Updates for Dimension 3D Tools

Dimension3DDimension3D Posts: 464
edited December 1969 in Daz PA Commercial Products

There are free updates available for the following tools from my DAZ 3D store:
- DSON Editor
- DSF Toolbox
- Content Gatherer
- File Reference Editor

If you purchased one of these products, please use DIM or Product Library to get the actual version.

The DSON Editor has the following new features:
- formula editor to edit formulas for controllers and morphs
- value editor and animations editor allow to edit several values at once
- calculation for morphs
- seveal minor improvements and bug fixes

For Content Gatherer and File Reference Editor, the new version now recognizes references to HD morph files. The DSF Toolbox has several minor improvements and bug fixes. See the version history section of the manuals for details.

Comments

  • EmmaAndJordiEmmaAndJordi Posts: 952
    edited December 1969

    Hi!

    Thank you very much Ralf for this update. Your applications are great and always useful!

    Please can you tell a little more on what can the formula editor be used for? (what kind of things can be done)

    And what means "calculation for morphs"? What is his for?

    Thank you! :)

  • Dimension3DDimension3D Posts: 464
    edited December 1969

    The formula editor is for the formulas you find in morph and controller files to define dependencies between two dials. While the formula definition for DSON is rather complicated, the current implementation only allows formulas of one type: the value of an input dial, optionally multiplied by a constant value, is either added or multiplied with the value of an output dial, so the input dial controls the output dial. One application are full body morphs, where one dial controls separate head only and body only morphs. It is also used to adjust the center points of joints together with a morph.

    Similar to the value and animations editor, the formula editor shows all formulas in one table and allows to edit the values. To create a new formula, you either simply duplicate an existing formula, or you can define an insert template from a formula.

    Morph calculations means to change all deltas in a morph mathematically. You can add, subtract, multiply, or divide a constant value to all or selected directions. E.g. this may be used to split a morph into x- and y-direction when you copy the morph and then multiply one instance with 0 in y-direction and one instance with 0 in x-direction (assuming z is 0 all the time).

    It's also possible to use another morph instead of a constant value for the calculation. This is sometimes useful when creating partial morphs or to split a morph into parts (by defining a pseudo-morph that is 1/1/1 for selected points).

  • EmmaAndJordiEmmaAndJordi Posts: 952
    edited December 1969

    Those are very interesting possibilities! Thank you very much!

  • SimonWMSimonWM Posts: 924
    edited December 1969

    Those are very interesting possibilities! Thank you very much!

    Can these tools simplify the creation of JCM or MCM from the available DAZ Studio tools? I wish it included a video explaining its use.

  • Dimension3DDimension3D Posts: 464
    edited December 1969

    SimonWM said:
    Can these tools simplify the creation of JCM or MCM from the available DAZ Studio tools? I wish it included a video explaining its use.

    That's difficult to answer for me because I never used the internal DAZ Studio tools to create JCM or MCM. In DSON Editor, you can use an existing JCM or MCM as template. You modify it by replacing the morph based on a morphed OBJ file and by editing the formulas in the formula editor. Additional formulas can be inserted either from a template or by duplicating an existing formula.

    Sorry, but an alround tool like DSON Editor just has too many features and possible ways of usage to create tutorials for each single feature.

  • SimonWMSimonWM Posts: 924
    edited December 1969

    I understand. Thank you.

  • EmmaAndJordiEmmaAndJordi Posts: 952
    edited December 1969

    Hi Ralf!

    Just a question: how do I replace the materials with DSON editor in a hair or clothing? I had Poser File Editor for Poser and it had a command for that. How is this done in DSON Editor? Does it have a command or tool or how do I do it?

    Thank you!

  • Dimension3DDimension3D Posts: 464
    edited December 1969

    DSON Editor currently has no feature to replace materials in one file by the material definition in another file.

    In Poser, the material definition in different file types always has the same format. In DSON, there is the material library (which contains the structure of the material and should be exchangable), but there are also the materials and animations parts under scene, that link the material to the object and that set values for the material parameters. These parts may have a different structure for different content types, so you can't just copy/paste them from a material or shader preset to a figure or prop.

    Sure, it should be possible to map the material definition from one content type to another, but it is more than just replacing a block, and it is not implemented in DSON Editor at the moment. I will consider it for a later version.

  • EmmaAndJordiEmmaAndJordi Posts: 952
    edited December 1969

    DSON Editor currently has no feature to replace materials in one file by the material definition in another file.

    In Poser, the material definition in different file types always has the same format. In DSON, there is the material library (which contains the structure of the material and should be exchangable), but there are also the materials and animations parts under scene, that link the material to the object and that set values for the material parameters. These parts may have a different structure for different content types, so you can't just copy/paste them from a material or shader preset to a figure or prop.

    Sure, it should be possible to map the material definition from one content type to another, but it is more than just replacing a block, and it is not implemented in DSON Editor at the moment. I will consider it for a later version.

    It may be a very valuable feature for content creators because that way it saves from having to save the figure again when one sets the default mats for a clothing or hair. It may be faster and safer, because that way no other changes will be made. Sometimes weird things happen and if DSON Editor could just do those changes it may be fantastic.

    I like very much DSON Editor and recommend it for everyone, it is a solid program and works great.

  • Dimension3DDimension3D Posts: 464
    edited December 1969

    It's on my list for DSON Editor now. But I can't say when I will be working on DSON Editor again, probably when the list is long enough. So, any suggestions for new features are welcome.

  • Sfariah DSfariah D Posts: 26,295
    edited December 1969

    I think I got some of them. Thanks for telling us about the updates. I have been meaning to try these programs out.

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