I would like to ask all who uses DAZ3D models in Blender what their workflow is. I’ve installed the Diffeomorphic add on and everything but am still having some troubles.(is FBX method better?)
Do you guys import a generic genesis 8 model over to blender and sculpt/customize her there or do you do it first in DAZ3D? Do you use any of DAZ3D’s textures in Blender?
Is it easier to just pose her in DAZ3D first then move her over or get her rig properly fitted in blender and pose her from there?
I also have outfits made in Marvelous Designer that I bring in as obj into my DAZ3D file, can I do the same in Blender?
Sorry for the load of questions. I just started Daz3d a month ago, Marvelous Designer 2 weeks ago and Blender 2 days ago… cos I apparently like to be in a constant state of frustration or something. lol.
Diffeomorphic is what I use - it’s the best method I’ve found. What specific problems are you having?
There’s a thread from the author of the tool here that may offer some advice:
Hmm when I use the diffeomorphic method, blender becomes very slow even though it’s just one model with one single light, impossible to even render. The faithful low poly also deforms her face very quickly even when I add subsurf mods.
I’m probably doing something wrong but I can’t figure out what.
Btw, what’s your workflow between Blender and Daz3d? Do you get finish your model and pose in Daz or just use daz as a base?
Mostly what I do is bring in a base model with no morphs or poses.
Import into Blender, then use the Diffeomorphic (Diff) tools to add morphs from Daz libraries. Make sure you tell the Diff tool where your specific Daz folders are located.
You can also add Daz poses this way once in Blender, but those will disappear if you convert the Daz rig to another one like Rigify.
Clothing is optional from Daz (lol - didn’t mean to say it that way) since you can put clothing on once you get your character in to Blender, but some clothing will definitely slow things down. I mostly just make my own clothing in Blender.
One thing to be aware of is that the textures are pointed to Daz libraries, so make sure to pack them in to your Blender file before saving.
That should get you started. Let me know what else I can help with since there are a few more things to take into account (like the fingers bending the wrong direction once a new rig is created from Diff - but that is an easy fix).
Edit - one other thing to try with Sub-D’s is set it to “Simple” instead of Catmull-Clark.
Thank you so much!
Hmm I do have issues with my model’s eyes.
I know to change the blend mode for the eyelashes to alpha blend but the eyes are just … white even though the image material node is connected. :I
tried turning the cornea and eye moisture transmission to 0 but it didn’t really help either!
Also, not specifically to blender, but whenever I try to add sub surface scattering, my model’s skin tone always becomes either too light or too dark. I can never get the right amount of sss while maintaining her skin tone. Is it the way I’ve been fiddling with SSS or is it a maps issue?
Ooh okay I kinda figured out the eyes for anybody else who might be searching. I had to turn the cornea and eye moisture’s transmission and alpha to zero while also having their blend mode at alpha blend.
Don’t know if it’s actually the right way of doing things but at least the iris and sclera appeared again for me!
Now to figure out the skin… lol.
In the shader section, it seems like the face, torso, arms and legs are all separated. Is there any way to apply and overall skin surface for them without messing with their individual maps? I assume if the skin shader nodes gets complicated, copy pasting for every part of the body would take quite some time!
I believe the latest version of Diffeomorphic has UDIM settings but I haven’t played with that yet. It might be an option but I’m not too familiar with that.
Also, when I import my model in Blender using Diffeomorphic, they mention something about merging and joining
Which parts do I merge and which parts do I join?
It mentions merging genitalia and joining eyelashes. What about peach fuzz? What about her clothes, hair and eyebrows?
Clothes, hair, etc., don’t need to be merged with the mesh. Genitalia and eyelashes should only be merged if you are completely done with the character, as a last step. The problem with merging meshes is that it will mess up your morphs if you have any, since it will change the vertex count.
You don’t necessarily need to merge things if they don’t cause any issues for you later on, like when you add a morph - but there are workarounds for that, which I can explain later.
One last thing - Diff will add a separate rig for each item you import (clothes, eyelashes, hair, etc.), so there’s an option to “merge rigs” - doing that is completely ok and I recommend doing that before doing anything else. This will clean things up and you will only have one rig to deal with.
Steps below:
In Object mode, select the items rig you want to join (I usually do this from the outliner to make selecting easier. The rig is represented by a little running man icon).
Shift select the main rig (should be similar to the name of your character)
In the “Corrections” section of the Diff panel, select “Merge Rigs”. A little pop up will ask you about rig layers, but I just click ok.
Do this for each extraneous item (each piece of clothing, eyelashes, gens, hair, etc.) until you only have the character rig that controls everything.
That was a good explanation, thank you!
I currently have my model in scene and have played with the shaders quite a bit to get this result. However there are still jagged shadows (forehead and chin) and I’m not sure how to get rid of them!
That is one way of getting the eyes working, but I use a different approach…
Remember there are several areas that need to work together to produce satisfying results…
Eye-Socket, Pupils, eye moisture, cornea, sclera, and iris, which all need mixtures of roughness and specular as well as transparency.
Eye moisture and cornea are specular and fully transparent. I prefer to use a Transparency node mixed with a Glossy Node, factor way down to transparent side…and in settings, alpha blend and alpha hashed for shadow… That’s it.
Example
You are really better off, using the maps for different parts, even though it takes a bit of work to get them all applied, but really you are creating only one node tree which is basically the same for all them. You are just changing the textures in each…
I would not Join all them and try to apply a single procedural texture, it would just look really bad like the textures from 10 years ago
@Safetyman Yup she looks better after I added it! @RSEhlers Ooh interesting, thank you!!
I’ve merged her rigs into one but clearly something is wrong hahaha she looks like she’s going through an exorcism
The dots above her face are her peach fuzz and eyelashes refusing to follow along.
Also can her clothes follow along or should I pose her nude and just get her outfits specifically for her pose in MD?
