New Users Contest *November 2013* ►►► WIP THREAD ◄◄◄
Chohole
Posts: 33,604
New User's Contest - November
Sponsored by DAZ 3D and IgnisSerpentus
Are you new to the 3D World? Are you at the beginning stages of learning 3D rendering? Have you been around for a little bit but feel you could benefit from some feedback or instruction? Have you been around awhile and would like to help other members start their creative journey? Well then come and join the fun as we host our newest contest...
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" Texturing using Templates"
This combined contest is designed to help you when re-texturing an item, using either shaders or jpg textures
Shaders and textures are 2 different ways of creating a new look for your Clothing and/or Props and each has it's uses. As this is a complicated subject we have decided to run the Contest over 2 months, concentrating on Shaders during the first month and textures during the second.
Intent: A New Look to an older product.
Second part for November we are going to concentrate on using Textures on templates
Which product? The choice is yours, of course, but we do recommend that as a first try you use a product that is infinitely variable in how it can be made to look and also easy to work with.
SnowSultan has produced Seam Guide template copies of many UV maps and one of these is the MFD (Morphing Fantasy Dress) which is available to fit most of the DAZ 3D female figures, with the UV maps being shared by almost all of them. It can also, if you are using the Genesis version, be worn by the Genesis male as well :coolsmirk:
The only exception is the MFD for Step Petite, which has unique mapping.
SnowSultan's Seam guide templates can be found here http://www.snowsultan.com/3.html
The MFD Seam Guide Template can be found here http://www.snowsultan.com/seams/mega_mfdseam.gif
And the expansion pack 1 here http://www.snowsultan.com/seams/x1_seams.zip
However what you choose to retexture is really totally up to you. Templates for other Daz 3d Clothing products can often be found on the product page. They are also being added to the product library section, so you should soon be able to find the templates alongside the product in your product library.
I will be checking in on the WIP THREAD as will the rest of the Community Volunteers to try and help with anything you all may need
For a list of the current contest rules, please see this thread :Contest Rules
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For those veterans of the forums that would like to help, because this contest is designed for the beginner to learn from, we will be randomly selecting posts offering helpful tips and/or critiques to receive a special voucher as well so whether you are a seasoned artist or an aspiring one, there is fun for everyone!
We would like to thank IgnisSerpentus who has graciously decided to sponsor this month’s contest They will be awarding a special prize to the winners of this month’s contest. To view some of IgnisSerpentus items please see their store front here IgnisSerpentus Store
Closing Date: November 30th 2013
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Comments
tutorial links and other helpful stuff
Link to one tutorial that I did Texturing Tutorial
Where to find Templates on the store pages
Where to find the template in your Product Library
Yes, it is another month of my newbie questions :red: I am so sorry I don't understand these things yet, but I am trying!!
What is a seam guide and what do you do with it?
If you are talking about the seam guides I have referred to in the NU contest, they are simply textures templates which someone has kindly set up with seam guides, to make it easier for people to make textures using them They have all the seam matches coloured to show where the parts meet, and also have different colour zones shown at the edges of each part, if you want to make textures with shorter skirts, etc.
If you download a standard texture template and a seam guide one then you will see what I mean.
BTW did you mean to post this into the actual Contest WIP thread? if so I will move it there
Thank you chohole I will download them and look to see if I can understand what your saying.
I was going to post to the New User's Contest - November WIP Thread but saw on your Oct 31 post this comment "post reserved for tutorial links and other helpful stuff" and was not sure if I was allowed to post to that thread.
As there were no other posters besides yourself last night when I looked at it, I decided to just create a new post so as not to break any rules.
If this question belongs in that thread then please feel free to move it there!
I am sure it is my being new to posting and such so if I misunderstood your comment it was probably me not your LOL :roll: So no need to correct yourself, I am the one who is being careful not to do anything wrong.
LOL ... by the way when I went back to get the comment above for this post, I saw the tutorial below it (such a duh moment.. LOL) Thanks for posting I will go read that right now!!!
Yes and we will add more tutorials as the month goes along,
Hi FireFly I'm here and I'm sure others you met last month will be too. Chohole is the Texture artist among our group so listen to her and you'll learn so much.
I am already blown away by her tutorial !!
I read it through, now I am attempting to design my own outfit to use with the contest. I really love that you are all doing this for us!!! Definately excited about this one, hope I can do fairly well this time.
Thanks again for being there for us!
LOL already have a question. :)
The decorations used on the dress, do they have to be 3D models of some sort? The tutorial said you copied it from the psd, but that to me says it is just a layered picture.
And another question ... sorry.
I have Poser 2014 installed, but have not even opened it yet (Started trying to learn Daz, taking these one at a time you know) Can you give instructions on how to do this part in Poser, or an alternative way in Daz?
"When I have the basic design mapped out I then fill the selected area with pure white and then save it as a jpg. I then open poser and apply the texture in the mat room and bring the camera in close so I can check my matches are exact."
SO So sorry I am totally ignorant to all this. I really don't mean to be a pain (though I am sure I am :red:)
Thanks in advance for anything you can do.
First one first, the Texture is JUST a image file, what is meant is she used the Detail from a psd. The Finished texture must not be layered.
Second. In DAZ Studio You Put your Texture with a Name in the folder plan to use IN the DAZ Studio content folder. You then Load the item you made the texture for. You the use the Surfaces tab to Load your texture to each surface just like like you do a shader. Then you can Save as a Material and load it from that time on like a Pro made one.
Hear is what I am getting from what you said.
First everything I do to change the template is nothing more than an image file that will serve to "texture" the original file (MFD dress) in Daz.
Because it is not an actual UV all texturing must be done in Photoshop before merging the layers into a single .jpg file.
Here I am assuming, because it is the MFD dress I would need -- V3 loaded (and I believe the MFD dress also??)
The Trans map (in the surface tab) will make anything not superimposed in white or gray on it invisible in Daz.
By adding the Texture map I make as the Diffuse map, it will alter the MFD to appear as whatever my Template is.
Am I getting this right so far, or am I still way off base.
I do believe your spot on. But remember this, ALL MFD's execpt the one made for S3 can use the SAME textures, so one texture made for the V3 MFD will work on the V4 MFD and the Genesis MFD also.
REALLY! So I can load any base character including V3, V.2, or Genesis Base and this will fit them?
Okay one more quick question for tonight and then promise I will not bother you again until tomorrow.
I need to be saving this as both a psd file and jpg as I finish stages so I can load the finished work as a jpg, but still have the psd should I need to alter my work ..... right?
And just for clarification I do have to load the MFD before I can add the texture diffuse and spec map right?
Don't need it tonight but eventually I will need more clarification on this statement you made:
"Second. In DAZ Studio You Put your Texture with a Name in the folder plan to use IN the DAZ Studio content folder. You then Load the item you made the texture for. You the use the Surfaces tab to Load your texture to each surface just like like you do a shader. Then you can Save as a Material and load it from that time on like a Pro made one."
I have no idea what folder I would save to .... nor how to save as a Material. Again, don't need it right now if your busy but will eventually.
BTW .... THANKS LOADS for being so patient with me and helping me. I cannot even express how much it is appreciated.
That's NOT what I said I said the MFD's all share the same textures, So your texture MADE from the V3 MFD template will fit the other MFD's I listed.
And Yes to keep your work in both formats, I do.
HMMMM .... so that means ....
Once saved as a material it can be applied to any of the MFD dresses for each individual character.
Now did I get it?
You posted while I was editing my last post, so please take a look again at that one.
Yes you got it correct and yes the Item, MFD, must be loaded to add your textures. Your getting it all now.. I think. Chohole will be back in morn and I'm sure she can/will double check all this for you.
ok really stupid question probably......but could I use this seam guide for the mill dragon2...to design a new skin texture for him....these colored squares line up like a sewing pattern somehow right or not??? thanks Trish
OOh, that's ambitious. A new skin for the dragon..
And remember, just shout if you have any questions. I tend to be lousy at actually writing tutorials, they sort of get away from me and I forget I am supposed to be making it a basic tutorial. But if you ask specific questions, then I will try and asnwer as best I can, without getting to involved,
Is this what the Trans Map for the MFD should look like when it is done?
Dose the Background need to be transparent ..... so should it be a .jpg or a .png
Black is transparent, so that would make your whole dress transparent,
The background doesn't really matter what colour it is, but I do often make my background layer black anyway, It makes the finished texture map les kb in size, and covers any problems if you haven't completely covered the template edges.
But yes, apart from that, you are getting the idea. The parts that you want to still show should be white (or shades of grey for semi transparent )
Easy enough to just make it all black, I can do that! :-)
I have already begun to to white out my garment design. I am not sure I am doing it right ... but I am trying to follow the tutorial best I can. I have never attempted to do this, it is all new to me. I did not even realize this could be done, or what one would use to do it.
I have always downloaded the extra resource files on a product page and many are listed as "Template" but I didn't know what they were for. Just assumed if it was improtant enough to include them then I probably would need or want them.
THANKS for the tutorial, it was great to have something to start with!!!
I am building each peice on a seperate layer so I can go back and make any repairs without having to do the whole garment again. Working with the laso is a bit difficult I usually have to do it a few times before it comes out right ... LOL.
I assume that on each layer the white cannot overlap the previous white layer, or is that really not important?
Once everything is added, then I will just merge all the layers or just flatten it which ever works best, to save as a jpg to put in as a texture.
I do have another question.
Everything I want to show up is done in white (or gray), but should everything else on that layer other than the white parts be filled with black?
Okay ... you can disregard the last question.
Somehow my mind fell into stupid mode, and I was making a copy of the dress template into each layer.
No I cannot tell you why .... perhaps because when I started it was late and my brain just decided that is what I had to do.
Starting over from scratch and hoping I do it right this time. Sorry for the really dumb question.
But I would still like to know if the white sections have to be exact or can they overlap?
And do I paint over the color coded Seamline or stop before the seamline?
I am not sure ambitious is the word (insane is better) ok I have selected the magic wand tool and now it is glowing around all the shapes but I can't find the silly paint bucket...Where does it live??? Ok let me start by saying I have photoshop cs2 and have never played with it at all...(LOST LOST)...I can only hope I don't drive you nuts during this.... also can't find reverse have an inverse is that the same thing...Trish
Yes inverse is the same as reverse in this repsect.
THe paint bucket hides behind that Icon that looks like a flag (sort of)
The paintbucket tool is under the gradient tool, all the tools that have the black triangle in the bottom right hand corner mean that if you click there and hold the mouse button it will show all the tools nested there. Yes inverse reverses your selection.
Never mind. I should have scrolled down farther and I would have seen Trish's question had already been answered. :red:
I try to follw the line as exactly as possible when it is within the outlines of the dress. When it goes outside the outlines, onto the background I do always allow it to do so, this makes sure that you don't get any missed parts on the seams where the two pieces go together, does that makes sense?
And as to the white parts, the parts that should be visible in your final map, as long as they are not spoiling your style lines, then they can overlap. It is the final result, once you have flattened the image that should then show the exact style that you wanted it to,
Once you have your black shape, to give you the transparent parts, you can always alter the layer in the layer dialogue to make it only partially visible, so that you can see the template lines through it.
I will try to do a couple of screen shots later, to show you what I mean.