New release PoseRecorder needs better product description!

CHWTCHWT Posts: 1,179
edited September 2021 in The Commons

https://www.daz3d.com/poserecorder

Any one knows what is meant by 'smartphone'? Apple? Samsung? Or even Huawei?

What is meant by 'facial video'? Even some random video other people sent to me? What is the file format allowed?

The product description is so vague. Don't want to bite the bullet and then find it useless and regret afterwards.

Post edited by CHWT on
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Comments

  • Daedalus-7Daedalus-7 Posts: 198
    edited September 2021

    Record speech video with a camera and convert it into a facial animation.

    By watching the videos, it seems that they used the Huawei Honor 10 (2018), which uses a new AI camera.  

    It's impossible to say if that's required or not. :(

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Post edited by Daedalus-7 on
  • CHWTCHWT Posts: 1,179

    Record speech video with a camera and convert it into a facial animation.

    By watching the videos, it seems that they used the Huawei Honor 10 (2018), which uses a new AI camera.  

    It's impossible to say if that's required or not. :(

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Yeah, definitely needs more info on this new toy, especially other mocap plug-ins/software in the DAZ store would list whether only iPhones are supported etc. I hate the feeling that I have to guess the functionality of something that I buy.
  • AscaniaAscania Posts: 1,849
    edited September 2021

    CHWT said:

    https://www.daz3d.com/poserecorder

    Any one knows what is meant by 'smartphone'? Apple? Samsung? Or even Huawei?

    A phone that can record videos and allows you to move the videos off the phone onto your PC. The smartphone is an example for a commonly available device that records videos, not the only one. The software works on the video file, not on the recording device.

    What is meant by 'facial video'?

    A video depicting a face.

    Even some random video other people sent to me?

    No, only videos showing faces.

    What is the file format allowed?

    I would suspect commonly used formats that Windows can read.

    Post edited by Ascania on
  • CHWTCHWT Posts: 1,179
    edited September 2021
    Ascania said:

    CHWT said:

    https://www.daz3d.com/poserecorder

    Any one knows what is meant by 'smartphone'? Apple? Samsung? Or even Huawei?

    A phone that can record videos and allows you to move the videos off the phone onto your PC. The smartphone is an example for a commonly available device that records videos, not the only one. The software works on the video file, not on the recording device.

    What is meant by 'facial video'?

    A video depicting a face.

    Even some random video other people sent to me?

    No, only videos showing faces.

    What is the file format allowed?

    I would suspect commonly used formats that Windows can read.

    Thanks, I hope it turns out to be like what you have mentioned. Too bad there's no official thread started by the PA to answer potential users' questions.
    Post edited by CHWT on
  • AscaniaAscania Posts: 1,849

    CHWT said:

    Ascania said:

    CHWT said:

    https://www.daz3d.com/poserecorder

    Any one knows what is meant by 'smartphone'? Apple? Samsung? Or even Huawei?

    A phone that can record videos and allows you to move the videos off the phone onto your PC. The smartphone is an example for a commonly available device that records videos, not the only one. The software works on the video file, not on the recording device.

    What is meant by 'facial video'?

    A video depicting a face.

    Even some random video other people sent to me?

    No, only videos showing faces.

    What is the file format allowed?

    I would suspect commonly used formats that Windows can read.

    Thanks, I hope it turns out to be like what you have mentioned. Too bad there's no official thread started by the PA to answer potential users' questions.

    Heck, I just tried it with a random mp4 clip off the internet and it worked surprisingly well. No setting up definitions, no aligning things, just load a clip of some couple of seconds from a celebrity interview, starting with the person looking off to the side, hit "save" and out popped a useable animated pose. Needs cleaning up of course, but it is useable enough as-is and even more so if your main intent is to just have an easy way of getting natural-looking expressions onto characters' faces.

    Anthough, another clip I tried crashed the program during saving of the pose.

    Other issues encountered:

     - Doesn't read MPEG-1/2 videos but doesn't give any feedback except for nothing happening.

     - Happily writes an empty (as in, without useable content; the file itself contains basic formatting data for a .duf file) pose file from a video it detects nothing from without any feedback to the user.

     - Head movement can translate into some less than ideal deformation of the corners of the mouth. It seems like there are some difficulties deciding whether some distortions are due to perspective or actual mouth movement.

  • BlueFingersBlueFingers Posts: 904
    edited September 2021

    Interesting,...how useful is this for expressions for stills?

    Would have been great if there was something like this for photo's.

    Post edited by BlueFingers on
  • I’m glad to see that I wasn’t the only one who had questions about this product. At bear minimum, there should be a list of the file types that can be read by the software. It also sounds like it may not even need a cellphone, which would be nice. Depending on the file formats it can use, hopefully a standard webcam is enough. 

    J

  • James_HJames_H Posts: 1,036

    I assume this is Windows only: is that right? I would have thought the store page should say that. 

  • CHWTCHWT Posts: 1,179
    Ascania said:

    CHWT said:

    Ascania said:

    CHWT said:

    https://www.daz3d.com/poserecorder

    Any one knows what is meant by 'smartphone'? Apple? Samsung? Or even Huawei?

    A phone that can record videos and allows you to move the videos off the phone onto your PC. The smartphone is an example for a commonly available device that records videos, not the only one. The software works on the video file, not on the recording device.

    What is meant by 'facial video'?

    A video depicting a face.

    Even some random video other people sent to me?

    No, only videos showing faces.

    What is the file format allowed?

    I would suspect commonly used formats that Windows can read.

    Thanks, I hope it turns out to be like what you have mentioned. Too bad there's no official thread started by the PA to answer potential users' questions.

    Heck, I just tried it with a random mp4 clip off the internet and it worked surprisingly well. No setting up definitions, no aligning things, just load a clip of some couple of seconds from a celebrity interview, starting with the person looking off to the side, hit "save" and out popped a useable animated pose. Needs cleaning up of course, but it is useable enough as-is and even more so if your main intent is to just have an easy way of getting natural-looking expressions onto characters' faces.

    Anthough, another clip I tried crashed the program during saving of the pose.

    Other issues encountered:

     - Doesn't read MPEG-1/2 videos but doesn't give any feedback except for nothing happening.

     - Happily writes an empty (as in, without useable content; the file itself contains basic formatting data for a .duf file) pose file from a video it detects nothing from without any feedback to the user.

     - Head movement can translate into some less than ideal deformation of the corners of the mouth. It seems like there are some difficulties deciding whether some distortions are due to perspective or actual mouth movement.

    Awwww thanks for the info!

    Just gave me some more faith in this product. Aside from the static iris, PoseRecorder seems to handle blinking and facial expressions pretty well.

  • AscaniaAscania Posts: 1,849

    JasonSWrench said:

    I’m glad to see that I wasn’t the only one who had questions about this product. At bear minimum, there should be a list of the file types that can be read by the software. It also sounds like it may not even need a cellphone, which would be nice. Depending on the file formats it can use, hopefully a standard webcam is enough. 

    J

    It does NOT need a phone. as I noted before, the phone is an example for a video-generating device. It even says so in the product description: "Record a facial video file, for instance with a smartphone"

     

    James_H said:

    I assume this is Windows only: is that right? I would have thought the store page should say that. 

     Installer

    • SetupPoseRecorder.msi
  • CHWTCHWT Posts: 1,179

    Interesting,...how useful is this for expressions for stills?

    Would have been great if there was something like this for photo's.

    I guess you can pick those frames you like from the animation and just render them.
  • CHWTCHWT Posts: 1,179
    edited September 2021
    James_H said:

    I assume this is Windows only: is that right? I would have thought the store page should say that. 

    I guess as long as you can run DS4.15 on a Mac it will be okay as it says compatible software being DS4.15 (not sure whether the newest Mac compatible DS update was named 4.15.x though )

    EDIT: oops I take back what I said, as just Googled .msi seems to be Windows file extension only, sorry for any confusion.

    Post edited by CHWT on
  • Ascania said:

    JasonSWrench said:

    I’m glad to see that I wasn’t the only one who had questions about this product. At bear minimum, there should be a list of the file types that can be read by the software. It also sounds like it may not even need a cellphone, which would be nice. Depending on the file formats it can use, hopefully a standard webcam is enough. 

    J

    It does NOT need a phone. as I noted before, the phone is an example for a video-generating device. It even says so in the product description: "Record a facial video file, for instance with a smartphone"

     

    James_H said:

    I assume this is Windows only: is that right? I would have thought the store page should say that. 

     Installer

    • SetupPoseRecorder.msi

    Does this mean it's Windows only?

  • Cris Palomino said:

    Ascania said:

    JasonSWrench said:

    I’m glad to see that I wasn’t the only one who had questions about this product. At bear minimum, there should be a list of the file types that can be read by the software. It also sounds like it may not even need a cellphone, which would be nice. Depending on the file formats it can use, hopefully a standard webcam is enough. 

    J

    It does NOT need a phone. as I noted before, the phone is an example for a video-generating device. It even says so in the product description: "Record a facial video file, for instance with a smartphone"

     

    James_H said:

    I assume this is Windows only: is that right? I would have thought the store page should say that. 

     Installer

    • SetupPoseRecorder.msi

    Does this mean it's Windows only?

    Yes, an *,msi file is a typical Windows installer file. Mac software is usually eitehr ending in *app (no install required) or *dmg (comes with an installer) 

  • Mark_e593e0a5 said:

    Cris Palomino said:

    Ascania said:

    JasonSWrench said:

    I’m glad to see that I wasn’t the only one who had questions about this product. At bear minimum, there should be a list of the file types that can be read by the software. It also sounds like it may not even need a cellphone, which would be nice. Depending on the file formats it can use, hopefully a standard webcam is enough. 

    J

    It does NOT need a phone. as I noted before, the phone is an example for a video-generating device. It even says so in the product description: "Record a facial video file, for instance with a smartphone"

     

    James_H said:

    I assume this is Windows only: is that right? I would have thought the store page should say that. 

     Installer

    • SetupPoseRecorder.msi

    Does this mean it's Windows only?

    Yes, an *,msi file is a typical Windows installer file. Mac software is usually eitehr ending in *app (no install required) or *dmg (comes with an installer) 

    I have to agree the Details and Features sections of this product is drastically lacking if this is a "Windows only" product.  The only indication is the msi file installer contradicted by the compatible software of Daz Studio 4.15 which is available for both Mac and Windows.  Outside of this forum, I'm left with that question because I don't know if that is something additional required for Windows installations, special recording software to record the video on Windows machines to work better with this converter, or if the "SetupPoseRecorder.msi" installs a 3rd party application that is this product.

    It does look cool, but if it is Windows only, I'll move on.  I don't support people that only do Windows unless I really need something.

  • Daedalus-7 said:

    Record speech video with a camera and convert it into a facial animation.

    By watching the videos, it seems that they used the Huawei Honor 10 (2018), which uses a new AI camera.  

    It's impossible to say if that's required or not. :(

     

     

     

     

     

    I have seen YT videos of an iPhone with facial mocap software using (live) video on a monitor screen as a source. It worked. At a glance, this seems to be the same technique. What I find interesting is that it did not require an iPhone TrueDepth camera. The iPhone cannot sense independent eyebrow movement. It's time for a new camera.

  • it is not bad and cheaper than any of the other options, shame just 8.1 but I am considering buying it anyway yes

    After years of doing talking animated videos I pretty much moved away from that preferring just facial expressions with music, partly because I have a hearing impaired Facebook friend who always found my talking videos hard to follow so I decided the visuals alone needed to be the narrative.

    However I am not adverse to using a virtual face for my own blogs, social media posts since having 3 front teeth removed!

    Sick of the closed mouth smiles or wearing a mask on live updates cheeky use Facerig mostly so why not hot DAZ people cheeky

     

     

  • WendyLuvsCatz said:

    it is not bad and cheaper than any of the other options, shame just 8.1 but I am considering buying it anyway yes

    After years of doing talking animated videos I pretty much moved away from that preferring just facial expressions with music, partly because I have a hearing impaired Facebook friend who always found my talking videos hard to follow so I decided the visuals alone needed to be the narrative.

    However I am not adverse to using a virtual face for my own blogs, social media posts since having 3 front teeth removed!

    Sick of the closed mouth smiles or wearing a mask on live updates cheeky use Facerig mostly so why not hot DAZ people cheeky

     

    Personally I appreciate the CC feature, as I usually prefer to mute the sound. The "music" is mostly painful and the speaker's voice is often unintelligible. Plus I can pause it to read it over.

  • James_HJames_H Posts: 1,036

    Ascania said:

    JasonSWrench said:

    I’m glad to see that I wasn’t the only one who had questions about this product. At bear minimum, there should be a list of the file types that can be read by the software. It also sounds like it may not even need a cellphone, which would be nice. Depending on the file formats it can use, hopefully a standard webcam is enough. 

    J

    It does NOT need a phone. as I noted before, the phone is an example for a video-generating device. It even says so in the product description: "Record a facial video file, for instance with a smartphone"

     

    James_H said:

    I assume this is Windows only: is that right? I would have thought the store page should say that. 

     Installer

    • SetupPoseRecorder.msi

    Well, I saw that so assumed that it was Windows only: I think a responsible approach would be to say 'Windows only', rather than assume that that was obvious; and it might be wrong or incomplete. When we transitioned to Iray, I felt the store could have made that clearer and more consistent, and I bet the lack of clarity confuses some newer customers still today.

  • CHWTCHWT Posts: 1,179

    it is not bad and cheaper than any of the other options, shame just 8.1 but I am considering buying it anyway yes

    After years of doing talking animated videos I pretty much moved away from that preferring just facial expressions with music, partly because I have a hearing impaired Facebook friend who always found my talking videos hard to follow so I decided the visuals alone needed to be the narrative.

    However I am not adverse to using a virtual face for my own blogs, social media posts since having 3 front teeth removed!

    Sick of the closed mouth smiles or wearing a mask on live updates cheeky use Facerig mostly so why not hot DAZ people cheeky

     

     

    It's also compatible with G8. I think I will buy it before midnight..
  • So far, what stops me from buying is the fact that this plugin creates squinting on 3D models, the eyes look in different directions.
    Perhaps this is due to the focal length of the camera.
    Can I control the eye settings separately? For example disable side-to-side rotation?

  • Jovanni said:

    So far, what stops me from buying is the fact that this plugin creates squinting on 3D models, the eyes look in different directions.
    Perhaps this is due to the focal length of the camera.
    Can I control the eye settings separately? For example disable side-to-side rotation?

    expand the advanced timeline showing hidden and delete those morphs 

  • WonderlandWonderland Posts: 6,883

    The head seems very stiff, which would mean very stilted videos.And what happens if you add hair? I’ve never rendered video because it seems like it would take forever to render. I’d like to see what this looks like rendered with hair with a little more movement. And on a phone, do you record in portrait or landscape mode? They need a video tutorial that shows the product from beginning to end how to use it.

  • I agree that Daz Quality Control was really laking on the product descripton for PoseRecorder. A lot more technical details, hardware requirements, and especially Screenshots would be helpful.

    The following unlisted video offers more info regarding the OS required...

    PoseRecorder speech 1
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4lLzHKm1SU

    4th comment has a reply from the PA:
    Just Windows for now. There will probably be a Mac version if the PC version gets enough users

  • Agreed -- the videos on the product page show interesting capabilities and the first talks a little about it technically -- but the entire product page is sadly lacking in information that would allow us to make an informed decision about buying it.  I am very interested, but also cautious about buying it without a bit more info...

     

  • CHWTCHWT Posts: 1,179

    I agree that Daz Quality Control was really laking on the product descripton for PoseRecorder. A lot more technical details, hardware requirements, and especially Screenshots would be helpful.

    The following unlisted video offers more info regarding the OS required...

    PoseRecorder speech 1
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4lLzHKm1SU

    4th comment has a reply from the PA:
    Just Windows for now. There will probably be a Mac version if the PC version gets enough users

    Scrolling through the video comments, looks like another veteran PA's DAZ Studio crashed when using PoseRecorder.
  • AscaniaAscania Posts: 1,849
    edited September 2021

    Jovanni said:

    So far, what stops me from buying is the fact that this plugin creates squinting on 3D models, the eyes look in different directions.
    Perhaps this is due to the focal length of the camera.
    Can I control the eye settings separately? For example disable side-to-side rotation?

    You can turn off the eyes individually. So you can create a pose with only the left eye animated or only the right one, or neither.

     

    Wonderland said:

    The head seems very stiff, which would mean very stilted videos.And what happens if you add hair?

    The same thing that happens if you add hair to any other animated pose.

    And on a phone, do you record in portrait or landscape mode?

    Completely irrelevant.

    They need a video tutorial that shows the product from beginning to end how to use it.

    You start the program. You click File->Open to load a video of your choice. You then click File->Save to create the pose. Nothing more needs to be done to get a working result. I don't think a video tutorial is needed for those steps but I guess I can try tomorrow if I can whip something up.

     

    robertswww said:

    I agree that Daz Quality Control was really laking on the product descripton for PoseRecorder. A lot more technical details, hardware requirements, and especially Screenshots would be helpful.

    The following unlisted video offers more info regarding the OS required...

    PoseRecorder speech 1
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4lLzHKm1SU

    4th comment has a reply from the PA:
    Just Windows for now. There will probably be a Mac version if the PC version gets enough users

    That's just the same video that is already embedded on the product page.

    Post edited by Ascania on
  • I will wait until tomorrow at least before I buy it due to budget restrictions but the lack of head movement is a plus in my opinion, Mimic all too often gives me bobble head combined with many premade animations, the old standalone and Carrara plugin I can untick head movement but with DAZ lipsync (32bit) and Mimic live you are stuck and often have to fiddle with the animations instead, aniblocks that is a right PITA.

  • The videos used in the sample look like maybe they are warp stabilized to keep the head perfectly in the middle of the frame?

     

    Be great to see a quick video tutorial on the functionality over all of the products. 
     

    Does it create a pose file that you than apply to any G8 or G8.1 character? Or do you need to have a character already selected in the scene? Etc. 

  • Ghosty12Ghosty12 Posts: 2,058

    At least with this product it is a step in the right direction, in that it does not need specific video recording hardware for capturing unlike other products..

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