Script / report on which morphs are used in a custom character?
HamEinar
Posts: 121
I am surrendering to the bog-down of investing too much money in assets and was wondering if it is possible to see which morphs are used in any given custom character (i.e. when I load one of my characters I can get some kind of list of morphs used) to be able to remove excessive morphs not used? I know I can go into shaping and look at "currently used" - but this is not very intuitive when it comes to some muscle morphs etc. which are not labelled "XYZ Muscle Morphs: Arm size".
Many times I buy a new character simply because I like the materials, and thus I can live without any morphs from said character as long as I still keep the materials.
If I understand the issue correctly, character morphs (including some expressions and poses) are the reason Studio is crawling to a halt.
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http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/referenceguide/scripting/api_reference/samples/metadata/list_products_used/start
Tried this, but it only lists base figure and no morphs..
It should list morphs from Daz, assuming the metadata is installing.
The older D3D (Dimension 3D) 'content gatherer' utility from the DAZ Store might help you in a couple of ways, as it will not only help you identify morphs that are used (non-zero) in a custom DS figure, but it will also let you create a zipfile content-library/runtime containing all of the elements in a duf scene-file (and, only those elements) with their dependencies. You can create a dedicated figure runtime/content-lib for your figure/character and outfits/props/hair. (and other figures, and buildings/environment too, if you wish).
Basic use of the tool is to first build your scene and your custom figure in DS, save it as a 'duf' from DS, then use the standalone 'gatherer' utility to generate a new zipfile content-library of all of the elements in that duf file. This new zipfile collects everything needed to re-create the scene, and preserves the DS content-library format so that it can be extracted and used natively in DS.
There are few hints of note: It will not include morphs that are not explicitly used (sliders set to zero are ignored), so collections of the default morphs that we kind of expect to be there, like the DAZ visemes and other simple/standard adjustment morphs won't be included with your figure unless they are explicitly used (non-zero sliders) in your figure when you save it in the scene duf-file.
Two simple fixes (if you use this utility): Either set all of the morphs that you may wish to include with your custom-figure to non-zero, even if slightly (e.g. 0.00001), before you use the 'gatherer' tool.
The other method is to create a minimal gatherer file (content-lib/runtime) for just your custom figure (as-is), load that as a library in DS's library system, then install any other standard morph-sets you want to have available (e.g. expressions, DAZ std for visemes and 'typical' adjustments) *into that new runtime/content-library* (that's my approach).
To invert the logic/approach for the same effect, build your perfect figure, and 'gather' it into a zipfile. Then create a new minimal basic/standard base figure library/runtime as you normally do in DS - with only the additional morphs/expressions that you want your custom figure to have available, then merge your new custom figure zipfile content into the new minimal 'standard' figure content-library you just created. You can use that in DS, and you can also save it for future projects/reference and uses.
It's kind an unusual way of thinking in DS, as most folks have a single (huge) runtime/content library, I have hundreds. Every project is based on a general DS resource library and at least one project-custom library that contains only the elements needed in that scene. A typical project includes 3 or 4 thematic figure-centric and/or scene-centric library folders, all of which are kept 'pure' and backed up for future use and project re-visits, where having the scene, resources, and DS program versions be exactly as they were originally rendered is critical to getting the same render characterstics in a later scene creation session.
DAZ did not design their DS system for this sort of production workflow at all, and in fact, make it really difficult to work this way, but my runtimes are minimal, responsive, and reproducable, at the expense of some redundancy in my libraries and hassles managing DS versions. Occasionally I wish I had easier access to some resource that isn't easily available in these stripped runtime-libs, but with a bit of planning, I don't run into this very often, and I can add/install those new resources into the given environment if needed easily enough.
Finally, you can be pretty certain that none of this approach will coordinate very well with the DS connect or smart-content that DS uses nowadays, but if you're comfortable doing a bit of "extraction and merging surgery" on your content libraries, you can create truly minimal, but complete, figure runtime/content libraries for your figures or projects. You can also 'gather' and archive multiple figures (and props/resources) into a complete project runtime/content-lib zipfile for completed projects (e.g. animations/stories) that use multiple characters, but contain none of the extra stuff you don't want to include.
The author of the gatherer utility passed away a while back so this tool may someday become incompatible with DS duf files. I mention the tool it because I like it, and I know that it works in DS 4.11. Others may be able to confirm that it works with duf files from the current versions.
YMMV,
--ms