DAZ and ZBrush
Fragg1960
Posts: 356
I did a quick search and found a lot of threads that mention ZBRush and DAZ interfacing and using GoZ, but are there any actual tutorials that walk through the process of exporting a DAZ figure like Genesis for example, and then re-importing into Studio. One of the threads mentioned bringing the custom morphed model from ZBrush back into Studio with the rigging intact. Maybe I misunderstood, but I thought once you export a figure to ZBrush (or any other program like it) it loses the rigging and is just a solid object. Some basic tutorials of the DAZ/ZBrush use would help me out.
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This vid explains the entire process http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI-a9XiXBNM To ERC freeze, it is now located under property hierarchy.
In order for the modified shape to load as a morph rather than a new, static object when using GoZ you have to set it back to the base resolution in ZBrush. If you enable the Advanced controls for the ZBrush Bridge in Edit>Preferences>Interface tab then the options work as Morph Loader Pro.
Thank you both. Will watch the tutorial then go play.
Look in my signature line. :)
Richard, I was able to work the process up to the point of changing the options for the ZBrush Bridge in Studio. I don't get the options of choosing advanced options (see screenshot). Without doing this (as you said) I just get an object coming back into Studio, not a morph. Any idea why the drop down menu doesn't give me the option? I'm running DAZ 4.6.1.33 Pro Edition on Win 7 x64 with the GoZ plug-in installed (and the plug-in appears to be working exporting and importing except for this menu option not showing up.
I just installed the GoZ plug-in today. It may be that the version of GoZ in my account is for DAZ Studio 4.6.1.39 and not .33. I does say when I check for updates that "Compatible versions of 3D Bridge for Photoshop, Dynamic Clothing Control, Decimator, GoZ, Game Developer Kit and Mimic Live! plugins are also available." Since I did not install GoZ when I upgraded to 4.6 Pro it could be that I'm not running the right version of GoZ.
I guess I'll have to upgrade to Studio 4.6.1.39 unless I can get a copy of the GoZ plugin for Studio 4.6.1.33 somewhere.
Thanks--I'll take all the tutorial help I can get.
Sorry, Show Options was what I meant - it's the Hex bridge that has two different show choices. Are you sure you had the mesh in its base resolution in ZBrush, and that you had not used any tools that add to the mesh (such as insert brushes) or removed from it? To load a morph the mesh may only be pushed around, you can't cut or paste or divide it.
Send the mesh from DS4 to Zbrush through the bridge. Morph the mesh in Zbrush en send it back to DS through GoZ (in Zbrush). The options will show up in DS once you have sent the mesh back.
Not sure if that is what you need though.
Look in the section of my tutorial for tips and pointers in dealing with ZBrush. It's the second message in the forum there and has links to helpful tuts as well.
When using the GoZ Bridge, what SPECIFICALLY is happening? Can you send a screen shot?
Perhaps my GoZ got setup so long ago I am forgetting something but as long as you follow the tutorial, you:
-Click on "GoZ" in DAZ
-In the "GoZ Export options box", click on "Export with deformations" if you have any deformations to transfer to ZBrush. If not, it isn't necessary.
-Make your modifications to the model making SURE you do nothing to change the vertex count. Most brushes like Standard, Smooth, ClayBuildup etc are fine.
-In DAZ Studio, make SURE you have clicked on "Zero Figure" (In the parameters tab option menu) before you transfer the morph you have done back to Genesis from ZBrush
-Click on GoZ in ZBrush
-When the "GoZ Update Options for Genesis" window pops up, make sure to select (Create Morph" then name the morph and place in a Group Path you will be able to find easily.
Then you should have your morph in DAZ ready for you.
Hope this helps. :\
I'll give this a go again when I get home tonight. It's probably something I did on the ZBrush end. From what I've read in your posts I should be careful which brushes I use as the mesh can only be pushed around. I don't think I subdivided or deleted, just re-arranged and pulled and pushed, but I'll be more mindful.
I had sent a zeroed Genesis figure into ZBrush with the bridge and made some minor edits to the face and sent it back to Studio with GoZ from the ZBrush side (just to test things out). I was following the original video tutorial (have not had a chance to look at RKane_1's videos, I'm sure they will help).
Richard--thanks. I was confused because the Hexagon bridge lets you pick advanced options, but I was not aware that the ZBrush one does not.
I'll post back when I have a chance to give it another go after watching more tuts. Thanks to everyone for the assistance.
No matter what I do, when I export from ZBrush using GoZ, I do not get an option to create a morph. This is all I get (see image). What the Hell am I doing wrong? In the video tutorial the option to make the morph just comes up when you export from ZBrush into Studio. This is getting really frustrating.
You have done something in ZBrush that dramatically altered the mesh. In this case, it looks like you converted it to Polymesh3D (as seen in the new name PM3D_Genesis2). This most likely changed the point order, making DS not recognize it as a compatible mesh. In ZBrush, it is okay to subdivide the mesh as long as you bring it back down to level 1 before GoZ back to DS, but you can not do many other things such as splitting the polygroups into subtools, adding edgeloops, converting to pm3d, converting to dynamesh, etc. Pretty much just stick to subdivide, make changes with various brushes, then go back to level one. I'm sure I haven't included everything you can do, but this brief answer might help you, I hope.
Ahem...can you click on "Update an Existing object" on that panel?
I'd love to (LOL), but it's greyed out and it won't let me select it. I must be breaking something in ZBrush.
I'm watching this movie over and over (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFRUVZHW_hw), but my end results are not the same. I'll try just using the simplest of brushes and see. Is there a guide somewhere on which ZBrush brushes one would need to stay away from to avoid trouble with Studio on bringing it back in as a morph? To be honest, I'm trying to avoid any brush that adds or slices, but there are a lot of brushes in the ZBrush library and I admit I could be using a brush that doesn't do what I think it should.
1 select item
2 Click on the GoZ option and accept defaults
3 Draw out one copy of the item on the ZBrush canvas (I usually hold shift to keep it straight)
4 Click the Edit button
5 Paint on the mesh
6 Click GoZ in ZBrush to send the item back to DS (make sure it is going back to DS - mine had a fit of instead opening DS3, make sure it isn't doing that or opening the Public Beta or the 32 bit version if you went from the release build of the 64 bit version or the like)
7 Do you get the Morph Loader interface or the new object interface?
Before step 4, open geometry tab and untick SMT (subdivide smooth modifier) before clicking edit. If enabled and you create morphs, it will smooth out the entire mesh.
I just went in and opened a base Genesis one figure. Exported it into ZBrush with GoZ.
Chose one brush (the Move brush).
Made a couple of changes (made the cheekbones stand out and the chin a little bigger).
Hit the GoZ button in ZBrush and then DAZ Studio opens up (it's opening the latest version of Studio) and gives me the new object interface (no morph loader).
Sounds like a communication problem between Daz and Zbrush. In zbrush check under preferences-Goz and make sure the Path to Daz is correct. If that doesnt work, delete all the goz files daz installed and try again. I had to do this 5 times once before the damn thing worked lol. Also to be sure, make sure the GoZ version for Daz is the correct one.
I went in and checked and the morph loader advanced is showing up in my plugins so it should be there to be used. I just did notice something. When I launch Studio, I do not have a figure that loads by default (my scene is empty). It may be defaulting to the object loader because it can't find a figure in the scene to allow for the morph loader choice (cant' load a morph into nothing). How would I reset Studio to auto load a particular figure (Genesis One) on start up--I didn't consciously remove that option it probably just stopped happening at some point, so I just load it from the menu without thinking. That may be the reason the second option is greyed out.
In order for GoZ to work, you must select the figure to send to Zbrush (must be selected\highlighted). That way it will add the modifications as a morph for that figure. Same story if you save your zbrush mod as an obj. A figure must be selected in the scene to import the morph onto.
Are you closing DS before going to ZBrush to make your morph? Don't, leave it open in the background and see if things work then.
I opened a custom morphed figure that I had saved as a scene. Exported it to ZBrush (leaving Studio open and the figure in Studio selected). Did nothing to it in ZBrush and sent it back to DAZ via GoZ and I got the morph menu pop up.
Tried it again, same way only this time I loaded a Genesis figure, added some aging morphs. Exported it to ZBrush (leaving Studio open and the figure in Studio selected). Made a couple of minor changes (pulled out the chin a bit, etc.) to it in ZBrush and sent it back to DAZ via GoZ and got the object menu and not the morph menu.
Tried it a third time with the original custom morph figure from the first example. Exported it to ZBrush (leaving Studio open and the figure in Studio selected). Made one very minor change (pulled up the shoulder muscles slightly), and sent it back to DAZ via GoZ and got the object menu and not the morph menu.
It seems that it works when I just export and then import back without making changes in ZBrush, but even the slightest of changes makes the morph loader not trigger coming back into Studio.
Then something on the Zbrush side isn't correct.
It's changing the vertex order or adding extra faces/subdividing or something.
Let DS create the new object, select it, and go to Window>Panes(Tabs)>Scene Info - how many vertices does the new item have? Genesis is 19,296 (you want the number after the stroke, if there are two - the first is the figure for the SubD mesh).
Thanks for the suggestion Richard. I'll try it when I get home tonight. Let's see if I'm somehow adding more vertices in ZBrush without realizing it (even thought I'm consciously trying to avoid doing it).
Also ran across a thread on here that mentions making morphs in Scuptris (ZBrush's little brother). In the thread it says that in order to use Sculptris for Daz Studio morphs, you have to set the detail to 0, otherwise Sculptris will add Vertices if you don’t set detail to zero resulting in an OBJ with a different vertex-count.
I wonder if this behavior also happens in ZBrush (since it's the same company and similar software)?
You need to go back to the base resolution before sending the mesh back to DS - and you want to have SMTH off before dividing to avoid nasty distortion in the teeth and fingers but that doesn't stop the morph going back to DS. Unless you are going to export displacement for the finer details there isn't much point in dividing the mesh in ZBrush.
I would have to say that looking at the numbers--ZBrush is definitely adding vertices (see screenshot). I'm trying to figure out how to check the resolution of the mesh in ZBrush and set it back to the base resolution (19,296) before sending the mesh back to DS. I'm new to ZBrush and I have to say that it is one of the most counter-intuitive interfaces on the planet (I think they question foreign spies by making them model in ZBrush until they break down).
...what gets me is Daz (which is basically a purveyor of hobbyist 3D software) only links up with expensive pro grade applications instead of ones most of us can afford. I find this disappointing.
My two Zlotys.
I would have to say that looking at the numbers--ZBrush is definitely adding vertices (see screenshot). I'm trying to figure out how to check the resolution of the mesh in ZBrush and set it back to the base resolution (19,296) before sending the mesh back to DS. I'm new to ZBrush and I have to say that it is one of the most counter-intuitive interfaces on the planet (I think they question foreign spies by making them model in ZBrush until they break down).
Normally it should be under the geometry tab where you subdivided it. There is a little slider that appears when you subdiveded it, so you can easely switch between mesh resolutions.