Add support for Face Controls

[Noname]

Hello,

It appears that FACS are not supported by plugin but are supported by Daz Face Controls.

Here is what I did (just to be on same page):

• load G3 character
• load Face Controls
• save and export dbz
• blender → easy import

• blender → press import FACS

  • nothing happens
  • console outputs: Character Genesis3-female does not support feature Facs

Please do correct me if I’m wrong (maybe I did something wrong, but did same for G8 and it worked fine).

Thanks in advance
Best regards

[engetudouiti]

basically this plug in never import different morph which made for other generation.

Without I miss something , daz do not offer any Fact morph as default for G3.

so we can not import Facs morphs, but can import face unit, expression (which are already offfered by daz)

about Face contoller widgt, I did not notice it, daz aleady offer for G3 too?

which scirpt will generate face controller for G3? (it is product?)

if it may controll G3 face unit, it may need to be added as different option and I easy suppose,, it is not easy.

G8 facs controll widgt will controll G8 Facs morphs. (and add some new bone controll)

then G3 controll widgt need to controll G3 face unit or expression. or bone pose directly. (so it basically need not import Facs morphs)

so you means, this product?

https://www.daz3d.com/genesis-3--8-face-controls

[Noname]

Yes I mean this product: https://www.daz3d.com/genesis-3--8-face-controls

Maybe I messed up something and FACS and FaceControls are different products ?

[Rose Odimm]

Did you already perform extra step of face control product for gen3 in DAZ before export?
I don’t use gen 3 but seem like the armature that use to make face control of gen 3 is gen 8 and when import to blender I’m not sure it will still have the data that the product use to make it work for gen3 in daz or not.

BTW you can make face control widget work for gen 8 in blender or something? if yes can you tell me how to do that , right now for me the widget work in blender only on gen 8.1 I try to import gen 8 with face control product into blender and the widget no longer working.

[engetudouiti]

You may better ask if Thomas can make it work for G3 as future request. Though I do not say, how each user set report Type as bug or request etc, but I may avoid to ask it as bug ^^; (usually I know user do not check it, but may better you set it , if you often report )

At current I almost confirm it not work for G3 even though you have those prouct and import as custom morphs. then try to do same thing as G8.1 and daz default widget script (for G8.1)

I do not know, if G8.1 or G8 support the linked product too. (though many user who bought the product may expect it I suppose)

the link product may come with many new Facs morphs which made for G3 and G8

(pose controller and morph data) + widgt which have ERC for those morphs. then at least add on may not import them as default morph groups. because add on only check default morphs. (not product but offered as defulat for each generation figure)

so even though it will work, you need to import them as custom morphs I suppose.

If Thomas already bought the product, maybe there will be chance, he make it work for G3 and G8.

, import those new morphs by import custom morph + generate (import ) those widget controller + generate driver correctly as same as Daz added ERC for those widget,

(if Thomas do not have the product, it should be difficult, without user who bought it, customize add on script. but basically I think at least. Thomas have already base knowledge to make it work.

(because after all they are just a new morphs data and widget then we set diver work in blender for widget and morph props)

If those data are described which add on can not read, (eg encrypted file) there seems no chance though.

[Noname]

Spend some more time on this and this is my findings, please do correct me if I’m wrong:

1. https://www.daz3d.com/genesis-3--8-face-controls

   is not FACS, or at least not same as in G8.1 (maybe Daz did acquire license for 8.1 and not for other Genesis or, with is more likely, Daz knows that there is little assets for 8.1 so made Face Controls as stand alone product to profit while treating 8.1 as “demo”)

2. when using G8.0 (with FACS) it does import FACS and with above asset I can make widgets, but those widgets are not working, while morphs does work

3. after hacking plugin (g3 .json) I was able to make load FACS button work with both FACS from 8.1 and Face Controls product

   1. FACS from 8.1 errors upon load
   2. Face Controls when using correct path window appears, but there is no controls to load

4. G8.1 - didn’t tested it at all

5. With Face Controls product I do import that to G3 or G8 and then save and export. In Blender I can see custom shapes that can be made as controllers (and that part works in both cases) and bones are there also (I do auto merge rig on easy load) and bones do drive face (strangely for G3 not for G8) but adding those custom shapes doesn’t drive rig or morphs.

Bottom line

G8.0 - load FACS but no widgets, widgets from above product don’t drive face
G3 - doesn’t work at all

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Personally I do believe that Thomas (or someone who has time) can make it work.

Just throwing this request here as that produce, with is Daz Orignals, could expand plugin functionality tremendously.

[Thomas Larsson]

FACS morphs made for G8.1 work for G8.0 too, because the meshes (vertex numbers and locations) are identical. They cannot work on G3, because many FACS morphs are shapekeys and the G8 and G3 meshes are different. I suppose that FACS morphs for G3 could be made if DAZ wants to spend time on it, but I haven’t heard anything about it. Doesn’t seem unreasonable since a lot of potential customers still have G3 assets.

The face controller widget may work by driving the old-fashioned morphs, but I haven’t tested so I don’t know.

[engetudouiti]

Yes I see maybe we do not expect Facs morphs (default for G8.1) will work for G3 and, the daz offer free widget controller not work for G3. (I do not know if it still work for G8 though)

Then as OP link product (so it actually do almost same thing as daz offer default facs morph and widget system for G8.1), do you plan to get it?

or you already try? (and so I may… request,,, if Thomas will make it work the product for G3 too ^^;)

Though I really hesitate to buy them.. but if it work with add on,, I will buy it .(yeah my G3 actors becom more flexible)

then if as OP said, at least add on can import morph files which will drive bone (or do not know if they have some shape key morphs or not) as custom morphs.

only problem seems how set driver for import custom shape too. (but without check the product, I may better not guess.

daz make the product chachphraze really well.. ^^; though I do not know, if new controller can make all human ficial expresison, but G3 default rig not, even though they use same bone and same bone weight.

Genesis 3 & 8 Face Controls utilizes the FACS-based facial control system which uses the underlying Genesis 3+8 armature to create all human facial expressions possible

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[engetudouiti]

At same time we know we have used trnsfer tool (product and daz offer as tool) for tarnsfer morphs for different generation figure.

so basically all daz offer default Fact morphs (shape key ) can transfer, if there is such vendor or user ^^;

and basically we can set ERC in daz (or set driver in blender), so there always posiblility, G3 user will use Fact G8.1 morph and widget.

(Before I may tried it first, but not interesting now because transfer morphs for different generation mesh need many re-adjustment if get it work perfect, and it kill many times. so such cases I may prefer to use my money (TT)

[engetudouiti]

I hope OP keep open (but recommend set it as request or other not bug actually) , so if there will come new thing, eg others offer conversion script (the product and free Facs for g8.1) for Thomas add on. etc,, G3 or G8 user can check it include me.

[Noname]

Changed this entry to proposal.

In nutshell it’s request to add support for Face Control product that behave similar (if not in the same way) to FACS but for G3 and G8.

URL: https://www.daz3d.com/genesis-3--8-face-controls

As usual thanks in advance.

[Thomas Larsson]

Explicitly adding support for non-DAZ assets is beyond the scope of this plugin. However, when trying to make sense of these face controls I encountered a number of generic issues which have been fixed. In particular, the Make Custom Shapekeys tool put non-driving bones on a hidden layer. Now we can choose which layers to use, and both the layers for driving and non-driving bones are made visible by default. This makes the custom shapes show up.

To use the face controls, morphs must be loaded with Import Custom Morphs. If you try to do that with the control rig before the rigs have been merged, the file selector opens in the right directory, so you can make a note of where that is. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much success in using the morphs, neither if they were loaded before or after the rigs were merged.

[Noname]

@Thomas Larsson Thank You for taking a look at this.

Just want to point out that maybe You could do an exception with this one ? Technically this is Daz asset - author is Daz Originals and I’m suspecting they did this on purpose (free for G8.1 rest paid - as there is much more content for G3 - 8, dunno if G8 content is compatible with G8.1 though, so maybe my assumption is incorrect - probably these assets are compatible, still seams like money grab to Me - nothing wrong with that of course, can’t expect everything to be free).

Persnally, and I think few people here as well, would welcome support for this by pluging, but of-course it’s up to You.

As usual, thanks in advance and stay safe.

[Alessandro Padovani]

Thomas, it’s not that I want to push this one but I’m not sure you’re getting it right. That is, daz provides facs for G81 in the free base package, this the plugin is supporting. Then daz provides facs for G3 G8 in the on sale package in the shop, so this is indeed a daz asset just it’s on sale instead of free, this the plugin is not supporting.

The on sale facs includes custom facs controls and morphs for G3 as Engetudouiti explained.

https://www.daz3d.com/genesis-3--8-face-controls

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[engetudouiti]

I suppose Thomas plan this add on,1st support for all daz offer free (default) assets for each generation. so all user can do same thing at least.

About this case, it is not default morphs (actually vendor is daz or not maybe not so important, but wheter the item is popular and Thomas already get it or not is more important )

at same time, why I have interesting about it,, Not because I am g3 main user, I feel , it is expansion of current import custom morphs + when controller are set for non actor rig.

usuall custom morphs controller are set for each character rig prop >> then it drive self character mesh.

so we import gen, and import gen morphs, then can merge it to another rig.

but about this case, we can think the product morph, which have rig + bone controller to morph another character rig and mesh.

So not only about this product but if it work, it expand many product which will use same type ERC. (rig A prop will drive rig B bones and shape keys)

One my thinking is at current Thomas make Facs work as merged rig. but I think, if we can make it without merge. but parented.

then user may later adjsut controller (not merged so we can separately re-locate each shape bone, along with current character shape (morphed) + the controller rig bone prop will drive another character rig mesh and bone.

But I do not test any facs widget at current, so I suppose , make it as merge rig make things easy for Thomas.

[engetudouiti]

If it is simply parented (controller rig not merged )

In blender (it can easy manage view and camera etc)

I suppose we can make widget kind of plane controller.

actually all controller only move on plane direction. (not 3d) so if user really often use it, at least for me, make such facial controller plane separate from actor view. more reasonable.

if it not merged, in blender we can easy do like this

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[engetudouiti]

Of course it depend user, so there should be user, who like to locate widget always stack on to face (and toggle visibility) . but at least if we merge rigs I do not think we can set up like above.

[engetudouiti]

And about the product (once forget G8.1 default free fact and widget) and if we request it as new thing,

If when I import all morphs (the new product offer) can be imported correctly and generate slider (raw) and fin, the product user(us) can set-up the expression (though it take time) of each morph driver which controlled by new widget (imported as separate rig)

Of course, most of user will hope add on do all, but if all morph slider are generated correctly and it can drive each Actor morph (pose controller + shape key morphs) with new widget rig slider prop, we can anytime modify driver expression .

that means, even though Add on not auto generate, user can offer script or add on, which make driver (it need to overwrite already generated morphs expression) for the Add on imported G3 or G8 character later.

A . import new Facs controll product morphs and generate slider (without widget)

B add widget bone or shape (parented or merged) later, then set driver which drive already imported morph for character rig

can be devided as separate step clear. as my request, if A work well, I can think about B later.

[engetudouiti]

OK now I got this product. and noticed, about G3 there is no new morph (which add new shape keys)

but to make it work, I think it seems better first try to import new custom shape rig as separately and make it work without import any mesh.

because, the custom face controller are actually have same face bone hieralchy as genesis3 female in it self rig.

The face controller work like this.

1. rig facs controller bone move some hidden props. at same time move rig facial bones >>
2. it move the copy gensis3 face rig bones
3. same name bone of G3 moved by identical name bones of controller (as if we constrain transform)

if we can generate driver about the face controller rig. after that we only need to copy epxression of face rig bones to g3 face bones. (because they are identical name).

but simply copy expression may break already generated driver expression which move same face bone., so when transfer expression from facial rig, it need to be added in same name bone driver expresison I suppose.. (most of them just delta add)

it seems this add on made for G8 first, then force it work for g3 too.(because controller rig come with G8 body rig. it not fit G3 rest pose, and add g3 head and facial bones in controller rig hieralchy to work for G3.

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[Alessandro Padovani]

Thomas replied he's not going to support the G3 face controls