Hi all, I have uploaded a .pdf tutorial today. It is a brief workflow from converting a .cr2 legacy clothing item to a Dynamic Clothing piece using the delightful script sold here at Renderosity. [for Daz Studio]. The tutorial concludes with a brief look at animating the figure too.

I work with Daz Studio 4.6 and Hexagon.

Thank you, I have downloaded and hope to look at it soon.

Thank you so much boudicca36 I have many of your tutorials saved they are some of the best written tutorials that I have come across

ldgilman posted at 5:15PM Fri, 18 March 2016 - #4261577

Thank you, I have downloaded and hope to look at it soon.

You're welcome.

As with anything 3D, learning "how to" involves also "doing" ... I highly recommend picking something "easy" to start with, no buttons, etc.

Lobo3433 posted at 5:16PM Fri, 18 March 2016 - #4261583

Thank you so much boudicca36 I have many of your tutorials saved they are some of the best written tutorials that I have come across

You're welcome and thank you for the feedback :-) I do my best. I know how frustrating it can be trying to learn how to do something "missing a vital step" so I actually work through the projects while making the tutorials. Several of my followers have vision problems and some of course speak first other languages so always "lots of pictures" ;-)

Thank you for making this available.

You're welcome UVDan.

I see that the re-up of the Dynamic Hair tutorial is now available too. One can have a lot of fun with that script.

................................

WIP at present is a new tutorial on making new uv sets. It might be appearing in parts though as the actual working through is rather time consuming.

Okay I have started the Making New UV Sets tutorials. First one is uploaded, 2nd awaiting approval atm. btw some of my tutorials may or not have a grammatical error or 2 'cause proof-reading one's own work is not the best check system. So kindly pardon those.

Rather frustrating day working on this today. The idea of having V4 and G3 in Hexie apparently overloaded Hexie, so then I tried with a duplicate section of G3 with the stretched texture on [have to rename that shading domain]. That worked for abit but there is something about the Genesis 3 mesh that Hexagon does not fully accept and the inevitable crashes started happening. I tried about 3 kinds of work-a-rounds and oh well. Maybe another day ... Genesis 3 was made to have a very different type of uvmap in the first place and Hexagon was made a long time ago. It could be that in more up-to-date modelers the project could work. I hope so for the sake of those that wanted this so much.

One leg almost done! At this rate could be awhile and it won't be perfect. Where there is too much difference in the mesh, I'll aim for ease of texturing, after all the concept is of course that clothes should be worn lol ... - unsolicited plug for the clothing creators ;-)

Taking a break for the holidays ... blizzard blowing through the city, has downed power in places, "Happy Easter" all.

Snow is gone again ... wonderful "spring" ;-)

Okay ... have in the pending basket a brand new tutorial about "Making Clothes for G3" as in Genesis 3F and 3M. This is aimed at being a beginner's type tutorial so no, not touching any of the troublesome topics found with the G3 figures. No pants. If you really want decent pants on G3M for "extreme poses", back to skin clothes.

I don't know how touchy the 'nudity' flags are here so I have that set. If one has an issue with nude figures, one should find another hobby.

? no way to edit posts ? Okay ... update, the "Making Clothes for G3" is now available. WIP [work in progress] "Making Scarves" for any figure, using a starter scarf created using the script for making dynamic clothing in D/S. Starter scarf is just a side from a plain cube square with a number of sub-divisions. In other words, a small flat square plane. Make something similar to follow the project. Have some poses in mind for the desired figure too.

Thanks for the update.

Okay :-)

2 Tutorials in the pending basket now :-)

First is the one for "Making Scarves" as mentioned earlier. Project walk through. Bonus section for some tips in using the Dynamic Plugin included in D/S.

The 2nd tutorial is also a bonus, "Making UV Sets for our Scarves". End result is to have multiple uv sets to select from [if so desired].

One is approved, the other one tomorrow. Thanks for contribution.

Thank you :-)

You're welcome

Important update of information with regards to re-arranging the uvmaps for Genesis 3 figures. Tutorial is in pending basket.

Working with the uvsets this way should help Hexagon get over a few memory hang ups or whatever that causes crashes. Keep in mind that the Genesis 3 figures have a very much more up-to-date type of uv mesh created long after the program Hexagon was. So all things considered, Hexagon is doing wonderfully well.

It's out of the basket, Thanks for that.

You're quite welcome :-)

Just curious boudicca36 are you running Hex from with in the default install location? When I started using Windows 7 I installed to the root of the C; drive instead of Program files and that has minimized my occurrences of crash to a bear minimum and also running that large address aware utility that is still floating around on the net just a FYI that might help with the crashing.

Lobo3433 posted at 8:26AM Mon, 04 April 2016 - #4263925

Just curious boudicca36 are you running Hex from with in the default install location? When I started using Windows 7 I installed to the root of the C; drive instead of Program files and that has minimized my occurrences of crash to a bear minimum and also running that large address aware utility that is still floating around on the net just a FYI that might help with the crashing.

---

Myself I'm not having many issues with crashing - and when it does it is for "reasons" it may or not disclose. After one of the previous video card updates crashes became very much less an issue. Since a few horror stories have come out more recent ones, that computer is now "offline" totally, no more updating anything. I bring up some matters to avoid crashes in the tutorials because beginners do tend to crash the program more often than seasoned users. It is not very forgiving with boo-boos.

Good point about location because yes it works better when NOT in the official program folders. Mine is in "C" too. There are a couple of utilities, one is L.A.A. and the other escapes memory at the moment. Either one appears to help a little and neither did harm.

...........................

2 more tutorials are WIP. One is an introduction to the topic of legacy rigging of clothing in D/S4.x. One is concerning the MorphManager solely for the creation of "blank" .cr2 figure files which are required for the making of clothing. IF I can release an .exe file here, then I can upload MorphManager with the tutorial.

I know that MorphManger is a freebie but no the uploading of the exe here would be a no no. But if they do a google search it does come up as available at Morphography website which is a safe site to download it from you can also include a read me file inside of your zip with a link to where to download it to and that would not be an issue but like I mentioned with the actual .exe inside your zip we would not be able to approve it. Hope this helps

Lobo3433 posted at 4:54PM Mon, 04 April 2016 - #4264106

I know that MorphManger is a freebie but no the uploading of the exe here would be a no no. But if they do a google search it does come up as available at Morphography website which is a safe site to download it from you can also include a read me file inside of your zip with a link to where to download it to and that would not be an issue but like I mentioned with the actual .exe inside your zip we would not be able to approve it. Hope this helps

Okay, not surprized but was hoping ;-) It is one of few that actually say with it that we can redistribute it. DA doesn't let pass zips with exes either. Proof reading tomorrow and maybe uploading depending upon the weather of course.

edit to add: That's the place! M also has some quicksuits and quickdresses for those wishing a starter suit.

He still keeps many active links to some great info I am glad he has kept that site running for oh I do not know how many years

Tutorial in pending basket :-) And the link for the other one on Morph Manager with the utility is on the product description page at DA. There's also a link for a Video tutorial on making your own blank.

Just approved again thank you boudicca36 for all your great tutorials

You're quite welcome.

Have a few dillies wip.

I know from Daz Studio there is the option to send to Hexagon just curious for your opinion I usually work more often in Blender and I remember a tutorial that i rewrote using Blender instead of hexagon Create Clothing Manikin/Doll In Blender can be found in the standard Tutorial section under Blender here on the site https://www.renderosity.com/mod/tutorial/?section_id=14 my question is making a such a Manikin/Doll still a good rule of thumb or has it become somewhat obsolete as far naming all the body groups and such? Just interested in your opinion on the matter.

Thanks in Advance

Lobo3433 posted at 9:05AM Wed, 06 April 2016 - #4264323

I know from Daz Studio there is the option to send to Hexagon just curious for your opinion I usually work more often in Blender and I remember a tutorial that i rewrote using Blender instead of hexagon Create Clothing Manikin/Doll In Blender can be found in the standard Tutorial section under Blender here on the site https://www.renderosity.com/mod/tutorial/?section_id=14 my question is making a such a Manikin/Doll still a good rule of thumb or has it become somewhat obsolete as far naming all the body groups and such? Just interested in your opinion on the matter.

Thanks in Advance

It depends upon which rigging system one is aiming for. I call those "clothing dummies" ... and it helps to have one. Yes one can model on the real figure however that takes more memory. Memory is precious in Hexagon. Having separate body part Shading Domains is handy for quickly seeing exactly which bone areas will be affecting one's creations. To avoid just crossing section lines is helpful for avoiding rigging issues. Once one has one made, one does not have to keep remaking it. One can keep a collection of "clothing dummies" in a folder for such. It is very easy to select "all" the model's faces and make them into "one" shading domain. I tend to do that near the end of a project to check for poke through. Make the dummy red, the clothing yellow ... or some combination of extreme contrast to quickly spot poke through.

Then if the clothing is headed for triax rigging ... one can make the uvmap, unfold it, then apply shading domains/materials as they please for the garment [in Hexagon within its rules for such of course].

If the clothing is headed for legacy rigging ... it then has to be "one piece" of mesh [no groups] BUT all the areas for EACH bone MUST be assigned their own Shading Domain and material named EXACTLY as the corresponding bone. This is to preserve sanity when working on it next in D/S.

In today's upload concerning Legacy Rigging of a Figure in D/S, I cover "grouping in D/S" ... clothing headed for legacy rigging would be worked on in the same manner however there is a nifty short cut [sort of] for getting the group areas marked prior to this stage. [that tutorial is in the planning stage atm]

Thanks for the new tutorial and for the information you shared very much appreciated

You're quite welcome. ;-)

This comes under "I can't believe they did this but hay, ..." we should know by now. Apparently something that was possibly borked who knows, BUT we found a nifty work a-round resulting in nice legacy clothing that did not come apart all over the place SO "they fixed it".

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Sigh,

In 4.6 apparently yes it is now reading the grouping from Hexagon in the Figure set-up tab so no we do not have to rename groups with the geometry/polygon editor stuff [and then redo the surfaces to some sensible names] just to make a DS export of the .obj for to rig - because it is no longer "grouping" from its own exports this way, it is reading the original Hexagon grouping no matter what. Thanks.

Right ... now, one can make the Genesis clothing item, put its shape to V4, hide Genesis, export out that .obj file - so it will be basically grouped - in the modeler get the bone groups properly named and export out that again. Then try for something of a legacy rigging using the V4blank template. Good luck with that. No matter how I adjusted the bone thingies, little happened. You see rigging can cause poke through so adjusting the rigging on the clothing can also revert that. But not today. Maybe not with 4.6. I will hazard a guess that the process has been fixed repeatedly with each release. Some were accepting those exp things, some were not. Some hint that they can use the exp things, others claim otherwise. Hmm ... you know, I think I have 4.5 kicking around somewhere. And 3 for that matter.

One can take the clothing from Genesis shaped as V4 over the bridge to Hexagon [so it is one piece] import in a V4 clothing dummy and smooth it to look better on V4. Remove the original from D/S, send the smoothed V4 clothing item over the bridge and then export that .obj out [so it will be large again]. It will be one piece and require grouping in a modeler. Then to be imported into the Figure Setup Tab and rigged with the V4 blank.

It is time now to convince some nesting pigeons to move on. Cheers ;-)

Update: The aforementioned workflow is now a set of images. Waiting to be glued into a .pdf etc.

I don't know if anybody has noticed but such as "modeler" "modeller" get spelled the way they do is because of the software programs I'm using ;-)

In the pending basket, Rigging Legacy Clothing in D/S. Project walk through for making a legacy rigged clothing item from a triax edition [something for V4 from something for Genesis]. Remember to save the new .obj into a Geometries sub-folder and the .cr2 to the Characters [figures] folder ;-)

Are you sure there is something in the basket?

Thanks for the contribution

It escaped! lol ... you're welcome, enjoy.

With regards to the Legacy Rigging of Figures, IF in the geometry tab it comes in as "one", then the grouping would have to be done as before, in the modeller. [see Rigging Legacy Clothing if need be for ideas on how to].

Have in the proof-reading basket another tutorial for making a curtain prop from a "line". While I have used Hexagon, it is not reliant on the bridge.

Tutorial in the Pending Basket ;-)

Making a curtain from a line. I'm using Hexagon but the concept works in other modelers too. Project walk through from making the curtain to making 2 types of props in D/S and one morph. Not covered but is easy enough to do would be making a poser prop in Poser from the creation as well as with any other such type program. Carrara comes to mind.

It's available now, thanks to whoever for releasing it.

The Freestuff staff is proud to support your contributions, thank you

Jules53757 posted at 7:32AM Fri, 15 April 2016 - #4265584

The Freestuff staff is proud to support your contributions, thank you

You're welcome, it's nice to be appreciated ;-)

Made a discovery in creating some "dynamic" mesh.

Holding this top together is ONLY one dot each side. The cloth was worked up from a circle line with the mesh either going to the front or the back.

The tutorial and mesh for the top have been out for awhile now.

Next on the agenda was to try "geografting". VERY basic, no extra bones. Something like sticks, oops, antenna. Now "once upon a time" geografting worked a certain way, then programs changed and so did workflows, a little bit. So what further changes may or not have happened concerning geografting, it is good to understand that tutorials are guidelines, in order to create "anything", one has to also "think". Now, I could put together a rather convoluted tutorial showing everything that goes wrong if one does a whole bunch of different things, or just show a way that works. That is preferable in my books for this topic.

"in a nutshell" ~ for those in a hurry ;-)

Genesis is the preferred figure for learning with. Genesis 3 is NOT.

So the tutorial is using Genesis 1 BASE Resolution. Export out an .obj.

In the modeler, select the required loop of faces to get the base for the graft and copy/paste those. Done with the figure model, delete it.

Only draw up a line of mesh inside the looped faces to start the antenna.

Then move the UVMAP for this new mesh "separate" from the graft's. MANUALLY add seam and unfold that.

Then carefully extract more tessellation lines on the antenna ONLY.

When done, with only the antenna in the program, export out the new .obj file. Wash as necessary.

Then in D/S load the BASE Genesis [option on Parameter Tab].

Import in the new antenna. Make it clothing to the "present NOT default" Genesis.

Then on Genesis select those looped faces which conflict with those on the base of the antenna and right-click, select the appropriate option for geograft. [on other computer]. Then again but maybe also including the inner face(s) to have them "hidden".

Then "unfit" the antenna from Genesis. Then "Fit" the antenna to Genesis.

And the geograft should be "glued" to Genesis. [morphing Genesis should not be causing broken seams to appear]

Then with no morphs applied to Genesis, select GENESIS and return it to "High Res". The antenna should automatically go to HiRes too and still be glued to Genesis.

THEN select the antenna and File > Save As > Figure/prop > to an appropriate folder under People > Genesis > Scifi or whatever ...

Basket beeping!

And it's loose!

btw - I tried adding a leg to the Horse2 and was able to add a leg which appeared to be properly welded. However getting such an item properly rigged would be a challenge.

Tested out the geo-graft workflow on G3 figures, for minor things seems to work fine providing one is not at a point of where the morphs pull the mesh to start with. I made a couple of "patches" for the belly button areas of G3M and F, they are presently available at DA. If said area was one row around smaller, then the sides would gap.

Given the number of folk trying to get lines back to the ancient ones, rather surprising lack of interest for those patches, they have been retired. Whoever downloaded one of each, you have a free exclusive except for me of course ;-)

Okay ... in the pending basket is a tutorial covering how I've dealt with one set of "duplicate error" messages for Genesis. When the problem first cropped up, Richard kindly provided a script to deal with them. I chose to ignore the messages OR delete the items causing the messages. Over time decided to keep this one set of morphs and finally had some time to "re-make" them so re-saving them would in itself fix this error message. Tutorial provided "as is", it may have some "how to" ideas of interest to some. Do NOT use this method to try "fixing" any $$$ morphs!!!!! Do NOT use this method to try "fixing" any MCM or JCM morphs either. If in doubt, don't.

Next in the pending basket is a tutorial for putting some Garibaldi "fur" on geograft items like a tail. The tail has already been released and is available. There is an important note concerning saving the "wearable preset" for such on geograft items - if not done correctly mesh would be included in the package which is totally not to be done esp. if redistributing the presets.

Sorry, I found nothing in the basket

Might need to look again It's not a tutorial this time though, just some leggings for Genesis.