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Creating Alternate UV sets for character meshes in DAZ Studio...

LaughingVulcanLaughingVulcan Posts: 77
edited December 1969 in New Users

Guys,

Is there a specific procedure to create and import UV maps into a character in DAZ Studio?

To be clearer:

If, in Lightwave, I want to re-map Chibi Bel so her UV layout are closer to, say, V4's:

• How do I save the new UV's out of LW? What format should I save it in?

• More importantly, HOW do I load the new UV's onto either Bel when I get into DAZ Studio? (I've got 4.6 Pro, if that makes a difference.)

• Is there a tutorial on this somewhere?

Thanks!

Greg L.

Comments

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,614
    edited December 1969

    a re UV mapped object file of the original one can be imported under surfaces import UV
    I have done that with many things
    just simple UV changes like making planar which I have done to Daz figures for painted on clothes as one can just chose body surfaces omitting head hands feet.
    I would not know how to easily go about copying the UV of another different mesh though yet
    moving the islands around and resizing rotating only way I knew
    am learning
    just bought Zbrush but PC at shop being upgraded but using retopolgy might make it easier.
    I assume you can do the UV matching bit already in Lightwave too.

  • ben98120000ben98120000 Posts: 469
    edited July 2014

    1. Load a figure in DS
    2. Select the figure and in parameters tab under General - Mesh Resolution set resolution level to base.
    3. Export the figure as .obj with Write groups - use figure name and Write UV coordinates
    4. Import .obj in program you use to modify UV. When done, save/export it as .obj
    5. In DS have same figure selected in scene tab and surface tab.
    &. Click with right mouse button on surface tab (on the letters "surface") to get a menu. From the menu select Load UV Set...(or Edit - Figure - Geometry - Load UV Set..) and a import geometry window will open where you can select that .obj with modified UV. You will be asked a name for new UV.
    6. Check how it works and if you are satisfied save UV with File - Save As.. - Support Asset - UV Asset(s)...

    Post edited by ben98120000 on
  • patience55patience55 Posts: 7,006
    edited December 1969

    ben98120000 gave a very good summary.

    I do have a tutorial which is a little more long winded and has pics.
    http://patience55anotherone.deviantart.com/art/Skinning-Dino-461534703

  • LaughingVulcanLaughingVulcan Posts: 77
    edited December 1969

    wendy♥catz said:
    a re UV mapped object file of the original one can be imported under surfaces import UV
    I have done that with many things
    just simple UV changes like making planar which I have done to Daz figures for painted on clothes as one can just chose body surfaces omitting head hands feet.
    I would not know how to easily go about copying the UV of another different mesh though yet
    moving the islands around and resizing rotating only way I knew
    am learning
    just bought Zbrush but PC at shop being upgraded but using retopolgy might make it easier.
    I assume you can do the UV matching bit already in Lightwave too.


    Okay...cool...so it CAN be done! :D

    (I can 'unzip' the body/head in Lightwave, but unless I merge all the separate body parts, the UV function will separate the UV's out into little 'island' pieces of the different body parts...I MAY have to merge...THEN UV and THEN separate out the body parts again...THAT should put the base mesh back to where it should be, point count-wise.)

    I can match up the 'islands' in Lightwave, but it's a manual process, AFAIK. :(

    Thank you, Wendy, for the response, BTW! :D

  • LaughingVulcanLaughingVulcan Posts: 77
    edited December 1969

    ben98120000 said:
    1. Load a figure in DS
    2. Select the figure and in parameters tab under General - Mesh Resolution set resolution level to base.
    3. Export the figure as .obj with Write groups - use figure name and Write UV coordinates
    4. Import .obj in program you use to modify UV. When done, save/export it as .obj
    5. In DS have same figure selected in scene tab and surface tab.
    &. Click with right mouse button on surface tab (on the letters "surface") to get a menu. From the menu select Load UV Set...(or Edit - Figure - Geometry - Load UV Set..) and a import geometry window will open where you can select that .obj with modified UV. You will be asked a name for new UV.
    6. Check how it works and if you are satisfied save UV with File - Save As.. - Support Asset - UV Asset(s)...

    Screencapped this for Reference...this should DEFINITELY help! Thank you, ben! :)

  • LaughingVulcanLaughingVulcan Posts: 77
    edited December 1969

    Patience55 said:
    ben98120000 gave a very good summary.

    I do have a tutorial which is a little more long winded and has pics.
    http://patience55anotherone.deviantart.com/art/Skinning-Dino-461534703

    Patience, thank YOU, as well! :D

    Downloading the ZIP...! :D

  • patience55patience55 Posts: 7,006
    edited December 1969

    You're welcome, hope it's helpful.

    btw [and just in case for others reading about this for the lst time], if one is simply re-arranging existing uvmaps, they are not redistributable. For redistributable uvmaps, one has to create a new one from scratch. You can though, select the same areas for Shading Domains and name them the same so mat files will work irregardless of which uvset is being used ;-)

  • BejaymacBejaymac Posts: 1,897
    edited December 1969

    ben98120000 said:
    1. Load a figure in DS
    2. Select the figure and in parameters tab under General - Mesh Resolution set resolution level to base.
    3. Export the figure as .obj with Write groups - use figure name and Write UV coordinates
    4. Import .obj in program you use to modify UV. When done, save/export it as .obj
    5. In DS have same figure selected in scene tab and surface tab.
    &. Click with right mouse button on surface tab (on the letters "surface") to get a menu. From the menu select Load UV Set...(or Edit - Figure - Geometry - Load UV Set..) and a import geometry window will open where you can select that .obj with modified UV. You will be asked a name for new UV.
    6. Check how it works and if you are satisfied save UV with File - Save As.. - Support Asset - UV Asset(s)...

    That method only works if your working with a TriAx figure ie Genesis or Genesis 2 Female, Poser format content isn't native to DS and is just as "user unfriendly" to the DSON format as they were to the old .DAZ scene files.

    You still load alternate UVs the same way as stated, but saving them is a different process as Poser content doesn't have .DSF assets to work with.

    You can save it as a Material Preset (.DUF) as that will save the alt UV data into the .DUF file, but you will have to manually select the UV after applying the MAT preset.

    The other option is to save the figure as a Scene Subset, this will convert the figure into the DSON format (not TriAx) and will save out .DSF asset files for it. Two drawbacks to this method, first is you can forget about using the original CR2 as you will be using that .DUF Scene Subset from now on. Second is that all of the asset files are saved into the "data/auto_adapted" folder, and that is just one big melting pot of a disaster wait to happen.

  • CathyMCathyM Posts: 261
    edited December 1969

    Thanks LaughingVulcan for asking this question! :) I was just trying to find a way to do something like this myself. I am still not clear on the answer though - if I was trying to use say Stephanie 5 UV maps on Genesis 2 female, would I use the above method? I am sort of confused on the steps to take for this.. Thanks! -Cathy

  • LaughingVulcanLaughingVulcan Posts: 77
    edited December 1969

    Patience55 said:
    You're welcome, hope it's helpful.

    btw [and just in case for others reading about this for the lst time], if one is simply re-arranging existing uvmaps, they are not redistributable. For redistributable uvmaps, one has to create a new one from scratch. You can though, select the same areas for Shading Domains and name them the same so mat files will work irregardless of which uvset is being used ;-)

    No, I'm trying to do a brand-new unwrapping of ChibiBel (in this case), because they did a BAD layout for the body. (Think the front/back body split seen in Posette from Poser 3...a WHOLE lot of wasted space around the T pose body. )

    Shading Domains? Not sure what that is...The base colors on the figure, I assume?

    Tried it yesterday...got up to loading the new 'UV' OBJ file...and then it force-quit...repeatedly.
    I tried doing the same with the base ChibiBel OBJ as a TEST...It loaded without incident.
    So it was something awry with my file.
    I'm gonna have to go back into my 'New UV' file and re-check everything again...see what I missed... :(
    May have loose points in there that are screwing things up.

    Thanks for the patience, Patience! :D

  • LaughingVulcanLaughingVulcan Posts: 77
    edited December 1969

    CathyM said:
    Thanks LaughingVulcan for asking this question! :) I was just trying to find a way to do something like this myself. I am still not clear on the answer though - if I was trying to use say Stephanie 5 UV maps on Genesis 2 female, would I use the above method? I am sort of confused on the steps to take for this.. Thanks! -Cathy

    I'd defer to these gentlepeople, they know more than me! :) *bows to them* :)

    From what I understood, Stephanie 5 is, what, Genesis 2? So it SHOULD be Tri-Ax...and that procedure SHOULD work.

    I think.

    Hopefully.

    Aw, heck...Just give it a go...

    What's the worst that could happen?!
    *Runs away before the kabooomm* :P

  • patience55patience55 Posts: 7,006
    edited December 1969

    LaughingVulcan said:
    Patience55 said:
    You're welcome, hope it's helpful.

    btw [and just in case for others reading about this for the lst time], if one is simply re-arranging existing uvmaps, they are not redistributable. For redistributable uvmaps, one has to create a new one from scratch. You can though, select the same areas for Shading Domains and name them the same so mat files will work irregardless of which uvset is being used ;-)

    No, I'm trying to do a brand-new unwrapping of ChibiBel (in this case), because they did a BAD layout for the body. (Think the front/back body split seen in Posette from Poser 3...a WHOLE lot of wasted space around the T pose body. )

    Shading Domains? Not sure what that is...The base colors on the figure, I assume?

    Tried it yesterday...got up to loading the new 'UV' OBJ file...and then it force-quit...repeatedly.
    I tried doing the same with the base ChibiBel OBJ as a TEST...It loaded without incident.
    So it was something awry with my file.
    I'm gonna have to go back into my 'New UV' file and re-check everything again...see what I missed... :(
    May have loose points in there that are screwing things up.

    Thanks for the patience, Patience! :D

    It's been a little too busy a week for me ... see Bejaymac's post for the Poser files. The other save methods being described were for figures like Genesis. [triax, not .cr2s]

    Keep in mind that some of the .cr2s were made some time ago ... they were not "bad" layouts in their time.
    I don't have that figure to test with but 'maybe' if you save a copy of the existing .obj file to a safe place ... then import the .obj you have in the geometry folder to Hexagon ... do NOT move it from whatever position it loads as. If you put a new uvmap on it, you will have a lot of work to do in unwrapping it as the object is grouped. To keep the uvmap it already has might be a better idea. Somehow select the various shading domains and resize/reposition them as you please. Do not weld "anything". Export it back out to the very same spot overwriting the older file. Then open D/S and run the .cr2 and see if it works as desired. If not, replace the tampered with .obj with the one you saved to a safe place.

    Quite frankly I think you'd get nicer results a lot faster just using an existing shader on the figure in D/S and forget about trying to put a new uvmap on it. Doesn't really matter if there's wasted space about the T pose template. To get more detail if that's what the aim is, you can also use a much larger image. Say 4.000 by 4.000 instead of whatever it is now. 96pix is fine for monitors, if printing up it to 300.

    If trying for 'doll' textures, the shaders illustrated in this product may be of interest.
    http://www.daz3d.com/dolled-up

  • JaderailJaderail Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    For using a Steph 5 texture on the V6 figure you are better off using the Built in Texture converter and just converting the Steph 5 texture files to the V6 figures UV's than remapping the V6 to the Steph 5 UV.

  • PendraiaPendraia Posts: 3,598
    edited December 1969

    Bejaymac said:

    That method only works if your working with a TriAx figure ie Genesis or Genesis 2 Female, Poser format content isn't native to DS and is just as "user unfriendly" to the DSON format as they were to the old .DAZ scene files.

    You still load alternate UVs the same way as stated, but saving them is a different process as Poser content doesn't have .DSF assets to work with.

    You can save it as a Material Preset (.DUF) as that will save the alt UV data into the .DUF file, but you will have to manually select the UV after applying the MAT preset.

    The other option is to save the figure as a Scene Subset, this will convert the figure into the DSON format (not TriAx) and will save out .DSF asset files for it. Two drawbacks to this method, first is you can forget about using the original CR2 as you will be using that .DUF Scene Subset from now on. Second is that all of the asset files are saved into the "data/auto_adapted" folder, and that is just one big melting pot of a disaster wait to happen.

    What about if you are creating V4 UV's for a triax figure for example Dawn?
  • Lissa_xyzLissa_xyz Posts: 6,116
    edited April 2015

    I'm opening this back up because I'd like to find out how the alternate uvs are actually created. Does it require software that allows copying uvs between two completely different figures/objects (example, G2F and Imploo lol, or a cube and a monkey head, etc), or are Figure A's UVs just moved around until Figure B's textures match up (and actually not requiring any copying at all), obj resaved from the modeler, and imported as a uv asset?

    Post edited by Lissa_xyz on
  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 102,848
    edited December 1969

    As far as I know most sets are made by just moving the vertices around on the UV map, I would guess with the original figure that is being matched loaded in the background for cross-generation UV matching. However, as long as the geometry was unchanged any tool should be usable.

  • Lissa_xyzLissa_xyz Posts: 6,116
    edited December 1969

    Thanks!

    /reply too short/

  • johann.hesters_2e9dd0ece9johann.hesters_2e9dd0ece9 Posts: 342

    Dear @patience55

    Unfortunately your tutorial is down.

    Would you upload it again somewhere?

    I would love to see it.

    Thank you very much!

  • FlortaleFlortale Posts: 611

    Does anyone know how to do this in Poser 11?

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