How do I color or recolor textures and materials for props and clothes? (Daz 4.10)

DefaultName

Hi, I'm new to Daz, and I'd really like to learn how to color or recolor textures and materials for props and clothes. Any advice or a good guide to reference? Thank you.

DefaultName

It's hard to tell what would be good for me with 4.10 and Iray, I use those as well.

Richard Haseltine

What do you mean by recolour? And what application are you using?

SixDs

I suspect that the reason why no one has responded, lovessuperheroines, is because the subject of colouring or recolouring textures/surfaces is a very complex subject that cannot be easily covered within a simple forum post. What is required will depend greatly upon how elaborate the changes that you wish to make are. For example, within the broad subject of materials or surfaces that are applied to a model or figure, there are different ways in which what you would call colour is applied. The simplest way is to use what is referred to as a Procedural material. The latter is simply a set of material settings that are applied to the model involving a single specified diffuse or base colour, like red. That solid colour gets applied to the entire model or parts of it that have been designated as separate material zones, Using a simple cube as an example, you might have a single material zone that includes all six sides and therefore could only apply a single procedural colour to the entire cube. Alternatively, each side might have been set up as a distinct material zone that would allow you to have different colours applied to each side. In either case, procedural colours may be changed easily within DAZ Studio under the Surfaces tab by simply clicking on the Diffuse channel (3Delight) or the Base Color channel (Iray) and choosing an alternative colour from the popup. However, many materials for models employ texture maps which are image files to allow for more colour variation without resorting to the creation of a multitude of small material zones. In such cases changing the diffuse/base colour will alter the result, but be a combination of that new colour combined with the texture map. For example, if part of the texture map is red and you change the diffuse/base colour to green, the result will not be a change from red to green on the model, but a change from red to brown (red + green = brown). If you really wanted the reds to be green, you would need to edit the texture maps in an image editing program like Photoshop and replace the originals with your revised maps. How you do that is something that would require a tutorial, if you do not already know how.

A simple question does not always have a simple answer, unfortunately (or a simple answer will be inadequate).

DefaultName

I'm using Daz as my application.

 

Otherwise I guess things aren't simple, I think I can just recolor them in MS paint? I don't know..

AlecGraf

It sounds like you are wanting to modify the textures, which does take some care, but isn't difficult once you understand the process.  Best to experiment around a bit first on a base figure and see what happens.

For example, load a Genesis 8 Female.  Select it, then go to the Surfaces tab.  (If you don't have the Surfaces tab open, find it under Window > Panes.)

In the Surfaces tab, you'll see "Genesis 8 Female" and "Genesis 8 Female Eyelashes".  Click on the "triangle" next to where it says "Genesis 8 Female" to open the list.  At the bottom is Surfaces.  Open that.  Here you'll see all the various Surfaces that go into making G8F look the way it does.

Let's add a quick and dirty tattoo to the torso.  Look for Torso at the bottom of the list and click on it. Near the top of the list of various "treatments" you'll see "Base Color".  There is a color white, which you can change and make a mess.  Play around and enjoy.  You've just changed a small part of the material settings.

Probably this isn't what you're really wanting to do.  So check out the texture map associated with the Torso's Base Color: just hover over the little icon to the left of the white color and you'll see an image of that texture map.  Click on it and a list of maps will open.  One of the items in that list has a check next to it.  That is the current texture map which you will be changing.  Note what its exact name is, because you will need to find that map in a moment.

But first, at the top is likely to be a map whose name starts with "DTHDR-Ruins". Click on that - or any other map in the list.  Horrors!  You've just changed the texture map.

Now return back to the original texture (or reload a fresh figure if things are too "messed up".)

Click on that little Base Color icon again. At the top of the list of texture maps, you'll see "Browse."  Click on that and you'll be taken to the folder where the Torso Base Map is located (along with lots of other maps). 

So just find that map on your computer, copy it, edit the copy with a nice tattoo in your image editor of choice, and put your edited version in a separate folder that holds your own creations (best to keep your creations separate from existing characters). Lastly use Browse again to browse to your edited version and load it. 

Done. For now....

Keep in mind, this is a quick and dirty way to do it.  There is more to it in the long run, but for now, class adjourned....

HTH

Richard Haseltine

MS Paint is, I think, pretty limited. Yo certainly can use the tools in most iamge editors to hue-shift a texture. You cana lso adjust the base colour under the texture in Daz Studio, in the Surfaces pane, but that multiplies with the current colour so will always darken it to some extent (and if, say, you put pure red under a pure blue map you will end up with black).

DefaultName

Those responses are great, thank you very much. I do believe that's what I'm after. Specifically, I'm hoping to do camo-style designs, perhaps I can find a way after trying the basics from what you both had said.

I'd be happy to try a better image editing program, Paint is kind of all I have :)

SixDs

There are options available for more feature-rich applications if you don't mind taking some time to learn your way around them. You might want to try the G.I.M.P., for example (it stands for the Gnu Image Manipulation Program). Its free, and has lots of capabilities. There are some users here on the forums who use it and from whom you could get assistance if necessary. Warning - it doesn't use the familiar Windows approach to a user interface, so be prepared for something a little different. There are other options as well.

DefaultName

Okay, I have tried GIMP before, but barely scratched the surface, that's a great example though.