Just Released : Iray Converter For Genesis (Commercial)
V3Digitimes
Posts: 3,150
Iray Converter For Genesis are scripts allowing to get any Genesis Figure ready for an Iray render in the blink of an eye, and to tweak it in term of base color, translucency and gloss easily and efficiently. This is not only a converter, but also a toolbox for skin management. All these scripts have been optimised in order to bring the best renders upon a wide variety of lights and a wide variety of texture sets.
Iray Conveter For Genesis will be bundled with the Generation 4 converter version. In the bundle, some bonus scripts will allow you to "transfer the skin to Genitalia" for Genesis Males, Genesis Females and Generation 4 Males, in a "single double click".
Basically, with Iray Converter for Genesis, you can :
- apply three types of presets, the difference between the three being the transfer or not of the specular maps to the top coat color and glossy color. (less dry skins when the maps is not transferred). The scripts of course handle the case of figure where there should be initially no specular map. The figure is then ready to render.
But if you want more, you can (if you have something more specific in mind):
- load a few skin Base Color variation some of them allowing you to compensate tone change due to translucency, and I integrated my latest improvement which is a script to pick up a color in the "color selector window" for all skins (nails include or exclude), and with this script you can see in Iray preview mode the result, and validate it only when you like the base color adjustment.
- Initialise your base Gloss if you want to start from a more glossy or more matte figure.
- Apply smart scripts increasing globally and proportionally (on several parameters) the gloss of the skin, step by step, meaning that the scripts read the values on the skin and increase or decrease them with a certain percentage. You can apply them several times until your reach the result you imagined. This can also be done via scripts increasing or decreasing only the key parameters of gloss management (glossy layered weight, reflectivity, roughness) . Top Coat weight increase and deacrease is also included, it is totally dissociated from global gloss (for reasons to long to explain, you'll understand when applying it a lot of times). One script allows you to remove all gloss maps since result is often nicer without them (some maps are too flat and bring nothing, other too contrasted and produce unrealistic highlights).
- Find the same gloss scripts for lips only and nails only.
- Change for several translucency presets, and also several translucency strengths and color base, in order to reach faster the translucent effect you want.
- Increase or decrease bump by 25% steps (interesting in case of close up, and also because bump influences the perceived gloss).
BREAKING NEWS :
Even if not made for Genesis 2, the two first main appliers, "MAG" and "UTCC", seem (probably due to an unknown Daz Studio background process), to be working on Genesis 2. You can test this if you want to, but you have to know the normal maps are lost during the tranfer. All the other customisation scripts will NOT work. But these main appliers will apply an Iray preset if you accept to loose the normal maps! Well you may eventually want to test Iray preset for Genesis 2 figures, knowing that it is not optimised for G2, but for Genesis.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION :
IN ORDER TO WORK, THIS PRODUCT REQUIRES DAZ STUDIO VERSION TO BE 4.8.0.59 AND ANY VERSION ABOVE.
OTHERWISE YOU WILL GET AN ERROR MESSAGE INSTEAD OF A NICE SKIN...
It would be a pitty!
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During the Dev stage I asked you to help me since I was in front of two choices while finishing my product :
"Genesis specular maps are initially very dark. The way the material is balanced, I can either increase the initial converter glossy layer weight, or leave it the way it is. If I increase it this wil be better for most of the figures, but some figures with clear specular maps will appear (much) too glossy. Knowing that in the product, you have all the tools to manage glossiness, what would you prefer? Better gloss for most figures, and a minority of them beginning too glossy (then adjustable with the included tools). Or on the contrary, the "flatest" solution ? Or eventually a third solution to unmap all gloss / top coat layers immediately when loading, so that every figure can start on a same basis?"
I finally opted to give 3 start bases, the third one being automatically ok, and added the skin gloss initializer.
An example of test render I made to ask this question. On this one, the glossy layer weight was 3 times higher as the one I imposed by default. Because of the very dark gloss map. I finally increased the default gloss of the converter.
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Comments
Yeah, I've found that with the usual dark specular maps I've had to raise Glossy/Top Coat weights to 4 or more. I think at one point I had a weight at 20. O.O
Good luck!
Hi Timmins-william! Yes this is annoying, I already had to raise the maximum limits of my increase-decrease scripts at 10. On my tests (50 figures so far!) I never needed to go higher. In case people would like to go higher, there is the "remove maps" script. Anyway, if you have a closer look at the maps, they don't bring a lot to the results. They have not been developped for Iray renders, and I don't feel they are really appropriated for the render needs. For my own use, I load the main converter, and directly go to unmapping. What is funny is that the main converter does the contrary (takes the specular maps to plug them in the glossy slots!).
In general, I'd say try to do what most people expect, most of the time, and document exceptions. So, it sounds like that would be, increase the glossy layered weight. Maybe you could add a preset that reduces the glossiness to ease the documentatoin/tech support burden for the textures with clear maps.
Thanks for the feedback. Based on your idea, what I can do is to include not 2 but 3 main presets. The two first will be for most figures, based on dark gloss maps, the last one for all figures, since it will not transfer the specular maps to the glossy maps, and apply normal gloss values for "glossy unmapped" figures (which renders really fine- better). Thanks to the tool tips, I think I will have enough room in a png to include the details. I just hope people will have the tool tip activated by default.
Hello every one. The status was changed from WIP to "coming soon"!
The Generation 4 and Genesis Version will be bundled. In this bundle, bonus files are included in order to turn the Genitalia of a figure (Genesis Male, Genesis Female and Generation 4 Male) into the exact same Iray surface (except the maps which will be the Genitalia Maps) as the figure surface, in order to ensure a perfect continuity in a simple click.
A few images of "Iray Converter For Genesis" here :
Click on the following thumbs to see images full size (1000 x 1300) :
How would this differ to the following product?
http://www.daz3d.com/jm-humanshader-for-iray
I own that one and am curious what advantages this has over it.
I wouldn't think in terms of advantage of one over another more in terms of whats unique to either myself. From looking at the 2 i'd say the main difference is the genitalia intergration/conversion this one offers. That particular featre will insterest the parties that do mainly nudes.
Hi you are right to ask. "citius, altius fortius". Well in super brief, you will go faster, with settings optimised for most Genesis figures, and will have more customisation and optimisation options, and all that you will be able to apply in a single "double click", without any surface selection.
Now in details with my converter :
1. You won't have several shaders to apply in my case, but only "one SINGLE double click" to have ALL surfaces transferred with all the right maps at the right place , and the best average set of parameters determined with more than 20 figures under 12 lights sets for the figures of this generation (because way to build maps changed over generations of figures). Even the limits of some of the parameters have been changed for Genesis. You can even apply a part of these scripts (some of the gloss ones and the base color and translucency ones) above the jm human skins.
2. JM human shader keeps only the diffuse, normal and bump map, (sometimes glossy too), because this is automatically done by DS, and does not manage to catch the right maps for translucency color and top coat color maps. This is because this is complex and requires a pretty complex script to do all that. Mine integrates this script part, and will catch the diffuse map to plug it in the translucency color map, will also analyse if specular maps exists or not on the initial set, will apply values for all gloss parameters corresponding to "no specular maps" case, and will apply other values corresponding to the case there is a specular map if there is one, and finally grab the initial specular maps to plug them in the right maps inputs if you want to, meaning top coat color and glossy color. It also do a few unique things in the background, but for you this is "invisible", at the end you just have the new material for Genesis. In brief, mine tranfers the maps to some essential parameters, and then applies optimised parameters values.
3. For Genesis figure, the eye shaders must be set differently from other Generation 4 or Genesis 2 or 3 figures because of the abscence of "eye surface" surface on Genesis. This is taken into account in my product (and this was not easy).
4. With my converters you will have scripts behaving like smart materials meaning you select the figure and double click them and the scripts apply to all skin parts :
In brief :
My product is a "single click" applied script : you won't have the "select the surfaces you need then apply the shader", you won't have the "select other surfaces and apply the other shader", you won't have the "then select other surfaces again and apply again anothe shader"... No !!!! Here you will select your figure, click the main file and this is done. You will NEVER have to select a single surface. All the converter as well as the optimisation/customisation scripts do all the "surface selection" job for you without you have to do anything - well yes, you have to double click the file.
My product is optimal for Genesis, and transfers all the maps required to the right place, then all the parameters are optimised taking into account the best average parameters obtained using more than 20 Genesis figures under twelve lights sets. The set of parameters is therefore not the same as the one for Generation 4. The material applies does not rely on the same shader as in the product you mention.
Iray converter for Genesis offers you tons of possible customisation and optimisation scripts you can use if you want something very specific, or if you just want to fine tune some key skin parameters (always with only the figure selection). This is not only a converter this is also a customisation/optimisation toolbox. Always without having to worry to select the surfaces. You select your figure, you customise what you want by double clicking either base tone presets, or gloss increase/decrease (as well as all the individual elements influencing gloss for advanced users), or translucency presets...
As I said in super brief, you will go faster, with optimised settings for most Genesis figures, and will have more customisation and optimisation options, that you will be able to apply in a single "double click". You can even apply a part of customisation and optimisation scripts on any Iray Genesis figure, and even all of them if you start from a metallicity roughness base on Genesis, even without using the main applier. This is the toolbox part. You can see it as an optimised converter first, a toolbox added to it.
I hope this helps to see more clear in the differences, let me know if you have any other questions.
Yes the conversion process is simple for the user, even if it was pretty hard to script. For the user point of view, you select Genesis, hold down the CTRL key to select the Genitalia, and double click the conversion file (male or female). Then the skin settings (with Genesis torso as the reference surface to catch the settings from) will be copied to the Genitalia. The script takes care to maintain Genitalia maps.
The only thing you have to take care so that is works is the selection order (figure first, genitalia second) and that neither Genesis nor the Genitalia are parented to something. And it works.
Very useful, thank you!
You're welcome :)
Oh! I just realised I forgot to add some in my promo images.. well too late my product being released very soon... Yes, I have this one. I used "Neo For David 5". The first image is what you have when you apply the base converter. The second one is what you have when you apply the base converter and want to change a few settings because you thought he was too glossy, not enough bumpy or something like that, and then double clicked on the scripts to : 1 to reduce glossiness "GnT All Glossy Features Step By Step Decrease", 2 to lower top coat "GnT Top Coat Weight Step By Step Decrease", 3 to increase bump "GnT Bump 25 Percent Step Increase", to increase translucency strength ", 4 to increase translucency strength ". I think that's all (don't worry, the scripts are organised by folders you just have to follow the folder order to have a nice - and efficient IMHO - customisation workflow). After that some people will prefer render 1 (not customised) to render 2, or the contrary, I think this is essentially a matter of taste.
Here the images 1 and 2. Let me know if you have more questions :) (You can click on the bottom thumbs to see them full size 1000x1300)
Sorry if this been addressed already, will this work with Genesis 3?
No, not for Genesis 3. The scripts are using the surfaces names as references to know which dials must be modified on which surfaces. Since surfaces names are not the same for Genesis 3, the scripts will simply do nothing on it. You're not the first one to ask me such tools for Genesis 2 and/or Genesis 3. Maybe I should consider doing something for these generations too...
Nice work V, looks great. I assume that some of your professional expertise found it's way into? Not maybe, definately... at least for Genesis 2.
Congratulations on your release!
I will just add my voice for a G2 version. I have transferred all of my V4 textures to G2. It is my main work figure, so that would be an instant buy for sure.
I do have some Genesis textures I still use, so I might pick up this version for those.
Happy sales.
:)
Am I wrong, or shouldn't the Genesis converter work for most non-Iray Genesis 2 texture and skin sets? While there is are some different UVs, the material zones are the same, and the default skins use the same shader type as first generation Genesis figures.
Yes thanks! Well maybe... Let's say take more than 15 years as a light and matter interaction physicist, mix with more than 18 month working mostly on skin shaders, add a few weeks to learn DS scripting, shake, shake, shake... Add a lot of sweat and efforts... Shake, shake, shake again... Add a little cooldown time to check everything tastes well.. and this is here!
Thank you Ippotamus! More and more people ask me such tools for Genesis 2. I included such scripts for "wet and tanned skins", but they are only adapted to wet and tanned skins shader. So I guess I should adapt them for Genesis 2 "normal uber" and Genesis 3. But I also wanted to make a tutorial in addition with the toolboxes. And I wanted to wait to have Genesis 3 males to be sure to make a genesis 3 version compatible with males and females. And I also had a few more ideas to make your work more fluent, efficient, pleasant and comfortable with skin rendering, but I don't want to make them public too early... It's gonna take a bit of time. I'd like to have all that ready for the march madness, it would be really cool (knowing that in the meantime I plan to learn MDL). Well I think there might be other products in the meantime, not necessarily linked to skins. I have no clear plans as you see...
Now concerning the G4 textures on Genesis 2 : look at the posts around here : http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/906319/#Comment_906319
I was not aware about that while making the product, and I sincerly thank chris-2599934 for learning that to me but here is what happens : when you apply Iray converter to a V4 figure, then you customise if you want, then you save the material preset, you can apply it on Genesis 2, it will work, the only work you have to do is to set up the UV set as V4 UV in the surfaces (I think this requires to buy the V4 UV sets for G2, but even this I'm not sure). In my test it worked, I don't know how, it should not, I suspect DAZ has done a script runing it the background to transfer from a V4 surface to a G2 one.. Well I have made a single test. But it worked.
And thank you for the Happy Sales, I was very surprised to find me alone as a release today, but this is a nice surprise!
Well yes, all the tools are compatible with all the figures which will have the same material list as Genesis. (don't worry about UV set, the scripts preserve the existing ones). This means that all the skin customizer/optimiser tools will work on the figures having the same material zones as Genesis. Including Generation 4. Yet the difference will rely on the main converters and on another level on what a few of the customisation script will do. The ones I proposed have been defined using a long procedure (using more than 20 figures tested with more than 12 lights sets for Genesis), and take into account the specificities of each Generation.
First the main difference rely on the specular maps : Generation 4 figures (and probably the previous ones), have either no specular maps, or pretty clear (Greylevels) specular maps. So the converter for G4 will analyse if there is a specular maps, if yes, will apply a given set of parameters for gloss and top coat for clear maps, if no will apply another given set of parameters. But Genesis figures have for most of them much more dark specular maps, so the initial set of parameters for the converter is not the same as the one I used for Generation 4. The limits of some of the parameters have changed too.
Second main difference rely on the eye surface. Generation 4 figure have this surface (eyes reflections), making eyes more easy to manage, Genesis figures don't. This influenced the way the sclera and iris were set up for Genesis, which is different from the way it was set up for Generation 4. Genesis eyes surfaces may not render well on other generations (not tested).
Third difference, is that the SSS and translucency parameters I finally retained are not the same for Genesis and Generation 4. In brief Generation 4 converter is optimised for Generation 4 figures, and Genesis one for Genesis. There is no real justification, it is just based on the way they rendered.
Fourth difference : Once a converter has been applied. All the optimisations tools scripts for Genesis can be used on G4, and inversely. Yet, the limits set and used by the scripts, and the parameters evolution for "gloss" are not the same. I think there is also a difference in the SSS+/- Translucency customisation. If you use some of the Genesis gloss scripts on G4, you may go too far in term of gloss, and if you use G4 scripts on Genesis, and that you kept the specular maps, you will not go far enough (almost always not enough gloss)
During the development, I could not manage to have a single converter for both G4 and Genesis, because the differences were significant enough so that I could not find a "single applier" and common gloss customisation scripts when specular maps are kept for both generations. So I developped something adapted to Generation 4 first, and then for Genesis. But, this is because of this similitude (G4/Genesis) that I wanted to propose a bundle taking that into account, with bonus files included (Genitalia transfer) too. Because I did not want people to sacrifice one generation for another. Both render great with Iray (well I have a small preference for my G4 library but this is a personal taste), but both require slightly different ways to be managed. Genesis version includes a bit more files than G4 version because it was made second, and required more work than Generation 4. But one new cool (IMO) feature of the Genesis version, allowing to change the base color of the skin parts without surface selection works for Generation 4 too.
I hope this answers your question ;)
Just want to say that this image is SO gorgeous. Very, very well done! The products look great too!! :)
You know, I've been resisting the (mostly financial, but also personal style) switch to Iray, but this really seems like a fantastic package (along with the V4/M4 package) to make at least an experimental switch. Excellent work! I sincerely may have to consider getting this.
I have to ask, though: not having played much with Iray, is there a similar conversion utility for converting 3Delight shaders with and without texture maps to Iray?
Thanks that's very nice from you.
To answer your question : Yes!
What you have to know is that when you swap to Iray render mode, DS is working it the background to give you the "closest" correspondant Iray material in rendering. Meaning that you will still see in the surfaces tab the 3delight ones, but in the Iray preview and render, they is a kind of Iray shader behind that. In general this is pretty good already for the majority of products. If you don't want to tweak your surfaces, you can stop here. You will render with the Iray shader corresponding the most to the 3delight settings (this is a huge job Daz made about that).
Now you cannot "set up" completely your surfaces this way if you want to add Iray specific features. If you want to access the full Iray surfaces features, in the built in content provided by Daz, there is in the shader presets/Iray/ a file called !Iray uber base. When you select surfaces and you double click this shader, it will apply on your surface the iray uber base shader, which is the base of all iray shaders you find so far. It will respect your UV set, your image maps (as much as possible), for many 3delight different shader bases. This will not change the render you have by default if you just double click the shader and if you don't change your dials. When you apply it, a large part of the maps settings will be respected (meaning your diffuse map will go to the base color, your specular map will go to the glossy map, normal and bump maps are transfered, sometimes others depending on the base shader), and the "best corresponding parameters dials" will be applied. But this time, you can access all the iray materials settings, ie, much more than if you did not applied this magic !Iray uber base.
Thanks a lot! It's been a while I wanted to render such an image, but with 3delight I could not have a nice looking render. When making my promo images I told to myself it was the right moment to try... and it worked (yes!).
I just came here to say that for now, for people who bought the bundle : the 2 main products may not be visible yet in your product library or in your DIM, and you may see only the bundle addon files.
I'm really sorry about that, it seems there has been a little configuration issue for the content distribution. But DON'T WORRY, if you have bought the bundle, you own the products for Genesis and Generation 4 too, and they will finally magically appear in your content.. I've just been informed about that, and so I informed Daz there was such an issue, and I hope this will be solved within the next hours!
Oh, excellent! Thank you for clearing this up for me. This is very good news. It makes transitioning over that much more palatable!
You're really welcome. I think having to possibility to render either with 3Delight or with Iray is an incredible luck we have. Honnestly, this is not complex to go to Iray and render. Sometimes you will have to tweak some materials such as glasses or metals, (well refractive and reflective) but base shaders for that are provided in the built in content too.
Now two only things can be eventually annoying : first if you don't have a (reasonably good) Nvidia card, you will render slower than if you have one. But : from what I read, it will be approximately the same time as for 3delight (to be confirmed, I have not tested). Second if you want to adjust the materials, the surfaces tab is initially a bit more complex than the 3delight one, but : when you get used to it, it will be more clear and you will go fast.
Finally if you have a doubt, you can already try Iray without buying anything more. Just take a simple scene (with no light), and swap to Iray in preview mode... well that will give you a first feeling..
One thing to try is putting a Genesis 2 skin on Genesis 1, then running this product and copying it back. Laborious and defeating the purpose of the workflow, but if you really like the results, it's an option.
Lol! A lot of efforts. Well maybe not that much if you put a scene with Genesis 2 just besides Genesis 1...
Just to inform you :
The distribution issue is being solved by Daz right now :
- people who buy the bundle will now automatically see all the 3 products in the content library.
- people who have bought the bundle this morning, someone is presently adding manually the files to all the product libraries. But everybody will have all the products.
Can't see that the issue is resolved for me yet, which is surprising. I'd expect Daz to hande this with a quickness.