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Poser Python Scripting F.A.Q (Last Updated: 2024 Sep 18 2:50 am)
The problem with making a generalised script is that there's no real internal distinction between morph channels that are for expressions and those that are for face shaping. Every figure has them named differently. I saw something that attempted to do this somewhere, but it had to use a configuration file which listed the head morphs for the figure in use.
The alternative, as you note, is to make a bespoke zeroing morph - not too tedious or awful if you use a Poser file editor of some description. And there's absolutely nothing you can do about those vendors that insist on using expression morphs as part of their character's face shape. Well, there is a solution, but it's probably against the forum TOS. :)
I agree that expression morphs should be excluded from a character head shape, but its effect might be minimal after the character Face is spawned into a single morph. It will still probably play havoc with the result of expression poses.
I looked at Ockham's products and found that his "ZeroMorphs" script provides the option to choose which group to zero. That gets the job done. It does have an odd behavior : the morphs do not zero until the group selected for the character on stage is changed. It would save a few clicks if a script dedicated to just the head was available. It is still better than processing a few hundred .FC2 files to add back the zero key expression channels. I guess I am mimicing Scrooge McDuck by hording what is probably mostly useless and polyreplicated stuff.
I do wonder about the frustration effect when an expression pose is used on a character made up of dial settings and the expression pose has shape morph data in it. I don't think the stores have strict enough standards about the make up of Library files. Not telling the vendor and not getting them to fix it does not make the product any less amateurish.
Or....
Load the figure.
Apply required character morphs/dials.
Select the head.
Go to Edit > Memorize > Object
Apply expressions as required.
To remove expressions but retain character go to:
Edit > Restore > Object
Saving the figure back to the library will retain the memorization.
Hope that helps.
Thanks Phil,
I had not absorbed or retained the significance of the Memorize / Restore function.
In my case, because I do not wish to lug arround a character cr2 with unnecessary shape morphs, once it is defined, I turn it into a pair of spawned PMD files. So I am guessing that navigating to Head and resetting 1 morph (min 0/max 1, tracking scale 1) is 6 of one or a half dozen of the other, as far as the work involved.
But in forming a new character from shape morphs, Mem / Rest looks to be a CYA if used frequently liberally. To paraphrase Oddball: it is good to be able to get out of trouble faster than you got into it.
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In this case, the figure is V4, but it would be useful for any figure?
I am processing my collection of V4 facial expression morphs. Using Ockham's wonderful "Delete Zero" script, gets the pose files stripped to just the active channels. It makes it practical to open the file and delete any non-expression channels (Why Lengthen Lashes orPBMCC_18 or Paul are considered expressions is beyond me. Never mind the shape morphs that are often present.).
Most of the community provided poses do not have descriptive names. Indeed, many have such imaginative names as Face1, Face2, etc. It is necessary to run thru the poses to find something useful.
The down side is that a clear morphs pose is needed between each, since there are not any zeroed channels in the pose. I have "Zero Morphs" scripts. But these do the whole figure. Thinking about the problems involved with targeting a specific group of channels -whose names vary between figures: A script to zero the morphs on Head only would get us 95% the way there and be generic for any figure. The only price would be that it would also zero my spawned character morph, but that is just one morph to reset. I have a Python scripts menu open In the Pose screen, so a script there is easier to get to than a zero all .fc2
A tedious and awful alternative would be to set up a character with just expression channels and apply the poses to it and resave - thereby getting the zero channels back in.