VaM2: Creating Blend Shapes Tutorial
Introduction
Welcome to the VaM2 Creating Blend Shapes Tutorial. You should already be familiar with Windows, DAZ Studio 4.24, the VaM2 release, and Unity version 6000.1.11f1. This guide assumes you have already installed Unity, Daz3D including the required base assets, and set up the Public Addon Kit. If you have not completed setup yet, please read the "Public AddonKit Tutorial" first.
This guide is a step by step walk through of how to quickly import your first morphs from Daz3D. Please note that at this time, Blend Shapes can only be created by importing morphs from Genesis 8 Female or Male figures in Daz3D.
Setup your Blend Shapes folder
Naming your Blend Shape folder
After opening and setting up the AddonKit within Unity, navigate to the Project tab and locate the subfolder "UserArea".
The "UserArea" folder is for your personal project files. It will not be changed or overwritten by future updates.
Within the UserArea you can create custom folders and subfolders. This is how you will personally organize your addons. For the purposes of this tutorial, we will simply create a subfolder called "BlendShapeAddon".
Currently only folders without spaces within the name are supported, this will be updated.
Note: the names of your folders and files will appear in the final addon when it is exported.
The following is how we will be organizing our official assets for release in VaM2, and so we recommend following our example below when you plan to officially release or share an addon:
In our example, the top folder specifies that this contains a "VaM2Addon" for the "G8Female" with your character's name at the end. In this case the Female character is named "Victoria" and the Male character is named "Michael".
Each addon includes a subfolder that shows which figure type the Blend Shapes are made for. Currently we only have 2 versions of each sex. One with genitals and one without. In this case that would be:
- FigureG8Female = Genesis 8 Female with no genitals
- FigureG8FemaleGPGens = Genesis 8 Female with the Golden Palace Genitals
- FigureG8Male = Genesis 8 Male with no genitals
- FigureG8MaleDTGens = Genesis 8 Male with Dicktator Genitals
Lastly, the name of your character. In this case "Victoria" or "Michael".
The Skin folder will be discussed in the Importing Texture Tutorial which can be found here.
Templates
Within the Project tab, locate the subfolder "\Assets\Create\Templates".
Copy the folder "BlendShapesG8Template" into the "Assets\UserArea\Blend Shape Addon" subfolder that we created. Do not replace or delete any files inside the original template folders.
Make sure to rename the copied template folder according to the naming pattern described above. Important: The included "scene" file should not be renamed.
Preparing Daz3D
Daz3D must be open and running to allow the AddonKit to import morph data for the Blend Shape.
Start up Daz3D and load one of the provided "VaM2 Base Figures" which can be downloaded from here.
You will want to load the appropriate base figure for the morph that you want to import.
For the following example we will be using "G8F_Base", Load that file in Daz3D now.
Locating Daz3D Morphs.
To locate the file folders belonging to within your Daz3D content library, you can select the base figure and apply the morph.
Open the "Parameters" tab, then click "Currently Used" to see the active morphs. In this example I have applied the morph set for Victoria.
Mouse over the morph and several options will appear. Click the gear icon.
Select "Parameter Settings…"
The "File Path" will show where the morph file is stored on your computer. The icon "..." to the right of the path will open that folder in an explorer window.
Alternatively you can use the DIM (Daz Install Manager) to locate your installed files by clicking on the icon on the right of your installed asset and selecting the "Show Installed Files" option.
After finding the morph, reset all morphs on the base figure to zero, or reload the original file. Then select the root of the figure in the scene window and return to your Unity Project.
Creating a Blend Shape Addon
In Unity in the AddonKit Project tab, locate the template we copied to the "UserArea", open it (double-click) and open the Scene.
The template scene includes several nodes required for your addon.
Since this tutorial is a quickstart we will not dive into everything listed. That will be covered in greater detail within a future post. We will focus on the bare minimum to create your first addon.
First: Select the "AddonCreator"
Selecting the AddonCreator in the Scene Hierarchy and viewing it with the Inspector window reveals these script settings.
Any field marked in Red must be filled in. You must change the "Creator Name" from "Anonymous" to your own name or username. For this example I have filled in "VaMDeV".
We will return to this window after we import our blend shapes.
Second: Select the "DazMorphImportTool"
Selecting the "DazMorphImportTool" below the AddonCreator in the Scene Hierarchy and viewing it within the "Inspector" window presents you with only one option: "Open Import Window". Click on that button.
This opens a new window called "Daz Morph Import Tool", which will appear as an additional tab in your project
Your window should look like the example above, except for your own "Daz Studio Install Path" and "Addon Path". Which you will need to add again by clicking the folder icon, browsing to your VaM2 addons folder, and finding the appropriate figure.
In this example we are importing a morph for the "FigureG8Female" without gens, The "Reference Model Type", Addon Path (the portion after "Addons"), and Addon Asset Name should all match what is shown here:
Third: Select the morph you will be importing
Click on this folder icon.
For this example we are importing the morph set for "Victoria 8" so the path should be similar to what is shown in this screenshot.
This is the same folder path you found earlier when you checked the morph location in Daz3D.
Click on the "Rescan" button.
You should then get a list of compatible morphs that can be imported onto the Referenced Model Type. In this case for Victoria 8 we have a large list.
Click on "Select All Valid" or choose the specific morphs you wish to import.
Fourth: Import your selected morphs
Now click on the "Configure Importers and Import" button. At this stage you must have the root node of the "G8F_Base" figure selected and all morphs zeroed out within your open Daz scene or you will get an error.
Wait until all progress bars finish. Important: Do not use Daz3D or Unity while the import is in progress.
Once that is completed your scene should now have a "FigureG8Female" reference loaded and a new Prefab created with the name of your folder. In this example it is named "BlendShapes_FigureG8Female_Victoria"
Fifth: Create your Addon
Select the "AddonCreator" within your scene hierarchy and view it within the Inspector.
Notice that the "Addon Name" is now the newly created Prefab. In this case it is "BlendShapes_FigureG8Female_Victoria".
Click on the "Build Addon" button.
Click to confirm the two popup messages that appear.
This "Addressable Report" popup will continue to appear until you click "yes" to enable the "Debug Build Layout".
Once the process completes you will see that the "Build Addon" window will change and resemble this.
The "Deploy To Folders" should have the path to the locations specified in your Preferences.
Sixth: Deploy and Test your Blend Shape
Click "Deploy Addon", then open VaM2. Your new addon should appear in the list of available content.
Conclusion
This tutorial gave you a brief overview of the steps required to create your first Blend Shape addon.
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