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        3DCheapskate's Morphing Railing (3DC021A Version 1)

        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  

    An Add On For Railings01 - An Extra Morphing Railing Prop

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Contents

========

- Summary

- What's Included

- Testing/Compatibility

- Licence/Copyright

- Credits

- Feedback

- Installing The Package

- Using The Package

  - Rules Of Thumb For Using Multiple Morphs Together

- Known Issues

- File List

Summary:

========

An extra railing prop for 3DC021 Railings01 with eleven morphs to make the railings more flexible

What's Included:

================

A single 'Morphing Railing' prop. 

Testing/Compatibility:

======================

Tested in DAZ Studio 3 (Free and Advanced) and 4 (Pro), and in Poser 6 and 9. On a windows PC.

Licence/Copyright:

==================

As usual you're free to do whatever you want with this. Credit is appreciated, but not required.

Credits:

========

No specific credits for this one (and unusually I didn't post any queries to the Renderosity/DAZ forums while working on this!).

So it's just the usual 'everybody on the DAZ and Renderosity forums who's helped me get to where I am'.

Feedback:

=========

Feedback is always appreciated. I can't fix problems if I don't know about them!

You can contact me via the DAZ or Renderosity forums, via ShareCG, and now also via DeviantArt. I'm user '3dcheapskate'. Alternatively use the feedback form on my website http://www.unrealimperfect.com

Installing The Package:

=======================

Copy the folders you require according to the notes below (if you've already got the 3DC021 Railings01 it would be sensible, but not essential, to use the same folders):

1) Runtime - this contains the standard Poser files. Copy them to your preferred Poser runtime (DAZ Studio users need to have this Poser runtime mapped).

2) Runtime (extra DS files) - this contains DAZ script files (DSA) to automatically load the DS materials and MAT pose files. DAZ Studio users should copy the contents of this folder to the same Poser runtime as above.

3) Templates - if you want to create your own textures copy the 'Templates' folder to anywhere you like. (The only change from the original 3DC021 Railings01 template is that the rail has extra vertices. Textures created against the old template should work fine) 

Using The Package:

==================

Load the new prop PP2 file from 'Runtime > Libraries > Props > 3DCheapskate > Architecture > Barriers > Railing01 > Morphing Railing'.

When the prop loads it may briefly appear in the preview window with a patchy black and white texture before turning dark grey (you'll need to render to see the texture).

On the Parameters tab/pane there are eleven morph dials. Fiddle with them to your hearts content!

Four paired dials (values of 0 to +1, or 0% to 100% in DAZ Studio, work best - negative values deform the railings):

- Slope Up / Slope Down

- Offset Right / Offset Left

- Bend Right 90 / Bend Left 90

- Bend Right 45 / Bend Left 45

A morph to adjust the length of the rails (values of -1 to +1, or -100% to 100% in DAZ Studio, work best):

- Shorten-Extend

Two dials intended mainly for correcting deformations when 'Shorten-Extend' is used together with other morphs:

- Horizontal Correction

- Vertical Correction 

Rules Of Thumb For Using Multiple Morphs Together

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1) Slope morphs should work okay together with either Offset or Bend morphs, although the rails may look a bit flattened from some angles. You shouldn't need to use the correction morphs.

2) Shorten-Extend should work okay with Slope or Offset or Bend morphs, but you'll need to use a Correction morph as well:

- with a Slope morph, you'll need to set Vertical Correction to about the same value* as Shorten-Extend

- with an Offset or Bend 90 morph, you'll need to set Horizontal Correction to about the same value* as Shorten-Extend

- with a Bend 45 morph, you'll need to set Horizontal Correction to about HALF the value* of Shorten-Extend

* Same sign for Offset/Bend Right or Slope Up, opposite sign for Offset/Bend Left or Slope Down.

3) If you follow these rules of thumb and it still doesn't look right, fiddle with the correction morphs until it does!

Known Issues:

=============

1) When more than one of the morphs are used together the main part of the rails can appear squashed or deformed, and the bends look sharp and wrong. See the Rules Of Thumb for combining morphs.

2) All issues noted for the 3DC021 Railings01 also apply to this addon.

File List:

==========

The geometry

------------

Runtime\Geometries\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing01\Pillar1Rail3Morph.obj

The Poser prop

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Runtime\Libraries\Props\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing01\Morphing Railing.png

Runtime\Libraries\Props\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing01\Morphing Railing.pp2

The DAZ script to automatically apply DS materials on loading the prop

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Runtime (Extra DS Files)\Libraries\Props\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing01\Morphing Railing.dsa

Texture Template

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Templates\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing01\Morphing Railing Template.png

Happy rendering!

Pete Williams (aka 3DCheapskate)

25th January 2013

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The 3Dcheapskate* occasionally posts sensible stuff. Usually by accident.
And it usually uses Poser 11, with units set to inches. Except when it's using Poser 6 or PP2014, or when its units are set to PNU.

*also available in ShareCG, DAZ, and HiveWire3D flavours (the DeviantArt and CGBytes flavour have been discontinued).