able to quickly fix all the issues with Mesh Grabber. (Image links to the full-size image and opens in a new window, if anyone wants a closer look at the belt and waistband.)

I have a few Genesis 8 female characters that I've been using for the last few months, and all of a sudden they're not being recognised by the smart content.

One of the characters I made into morph sliders, and once i apply that morph, the base character also looses the 'smart' associations.

Has something changed in an update, or am I doing something wrong? as far as I know I'm not.

Start with blank scene, merge in saved character (saved as scene), go 'smart content' and there's no wardrobe, hair, only a few poses...

Any restrictions on how you can change the head shape are more to do with what morphs you have. You can buy morph packs for G8, each one has it's own shapes. Or you can use a modellng program to make your own morphs. You can use Hexagon which is free and you can get Daz Studio to send shapes to it and get the morphs back from it. There are many other programs you can use with prices from free to very expensive.