Is there any documentation available for using the hair assistant? (I can't find it in the manual.) The "flying hair strands" I'm getting during animations are driving me crazy. I can't get the hair to "settle," even if I crank the rigidify settings.

Sorry to seem impatient but has the interest died again? I responded to both Dan and Gerald after they were in contact but nothing since. If it is just a matter of being busy, then no problem. I just want to know if the whole subject is going dark again?

marble posted at 6:54 PM Tue, 1 November 2022 - #4448174

Sorry to seem impatient but has the interest died again? I responded to both Dan and Gerald after they were in contact but nothing since. If it is just a matter of being busy, then no problem. I just want to know if the whole subject is going dark again?

Hi all,

Having just returned from a trip, I was pleased to find a great note from Gérald and a few other messages (marble, etc.) in my overflowing inbox.

Per Gérald, it looks like he is interested in integrating his existing (already done?) updates, and some new ideas into the existing VWD framework. I like this idea, since using the current framework ensures that updates are more likely to be fun for him, and therefore completed for us all. Changing everything (interface, simulations engine, etc.) is a *lot* of work, and much easier to avoid :)

I've been hearing Gérald's 'cry' for more videos, and ... although they don't really generate $ for the time invested, I think they are useful and greatly appreciated - and our work on VWD from here on out is likely to be for fun, renders (from you folks), and maybe some wine/beer money (we just aren't a big group here.. :), so I'm game for doing some new videos...

I got a request for a video on the hair assistant, and I want to do one about the tricks I use for fitting almost any fabric outfit on any figure.

Perhaps there are some other topics that scream for additional demonstration/detail - please let us know here, and we can see where it goes.

My thinking for the VWD future, as far as updates/upgrades, is to continue to sell the base version here at Rendo, and use that as the basis for small feature upgraders (as EXEs) that Gérald can create and we can then release over on Patreon for a coupla bucks a month, only billed on the months we actually release (we can pause billing on patreon - which I've been doing mostly). We can warn you folks as to when a release is real, and you can sub/unsub to 'buy it'. It may be a good way to release beta's and experiments too - and allow everyone to keep a working version available at any given time (just reinstall the base and your favorite working 'upgrader' version?). And you guys can "buy" Gérald a glass of wine via Patreon to thank him and support his passion.

I think VWD is magic, and am so glad that Gérald wants to brush it off and make it sparkle again. If he's willing, I can certainly help share more information on using the VWD magic.

If this sounds good to y'all, let us know - and of course, any other suggestions are welcomed as well.

(marble, check your PM & email - thanks for your patience - anapaum, per my email, I'll gather the parts for a hair assistant video asap)

best,

VWD3D / Dan

Thanks Dan,

Yes I got your PM but no email as yet but looking forward to it.

As for your suggestions above - I'm one of those who absolutely detests subscriptions for software so I'd rather buy whatever you produce at a one-off price. I'm not too familiar with Patreon but it seems to be another way to sell by subscription so that does not appeal to me at all. My only experience with Patreon was for a VR game that the programmer kept promising would be developed quickly but after a year of subscriptions the promised developments were still some way off. They also argued that it was the cost of a beer per month but those costs add up quickly.

I'm right there with you, marble. I *refuse* to enter subscription agreements as a general rule.

A little trick that I've found with Patreon, is we can 'pause' the billing each month (but we have too, or it resets to the normal billing mode each month! oops)! So, we can have subscribers, but not enable billing until we actually produce something.

Of course the subscriber has to pick a monthly tier, and *trust* us not to bill unless we release something... But I like that model as it would result in a 'pay-only-when-results' sort of system, and as a safety-net (kind-of-a-hassle), any users can unsubscribe/re-subscribe if they don't wish to 'purchase' the current updates (we could publish the feature-list/release notes in advance).

The other angle might be to simply use gumroad or selz to offer/sell the upgraders at a minimal fee e.g. $5 per release? I suppose we can sell that way here at rendo too (I like the setup here), but I kind of like the user-discretion of being able to grab-and-go (one-off) with a gumroad(.com) and keep the price down. Maybe Gerald and others will have some additional ideas.

(and check your spam-trap email, marble. You should have a note)

best,

VWD3D / Dan

edits: clarification/wording

I'm happy to hear that you're back, Dan. I've been using VWD for a LONG time, but I feel that by using Poser, I'm being left behind. The fact that I have to go back into P11 in order to do anything with the script illustrates my point. However, I can live with that if I can get the script to work as it should.

The flying hair is driving me crazy!

:)

Hey Dan,

Yep - it went to my spam box so I've marked it as "Not Spam" and anything further should be fine. I'll go through your email shortly, thank you.

As for Patreon, I'll see how it works out with your plan. I don't mind paying for updates as they happen but I want a way to know that what I've paid for - even if I stop at some point - will be taken into consideration in the price of the "official" release, whether that be at Renderosity or wherever. So if you sell for, say $35 and I have already paid $20 in updates, I should get a credit for that amount.

I'm not telling you how to do business, just saying what I would consider to be fair. Maybe I just don't understand how all this works though.

thanks for the perspectives marble, they mirror mine for the most part.

To everyone who has joined us on this journey so far, and in the future - things are changing - always.

The forces at work here have changed as per the Gerald's first post in this thread - we're (Gerald and I) changing business models and now we all get to decide: are we, as users, sponsoring, or buying... not the same thing.

I'm generally a buyer, and when I buy, I expect *all* rights and complete autonomy in the product. e.g. I no longer buy Poser because of it's 'phone-home' requirement. period... So, yeah, Patreon has that flavor.

But many folks are stoked for the VWD product, effort, and potential, and a small sponsorship motivator makes sense to them. And perhaps they simply want to, and have the resources to help in an easy and appreciated manner - I certainly can't code the way Gerald does, so I'll do some videos instead of money. And since there aren't many other ways to help in a project like this... a few bucks shared make both parties feel good - both as appreciators and as direct participants.

I subscribe to SparrowHawke-3Ds Carrara experiments for a couple of bucks a month, but have never (not yet) used any of the tools he's released. But I want him to keep working on it, and hope maybe I'll get to play with the tools someday. But it's OK if I don't - the risk is on me and I know that. And I can afford it right now. Not my usual thing - as I indicated above - I'm usually a buyer. go figure.

I'm of the mind that folks that want to simply show appreciation (beer money is my way of thinking of it :) some form of no-charge-until-release model is a decent hybrid option. $3 or $5 bucks per release, even if you don't need that particular new feature right now - not a bad deal - so it's back to how much is support, and how much is buying... Sure - if we do it that way, it can totally be gamed - i wait for 5 releases, subscribe, then get them all for $5... or I can subscribe over time and get them as they come, for 5 x $5 - or whatever. So, am I optimizing (maybe because I'm fixed income, etc.) or am I helping because I can - today - maybe not tomorrow, etc.

I believe both Gerald and I are now of the mind that the money isn't the point, but a bit of a treat from the crew here would be enjoyed as a beer and as a vote of confidence. With the size of this community, as real as the $$ are to everyone who has invested (and Gerald and I take that seriously) the economy-of-scale simply can't match the true market value of Gerald's brilliance. So... it becomes a labor of love and fun, and perhaps some ego :) I'm proud of what we have done so far, and I think Gerald is too,

I will also add that as I've moved through life, I'm much more *able* to give now, and I do. I didn't give so much before..., as the same level used to 'hurt' much more. I think we all know how that works, and perhaps our (Gerald and my) version of the Patreon model (or gumroad?) can accommodate both kinds of audiences for a win-win. As marble also indicated, I've had a couple of subscriptions that really turned out to be expensive and bad ideas, in spite of the good intentions involved.

much as I love 'free', I think Gerald deserves a good glass of wine while he's coding for us, and I think we can dig that out of our change jars! lol! Some more than others, but I think in this crew, everyone wants it to be a win and will do what they can.

Having both a 'buy' model, and a 'sponsor' model is the right goal, especially if they can be melded to the benefit of everyone involved. All ideas welcomed.

As far as sponsorship - If can, can. If not today, maybe after we win the Powerball 1.3 Billion!

Whatever we do, I hope it'll result in some good and clever VWD-driven renders that Gerald (and  the rest of us) can enjoy in these forums! That'll work too.

(i've tried to articulate this in a non-judgemental or preachy way that appreciates that we are all doing what we can, as best we can. apologies to anyone who reads this and 'hears' me differently.)

thanks for all thoughts,

vwd3d / dan

Ok Dan, I see where you are going and it doesn't conflict too much with my own views. I appreciate that you are trying to be fair while reasonably asking for a little support. For people who can afford it, a few $$ per month is not a big deal. I am also on a fixed income but mine is a paltry State Pension which, where I live, is about enough to feed and house me and what I spend on my single hobby (this 3D stuff) is generally what I have saved from my food/heating budget. I'm not complaining: I live a nice life in a nice place and am better off than many in this world but I do have to be very careful. Thankfully my generous family helped with hardware costs so that I can enjoy this hobby so my home-built PC is no slouch.

As I said at the outset - I just want something that dForce is not: quick and versatile. I'd rather buy that as a product than subscribe piecemeal but I will start by re-installing the existing version and let you know how it works for me.

All good - I think in this community and context, I could have simplified that entire blurb with something like "folks in here will do what they can, and we'd like to make all options easy for everyone - us included - and we appreciate your confidence and support, regardless your situation". Or something...

per Gerald, even any cool renders are a gift. So are lessons learned (in here), and tips and tricks, and ... more cool renders!

all ideas still requested. (as are video/feature requests)

cheers,

vwd3d / Dan

(and FWIW, these are my opinions. Gerald may have different ideas, which are welcomed as they come. We've had a few notes about logistics, but this level of details is still pretty vague. stay tuned - Although I don't foresee radical differences in opinion, based on past chatter - He's the boss.)

Hello,

I see we all have the same problems.

The work that I have done and that I will do on the program will never have the slightest return.
I don't do it for that, even if I would have liked it to help me live a little better.

If I'm taking too long to answer right now, it's because I have two problems:
   - A family problem that unfortunately takes up a lot of my time.
   - My eye that calls me to order when I work too long on the computer.

My dearest wish would be to make videos explaining the operation of all the functions of the program.
However, my English is not good enough to do this job in one go, and each video has to be redone several times, which takes a lot of time.
I am looking for a solution that would allow me to make these videos in French with English subtitles.
This solution isn't ideal, but I think it's the only one I can do before long.
If any of you know the solution to this problem, please let me know.

I apologize for any disappointment I may cause you, but I know I'm going to need time.

Thank you for your support.

       Gérald

Both of my sons are fluent in French. I wish they had time to help!

Gerald, did you get my last email message, where I specifically ask for your preferred video topics?

Anapaum has an active request - any other specific video requests from y'all?

The greatest value of having Gerald do the recording in his native French, is he actually knows the deepest secrets of VWD. I'm only as helpful as I can be, mostly learning through trial and error, which is expensive in time. (OF COURSE Gerald *always* answered my questions, but the language and time-zone made this impractical when up against our release deadline, so test/try I did).

I'm more a VWD user like the rest of the users here than I am of the deeper nuanced VWD details. I'd rather if Gerald had more time to code (vs videos), but the curse of being the creator is that you're also the only one who can describe your creation, heh.

Whatever path is best works for me.

best,

vwd3d / dan

Even if the steps for the Hair Assistant were written in French for Poser, between my sons and a translating app, I could probably figure it out.

:)

Perhaps Gerald could record a video in French and supply some text (even Google Translation) so that you (Dan) could do a voice-over in English?

Failing that, I watch sub-titled movies a lot and have no problem following the action. What I really do not like are tutorials with a crappy music soundtrack and no commentry at all.

Good evening,

As I told you, I'm going through a little bit difficult time right now and it's complicated for me to answer quickly.

I've decided to make a number of explanatory videos.
In any case, I will give clear explanations that will allow you to understand how the program works.

Marble, I agree with you about the videos with music but without any explanation.... the best is not to do them, they are useless.
However, I saw the messages you had with Dan about your trials.
Please don't judge VWD with a mesh plane that falls on a sphere.
All the functions are optimized to work dynamically on a relatively complex scene.
By this I mean an animated character wearing a suit with a fairly fine and regular mesh (between 0.5 and 1 cm).
If you want to do this kind of tests, I can send you these elements.

Anupaum, if I have to do a lot of videos like I think, I think I should do them in French but I will try to offer help in English.
I'm glad you can get help with the translation.

Dan, I'll send you the videos for you to tell me what you think.
I hope we can find the right methods to bring the program back to life.

In any case, I ask you for a little patience.

I thank you all for your support.

     Gérald

Hi Gérald

Thank you and do not be concerned about taking your time. I would not like you to feel more pressure when you are already experiencing difficulties elsewhere.

I shall look forward to any videos you can produce.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by this: "... an animated character wearing a suit with a fairly fine and regular mesh (between 0.5 and 1 cm)." If I need to add dForce simulation to a conforming garment I usually apply the defaults and tweak just a few simple parameters - because I have no knowledge of the physics of cloth simulation. So all I am looking for is something to replace dForce that is faster and is able to manipulate the cloth as the simulation is running. That is what I believe your product can do.

What concerns me is that when I bought it previously it would crash regularly and you did try to help but we could not discover why it was crashing on my PC. Since then I have replaced most of the components of my PC but the version I tested with Dan still crashed almost immediately. I know that others use VWD regularly and it works for them but, sadly, I have these problems.

Hi Marble,

In fact, I would like to understand and solve your issues with the program.
My sentence was poorly worded.
My idea is to be able to do the same simulation you on your computer and me on mine.
It is for this reason that I proposed to send you a character animation and a garment.

If you wish, I can use a garment with which you had an error or even a crash.
Of course, I'm not asking you to send me a complete product sold here or at Daz3D.
Just send me the OBJ file without textures in the reference pose.

If you want I can use an animation for Genesis 2,3,or 8 that I made and could send you for testing.

Please tell me which is best for you.

       Gérald

HI Gérald

Yes I am ok with trying to use your character and garment so that we are both on the same page. If you could let me know what settings to use, etc. that would help.

Thanks again,

David.

Also posted in an another thread:  Oh NO!!!!   It was working so well and now Daz has done something to break VWD -- I got this last time I tried to work in it:  

Plugin failed to load!

Filename : 

C:/Program Files/DAZ 3D/DAZStudio4/plugins/VWDExchange_x32.dll

Name : 

VWDExchange_x32

Author : 

Unknown

Version : 

0.0.0.0

Reason : 

Library could not be loaded. File is not a valid DAZ Studio plug-in, or was made for a different version of DAZ Studio.

Unknown

If I need a new version I don't seem to have access to the files--I had the latest one V.2.2

So saaad now

Will it work in an older version of DAZ Studio?

I keep Poser 11 active primarily because I have to use it for VWD.

Will it work in an older version of DAZ Studio?

I keep Poser 11 active primarily because I have to use it for VWD.

I don't use DAZ Studio, so I don't know for certain.

Sepiasiren,

I'm fairly certain that DAZ 3d won't provide any way for you to get a previous version of Daz Studio.

If you have only just updated to the latest version it may be possible to find a recent system restore point on your PC and revert your system to that point in time.

In suggesting this, I seriously wish to stress that I don't want to be responsible for leading you into problems with your PC.

Restore Points can be accessed from Windows Control Panel (I only know this up to Win 8).  You might find that your most recent restore point was only a few days ago.  You will need to recall what has been installed on your PC since that date and judge what it would mean for your PC to go back to the date of that latest restore point.  Going back should undo any program, driver and Windows updates which have taken place since that date.

Therefore I would suggest a possible course of action for you:

1 Read up on Restore Points if you haven't looked into this before.  (apologies if I sound as though I'm an expert talking to a novice.  I'm no expert and you may well know much more than I do.)  A very quick search shows that there is a lot of info on what to do.

2  Make a Restore Point for your PC as it is now in case the whole thing goes wrong.

3  If you feel you can go ahead then revert the PC to your chosen restore point.  (If it isn't too recent then be wary of going too far back.  You may have installed or updated lots of stuff that would be lost).

If you do restore your PC then, after that is done, expect automatic driver updates etc to happen over again (but don't upgrade DAZ Studio!)

Once again, please assess for yourself whether this is of any use to you - I would hate to be the cause of further problems for you.

Sepiasiren,

I'm fairly certain that DAZ 3d won't provide any way for you to get a previous version of Daz Studio.

If you have only just updated to the latest version it may be possible to find a recent system restore point on your PC and revert your system to that point in time.

In suggesting this, I seriously wish to stress that I don't want to be responsible for leading you into problems with your PC.

Restore Points can be accessed from Windows Control Panel (I only know this up to Win 8).  You might find that your most recent restore point was only a few days ago.  You will need to recall what has been installed on your PC since that date and judge what it would mean for your PC to go back to the date of that latest restore point.  Going back should undo any program, driver and Windows updates which have taken place since that date.

Therefore I would suggest a possible course of action for you:

1 Read up on Restore Points if you haven't looked into this before.  (apologies if I sound as though I'm an expert talking to a novice.  I'm no expert and you may well know much more than I do.)  A very quick search shows that there is a lot of info on what to do.

2  Make a Restore Point for your PC as it is now in case the whole thing goes wrong.

3  If you feel you can go ahead then revert the PC to your chosen restore point.  (If it isn't too recent then be wary of going too far back.  You may have installed or updated lots of stuff that would be lost).

If you do restore your PC then, after that is done, expect automatic driver updates etc to happen over again (but don't upgrade DAZ Studio!)

Once again, please assess for yourself whether this is of any use to you - I would hate to be the cause of further problems for you.

Hey, it may be a shot given that I prefer VWD to Dforce for hair, thanks for the suggestion...  I will ask my techie hubby what the implications are. Appreciate your help.

I don't use DAZ Studio, so I don't know for certain.

Sepiasiren

I'll apologise first: I haven't read back through all the history so I'm sorry if some of this has already been said, and I'm definitely not an expert in any of this and could be wrong...

I'm using VWD "v2.2" in DS 4.21.0.5 in Windows10 without any significant problems. (It falls over when I try to do impossible things with it, or if I have too many other applications open.) I think that you would be wasting your time and efforts to go back to an earlier version of DS.

In my list of plugins VWD appears as "VWD Cloth and Hair Bridge" (I checked this by disabling it, and it stopped working. Re-enabled it and it started working again).

I don't have "VWD exchange_x32" in my list of plugins because I'm using the 64 bit version.

I suggest you try removing the x32 file from your plugins folder as that seems to be upsetting DS.

Did you see Dan's video tutorial on installing? That's what I used for my installation. It's on youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-DvUNKDXdk

Hope that helps

Hi Gérald

Yes, Dan did contact me via private message and I did respond a few days ago but he must be busy because I have not had a reply since. Yes, I am interested for a few reasons:

Maybe it will not crash with the later versions of DAZ Studio.

Maybe there have been developments I am not aware of.

Maybe you will develop it further into something that I can use instead of the dreadfully slow and inadequate dForce (I wish DAZ had come to you instead of going ahead with dForce).

Thank you for your generosity - much appreciated (as was all your help previously).

I think I must be living in a parallel universe!

I'm using VWD "v2.2" in DS 4.21.0.5 in Windows10 without any significant problems.

I don't have an nvidia graphics card - Everything is done with CPU - but that wouldn't make any difference would it?

I've attempted to upload a crude gif as evidence! (All done with VWD on a basic walk animation)...

I think I must be living in a parallel universe!

I'm using VWD "v2.2" in DS 4.21.0.5 in Windows10 without any significant problems.

I don't have an nvidia graphics card - Everything is done with CPU - but that wouldn't make any difference would it?

I've attempted to upload a crude gif as evidence! (All done with VWD on a basic walk animation)...

Yep, I can get VWD to work partially using CPU but it crashes with GPU. I do hope development is resumed but Gérald has gone quiet again.

marble posted at 8:20 PM Fri, 10 February 2023 - #4455656

Yep, I can get VWD to work partially using CPU but it crashes with GPU. I do hope development is resumed but Gérald has gone quiet again.

It doesn't sound like your failure is like Sepiasiren's - Which looked as if it might be related to having  "VWD exchange_x32" in the list of plugins (which I don't have in mine - attached).

Sepiasiren - I guess you don't get as far as being able to select CPU/GPU processing?

"How partial" is difficult because it is not consistent. I have had crashes using CPU too but I am pretty sure that I have *always* had a crash when using GPU. I have a version of VWD supplied for testing purposes and the pattern of crashing is similar to the version of VWD I bought way back when it was released. Sometimes I get an error on screen, other times DAZ Studio just closes without warning. I find it surprising that I have all these problems while others seem to have few to no issues. Since that initial purchase, I have updated all my hardware other than the desktop case and I have moved from Windows 10 to 11. I am clueless as to the cause of the instability.

My PC is quite beefy with a Ryzen 5 5600X CPU, NVidia GeForce RTX 3090 and 64 GB RAM. I have a mixture of SSD and M.2 NVMe drives (no HDD remain in my system).

The crashing with GPU simulations has to do with the video card you have installed. I had the same issue, but after upgrading to a GT Force RTX 3060, it works really well with the GPU.

The crashing with GPU simulations has to do with the video card you have installed. I had the same issue, but after upgrading to a GT Force RTX 3060, it works really well with the GPU.

Forgive me. I didn't understand.  The crashing seems odd then, as it's been rock-solid reliable for me.

Sorry if you already know this, but I've found that crashing is much less likely when following these working practices. (And I'm always using CPU):

- Restart the computer and don't have any other optional apps/programs running. (Although I don't think I've had to do this since starting using v2)

- Create the VWD sim with the scene stripped down to the minimum. IE just the figure and cloth/hair item involved in the sim. Merge with rest of scene afterwards.

- Have the figure and cloth/hair in base resolution for the sim.

- Simplify the clothing/hair with a decimator if it has a large mesh, and/or do the sim on one element at a time. EG shirt body and sleeves, or bangs and ponytail, separately. (I do this by having the elements as separate items (duplicate, delete part of mesh geometry in one, rest of mesh geometry in the other. Animate by Host where they join)).

- "Restore default parameters" in VWD, unless you are confident they are all how you want them!

- Exclude parts of the figure which are not involved in the sim using "no collide for current collision". EG Exclude all of body except head and shoulders for hair simulation.

- Use "Animated by host" on those parts of the mesh which are best kept the same as before the simulation.

I'm sure I saw a longer list than this somewhere in the past but I can't find it now!

Let me guess - You did all that and it still crashed!

fuqol217 posted at 6:11 AM Sun, 12 February 2023 - #4455723

Sorry if you already know this, but I've found that crashing is much less likely when following these working practices. (And I'm always using CPU):

...

Let me guess - You did all that and it still crashed!

I do not have comparable problems running DAZ Studio in general - crashes are rare and I update quite regularly. Likewise my PC is stable and it is not used for much else beside DAZ Studio and Affinity Photo with a little tinkering in Blender. I don't play games or unduly stress the machine in any way.

That's a shame  - especially with such a high spec system. Makes me wonder whether I should stick with what I have rather than upgrading - Maybe hang on to what I have just for VWD simulations!

That's a shame  - especially with such a high spec system. Makes me wonder whether I should stick with what I have rather than upgrading - Maybe hang on to what I have just for VWD simulations!

That's a shame  - especially with such a high spec system. Makes me wonder whether I should stick with what I have rather than upgrading - Maybe hang on to what I have just for VWD simulations!

fuqol217 posted at 4:49 PM Mon, 13 February 2023 - #4455821

That's a shame  - especially with such a high spec system. Makes me wonder whether I should stick with what I have rather than upgrading - Maybe hang on to what I have just for VWD simulations!

I invested in the hardware because I am very impatient and long render times are a PITA. Even with the 3090 I am still wishing I had something faster but there was nothing faster at the time. Unfortunately, the high-spec hardware did little to improve dForce simulation times which is why I would dearly love to have a working VWD.

Hi,

Everything worked perfectly before G9 came out, and since I installed the G9s, it doesn't work anymore.

VWD, never crashed or malfunctioned for several years. But now impossible to make a simulation.

Garments are not parented to the body.

So when I SHIFT + left click and I want to distort a garment. When I pull on the garment, for example, well, the garment follows the mouse and does not stay on the body.

Consequently, the simulation is useless, since it no longer collides with the body.

I don't know where the problem can come from. I sent several private messages to VWD, but never received a response.

The only thing that might cause VWD to stop working properly is that to install the AI tools, it installed a newer version of Python.

If someone can help me, because I can't do simulation with VWD.

VWD works perfectly, without errors or crashes, but the clothes are no longer parented to the body.

I have wondered if AI could assist in updating python scripts. I think you've brought up a good point.

:)

My 64 bit plugin isn't working, anytime I go over 1gb it crashes. Task Manager says its running as 32 bit.