Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/tut.ez?Form.ViewPages=870

It was kind of you to go to the effort to write this tutorial, but alas, your work is completely unecessary. All you need to do is this: 1) Open your image editor and bring in the seam guide for the figure you want to clothe. 2) Create a new layer. Fill with black. Paint in white where the new clothes will go. 3) Duplicate this layer and fill in the white area with the coloured texture for the garment. 4) Save the two layers as separate jpgs. 5) Open Poser. In the material room, for skin texture create a node using the B/W image to blend the garment texture with whatever skin texture you are using. 6) You can improve the result using bump maps, and using a blend node for specularity, reflectivity, etc. You don't need Clother at all. Note that whether you just use Poser or use Clother, this technique only really works with garments that really should be utterly skin-tight like superhero costumes. Some of the things I've seen lately look totally ridiculous. You cannot paint on a woman's jacket without it looking quite unrealistic.

I know that it can simply be done with a layered file - I guess everyone who just knows a little tiny bit about texture making can do it this way ;-)
However the task of creating textures specifically for CLOTHER was something that no one before approached, so I thought I'd make a start - hence the tutorial.
Remember that it may not only be interesting for people who wish to create their own CLOTHER items, but also for those who want to design new texture packages for that particular program.... ;-)

Message edited on: 01/11/2005 10:13

But why bother? Just issue the new texture packages for Poser. Then anyone can use them, whether they have Clother or not.

The difference between Poser and Clother is that Clother can apply selected clothing textures over any selected body texture, saves them in one map and creates a MAT file for these combined textures. In the program before saving the texture it is also possible to change the color of the 'clothing' with hue / saturation sliders. These are three things that Poser can't do: -Handle two or more 'layers' of textures on one single object; - change parts of the color on the aforementioned texture, - create a MAT file for the whole thing. If you make a texture specifically for one of the poser characters, that character will always have the same skin. With Clother, the skin color is secondary.

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/photos/GAL_200304/GalleryImage391058.jpg

You can create a MAT file for the result the same way as you would create a MAT file for anything else.

I've never tried more than two layers of blend, but I assumed it was possible. I may be wrong in that, but you can do plenty with two. As for changing the hue/saturation, you can do that in Photoshop before saving the texture.

In Poser you can change specularity on parts of the garment to make shiny buttons (you just need to create another map file in Photoshop/whatever). Can you do that in Clother?

In this picture reflection is mapped to give a shiny leotard. This was actually rendered in Bryce but the principle is the same. Last time I reposted this someone didn't believe that the leotard wasn't a conforming item. But it's just done with a map.

Having set up the blend node says that you're doing this in P5. That is fine, and it works well, you're right. Now please explain how to achieve the same effect in P4 / PP? ;-) In Poser you can change specularity on parts of the garment to make shiny buttons (you just need to create another map file in Photoshop/whatever). Can you do that in Clother? No, you're right, that can't be done. Please keep in mind: I'm not the creator of that software. I've merely written a tutorial on how to make own textures for CLOTHER, which was something that was said by the original creators of that software to be impossible. That's why I wrote the tutorial - to prove that it's not impossible. And you wouldn't even want to know how much time I have spent in front of this PC within the last week, defending my hack, defending myself and to finally, after long debates with various people, get this tutorial approved.

Phantast: Clother is completely unnecessary, but so is hair that fits multiple characters, and pose packages or even pose files for that matter and MAT and MOR files or any number of other things that only take a little more time to do.

Save some money, spend some time; spend some money, save some time.

Message edited on: 01/11/2005 12:23

I agree with phantast, it seems just like a lazy way of doing something that you can do already for free.

But for those that already own clother, and use it to ease the process, I am sure this tutorial will be appreciated. I know I appreciate it. My problem is that link deadends to a blank page. Can you post the tutorial in a better place that can be accessed. Thanks.

Message edited on: 01/11/2005 13:48

actually i think the tutorial is a great idea for those who already own Clother! ty for the link.---Essie

Even if you do own Clother, having looked at the tutorial, it seems less work to make your own textures my way. I quite agree that if you have P4/PP you can't do this - except if you do your rendering in Bryce or Vue when it becomes very easy. The picture I linked above was done in Bryce before P5 ever came out, so the method is actually old. Oh, and I just checked - it is quite straightforward to nest multiple blender nodes in P5. So you could, if you wished, set up one map that simply divided the figure into above and below waist, and then swap in different "garments" for the different body parts - all in Poser. But again - unless you are doing ultra skintight clothing, the results are not very realistic.

Phantast -
I quickly searched your tut's - guess what - nothing found

you're way is to summarize on 6 lines how to create something. Don't think this is a tutorial. What's about to sit down, making screenshots, put in some comments so erverybody can follow what's youre target. Don't forget to make this for PSP and PhotoShop and GIMP and ...

... and when you're finished, come back

otherwise - stop your completely unecessary comments

Well, hell... Obviously my tutorial has been deleted - as in completely - by the Renderosity admins, because it seems that they think it violates CLOTHER's EULA. Funny, because it does not. Read this thread, http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?ForumID=12395&Form.ShowMessage=2066918, especially the current last message in this thread for more. Will keep fighting for my tutorial, especially because I spent a whole day on it, went through many IMs, finally got approving from Clother's creators via IM, and now it's deleted for a reason that is not true, because I did not violate the EULA. If Renderosity thinks that such tutorials or postings which encourage and tell people how to add lines to an *.ini file (or to any other settings file in a program) would violate EULAs, then, by all means, they have to take off any Tutorials which explain how to make MAT files, and also have to delete any postings in the forum which explain how to edit the *.xml files in P5, in order to change one's user interface in that particular program.

We are still very happy that you wrote this tutorial. The situation appear becouse some parts of the tutorial was not quite consistent with product EULA. In our opinion these two minor things should be changed (its won't change tutorial's contest). We hope the tutorial will be back soon. We sent you IM with explanation. Best regards all ZEW 3d Team.

Phantast -
I'm sorry - I didn't know the background.
it was me with completely unecessary comments

sorry again

This case is closed for us. EULA is juridical document and it contains all restrictions and rights. EULA is bilateral contract and it contains express terms. It grants you some rights and it impose some restrictions. When you accept it, you agree with this terms. Unacquaintance with the law do not give the right to brake it and do not release from observe it. As long as EULAs rights and restrictions, Copyright Law and Intellectual Property Law are respected we wont intervene. If someone is not sure about our opinion, can ask. But we wont any longer argue and discuss, because law statements can't be change for demand. If some person in future violate EULA, Copyright Law or Intellectual Property Law, we will give him a notice and we will start legal proceedings. Best regards ZEW 3d Team.

I was curious, since we all use the same EULA here in the RMP, which basically states that all renders of products belong to the end users, while the content that they purchased is thiers to use, but not to redistribute in any form. So, I guess what I am wondering is how a tutorial can violate those terms ??? Merely curious, not arguing. --Rebekah--

From what I've gathered from reading the various bits of stuff on this, the issue more or less revolves around making changes to the progam's *.ini file -- which ZEW 3D and Renderosity contend is a violation of the terms of the EULA and which spothmann contends is not the case.

Oh. Hmmmm...that isn't really covered in the EULA that Rendo requires that we pack with our products sold here. Actually, regarding most products, you can change the files however you need for your own use as long as you don't share/distribute the acutal files themselves. Wierd. Thanks for the clarification on the actual issue. --Rebekah--

np, rebekah -- I'm really just guessing, but that's about the only that seems to make sense to me so far, lol.

No, it's not about the *.ini file. It's about... ta-daaa! - Zew3D's own textures. As it is just needed to rename their file extension to a valid image file extension, they are now utterly scared that someone might use the textures that come with the program in any other image program than Clother. I asked them several times how afraid other merchants would have to be, because they provide images (e. g. body textures etc.) without renaming the file extension first, so that they could be used in any program away from Poser. But, no, they say that in their EULA, they state that their textures might be used nowhere else but in Clother. I said that knowing how to change a file extension doesn't make everyone actually do it. This knowledge is only passed on in order to make the users who want to make own textures for Clother understand how the program actually works. Plus, as long as it's stated in the EULA that their files might not be used elsewhere but in Clother is enough, isn't it, right? Their customers will for sure know how to appreciate the EULA and not use the textures anywhere else. It's like having a kitchen knife, which can not only be used for legal things, such as tracing tomatoes. A kitchen knife can be used for illegal things, such as killing someone. If one does it depends on how much one appreciates the law. The EULA, in this case, is in most countries the law (I say that because Microsoft has lost a case on its EULA for OEM operating systems, because the court said it's up to the user what they do with a software that they have bought). Well, as it seems, this might bring another case on the same subject to a court. We'll see if Zew3D has better chances on winning the case than Microsoft ;-) Best wishes, Sabine

Ummmm...since when can we customize the EULA here at Rendo ?? We all have to use the same one, and we can't state any extra stipulations in our ReadMe files either....so how can it be stated in the EULA that the textures can't be used in any program other than Clother since that isn't in the standard EULA ??? If we can start to use non-standard EULA in our packages I would like to know about it. --Rebekah--

Clother is a software, not "just" textures, so perhaps that's the reason why. But I have no idea as to the 'real' why, perhaps you should ask in the merchant's forum.

This thread is now buried so deep there's not much point in replying further, and I was unable to log in the last two days. I think the main reason that Clother exists is so that Zew3D can get free advertising by posting extra textures in the Free Stuff section that can only be used with Clother. Otherwise it would be just as easy to sell texture packs and MAT files. Anything that would potentially crack open these "freebies" must be anathema. So it's not the textures that come WITH Clother that are the issue, it's the "free" textures. If these were really free, i.e. usable by anyone, the whole economic model would collapse.

The fact all the "free" items have suddenly been withdrawn and reposted makes me think that this diagnosis is correct.

well um frankly .. I havent seen a single texture out yet for clother that makes me want to buy it. If I could make my own addins? yeah sure! I'd get it in a heartbeat. It could only benefit sales of Clother to have additional texture sets made by other developers. Frankly, variety is very important and allt he stuff I've seen for Clother so far? nope .. I'd never use it (except for the jeans, but I have 2nd skin jeans already) Now if they could merge Clother with the Universal Texture COnverter ... that would be a useful thing. Lyrra

Actually, using the "free items" outside of Clother is easily done by changing a file extension. The could allow the item to be used as a layer over any existing V3 skin texture in photoshop. The "license" that comes with the program does not allow this to be done and requires that you own Clother in order to use the free items.

Ummmm...since when can we customize the EULA here at Rendo ??

Aparently since today. Clint just announced in the "other thread" in the Copyright Forum that the Product Submission Guidelines for software applications and programs have been changed to reflect this change, althought I can't find it in the Guidelines anywhere.

The "license" that comes with the program does not allow this to be done and requires that you own Clother in order to use the free items. Not only that. The EULA of Clother does not only want to tell you that you can only use the textures if you own Clother, which would be safe and sane in my opinion. No, they also want you to use these particular textures, even if you own the program, just in that particular program called clother. Moreover, they even want to restrict your ability to just look at the textures in a different program even if you own Clother (look at them. Not, by all means, editing them or anything else that could be done with a texture in a non-proprietary file format in a picture editing program). Which is in my opinion a little strange.

It doesn't seem so strange to me. Considering the whole exercise is a cynical exploitation of the free stuff here to get free advertising for a rather unneccessary product I can well believe such a paranoid attitude. I partly agree with Lyrra that the existing textures are unenticing - have you seen the last lot in the RMP? But frankly, unless you are doing superhero stuff the whole approach is flawed. I saw a character pack in the RMP recently that came with four underwear "bodysuits" and they don't look remotely realistic as clothes despite being very nice texture work.

I can't use clothes on my Poser people. Their body parts are scaled different. Clothes don't fit. I have to use "skintight" clothes.