How to get Genesis 8 expressions working on Genesis 8.1
This has been discussed in other threads, but for the casual reader, finding it would be difficult. So I wanted to create a thread that would be quick for people to find, so they could get the information they need easily.
Genesis 8.1 loads with all your morphs and expressions from Genesis 8 automatically (as long as you are using version 4.15). But many of your old expressions will not work on 8.1. This is because these old expressions rely on certain basic pose controls that come with Genesis 8. Genesis 8.1 comes with "dummy files" that block those basic pose controls from loading into your new figure. Without access to these basic pose controls, your old expressions will do nothing to Genesis 8.1
But the "fix" is easy and safe!
Step 1: Navigate to My Library/data/Daz 3D/Genesis 8/Female 8_1/Morphs/Daz 3D
Step 2: Right-click the Base Pose Head folder (Or alternatively the FACS folder in the same location) and select "Send to zip"
Step 3: Right-click the Expressions folder (or the FACS Expressions folder in the same location) and select "Send to zip. " Now you should have two new zip files in the folder.
Step 4: Delete the unzipped Base Pose Head and Expressions folders. Daz will no longer be able to read the "dummy" files and the basic facial pose controls for Genesis 8 female will load with your Genesis 8.1 female figure.
Step 5: Repeat steps 1-4 for the males, this time going to My Library/data/Daz 3D/Genesis 8/Male 8_1/Morphs/Daz 3D instead.
That's it! You're all done!
If you want to restore these files for any reason, it is as easy as right-clicking the zip files and selecting "extract here".
Removing these files and then later returning them will not harm your saved scenes. The only thing that will happen is that the expression will no longer load on your figure's face and you will have to give them a new one.
I hope this helps and I hope you have a great day!
Update 2 (8/22/2021): Looks like Daz renamed the folders, so I added the new names to the instructions. I tested this and FACS does still work after removing the mentioned folders.
Update: It has been pointed out that G8 and G8.1 have a couple of files with the same user-side labels (these are the names of the properties that show in your parameters tab). The internal names are different though. What this means is that both expressions designed for G8.1 and expressions made for G8 will work properly. Daz won't get them confused when you try to use things that depend on them. But the because the user side labels are exactly the same, Daz will only show one of these property sliders in your parameters. Instead of having ready access to both the smile for G8 and the smile for G8.1, you will have easy access to only one. Same for the frown.
To be clear: Your expressions will work and you will still have a smile parameter and a frown parameter. But you won't have easy access to both smiles and both frowns.
It is possible to get both smiles and frowns to show in G8.1 by changing the user side labels. You can find some information on how to do this here, but I have not tried these methods and so I can't say how easy they are, or how complete the instructions are. I will update this thread if I get more complete instructions on this.
Comments
Worked like a charm. Thank you.
This is the way.
I'll point out what galien noted after I first posted the details about these dummy files, in that there is a minor conflict between the G8.0 expressions and G8.1 expressions - both sets have sliders that use the user-side labels "Mouth Smile" and "Mouth Frown" sliders, so both versions get merged into one controller if you have your Parameters/Posing tabs set to default settings. This isn't a problem from the perspective of presets and controllers, as all presets and controllers dial things in using internal names, but it does mean the user doesn't easily have access to these controls separately.
Specifically, these morphs for G8.1 have the same labels as G8.0 controls
data/Daz 3D/Genesis 8/Female 8_1/Morphs/Daz 3D/FACS:
facs_ctrl_MouthFrown.dsf
facs_ctrl_MouthSmile.dsf
alias_head_facs_ctrl_MouthFrown.dsf
alias_head_facs_ctrl_MouthSmile.dsf
Personally, I chose to open them in a text editor (they're readable) and alter the label fields on line 30 to add "8.1" to the end of their labels, although one can equally modify the equivalent G8.0 files.
As noted before, changing the label only affects what the user sees, and does not cause issues as far as presets or controllers.
thanks.
so lost without the hand grasp control
Thanks for pointing this out. Changing the labels in a text file sounds easy enough. But is it possible to change them from within Daz itself? Some people might find that more appealing if it is.
Its possible, but the change would only apply to that character you are working with in that scene.
If you want to make the change to all figures and characters, you would need to load the "Genesis 8 Basic Female" (less stuff in G8.0), zero it, change the labels and then save the modified assets (Edit->Save As->Support Asset->Save Modified Assets)
In my DS, there is no save as in edit menu. In file save as, there is no support asset submenu in there
I will look into this as soon as my current render finishes. I suspect they meant that you have to edit the property, then save that property as a morph asset, but I am not sure.
File->Save As->Support Asset->Save Modified Assets
Completely bizarre, that support asset section is not on my DS lol.
Now that is weird.
Please forgive me for being a little slow to figure this out! I loaded a G8F, changed the label of mouth frown to mouth frown 8.0 then went to save modified assets to see how it would work. It prompted me with a list of assets that would be modified. But the frown was not the only one on the list. It also said it would modify Eyelash curl, Eyelash length upper, and eyelash length lower, as well as Genesis 8 in general. Why is that? (I didn't hit accept) I tried opening the file with a text editor, but as the lines are not numbered in notepad, it seemed pretty overwhelming.
You know, I've never gotten the hang of saving modified assets on figures, so I'm afraid I can't help there.
When was the last time you ran the Update and Merge Menus command?
Up until now, I think never. Runnin it didn't make the mysterious missin menu item appear lol. I wonder what else I am missing lol. I think once I am done with reinstalling my g8m stuff I will wipe out my beta aond see if a reinstall makes it pop up.
The original post has been updated with information on the naming conflict. Please let me know if I got anything wrong.
You have entered your serial number?
Good catch! The screenshot shows 4.15 Standard, not 4.15 Pro.
Just wonder, if we ever get official fix for that issue.
Oh, seems I hadn't, that fixed it. Thanks lol.
you deserve a medal <3
Hm. This worked for me, and then suddenly stopped working again. Yet I can't find any trace of the "Base Pose Head" or "Expressions" folder under My Library/data/Daz 3D/Genesis 8/Female 8_1/Morphs/Daz 3D.
Anyone else?
Have you by any chance used DAZ Connect, ie. installed stuff inside DS in Smart Connect? If you have, the files are installed in some ...\Cloud\... folder.
Thank you so much, PerttiA! That did the trick.
Ahh, this is a useful tip. My gratitude. :)
*bow*
didn't work for me either.
Self made expression sets still look wrong.
Where are your morphs installed (the whole path including the drive letter) and how have you installed your content (DIM/Daz Central/Daz Connect/Manually)?
Check the cloud! That's where they were hiding from me.
I'm now running Daz in permanent offline mode.
Above it says if you need to reload the files you will have to reapply them in saved files. Is there a way in a file to tell what expression was applied for sure if you can't remember? Or will it still be in the parameters for sure? I'm afraid to do that and lose any of the poses in my save files. I never remember what I apply. Thanks
Well, not entirely sure what you mean by reapply.
If you hide the dummy files, then make an expression on an 8.1 that uses the now working G8 expressions, save it, then replace/unhide the dummy files, when you load your scene again, the expression won't look right. But the expressions will still be dialed in just as they were before and you will be able to figure out what you used to get the expression. Since the dummy files are in effect, though, no amount of fiddling with those dials will make that expression come back. To get the expression to work, you would have to hide the dummy files again. Alternatively, you could apply the parameter settings to a regular G8 to get it back, if you were okay with working on a G8.
Basically: When the dummy files are hidden, old expressions will work on G8.1. When they are NOT hidden, those parameters will go back to doing nothing. But they will still be there, as they automatically are loaded along with all the other G8 morphs in 4.15.
(I hope that helps and makes sense... I just woke up )
More notes:
Hiding the files shouldn't affect any previous expressions you made, because the files that you are hiding don't do anything but block the functionality of the old expressions on an 8.1. Your expressions when working with G8s will be the same as they were before.
Hiding the files won't even affect previously made expressions on 8.1 that were used with the other face expressions (the ones that did stuff) since these were not moved.
Any expressions made with the face rig thing would likewise not be affected, since they don't rely on the dummy expression files that were hidden with this process.
If you hide the dummy 8.1 files, make an expression on a G8.1 with the now working expressions and save it, it will still be there when you reload the file. (unless you put the dummy files back!)