Garibaldi Express: Hair and Fur Plugin Beta [Commercial]

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Comments

  • BeaBea Posts: 745
    edited December 1969

    Have you any idea when you think the item will be ready for general release :) I think it is a really exciting concept

  • futurebiscuitfuturebiscuit Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    mjc1016 said:
    It's running rock stable now...I did have one or two crashes due to user error...like don't dry a density of several hundred on the old Poser bull (don't ask...it was late, 'nuff said).

    Garibaldi Express does have various memory limit checking functionality, unfortunately I've just realised it's been broken on Windows in the last few beta builds.
  • futurebiscuitfuturebiscuit Posts: 0
    edited December 2012

    Bea said:
    Have you any idea when you think the item will be ready for general release :) I think it is a really exciting concept

    I can't give any particulars away or want to promise anything infeasible but...
    The current schedule is 2-4 more beta/RC versions. Depending on how things go.
    Post edited by futurebiscuit on
  • futurebiscuitfuturebiscuit Posts: 0
    edited December 2012

    andyc747 said:
    Maybe i'm a simpleton, but i cant seem to get the genesis figure into the grabaldi system so that i can use it to create the hair. Am i doing something wrong?
    Hopefully the images are attached. Is there anywhere i can look for debug info to debug this?

    Did you get this to work? Make sure that your figure is selected in the 'Parent Geometry' property parameter of the Garibaldi node in Daz Studio.
    What graphics card/chipset are you using?
    Post edited by futurebiscuit on
  • futurebiscuitfuturebiscuit Posts: 0
    edited December 2012

    Edit: Duplicated post

    Post edited by futurebiscuit on
  • bighbigh Posts: 8,147
    edited December 1969

    Bea said:
    Have you any idea when you think the item will be ready for general release :) I think it is a really exciting concept

    I can't give any particulars away or want to promise anything infeasible but...
    The current schedule is 2-4 more beta/RC versions. Depending on how things go.

    sounds good - I just wanted to be sure you knew we are still here !
    All the best to you and yours.

  • futurebiscuitfuturebiscuit Posts: 0
    edited December 2012

    Mec4D said:
    btw how you made the hair pick up the texture color ? in the last build I see no option to load textures
    or maybe I am missing something

    The easiest way I would recommend for anyone interested is:

    1) Create a blank or rough texture in garibaldi. If you want to use it as a colour control texture make sure you select 'colour' as the type in the New dialog box.
    2) Make sure new texture is selected and press the export button, this will ask for a name and directory to export to.
    3) You should now have a directory where you specified containing a png image for each surface of your character with active hair.
    4) Load and edit the image textures in your favourite image editing program (I just used the free 'paint.net' for the lion and 'PixelMator' with the included genesis examples).
    5) Make sure you save as the same file type/size/name to guarantee compatibility. Note currently the UV layout is vertically flipped compared to the daz textures (will be fixed).
    6) In the Garibalidi paint workspace select import and select the directory with your image textures in. If you want to use it as a colour control texture make sure you select 'colour' as the type in the dialog box.
    7) Select the control texture you wish to use in one of the many texture control menus throughout the garibaldi editor. The clump and tweak workspaces have tooltips with a web link to rendered examples of what effects can be created.

    Remember that if you wish to distribute content based on existing texture assets then you need to respect there copyright.
    Using the diffuse texture from the skin on an animal characters is quick but not generally the best solution as the textures normally have drawn in textured lighting.
    For best detail have different base and tip colour textures. Using the built in paint tool in Garibaldi with low opacity is a quick way to add area variation. Remember the colour textures of the hair should just set the hair pigment and don't need to be as detailed as when trying to fake the effect of fur/hair with a surface texture.

    Post edited by futurebiscuit on
  • futurebiscuitfuturebiscuit Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Gone said:
    Interestingly, when I reinstalled Garaibaldi, the scene I opened earlier with Garibaldi uninstalled crashed DS with a access violation in GaribaldiPlugin.dll. All other Garibaldi scenes opened without problems.

    Did you save over the scene when no GaribaldiPlugin was installed?
    I imagine something happens to the data that I haven't tested for yet.
  • futurebiscuitfuturebiscuit Posts: 0
    edited December 2012

    Mec4D said:
    I have another question for the followers of this thread. Does anyone know when the plug-in goes dead?

    Each beta version generally is set to last two weeks from the day it was released. So nothing special, there will be a functioning beta available up until the product is available to purchase.
    Post edited by futurebiscuit on
  • GoneGone Posts: 833
    edited December 1969


    Did you save over the scene when no GaribaldiPlugin was installed?
    I imagine something happens to the data that I haven't tested for yet.

    No.

    Once I confirmed there was no hair I closed DS without saving anything. After reinstalling Garibaldi, I reopened the scene and crashed. No other scene has been affected.

  • ZenZen Posts: 29
    edited December 1969

    This is an excellent plugin for Daz users....i have been waiting ages to get realistic looking hairs on my render....:)...i got the download link to my mail...installed..and when i opened and check my installed plugins i saw the error on the pic below...btw.. i am using Daz Studio 4.5.0.90 Pro Edition (64-bit)

    Untitled.jpg
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  • SedorSedor Posts: 1,764
    edited December 1969

    This is an excellent plugin for Daz users....i have been waiting ages to get realistic looking hairs on my render....:)...i got the download link to my mail...installed..and when i opened and check my installed plugins i saw the error on the pic below...btw.. i am using Daz Studio 4.5.0.90 Pro Edition (64-bit)

    4.5.0.90 is an old version of DAZ Studio, you should update it - we are currently at 4.5.1.49 (see: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/13162/ ) and with this build this plugin also should run :)

  • ZenZen Posts: 29
    edited December 1969

    sedor said:
    This is an excellent plugin for Daz users....i have been waiting ages to get realistic looking hairs on my render....:)...i got the download link to my mail...installed..and when i opened and check my installed plugins i saw the error on the pic below...btw.. i am using Daz Studio 4.5.0.90 Pro Edition (64-bit)

    4.5.0.90 is an old version of DAZ Studio, you should update it - we are currently at 4.5.1.49 (see: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/13162/ ) and with this build this plugin also should run :)

    Thanks man...but do i have to re-download the new version or is there any way to update my current version..???

  • ZenZen Posts: 29
    edited December 1969

    Nevermind...i figured it out..thanks again...!!

  • foleyprofoleypro Posts: 485
    edited December 1969

    I seem to be having Problems with alot of mesh's not being able to grow hair...

    In the 2 pics you will see that I have painted the mesh and the final grow...

    I will send a Report to you and give you everything you need to fix this...

    DazGoz1.jpg
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    Thorin2.jpg
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    Thorin1.jpg
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  • foleyprofoleypro Posts: 485
    edited December 1969

    sedor said:
    This is an excellent plugin for Daz users....i have been waiting ages to get realistic looking hairs on my render....:)...i got the download link to my mail...installed..and when i opened and check my installed plugins i saw the error on the pic below...btw.. i am using Daz Studio 4.5.0.90 Pro Edition (64-bit)

    4.5.0.90 is an old version of DAZ Studio, you should update it - we are currently at 4.5.1.49 (see: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/13162/ ) and with this build this plugin also should run :)

    Thanks man...but do i have to re-download the new version or is there any way to update my current version..???

    Nope you have to download the whole thing..In my opinion just updating certain files would be better then having to un-install and re-install DS..In the Bryce steering comittee we found out its alot easier to have a zipped update to the files then un and re installing all the time...Man I wish studio would start doing this...

  • ZenZen Posts: 29
    edited December 1969

    In my opinion just updating certain files would be better then having to un-install and re-install DS..In the Bryce steering comittee we found out its alot easier to have a zipped update to the files then un and re installing all the time...Man I wish studio would start doing this...


    I second that...in some country the connection is really slow for direct download..and it may cancel or stops downloading...i am downloading the starter bundle now for almost like 3 hrs now and its 325mb downloaded..and not showing the total size of the file (maybe browser problem..??)....i highly appreciate to daz3d for giving away the Beta version for free.....but i hope they will reconsider of what foleypro mentioned about the download matter and make only zipped update which we can apply to our current installed software and not downloading the whole thing...!!!

    P.S. sorry for the off topic...!!!

  • futurebiscuitfuturebiscuit Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    A new beta is still scheduled to be released with week. As always the will be a multitude of fixes and enhancements.

    Garibaldi Express Beta 10 has been sent out to testers.
    A day behind schedule but got there in the end.
  • BeaBea Posts: 745
    edited December 1969

    Thanks :) I look forward to trying it

  • wancowwancow Posts: 2,708
    edited December 1969

    Just a note: I don't have the minimum requirements for video, so I cannot use the Girabaldi Express pluggin to create hair. I decided to try it anyway. I found out that I can use it to render hair... I hope you'll have a low end pluggin for those of us not equipped with high end video cards...

  • futurebiscuitfuturebiscuit Posts: 0
    edited December 2012

    wancow said:
    Just a note: I don't have the minimum requirements for video, so I cannot use the Girabaldi Express pluggin to create hair. I decided to try it anyway. I found out that I can use it to render hair... I hope you'll have a low end plugin for those of us not equipped with high end video cards...

    So the goal is to support systems below the minimum specification shown on the Garibaldi Express Website. But at the moment the beta period has mostly been focusing on fixing issues with the tools and not optimising to support older platforms, this is changing though. The minimum specification was quite high to make sure we could guarantee a reasonable user experience at the time.

    An example is in beta version 10 many OpenGL related things were tweaked, for many users they probably won't see any difference but some will see massive improvements in the Garibaldi preview viewport's responsiveness.

    To explain the thinking about the minimum specification on the website and where we hope to go here is some detail:

    * Daz 3D Studio Version: 4.5.x 64bit
    The 4.5 release was already available when garibaldi was started being developed and the small user gain from supporting earlier versions does not seem worth while.
    64bit is only officially supported mainly due to an issue with 3Delight on 32bit windows that causes crashes. This issue when rendering affects more than just hair curve primitives such as the ones Garibaldi uses, but unfortunately the crash is more frequent with large amounts of overlapping surfaces such as hair. I've been in contact with Daz 3D and they have confirmed the issue. I don't feel I can officially support or recommend using 32bit windows until this issue is fixed in 3Delight. Hopefully this issue will be fixed in a future version of Daz/3Delight until then Garibaldi is only officially for 64bit systems (although a 32bit version will be also provided for the brave).

    * Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6, 10.7, 10.8, Windows XP, Vista, 7 8.
    Basically the same as to run Daz Studio. Mac OS 10.6 is required on the mac as Garibaldi Express uses the modern 'Grand Central Dispatch' framework for optimal threading performance (the modern Microsoft Concurrency Runtime is used on Windows for optimal threading performance).

    * Processor: Dual core 1.6Ghz
    There no technical reason Garibaldi would not run on earlier cpu but a dual core implies a reasonable speed to provide a expectable user experience.

    * Memory: 3GB
    The target minimum is 2GB which should be attainable with some forthcoming tweaking. Using lots of hair strands with advanced rendering techniques is going to need more memory, but the provided hair assets and examples are planned to support machines with 2GB of memory.

    * Graphics: Nvidia: Geforce 8400 or greater, AMD/ATI: Radeon HD 2400 or greater, Intel: 'Sandy Bridge' HD graphics or greater
    Different graphics cards can be a minefield. The minimum specified above is what is required for a useable experience with anti-aliasing and shader effects in Garibaldi Express.
    Turning anti-aliasing and shader effects off (in the Garibaldi Editor Global tab) allows a useable experience with anything higher than a Radeon x600 or Geforce 6500 which were the low/mid end cards 8 years ago, Beta 10 will show big responsiveness improvements on some of these older cards.
    Intel graphics chipsets before the 'HD' series were unfortunately not well suited to 3D graphics acceleration.
    A chart comparing graphics cards/chipsets can be found here:
    http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

    Here is a photo of just some of the graphics cards we use internally for testing:

    DSC_0125.jpg
    1024 x 685 - 421K
    Post edited by futurebiscuit on
  • MEC4DMEC4D Posts: 5,249
    edited December 1969

    I did not got the link to Beta 10 this time James, can you please resent ? office @ mec4d.com

    thank you
    Cath

    A new beta is still scheduled to be released with week. As always the will be a multitude of fixes and enhancements.

    Garibaldi Express Beta 10 has been sent out to testers.
    A day behind schedule but got there in the end.
  • SpyroRueSpyroRue Posts: 5,020
    edited December 2012

    Playing with beta 10, and I think it is running much smoother :) - I'll post some renders shortly - If I can escape the relatives for a while lol

    Question... Is there a way to control the specular and glossiness of the hair? I ask because I'm finding it too high a setting, the hair is a dark brunette, but the spec and gloss is causing alot of white/grey looking hair. I'm using deep shadow lights, and they look great on the character and clothing, but turns the hair very light and low in saturation.

    Oh I may have forgotten about the type of lights I'm using... Is "Distant" lights a no-go? I seem to remember something about spot lights :-S

    Post edited by SpyroRue on
  • bighbigh Posts: 8,147
    edited December 1969

    PM sent - they keep deleting my post - @#$%^

    Thank you for doing this plugin .

  • GoneGone Posts: 833
    edited December 1969

    Spyro said:
    Playing with beta 10, and I think it is running much smoother :) - I'll post some renders shortly - If I can escape the relatives for a while lol

    Question... Is there a way to control the specular and glossiness of the hair? I ask because I'm finding it too high a setting, the hair is a dark brunette, but the spec and gloss is causing alot of white/grey looking hair. I'm using deep shadow lights, and they look great on the character and clothing, but turns the hair very light and low in saturation.

    Oh I may have forgotten about the type of lights I'm using... Is "Distant" lights a no-go? I seem to remember something about spot lights :-S

    With the hair selected in DS go to the surfaces tab. Among other things, you will find primary and secondary specular where you can adjust the colour.

    I've used distant lights in most of the renders I posted so they work fine. I've also used Uberenvironment with the settings cranked up - but be prepared for a loooooong render time depending on what you've done with the hair.

    Raytraced shadows also work. In short, you can use any lighting you want - its just a matter of how much time you want to spend on the render and what you want it to look like.

    Gee, that sounds pretty much like all rendering. :-)

  • futurebiscuitfuturebiscuit Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    bigh said:
    PM sent - they keep deleting my post - @#$%^
    Thank you for doing this plugin .

    I have to say I'm quite a bit intrigued why and the content of posts that have been decided to be deleted. It all seems a bit mysterious...
  • ChoholeChohole Posts: 33,604
    edited December 1969

    We do not allow discussions of moderator actions on the forum as it is, in many cases, likely to lead to a repeat of the posting that required the action in the first place.

    The correct way to deal with it is to contact the Forum team, either by sending a PM to one of us, responding to an email if you have been sent one or by filing a support ticket.

  • foleyprofoleypro Posts: 485
    edited December 1969

    Ok once again...

    1. It would be nice to be able to save Preset Hairs in DS Library for future use or distrubution..
    2.One thing that would be nice is the ability to say Highlight/Make green Hair in styling and then go into clump or Tweak labs/tabs and just work on that portion of the high lited hair,As it is now what ever changes you make affects the whole Hair...Now I know we can push hair with density maps,I was kinds hopeing that it would be automated from styling to tweak to clump...
    3.The ability to open the Plugin Full screen instead of a window...

  • futurebiscuitfuturebiscuit Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    foleypro said:
    Ok once again...

    1. It would be nice to be able to save Preset Hairs in DS Library for future use or distrubution..
    2.One thing that would be nice is the ability to say Highlight/Make green Hair in styling and then go into clump or Tweak labs/tabs and just work on that portion of the high lited hair,As it is now what ever changes you make affects the whole Hair...Now I know we can push hair with density maps,I was kinds hopeing that it would be automated from styling to tweak to clump...
    3.The ability to open the Plugin Full screen instead of a window...


    1) So you can already...
    I'm not a expert on making Daz Assets but this works for me:
    Save your Garibaldi Hair node as a "Figure/Prop asset".
    Import the new asset and set the "Parent Geometry" parameter property on the imported Garibaldi node to your figure.
    Parent the Garibaldi Node in your figure.
    Select the figure and the Garibaldi Node and save as a "Wearable(s) Preset".
    You now have a wearable asset you can import that will fit on any compatible figure asset in any pose animation.
    All data associated with Garibaldi Node is save in the standard Daz file format including and texture control maps that are lossessly compressed.
    There will be a documentation page on this in more detail eventually.

    2) I think I can see where you're coming from. Control maps are used as they offer a good balance of ease of use and precision. They can be applied to most options, click on the more info of the options tool tip for rendered examples what they do. At the moment I don't think it's a good time to complicate the interface/development with different ways to do similar things, but I do have a vague idea of a feature that does something similar thing that might get in in future versions.

    3) Do you mean full screening just the editing viewport?

  • foleyprofoleypro Posts: 485
    edited December 1969

    2. Its short sweet and simple...The ability to select portions of the Hair on the fly and go between Menu's would be awesome...When I want to make 2 braided hairs for the beard I should be able to do it without having to apply density maps and once I have the beard or hair or fur the way I wanted then I could save the layered density maps...Depending on how many projections you have...

    I have in the works a Under World meets Van Helsing type of image/animation....

This discussion has been closed.