Modeling for Genesis
Since the addition of Genesis compatibility to Carrara, we now have the ability to use the Triax rigging tools in Daz Studio Pro to our advantage as Carrara users. By using that type of workflow, what we end up with is actual conforming items in our libraries, just as if we purchased the stuff from the store.
This is my first tutorial specifically regarding this subject: Workflow Tutorial - Creating Conforming Clothes for all Genesis figures. I hope you enjoy it. It was my intent to be brief, yet to explore the basics of the process in their entirety. It's easy to master this part of it. After we become more practiced, we can delve further into the sweet tools and their improvements.
Daz 3D has been pouring tons of enthusiasm and groundbreaking modern research into this stuff... and it shows - Daz Studio is one amazing Content Creation Tool!
Note - I also have a special page for using Daz Studio for creating content: Content Creation Tools and PC+ Cloth Frenzy - meant to prepare for and support articles to come!
Note - I've also been using a lot of these techniques for use with VWD (Virtual World Dynamics - Cloth and Hair)
After I demonstrate the basics of bringing the model (made in Carrara) into DAZ Studio and turning it into a Triax rigged conforming item, I then demonstrate the use of a separate product: Genesis 2 Cross-Figure Resource Kit, by Daz 3D, to convert the Genesis 2 Male version of the shirt into one which properly fits and follows Genesis 2 Females.
After that I demonstrate how to detach the skeleton (rigging) of an existing product so that we may edit the model to fit someone else, for use in what this whole tutorial was all about - creating a custom conforming clothing. But it's also a useful technique for turning conforming items into props for use a dynamic clothing using, for example Virtual World Dynamics Cloth and Hair (VWD)!
So you should get a pretty comfortable set of skills towards this endeavor from this single video. I will be revisiting the topic later, I'm sure. But for now, good fortune, and have fun! :)
Of particular note, this Genesis 2 Cross-Figure Resource kit can also work nicely to change female clothing to male, if we want to then perform a more custom conversion over to Genesis 1, since it's base shape is male!
Carrara to DAZ Studio, then DAZ Studio to Carrara workflow for editing and/or creating new conforming clothing for Genesis figures.
I'm demonstrating Genesis 2, but the process is the same for Genesis 1, with the exception that Genesis 1 already includes Male and Female shapes within - possibly making it even easier.
Check out this tutorial by DAZ 3D: Less Can Be More!
At the very end of the tutorial I mention that I am going to attempt to convert Hongyu's Shirt for V5 (Genesis 1 model) into a Genesis 2 Male conforming cloth, so that I can use the Cross-Figure resource kit to finally end up with one that fits Genesis 2 Female, and hopefully my G2F character. Well... I did it! I also made one with the bottom front tied up:
Tutorial Shirt
In the tutorial, the shirt model that I used as a 'pretend' model that I've made myself, is the shirt from the excellent Newport Outfit for Genesis 2 Males, by Mada and Sarsa
Carrara's subdivision modeling (SubD) and DS's SubD smoothing are very compatible.
It's really easy to use SubD modeling techniques in Carrara. It's almost silly how natural it feels doing it. Just sculpt the model as best we can until we need to actually grab that next level of subdivision and pull them around... so we then convert the SubD smoothing from theoretical polys to logical ones (divides each polygon into 4), turn on the SubD again, and continue sculpting away.
It makes any kind of modeling SO much easier and vastly less frustrating. I'll be putting out a tutorial video on that as well, because I feel that anyone wanting to delve into modeling in Carrara to see how simple and fun it can be.
To me, Carrara just seems to make everything fun. When I come across something that just doesn't feel right in Carrara, I can often find many, many other ways to achieve the results I want that Carrara does feel right with. It's a magical place :)
More Daz Studio Magic
Genesis 1 is really cool and is super easy to work with since it is completely unisex. For the most part, this means that male clothing can work on females and the other way around. But the fact came out as we got more and more experience with it, that quite often the degree of shape-change involved to take Genesis base to a female can have icky consequences on some items - which also goes for the reverse as well. That is why we started seeing products tell us that they are meant for one sex (or particular character/shape) or the other.
The Transfer Utility that I demonstrate in the video to add the Genesis 2 Male conformity to the shirt has some fine tools to help us with that, however. Let's just say that I really needed to make a Genesis 1 costume for Victoria 5. In order for it to work on V5 in the first place, it has to be able to load onto Genesis, right? Here's how Daz 3D has set it up for us:
- Load V5 into Carrara and model your clothes to fit the way you want them to.
- Export the obj as shown in the tutorial.
Here's where the change comes in.
This time, after importing the obj into DS, we don't want to add V5 to the scene, just use Genesis.
In the Transfer Utility, there's an option to subtract or remove a certain shape during the automated process. You simply select V5 Body (or the whole V5) in the drop-down and run the tool as normal! Sweet? I think so!
The result will be whatever the software deemed to be its best guess at converting the shape of your model from a projected V5 shape (clone) to what it knows to be the Genesis Base shape.
Since we've set the utility to go ahead and fit the new model to the Genesis figure, it's conformed by the time it's done. Save the item to your library before proceeding to the next step or you will likely have to start over from scratch.* So now go ahead and crank up the V5 morph dial and see how good a job it's done.
Now, let's just say that one of two things occurred:
- The item doesn't look quite right when Genesis is in its base shape
- After the conversion, it just doesn't look right, even on V5
In this situation, save the item and open it up in Carrara and, this time, shape the resulting model to fit the base Genesis shape.
Now repeat the process, exporting the newly shaped model, and running it through the utility - this time without the need to subtract the V5 shape. Save the result as the final Figure Asset. Now we'll import the original model that you've made for V5's shape, this time using the transfer utility to add it as a V5 shape morph to the item! DAZ 3D's YouTube channel has videos about how this is done, which is how I know about it. If I get a chance, I'll do up a tutorial about that too, but I have several other tutorials on the workbench before I can do that one.
* As mentioned in italics above, a trick I've learned from SickleYield:
Anytime we use the Transfer Utility, save the resulting item to a library before using any of the morph sliders. Now delete the item from the scene in Daz Studio, and load in the fresh item you've just added to the library. Now try your morphs.
This also applies to when we use Transfer Utility to add new morphs to an item.
So if you're trying out morphs and the result just doesn't look at all like you've expected, ask yourself if you've forgotten to save, delete, and load. If you did forget, you'll need to start over. Don't worry, it didn't affect your obj files - only the new item.
Over in the DAZ STUDIO forums, Hellboy has instituted a simplified guide to Genesis content creation, and has asked for clarification on anything he may be doing differently than how it should be done - so that he may update the guide - an excellent plan,in my opinion. So without further ado, here's his guide:
This image is a single png w/Alpha of a VWD test, that was also testing higher hair settings - which are still very low as far as Carrara is concerned.
When I start producing content for an official scene, I'm going to try bumping up the quality quite a bit. It really slows the renders per frame, so the test will be to see if I think the extra beating is worth it. If so, I'll just let her renders run for several days - days when I can't really work in Carrara anyway.
Note that she's supposed to look a little dark here. She's not getting any scene environment lighting yet. This was the result of converting the Aussie Girl Outfit to a static prop and reworking the shape to keep it from falling off.
The actual animation (I just saw it for the first time before typing this) turned out really well. I'm getting pretty good with VWD. A few more triumphs and I'll get to making the tutorial
Blondie9999 has some nicely laid out tutorials for learning more about all of the Figure Setup Tools within Daz Studio, which can really help us further our custom projects.
I bought the one on the left and found it to be a great resource to learn from. It's the very basics of creating our own custom figure from the ground up, introducing us to all of the major tools we need to know how to use to complete an original project.
It's cool that, if we don't have time to model something up, but we still want the practice of the tutorial, she includes the Gingerbread Man model that she uses to illustrate the lessons.
Comments About this Tutorial:
'A nice, solid tutorial, which is easy to understand yet doesn't talk down to the reader.' -- Valandar
'blondie's rigging has never been anything but impeccable, and her attention to detail is evident in this tutorial.' --Arien
'Blondie has created a genuinely useful guide to navigating the basic features of figure creation in DS4. Newcomers and those who have created original figures in earlier versions will find this really helpful in adopting the newer features, such as weight-mapping.' --Digital I
'Blondie's guide steps you through rigging, beginning with planning all the way through completing a rigged figure. With the explanations of different rigging concepts, beginners (such as myself) can pick up on rigging characters and make sense of DS4's interface. Also, since rigging a figure from scratch is a superset of creating clothing, the knowledge gained from rigging figures can be applied to creating and adjusting clothing for use with Genesis.' --Male_M3dia
She also offers The Basics of Lighting (not software specific), Advanced Rigging in DS 4 Pro, which covers a multitude of more advanced topics for getting our custom items behaving the way we want them to, and Rigidity Grouping and Mapping in DS 4.5 Pro
There are a lot of free tutorials out there that can really take us far in all of this - perhaps even all the way. Still, I always find it beneficial to have a document resource like this that covers complete lessons on complete projects or areas of study like this.
I print them out, make from and back covers and bind them into a book so I can take it with me anywhere for break-time reading. I love that! How? Simple. I use a three-hole punch on all pages except the covers (Tip: I also include and punch a couple of blank pages in the front and back for note-taking as well as added protection of the printed material). Next, with the hole-punched pages onto of the unpunched back cover, I fill the holes with hot glue or paper glue and carefully align and place the front cover. Put something heavy on top and allow the whole thing to set up - Done! Sometimes I'll also create a spine, but I'll leave that for you to experiment with! ;)
Have a Question? Just Ask!
I love to help others as best I can. This is a rather broad topic: CG Filmmaking, so my articles on any particular topic may not answer your specific question.
Most of the questions directed to me are regarding Carrara or How did I do this?
For these sorts of things, post your question at the Carrara Discussion Forum (or another appropriate category) at Daz 3D.com forums, and if I don't see it right away, someone else might. They are such a friendly and helpful bunch! I've learned so much from that forum over the years!
For a more immediate question directed to me, log into those forums and Send me a PM!
and support this site at the same time!!! :) Thanks!!! :)