Post by roxannej on Jul 30, 2010 13:00:54 GMT -5
OK, here's a mini tutorial for FST.
You will need to have directories set up properly within your runtime folders to successfully use FST. So, make sure you have "production" directory structure created and your geometry files save in a folder within the Runtime structure. At bare minimum, you need :Runtime:Geometries<Your Directory Name> and :Runtime:libraries:character:<Your Directory Name> you should go ahead and set up the textures and poses folders as well.
You will also need to have your object grouped and, preferably UV mapped. Mapping is not necessary for this step, but it will be to add textures to the new CR2 file in the next step.
Step 1 - putting the skeleton in your clothing.
1. Open D|S and load the figure the clothing is for.
2. Zero the figure pose. (If you don't do this, when the clothing loads, it will load in the posed position and not fit.)
3. With the figure selected, open the Setup Tools View>Tabs>Skeleton Setup. Once you have the new window, enlarge it. As big as you can on your screen. You don't need to see the screen for the next steps.
4. When in the Skeleton Setup window, click the arrow on the right and select Copy From Selected Figure. Make sure your Import options say Poser units. This will load the skeleton.
5. Now, if you want this item to work in Poser as well as D|S, go immediately to the lower left window titled IK Chains, highlight all the IK chains, right click and DELETE them. (The IK chains is what caused the Poser bunching in this original post.)
6. Now, we're going to load the OBJ file you exported, grouped and UV mapped. In the upper right window, titled Geometry List, right click and select Add Geometry. Select your OBJ file, insuring once again, that you are using Poser scaling.
7. Click on the OBJ file and drag it to the left window where it says Geometry: 0. Geometry: should change to Geometry: 1. If it doesn't you were not successful in copying the file over. Do it again.
8. Once you've pasted the OBJ file, click on the name in the same left hand window, right click and select Edit Name. Name it whatever you like, but don't use foreign characters like dashes, ampersands, etc. - just TEXT.
9. Do the same as #8 in the Label field. This is the obj name which is going to appear in your Scene tab, so be descriptive for your end users.
10. Now, look at the Group list in the lower right hand corner of the Skeleton Setup tab. Those are the groups found in your OBJ file. We're going to remove parts of the Geometry which aren't IN your obj from the original skeleton. (Below, I'll discuss leaving some things IN that aren't in the original obj.)
The HIP must always stay. Period. No further discussion. If your object does not HAVE a hip group, you'll have to leave the hip by right clicking on the Geometry field, right click and Remove Geometry Reference. This leaves the hip bone in your OBJ, but removes the actual geometry. (OK, so what doesn't have a hip, right? For instance, a pair of shoes. I have a foot, a toe and MAYBE a shin. But no hip. I still have to maintain the hip, and thigh reference in the CR2, but NOT the geometry.)
Based on your groups, remove Geometry that doesn't exist in your model, by simply clicking on the geometry item in the list, right click and Remove Geometry (and children if you don't need them). Remove Geometry actually REMOVES the geometry so there is no reference in the CR2 to it at all. So, again, using the shoes above, I'm going to remove all the Geometry I don't need, except the hip, thighs, shins, feet, toes.
Let's talk a bit about the bodyMorphs geometry in the list. If you're going to add morphs to the item, leave that in, there are no morphs in the skeleton, but you are preserving the morph capability to add them with something like Morph Manager. If you delete this geometry, you cannot ADD the morphs later.
11. If you've made the Skeleton Setup Tab cover your screen, resize it so you can see the Viewport again. Once your Relationship list matches your OBJ Group List, click that upper right arrow again and select Paste to Selected Figure. Your obj file will replace the figure in the Viewport. Viola! You've added the skeleton to your clothing object. Now, hit, File>Export and save it to a CR2 - be sure to change the drop down menu from Base Character to Conforming Figure before you export, also change the Poser version to 6.
I'll cover Joint Parameters later.........sorry, late running errands, but this should get you started.
You will need to have directories set up properly within your runtime folders to successfully use FST. So, make sure you have "production" directory structure created and your geometry files save in a folder within the Runtime structure. At bare minimum, you need :Runtime:Geometries<Your Directory Name> and :Runtime:libraries:character:<Your Directory Name> you should go ahead and set up the textures and poses folders as well.
You will also need to have your object grouped and, preferably UV mapped. Mapping is not necessary for this step, but it will be to add textures to the new CR2 file in the next step.
Step 1 - putting the skeleton in your clothing.
1. Open D|S and load the figure the clothing is for.
2. Zero the figure pose. (If you don't do this, when the clothing loads, it will load in the posed position and not fit.)
3. With the figure selected, open the Setup Tools View>Tabs>Skeleton Setup. Once you have the new window, enlarge it. As big as you can on your screen. You don't need to see the screen for the next steps.
4. When in the Skeleton Setup window, click the arrow on the right and select Copy From Selected Figure. Make sure your Import options say Poser units. This will load the skeleton.
5. Now, if you want this item to work in Poser as well as D|S, go immediately to the lower left window titled IK Chains, highlight all the IK chains, right click and DELETE them. (The IK chains is what caused the Poser bunching in this original post.)
6. Now, we're going to load the OBJ file you exported, grouped and UV mapped. In the upper right window, titled Geometry List, right click and select Add Geometry. Select your OBJ file, insuring once again, that you are using Poser scaling.
7. Click on the OBJ file and drag it to the left window where it says Geometry: 0. Geometry: should change to Geometry: 1. If it doesn't you were not successful in copying the file over. Do it again.
8. Once you've pasted the OBJ file, click on the name in the same left hand window, right click and select Edit Name. Name it whatever you like, but don't use foreign characters like dashes, ampersands, etc. - just TEXT.
9. Do the same as #8 in the Label field. This is the obj name which is going to appear in your Scene tab, so be descriptive for your end users.
10. Now, look at the Group list in the lower right hand corner of the Skeleton Setup tab. Those are the groups found in your OBJ file. We're going to remove parts of the Geometry which aren't IN your obj from the original skeleton. (Below, I'll discuss leaving some things IN that aren't in the original obj.)
The HIP must always stay. Period. No further discussion. If your object does not HAVE a hip group, you'll have to leave the hip by right clicking on the Geometry field, right click and Remove Geometry Reference. This leaves the hip bone in your OBJ, but removes the actual geometry. (OK, so what doesn't have a hip, right? For instance, a pair of shoes. I have a foot, a toe and MAYBE a shin. But no hip. I still have to maintain the hip, and thigh reference in the CR2, but NOT the geometry.)
Based on your groups, remove Geometry that doesn't exist in your model, by simply clicking on the geometry item in the list, right click and Remove Geometry (and children if you don't need them). Remove Geometry actually REMOVES the geometry so there is no reference in the CR2 to it at all. So, again, using the shoes above, I'm going to remove all the Geometry I don't need, except the hip, thighs, shins, feet, toes.
Let's talk a bit about the bodyMorphs geometry in the list. If you're going to add morphs to the item, leave that in, there are no morphs in the skeleton, but you are preserving the morph capability to add them with something like Morph Manager. If you delete this geometry, you cannot ADD the morphs later.
11. If you've made the Skeleton Setup Tab cover your screen, resize it so you can see the Viewport again. Once your Relationship list matches your OBJ Group List, click that upper right arrow again and select Paste to Selected Figure. Your obj file will replace the figure in the Viewport. Viola! You've added the skeleton to your clothing object. Now, hit, File>Export and save it to a CR2 - be sure to change the drop down menu from Base Character to Conforming Figure before you export, also change the Poser version to 6.
I'll cover Joint Parameters later.........sorry, late running errands, but this should get you started.