Daz Genesis Extension compatibility - Daz and Genesis version support?


https://forum.reallusion.com/Topic422606.aspx
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By MetaLVX - 5 Years Ago
Hi Community,

I'm about to jump back into a purchase but before I do so I'd like to find out from you, the community, any comments or issues with compatibility.
I purchased a few years back and it was very out of date so it wasn't capable of even being used but it sounds like it's on a much better road of development.  Could you try and help answer any of these questions before I jump back into buying?  The "Trial" for almost any software pales in comparison with the input from user community.
  • Does the Extension support the latest version plugin and support Daz Studio 4.11.0.383?
  • Does it support easy input and translation of Gen - Gen 8 characters, morphs and does it also carry over 3rd party morphs packages?
  • How does it handle biped monsters & characters if they are built on the Gen base?
  • Does it handle older figure-bases like Michael and Victoria?
  • How does it handle hair, clothing, and props?
  • So you can bring the data in via the Extension... once in does it export back out via FBX?
Thanks community for any input you could provide!
By Peter (RL) - 5 Years Ago
Hi...

Using 3DXchange and the Daz Genesis Extensions was the old way to bring in Daz characters to iClone, but now we have Character Creator 3 Pipeline which is a far superior method to use.

With Character Creator 3 Pipeline you can bring in all Daz characters from Victoria 3 and Michael 3 right through to Genesis 8 characters. You can also easily bring in hair, clothing or accessories with the character or on their own. CC3 Pipeline also allows you to export your converted characters to FBX without requiring any other software.

Please see below for full information about Character Creator 3 Pipeline. This should answer all your questions. Smile

https://www.reallusion.com/character-creator/
By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
That's the official word -- let me talk about this from a user perspective.

As someone who owns every piece of Daz content made (okay, it only seems like it) and has tried at least all the various types through Transformer in CC3, I can tell you that by and large it works just fine.  The key phrase there is "by and large".  There are edge cases which do not work -- in particular avatars (and this includes a lot of monstrous types) with odd necks will not work well or even at all (well, they always WORK but come in so distorted it's not worth it).  According to the devs this is unlikely to be fixed.

When it comes to hair the same is true -- by and large *most* stuff works, but there is some stuff that can crash both iClone and CC3 and no real way of knowing what it is until you try it.  Clothes by and large are NOT an issue, although weight maps for a lot of the clothing may be difficult to construct (I have some tutorials on this process).  Props seldom have issues.

All third party morphs will come over but figure morphs will NOT come in as morphs (again, I have a tutorial that explains how to get them in there).  This is unlike 3DX, which will bring the morphs over.  M4 and V4 are supported, along with Hive, but outside of all Genesis nothing else will work.

What I suggest is this -- if you have particular concerns about a character or clothing just let me know what it is and I'll tell you if it works or not.  Otherwise you will get *most* of your stuff in without problems (or at least, without problems you can't solve).  The technology in Transformer is VERY good -- much better than I would have expected -- but it's not perfect.
By Snarp Farkle - 5 Years Ago
"With Character Creator 3 Pipeline you can bring in all Daz characters from Victoria 3 and Michael 3 right through to Genesis 8 characters."

Are there daz extension T-Pose files for the A3, M3, V3 Characters?  I can't find any.
By Peter (RL) - 5 Years Ago
Snarp Farkle (9/13/2019)
"With Character Creator 3 Pipeline you can bring in all Daz characters from Victoria 3 and Michael 3 right through to Genesis 8 characters."

Are there daz extension T-Pose files for the A3, M3, V3 Characters?  I can't find any.


That's where Character Creator 3 Pipeline comes in. Wink

CC3 offers more import options than were available using the Daz Genesis Extensions (which didn't support older generations).
By Snarp Farkle - 5 Years Ago
Peter (RL) (9/13/2019)
Snarp Farkle (9/13/2019)
"With Character Creator 3 Pipeline you can bring in all Daz characters from Victoria 3 and Michael 3 right through to Genesis 8 characters."

Are there daz extension T-Pose files for the A3, M3, V3 Characters?  I can't find any.


That's where Character Creator 3 Pipeline comes in. Wink

CC3 offers more import options than were available using the Daz Genesis Extensions (which didn't support older generations).


Thanks Peter,

So all I have to do is Transform their fbx, what about the T-Pose?

Will I'll still have to use 3DX if I want expression morphs?

By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
You don't really need to apply a t-pose -- I seldom do.  Transformer works just fine without the character being in one.

Hmmm -- A3?  I'm not a big fan of Victoria and Michael in any form (and have never used Aiko except Aiko 3, which seemed to work).  If you have a specific avatar in mind let me know and I can check it out.
By Snarp Farkle - 5 Years Ago
Kelleytoons (9/13/2019)
You don't really need to apply a t-pose -- I seldom do.  Transformer works just fine without the character being in one.

Hmmm -- A3?  I'm not a big fan of Victoria and Michael in any form (and have never used Aiko except Aiko 3, which seemed to work).  If you have a specific avatar in mind let me know and I can check it out.


Thanks Kelly,

I just have a lot of A3, M3, and V3 stuff I'd like to try, A3 is more or less a morph from V3 not unlike A4 H4 & V4 M4.  I just wasn't sure how to import them into CC3 without a T-Pose to export, but I'll give it a try and show my results.

By TonyDPrime - 5 Years Ago
I saw in the CC3 tutorial that Kai didn't apply the T-Pose resource file to the Genesis 8. 
But, I thought this was necessary to avoid the shoulder issue (otherwise shoulder comes in hunched).
I was surprised he did not apply it. 

I also find that 2011 and 2012 Binary are interchangeable, right? Meaning you can use either...
It's not like the 2012 works better by any measurable metric, or is there one...!!!



 


By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
I've never had a problem with the shoulders not using a t-pose.  The only time not using a t-pose is with some clothing.

But that's just me -- everyone can experiment and find their best workflow.
By MetaLVX - 5 Years Ago
Thank you so much!  I, like you, have an ungodly amount of Daz content so I appreciate the offer.   Also thank you for replying... there is always a clear difference of what is "Reality" with a product between the actual community is experiencing and support might present.   
By MetaLVX - 5 Years Ago
Thanks again people!  I really appreciate your experience and insight on what works... it's worth its weight in gold!

Peter thank you for quickly trying to help.

I have jumped back in reluctantly so I'm hoping for positive results Smile

Cheers!
By Peter (RL) - 5 Years Ago
Snarp Farkle (9/13/2019)

Thanks Peter,

So all I have to do is Transform their fbx, what about the T-Pose?

Will I'll still have to use 3DX if I want expression morphs?


We do recommend you put your Daz character in a T-Pose before exporting. All supported T-Poses are supplied with Character Creator 3 Pipeline. 

To find them just click the link shown on the Transformer page below or go to C:\Users\Public\Documents\Reallusion\Template\Character Creator 3 Template\DazResource\T_Pose

https://forum.reallusion.com/uploads/images/106757fd-6526-4c09-8a5d-4adb.png

By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
Hi All,

18 months ago I was having trouble bringing DAZ characters into iClone. Then something came up. This past week has been my time to pick up where I left off. Not only is importing DAZ characters STILL problematic, it's WORSE now than it was a year and a half ago. G3 and G8 now no longer respond to the FaceKey file at all. I can't even duplicate what I did a year and a half ago.

I've read everything I could find that wasn't marketing. When I found seeming discrepancies in the install references, I tried it EVERY way. I've run out of variations.

Now I'm reading the wondrous ease of importing via CC3. "For a few dollars more" I can finally achieve what I've been struggling toward all this time. Sure sounds good. I would be pleased to see it work. By 'work' I mean, in a predictable, repeatable, reliable manner - not just something a handful of users have done. Of course, documentation would ring the bell. My iC upgrade included a copy of the iC User Manual. A 'bonus' it was. The word 'import' did not turn up in a keyword search.

So talk to me. I WANT TO BELIEVE. ;-)
......................................


By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
There are all KINDS of examples of how easy it is -- I myself have at least half a dozen (or more) tutorials and then another three or four just example videos.  I guess the best answer is what I tell everyone -- if you have a Daz avatar or piece of clothing/hair (or both) you want imported, let me know and I'll test to see how easy it is.  I can't do much more than that.

But as another example, today in fifteen minutes I imported around 40 different hairstyles from Daz (for men).  All but one worked fine (I *think* the other was fibermesh, which tends to both crash CC3 as well as look horrible -- I almost never use fibermesh hair).  I don't know how much easier it could be.
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
After I wrote that last message I installed the trial CC3 Transformer version. I grabbed an FBX I'd been fooling with, I can't even recall how I'd prepared it, and imported it. My first reaction is, wow. I'm gonna hold my breath for a couple of days because I don't want to make any assumptions, but if I can import ALL 10 of my TRIAL IMPORTS this successfully, I'll be a believer.

I'm not sure yet but it LOOKS LIKE that FaceKey is no longer part of the process.

I'm trying out the Iray plugin too. So far all it shows me is a logo. I can't say I'm impressed with that.

"There are all KINDS of examples of how easy it is... ' Hard or easy doesn't mean much when it's impossible. You know that.
By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
And as I said, I've yet to find a Daz avatar that's impossible (but let me know one and I'll test it out -- can't get a better offer than that).
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
OK... This time I did a straight FBX export out of DAZ and brought in into CC3, no FaceKey, no 3DX either. It worked well. No weirdo transformations, no poke-through, all the morphs seem to have made it. I did lose a bit of facial detail, but I think I'll be able to fake it.
I gave him one of the pre-recorded test animations and he passed it beautifully. What a pleasure it will be to be able to use iC for lipsync. It is SO much more usable than Mimic Live. Real time rendering doesn't suck either. Hoo Ha!
Now I'll be able to actually spend a few days learning instead of gnashing my teeth.
iC Marketing has such a heavy hand that I can't always take the product's claims as gospel. This time though, development has done the deed. Credit where credit is due! FaceKey has been the architect of much pain for quite a while. Good riddance to it!
I'm curious to have a look at the 8.0 Roadmap. Is there one?
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
Well, it looks like we have some beard import issues, don't we.

Anybody else notice this? Anybody know a way to get that G3 beard to stick to (follow) that G3 face?
........................................
LATER:
iClone STILL can't animate a beard, regardless of the source -- am I right? If I've got this wrong, please correct me.
Unbelievable. An otherwise very fine tool with one foot nailed to the floor -- unfortunate.
By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
What beard and what issues?

A beard will follow the jaw, but lip morphs of the face will not be followed by a moustache.  Also -- for best movement make sure the beard is weighted as hair.
By TonyDPrime - 5 Years Ago
@Rottenham - what FaceKey are you talking about not working, the one inside CC3?
I am pretty sure if you provided specific details as to how you are working your import process Kelleytoons would very easily be able to see what part of the process breaks down.
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
TonyDPrime (9/18/2019)
@Rottenham - what FaceKey are you talking about not working, the one inside CC3?
I am pretty sure if you provided specific details as to how you are working your import process Kelleytoons would very easily be able to see what part of the process breaks down.


Thanks. Here's what I did.
I took a G3M and dropped a FaceKey file on him. I made sure he was selected. I used Genesis3_Male_iCloneFaceKey.duf. It came with the recent 3DX update. All the keyframes showed up on the Timeline as they should. However, scrubbing through the timeline showed that almost none of the morphs had been recorded. The eyes move left and right, one viseme works (frame 70), and nothing else. I get these results consistently with G3 and G8. G2, oddly, works fine. I've been seeing these same results for a very long time. Bringing it into 3DX achieves nothing, of course.

Then I tried the Transfer utility to bring the G3 into CC3. That worked. I was both relieved and impressed. That is I was, until I realized the beard behavior was the same as it has always been -- mouth moves, beard frozen in space. Argh... Evidently some people have found a workaround for this, at least this seems to be so, but I've not been able to find it documented. In fact, the only documentation I've found states that it can't be done. I have also seen explanations of WHY it can't be done. What to believe?

Right now I'm experimenting with one of the beard plugins, the Stubble one, that edits the face image map. It does what it's supposed to do. I'm going to try the second one, the BigBoss one, today. Although it isn't exactly what I'm after, I want to stop beating my head on the wall.

https://forum.reallusion.com/uploads/images/a06bad6c-24e3-4c02-9be4-d137.png

By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
Are you weighting these beards as hair?  That's really the only "trick".
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
Kelleytoons (9/18/2019)
Are you weighting these beards as hair?  That's really the only "trick".


Hmm... weighting them... I'm not sure I know what that means. I accept the defaults all down the line. DAZ calls them hair, so I assume iClone does too. Please tell me about 'weighting' them.

By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
When you bring them in via Transformer you'll see how the various items are referred to -- you wan them as "hair" (and not cloth or accessories).

Now -- you can only have one hair item, but you can combine items by first making them accessories and then adding them together and reweighting them.  For the purposes of your evaluation of CC3 Pipeline, though, I'd just concentrate on making sure they are weighted as hair and don't worry if this means you can't also bring in a hairpiece at the same time.
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
Kelleytoons (9/18/2019)
When you bring them in via Transformer you'll see how the various items are referred to -- you wan them as "hair" (and not cloth or accessories).

Now -- you can only have one hair item, but you can combine items by first making them accessories and then adding them together and reweighting them.  For the purposes of your evaluation of CC3 Pipeline, though, I'd just concentrate on making sure they are weighted as hair and don't worry if this means you can't also bring in a hairpiece at the same time.



Well I'll be damned. I would have died of old age before I ever guessed that.
The chin beard and the moustache I used are each individual items, so I did the chin beard. It moves all right. It isn't 100% conforming. When the mouth is open full the beard gets in there, but I think I can work around that. So now he can't shout or laugh out loud, but at least he can speak. This is the best I've seen yet. Thanks for this. I will find a one-piece DAZ beard to experiment with. Maybe something that doesn't come so close to the lower lip. I will also attempt to combine the beard and moustache.

By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
Even that (beard getting in the mouth) can be improved, Mr. R.  Again, if you have any specific item you'd like me to look at (and help with) I'll be glad to do so.

By and large most Daz stuff comes in with very little trouble.  You can learn to fix nearly all the rest.
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
[quote]Kelleytoons (9/18/2019)
Even that (beard getting in the mouth) can be improved, Mr. R.  Again, if you have any specific item you'd like me to look at (and help with) I'll be glad to do so.

By and large most Daz stuff comes in with very little trouble.  You can learn to fix nearly all the rest.[/quote

I was able to turn the beard + moustache into a single Hair item, but the results were gooey looking. I'm going to try combining a Stubble image map moustache with an imported DAZ pointy beard. I'll post a pic when I get it.
I was taught 'You don't need to know everything, you just have to know where it's written down.' HA.
GOOEY:
https://forum.reallusion.com/uploads/images/e3252915-5402-4ee3-9eb6-286d.png
By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
Remember CC3 allows you to hide parts of the mesh quite easily.  One thing to improve beards is to open the mouth and then use that function to remove the stuff inside.  Once closed you'll never miss it.
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
Kelleytoons (9/18/2019)
Remember CC3 allows you to hide parts of the mesh quite easily.  One thing to improve beards is to open the mouth and then use that function to remove the stuff inside.  Once closed you'll never miss it.


The Stubble moustache paired with the DAZ Alfred beard works out to my liking, animation-wise, although I'm not totally satisfied with the way that stranded DAZ hair looks in iClone. I think I'll be able to find a decent alternative. Overall I've got something now that is workable and repeatable, and not overly obscure. Thanks. I'll have to let this sink in, it's taken me so long to get here. This beard thing has been a stumbling block for me for ages. I've put off learning the rest of the program on account of it.

Now maybe I'll try that 'hiding' thing.

https://forum.reallusion.com/uploads/images/0923fbdb-00d0-4220-b23c-35b4.jpg
By TonyDPrime - 5 Years Ago
Rottenham (9/18/2019)
[quote]TonyDPrime (9/18/2019)
@Rottenham - what FaceKey are you talking about not working, the one inside CC3?
I am pretty sure if you provided specific details as to how you are working your import process Kelleytoons would very easily be able to see what part of the process breaks down.

Thanks. Here's what I did.
I took a G3M and dropped a FaceKey file on him. I made sure he was selected. I used Genesis3_Male_iCloneFaceKey.duf. It came with the recent 3DX update. 


Rottenham - what was the purpose of this, to use the Daz character layout vs the CC3 base layout?
It almost seems like you were avoiding using the CC3 transformer.  Was there an expected benefit of not using it in this case?
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
TonyDPrime (9/18/2019)
Rottenham (9/18/2019)
[quote]TonyDPrime (9/18/2019)
@Rottenham - what FaceKey are you talking about not working, the one inside CC3?
I am pretty sure if you provided specific details as to how you are working your import process Kelleytoons would very easily be able to see what part of the process breaks down.

Thanks. Here's what I did.
I took a G3M and dropped a FaceKey file on him. I made sure he was selected. I used Genesis3_Male_iCloneFaceKey.duf. It came with the recent 3DX update. 


Rottenham - what was the purpose of this, to use the Daz character layout vs the CC3 base layout?
It almost seems like you were avoiding using the CC3 transformer.  Was there an expected benefit of not using it in this case?



There was no 'versus.' There was no 'avoidance.' I take it you would have gone about things differently.


By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
Kelleytoons (9/18/2019)
Remember CC3 allows you to hide parts of the mesh quite easily.  One thing to improve beards is to open the mouth and then use that function to remove the stuff inside.  Once closed you'll never miss it.


Yes, you're right. Once I got the hang of it, mesh hiding worked pretty well. This is the best iClone beard results I've ever had. Thank you for your help.
This is the Stubble moustache with the Boris beard. Not a perfect match, but not bad at all. I welcome your comment.
Those fibermesh beards don't look so hot in iClone, do they. I wonder if it's the FBX process that alters them. They are all the rage in DAZ now, the 'old style' (I don't know the term) are not easy to find. It's not that I need a lot of them to choose from, but some of the characters I've developed have beards, and I've gotten used to them.
I think I'll see what happens importing clothing now. I am already impressed that CC clothing fits well on a DAZ G3 character. I am hopeful that certain materials I have make the transition.
BEARDS TODAY:
https://forum.reallusion.com/uploads/images/a63d8775-ef28-424e-a8da-1dd3.jpg

By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
I do not like fibermesh for either beards or hair.  I understand the thought process -- it's hard to get poly hair to look good when it's short.  Hard... but not impossible.  But fibermesh is both easy to generate as well as easy to construct.  It just looks like shit in iClone.

I still have hope that RL will come up with a hair shader for facial hair.  Note: NOT a hair "system" but just a way of shading areas like the big boys (Max, for example) do for fur (you don't have individual "hairs" or even poly strands for a fur shader -- it just has a defined area and then the GPU and/or CPU does its thing).  If we had that we could not worry about this crap.

In the meantime Daz DOES have some beards that are poly, you just have to look for them (they released recently an Indian guy who has both great looking hair and a poly beard -- can't remember the name offhand but I'm sure you find easily find it).
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
Kelleytoons (9/19/2019)
I do not like fibermesh for either beards or hair.  I understand the thought process -- it's hard to get poly hair to look good when it's short.  Hard... but not impossible.  But fibermesh is both easy to generate as well as easy to construct.  It just looks like shit in iClone.

I still have hope that RL will come up with a hair shader for facial hair.  Note: NOT a hair "system" but just a way of shading areas like the big boys (Max, for example) do for fur (you don't have individual "hairs" or even poly strands for a fur shader -- it just has a defined area and then the GPU and/or CPU does its thing).  If we had that we could not worry about this crap.

In the meantime Daz DOES have some beards that are poly, you just have to look for them (they released recently an Indian guy who has both great looking hair and a poly beard -- can't remember the name offhand but I'm sure you find easily find it).

I'm OK with beards and hair now. Yeah, I recall noticing that Indian guy. There are still unfortunate limitations but they can be dealt with. I'm testing importing clothing. 10 eval tries was not quite adequate.
First I'm realizing the quality of some of the DAZ models is not as high as I had assumed, even on relatively recent ones by my preferred artists. I'm seeing corrupted geometry. Argh. Worse maybe, I'm STILL tripping over that FBX Key business EVEN after paying up. Is there an Emperor of the Universe version to upgrade to?
By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
You don't need an FBX key -- for Daz stuff, just use Transformer.  It will also (usually) correct import the textures, which is why some of your stuff might not look as good in iClone as it does in Daz.

And, as always, let me know any outfit you are having trouble with and I'll check it out.  Some things need some tweaking, but by and large it's all automagic.
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
Kelleytoons (9/19/2019)
You don't need an FBX key -- for Daz stuff, just use Transformer.  It will also (usually) correct import the textures, which is why some of your stuff might not look as good in iClone as it does in Daz.

And, as always, let me know any outfit you are having trouble with and I'll check it out.  Some things need some tweaking, but by and large it's all automagic.

Transformer will not allow me to import clothing as an FBX unless it is attached to a character, even though it is a 'figure' and has bones. It's a bit of a nuisance. Am I doing this wrong?
https://forum.reallusion.com/uploads/images/84b26718-387b-4dcf-bcae-e7e0.jpg
By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
No, you definitely want to attach it to a character.  So what?  After you save it out (either as an outfit or individual items) you can fit them to any CC3 character you want.
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
OK, HERE'S A GOOD ONE

I put an article of clothing on a G3M, Transformed it in as an FBX, then saved THE CLOTHING ONLY to CC3 as an iCloth. I did it to a whole suit of clothes one item at a time. It was the only way it would work. Then I Transformed an unclothed G3M in to CC3 as a new file.

I added pants. I added a shirt and the pants disappeared. I added a jacket and the shirt disappeared. It was impossible to ge two items of clothing on this figure at the same time. Somehow this iCloth file - with NO direction from me - remembered visibility settings for the whole scene - -----------

You couldn't make it do this if you tried. Is there ANY OTHER WAY to get clothing into CC3 than this way? Please reveal the way to avoid this.
By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
First things first -- the reason items disappear is they share the same level number (you can see these numbers going into Conform and then choosing something like layer settings.  Which is also where you can change them).  You also see these numbers when you bring things in through Transformer, which assigns them separate numbers (which is why it's always better to bring an entire outfit in this way -- and SAVE the whole outfit.  Then you can easily apply the whole outfit to another character.  The one and only time you want to save separate items is if you would NEVER use them together -- so weird shoes, or some such.  It's just easier and better to save things from Daz as entire outfits).

You save an entire outfit as either a project or as a clothed avatar.  You need to be in the right section to save things (so perhaps you had better start by learning the basics and not just plunging in).
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
I selected the article in the scene, I went to the appropriate place in the content library, I pressed the big + sign, but the program saved the whole scene? Am I understanding you correctly?
What I really want to do is save a single article of clothing. I can see it is possible because the content library contains many discrete items. I'm assuming there is a way to do that. If I'm wrong, please tell me.
The people who designed this workflow had and have in their minds a certain sequence of events they are counting on the users to follow. I haven't seen that written down anywhere. I've looked for it. I see many people here having the same questions as I do.

I'm doing the best I can to "learn the basics." The primary reason I come here is to learn. The only way I know is to screw up in front of everybody and ask for some tips. If you know of a better way, you have my full attention. I am in sincere earnest.


By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
I should be more clear.
On the left is the CC3 UI as shown in the YT vid about creating clothing. The Create menu is being used.
On the right is MY create menu. I just updated CC3 today. But I can't do what the vid does because my menu is different.
Why are they different?
Thanks.
https://forum.reallusion.com/uploads/images/6fa995d3-f617-4a2a-ab76-996c.jpg
By animagic - 5 Years Ago
The tutorial was apparently made with an older version of CC3. It would be helpful if that tutorial was updated. Or perhaps someone will be able to explain the difference in steps.
By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
I'll create a better/more recent tutorial today, but it will have to wait until after my doctor's appointment (I also want to go over the whole "replace outfit" and layer ID numbering thingee).
By facr73 - 5 Years Ago
Hi.

Mike, you're one of the saviours in this forum :-).
I am also having trouble bringing skirts/dresses. To me the best option to these types of clothing is choosing Import as original instead of import as a Dress. Specially with dForce clothes.

Another thing that happens to me is if I bring as fbx the same weightmap behaves differently if I bring as an object (Exporting from DAZ as fbx or Obj).

By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
Kelleytoons (9/20/2019)
I'll create a better/more recent tutorial today, but it will have to wait until after my doctor's appointment (I also want to go over the whole "replace outfit" and layer ID numbering thingee).

You may not realize it, but to me, this thread has been helpful.
Without a professional user manual, YT vids are crucial. And I have to say RL is fortunate to have such an able tutor making them. But where to begin? Once I relied on the TOC. Today this forum is the TOC.
The downloadable Help file is a step in the right direction, but IMO, it's not ready for prime time. To the uncredited author I would say, never give up the ship. May I suggest RoboHelp as an authoring tool? The right tool for the right job, as we say.
..............................
My mission now is to learn these asset-importing techniques and to assemble my Content Library. This is no small potatoes. This is what I'm working with at the moment:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsE5qJP2xAI
https://forum.reallusion.com/FindPost423078.aspx
I'll be back.
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
Any guesses what this error is about? I see this one often when using Transform to import a DAZ FBX. I usually get it on fully clothed figures, but not always.
https://forum.reallusion.com/uploads/images/3a3456fd-c6b8-4bc4-9498-29a4.jpg
By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
It's almost surely this (and this is the workaround):



I'm about out the door to pick up my daughter at the airport (and then we'll be in Orlando all evening).  But I *promise* I'll get to the tutorial (I want to do it right -- so perhaps tomorrow morning).
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
Kelleytoons (9/20/2019)
It's almost surely this (and this is the workaround):



I'm about out the door to pick up my daughter at the airport (and then we'll be in Orlando all evening).  But I *promise* I'll get to the tutorial (I want to do it right -- so perhaps tomorrow morning).



I'm having an awful time with this disappearing content this morning. I'm going to memorize this video now. If this works I'll put a statue of you up in my yard.
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LATER
Well, you were on the money with that thing about adding a second character. It worked the first time. The clothing itself confuses the CC import filter. Occasionally, as little as hair or a beard will cause it.
Bringing in a fully clothed figure as opposed to a lone OBJ not only saves a load of time, but it also helps the clothing keep its fitted shape. Thank you. I can get a character in and dress him now.

There is an issue that continues.
- I bring in a base figure
- I add an article of clothing... all's well
- I bring in a second article of clothing... something disappears. Maybe the previous article of clothing. Maybe the hair. And it's gone too. It's been deleted. It's not on the Scene list anymore. It's not lurking on the Cloth Layer list. It's gone.
I can prevent it by converting the intended victim to an Accessory before adding the next clothing article, then reapplying the mesh afterwards. It seems to be connected with the cloth setting. I've only had this happen with items imported from DAZ.

I hope you enjoyed your outing.


By Scyra - 5 Years Ago
There are certain items that you can only have one of at a time, such as hair, gloves, boots. If you bring try to bring in a second pair of boots, for example, the first gets replaced. That may be what you are experiencing.

Interesting thing to note: If you use Transformer to bring in both hair and a beard, and specify in the drop-down that they are both Hair, they will be automatically merged. This probably happens with boots and gloves too. You can also manually merge Accessories and then use Transfer Skin Weights to convert them to another type.
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
Scyra (9/21/2019)
There are certain items that you can only have one of at a time, such as hair, gloves, boots. If you bring try to bring in a second pair of boots, for example, the first gets replaced. That may be what you are experiencing.

Interesting thing to note: If you use Transformer to bring in both hair and a beard, and specify in the drop-down that they are both Hair, they will be automatically merged. This probably happens with boots and gloves too. You can also manually merge Accessories and then use Transfer Skin Weights to convert them to another type.


Actually this happens to me consistently with shirt, pants and jacket. The common thread is, all added items are cloth, all disappeared items are cloth. I will sleep on this. This cloth layer thing MAY be involved although I can't tell from looking at the chart. Just guessing wildly? When I try to add two assets on the same layer, CC assumes I want to replace the first one with the second one, and deletes it for me as a favor. If that is so, I would need to check layer assignments BEFORE adding the second asset. I would like that to be true,

Say, after watching the vid you showed me I had a glance at your YT page. You're a capable guy, aren't you. You're talented, productive, and you have a sense of humor too. This last one is important. I would say RL is lucky to have you hanging around here. I appreciated both the House of Congress musical and the Archie Bunker bit.
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LATER...
Well, it was that cloth layer thing all right. Once I learned how to put them where they belong, things went well. Thank you Mike.
By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
Rottenham (9/21/2019)

Say, after watching the vid you showed me I had a glance at your YT page. You're a capable guy, aren't you. You're talented, productive, and you have a sense of humor too. This last one is important. I would say RL is lucky to have you hanging around here. I appreciated both the House of Congress musical and the Archie Bunker bit.
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LATER...
Well, it was that cloth layer thing all right. Once I learned how to put them where they belong, things went well. Thank you Mike.


Okay -- well here's the video anyway (it will help others on my channel).

And assuming you were talking about my channel (you replied with another poster's quote) I thank you for the kind words.  I've had more fun with iClone than a person deserves to have.


By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
Kelleytoons (9/21/2019)
Rottenham (9/21/2019)

Say, after watching the vid you showed me I had a glance at your YT page. You're a capable guy, aren't you. You're talented, productive, and you have a sense of humor too. This last one is important. I would say RL is lucky to have you hanging around here. I appreciated both the House of Congress musical and the Archie Bunker bit.
................................................................
LATER...
Well, it was that cloth layer thing all right. Once I learned how to put them where they belong, things went well. Thank you Mike.


Okay -- well here's the video anyway (it will help others on my channel).

And assuming you were talking about my channel (you replied with another poster's quote) I thank you for the kind words.  I've had more fun with iClone than a person deserves to have.



First, sorry about replying in a clumsy manner, I'll try to pay more attention to this forum UI.

Thanks for that vid. I didn't realize I could drag and drop on the layer assignment list. I used that gear icon to reassign each item. As a guide, I used the default layer assignment list we find in the CC Dev Guide (this guide is a gold mine).Your way is faster. I also took note of the way you have used your Content Library.  The Content Library itself is, to me, less than intuitive.

One of the reasons your work caught my eye, Mike, is that some of your work is along the lines of things I would like to do myself. I would be very pleased if I could acquire the technical skills to do what I saw on your YT page. I may occasionally be less family-oriented than the Archie Bunker skit. ;-)

Now that I have a loose grip on the basics of importing DAZ characters and clothing, I've taken a close look at RL's ability to duplicate the DAZ character. Facial detail suffers. I'm going to install that add-on CC Morph product today and see just how much I can compensate for it. Materials (there seem to be many names for this attribute) take a hit too. I'll be looking into this as well. I want shiny shoes!

Below is one of the scenes I wish to import into iC. I've begun my learning adventure by bringing in the Evil One, with which you have been of great help. I have brought in smaller sets successfully, this is one of those big Stonemason sets, I have my fingers crossed. If I can learn to bring this entire scene in, I will be dangerous.
https://forum.reallusion.com/uploads/images/bdd3efad-864d-455d-827d-86ad.jpg


By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
Stonemason's stuff comes in exceptionally well.  He tends to use small textures and duplicate them so 3DX can handle them just fine.  But there are tricks and tips around that as well.

You can definitely get shiny.  For some reason your still reminds me of Fosse (just reading his biography right now).  Looks cool.
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
Kelleytoons (9/21/2019)
Stonemason's stuff comes in exceptionally well.  He tends to use small textures and duplicate them so 3DX can handle them just fine.  But there are tricks and tips around that as well.

You can definitely get shiny.  For some reason your still reminds me of Fosse (just reading his biography right now).  Looks cool.


I have another big set to bring in, it's a Dreamland, it's even bigger than the Stonemason set.
I found a Substance that was shiny, the shoes look right now.
I'm not acquainted with Fosse. Do you mean the dancer Bob Fosse? I'm as uncoordinated as a man can get, myself. The Dev would be a Fred Astaire fan.
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I wish to learn about importing and/or creating morphs in CC3, since facial expressions don't stick with the figure when it goes to iC. Some of the nomenclature in the "online manual" page Customizing Morphing Sliders > User Interface Introduction for Morph Slider Editor is vague. (I don't even know why it's called an 'online' manual.) Is this thread the best place to pursue this, or should it be a new thread?
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This Dreamland set is the best gas station around:
https://forum.reallusion.com/uploads/images/69f417ea-2174-46ef-87fc-c836.jpg

By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
Which Dreamland set is that?  

I have a specific tutorial on bringing Dreamland stuff in, but I may need to update it (it was done a while ago and I've written some Python stuff for iClone that makes a lot of it easier).
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
Kelleytoons (9/22/2019)
Which Dreamland set is that?  

I have a specific tutorial on bringing Dreamland stuff in, but I may need to update it (it was done a while ago and I've written some Python stuff for iClone that makes a lot of it easier).

This is Block 15, it's 16MB.
https://www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/movie-sets-city-block-15/100141/
By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
That will come in fine through 3DX, although I would first advise you (in Daz) to delete all the trees (they are all in one "container" so it's easy).

They are billboards, which won't work well when you move the camera (unlike the iClone billboards which follow the camera) but, worse, some of them just won't come in right (and I have NO idea how to make them work).  So delete them all (in Daz) and then if you have some of the Speedtrees they will be good replacements.

My Python routine works *okay* with these sets (so you might want to look up that tutorial)  but by and large this particular Dreamland set doesn't have a lot of textures other than the diffuse.  It might help to use some of the Displacement textures as bump maps, but that would be a project and one I'm not interested in programming right now.

Here it is in iClone (with Supercar parked at the pump :>Wink.

https://forum.reallusion.com/uploads/images/bc1e877a-0335-429c-9367-02e5.png
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
Kelleytoons (9/22/2019)
That will come in fine through 3DX, although I would first advise you (in Daz) to delete all the trees (they are all in one "container" so it's easy).

They are billboards, which won't work well when you move the camera (unlike the iClone billboards which follow the camera) but, worse, some of them just won't come in right (and I have NO idea how to make them work).  So delete them all (in Daz) and then if you have some of the Speedtrees they will be good replacements.


Thank you Mike, I appreciate your advice. We don't need no stinkin' trees. Kidding aside, it may have taken me all day to figure out to get rid of the trees.
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
(can't delete?)
By Kelleytoons - 5 Years Ago
I assume you mean you can't delete that post -- if so, yeah, it's a problem with this forum (your best bet is to edit and say something like "Duplicate Post" or "unneeded").

Hopefully you didn't mean you couldn't delete the trees.
By R Ham - 5 Years Ago
Kelleytoons (9/22/2019)
I assume you mean you can't delete that post -- if so, yeah, it's a problem with this forum (your best bet is to edit and say something like "Duplicate Post" or "unneeded").

Hopefully you didn't mean you couldn't delete the trees.

 No, thanks Mike! I've NEVER been able to find the DELETE button, but you're the first person who ever confirmed to me that there WASN'T one!
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