Strand-Based Hair Question: New issue! Error message when trying to import map.
Cowrie
Posts: 146
Is there any way to get symmetrical coverage in the "Paint" step of making strand-based hair for a figure that has a UV set that isn't symmetrical on either axis, but rather has different parts of the figure surface just crammed wherever it will fit on a single UV map? Certain 3rd party figures, at the very least, have UVs like that, and it means both "Texture U" and "Texture V" under Symmetry in that step are pretty much useless for their intended purposes on such models. Is there some sort of trick that can be used to work around this, or does one just have to eyeball getting the coverage even in those cases?
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You can create a map in another image editing program, using the character UV map as a template and import it into the strand-based hair editor. The naming convention is strict. Follow the way exported maps are named.
To be clear, would creating the new UV be done via lassoing various parts of the existing UV map with a selection tool in the editor and rearranging them them so they're symmetrical?
I was not referring to changing the UV at all. You would need a modeling app like Blender to do that. But that is another viable option, if you know how to use those tools.
I was referring to painting your hair distribution maps in an image editor, using the existing character UV as a template. Instead of painting in the strand-based hair editor, paint in Photoshop, for example. You could copy, flip, and paste your painting from one UV section to the other far away non symmetrical section in Photoshop. If you don't have a UV template to start with, you can screenshot one in Daz Studio by displaying your character in UV View. UV View is one of the selections in the camera drop down selection list.
Ah, that makes sense! Yeah, should be doable!
Okay, update. I tried making a new distribution map in an image editor like you suggested, but when I tried importing it to the strand-based hair editor, I got an error message saying the color_type was invalid. I've attached an image of the entire error message to this post. The distribution map is all grayscale, though, so I'm not sure what that means. Did I do something wrong with naming the file? I got the name by exporting a blank map from the hair editor and replacing the image of said map with the one I drew, so I would have thought the name would be okay, but maybe not.
I've never seen that error message. After the message about color type invalid, it says it successfully loaded the map. Does it look correct? What image editor did you use? What options did you select when saving the PNG file? The format of your filename looks OK, if "skin" is the name of the surface you are painting hair on.
If I export an empty strand-based hair map and open it in Photoshop, Photoshop says the image mode is 8 bit RGB color. When I save the painted file, I leave it 8 bit RGB color. When I import it in the DS Stand-Based hair editor, I select Gray for the Type in the drop down. It works correctly and displays the success message.
Don't forget to actually change the map selection in the Distribution Density to use your new map! I've made that mistake a time or two.
I used Paint.NET as the image editor. "skin" is indeed the name of the surface I'm painting hair on. While the map appears in the options for texture sets, when I select it, the entire figure remains black, as seen in the attached image. Seeing as you don't have any experience with this error message, do you think it would be best to make a support ticket at this point?
Go ahead and submit a help request. Attach the image that you painted to the help request so they can analyze it.
If you want to upload the painted image to this forum thread, I'll take a look at it, too, to see what color format it is in. I've never used Paint.NET. If you just open the painted image in an image viewer on your computer, can you see the painting you did?
Yeah, I can see it fine. This is the distribution map I made:
That looks fine. When I download it and look at it in Photoshop, it says it is 8 bit RGB, so it should be fine. I can't actually load it into the strand-based hair editor, because don't have the matching mesh object that you made it for. (Or, maybe I do, what product is it?) The only think I can think of to try now is for you to download the file from the forum and see if the downloaded version works. Maybe the forum software makes changes to the file format that are beneficial.
It's for the DilophosaurusDR figure from Renderosity. This: https://www.renderosity.com/rr/mod/bcs/dilophosaurusdr/81252/
Huh, re-downloading it from the forums and trying that copy did work. I'm not sure what the forums could have changed, but thanks for that tip!
At least you now have a cumbersome workaround! The forum must have converted the format of your PNG file to a more standard format. At this point, I'd suggest trying a different image editor to paint your file with, so you don't have to go through this hassle.
I don't own that dino, but it doesn't matter. You have a working version of the painted file now.
" The naming convention is strict. Follow the way exported maps are named."
wow , thank you for that explanation. I would never have found.