Questions Related to DAZ Rigging / Figure Setup Workflow

White Rabbit

Hi all,

I am in the process of working on a car model that I want to convert from a Prop with moving parts to a rigged Figure in DAZ.  I modelled the car in Maya, and I imported each object into DAZ for all the componemt parts such as engine parts, wheels, seats, body pieces and so on. I have a ton of seperate pieces in DAZ. I originally set it up in the Scene tab in a hierarchical fashion making sure that everything was in separate blocks. Now, it appears that I need to convert it to a Figure as a whole so that there will be advantages with security from the model being inadvertantly broken, applying textures, and other functionality that being a Figure affords.This is keeping in mind that I want to sell it on DAZ.  Anyway, I exported my model from DAZ as an OBJ, and Imported it back in through Figure Setup using the excellent tutorial from Sickleyield. I made sure prior that I renamed all the Face Groups and Surfaces clearly and fixed any issues with them being too long text.

My question is, is there any way possible to save my working progress in Figure Setup so that I can store what I have completed so far and come back to it?  I spent an hour or so setting up all the Bone structure hierarchies by dragging and dropping accordingly but then DAZ 4.12.1 locked up and I lost all that work. I experimented saving the project, but that doesn't allow me to come back into DAZ and continue where I left off in Figure Setup fixing the skeletal structure?  It just seems too much to expect to accomplish in a single session, unless I am missing something?  Also, what if I need to add a new piece later on, like say a new engine, or fix a bunch of problems, and edit the Figure's structure. Do I need to start from scratch all over again by editing the original model in Maya or whatever 3D modelling app, and then export to the full model OBJ, Import the OBJ again into Figure Setup in DAZ and set up all the structure all over again?  My model is complex with a ton of bones, and it seems impractical to take that approach?

Any help would be surely appreciated!

Thank you!

Gordig

I've never used Figure Setup myself; everything I've made for DS has been rigged using the Joint Editor, which gives you the flexibility to do as much or as little as you want at a single time.

White Rabbit said:

Also, what if I need to add a new piece later on, like say a new engine, or fix a bunch of problems, and edit the Figure's structure. Do I need to start from scratch all over again by editing the original model in Maya or whatever 3D modelling app, and then export to the full model OBJ, Import the OBJ again into Figure Setup in DAZ and set up all the structure all over again? 

That would depend on what sort of "problems" you're fixing. Changing the engine would almost certainly require starting from scratch, although if your face groups are set up correctly, it shouldn't be too terribly hard to get back to where you were. If you're just moving vertices around, you can make as many changes as you want and update the base geometry, but adding or removing vertices, or changing their order in any way, will prevent you from doing that. If you're thinking about a new engine, it might be worth making the engine a separate, parented prop, rather than part of the basic structure.

White Rabbit

Gordig said:

I've never used Figure Setup myself; everything I've made for DS has been rigged using the Joint Editor, which gives you the flexibility to do as much or as little as you want at a single time.

Thank you for the feedback!!!  Ah, okay!  I need to get more familiar with the Joint Editor then by the sound of it.  So, can you do everything needed in the Joint Editor so far as converting a Prop to a Figure?  I know there's a menu option available in DAZ to Convert Prop to Figure but it appears to work on just one Object at a time in the scene.  The Figure Setup converts the entire model adding bones for everything, all the Face Groups, which is much more than I need.  I found I would need to delete most of the bones for stuff like the lights, chassis, and so on. I guess if you add the bones as needed in the Joint Editor, it makes more sense, but I still am unsure how to tackle the enire car model pieces/sections?  I will have to find some good Joiint Editor tutorials that will hopefully take away some of the mystery.  It seems like every model sold on DAZ is a Figure, not individual objects held together in a parent child relationship, even though this will still allow moving parts, but it seems to be a standard for Figure.  I guess that would work okay to have another parented Prop for the engine example, but I wonder if that would be acceptable for an item for sale?  It seems like a hybrid?   

 

Catherine3678ab

White Rabbit said:

...

My question is, is there any way possible to save my working progress in Figure Setup so that I can store what I have completed so far and come back to it?  ...

Yes. And it's a good idea as you've noticed. From the hamburger menu on the Figure Setup panel there is an option to save the template. Next session you can open that saved template and carry on.

To prevent 'seizures' etc., be careful not to align bones out of order. Normally/often there is one major section to consider as the 'hip' bone with everything else being joined from one direction or the other to it.

White Rabbit

 

Catherine3678ab said:

To prevent 'seizures' etc., be careful not to align bones out of order. Normally/often there is one major section to consider as the 'hip' bone with everything else being joined from one direction or the other to it.

Oh.... I didn't see that option to save template!  Thank you for bringing it to my attention Catherine3678ab  Thank you for the tips on bone placement too!  You guys are totally awesome!

White Rabbit

Does anyone know what the "Region Editor" in Figure Setup is used for?  I tried experimenting with it, but I can't figure it out?  It's another option from the hamburger menu 

Thank you in advance