Is there any way to infinitely increase the length of props?

Ck377

Hi everyone,Im going to create a man who is walking his dog, and I need to find a enough length ropes to lead the dog. 

But I find the ropes and chains all I find is not enough length, maybe some of these ropes could be increased in length,but its just increase a little.

I know most of people will scale z ,but it also will cause distortion.

So Is there any way to infinitely increase the length of my belt or any props?

SofaCitizen

Not got time to open DS right now, but if you increase the Z scale it will just distort the shader right? So you can go into the geometry and increase the tiling until it looks normal?

Ck377

SofaCitizen said:

Not got time to open DS right now, but if you increase the Z scale it will just distort the shader right? So you can go into the geometry and increase the tiling until it looks normal?

 what do you mean go into the geometry and increase the tiling? can you show me some preview?Sorry Im beginner about geomerty 

Richard Haseltine

Ck377 said:

SofaCitizen said:

Not got time to open DS right now, but if you increase the Z scale it will just distort the shader right? So you can go into the geometry and increase the tiling until it looks normal?

 what do you mean go into the geometry and increase the tiling? can you show me some preview?Sorry Im beginner about geomerty 

In the Editor tab of the Surfaces pane, with the lead selected, scroll down to the tiling section and increase the repeat (horizontal or vertical - you may need to experiment) to compensate for the scaling. E.g. if you scale to 300% (three times as long) then set the repeat value to 3, so it repeats the texture three times along the length of the lead and so - with luck, depending on how the maps are done - avoids distortion.

SofaCitizen

Something like this:

The first image is a rope, the second is a copy scaled along a single axis to 1,000%, the third is the same scaled version but with the tiling of the surface texture multiplied by 10. Obviously, as can be seen this technique is not perfect as this rope has frayed edges with then look stupid scaled to this extreme so you'd just have to hide those bits. This also only works if the detail is part of a texture and not actual geometry.

To do this you would use the "Surface" tab (with the object selected) and expand the surface name, then Geometry and then click the "Tiling" section and you should see the "Vertical Tiles" modifier. That is the one I mulitplied by 10 (it was 5 originally).

This example was made using the SY dForce Ropes, Vines and Tubes product which does already have an extra long rope prop which is about 9 or 10 times longer than the short version so it might be that you can just buy that instead.

 

crosswind

OP probably meant the distortion of shape rather than texture when scaling... If so, better name the product or show us an SS.  Depending on the prop, there might be a way to lengthen it... like the one as below, by joining and hiding...

Ck377

SofaCitizen said:

Something like this:

The first image is a rope, the second is a copy scaled along a single axis to 1,000%, the third is the same scaled version but with the tiling of the surface texture multiplied by 10. Obviously, as can be seen this technique is not perfect as this rope has frayed edges with then look stupid scaled to this extreme so you'd just have to hide those bits. This also only works if the detail is part of a texture and not actual geometry.

To do this you would use the "Surface" tab (with the object selected) and expand the surface name, then Geometry and then click the "Tiling" section and you should see the "Vertical Tiles" modifier. That is the one I mulitplied by 10 (it was 5 originally).

This example was made using the SY dForce Ropes, Vines and Tubes product which does already have an extra long rope prop which is about 9 or 10 times longer than the short version so it might be that you can just buy that instead.

 

Sorry for the misrepresentation, it should be that scaling Z causes the shape of the prop to change, not the shader. It's a problem like the image below. I have this problem with my other belt. sy's post does stretch infinitely, but I think his rope can't do same thing

Ck377

crosswind said:

OP probably meant the distortion of shape rather than texture when scaling... If so, better name the product or show us an SS.  Depending on the prop, there might be a way to lengthen it... like the one as below, by joining and hiding...

Yes,its what I mean!

Splicing two props is the one of way, but if I need a very long length belt and chain(like I want to create some superhero who got chained superpower), its does not work well. 

crosswind

Ck377 said:

crosswind said:

OP probably meant the distortion of shape rather than texture when scaling... If so, better name the product or show us an SS.  Depending on the prop, there might be a way to lengthen it... like the one as below, by joining and hiding...

Yes,its what I mean!

Splicing two props is the one of way, but if I need a very long length belt and chain(like I want to create some superhero who got chained superpower), its does not work well. 

OK, chains will be much easier... usually 3 ways to lengthen the chain: 1) create instances 2) join one chain to another and duplicate them as you wish 3) make one by yourself (not necessary as you have no way to make it 'infinitely lengthy' ). You should find a chain prop with multiple bones, that'll be very easy for manipulation.

Besides, for the similar case like 'superhero got chained', as long as you have a chain with segments (multi-joints) or with dForce, and some patience of course, you can get what you want... Or using some product may be also fine.

 

 

Ck377

crosswind said:

Ck377 said:

crosswind said:

OP probably meant the distortion of shape rather than texture when scaling... If so, better name the product or show us an SS.  Depending on the prop, there might be a way to lengthen it... like the one as below, by joining and hiding...

Yes,its what I mean!

Splicing two props is the one of way, but if I need a very long length belt and chain(like I want to create some superhero who got chained superpower), its does not work well. 

OK, chains will be much easier... usually 3 ways to lengthen the chain: 1) create instances 2) join one chain to another and duplicate them as you wish 3) make one by yourself (not necessary as you have no way to make it 'infinitely lengthy' ). You should find a chain prop with multiple bones, that'll be very easy for manipulation.

Besides, for the similar case like 'superhero got chained', as long as you have a chain with segments (multi-joints) or with dForce, and some patience of course, you can get what you want... Or using some product may be also fine.

 

I have followed your approach once, please see if I am doing it correctly. 1.I made a direct copy of the chain by clicking directly on Create - New Node Instance, and then ds made a direct copy of the chain, but it's just a solid, no skeleton (my chain has multiple bones)it looks not good for adjusting

2.(copy)Duplicating the chains directly and then ds gives me exactly the same chain, which I usually find the most convenient when very complex transformations are not needed, but once very long lengths are needed, duplicating them one by one is also time consuming, and the duplicated new chains are in the same position as the old ones, so I need to adjust their positions every time

3.So I just connected two chains together, and then connected the parent of one to the other, and then clicked on copy, so that I can just copy a long chain with bones, (I'm not sure if I need to change the parent, I think ds will just copy one of them if I don't) By doing this I can just copy three or four longer chains out

WendyLuvsCatz

as tedious as it is one solution is to create induvidual links and use parametric rigging 

free tutorial by Catherine https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/54021/legacy-rigging-for-props-tutorial

if you can find her latest reupload 

or Sickleyield

 

I actually have a brief tutorial somewhere on the forum too but cannot find it

may need to google,

this is very easy to do in my preferred software Carrara, similar workflow but one can just keep clicking duplicate to make the chain

other modelling programs probably have similar advantages 

D|S you would need to position each duplicated link pair (torus primitives )

then export an obj with write groups checked

import it into figure set up pane by right clicking add geometry and drag each polymesh into a hierarchy 

then set limits on each bone

(Carrara I can do them all at once applying ball joint IK to children  I would hate doing this in DAZ studio so no intention of trying)

or don't

can parent each torus  in turn in the  scene menu, set limits, use constraints pointing at the previous one

either method too much work for me  

crosswind

...

3.So I just connected two chains together, and then connected the parent of one to the other, and then clicked on copy, so that I can just copy a long chain with bones, (I'm not sure if I need to change the parent, I think ds will just copy one of them if I don't) By doing this I can just copy three or four longer chains out

如果你不想自己制作链子，就用些更好的链子，你用的这条也太短了，可不是要复制很多次咩~  我之前贴图里的那条，一百三四十个环，rig得也很不错，复制一两次就很长了。。。 若希望用链子给姿势，有常用技巧，可私信

Ck377

crosswind said:

...

3.So I just connected two chains together, and then connected the parent of one to the other, and then clicked on copy, so that I can just copy a long chain with bones, (I'm not sure if I need to change the parent, I think ds will just copy one of them if I don't) By doing this I can just copy three or four longer chains out

如果你不想自己制作链子，就用些更好的链子，你用的这条也太短了，可不是要复制很多次咩~  我之前贴图里的那条，一百三四十个环，rig得也很不错，复制一两次就很长了。。。 若希望用链子给姿势，有常用技巧，可私信

Thank you very much,massage send you 

Catherine3678ab

WendyLuvsCatz said:

as tedious as it is one solution is to create induvidual links and use parametric rigging 

free tutorial by Catherine https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/54021/legacy-rigging-for-props-tutorial

if you can find her latest reupload 

or Sickleyield

 

I actually have a brief tutorial somewhere on the forum too but cannot find it

may need to google,

this is very easy to do in my preferred software Carrara, similar workflow but one can just keep clicking duplicate to make the chain

other modelling programs probably have similar advantages 

D|S you would need to position each duplicated link pair (torus primitives )

then export an obj with write groups checked

import it into figure set up pane by right clicking add geometry and drag each polymesh into a hierarchy 

then set limits on each bone

(Carrara I can do them all at once applying ball joint IK to children  I would hate doing this in DAZ studio so no intention of trying)

or don't

can parent each torus  in turn in the  scene menu, set limits, use constraints pointing at the previous one

either method too much work for me  

Sorry 'bout that, missed one. It's not handy and it's in a "safe place" somewhere I'm sure. Probably could use a little updating so one day I should revisit the topic.

I think Sickleyield has a decent chain or tail tutorial over at Deviantart.

And The WP Guru has some video tutorials over at YouTube.