"Universal" Geoshell? (solved - sadly, no, but workaround!)
tsroemi
Posts: 2,742
I really wish I could use my lovely new G9 tattoo geoshells on some G8 figures as well, but can't seem to find a way to convert them, short of doing it by hand in a paint program. Now I'm wondering whether anyone has heard of something like a "universal" geoshell, like - a geoshell that has ALL Genesis base UVs from all generations, and one can switch between them? I know that the G9 geoshell has something of that capability, but it's flawed, and I don't know of any product like this for G8. Has anyone ever come across something like this? Would it even be possible?
Thanks for reading, have a lovely day! 
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No. Geoshells are geometry, and UV is tied to geometry, so in order for a geoshell to have all generations' UVs, it would also to have to have all the figures' geometry as well.
Ah, I see! So this is why the UV maps for G8 and 8.1 are sort of incomplete on the G9 geoshells, amiright? Showing only those parts of the UVM that match with G9's, basically? Pity though ... - Huh, we'd need conformer geoshells then maybe, so they could be converted like clothes with MMX clones.
That's also why G3 and G8 can use the same textures: they're practically the same figure.
I guess I always thought geoshells were something in between 'true' geometry and just maps
. But if they are normal geometry, are they not also necessarily conforming? I mean, since they move with the figure? So that one could convert them? Sorry, it's wrong, right? I feel like I'm still not getting something important here ...
A Geometry Shell is an instance with independent materials and able to take a Push Modifier - the geometry is, aside from scaling and any push modifier, a clone of the current geometry of the base item.
A geoshell is just a duplicate of the underlying geometry offset slightly from the original. They're not "conforming" in the same way that clothes do, but they follow the figure because they effectively ARE the figure. You could theoretically make a conforming suit with a different figure's geometry and UVs, but if might not conform super well because of differences in rigging.
Okay, I get it now, thanks both! It's not conforming because it's essentially the figure itself, which of course doesn't conform; and the geoshell is just set up to respond alongside the original figure when posing.
UV Sets on a geoshell derive from the figure that the shell fits on. So if you own Legacy UV products from Cayman Studios - 87928 / 88815, you can easily use Map Transfer to convert tattoo texture maps on G9 figure to G8. Then you may use the converted texture maps with geoshell or LIE on G8 figures.
So, whether having "a universal geoshell" or not doesn't matter while the capability of converting texture maps across UV Sets matters...
Another free alternative: project and bake the texture maps from G9's UV to G8's in Blender...
You're a life saver today ;-) I actually own that product! Must change the thread title again, and will try the transferring tomorrow. Thanks!
No problem ~ pls feel free to give it a try. Be noted that there're still some limitations that depend on the tattoos' positions. If the tattoos are across the seams, this way in DS will not work. The doable case is like the attached SS.
Another way is that you may consider using the product 91834, which can bring G9's skin texture as well as tattoos to G8.
"Product 91834" being this one: https://www.daz3d.com/genesis-9-uvs-for-genesis-8-and-81-female
Thanks again, everyone! I tried the map transferring from G9, and I thiiiink I got it - map transfer itself is still a bit complicated for me, because I've never used it before although I knew broadly what it does. But I did get an arm tattoo to fit to G8 instead of G9. So, success!
The whole process seems like quite a lot of hassle though, especially since I'll have to recreate all the presets for the different parts of the tattoos. It would be cool if tattoos were decals, so one could fit them to basically anything and also move them around! Dare I even ask - could I not perhaps convert geoshell tattoos into decals? (Will understand perfectly if y'all are done with answering my questions here! Juuuuust in case ...
)
Pls check the tut from Jay related to Map Transfer - https://youtu.be/YxE5Lfkid1M?si=Oga_-eJ-_MW1Lbv2
The trick for your case : Map Transfer can not directly handle the texture maps on a geoshell, you have to assign the texture map from the geoshell surface slots to the corresponding surface slots on the figure before using Map Transfer. (copy / paste will do)
As for using decals, it also depends... Decals are UV independent, so a full image / stencil of a tattoo has to be used for being projected on the figure. Like the above-shown SS, tattoos on Body, Arms (across seams...) cannot be directly used while the ones on Abs, Chest mostly can.