How do I learn to rig/build an armature for human/oid figures that I might model from Blender?
bhfineartist_2d42f5137d
Posts: 98
Hi again. So I have another question to puzzle you learned people with: I love the way that the figures move realistically in DAZ when you are posing them. Like the mesh doesn't ever seem to distort like I have issues with in Blender. Is there any way I could learn how to rig characters in DAZ and use this knowledge in Blender? Are there any tutorials? I would like to have beginner all the way to advanced if possible. I'll even learn Weight Painting (I hate Weight Painting and avoid it in Blender.)
I exported the g8 male and female to Blender using obj and Poser settings and everything does fine even the textures (except for the very weird eyelashes and this layer over the eyes containing the glints and reflections that transfers over as a plain white mesh. I get around this just by deleting them. I haven't learned yet how to make eyelashes in Blender because I have been busy with other things like freaking modeling genetalia which is time consuming and fairly gross there has to be an easier way that doesn't cost a freaking fortune like buying the expensive V4 pack) but the thing that doesn't transfer over is the rig/armature. So I learned some basic Blender rigging skills from several different tutorials on youtube and built an IK rig for the male and then just appended it over and resized it for the g8 female mesh but it doesn't work quite that well on her. I like the way DAZ deforms the mesh better. (That is really the only reason why I am thinking I need to do all of my scene stuff in DAZ but I want the control I have and the understanding I have in Blender, if that makes sense.That and I wanted to alter some of the building/environment models to represent my own world and characters which I can do in Blender to an extent but not in DAZ. And I don't know how to build or alter something in Blender and then transfer it textures and all to DAZ. So, you probably can understand my frustration. I just want one program if possible or one main program and get all the programs to play nice together.)
Thank You for any links to any tutorials or any advice.
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Comments
The Daz figures do move well, though there are still some mesh distortions occasionally. Rigging in Daz is mostly about using the figure setup tab. If you search online for that along with rigging for Daz Studio you will find some resources. There are some paid videos tutorials in the Daz store, but they are not cheap and having bought a couple I cannot recommend either. One was half about an obsolete rigging method, the other was like looking over the shoulder of an unprepared person while they tried to work out how to rig something. Instead, I would recommend two PDF tutorials from the store: 'Rigging Original Figures for DS 4 Pro' and 'Advanced Rigging in Daz Studio 4 Pro' by blondie999. The problem with these is that they are for an older version of DS, but the basics are all there.
What you learn about rigging in Blender will help with the basic concepts but not how to execute them in DS. If you dislike weight painting in Blender, be sure it will drive you up the curtains in DS!
Note that the mesh problems that basic rigging/weight painting cannot deal with are ironed out by use of many corrective morphs in DS, and in Blender the equivalent is shape keys controlled by drivers. With a lot of effort, I am sure the same quality of mesh movement can be achieved in both.
Unfortunately there is to my knowledge no way to rig a model in Blender and import the model into DS with the rig intact. As you seem to have found, textures can be imported to DS but within strict limits; materials are not transferrable because Cycles/EEVEE and Iray/3delight don't 'understand' the others materials definitions.
For exporting figures from DS to Blender with a working rig and a decent stab at materials setup have a look at Thomas Larsson's 'Import Daz' plugin for Blender - http://diffeomorphic.blogspot.com/.
I tried the Diffeomorphic thing and it doesn't work on g8. I also tried the McjTele-whatever and that wasn't all that great either. Now that you mention shape keys I think I might be able to fix some probs with the mesh I am having in Blender. Hadn't thought of shape keys before like that.
Could you tell me the names of the tutorials you bought so I can avoid them, please? I have saved a ton of tuts to my wishlist but really don't have the money, I am on a fixed income, to blow on stuff that is not useful.
I am starting to have some fun learning DAZ though which is good. Just wish there was more documentation out there like there is for Blender.
I have been trying to build a wig in Blender for my g8 mesh that I transferred over. Thank You for replying.
Is SycleYeild's stuff any good? I just discovered her shop and she got some nice stuff and tutorials. She has a free tutorial on building an archway on youtube which is on my watch later list but do you or anybody know anything about her paid tuts?
Thank You for replying.
Just to reassure you, the Import Daz plugin does actually work on G8. The first image attached is base G8F with Toulouse hair and Basic Wear clothing immediately after import into Blender. The second image is a rendered view, with the pose changed to show the rigging works and the rig(s) hidden but no other changes. There's no IK at this stage though. The materials are as created automatically by the plugin and could be improved/refined quite a bit manually. Note I am using the latest development version of the plugin and almost up to date Blender 2.80. That said, there probably are cases where it doesn't work, or has issues. If you post some more details of how it doesn't work for you, perhaps we can work it out.
Better not name names on the forums. Daz doesn't take kindly to it's vendors being criticized by name here. Bear in mind there is a good returns policy, but you might want to check if that applies to tutorials.
From what I have seen of her Youtube videos, Sickleyield is one of the better trainers - seems to plan, prepare, rehearse and edit rather than just sitting down, turning on the recording software and starting to narrate their own meandering workflow complete with 'ums', 'ahs' and unedited coughing/sniffing. I can't speak to any paid for tutorials she has produced but have no reason to think they will be less helpful. I seem to recall she has a Youtube video showing rigging a simple door in Daz Studio.
I can't get the thing to work with g8 and I deleted it and removed the files. I am not using Blender 2.8 as it crashes on me a lot. I would prefer to just stick with 2.79 as it does what I need and I am only a hobbist not a professional.
I'll just keep working with a few DAZ tutorials to get better used to it and then I might sit down and try the importer again.
Thank You for all your comments. This forum is very helpful.
I did manage to get g8 transfered over. But, I also learned a few tricks in Blender from some old Dan Pro videos on how to build some things he calls Socket Armatures. I also am learning more about weight painting but it is still a bit annoying, lol.
At some point before I am too old to care I might get a good rig built. I am also learning more about posing figures in DAZ.
Oh, and one more thing I don't know if this happens with the Dif importer on 2.8 but when I import a figure it has artifacts or deformations in the mesh and the materials don't look right. I think I could probably uv map it again? I notice it especially under the arms where there seems to be a lot of stretchy, triangular squares. Smooth Shading it doesn't work. And that hair transfers over with a horrible shine or something not sure what it is, lol.
I also notice the polycount and the figure itself looking at it in Edit Mode as compared to a figure transferred over as an obj using the Poser setting is lower which might be causing the artifacts look.
Interesting problems!