Can't isolate an object to rotate it
dracorn
Posts: 2,333
I just started using Hexagon today to create a morph for the Pirate Coat for G2M. I've got the shape for one side the way I want using Tweak with soft selection. Now I have to move the buttons. I am able to select the individual button using the Tweak tool and move it, but I can't rotate it.
I was able to activate the rotate tool, but it rotates the entire coat. I figured out the pivot point, but again it only rotates the whole coat.
My problem is that I am unable to isolate the button from the coat. The only way I know how to select the button is using the Tweak tool with soft selection. I tried the extract tool, but that doesn't work.
First pic shows the buttons that need to be moved.
Second pic shows the button at the wrong angle.
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Comments
Are the buttons separate objects to the coat? A pic of the scene tree, expanded to show all items would be helpful.
If you are referring to the scene tree in Daz Studio, then no, the buttons are not separate objects. Which is why I thought it was strange that the buttons did not move with the coat as I tweaked it. The "FrontButtons" can be seen on the Surfaces tab only.
If you are referring to a scene tree within Hexagon, can you tell me where to find it?
You will find the Scene Tree Pane on the right hand side of the Hexagon, Under the Properties Pane. It can get hidden, so if you cannot see it click on the little blue arrow. If it is turned off then tick the box in Window Menu (tick all the top section, you will probably need them in time).
I think you'll find the buttons are seperate objects, if that is the case I do not think its posible to morph the coat, Patience (a fellow Hex user) will hopefully pop in and tell you if there is a work around.
OK I found the scene tree, and I see that the buttons are not separate from the coat (see pic).
As an alternative, I was considering copying the button and copying out the texture from the coat, then setting the errant buttons' opacity to zero on the surfaces tab, and manually placing my new buttons in Daz Studio.
So if I can move the button with the Tweak tool, is it possible to copy it and create a new object from that? If you can let me know what the steps are, I won't have to spend time searching through the manual, forums and YouTube. Thanks!
Now, I'm confused. I made some additional morphs to the coat. Now when I choose Send to Daz Studio (when I have D/S open with the Captain and his coat loaded), Hexagon opens a new copy of D/S, and the morph loader does not come up. The coat just appears. When I merged in the scene with the captain, then click on the morphed coat, there isn't even a Fit To option. I can parent the new coat, but nothing happens.
What did I do wrong? Why is Hexagon treating the coat as a separate object and not a morph of an existing one?
OK - so it is one object, but separate meshes - this makes it a lot easier:) You will need to this one button at a time. To isolate a button, select as many of the facets as you can without selecting any part of the coat, then hold down shift and hit the plus key on the number pad - keep hitting it until it is all selected. This will select only the button - you can then move and rotate it - use the universal manipulator, not the tweak tool.
The tweak tool is also not the correct one to use to morph the coat - rather use the universal manipulator with soft select on.
Did you close down either Hex or Studio during this process at all? If so, the bridge connection was broken and Hex took this as sending a new object to Studio. Normally morphing is done as a single-session operation. If you are in a situation where you need to close one or both down, you will have to export from Hex as an .obj before closing. Then reopen Studio, send to Hex, delete from Hex and load the morphed .obj back in then send it back to Studio.
I am rather surprised that you have to make a morph to open the coat - normally these types of clothing would have extra bones, or handles, or morphs ready built into them to control that type of behaviour. Just be aware that, if you intend to animate the coat opening, morphing will not work satisfactorily, because morphs move in a straight line from one position to another, so will not animate correctly. This would be OK for a still posed shot.
Good luck with your project:)
I just checked, when you use the Hex-DS bridge, Hex sees it as one object.
What I did find odd though (I just submitted a bug report for this) - if you send an object over with Iray settings Hex displays it as wire frame, 3Delight shows the mats as per normal - strange.
Whoops, this was sitting in draft and I forgot to send it.
Thanks for your advice. It was very late when I had to stop morphing, and I needed to learn how to move the buttons. I did have a copy of the coat with the morphs in Daz Studio - it was loaded onto the character in the pose. That's how I checked the fit. I was going back and forth between Daz Studio and Hexagon.
This morph is for a posed shot, and I don't plan on using it for anything else. It's an extreme pose and the character has been modified. So the morphs that come with the coat wouldn't work.
I had read about changing the pivot point, but the options just wouldn't come up when I had the button selected. So I used a combination of the Universal Manipulator and the Rotate tool.
It worked quite well for a couple of buttons, then the 4th one would not show up when I loaded the morphed coat onto the character. I tried a few more times, and then decided that most of the showing buttons were positioned the way I like and I could remove the floating buttons. Darn things gave me fits. The fabric morphing over the character's leg is what I wanted and that worked. I'll fix a couple of errant buttons in Photoshop... I just ran out of patience for it.
Well done - and great render:) Dramatic, tells a story in one shot and holds the attention!
BTW - the universal manipulator has it all - translate, rotate and scale, as well as extrude.
Thanks, Roygee. I did see that with the Universal Manipulator. However, and part of what was giving me fits, was that the controls stayed with the coat and didn't center on the button. The change pivot point didn't show up so I wasn't able to move it. It was acting strange and I don't have enough experience to know how to make it behave. The Rotate tool was more polite in this particular case.
By the way, the shape of the coat changed when it was fitted to the character, even warped in some places. When I re-established the bridge, I saw that the coat I had sent from Daz Studio (straight off the Captain's back) retained his portly shape and pose, as well as the warping which I didn't like.
So, newbie that I am, I thought I could work with that figure instead of the off the mannequin coat. I smoothed out the warping and sent it back to Daz Studio. (You're probably snickering at this point). Yes, it exploded when I put it back on the Captain. Hey, it was worth a try... and it won't scare me from experimenting in the future. =o)
Aah..yes:) Morphing should be done from the default shape and pose, preferebly at base resolution, otherwise you get morph added to morph, which will produce strange results. There is a method of overcoming this...I don't use Studio for much, so am open to correction. I believe you have to reverse morph..something along those lines.
Believe me, I will never snigger about someone's efforts... experimentation, trial and error, patience and practice, asking questions is what brings good results in the end:)
I'll be trying morphs on hair in the future. I get the perfect hair for a character, and then am frustrated because it won't move the way I want. But that's another story...