For those who haven't noticed yet, it looks like the Mike and Stephanie plugins for the Universal Texture Converter are now available at DAZ.

And now that I've purchased the plugin from DAZ, I have to ask "Did they make it available too soon, or is there just a bad link?" When I try to convert Vicky 1/2 to or from Vicky 3, either way, that still works as before... But if I try to convert to or from a Mike or Stephanie texture with the plugin, I get garbled results. I am assuming that the garbled output is because I need to grab the UTCV123Update.exe from the original Universal Texture Converter product page, but that appears to be an empty link.

Dang, I hadn't noticed! ;) Thanks for the heads-up.

C makes it easy to shoot yourself in the foot. C++ makes it harder, but when you do, you blow your whole leg off.

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Nevermind. I reloaded the webpage and was able to grab the update shortly after my last post. The plugin is working fine now. Sorry about that.

Attached Link: http://www.3duniverse.co.za

Hi all, The new plugins do require the update which is available either at Daz (on the UTC product page) or at www.3duniverse.co.za (in the updates section). I think the Daz link requires you to be logged in... cheers, Steve

I'm very disappointed. I thought that when I paid out for something called a Universal Texture Converter I was getting just that - a UNIVERSAL texture converter. I accepted that not all bits of it were ready yet but would be made available. Now I find I'm expected to pay another $20 if I want to do more than convert between V2 and V3. I'm sorry, but I think I've been ripped off here. I've been sold something as "universal" which wasn't universal at all. This is misrepresentation.

I agree Phantast, the word Universal indicated that it would eventually convert for other Daz figures too. Come on, this is a good program but I also only brought it coz I assumed they would do Stephanie and Mike later.

I agree Phantast, the word Universal indicated that it would eventually convert for other Daz figures too It does.

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?Form.ShowMessage=1239770

"The plug-ins will be priced according to their complexity."

"Universal," is a nice adjective, but I don't see how using it in a product's name automatically erases what Steve wrote here in the Poser Forum when UTC was initially released.

Univeral Texture Converter - $ 29.95 UTC Michael/Stephanie Plug-in - $ 19.95 Being able to use your favorite Stephanie texture on V3 - Priceless. Seriously, to me it's worth the cost of the plug-ins, it saved me from having to buy a bunch of V3 textures right off the bat (I still buy them, but I get to use my favorite older textures too). Now being able to use Mike textures on V3 Male is awesome. I always knew that the plug-ins would cost money, never once did I think otherwise. Just this morning, converting a few textures from Mike to V3 and Steph to V2, it has already paid for itself many times over. Thanks Steve for a great product, I look forward to your next plug-in. (I am assuming a M3 is up next, which will also be welcome) JDexter

I have to agree - it was clear from the outset that the modules were going to be paid-for extras, and I was steeling myself for higher prices than this too. Added to my cart, thanks for all your work DW.

JDexter, Mike 3 uses UV mapping almost identical to Victoria 3's. Hence, Victoria 3 maps, while offering some small distortion in some places, will work (though not always perfectly) on Mike 3.

Well geez you all are lucky.I bought the v2-v3 texture converter and i cant even get my update to work on it.Then like 2 weeks after they put that out they released the universal texture creator.Now they dont even sell the v2-v3 converter anymore. Wheres the plugins for that??

Attached Link: http://www.3duniverse.co.za

There are some slight differences in the Michael 3 and Victoria 3 uv's. These differences are mainly the eyes/nose and chest areas. The Michael 3 UTC plugin also includes the genitals (for converting from/to Michael 1/2). This plugin will be priced at $5 because M3 is basically an altered V3 (with appendage) and therefore didn't require as much development. cheers, Steve

It was certainly not clear to me that the updates would have to be purchased, nor at that price. I considered that paying $30 to convert textures was just the reasonable side of steep, but if I had known I would have to pay $50 for the full product I would have had second thoughts. Dark Whisper writes: " >>I agree Phantast, the word Universal indicated that it would eventually convert for other Daz figures too << It does." It doesn't. Not unless you buy a seperate add-on at a price not declared when the first product was released.

"These two plugins add the ability to convert to and from Michael 1/2 and Stephanie textures to the Universal Texture Convertor." I'm confused...does this mean that all this new plugin does is swap Michael 1/2 with Stephanie textures? but not with Vicki? I guess I'm pretty naive or stupid but I thought the plugins would allow swaps between characters...... not just versions of characters...for instance between Michael and Vicki and not just between viki 1/2 and Vicki 3....

I think its a fair price, when u think of it like this, would you pay someone only 20$ for all that hard work and programming skill? I wouldn't have a clue to know where to start. I was part of the beta testing team for the UTC and its an excellent and versitile product.. I was very very eager for a steph to v2/v3 plug-in... Sadly I am stoney flat utterly broke... So unless i get it for my birthday which is coming up soon (october...grin).. I don't think I can afford it any time soon, but its there and teasing me, gimme gimme gimme... LOL To those who have it, I would love to see some steph to V3 conversions. Good Work 3DU, I appreciate ur hard work. -SimderZ- xXx

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And I'm anxious to see some V1/2/3 to Steph conversions.

Steve - I was an early purchaser of the UTC and I think it's fantastic - particularly after the update and I don't think additional for-pay plugins are inappropriate. I've paid anywhere from $10 - $20 for a good (and sometimes great) character texture and the product has (and will) pay for itself many times over. This is an innovative and wildly useful utility. Regards, Nancy.

WaxTextures makes a good point. Before you complain think about what you pay for a decent texture set. usually around the $20 range. so, that extra 20$ instead being put to a tool that lets you use the hundreds of dollars worth of textures you already own for different figures is more than a bargain in my book!!

Please forgive me if I sounded tight earlier - I genuingly made a mistake with the limitaions of the original product. I do not have that many textures to convert but thought that this program would allow universality at a reasonable additional outlay - saving me money in the long run. Afterall, buying Vicky 3 meant all new clothes as it was - Mike 3 will be the same, won't he? It is a great program, no dispute there, but with Mike 3 on the horizon I was dismayed at having to find another $20 dollars to use this prog further. For those of you with loads of Vicky 2 texs then I guess it was better value. No disrespect to Dark Whisper or this prog was intended. Thank you for your personal reply to this, Dark Whisper.

Attached Link: http://www.3dmenagerie.com

well, I'd like some clarification. nowhere on the page does it say this converter module is for V3. It says its for Michael 1/2 to Stephanie. If thats the case... I think 20 bucks is a ripoff. You can VERY easily change the uvmapping from Steph to Mike and vice versa, by spending a little time in UVMapper. Bloodsong even did a free reuvmap for Mike to Stephanie, which I use all the time, no need to convert the texture. Follow the link to get it from the freestuff there, it works very well. Heck, I'll go and reuvmap Mike to take Steph textures and release it free as well *g*... 20 dollars is a real ripoff for converting two meshes that are almost identical. 20 bucks is a little high for V3 to Mike/Steph, but I'd bite it... only if if V3 has the same mapping as M3, which I am not sure that it does exactly (they may have the differences like Steph does to Mike)... so I am waiting... as this is more interesting for me if its really for M3.

No no no. You can go all ways. Mike to Steph, Mike to V2, Mike to V3, V2 to Steph, etc. I'm looking forward to it to convert my V2 and V3 textures for Aiko!

Dizzie - the plugins add those figures to the UTC's repertoire, you can then carry out conversions between any two supported figures.

I do belive it does convert from steph/mike to v3 and v2.. it just adds steph and mike to the options in the drop down menues of models to choose from.. so you can convert between all of them.. That is how I understand it anyway..

::deep breath:: Y'all really should warm up a little before jumping to conclusions, or you're going to hurt yourselves. The way the program works is that each plug-in allows you to convert textures to/from that character from/to any other plug-in you have. So, if you get the Mike plug-in, you'll be able to switch from Vicky 2 and Vicky 3 to Mike and Stephanie and back. That is quite clear from the copy. "By simply selecting the input and output model types, and new texture map can be made up in a matter of minutes!" If you can't be bothered to read the copy on the products you're buying, I have no sympathy for you. I'm grumpy. I shouldn't be so grumpy. I need caffiene. Yes, that's it. Sweet caffeeeeeeeeeennne.

ahhh ok... but people should know there are free reuvmappings for V2 to Steph, Crescent and AprilYSH did some. for Steph to V1/2 go here: http://aprilsvanity.com/dlpage.php and for V/1/2 to Steff... go look in Crescent's freestuff. http://www.renderosity.com/freestuff.ez?Form.Contrib=Crescent&Topsectionid=0 my only point is that it seems to be a little overpriced considering there is good freestuff that covers a lot of the functionality already.

yes I read the copy... and its not clear. And I have the UTC! -- Features These two plugins add the ability to convert to and from Michael 1/2 and Stephanie textures to the Universal Texture Convertor. -- now someone that isnt familiar with the program doesnt know there is a popdown window... and quite frankly... I didn't know that it would do that either, as I was more familiar with the V2-V3 converter before, and converted all my textures with that originally. Its not clear... it should be clearer. It should state exactly what figures it converts from and to... The UTC doesnt cover every figure out there.

Sigh

Here are some examples of what I worked on this morning.

1 - Edo V3 Male (Originally Mike Texture)
2 - Falkner V3 Male (Originally Mike Texture)
3 - Aisha Stephanie (Normal Stephanie Texture)
4 - Aisha Vicki 2 (Originally Stephanie Texture)
5 - Aisha Vicki 3 (Originally Stephanie Texture)
6 - Aisha Preteen Vicki (Originally Stephanie Texture)

As you can see, conversions are quick and easy.

People are being so mean this morning.

JDexter

True, you do need to know a bit about how the application works to read that copy the right way, that is it lets you use M o S as the "to" or "from" of your conversion process, with any other supported figure at the other end, but DW had answered that question a couple of times in threads related to plug-in availability. As you say, there are remappings for many combinations (though not, as far as I know, for Steph to V3) but they are all-or-nothing. By converting textures you can, say, use a V1 skin texture on V3 with V3 eyes or lips or some of the Second Skin painted on clothes.

okay for those of you who did by the plug in how do you get it to work? I can't get it to. It is in the same directory as the V2/V3 but in a different folder. I can't figure out what I am doing wrong. BTW, looking forward to working with this Steve. Kudos!

In a world filled with causes for worry and anxiety...
we need the peace of God standing guard over our hearts and minds.
 
Jerry McCant

kayjay - do you have the latest patch for the UTC?

::but DW had answered that question a couple of times in threads related to plug-in availability.:: you're assuming I read all those threads, right? Copy should be written so that I don't have to hunt those threads down on external websites. I'm not being mean... I'm being honest. I really passed it by at DAZ last night after seeing it because I thought it was for Steph to Mike only... and I have solved that problem for a long time by now. Take a look at my own freestuff and you'll see I'm quite capable of reuvmapping a figure. Now that I know more... I'll be going off to buy it. But I am not in the habit of throwing my money away on stuff I don't need... I ask questions when I need more information... (like any smart consumer SHOULD) and I don't think that's being stupid, really.

Well I downloaded it from the product page at DAZ. I had originally bought before it went to DAZ through Rosity. Thought I had all the updates but I get an error. I think I am missing something major :(

In a world filled with causes for worry and anxiety...
we need the peace of God standing guard over our hearts and minds.
 
Jerry McCant

No, it is smart to ask questions, especially when it comes to products, but it did come off a bit harsh IMHO. Maybe its too early in the AM. JDexter

well, yeah... a little harsh is right on the mark... if you think you're selling something for 20 dollars, when I can spend a single afternoon just fixing a figure as I need... I'd say harsh is more than correct. I don't like to see people gipped on products when they can do the work themselves easily... or I can do the work myself in a short amount of time. I still think not having to convert a texture is the ideal situation, I prefer to fit a tex to a uvmapping and work out the stretch by moving the uvmap vertices, and its highly unlikely I would use the plugin to convert Mike to Steff as its easy enough for me to use the reuvmapped figure with the Mike textures I've been using for months. so that being said... this plugin is still only really useful if you have V3 and are planning on M3, V2 to Steph/Mike are pretty well covered in the freestuff, and any holes in that I can easily donate myself :D The plugin costs about what I paid for the program in the first place... I've never upgraded a program or bought a plugin for a program that cost as much or more than what I bought the program itself for... so if people scratch their head, I think some of you shouldn't wonder. DW does a nice job on his stuff, I'm not disputing the quality or the usefulness of the plugin, I am only wondering about the pricing, and the faulty ad copy on the page.

Kayjay, if you do a search under Windows, do you find the V2Mouth.bin in any directory at all? And thanks Dark Whisper. Once I installed the update, the textures converted just fine. Here is P5's Don (using the Mike1/2 plugin) on the V3 male:

toolstech............ found the problem. When I bought it from Rosity there was an update after. When I installed the update It seems to hve overwritten the other files? Anyway, I got the original download, reinstalled and it took the DAZ update fine. I can now use all the plugins. Thank you so much for your help! And cool pic btw.

In a world filled with causes for worry and anxiety...
we need the peace of God standing guard over our hearts and minds.
 
Jerry McCant

The only problem I have is the may maker gives a file/path error and te path is a leagal one. past that, the App is solid and now the ra graphics cyber suit looks great on mike and steph.

It is fine to ask questions, it is a good thing to ask questions. But it is also possible to ask questions politely and not come off like you're accusing someone of wrong-doing... Especially when you discover that you were making incorrect assumptions. ;)

Calypso Dreams... My Art- http://www.calypso-dreams.com

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Bijouchat..I love the re uvmapped figures, but you can't use native subdivides and stuff on 'em.

The issue of value for money is beside the point. The issue is that a product sold as being "universal" which is not universal (unless you are prepared for hidden costs which are not revealed at the time of purchase) is a misrepresentation of the product at point-of-sale. And consumers so misled are entitled to feel aggrieved. To put it mildly.

I totally agree with Phantast on this. I wouldn't have bought it in the first place if I had known I would have to pay about the same price for a plugin that makes it universal like it should have been in the first place. This is not a debate about the quality of the product, I just like to know how much a product costs before I buy , and I think that I should know how much more I will have to spend for it to work as advertised. I am not used to complain, in fact, this is the first time I complain about something, but I really do feel cheated by the vendor. I will probably get flamed for this, because I don't think like the majority here, but I just wanted to share my opinion on the subject. Elaine

It's true that the product page says "Plugins will become available over time" which could well be read as "for free" - I have UTC courtesy of the free upgrade from the V2-V3 converter, so didn't have to think about that. However I'm not convinced that having to buy the modules makes it non-Universal, it's just a nasty surprise (and arguably legitimate grounds for complaint over the description) for those who failed to read the product page with due cynicism.

Attached Link: http://www.3duniverse.co.za

Thanks to those who cleared up the confusion. These plugins add Michael 1/2 and Stephanie to the functionality already in UTC allowing the user to convert between _any_ of the plugins. The UTC was designed so that people can buy the individual plugins they need. If it was designed with all the plugins included I would probably have to charge $100+ for it to pay for the amount of work that went into it. For those who feel they have somehow been scammed with hidden costs - I have always said the plugins would be developed and priced seperately. For those who are finding the new plugins helpful - thats great! lalversion - there is a Service Release 1 available in the updates section of www.3duniverse which fixes the MAT path problem. cheers, Steve

Why did the new plugin not go on sale like everything else intially released at Daz? Not that it matters much but it was a thought I had. It's in my wishlist and I will wait til later to buy it, had it been on sale then I would have jumped at the chance to save a bit of money even if it was 20% off for a couple of weeks. Thank you for doing it. Look forward to more plugins later on. I know M3 is the next plugin. How about a LaRoo plugin??? what is the next big plugin sceduled?

Attached Link: http://www.3duniverse.co.za

MachineClaw- for various reasons, I don't completely agree with the concept of introductory sales. Most of my products released at Daz don't have an introductory sale. After M3, I will be running a poll to see what the next plugin will be. I will announce this poll on 3D Universe, and here in the forums. cheers, Steve

Cool. Thanks for the info and thanks for the product.

I'm with Phantast on this one. I'd actually put off buying it because it wasn't as universal as implied (V2 to V3 and v.v. at the time), although I've been watching it in hopes that there would eventually be an affordable way to convert a Stephanie texture I have. Knowing I'll have to spend another $50 to update a $30 texture just makes me feel that much better for not having taken that plunge in the first place. It should have been a lot clearer what its parameters would be, as well as what it would cost in the long run.

Something I think a few of the "complainers" have forgotten: Initially this product was released as V2/V3 Texture Convertor which sold for $30. UTC was a complete rewrite of V2/V3 Texture Convertor, and included numerous extra features based on feedback. Now I could have sold the new version to the customers who had already bought V2/V3 Texture Convertor (like most software companies would) as it was a whole new version of software. Instead I decided to give away the new version for free to the existing customers and give them the new features without getting any return for the tremendous investment of development time I put in. I opted to give existing customers the added ability to purchase extra plugins in the hope that one day I would see a return on the development. A lot of you who are complaining the loudest actually bought the V2/V3 Texture Convertor. You were willing to pay $30 for a program that could only do one type of conversion, yet now suddenly you seem to have forgotten the fact that you have already received far more than you initially paid for. I am no longer going to respond to the accusations that the word "Universal" automatically means that you would get all the plugins for all the characters for free. Thats just ridiculous. In a seperate thread I was reading I saw that Dan Farr form Daz refered to the mesh that was used to create Victoria 3 and now Michael 3 as the "Universal" mesh. Does this mean that Daz will use this same mesh to create every type of character imaginable, and you will get all these "add-ons" for free - certainly not. Finally for those who feel that these $20 plugins are too expensive - no-one is forcing you to purchase them. regards, Steve

"Now I could have sold the new version to the customers who had already bought V2/V3 Texture Convertor (like most software companies would) as it was a whole new version of software. Instead..." Didn't know this, nor do I have a problem with someone wanting to recoup money from their work. "... accusations that the word "Universal" automatically means that you would get all the plugins for all the characters for free..." I'm not saying I believed that, I'm just saying it was badly worded and unclearly marketed. "Finally for those who feel that these $20 plugins are too expensive - no-one is forcing you to purchase them." So be it.

Any hope for a Mac version?

Hi Mark, A Mac version is not planned at this time as I don't have any Mac development tools/hardware/knowledge cheers, Steve

Aw, heck Steve. Coupla thou, few manuals. You can do it!

:-) Maybe I can run a poll to see how many Mac users would be willing to pay $250 for a Mac version. That might make it worth the expense to get the tools/hardware/knowledge... lol [this is not a serious comment and shouldn't be seen as a statement that a Mac version will be developed :)] cheers, Steve

Thanks for a wonderful product Steve! I for one have been very satisfied since the begining and the product's description and description of it's future plug-ins was very clear from the begining. Looking forward to more!

An SLR has a universal lens adaptor, but you still have to pay for the extra (or in some cases even the first) lenses. The UTC is like the base, with one module like a standard lens, now the others are being released for sale to those who want or need them. As for Mac people - Adobe do an online PDF creator, could you set up a conversion service with a small fee per texture set or would that be impractical to programme/uneconomical on bandwidth?

could you set up a conversion service with a small fee per texture set... Actually I considered exactly this. The problem is that the customer would have to send a copy of the texture (even through automatic upload). This would break several copyright laws because the texture was "distributed". Its nice to see that someone else had the same idea though :-) cheers, Steve

"Its nice to see that someone else had the same idea though" But consider the source....

Talk with some of the merchants. I'm sure many of them would be happy to make arrangements - it means more exposure so more potential sales. It could be anything from a flat license fee to a % of the conversion fee to a free copy of the UTC program and plug-ins. (Since you have some wonderful mesh and texture work as well, some might be willing to do a merchandise trade.) It would probably work best, IMO, if you simply had a copy of each texture available for conversion so the clients don't have to upload the texture set to you. (Uploading via dial-up is evil.) You could put a section on your site with a list of participating merchants with links to the textures available for conversion (links to the store or stores that sell the product so people can see the promos without the bandwidth killing you.) You get a proof of purchase from the client such as an e-mail receipt and confirmation from the vendor, then set up a download link for the converted texture. You could charge a flat conversion fee per texture or a subscription fee - x months and/or x textures. It would take some work to get the licensing arrangements with the merchants and to get a good confirmation system in place so you're not unwittingly sending converted textures to thieves, but it is doable. Hope this helps! Cres

Add me to the list of satisfied customers, Steve. I've been spending the last couple of days experimenting, and the actual flaws in the conversions are very few, and most aren't noticable unless you have something like a full body tattoo that has to line up perfectly (on a couple of the more extreme conversions, there will be an occasional texture gap at a wrist or ankle, but a little smudge in post deals with that). All in all, an excellent product.

Well, I'm gonna tell ya, the plugin I would probably use the most would be one that converts Posette and Dork textures to V2,3 and Mike and back. I have some absolutely gorgeous posette stuff that I would love to see converted for use with Vicky and I have a lot of vicky textures that would be great to use on V2P4 so I can use Posette's clothes and not have to fiddle with the body and head textures. Kate (who loves the Uthena dress and Rena's Stuart dress and uses them a LOT)

Attached Link: http://www.3duniverse.co.za

Crescent: Its an interesting idea. I think it may introduct a lot of management overhead though. But I'll give it some more thought. Kate: The next plugin (after M3) is probably a toss-up between Posette, Dork, Laroo (who's UV I haven't even seen yet) and Dina. I'll be setting up and running a poll on 3D Universe in the next few days to see what people think - so keep an eye open for it. All the people who are giving positive feedback: Thanks for the feedback - I appreciate it :-) cheers, Steve

I was anxiously awaiting this Mike/Steph plugin set for the UTC. Now that I've bought it, installed it and used it, I'm giving it two enthusiastic thumbs up. :-) For everyone who's said that the program is a "ripoff" because it does something that could easily be done by the user, I'll only say that I have both converted V3 Male textures to Michael, and vice versa, by hand in Photoshop, and I've also attemped to remap Mike to take V3 Male textures and vice versa. Perhaps you're just more wizardly than I am, but it was one hell of a lot of tedious work in both cases. So I am thrilled to have this new plugin which does the job for me, neatly, quickly and darned near perfectly. It was well worth the twenty bucks.

No, it's a ripoff because the marketing at point-of-sale is misleading to the consumer. What DW said in other places is neither here nor there. Do I have to follow all a vendor's posts to find out about any product? DW now says he simply isn't going to discuss this. Well, that's one way out. I would be taking this up with the legal department at Daz (I'm that annoyed) except that I'm somewhat mollified by bijouchat's pointing out that I can get Victoria textures onto Stephanie anyway, so I don't actually need the plugin. The issue of converting textures on the fly as a service was discussed earlier before this product ever came out. (With the same outcome.) It was Lord Nakagawa who hit on the way of doing this texture conversion, and he and I had some private discussion of this. I was all for writing such a utility myself, and did start work, but abandoned it when DW announced he was doing the same thing. As I understand the technicalities of it, the difficult bit is writing the basic polygon-shifting engine. After that, adapting for different models is relatively straightforward, the only tricky bits being matching up bits of the mesh that are separated out into other files.