Okay so my recent deviations have been of my own original creations in Sculptris and imported into Daz Studio for use as morphs with Genesis 2 Males, thus far. Found Sculptris recently and learned it was a simple solution for creating some basic original morphs. Here's my evaluation of the software followed by some simple steps to proceeding with experimentation on your own...
THE GOOD
Sculptris is SUPER SIMPLE to use and requires a modicum of understanding of how 3D sculpting software works. I honestly think anyone could use it and have fun with it. It might not be the most advanced but it's a solution that ANY NEWBIE or NOVICE could use and get some form of base to start from.
What do I mean by "BASE", well BASE for me means a starting point that can then be enhanced using the available morphs out there commercially. Obviously if you want to get the most out of the box bang for you buck and you don't want to spend a fortune on the morphs, Sculptris is the platform from which to experiment and go nuts.
THE BAD
Sculptris is SUPER SIMPLE to use and REQUIRES a modicum of understanding of how 3D sculpting software works. LOL I know it's the same line but the truth is without some fundamental knowledge, not necessarily hands on but more practical, you will have a hard time wrapping your brain around it. Watch the single UI video on the Sculptris download page at Pixologic. Then browse YouTube and watch how Zbrush users use ZBrush, it will give you a simple enough understanding of the concept. That's about all the education and exposure you will need to get the education you need to use Sculptris.
THE UGLY
There are no fine brushes or nuance addons for you. This is down and dirty sculpting that is (at it's most basic) a push and pull method to create the dominant morphs you need. Expect that the fine tuning will happen (or should happen) in Daz Studio using the available morphs that are there for purchase. Literally after much playing with it I realized it is strictly a push and pull method for creating 60% of the character/s I want. The remaining 40% I achieved in Daz Studio using the morphs I own.
SO HOW DO I DO THAT?
Okay it's pretty simple really...took some evaluating and understanding to get the hang of getting the base models from Daz Studio and into Sculptris.
STEP 1 - load the figure you want to use as a base. For me, it was the Genesis 2 Male figure but after some experimentation I found it worked with ANY base model, that's Girl6, Michael 6, Genesis 1, Gia and Olympia. If you choose to use a different figure than the base Genesis 2 or Genesis 1 figures, make sure you load them from the start. DO NOT LOAD THE BASE GENESIS FIGURE AND MORPH IT, that will affect your results. No I don't know why, it just does.
STEP 2 - Under your parameters tab set the mesh resolution to BASE. If you're using Genesis 2 or any of it's base figures you can leave the subdivision at 1. If you want some fine tuning capabilities you can ramp up the subdivision to either 2 or 3. [CAVEAT: when you bring in your sculpted model to Daz make sure you begin with the same base model, at the same subdivision level you exported originally]
STEP 3 - FILE>EXPORT the OBJ to another directory you will be working out of. In the export window you want to CHECK, the last three options in the bottom left:
- Write UV Coordinates
- Write Normals
- Write Object Statements
These are normally UNCHECKED when you first enter the OBJExportOptions panel.
STEP 4 - Open Sculptris, I'm assuming you have already downloaded it and have watched the videos I recommended.
STEP 5 - Using the OBJ IMPORT icon in the toolbar at the top left of the Sculptris workspace window, find your exported model and bring it into Sculptris. You will be asked if you want to create a NEW SCENE, this is in fact what you want to do. It will also notice that there is some geometrical data and ask if you want to go to PAINT. Say no, this is a single choice option, do it and you're dead before you begin. Once the model is in your workspace, DO NOT TOUCH IT YET!!!
STEP 6 - The first thing I did not realize the first time I tried it out was that Sculptris, much like Zbrush either ADDS or SUBTRACTS vertices, (those little polygons in Wire Frame view) which will automatically KILL your morph when you try to bring it back into Daz. So in Sculptris to the right of the brush size and strength settings is a tiny dial called "Detail [Q]" set this to the far left. This will kill Sculptris' ability to ADD or SUBTRACT vertices. From hereon the only thing you will be able to do is manipulate the vertices that exist.
STEP 6a - You can work with either wireframe ON or wireframe OFF, the tine W icon will do that. I preferred wireframe off so I could sculpt to my own visual cues but some might like knowing what the vertices are doing.
STEP 6b - Another point of interest is you MAY want to turn on the ASYMMETRY function (the little double sided arrow beside the W icon) which makes any changes you do on the right or left mirror on the opposite side.
STEP 7 - Experiment with the different tools. I used mostly, DRAW, SCALE, GRAB (looooved Grab) and SMOOTH a lot. Draw adds to the sculpt, just pulling out the vertices. INFLATE does this too but it thickens the area. Grab worked the best for getting my OVERALL desired shape, then I tweaked it with things like Scale and Draw. Neat little tip: If you choose ALT/OPTION the tools do the opposite or reverse of their normal function.
SCULPTING NOTE #1 - Be wary of the areas near mouth, eyes, eye lashes and fingernails or toenails. If you manipulate these areas too much you will affect the way Daz functions with these. I have murdered fingernails and pulled eyes out of socket and warped eyelashes by not being careful.
SCULPTING NOTE #2 - Take your time. Don't be impatient. I spent upwards of a four hours just working on MadMan#1's torso to achieve the desired look.
SCULPTING NOTE #3 - If you have most of the ancillary morphs that are out there for your base figure, don't get bogged down trying to make your character look precisely right in Sculptris. I knew I wanted MadMan#1 to have certain aspects like flatter fingers than just the Flatten Fingers morph would give me. Also I wanted that curved digit look like in comic books or animated 3D features so the fingers have a life to them. So I worked those areas. MOST of my musculature I worked in Daz using those morph dials but the overall shape I knew would be hard to achieve I worked into my morph in Sculptris.
Some things that would be perfect for this?
- Klingon or alien foreheads
- Specific monstrous details like sharp bony elbows or pointed protrusions from skull or other parts of the body. I'm thinking of doing a Doomsday morph for Freak 5 for Genesis with this because it would be perfect for adding those levels of desire morphability.
- Wolverine type claws would probably not be unrealistic either.
- Want a specific anime type feature but having trouble finding it in commercial products? Sculpt it yourself.
- Betazoid noses.
I'm pointing out Star Trek aliens because those are the ones I know best.
STEP 8 - So you got your finished sculpted model? Now what? Hit the tiny OBJ EXPORT button (right beside the OBJ IMPORT button) and save your new file. DO NOT SAVE OVER YOUR EXPORTED DAZ BASE MODEL (you can reuse it again and again).
STEP 9 - Daz Studio 4.6 Pro has Morph Loader pro built into it. Create a new scene in Daz and load up your base model, remembering to set the subdivision and mesh resolution to the settings you used when originally exporting the figure. Now open the Morph Loader panel (EDIT>FIGURE>Morph Loader Pro) and select your OBJ file using Daz Studio size settings, which worked most of the time. Once it didn't and I'm not sure why so I had to use Poser or Lightwave size which worked too.
STEP 10 - In the Parameters tab under MORPH>MORPH LOADER your new morph will appear.
STEP 11 - Your set. Adjust the parameters if you want or go as it is. I made a lot of changes that affected how the rigging looked so I had to do an ERC Freeze to get them, to realign right. Strictly cosmetic changes won't alter that so you won't need them.
ERC FREEZE STEPS:
- TOOLS>JOINT EDITOR will reveal the rigging skeleton, a series of blue/purple triangles set up along where the normal figure moves.
- WINDOWS>TABS>TOOL SETTINGS will open the tool settings panel, if you don't already have it open.
- At the top corner of the tool settings window is DISPLAY ACTIVE PANEL OPTIONS it's a little box with lines and tiny triangle which tells you it can be opened. Open this and select EDIT>ADJUST RIGGING TO SHAPE
- This will open up your structure panel revealing ALL of the minute adjustment points within the figure hierarchy. Leave them alone. The only thing to worry about is the check box at the bottom left corner "Adjust Orientation", hit this and choose "Accept"
- TABS>PROPERTY HIERARCHY (your version might be called PROPERTY EDITOR) and right click on your figure in the scene list. Select "ERC Freeze" from the drop down.
- The ERC FREEZE OPTIONS panel will open. Choose your figure from the first dropdown.
- The Property dropdown will change to "XTranslate" by default, open this dropdown and find your morph, the list is alphabetical and typing the first letter will bring you to anything beginning with it. Locate your morph and select it.
- Now like a dummy I hit "Accept" which forced me to do this process again later. Don't make my mistakes, instead at the bottom left corner of the ERC FREEZE OPTIONS panel UNCHECK the Restore Figure Rigging and hit "Accept".
Now your new morph is rigged to match the original figure you used and it will move correctly. Make any tweaks using the morphs you have and then either SAVE AS>SCENE if you want to simply have it as a mergable scene in the future OR SAVE AS>SUPPORT ASSET>MORPH ASSET to have it as a dialable morph in the future.
REMEMBER: If you used proprietary purchased morphs in your final character you CANNOT sell those or offer those commercially.
That's the short and skinny version. It took a lot of experimentation and a lot of headaches to get this far. I'm still sure that ZBrush and other full blown sculpting software is probably preferable for a commercial product but I think for what I'm using it for, Sculptris is a FREE solution that made basic morph creation, stupid simple.
I'd love to see what you come up with.
Cheers!
TBJ (aka cgartiste)