Hello, I'm a beginner requesting some basic help.

I've created and saved a character in a saved project file using CTA2. I've created a new shirt for the character and saved it as a .png file. I've only created the 0 degree angle of the shirt so far as I'm troubleshooting to figure out how the process works.  I can import my shirt multiple ways (all from Composer mode) -- using "find file" in the custom tab of the content manager then dropping the file on the current shirt, dragging the shirt from a folder and dropping it on the current shirt, or using the sprite editor to add the shirt as another pose.

The only way I've found to resize/translate the shirt is to do so by loading it via the sprite editor and resize/translate before closing the sprite editor. Any other way, resizes/translates the whole upper body rather than just the shirt.  Is there another way to isolate the shirt for movement?

Once I have the new shirt in place, I save the character and switch back to Stage mode. The shirt disappears and goes back to the original.  If I import the saved character, it is wearing the original shirt and not the new one.  What do I need to do to save the shirt change?

Thank you for the help!

Thank you for this answer!  It really addressed all my questions.  I can only make the new shirt stay in place using the Replace option (not Add).  Thanks for pointing out the Transform all option -- that's helpful!

You can use the ADD option if you want. You just have to switch to that Shirt from the sprite editor on the stage.

If you want you can have multiple "shirts" available for a character by adding each short as a new set of sprites.
Look at how the hands are done. There are multiple hands and you select the one you want from the sprite editor.
You can do the same for any part of the body.
You can have multiple shirts, pants, shoes, hair, etc. by Adding a new set of sprites.

Also, once you have created a shirt you can save that part of the body (Upper) in Character Composer in your Custom folder to be used later or on similar character.

Jeff



Get my Plugin Manager and TaskNotes plugins for iClone.
Check out EZColors and Other products for CTA/CA. EZColors: the easy way to change Render Styled (RS) colors!
See my CTA Tutorials on the YouTube channel CTAStepByStep

It has taken me quite awhile to compose this question because I didn't understand the terms well enough to ask the proper question.  I believe I've figured out how to use the terms correctly through the series of attempts to accomplish my goal below.  I believe I can now phrase my so far unsuccessful aim as loading all 8 angles of a single pose using the sprite editor.

Despite attempted explanation of the term "poses" in the manual (with pictures on a wheel?!), I couldn't understand what they were and how they differ from the templates. Now I see that you import templates into the sprite editor for an individual character to give them more than one sprite option and the options are what are called "poses."

Okay, but now how do I Add a new pose with all 8 angles?  I have 8 png images of shirts, one at each angle. If I click Add and All Angles, I can select and load the 8 files and all angles show up in the sprite editor. I click transform all poses and position the angle 0 correctly. I close sprite editor and turn character to 45 degrees.  At that angle, the angle 0 shirt shows up (instead of the angle 45 shirt) and it is not transformed. 

So now I see Transform all poses doesn't fix all the angles when you fix one (that would be useful), it moves all the different "poses" at one angle which in my case here are different shirts at angle zero. I don't want transform all poses checked because putting one shirt in the proper place messes up the location of any shirt already placed correctly.

Okay, so I start over and in sprite editor I click Add and choose All Angles.  I load my 8 files which show up in the sprite editor. However if I open the window that shows the angles, they are all the zero angle shirt.  There doesn't seem to be a way to indicate which angle in the sprite editor corresponds to the angles in the angle window. In fact, it would appear that all of my 8 angles in the sprite editor are being treated like a different "pose" and each pose has the same image for all angles.

Okay, I can't seem to load all angles properly, so I try one at a time. I start over and click Add, and choose just the current angle.  My character is positioned at zero so I add the picture of the shirt at zero. Now the angle window only shows a picture for the zero angle and all the other boxes are empty.  Okay, so maybe I can now load the 45 degree picture.  Nope, that just creates a new pose with only a picture in the 45 slot in the angle window with all the other spots empty.

I also tried following these instructions: http://manual.reallusion.com/CrazyTalk_Animator_2/ENU/Pro_and_Std/03_Actor/Customing_Your_Actor_With_Actor_Composer/Creating_G2_Character.htm

Replacing each angle in a pose one at a time. This seemed to work! I had one new pose in the sprite editor and the sprite angle window showed the correct pictures for each of the 8 angles.  My character was wearing the correct shirt picture at each angle. Then I went back into Stage mode and the new shirt was gone. I went back to Composer mode and back to the sprite editor. My new pose was in the sprite editor but all the angles had gone back to angle zero. 

This is really frustrating. How do I load my 8 angles into one pose?

Thank you for the help!

Correct.


With your character on the stage, select your character and open the sprite editor. Then select the "pose" that you want and that will change the shirt for your character.
Note that when a character is taken to Composer Mode it will always select the DEFAULT pose, not your added pose.
When on the Stage the character will be using whatever "pose" you have selected for it from the sprite editor.

Jeff


Get my Plugin Manager and TaskNotes plugins for iClone.
Check out EZColors and Other products for CTA/CA. EZColors: the easy way to change Render Styled (RS) colors!
See my CTA Tutorials on the YouTube channel CTAStepByStep

Thank you!

I reopened my project and opened the sprite editor and angle window.  My new pose once again has all the angles - when I gave up last night, it was only showing the zero angle shirt for all angles.

I went to the stage and used the sprite editor in that mode to change her shirt.  I then tried an action from the Action Menu (rt click on character) and her shirt went away at the commence of the action and stayed gone.  What's going on there? How can I have multiple poses and choose one that is not the default and have it retained through a motion on the Stage?

I thought maybe I should just get rid of the original pose, since I won't be using it. That way my new one should become the "default." Sure enough, now in Composer mode my shirt shows.  BUT, I turn it to 45 degrees because I want to adjust joint masks. It shows the 0 degree shirt and the angle window only has 0 degree shirts! I can't properly revise the character angles when the correct shirt isn't displaying. How do I get my new pose to properly display all the angles in composer mode? Why does the angle window keep switching from showing all my angles to showing the zero angle for all shirts?

At this point, I can go back to stage and she's wearing the custom shirt and it doesn't go away after I choose an action. However, her shirt also doesn't change angles as it should during the action. 

Thank you so much for your help and for answering my questions so quickly.  I really appreciate it.
~Julie

Some of the predefined CTA motions from RL cause a sprite change to the default sprites at the beginning (and during) of the motion.
The only way to use those motions is to try and override the sprite switching by adding the motion, then changing the sprite at the beginning of the motion clip (and as needed) to your new shirt pose.
Depending upon the motion and what sprite switching it does will determine if the sprite switch you made will stick or be changed during the motion at various points.

Jeff

Get my Plugin Manager and TaskNotes plugins for iClone.
Check out EZColors and Other products for CTA/CA. EZColors: the easy way to change Render Styled (RS) colors!
See my CTA Tutorials on the YouTube channel CTAStepByStep

To make your character not change during motions, take the character to Composer Mode and select your new pose. Then save the upper body to your custom folder.
Back on the stage add the base character to the stage, go to composer mode again and select the upper body you saved.
That will replace the current default pose and become the default for that character.
Return to the stage and apply your motion.
Since the default pose has been replaced with your new one it will not change during the motion.

Jeff



Get my Plugin Manager and TaskNotes plugins for iClone.
Check out EZColors and Other products for CTA/CA. EZColors: the easy way to change Render Styled (RS) colors!
See my CTA Tutorials on the YouTube channel CTAStepByStep

Thanks, Jeff.

Okay, I think I understand this.  Before I try it though, I need to deal with the fact that all my angles disappeared from this pose.  I've tried various things and they aren't miraculously coming back like last time.

I can re-add them, but I want to not have them disappear again, so I need to understand what I'm doing that makes them go away...

So again, the issue is that I had a pose that had 8 different pics for the 8 angles, and something I did changed it to a pose that has one pic for all 8 angles.