I just took a look at my Mil Baby maps, and the trans (MilBaby3_Trans.jpg) is black with white lashes and eyebrow hairs. I'm not seeing any smudging or ghosting on the trans map--the black areas are black, and the white areas are white. There's actually a texture file for the lashes--MilBaby3Lashes_DIFF.jpg, which has a gradient brown shading dark to light brown from base to tip of the lashes. That's why it's applied over a diffuse color of white. You could just eliminate the texture file altogether and use a brown or black diffuse color combined with the existing trans map.

Personally, I thought it was...well, stupid...that the baby isn't mapped to match all the other Mil figures, so I remapped mine to use my MilKids textures. The only baby texture I use is Thorne and Sarsa's Lily.

Message edited on: 01/14/2006 11:08

Poser and DAZ|Studio use transparency maps for things like eyebrows and lashes. These texture images are basically negative images of the item--those parts that are opaque/visible are white in the transmap, while the transparent/invisible areas are black.

Go to "Freestuff" here, choose Poser and do a search for German. I found a German helmet with a visor that can be hidden. There's an even better one in .max format, but that isn't going to work unless you have some way to convert it to an .obj file and rig it in Poser. ;) Keep the kid--I have more than enough of my own. :)

Use Windows Explorer to find the files you extracted--make sure they're in a Runtime folder that's listed in your D|S preferences as a Poser content folder. If not, add that folder to D|S using Edit>Preferences.

I think that's basically what I'm doing, too, Will. How are you handling files that apply to more than one figure, e.g. poses and hair? I have a "Multi-Character" or "General" folder in my Poser Runtimes for stuff like that. Would you suggest doing the same for D|S, with subfolders for each category?

One of the problems is that DAZ has given its own PA's very little guidance on library structure, even when specifically asked to do so. For Poser formatted content, we continue to use Poser rules, but for DAZ|Studio native files, it's a free for all. My first product was just released with a D|S specific set of files, and I followed the format that was used for the base content that comes with the D|S download. I think that DAZ assumes that it doesn't matter, as most users will eventually move files around to suit themselves, and there are no "rules" about where a specific library file can go, as there has been with Poser. As long as you leave the Runtime folder and its contents alone, you can rearrange the Contents subfolders and files to your hearts content, and D|S will still load the content.

I'd contact one of the folks on this page:

http://www.pretty3d.com/staff.php

although it looks like that might be a problem if you can't log in. Did you look in your email after registering to see if there was a confirmation email? It could be that it just hasn't arrived or has been caught by your spam filter, and you can't activate the account without it.

Message edited on: 12/09/2005 19:21

Also, if you use the drop down box, you can choose "Custom", then UNCHECK the "Constrain Proportions" box. Once you've chosen Render To: "New Window", your render will be that size. In order to save the render, you have to choose File>Save Last Render.... from the Menu bar. If you use any of "Save" or "Save As" options, the only image that's saved is a 91x91 thumbnail.

If you've not found anything yet that you want to do in D|S and can't, then I'd hold off buying Poser. I have both, but only bought Poser after I started creating content. You can't rig figures in D|S, so I had to have Poser. I still do all my renders in D|S (I HATE Poser's light setup), and much prefer its interface.

I also have the FX5500 and it works quite well with D|S. Whatever card you get, maximize the onboard memory plus increase the RAM in your system as much as you can.

Message edited on: 11/28/2005 19:08

To get a start on UV mapping, download the free version of UVMapper. You should at least be able to get your Material zones assignments into your .obj files, so you can make use of them in D|S. http://uvmapper.com/index.html If you've got a spare $60 lying around, the Pro version is well worth the money.

Questor has a BUNCH of free D|S light sets on his site as well as some incredible shader presets: http://www.questor.oldwolves.co.uk/studio/studio001.asp

Have you tried adjusting the Ambient settings in the Surfaces panel?

What item are you looking at? If it mentions the "Cloth Room", then it won't work with D|S, as it's a dynamic clothing piece. "Clothing Creator" is a stand alone utility (as much as I can tell) by PhilC that creates meshes for use in Poser's Cloth Room or Set Up Room.

Go to the DAZ Studio forum on www.daz3d.com and do a search for light sets. Several folks have posted free light sets for D|S. Poser light sets won't produce exactly the same effect in D|S that they do in Poser, so I'd hold off buying any. Runtime DNA has some free light sets, too, and I've had some nice effects using them.