Cineversity

Hi, is there a way when importing from DAZ or Poser not to have so many selection sets and materials on the same object?

Basically im importing from DAZ, deleting the skeleton, send the obj to both Mixamo and Marvelous Designer, re-creating the skeleton in Mixamo, creating cloths in Marvelous, and then using the animated fbx from mixamo presets for walk / run cycles and base animations, its super fast to work that way because I can create a lot of characters, but one thing than bothers me is to have to deal with a lot of orange triangles in my obj (selection sets)

Anyway, also I want to know:

1) how can I import from DAZ without recreating the transparency channel (I have to move mats from transparency to alpha because they get imported quite badly)

2) how can I use facial lypsinc abilities from Mixamo into C4D

3) Im still having issues with female hair, do you have a tutorial for that?

Thank you very much.

Hi luchifer,

Just a little note:
Even I have used Poser from v1 (‘95), I have lost connections to this field over the years, my last version was Pro2010 with C4D connection.
Maximo, DAZ and Marvelous Designer are certainly not in my application folder. So, what I can do is a short reply, and of course I can take a look to a file, if you like to share one, and upload link is in your PM (private messages Cineversity), since I guess none of these models can be shared public-ally. Just the file that you want to import.

However, often it is better to start where the problems are originated, and that is at the exporting application. So, the support of those apps are in question. If you followed the Siggraph presentations, you might remember Athanasios Pozantzis’ “noseman’s” suggestion to check out the SDK, as MAXON is certainly very open to connect;
https://developers.maxon.net
SDK3!

1) Send a request to DAZ for that. Seriously, they certainly like to get things in the way they are needed. Otherwise, you know that you can click on the texture and drag it to the alpha channel. Perhaps a Python script might help. (Anyone? ;o)

2) Lipsync, well, the free model (Mixamo) had no lip-sync. Often a “mouth open–close cycle” is confused with lip-sync. Real Lip-Syn is expressive with many different “poses”, is that what you mean? If it is not baked as in PLA for example, or you can any markers and expressions, I’m not certain that there is a way.

3) Patrick Goski has created a great series about Hair. https://www.cineversity.com/vidplaylist/hair_overview_the_hair_object/hair_overview_the_hair_object_part_110

To the selection objects, I’m not clear if you need just get rid of them, and that in the fastest way possible?

Let me know.

All the best

hehe I found a simple way to remove all the clutter from the selection sets, I simply dragged them to a layer and hide them from the object manager. As soon as im able to finish my scene I’ll send you the files, so you can see how cool is to work with marvelous / mixamo combo. About the lypsinc it I saw a plugin from mixamo to maya on mixamo web site, so what I want is if you know a tutorial about posable faces, because if I can change my character from joy to sad it would be a lot of fun to do. Im trying to animate more inside cinema, because i believe maya has the upper hand and its up to us, the user, to show people it is posible to do cool things in c4d as well.

Hi luchifer,

Nice that you enjoy working with them.

Thanks for the offer to send the file. The idea is to get the exported file from the apps you have trouble with, not the C4D file in this case. So, please no extra work! Just the bare minimum to showcase the trouble. Anything else makes it harder to identify the problem and perhaps takes a lot of time to find and delete unrelated 3rd party stuff.

To hide the tags might be an option, but keep in mind, if you don’t need those, they become read into the memory. They can be massive!
Even if all options and function are switched off in the Layer, they work. E.g., with a selection and a material that uses them.

Maya and other apps, what ever fits the artist should be used. I try not to make a front against any application here, nor try to encourage anything thereof. MAXON’s idea is to be open minded and that has resulted in a lot of connectivity already. Not that everything can be connected and converted, but as far as possible is certainly the target, the main industry tries certainly to find common ground, as well all win with it: Collada, Alembic, FBX, etc.

I have no idea about a plug-in for this lip sync. The file I expect for this exploration should have at least two or three version of the expression, to see if a PoseMorph could be done, but I’m not certain at all how the information is provided. As I mentioned above, I do not have any practical use sine a while of these, so I can check them out, and perhaps define an idea that I can forward. Or there are some things in it that can be used. However, I have a pretty certain feeling that at the moment the lip-sync done will not work. I checked some source who collect plug ins, and so far nothing in terms of import from 3rd party or full sync with sound.
Will there be markers or anything that indicated something readable… I’m certainly curious.

All the best

sorry for the delay, I sent you some files, If you need something more, just let me know, thanks for all the help so far.

this very short video shows the workflow between mixamo and maya https://community.mixamo.com/hc/en-us/articles/204096606-Maya-Auto-Control-Rig-Script

As we in C4D have a bridge to After Effects with Cineware, perhaps the communication channel between maxon and adobe is very fluid and someone can ask adobe to make something similar for C4D.

Probably since the begining of time, I have a lot of troubles using maya, either Im fighting the interface or the bugs, while on the other hand, C4D allows me to move forward. Perhaps is silly, but I really hate moving through endless tabs in Maya, instead of the amazing tags in C4D.

edit.. I forgot, Im using Octane Demo - im waiting for Black Friday / Cyber monday to purchase it at home - I have a full version at work, but its weekend, so im home testing c4d motion system and having fun.

Oh, sorry I forgot one additional question, some plugins are installed in the menu bar (Octane / Realflow / Laubwerk), while others are installed inside the Plugins directory (Arnold / Forester), is there a way to let us choose wich goes to the menu bar and wich goes to plugins menu or is it up to the developer?

Hi luchifer,

First things first, this is not a lip-syn plug-in at all. This is an automated set up for a rig. Automated lip-sync means that, you have a sound file and it analyses the sound and create suggestion for a specific setting. Based on these settings predefined shapes are called up. Edit: go to post #7 to see how fast the approach is with C4D /edit

Those things are set up with Controllers, some build even slider do have that control, but you can just use the HUD parameter to get the same effect. On the other hand, anything I have seen can be build on your own.
The Spline based Slider are simple position objects. The position, e.g., “Y” goes then to XPresso. In the simplest way with 1. Pos Y, 2. Range Mapper and 3. To the parameter in question, perhaps PoseMorph.

In Cinema 4D you will find many helpful interface options, e.g., the Driver Tag:
https://help.maxon.net/#TDRIVER

I have no idea why they show interest and then let go of it, nothing after two years:
https://community.mixamo.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/203735596-Cinema-4D-Control-Rig
Since they have done it once, Python is available in C4D. But perhaps they went just shopping ;o) Seriously, invite anyone you know and go to that thread, populate it and request this for C4D, here is you motivation for Cinema 4D requested! :o) and I will say—very welcome. Just ask, and share the link to that thread in your social media. In nearly two years five votes, who would invest at all developer time in it, if only five people vote for it? I guess there is the option to improve the chances.

The Icons are initially based on the installer script, but you can change that later of course Main Menu> Window> Customize Menu.
https://help.maxon.net/us/#5225

The Selection Tags in you scene, define the textures. So if you would delete them, you would lose that definition. A faster way to hide them, click on the “eye” icon in the Object Manager, then find the Selection Tags and click on that eye icon to hide them for the complete scene.
https://help.maxon.net/#5743

Two things to ask for, If you want to upload 30 (!) files again, please do so in one zip file. If you use Octane or Arnold or what ever, that has nothing to do here with the main question, and as mentioned above, to load this stuff into a scene – just because, is only taking me longer to see what is going on, as it increase the possibilities of what could have gone wrong. In this early state, all of that is not needed anyway and might slow down only your progress. I see it so often, scene loaded with 3rd party stuff, and way to early placed there. BTW: Which is often doable in C4D natively and leaves my only question the scene and the renderer, I really don’t care in this case.

The hair, I thought you mean something else, these polygon based stuff is perhaps good for fast redraw, but if you like to use top render engines and then come so short with the quality of Hair… I would delete that stuff and and start with Patrick’s great course. You will see, it makes all the difference. But, yes, make tests with your render engine before: Not all can do all. The market seems to grow monthly nearly, and I just got word about two new render engines. It is getting better and better. :o)

I couldn’t find any expressions nor animations, no markers or additional models in the FBX file. No facial animation or a hint of it.

My best advice, this needs to be checked with Maximo.

All the best

P.S.: Here is a simple example, and how easy it is to set up a HUD in C4D.
This clip is a minute long. Note that my little adjustments during the start have no influence, as the slider was set to 0% just for the demo.
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/SLzdVupBmEcaRBHyu2AJY9JTpmsqhRLJ1oep6flgf5u?ref_=cd_ph_share_link_copy
The file based on the figure you have send, of course, just the mouth:
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/YmW5wf2BGAaKY9gs9VFa6wbquonFCCX0cBdhghytxiP?ref_=cd_ph_share_link_copy

If the HUD doesn’t show up, click on the PoseMorph Tag. While visible, RMC [right mouse click] on it and see more options…
To get normally things to the HUD, right mouse click on the parameter.

The example for a Driver solution is below. Note that the User Data need to be set up first, so the Driver interface has an X/Y field. If you have for example eight different expressions a 3x3 field with the neutral in the middle might work fine. Another one minute clip:
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/4wlITROFinIyO8OWrwq73DkcEEsXegAKohTF0WES8XA?ref_=cd_ph_share_link_copy
The file:
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/no5JFkj9KXds89dXYXl0atMGVNo7Y7QaOo1MFIK5YTc?ref_=cd_ph_share_link_copy

ENJOY.

Ohh that looks a lot of fun to play with, I was watching your links about hair, I did a little testing, and so far its looking good. I also cleaned up my scene and move everything into a project directory (this is something c4D should have in the future, a project folder root to store all caches and pics)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/b2astzn86ezvtn4/testArnold.jpg?dl=0

Hi luchifer,

I really love to read and see that. Great.

If you use “File> Save with Assets …” Things get normally organized. Yes, I’m aware that some apps write that complete Folder “tree” initially, with all things in it, including render. My suggestion, after saved as mentioned before, have that folder structure as an empty version somewhere, and just copy and paste it inside. I personally love to have the renderings and project files separate, others have images on a central sever, perhaps many more configurations. However, you might suggest your wish how it should work here:
http://www.maxon.net/en/support/suggestions/
On the other hand, this is perhaps an easy Python script, to set up new folders, if you like – describe your needs in the Toolbox Support Forum here on Cineversity.

Enjoy your progress and project.