Plugins + Scripts [Project CRAFT] ASSET CUA STUDIO: Open Source Release

[VRCube]

That's actually a pretty good idea.

I could add an overlay list in the 3D view so you can preview them one by one. If you want to bake one into the package, just select it.

What do you think?

Maybe, not sure what you mean exactly. I think check boxes beside the animations in the list would be best.

Also I realized yesterday I would like to be able to disable individual materials from being imported if that would be possible. Using this app is making me learn a few things about blender though, so I can just figure out how to do it in there otherwise. But it would be cool to have that in the app.

Another little thing I thought of: A "Select all" button/check box for the check box in the lists would also be nice. I batch imported like 30 things yesterday and I had to go check them all one by one.

 

[lilrussak]

Is it possible to import rigged assets so it has "physics" (for a lack of a better term)? To be more precise, I've successfully imported hair assets and they show up in VaM with no issue, however they are completely static. I'm not sure if I'm importing the assets "wrong" or if the app isn't capable of that in the first place and I'm missing some steps to drive the bones. I'm fairly new to this pipeline (and Blender in general) so I apologize for any potential dumb question/statement I give off.

 

[Shadow Venom]

Is it possible to import rigged assets so it has "physics" (for a lack of a better term)? To be more precise, I've successfully imported hair assets and they show up in VaM with no issue, however they are completely static. I'm not sure if I'm importing the assets "wrong" or if the app isn't capable of that in the first place and I'm missing some steps to drive the bones. I'm fairly new to this pipeline (and Blender in general) so I apologize for any potential dumb question/statement I give off.

To give CUA-based hair physics, you'd probably need a companion runtime DLL.

 

[Shadow Venom]

Shadow Venom updated [Project CRAFT] ASSET CUA STUDIO: Open Source Release with a new update entry:

1.3 Release

View attachment 609225

v1.3

• Delete meshes right in the 3D view. Click any part of a model, a ground plane, a backdrop, scan clutter and press Delete to drop it from the export. The prop re-centers, re-floors and re-scales to what's left, so "I only want the prop, not the floor it shipped with" is now one click. Deleted meshes are listed under Advanced, restorable one by one (or all at once), and saved with your project.
• Undo / redo in...

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Anand]

Thank you for this. I have been marveling at your work from afar. This is because I am not a 3D person so a lot of this stuff is over my head. But a thought has been coursing through my head since I encountered your first post. This thought won't go away so let me blurt it out.

Is there a way to take a VaM character that is fully clothed, posed or animated, and bake that into an NPC? The use case would be for a chorus line behind a main dancer, or a lineup of working ladies at a House of Ill Repute. When I first encountered your posts, I was thinking that the workflow would be to export the clothed/animated VaM look to Unity and then back in via your tool. But that sorta doesn't make sense and would be way beyond my skills. Anyway, just curious. Thanks again.

 

[Shadow Venom]

Thank you for this. I have been marveling at your work from afar. This is because I am not a 3D person so a lot of this stuff is over my head. But a thought has been coursing through my head since I encountered your first post. This thought won't go away so let me blurt it out.

Is there a way to take a VaM character that is fully clothed, posed or animated, and bake that into an NPC? The use case would be for a chorus line behind a main dancer, or a lineup of working ladies at a House of Ill Repute. When I first encountered your posts, I was thinking that the workflow would be to export the clothed/animated VaM look to Unity and then back in via your tool. But that sorta doesn't make sense and would be way beyond my skills. Anyway, just curious. Thanks again.

Hi! No need to feel intimidated at all. I'm actually not a 3D person either. Just like you, this all started as a hobby.

That's exactly why I know how overwhelming it can be if you have to learn every single step from scratch. I'm definitely not saying we shouldn't learn those things, but I do think it's okay to simplify the process first, lower the barrier to entry, and let people build and keep their enthusiasm. That's really the whole reason I've been making these tools.

As for your question, that's honestly something I've been dreaming of making happen for a long time. It's actually one of the reasons I created CUA Puppeteer in the first place. It already solves the problem of mapping animations from a VaM character to a CUA character, or even baking the animation into a CUA asset.

CUA Puppeteer - Plugins + Scripts -

https://discord.com/invite/h9FzEmM9Kj 🎭 CUA Puppeteer Puppet a whole crowd of CUA characters from one animated Person. Or bake the motion and play it back with no Person at all. CUA Puppeteer drives resource-cheap Custom Unity Asset (CUA)...

hub.virtamate.com

Converting the VaM character itself into a CUA isn't really the hard part. The real challenge has always been hair and clothing, especially if you want to preserve their physics simulation. I still haven't found a solution that I'm truly happy with.

So, in short, it's definitely not impossible, but there are still quite a few roadblocks to overcome before it becomes a smooth workflow. Hopefully one day we'll get there.

 

[Anand]

Glad to hear great minds think alike. hehe

There is a CUA of a room that looked a lot like an apartment I once lived in. Except it was mirrored. Thinking it would be drop dead easy to "flip" it, I spent several infuriating weeks trying to learn enough of Unity etc. to do this. I eventually threw in the towel and walked away with my tails between my legs like a whipped dog.

When I first learned of Puppeteer, I immediately went searching for 3D assets that I could bring in. But alas, most were not what I had in mind. At the end of the day, I would love for my beloved Presets to be baked into NPCs. Really looking forward to see what next comes out of that galaxy brain of yours.

 

[AIRBOATRRRR]

I tried several times to use this great plug over a couple of weeks, and it didn't work for me. The glb was converted to cua but for the life of me I can't figure out how to get it into VAM. I copied cua asset bundle into vam and even into vam assets. I'm missing something. If you can steer me in the right direction, I would greatly appreciate it and if not I'll just keep trying to figure it out. Thanks.

 

[Shadow Venom]

I tried several times to use this great plug over a couple of weeks, and it didn't work for me. The glb was converted to cua but for the life of me I can't figure out how to get it into VAM. I copied cua asset bundle into vam and even into vam assets. I'm missing something. If you can steer me in the right direction, I would greatly appreciate it and if not I'll just keep trying to figure it out. Thanks.

Hi! Here's how to add your converted CUA to a VaM scene:


1. Place the converted CUA in the appropriate folder, usually VaM/Custom/Assets. I recommend setting this as the export path directly in the app so you don't have to move the files manually each time.



2. In VaM, add a new Custom Unity Asset atom.



3. Select the atom, open the Asset tab, and click Select File.



4. Once it's loaded, choose the Prefab you exported.



Hope this helps!

 

[AIRBOATRRRR]

Hi! Here's how to add your converted CUA to a VaM scene:


1. Place the converted CUA in the appropriate folder, usually VaM/Custom/Assets. I recommend setting this as the export path directly in the app so you don't have to move the files manually each time.

View attachment 610232

2. In VaM, add a new Custom Unity Asset atom.

View attachment 610234

3. Select the atom, open the Asset tab, and click Select File.

View attachment 610233

4. Once it's loaded, choose the Prefab you exported.

View attachment 610235

Hope this helps!

 

[AIRBOATRRRR]

Hi! Here's how to add your converted CUA to a VaM scene:


1. Place the converted CUA in the appropriate folder, usually VaM/Custom/Assets. I recommend setting this as the export path directly in the app so you don't have to move the files manually each time.

View attachment 610232

2. In VaM, add a new Custom Unity Asset atom.

View attachment 610234

3. Select the atom, open the Asset tab, and click Select File.

View attachment 610233

4. Once it's loaded, choose the Prefab you exported.

View attachment 610235

Hope this helps!

Thank you very much for your time. I will give it a try.