How to import V3 UV into Studio 4.5?

rob-young_652bf24516

I have4 genX working so I can load V3 original morphs into genesis. It works great and all the morphs show up. But I also want to apply original or previously purchased V3-specific mats to the V3/genesis figure. I can only do this by specifying Victoria 3 in the UV set in the surfaces tab, but it only lists options for genesis or V4/M4, no V3.

So I followed precise instructions on the DAZ doc website to make a V3 UV set by doing the following:

Load the original v3
Import V3 obj file and create a UV set
Delete the V3 figure then load the GenX V3 which appears exactly like V3 in shape so I know it is working
In the surfaces tab the UV sets listed do not include the V3 I previously saved
So I go to figure/geometry options and again try to import the V3 obj file to make a V3 UV set.
I get as far as accept then an error message comes up "UV set not valid".

Could someone in the know please be kind enough to take me, step by step through exactly what I have to do to get a V3 UV set to appear in the surfaces section.

Thanks very much!

rob-young_652bf24516

Addendum: Below you'll see exchanges in another thread about the lack of a V3 UV Set in Studio 4.5 or 4.00. Views welcome:

Me: " I have a whole lot of V3 textures that I love using but Studio 4.5 DOESN’T have a V3 uv map option! A bit naughty of DAZ seeing as they must know many customers have spent shedloads of cash on V3 products from them yet can’t make V3 body UV maps work in Genesis after already purchasing Gen X products. There is a UV set conversion tutorial but it doesn’t work for me. How come DAZ provides UV sets by default for V4, Michael 4 etc but not for V3? If it they converted them for V4 then the software they used must surely be a simple few clicks away to do the same for V3. Oh well…..."

DAZ admin reply: "Unfortunately, it just wasn’t possible to do it directly, the Gen 3 UVs are laid out too differently."

Me: "Well thanks for the reply but wait a minute. Why has DAZ placed a tutorial specifically about converting UV maps for V3 (I believe the example given was the v3tov2 object file) when it doesn’t work? When you say the Gen 3 UVs are laid out too differently, do you mean DAZ feels it can’t be bothered to solve that problem despite the fact that hundreds, possibly thousands of your customers have purchased Genx , iconic shapes, genesis morphs plus all the the legacy v3 stuff and they can’t get a simple body/face texture to map properly in Studio 4.5? Come on guys - it really is a limp excuse to say “laid out too differently”. How long would it take for someone at Daz to spend a little effort making V3 UV maps so that hundreds of v3 addons (many from DAZ itself) will work in genesis/studio?

I believe there is a commercial product for converting v3 or other UV maps for use in studio format sold on this website. Are you saying this software doesn’t work for v3 when it is advertised as being precisely that? If it does work, then without wishing to deprive the developer of his reward, why are you providing v4 and m4 UV maps but not V3 by default? My reasoning is that there are a factor of 4 or 5 times the number of texture products for v3 than there are for v4 and there must be a huge number of your customers who have V3 stuff lying around not being usable in Studio, yet you are happy to sell GenX products specifically designed for V3 conversion use.

I think it is reasonable to ask you please to solve the problem and provide your customers with a full range of UV maps, including V3. I have sent a support query ( I think my first in many years) to ask for the same. I respectfully ask that you consider that request as being entirely reasonable. Thanks."

BTW I am not a "new member"...just been a bit dormant for a while. Have been a DAZ customer for many years.

Richard Haseltine

The problem is that the fourth generation figures have areas in a single material zone that are on two different maps on the third generation figures. There's no way to have an item take one part of its map from one image, using one uv mapping, and another part from another image, using a different mapping. The fourth generation and Genesis mappings can be exchanged because they use the same boundaries to their material zones. If you want to use a third generation figure's map on Genesis (or a fourth generation figure) then you need to use Texture Converter 2 (or some other similar tool) to convert the maps, or do the same by hand with an image editor, or completely rework the mapping of a copy of Genesis (new boundaries as well as UVs).

rob-young_652bf24516

Thahks for the explanation Richard. That sounds fair enough, butt that also implies that the product sold here and elsewhere that claims to convert UV formats to contemporary versions cannot deal with generation 3 UVs.

mjc1016

Which product?

rob-young_652bf24516

Hi Mjc1016,

The product is DSF Toolbox:

http://www.daz3d.com/shop/dsf-toolbox

Richard Haseltine

It doesn't claim to convert any UVs in the sense you want at all - it is able to take a compatible OBJ (one with the same base properties as Genesis, or whatever the target item is I think), read the UVs from the OBJ, and convert them to a .dsf file in the UV folder for the item so that they are available the next time the figure loads. It's a format conversion, keeping the content the same, rather than a content conversion as you need.