What's the best software to use for generating MTs?

The glib answer is: whatever you are used to and comfortable with. There probably is no "best".
I still use MFM in RDS 5.5.
I have it in mind what I want a morph to do before I start, so tools that self generate effects are of no use to me. I can get a vert anywhere I want it to go with RDS.

I wish:
it would default to my preferred magnet zone.
it would allow one click: match #1 numerical X (or Y, or Z) to #2 numerical X (or Y, or Z) and v.v. I hate typing.
had more than one level of "reveal hidden vertices"

It is possible that you can find it for <$100 remaindered, or academic. I just got a catalog that has it at $200 and the vendor is mostly full retail.

How's it goin'?

A couple of more questions ... if you don't mind.

I have used RDS5 also, but following a "crash" and "reload" everything from format the HDD, run fdisk, reload windows, etc., I found that I was using RDS5.0 ... grrrr

I had RDS5.5 before the "crash," so I must have done an update from the net.
Do you have the update to go from 5.0 to 5.5 or know where I can get it?
I have a pending order for 5.5 but I don't know if it will be available.

That matter aside, one of the most perplexing problems using RDS for creating an MT is the fact that you cannot "center" the object while working in the mesh modeler. (centering the object makes it easier to work on)

If you do change ANYTHING other than individual verticies, the morph "blows up" when applied. You've probably been there, done that.

Also, it's not possible to change the origen to 0,0 while working and then change it back because RDS will not use the EXACT same numerical values in the saved geometry file. Again, it blows up in Poser. Do you know how this problem can be overcome?

• or -

Can you 'splain how you do it. Am I missing something?
Thanks, in advance, for any help you can give me on this.

cheers,
dr geep
;=]

My RDS 5.0 to 5.5 was another CD. MC rushed it out and the features were a bit shy for the price, but you got an upgrade price to Carrara that made the RDS jump net about $20 more overall. If you had RDS 5.5 you must have the CD somewhere - it came sans box. Now, there is a patch for 5.5 and it is ..... check the Carrara Yahoo site, in the FAQ or help files. There was also a thread on there re this that gave the URL for the patch and if all else fails they probably know here C/RDS forum.

Try this:
select the area that you want to morph
invert - hide
you can add to hidden, but it all comes when you bring it back.
You better select what you want to insolate first, then bring it all in, select what else you want (SHIFT)= add to
(ALT) = subtract from selection. then invert hide again.

use zoom and alt zoom the center the area on your screen
hit CTRL/ALT/7 = the drawing plane is the screen plane and the object is in the center - sorta enough
use the arrows on the keypad number to rotate to get the verts you are after - where you want to move them - parallel to the plane of the screen and hit C/A/7 again.
where ever you move them it will be on this plane.
You get ghosts mit the verts if the screen is not the plane - which means that you don't know where the hell they are going.
You want a second third or fourth view? CTRL/7
You must do a set up for the attraction tool for each window, it does not use the first
I usually set the attraction tool to 0.1 -0.4 pts - higher if I am smoothing - but usually, I select what I want to move as a group and drop off the outer ones as I go

I never mess with centers with morphs - BAAAD news
units pref General = pts
MFM = tol = 0.1 pts
grid spacing 4 pts 1 / 10
Open - not import
one group - RDS still knows that they are more than one group, it just lets you get them all in.
I used Compose to chop Vic and Mike up into complexes as root stock, but RDS would have done as well. I have a high number of undo's so I can spit out parts using delete - save and then undo. duplicate with Symm - invert - delete - save.
Now, if only you could mirror morphs for DAZ figures this way. I can mirror morphs for my own props this way.
Left sock with about a dozen morphs are all just dup/symm of the right.
My present problem, Mike - his chest and collars at least, will not mirror using MTM correctly, because DAZ did not put the geometry out as perfectly mirrored.
I can see X= 0 points that have non-zero values- I think.
Damn, I hate doing a morph twice!
The head will mirror.

Anyway, to get at stuff, I use zoom and send drawing plane to screen. I also use the View menu a lot - to get Top/ Front/ Left etc and then C/A/7

Is this what you meant?

Jaager, have you tried mirroring your morphs with CR2Edit? Open source in right pane, choose body part in left, click the Channels icon, choose the channel, goto More Tools and choose the mirror morph tool, click the icon that will appear and transfer. I have no idea if it will work or not, with the unmatched geom., but worth a whack. You can also mirror actual geometry in the OBJ Window, but that is just as problematic. Dan http://www.zenwareonline.com for CR2Edit, ZenPaint, ZenTile, VueMaster and the complete line of Zenware graphics apps

heyas; rdd(s) 5.0 won't do it, you need the 5.03 upgrade at least (that was the free one) and the mfm obj import/export thingies. the guys on the carrara/ray dream forum will know where you can still pick those up. i now use rhino instead of ray dream. then again, i now do 90% of my morphs with poser 4 magnets. (is that a scary thought or what? ;) )

I have not tried it. The morph is (two actually) for the scapula, to simulate the flapping wings when the shoulder moves front to back. The negatives of neither work for the other movement. The edge is shared with the chest. The right works fine and in fact, looks better if I leave the chest part out of it. MTM allows mirror and swap. Only swap would be appropriate for the chest, but the result is not what I want. For the collar - swap seemed to work OK for the X transfer, but the morph in action looks like the Y and Z positions are those of the base. - the left morph rips holes. If I knew it would work, I would hammer at it until I got it. I just don't put so much effort in, if there is the possibility of a dry hole. I have started duplicating one of them by typing in the positions, but I get bored.

bloodsong, magnets are too much "eye of newt, hair of toad" for me.

don't know 'bout no swappin', but you are given the options of mirroring the X, Y and Z, all or any combination, normally only X is advised, Y and Z are then just copied as mirroring them could give bizarre results -- probably like what you describe. Dan http://www.zenwareonline.com for CR2Edit, ZenPaint, ZenTile, VueMaster and the complete line of Zenware graphics apps

If you have a central group - chest - and only want to affect the left or the right, but not both, swap is necessary. Mirror just makes the morph be on each side. Copying Y and Z to the mirrored side is what is needed, For X you copy and reverse the sign. Playing with the sign on the other two turns the group inside out.

Report: CR2Edit mirror - blew up MTM worked - I forgot a bug, before. Compose will randomly swap the right and left halves in its listing - Vic's buttocks and apparently Mike's chest and collars. I just exported the base and the right side morphs from RDS and took this in MTM. It still said that there was asymmetry and offered to fix it. This time, using RDS isolates, the fix worked, and the morphs mirrored and chest swapped. I will just change my work habits with Mike, and use RDS to isolate the groups for mirroring.

"Copying Y and Z to the mirrored side is what is needed, For X you copy and reverse the sign." is exactly what CR2Edit does, unless one ignores the dire warnings and also mirrors the Y and Z. Just tried one here, apparently no problem (didn't test the result much), probably something in your formatting of the TE work you did. A lot of the older and less-used tools like this one are quite sensitive to formatting. Sounds like you better stick with good old RDS, which for all its quirks always seems to come through. Dan http://www.zenwareonline.com for CR2Edit, ZenPaint, ZenTile, VueMaster and the complete line of Zenware graphics apps

Dan, one question about mirror function in CR2Edit: For the groups whose left and right parts are separate, are both supposed to be present as they are with MTM? Or does CR2Edit completely generate the mirrored half? Since MTM requires the base, what I figure it does is subtract the base from the morph and only mirror the points that are not zero. (I don't want to try to figure out the equation.) Anyway, the collars I tried with CR2Edit were both sides. after I chopped out the negative block in EditPad, Poser took the morph, so the number of verts was correct.

You talk about Carrara, maybe you can help. The UI of the thing gives me fits, I have tried Sahlin, but doing pointless exercises is not for me. I can see running scales in music, but building an underwater scene leaves me cold. So I plunge ahead, try to get into the modeling room. Before the ungrade, I could get the windows, I couldn't see anything because the default colors all look dark brown to me, no light and I would loose the mesh and never find it again. But now, I did something that made all of the windows in the modeling room disappear, all of them. I can find nothing to click to open them. I get that far, say "screw this, I can do it in RDS." If it was my only only alternative, I would bang on it until I figured it out. As it is, I would rather just get the sword from someone and slice through the knot. If I understand it, the VM is the same as the MFM, except that the tools are not as easy to get at - no menu bar. I hope it is something very basic that I am overlooking.

...... somewhere, somehow, someone or something LOST my text.
#@*^&$%#@(x&o^%#@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'll try again with the text.

"I couldn't see anything because the default colors all look dark brown to me, no light and I would loose the mesh and never find it again."

See the pic in the previous post.

"But now, I did something that made all of the windows in the modeling room disappear, all of them. I can find nothing to click to open them.

You probably clicked on the little square next to the document window title. The trial version just closes the window (and it's gone forever). The actual software prompts you to "save", "don't save", etc.

"screw this, I can do it in RDS."

I felt the same way until I started learning how to "drive" my new car(arra) (pun intended)!

"the VM is the same as the MFM, except that the tools are not as easy to get at - no menu bar."

Yes there are menu bars - very similar to RDS except there are many more options. You, also, have 3 modelers to choose from - and can convert from one to another without doing any "cut & past" or "duplicate."

It's a matter of getting used to a new animal.

cheers,
dr geep
;=]

It is just too different from RDS to get there flying by the seat of my pants. You wouldn't think that knowing MFM in RDS would be a handicap. I guess I will give it a pass for now, as I have since it first came out. It is so counter intuitive to my way of thinking. All I want is the modeler for now, and it seems geared to something else. I did not get Studio, I have Amapi 3D already. I hate RTFM, I would rather get into trouble and read my way out. This one, I can't get far enough to get into trouble. Thanks for trying.

;=]