Morph Target Creation
timlemi
Posts: 0
Hi,
I thought I might give Carrara a second chance :-)
In order to get the work I am doing integrated into Carrara I may need to work with morphs.
The usual workflow of handling morphs should be:
- export an interchangeable object file, most likely something like wavefront obj
- do adjustments
- save changed mesh back to interchangeable object file
- import changed obj file as a morph target into a morph channel
Now Carrara does seem to offer these steps, starting from exporting a model over offering morph channels (although the channel browser is "clumsy" at best) and importing objects as morph targets.
Funny enough: It does not work here.
What I tried is this:
- load a mesh (again, a DAZ dog)
- export the mesh as wavefront obj
- DO NOTHING (except for drinking that tea that has been sitting in its cup way too long)
- call up vertex modeler
- select morph tab
- create a new morph channel
- re-select the created channel
- import obj file (the one saved above)
- result: "An error has occured"
Now that seems weird to me. Carrara seems unable to handle its own files?
Clearly there must be some fiddling executed with the export options, but, again, why wouldn't THE SAME object file exported with default settings be reimported as a morph target?
Can anyone, please, enlighten me as to how to setup the OBJ export in order to allow Carrara to IMPORT the file again?
Thanks so much, I offer to do some tiny winy mini tutorial again as "thank you" :-)
Gust
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Comments
A bit talking to myself, but maybe it helps sorting things out:
The method outlined above does partially work with a simple object. I created a vertex sphere, exported it as obj, reimported - messed up. There's a logic glitch in the export/import workflow: Upon export the default setting in Carrara is to remap z-axis to y-axis (which makes sense, because Carrara's z-axis is "wrong"). On importing this may not be re-matched, because that leads to a wrongly aligned object. So on importing one should deactivate remapping the axis and also deactivate auto-position.
I haven't figured out why the same does not seem to work with a complex model. I'll try with seperating parts of the model, we'll see.
Also I haven't found out why the just created morph target (having attached all of the vertices to the morph area) cannot be "dialed". The dial is created correctly, but after "validating" the morph target the dial remains greyed out.
There must be a very simple break in the workflow that I am overlooking.
Hmm ... ok, the dial only works in animation mode, not in the modeler itself. Acceptable, if you know it.
I seem to get the lever for a complex model. It seems you cannot work your way from the full model, but one has to start from a defined morphing area (you cannot select "polygons by name", that won't work, you have to go through the morph areas). So selecting the head from the morph areas, creating a new morph target and exporting FROM THERE (*not* from the file/export menu! I did not get that export to work) you seemingly get the same mesh, but this one can be re-imported.
Adjusting the mesh exported from the morph target one can import this. It won't get imported into the channel you're in (another logic glitch in my eyes), but creates a NEW channel with the filename as it's target's name (one has to know that one for sure, elseways you'll be "searching your soul tonight"). THAT channel works and will immediately be active in the assembly room.
Weird, but ... ok, why use the global export when there's a local export that works better :-)
Gust
Not sure about what you're looking to do, 'Cause I don't do it that way, But I can get you morphs onto your dog:
Open the Dog in the Model room.
On the right side of the work space, find the "Morph" tab.
Select a Domain from the list. Most purchased content doesn't allow morphs added to the "Figure", so select a part.
Once a domain is selected, pick a morph target from the list below. Now the window will have a pencil button and a "+" sign button to the right of it. Click that and name the morph you want to make and click Okay. For some reason, you domain is no longer selected, so you'll have to select it again, and now your new morph is there, in the list. Select it and click the pencil. Now is where you select and edit polys to make your morph. Click the check mark "Verify" when done. Now you'll have a morph within Carrara to use. Go into the assembly room and drag the slider.
No make Full Body Morphs, instead of having to select individual domains, or to make morphs that you can use in Daz Studio and Poser, we'll be using Daz Studio and Hexagon instead of Carrara.
Open the figure in D|S, and send it to Hex (File > Send to Hexagon).
Create your morph within Hexagon. If you'd rather do the modeling in Carrara, just make a small change of some sort, so Hex recognizes a change.
Send the figure back to D|S (File > Send to Daz Studio).
In the process of Hexagon sending the figure back, a beautiful popup window will appear, allowing you to name your morph and select (Create New) the morph target. In doing so, you'll be creating a new target that you may select within Carrara for creating new morphs, that can be applied to any and/or all polygons of the model, rather than an individual domain! :)
Don't forget to dial this morph back down now that you are back in Daz Studio. If you send it back to Hexagon, the information of any dialed up morph, will get saved along with the morph changes you create. For example, if you send M4 to Hex with Body Builder applied, and then send it back to D|S and create a new morph, Body Builder data is now stored within the new morph. So whenever you turn up the new morph, you'd have to turn down Body Builder, or it will get doubled... just wrong! :)
Sorry... I was working... then coming back here and typing into the above... I didn't see your new posts yet lol
Hi,
thanks, I fully understand the general workflow and main ideas behind it :-)
Methinks the problems I experience are of two flavors: I seem to have problems in understand the "global logic" of Carrara with functions being reimplemented on various places with different "qualities" (in this specific case the export/import logic, in other cases the modeling functions etc) and the (to me so seeming) "lack of workflow" in general (functions being somehow "isolated").
Second I see myself trying to apply ways of working with software that I am used from other programs, starting with text editing applications over DAW (audio editing) onto graphics/3d editing. To me, and again this must be personally my problem, Carrara seems to do quite a lot quite differently than "everyone else". A stupid example: When selecting a menu (on the hunt for "select by ...") CLICKING on the next level ("select by") closes the submenu instead of activating the function. I don't know a second software that would CLOSE a menu when it is actiavated by a click.
Forgive this digression. As outlined above I managed to create custom morph targets and was able to twice reproduce the workflow (and failed a couple of times, not seeing the differences). So in general it does work, but I seem to have follow the specific Carrara way of doing things exactly, as any sidestep (just by using functions that SEEM to be right) leads to error messages (without details, just errors).
I would love to show the workflow here, but since it failed me several times without me having found out what I did "wrong" I don't think it would be of much help to others ...
Gust
I know.... Heh...
Did I mention I'm working? lol
Now I'm so busy chuckling - it is so freakin' funny when it's put to words like that, isn't it?
"I click on it, and it closes", lol
I love it more than anything I've ever done on a computer... yet there's so much about it that seems like somebody taped in in place, temporarily! lol
And I think that's sort of how some of this came to be... features being added to get them into place...
One thing that I really like about the morphs that I make using Hex > D|S, is that the dial will work from -1 to 1, where as those made in Carrara only work from 0 - 1.
But the convenience of being able to create a new morph as I'm in the middle of an animation set-up is just too cool to avoid mentioning.
The targets that I create using that Hex D|S bridge are on the "Figure" level, so for a really good example, I'll make a Target on a Hair figure at the Figure level from hex to D|S, then export to CR2. Open it in Carrara and I can now create wind morphs and morphs that make all of the hair fall back when the character lays back on a science table (Doctor office, etc.,) Or lays to a flay surface on the floor... or falls forward when bending forward - and I also make them for various bounce movements just so the hair can make subtle movements, just because... like what hair does.
All of this can be animated without opening the hair to the 'neck' level. All I have to do is select the hair model itself.... I like that.
This is the magic that comes from D|S and Hex. So the magic of Carrara is the fact that it is my animation/scene creation/rendering studio, and if I need a new morph to pull of a scene just right, I don't have to pause. I can double-click my figure and make the new morph.
I would love it if Carrara could adopt the proper features that would allow me to bypass the D|S > Hex > D|S > Carrara circle... but having those three work together this nicely is fine for me for now. It forces me to have the other two in my work flow... which I am currently pleased with, because I'm beginning to see that they have more worth to them than the tidbits I've been using them as. One thing at a time, though! :)
In C7 trying to make morphs for the mil4 characters was so close to imposable I gave up, and haven't tried to make a morph in carrara since. Right now genesis or autofit clothes are just as bad.
Hi,
thanks for the support (I mean it - again: Knowing that some tool is insufficant for a job is better than trying to use it to no good end).
ManStan, would you like me to post a short image series demonstrating what I was able to do in order to "morph target" something? I do repeat that the workflow does not always work fluently (pun intended), but it seems to be the way Carrara wants me to work and therefor might work one future day reliably.
A rant - discontinue reading if you are not interested in my short-time impression of a tool I wanted to use for real jobs at hand:
Slowly I am getting the impression that Carrara keeps up the old "MetaCreations" spirit: Throw in tons of glitter, a beautiful interface and NEVER EVER get anything finnished to be fully usable (as this would contradict the basic way of working of at least one founding members whom I dare not name).
I mean, does someone at DAZ use Carrara to carry through believable workflows, that are more complex than 90 seconds youtube clips? I so often stumbled into "unfinnished business" areas in Carrara during the last 120 hours that I really wonder what happened over the last 10 years or so ... the bugcenter seems to support this point of view: Not much.
Carrara has such great possibilities with everything that has been planted into it, if it only would allow a user - sorry, I have to be honest at least once: If it only allowed ME, someone who uses computers and software for about 18hours every single day, to get a JOB DONE.
Ok, I fully understand that DAZ is a content company. No disrespect here. I fully understand that their goal was and is to aquire tools that support their content sales. Good thing (tm). I do wonder, a bit, why they are running a tool for posing/scene composition (DAZ studio) and a tool for posing/scene composition (Carrara) and a tool for rendering (Carrara) and a tool for rendering (Bryce) and a tool for rendering (Hexagon) and a tool for modeling (Carrara) and a tool for modeling (Hexagon) ... wouldn't it, from a business point of view, make sense to BUNDLE energy into one or two products that can be fully supported and fully do what they claim to do?
I do see the sense of having DAZ studio as a sales supporting product for content. There's nothing to say against that, even with the strange "free for now" flavor. It sells content. I fail to see the logic in putting money into Hexagon (modeling) AND Carrara (modeling), when Carrara is currently pumped up to support content sales (content manager, posing in assembly room) and also has some kind of modeling/editing features. Either one could just dump the modeling part (and would have DAZ studio in a different look) OR one could dump the content sales part (and would have Hexagon with less functionality).
Hey, it's the full blown content that actually got me back to Carrara! It is, what DAZ is offering, that attracts me: A full load of starting points to get jobs done MUCH quicker than by doing it ALL ON YOUR OWN.
I fully understand the Genesis concept. The Genesis system is quite ingenious, it helps saving time (and therefor money), it offers such a lot of ways to use the basic mesh. Since it is not quite as simple as an old Poser doll and DAZ studio obviously uses quite some programming work to cover smoothing tricks in the background, it does make a lot of sense to put money into getting at least one modeling / composing / rendering tool up to par with Genesis. Yet, doing so at the cost of letting nearly everything else the tool is meant to provide drop (I am talking about stability, reliability, reproducability) does NOT make sense, it seems like a great risk: People buying or downloading Carrara BECAUSE of its access to content (Genesis included) will sooner or later STOP buying content because of the flaws of the tool(s). I may use DAZ content to transfer it to some other software and use it there, but, truely, this does not save me that much time with all the re-rigging, re-uv-ing, re-texuring that has to be done.
I am willing to continue spending thousands of Dollar into tools. I have done so in the past and will do so in the future, because GOOD tools earn me money. So far, knocking on wood, every dollar I spent on tools has paid back one way or the other, sooner or later. I have to admit that Carrara has to do quite some catching up here, if it wants to ever pay back what I invested in it. A good first step for DAZ would be to decide what Carrara is meant to be: Content seller (DAZ studio with enhancements, currently it's more on the "not quite as good as DAZ studio" side) OR modeler (there would be around 10 man years of development to be filled in) OR a composing tool (modern Bryce?) OR a render engine and concentrate on that area. An "all in one" is a nice claim, but not very convincing when the tool seems to make everything unnecessarily difficult.
Well, let's see what my customer has to say about the last 72hours' work results :-)
All the best,
Gust
Sorry about your hard times and lost work. Truly.
Well, since Carrara seems to be the only modeler/renderer with animation tools that DOES accept content openly... I certainly hope they never drop the content end. For actually creating content other than animated poses or content for Carrara, Carrara is not the tool to use. I totally admit that. You'd be far better off with the D|S/Hexagon pipeline for that.
I'd really prefer that they totally complete their goals for the culmination method you speak of before dropping anything from the software list. Right now, people like me, who need at least the three, and an entire community of artists relying on Bryce... I sure hope they don't pull something rash and decide to make one app that does it all - only to fall short in so many ways.
For what you've been trying to do... perhaps Carrara was simply the wrong choice? I don't know and can't say. But if they pulled the guts out of it for the modelers sake, and took away the content aspect, well then it just isn't Carrara anymore.
Quite often within this field, we have to rely on the help of plugins or another app - usually a whole bunch of apps.
I agree that there's a big pile of stuff crammed into Carrara that are left undone. A lot of these things are really small when compared to the bigger picture. My opinion. I've never been happier in my animated scenes endeavors since owning Carrara. I've run into some issues, but nothing compared to the issues I'd be running into if I was relying on a community store full of great artists, like Daz3d, to create the bulk of my assets, since I simply haven't got the time, and having nothing but 3DS Max, Maya, Modo, Lightwave, etc., to animate and render it. Yet if I only had access to Poser or Daz Studio, like I was, I'd be missing out entirely on the ability to make the simple mesh tweaks that I can currently in Carrara. As a matter of fact, I've done a pile of homework before buying Carrara because I can't afford to just keep buying more and more software. I work with real stone for a profession. I get no kickbacks from any of my purchases from my day job. If it wasn't for Carrara, I doubt I'd still be buying content, because most content doesn't morph the way I want it to.
I was looking at Lightwave yesterday. Wow does that look great. If you get your wish, and they pull the content or modeling guts out of Carrara, I'd just buy Lightwave and stop buying content altogether. But the huge problem with that is the same as I've faced from the start - I don't have time to create all of my assets. Daz Artists are wonderfully affordable.
I get what you're saying. Fix the stuff that's been started.
Perhaps. But I sure hope they don't change it too much, as it's exactly what I wanted from the start. It's really not even an inconvenience to me to have to implement my above mentioned method of using Daz Studio and Hexagon to create my targets for me. I bring them right back into Carrara and morph away.
I know the promo pages for Carrara have changed. Too bad, too. The older promos shown pictures and a sort of write up of all of the various features compared to: "This is our flagship 3d authoring suite"
I knew that what I was getting is a software that, in many ways, resembles Poser's abilities to pose and animate and use content. It has it's own, built-in terrain generation system, Plant generation system, Realistic Skies System, Shader creation methods, and a ray tracing render engine full of features. It also includes three, specific modelers. Meta ball, Spline, and Vertex. Replicators: Geometric and surface, Animated Ocean, Volumetric Clouds, Fire, Fog, many many types of lights and ways to have atmospheric effects alter their behavior, etc.,
I guess it was version 5 that added Poser compatibility via an special importer. I have 6, 7, 8, and 8..5b Pro versions. I never really liked the wild, zero friction behavior I've seen in most 3d application's dynamic hair - but what Carrara has is pretty decent. It hasn't really a good dynamic cloth editor. I wasn't expecting one. But you can add another tool, if you want it - Poser.
> If you get your wish, and they pull the content or modeling guts out of Carrara
Sorry that you understood me that way. What I meant was the exact oposite of this.
Gust
Man, I'd love to get a list of all of this stuff. I have sort of molded my Carrara use around what I can do with it - so I rarely see stuff that isn't right.
I hope the following image series is of some help to anyone trying to find her/his way through the morph creation "in theory". Not that several steps sometimes will not work (randomly), e.g. it happens quite often that the morph does not get transferred to the model's parameter list, so that it can only be used within a vertex-animation-setup.
Image 1 shows a loaded complex model. Select "model" (or "actor") and call up the vertex modeler.
Image 2 shows the selection of the domain you want to work with, it seems important to use "select by morph area", since everything else has gotten me into various depths of trouble.
Image 3 shows the workflow to use: Call up "Morph", select the body part you are dealing with (which is misleading, sometimes you have to select the "morph area", sometimes the "Body Part" or whatever, naming convention seems to change constantly within Carrara). Try to find a way to create a new morph target (which sometimes works by using the right mouse button and calling "create target"), sometimes you have to activate kind of a "parent directory" ("Misc" on the screen shot) to be allowed to do that. Name your morph target, click ok.
Image 4 shows several steps in one: After you have created a new morph target Carrara will throw you out of your workflow completely. You have to reselect the "body part"/"morph area" (whatever is displayed) and manually find your newly created morph target. Activate that - and scroll all the way back to the top of the list, because Carrara will immediately stop your workflow again by not offering the next logical steps "at hand", but hiding them at the top of the morph target list. The little stamp-in shows the start situation: With your own morph target selected (and NOT shown, in my case) click on the "pen icon". That will green-light the selected morph area on the model.
NOW you can edit the morph - or actually EXPORT the morph as whatever-interchangable-object by cicking the disk-symbol. Either use Carrara's modeling tools OR an external application to create the final morph status (do not add/delete vertices, of course).
After finnishing the morph either LOAD the newly created interchangable object OR click on the checkmark (where the red arrow is pointing to), thus storing the morph in the morph target. SAVING and LOADING of the object MAY NOT BE DONE through the software's saving and loading functions, because this would seem natural and we are not dealing with natural things here. ONLY use the save/load-functions within the morph-area next to the checkmark (or the pen tool). Everything else will not work reliably. Or, to be more precise, everything else will reliably not work reliably, whilst using the functions mentioned here you will often get something working.
Note: This step does not always work, the modifications you made will sometimes just be lost now. Note: Importing the modified object does not always work (check and eventually fiddle with export/import settings). Note: It is possible that your morph target now vanishes from the list and cannot be brought back. Note: You may get an "an error occured", which does not mean that an error occured, but in fact that a theoretical thunderworm has been skilized on Iupiter's second moon by a stonedrunken fly.
Image 5 shows that after having left the vertex modeler (by clicking the hand tool in the upper left, returning to the assembly room) you SOMETIMES get your freshly created morph target in the moprh list. Sometimes it will appear in the body area where you assume it to be (because you selected "head" when starting your journey). Sometimes it will only appear under the complete figure's list. Sometimes it will not appear anywhere - in this case you have to call the vertex modeler in order to use the morph, click on "animation mode" (center icon on the right top), dial in the value in your morph and leave the vertex modeler again (your morph has then been applied through the animation system).
Summing it up:
It works. About 7 times out of 11 it does actually give you results that remind an unattending visitor of something you might have said about being your objective.
Rule of thumb: Save early, save often, use different filenames and don't expect the saved data to be of any help later, because sometimes you will just get "an error occured" referencing some action on Iupiter's second moon.
Gust
Image four shows magnet settings and all images show that you've never left the assembly room.
I don't know what to say.
I've never used the export and import stuff you mention, but each and every morph that I've made follows the rest of your example pretty well, except that I've never had one not work, or show up. Hmmmm....
Then again, I never do it in the Assembly room, I always double click the model which enters me into the actual Vertex Modeler room. Also, I never right click to add a morph, I just click the plus sign to the right of the pencil icon.
This is where I like to enter D|S and drive my figure into Hexagon and back again, prior to the steps mentioned above.
The reason being that, instead of having to select a domain, you can create your own domain (the whole model) with your own, selected name. So when you get into the morph area within Carrara's Vertex Modeler, just select it under Figure level and make any morph you want whether it's in the head, foot, fingernail... whatever...
But I don't recall ever the glitchy behavior you speak of. Never. Perhaps it's due to the exporting and importing... why do that?
That's the work flow that's performed in software, where you have to export the morph, because there really isn't anything you can do with it in the app your in - like Modo. But in Carrara, where you save all of your people, creatures, plants and scenes as Carrara files anyways... this step is not at all necessary. Like I've said earlier, Carrara is not a good tool to use for exporting content for use elsewhere. It does, however, excel at using most type of content within itself, once you apply its shaders and such.
For actually creating new morphs to include into an external package to either give away or sell or whatever... don't use Carrara. Using DS and Hex eliminates the need for the import/export stuff, since the bridge does the work for you. However, I know that Modo and ZBrush have been the more popular choice amongst many of the professionals doing it. Any modeler that can export a morph should be able to do it. For some reason, Carrara exports in a bizarre way. Perhaps this is something that could (and certainly should) change. Many people have been reporting strange results from simple exporting of the OBJ format - being opened again - even back into Carrara. OBJs created in 3ds, maya, LW, Modo, Poser, etc., open just fine in Carrara.
Carrara is a great open and use it and finally render it solution - the new Daz Studio 4.5 Pro, with Hexagon 2.5 as a side modeler, is an excellent content creation system - especially for Poser/Daz content. Many artists here rave Hex all over the VM in Carrara anyways. Kind of like using MS Office to edit an image file for use in shaders... just don't... use Gimp or PS instead - then bring those images into MS Office to finish your article.
Being easily confused and having a low frustration threshold, I do what is easiest. For me that is Studio to Hex, send to hex from studio, do the morph, send back to studio and save. Can't get any easier then that ;)
What I want to know is how to make a fit morph for clothes that have gone through the autofit for genesis. I need to model in the assembly room and I must be missing a step because it just doesn't work.. Of coarse if auto fit actually worked I wouldn't need to fix the clothes; backs are almost always out of the clothes.
Hi, ManStan,
since I am not into using human figures with Carrara right now (mainly due to a missing rigging-system for all applications), I am not up to date what problems Genesis might cause with autofit. I did run into serious problems with Genesis, when I tried this-and-that (e.g. the whole head/face structure is ripped into several parts, making morphing in external programs quite difficult, to say the least). The workflow I showed above won't work with Genesis, for sure. Neither are the morphs shifted towards the figure (meaning: Newly created morphs are not available in the assembly room), nor are the tweening steps working the way I outlined them.
In general I'd say that any "auto fit functionality" needs quite some programming effort. It's easy to do with clothes that are modeled FROM the figure's mesh, but that, naturally, won't be the case very often. Everything else will always be some kind of physics-simulation, tracing for intersections of polygons etc.But that's "only" the programming side (to explain that I would most certainly love some "throw cloth on this figure" function, but do know where the problems with tht are).
As for the workflow part: Could you perhaps present one or two screenshots of how far you get? Maybe I can spot the step you're missing, although my expertise with Carrara consists only of some more or less planfree hours of playing and trying to get something done "in a straight line".
Gust
HI Timlemi :)
Daz3D and Poser content is protected by default, to prevent eager users from breaking stuff.
Carrara can be used to create morphs for any mesh object which isn't protected from editing.
You can also remove this "protection" if you know what you're doing,. but it's a one way trip.
Daz Studio has a "Bridge" to take a model from DS into Hexagon to allow the user to create morphs,. and then send that back to DS,. where the new figure can be saved into a Poser CR2 (figure) or Daz Studio format.
Carrara isn't Poser or Daz Studio,. it doesn't create CR2 (poser figures) or Daz Studio figures / characters.
Carrara can be used to model,. create morphs, add rigging,. paint textures onto the model, animate the model, and render.
I agree,. this is a normal work-flow in applications which do not have any modelling and morphing capabilities built into them.
However,.. you would not expect that same work-flow in a full 3D program like 3d MAX
Morphs can be "Saved" by simply adjusting the mesh shape. and assigning that shape as a Morph target.
The same work-flow applies in Carrara.
No need to export morphs as OBJ, then import the OBJ,.
You can create and use morphs directly in the program.
Hi, 3dage,
thanks for the comment. Unfortunately you seem to have missed some of my postings earlier in this thread, perhaps you might want to read what I posted :-) Discussion has further progressed and I even posted a small walk-through of morph creation inside Carrara (no external program used) here.
Gust
HI Timlemi :)
I did actually read through most of the relevant information you wrote,. I skipped some of the ranting stuff :) we all need to rant sometimes, but it detracts from your real issue..
The series of morph creation steps you posted,. show that it's possible to create morphs in carrara. even on protected content.
the fact that you're saying it works,. and sometimes it doesn't ... is down to the work-flow you're using,.. and inexperience of how carrara works.
sometimes you're doing it correctly,. and sometimes not.
You're trying to work the same way you would in a different application,. EG: export morph target as OBJ, then import obj...
But,. many programs work in different ways, and have differently named functions, or tools, which essentially perform the same function.
Learning how one program works doesn't automatically translate to knowing how all programs work. or expecting all programs to work in the exact same way.
even text editors and Daw's have different ways of working, and different functions or work-flows.
also, you're working with (Imported) content, designed to be used in Poser or DS, where the users don't have access to functions which could destroy the mesh, UV mapping, Rigging, Weight painting,.. etc.
This is why DAZ3D and Poser content is initially "protected" in Carrara, and that protection can prevent you from editing the mesh, and potentially breaking the way the model works.
Carrara is a self contained 3D working environment, where the user can model, texture, rig, animate and render, without requiring any other application. so, you can make an animated figure with morphs, entirely in Carrara without using import or export.
What isn't supported in Carrara is exporting that figure and it's custom morphs as a New Poser / DS compatible figure.
If that's your goal,. you should use DS plus Hexagon. or Poser to create those figures. not carrara.
Hope it helps :)
Sorry, I clearly run into dead ends without involving other programs. Weird error messages are not really a sign of the user doing "everything wrong", but a sign of propable flaws in the software.
Trying to quit Carrara sometimes gives me this (see below). So using the program at the state it is in does not make sense to me (version 8.1 is not that stable either and lacks too much functionality). Sorry, I seem to have stumped people on their feet here, I really thought "give and take" would work, so I put up the work of showing some walk throughs, maybe helping others. I regret this now.
I feel more frustrated than from using Carrara by the seeming impossibility here to accept that there are SERIOUS problems in Carrara that are not being addressed for years (according to the bug center). Saying that bugs are user's errors doesn't solve anything, sorry.
I apologize to have bothered you. Won't happen again for some time.
Gust
Incorrect about timlemi's comment regarding his steps working for Genesis... it's exactly how you CAN do it with Genesis - as with any other figure.
The major difficulty with Auto-fit clothing (or anything else that's been auito-fit) is that the process initially converts the mesh to a shape that is estimated to work with generic Genesis. This is the form you see if you open such an item in Carrara's vertex modeler.
But here's the other problem that requires some kind of explanation, or experimentation. In order to do so you have to first remove topology protection. from that point on... done. Forget it. I'm wondering if this is being worked on? I haven't messed with it much - and I believe that's why.
This is something I've never tried with the D|S > Hex bridge. I bet the results are more resembling something manageable. Have you tried that?
There appears to be a bug somewhere in the 'Export Morph Target' in the model room for content figures. It should be a simple 4 step process. The Parameters save component is also not working(related?). I found these repeatable bugs in other topics, but no one wanted to confirm, so Im still researching. Using C8.5 beta atm but,...as a content site with many figures heavily dependent on morphing, it should be a MAJOR priority to have working right.
I'd like to add to that that we should have the ability to unlock the figure. I have that ability to a certain degree with Fenric's plugin. I'll look into this soon - as to whether it unlocks it to a point of being able to create full body targets. But even if the locks remain locked... we have a way around that in the method I've been mentioning. I am lucky in that I have no current desire to export morphs - it should be possible - it's alctually possible, but the possibility is broken, point in fact. That's apparrently not the only thing. It seems that the export features in Carrara all need a good tidyig up and fixing. While at it - make it even better with more options and flexibility that lends well to content creators.
We should really have the ability to use Carrara as a content creator for Daz Studio, Poser and popular 3d export formats. No reason not to.
I'd like to add to that that we should have the ability to unlock the figure. I have that ability to a certain degree with Fenric's plugin. I'll look into this soon - as to whether it unlocks it to a point of being able to create full body targets. But even if the locks remain locked... we have a way around that in the method I've been mentioning. I am lucky in that I have no current desire to export morphs - it should be possible - it's alctually possible, but the possibility is broken, point in fact. That's apparrently not the only thing. It seems that the export features in Carrara all need a good tidyig up and fixing. While at it - make it even better with more options and flexibility that lends well to content creators.
We should really have the ability to use Carrara as a content creator for Daz Studio, Poser and popular 3d export formats. No reason not to.
Hi Dartanbeck.
We have the ability to unlock poser imports now(though its undocumented). But unlocking them, or in other words, converting them to Carrara native rigging, means you will loose any poser imported features that Carrara can read(JCM's, conforming clothing etc.). Genesis, when completed for Carrara, is a native format(correct if wrong). Agree, the OPs issues with morph creation is that this should be a simple process, even if you have to do it Carraras way. Its bugged, not fully documented, and errors for other things happen that shouldn't. The only way I see to fix it is to find a repeatable way to show this in the Bug Tracker and have others leave notes.
I just want to make autofit clothes fit. And apparently modeling in the assembly room doesn't work on autofit clothes.
But as far as making character morphs, I'll do the Studio/Hex thing, it is just so much easier then trying it in carrara.
In carrara there are just too many steps to making a morph; and I am bound to screw one up someplace.
DAZ trying to protect my content from me hacks me off to no end. Say I'm using one of Jack's modular sets, and I want to make a hall. I can't just get a section set up then duplicate it, I have to bring all the pieces in, set them up, align them then repeat several times. Turning an operation that should just take a few minutes, in to hours of work.
I agree. PITA. Shouldn't be assuming the worst from the paying customers - who should be able to tear sh... stuff apart o a whim.