Sorry, I missed your earlier reply. I need to sub this thread for FaceGen & Headshop / One-Click tips.

Well I'm buying the new one-click to try out because I like the auto-placement with one-click feature. I am still happy with FaceGen but I have trouble selecting the points on the photos and as noted about it can make a big difference in the morph. Also, noted above the FaceGen morph obj is a better likeness than the DAZ Morph and that's because the FaceGen program must do a sort of automated retopology so that the FaceGen morph obj model topology matched the DAZ Genesis / Genesis 2 / Genesis face topology.

If you were after the best likeness possible you'd take the FaceGen obj into Blender or Maya and attach to an existing model or model by adding to the FaceGen obj. 

. The only other knock against it is that while the app is easy to use, once the face is created, you must apply the textures yourself in the surface tab. 

True - But, I really like how FG actually makes a very easy texture folder for you.  And, the FG textures are much more complete in that they do their best to match the face to the head, etc.  I've place many of these textures now.  You'd still have to place any body textures with Headshop.  The only automatic ones are the face and lips. 

So, here's the quickest method I've come up with:

I pinned my Facegen folder to the Explorer quick links.  So, I only have to do a couple of clicks to get to my "Facegen/Genesis 2/Leila 1 (or whichever)" folder and select which of the four textures I need - eyes, face, limbs, torso.  

I go to the "surfaces" tab under Genesis 2 Female in Daz and starting with "ears," I click on the diffuse texture and select browse.  Then, I navigate to the "Leila 1" folder and pick the textorso file.  Now, the textorso file will be available in the quick list that comes up when you click on the diffuse texture button.

Then, I go to "face" under the surfaces selections after pushing the diffuse button, I select textorso from the quick list.  THEN, I push the diffuse button again and select "browse."  This takes me to the folder where the textorso file is located without having to navigate back to the Facegen folder.  This time I select the correct "texface" file.  Now that file is also in the quick list.

I do the same process for the "feet" surface, selecting the texface or textorso file to get me back to the right folder, then browse and select the correct "texlimbs."  This puts texlimbs in the quick list as well.

The same goes for the "texeyes" when I get to the irises surface.

This means that by using this shortcut method, I can put all the FG diffuse textures on the appropriate surfaces in about 2 minutes.  It's really simple once you get the hang of doing it this way.

Of course, if I go to the trouble of creating custom bump maps or displacement maps, this process can be a lot more time consuming.  But, it's still pretty easy.

My one complaint about the way FG generates textures is the naming.  It would be nice if it automatically named the texture files by using your FG filename i.e. instead of "textorso" it would be "Leila_1_torso."  That seems to me to be an easy sort of thing to add into the export script.  Even so, it's not too difficult to rename the textures.  It would just be a help if FG did it automatically.

Hope this helps!

I bought Facegen Artist Home and love it enough that I'm going to upgrade to pro next paycheck. :)  I second the loving that FG gives you good working textures based on the face color.  This helps immensely when trying out new characters.  Any character that I decide to complete, gets a rework of the textures with merchant resources to patch up skin problems or make a low res photo texture into a high res version.  It can take many hours to edit a texture, but when you are finished, you have a new original texture that has the characteristics of the original face but turning it into your own work.  That initial color approximation for the FG textures is very helpful in starting a new skin.

Another great aspect of FG is the license, good for any number of machines for 1 user.  This is very important to me as I work at home and also while traveling.  Also, FG states very clearly that any:

Texture images, morph targets and FaceGen '.fg' files created with Artist are yours to distribute.

That is awesome...and sensible on the part of the publisher.  Because there's really no way to track a derivative morph once it's been exported and reimported as a new morph target...at least, not that I know of.  I try to use all MR or otherwise free use morphs on all my characters.  It's just much simpler than doing morphs on top of other commercial morphs.  And, I don't have to worry about who's work I might be including.  I plan to start adding variatons based on the G2 and G3 morph bundles, just so I can add that for a Daz feature.  I believe they like products that have other purchase requirements.

I personally really like merchant resources as bases for skin textures.  I can go through and add little color variations, skin tone, etc. to get a new character skin.  Most characters don't need really unique skins.  Except for distinguishing marks, I couldn't really tell the difference on many characters.  The real character changers are things like eyebrows, lips, makeup, and eye color.   So, a few base skins along with these distinguishers is all that I need for a whole bunch of different characters.  While I'm on this topic, I really want to plug Hinkypunk's Build-a-Babe Photoshop template and texture.  I use it for both G3 and G2 characters.  It took me a while to build up a G2 set based off the Living Doll merchant resource that I got off Renderosity.  But, it was worth the effort.  Because, I can now use bits for both G3 and G2 depending on how much editing I want to do.

To edit an FG texture, I just have to drag it into Photoshop, resize it to 4096, and copy and paste it into the Build-a-Babe as a new layer.  Then, it can be edited just like any other merchant resource.

Downside to FG - the face shapes often don't look the same once imported into Daz.  I don't really know why this is.  But, I can have something that I think, "Wow, that's a perfect likeness!" in FG, only to have it look much less like the original in Daz.  This isn't all bad.  It's just more work to get the shape right.  I've also noticed that whether or not a profile photo is helpful is variable.  I mean, sometimes the profile pic really helps the shape output.  Other times, it's seems to confuse the program and output something that really doesn't look like the original at all.  I don't know why. Also, noses tend to be the same triangular shape on initial output.  I almost always have to use the shaping morphs to change the nose.

I often export an FG face, view it in Daz, then go back and redo it in FG, trying to alter dot placement to get an output that looks better in Daz.  It's time consuming...but still a lot less trouble than learning how to model in Blender.  As long as I get the basic characteristics of the model photo that I was going for, I don't mind if it's not an exact match.  After all, I'm trying to create new characters, not duplicates.  I often get a result that is better than what I was trying for, even if it doesn't resemble the original model.

I have noticed that young faces are the most problematic.  This is either because of how FG exports or how Daz imports and adjusts to fit G2.  Even if I were to put a toddler's face onto a G2 figure, it would still look like the figure were in its 20's.  So, there's a lot of morphing to do after the import.  I believe this is because Daz is trying to adapt a fairly extreme morph to a very standard figure.  

Also (nothing to do with Facegen), I have not yet figured out how to do characters of varying heights without screwing up the joint geometry.  I can scale after the fact.  But, unless my figure meshes are exported at normal G2 height, it comes back a complete nightmare morph.  It will import and look okay until you try to pose...Then, the results are crazy.  I guess I need a tutorial on doing new bone structures or something so my 5' Asian figures can be loaded as such instead of doing post scaling.

Anyway, that's my mini review of Facegen.  It essentially has very similar function as Headshop.  I wish it integrated some of what Headshop does into itself, as I like being able to use shape dots to correct texture and shape.  FG is more automatic.  You place the initial 11 points, then FG generates its best approximation.  You can't really correct texture once that's in place.  You either got it right first go, or you have to redo the whole thing.  Fortunately, redoing the whole thing isn't that hard.  FG is by far less buggy than HS.  It doesn't crash all the time or have mysterious menu selections that don't seem to function.  I can make 4 reasonable FG morphs in the time it takes me to do 1 in HS.  If HS was less crash prone and had more predictable results when using the various tools, I would not have bothered with Facegen.  However, I'm very glad that I made the decision to go ahead and get Facegen as well.  It is far less frustrating to use.  One other thing I didn't mention before is that FG is very good at dealing with photos that are not perfect face forward, hair back shots.  By placing the point in proper relation to where they should be on a face, you can still get a decent morph and texture.  It is definitely not as good as the best case face forward shot.  But, it will work.

I hope this helps others looking into both software packages.  I wasn't able to find much 3rd party info about either one in my online searching, other than on this forum.

 

will it auto install in any and all versions of daz or do we have to manually configure it copy paste files of faceshop/headshop into each daz version with each daz update, previously when a new version of either full daz or beta was released we had to copy files into certain folders still using HS9 which is working in the last Daz 4.9 full build but is not showing up in the latest beta and probably same when the new full build comes out so if I want to use HS right now I have to create save in previous Daz full build then start up the new beta so I can use iray with my 1080 cards s yeah would this install into the new beta or the previous full build

I have a quick question

Is this "stand-alone" or do I first need to purchase HeadShop?

It IS HeadShop. You only need DAZ Studio to run OneClick.

How is it Headshop when you posted earlier that for more options (larger texture resolution) you need the actual Headshop 10.2 product. so based on what I am reading, OneClick is actually Headshop LITE meaning is has some of the funcionality of the actual Headshop product, but not all and to get all the features you need Headshop 10.2, correct? Or deas OneClick replace Headshop

 

 

Yes, at DAZ this will be the only HeadShop you can buy. The point was NOT to create a HeadShop Light, but to eliminate even the slightest possibility of users messing up. This meant to automate everything and simplify user interface through automation. HeadShop 10.2 also had many redundancies with Studio (adding hair, accessories, color - all of which you can do in Studio). We took out redundancies but kept advanced options such as profile, which may be important to a smaller number of users.

The bottom line is that this product represents a giant leap in performance and ease-of-use.

I have a quick question

Is this "stand-alone" or do I first need to purchase HeadShop?

It IS HeadShop. You only need DAZ Studio to run OneClick.

Sweet! I don't know what all headshop does, but I assumed it was something to do with making morphs from pictures and if all I need is this software to do the same in 1 click, then it's going in the wishlist asap :)

I have a quick question

Is this "stand-alone" or do I first need to purchase HeadShop?

It IS HeadShop. You only need DAZ Studio to run OneClick.

How is it Headshop when you posted earlier that for more options (larger texture resolution) you need the actual Headshop 10.2 product. so based on what I am reading, OneClick is actually Headshop LITE meaning is has some of the funcionality of the actual Headshop product, but not all and to get all the features you need Headshop 10.2, correct? Or deas OneClick replace Headshop

The current version exports 1024x1024, because it aims of the casual user who in all likelyhood won't have a high-res to begin with. For hard-core users I recommend HeadShop 10.2, which does have 2048x2048 plus a lot more tools.

 

And does it output greater than 2048x2048; pointless if it doesn't.

I can't get excited until you answer this.....

The current version exports 1024x1024, because it aims of the casual user who in all likelyhood won't have a high-res to begin with. For hard-core users I recommend HeadShop 10.2, which does have 2048x2048 plus a lot more tools.

Unfortunately on both softwares, I fear that you have once again seriously underestimated the market's expectations, casual or otherwise. 4096 is standard these days, and offered by orlthers such as face gen.

I have a quick question

Is this "stand-alone" or do I first need to purchase HeadShop?

It IS HeadShop. You only need DAZ Studio to run OneClick.

I have a quick question

Is this "stand-alone" or do I first need to purchase HeadShop?

I need someone to jump in a render a beautiful promo image for HeadShop OneClick using the software. I supply high-res photo. Need it within 48 hours please!

 

This looks very interesting. I applaud you for making the effort at improving headshop...but this is not actually headshop? I am confused. And I am extremely cautious. You say this is for a casual user, but how likely is a casual user going to know how to edit the textures around the face? Pretty unlikely in my book. I bet most people would have a lot of trouble getting that Cloony face to work without major seems on texture borders. Shoot, I have been using gimp for years and I'd probably have trouble doing that. It is quite a large contrast, and getting the face to blend in with the rest of the texture is no simple task. Your own render has a very noticeable line where the headshop texture ends.

And does it output greater than 2048x2048; pointless if it doesn't.

I can't get excited until you answer this.....

The current version exports 1024x1024, because it aims of the casual user who in all likelyhood won't have a high-res to begin with. For hard-core users I recommend HeadShop 10.2, which does have 2048x2048 plus a lot more tools.

Well that is a deal breaker. Regardless of what resolution any casual user has access to and starts with, the final has to go on the genesis 3 figure which is 4096 x 4096 by default, so the final results "from" this app should match the genesis figure texture resolution.

 I have seen all the headshop posts and looked at the results posted and this seemed like it would be a step up from them. Now I see that it is actually a simplied version and for quality results we need to go with the full headshop product, correct?

And does it output greater than 2048x2048; pointless if it doesn't.

I can't get excited until you answer this.....

The current version exports 1024x1024, because it aims of the casual user who in all likelyhood won't have a high-res to begin with. For hard-core users I recommend HeadShop 10.2, which does have 2048x2048 plus a lot more tools.

Can you give us a feature comparison?

How is it different from HeadShop 10.26.2016 

1. Simplified set up: import frontal picture. Program auto-finds 86 facial points. Auto determination of sex (male or female). User no longer has to set headshape markers. Elimination of “Import OBJ” as app only works with Genesis 2 or 3 figures.

2. Work screen. In the 10.2 full product we had 6 tabs (Front, Features, Style, Accessories, Stage). It is now reduced to only one tab (Front). All dots are automatically set giving the head instantly shape and texture. 95% of the time user can just one-click Export and he/she is back in Studio.

3. Users who want to make it perfect can still use profile picture to do profile and shape the head.

And does it output greater than 2048x2048; pointless if it doesn't.

I can't get excited until you answer this.....

The current version exports 1024x1024, because it aims of the casual user who in all likelyhood won't have a high-res to begin with. For hard-core users I recommend HeadShop 10.2, which does have 2048x2048 plus a lot more tools.

Can you give us a feature comparison?

And does it output greater than 2048x2048; pointless if it doesn't.

I can't get excited until you answer this.....

The current version exports 1024x1024, because it aims of the casual user who in all likelyhood won't have a high-res to begin with. For hard-core users I recommend HeadShop 10.2, which does have 2048x2048 plus a lot more tools.

What is OneClick? It is a DAZ Studio plugin that works inside DAZ Studio (version 4.8 and up).

Simplified Operation

OneClick allows you to turn a simple photo automatically into a Genesis 2 or 3 head in DAZ Studio, complete with texture mapping and shape morphing. OneClick is the only application in the industry that does this fully automatically. The revolutionary feature recognition code inside OneClick automatically finds 86 points on a human face and translates these points into a realistic 3D head. We call the product OneClick, as it literally requires only one click to perform the transformation. For those who want even greater realism, OneClick also allows the import of a profile photo. Tracing the profile makes the 3D even more realistic.

Simplified Price

Only $39.95 Coming soon!

 

I went down this very same path when Headshop 10 first released. Just get "FaceGen Artist" instead and all your problems will go away. I got a refund for Headshop. It is nice to see that it has been updated to 10.2, but from your post, it is obvious many issues, and many that I complained about myself, still remain. I posted some head to head results in Headshop thread. Since then, I have learned FG better, as it is easy to learn. If you have quality pictures, you will get quality results.

FaceGen is better in just about every way. It is MUCH, MUCH easier to use, it can output full 4000x4000 textures, and is capable of better results. And of course, it is less buggy. Try the free demo for yourself and see. The big downside is that it costs $70 for G1 and G2, while the "full" version that adds support for Genesis 3 is I believe $140. So its $70 just to add G3 support. I focus on G2 anyway, so it was a no brainer to me. The only other knock against it is that while the app is easy to use, once the face is created, you must apply the textures yourself in the surface tab. 

Thanks, I didn't want to buy a new program.  But, I will definitely give the FaceGen demo a try and go that route if it's that much easier to use.  I'm still hoping for Headshop to get fixed.  Laslo is really nice about helping.  But, the documentation overall is still weak.  I hope Abalone continues to develop the software.

I went down this very same path when Headshop 10 first released. Just get "FaceGen Artist" instead and all your problems will go away. I got a refund for Headshop. It is nice to see that it has been updated to 10.2, but from your post, it is obvious many issues, and many that I complained about myself, still remain. I posted some head to head results in Headshop thread. Since then, I have learned FG better, as it is easy to learn. If you have quality pictures, you will get quality results.

FaceGen is better in just about every way. It is MUCH, MUCH easier to use, it can output full 4000x4000 textures, and is capable of better results. And of course, it is less buggy. Try the free demo for yourself and see. The big downside is that it costs $70 for G1 and G2, while the "full" version that adds support for Genesis 3 is I believe $140. So its $70 just to add G3 support. I focus on G2 anyway, so it was a no brainer to me. The only other knock against it is that while the app is easy to use, once the face is created, you must apply the textures yourself in the surface tab. 

Let me start by saying that I really love Headshop 10.2 for coming up with new characters.  But, it is a very glitchy program.  One of the really strange effects happens when using HS on Gen 3 faces.  For whatever reason, after exporting the head back to Gen 3, the teeth get really weird...often sharp and pointy, or with big gaps.  This doesn't happen when using HS with Gen 2. 

Another oddity is the tendency for HS to create a near exact head shape with a photograph within the plugin, but not nearly so close when exported back into DS.  I usually have to do a lot of post HS tweaking with other morphs to get the right shape. 

Also, on some head shapes, I'll get weird ripples in the surface of the mesh.  I'm not sure where they originate.  Likewise, you can get some really lumpy noggins if you place a shape dot in the wrong spot.  If there were some sort of averaging tool (similar to the Smoothing dial) for the Autodots, it might insure that you don't get a dot out of a smooth curve.  I've notice that if I get a lumpy area, it is near impossible to fix it.  Most of the time, it is easier to just start over.

After reading and looking at all the various tutorials available, the interface is still somewhat a mystery.  I can find no explanation as to what the "Copy" arrow does in the "Profile" tab.  Whenever I try to use it, I get an error that HS could not execute the command and will try to continue.  Everything seems very straight forward in the tutorials and menu.  But, what actually happens compared to what I'm attempting to create are often very different.  It would be nice to have a thorough explanation of how the shape and texture dots affect the mesh.  I mean, the dots don't seem to actually match specific mesh points.  So, I'm not sure when I change a point on the jaw line, if I am pushing the mesh back or out on the x or z axis.    Also, I have yet to figure out what the heck the neck dots actually do.  Messing with them is usually a bad idea.

Perhaps some sort of specific point reference chart would help...i.e. "dot x defines the position for lower junction of the ear." or, "dot y must be positioned at approximately the lower corner of the jaw."  It would just help to know what I am affecting when I move a dot.  You can get very strange results if dots are moved outside their intended parameters.

I'm using a fairly robust system...current generation i7 with 16gb memory and GT970m graphics.  But, I still find that the line tool will hang the system.  And, the smoothing control will fail to function at all.  Half the time, when exporting, I'll get an "Export Successful" message, then a "Headshop has ceased to function" message.  Sometimes, the exported face works fine, regardless of whether or not Headshop ceases to function.  Sometimes, HS just crashes and no morph is exported back to Daz.

Also, instead of using "custom obj" to model Gen 3 figures, why not just make each variety of Genesis (or Victoria), a check box selection? 

I fully realize that HS is not supposed to be a competitor to ZBrush, or Blender...etc.  But, I do think that it has room for improvement.  Perhaps, dropping the hair and 3d statue sections would be a good idea for DAZ users.  I don't know how many overall...but, I'm guessing that very few Daz users have a need for the statue add ons.

I really enjoy creating characters.  And, HS10.2 is a great alternative to full blown modeling programs.  I do hope that the developers continue to improve it.  I would suggest to Laslo and the other programmers at Abalone, that a much more detailed manual would be very helpful.

I'd be very interested in hearing from other users that have experienced some of these issues with HS, especially if they have worked out how to fix them.  I certainly haven't ruled out the possibility of my own ignorance causing my troubles.