Is Blender the only good, cheap 3d modeler for Mac and Daz?

CrissieB

tring01 asked:

Are you suggesting it is better/easier to create the texture in the modeling application and then export it to Daz?  I hadn't thought of that work flow...

Even if you plan to use DAZ shaders, it's better to assign material zones in your modeling app (such as Blender). When you import the obj into DAZ, those material zones will appear in the Surfaces tab. You can create new material zones within DAZ by using the Geometry Editor, but it's much easier to assign them as you do your modeling.

You can assign bump maps in Blender, but I wouldn't bother. I do texturing in Substance Painter, so I just assign a base color for visual reference while I work in Blender. I also do a separate UV map for each material zone, although Blender has a limit of 8 UV maps per obj file. My typical workflow is:

In Blender:

1. Create a low-res model with material zones and UV maps. If the model will be a rigged figure and you won't be using DAZ's Transfer Utility, you'll also need to designate vertex groups that will become bones. If you use vertex groups, every vertex in the model must be assigned to at least one group. The easiest way to check that is to select all vertices, then go through your vertex group list and Deselect each group. When you've deselected all groups, there should be no vertices still selected.
2. Duplicate that mesh, move it to another layer (to avoid confusion), and subdivide twice to create a high-res mesh. For an organic model or clothing, I'll use the Subdivision Surface Modifier (which applies smoothing). For an architectural model, I'll do it with the Mesh>Subdivide command. I may also use Blender's Sculpt mode to add wrinkles, dents, and other fine details.
3. Export the low resolution mesh as ModelName_low.obj, and export the high resolution mesh as ModelName_high.obj.

In Substance Painter:

1. Start a new project with ModelName_low. Select Open GL as your Normal map option, as DAZ uses that format. SP will create a separate Layer Stack for each material zone, and ultimately export a separate set of texture files for each Layer Stack.
2. Bake Textures with ModelName_high. Deselect the ID option when you do this, unless you exported ID maps (I don't). This will create a set of analytical textures -- normal, world normal, position, curvature, ambient occlusion -- that SP uses for Smart Materials and Smart Masks. If you sculpted wrinkles and other details in your high-res mesh, they will be baked into your analytical textures.
3. Create Height layers and add extra surface details, if necessary. This is very useful for rivets, bolts, laces, and other details that would have been too fiddly to sculpt into the high-res model. I use PowerPoint and/or GIMP to create grayscale height maps for screw and bolt heads, lacing, etc. I then import those as Alphas (like brushes) and stamp them onto surfaces, using either positive or negative height.
4. Export a normal map for each Layer Stack that you added Height detail, import the normal into your SP project Textures shelf, and assign it as the Layer Stack's new normal map. It will include any sculpting that you baked in Step 2, plus the Height details you painted in SP. Bake Textures from that normal map to update the other analytical textures (world normal, position, curvature, ambient occlusion). Then turn off the Height layers, as their information is already baked into the project.
5. Add paint or fill layers and apply Materials or Smart Materials to each Layer Stack. This is where SP really shines, as you can use Smart Masks to automate rust, dirt, wear, and other fine details. SP's Smart Masks use the analytical textures and random functions to place these details, so you get very detailed surfaces with little or no hand-painting.
6. Export the textures. I create a separate texture file folder for each model, and select that folder in the Export dialogue. I also select "Dilation + Transparent" as the Common Padding, with the Padding set to 4 pixels. That puts each texture file on a black background, which I find helpful when selecting them in DAZ.
7. By default, you will get a Base Color, Height, Metalicity, Mixed A/O, Normal, Normal Open GL, and Roughness map for each Layer Stack. Use File Manager to delete the Normal (but NOT the Normal Open GL) as you won't be using it.

In DAZ:

1. If the model will be a simple prop or if you'll be rigging it with the Transfer Utility, import the obj file. If you'll hand-rig it, use Figure Setup and Add Geometry to import the obj file.
2. If it will be a rigged figure, rig it with the Transfer Utility or by hand with the Joint Editor and Weight Map Node Brush tools. Once the rigging is what you want, Memorize Rigging and Save As>Figure/Prop Asset.
3. Go to the Surfaces tab and select all, then go to Presets>Shaders>Iray and apply the Iray Uber Base shader.
4. Go back to Surfaces>Editor, select all, and set their Base Colors to White. (Each material zone will initially be whatever reference color you used in Blender. You don't want that.) Also set their Metalicity, Glossy Layer Weight, and Glossy Roughness sliders to 1 (all the way to the right).
5. For each material zone, apply the maps you exported from SP: Metalicity to Metallic, Base Color to Base Color, Roughness to Glossy Layer Weight and Glossy Roughness, Height to Bump (set the slider to 1), and Normal Open GL to Normal (it will autoset to 1).
6. I rarely use the Mixed A/O map, but you can use it in the Diffuse Overlay channel to put extra 'dinge' in corners and crevices, or in the Top Coat channel with Top Coat IOR at 1.33 to put moisture in corners and crevices. You may need to invert the Mixed A/O map (in GIMP or Photoshop) to get the effect where you want it.
7. Select the object in the Scene List and Save As>Materials Preset. I also do another Save As>Figure/Prop Asset, overwriting the original, so it will load with the textures already assigned.

That's a streamlined summary of my typical Blender-Substance Painter-DAZ workflow.

Crissie