Skin textures in external renderers

flyerx_2000_72a8e361cb

Hello,

I have noticed that since Genesis 2 the skin diffuse textures are too pale if used in external renderers other than 3Delight or Iray. First time I noticed it was with Aiko 6. The skin comes out almost white even with the subsurface activated. I had to pre-multiply the skin texture map in the renderer I use to get some color at the end.   

I understand that merchants and DAZ 3D will create textures that work best with 3Delight and Iray and I do not expect that to change. What I would like to know is if someone here has a method to bake these textures for better use in external renderers.

I have been using a scene with a square panel, orthogonal camera, and an infinite light perpendicular to the plane. The skin is applied to the plane with the specular, emission, bump, displacement, subsurface, and translucency removed. Then the scene is rendered within DAZ Studio at high resolution (typically 4K x 4K) thus producing a basic baked texture. This works but it is cumbersome and time consuming. Does DAZ Studio have an automatic way to bake diffuse textures? Maybe a script?

Thanks for any info on this

FlyerX

fixmypcmike

What render engine are you using, and how are you transferring the figurres and textures to it?

flyerx_2000_72a8e361cb

I used the exported wavefront OBJ file with the original texture maps (Maya preset). I left out the render engines I used since they seem to be not relevant. I get similar washed out renders using Cycles, Kerkythea, Luxrender, Firefly, and POV-Ray. I used subsurface when possible on all of them.

JD_Mortal

It is common to have converted materials for each rendering engine. None will read the "values" of DAZ materials, which is what is needed, beyond the images. They use a generic material, like "Plastic", or "Skin". If DAZ integrates them, then they WILL have the required material values to use. (Though, they may not have all the same results as each engine has thier own "values", which may not convert. Like Iray VS 3DeLight... No metalicity, no decals, no etc...)

EG, I use sketchup. If I export to a render-engine that is not setup for sketchup, it produces junk which I have to modify by hand. If I export to an engine with "converted materials", (which is usually only just sketchup's default junk), it renders exactly like sketchup, but better quality. If I use a built-in plug-in engine, then sketchup sends the required material info to the rendering engine, using sketchup's versions of the materials. (As opposed to ones made by another person, to "subsitute" the "suggested" materials from sketchup.)

Every program is like that. If the engine is designed for a specific program, or a program is designed for a specific rendering engine, then it will never work like you expect. The common thing to do is "don't export materials", unless you are setting-up new materials that you don't have pre-set. Once set, you guide the rendering engine to use your "DAZ materials", which have the same names as the materials labeled in the OBJ's MTL files. (Or whatever you export it as.)

You only have to setup each material once... (Not a big deal if you are rendering simple projects, but it is a big deal if you constantly render random "daz stuff" in engines that are not made for Daz.)

On that same respect... Some models can't be displayed correctly in DAZ, or other programs, if they contain multiple layered UV-maps, or other "custom shaders", that other programs might have. (That is why they "bake UV maps to one image", in programs like z-brush. Because few other programs can do what z-brush does. Like having mis-matched UVs for color and shaders and layers and alphas.)

Soon I hope...

Try looking for, or asking for a conversion tool. One that can create materials for your render-engine, from DAZ materials. Though, it is not difficult to do manually. Just look at the settings and the results, and set the same values, or similar values in the other program.

Paula Sanders

I export DAZ models as OBJs to Vue all the time. I get good results after I make certain changes. Once you do it, you know what changes you have to make. Experiment and keep a record. After a short time, it becomes instinctual.

mjc1016

flyerx_2000_72a8e361cb said:

 I get similar washed out renders using Cycles, Kerkythea, Luxrender, Firefly, and POV-Ray. I used subsurface when possible on all of them.

Sounds like incorrect gamma correction/non-linear workflow issues to me...

http://http.developer.nvidia.com/GPUGems3/gpugems3_ch24.html