61208 ch13 ptg01 hires e-163-e-172€¦ · chapter 13 avatars and game art e-169 figure 13.11 you...

13Avatars and Game Art

An avatar is a representative character. It can be anything from a symbol to a fully animated character. Avatars are used in many online worlds. In many of these worlds, the player can customize his avatar or even import his own avatar creating limitless opportunities for unique avatar characters.

3D models are also used in games for player characters and other creatures.

In this chapter, you will learn how to customize your DAZ characters for use in other applications that allow imported avatars, or game engines that let you import your own characters. We will also go through the process of exporting art into another applica-tion so you can become familiar with the process.

DAZ has restrictions on what you can do with an exported model so before you use your model in any virtual world or in any game application for commercial profit, you need to get permission from DAZ to do so.

Character ChoicesThe beauty of DAZ Studio is that there are so many choices for artists. The choices might not be endless but they are pretty comprehensive. From fantasy characters to historical costumes, from cartoon characters to creatures, you can find almost anything in the hundreds of models available for use in DAZ Studio. This huge variety of models is the result of many talented artists’ work over several years. But because it is over several years there are a few things that artists have to be aware of when choosing char-acters, clothing, and props:

■■ Costumes and props are created for specific figure models and don’t always trans-late well from one figure to another.

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Figures, Characters, and Avatars, Second Edition: The Official Guide to Using DAZ Studio to Create Beautiful ArtE-164

■■ DAZ technology has advanced over the years giving newer models a technological and edge and greater flexibility than older models.

■■ Even with the advancements in model technology from DAZ, there will still be limitations to what you can do.

Different Figure ModelsDAZ has several popular figure models, but likely the most popular of any of them is Victoria. As of the writing of this book the latest version of Victoria is 5. Version 5 means that 4 other versions of Victoria came before the current one. With each new version of Victoria the model has become more versatile and more lifelike. While Victoria 1, 2, 3, and 4 were revolutionary in their time, they fall far behind the sophis-tication and detail found in Victoria 5. However, that evolution has come at a price. Every time DAZ comes out with a new version of Victoria, her older versions become obsolete—along with all of the props and costumes created for those versions.

Over the years each version of Victoria has spawned a number of costumes that were modeled by the artist to specifically fit that version. These outfits work really well with the version of Victoria they were modeled to fit, but don’t necessarily work well with the other versions. For example, Figure 13.1 shows Victoria 5 with clothing designed for Victoria 4. Notice that even when I try to match the size of the clothing it just doesn’t fit well. Clothing for older versions of Victoria is even more problematic.

There are some tools for helping an artist adapt clothing from an older version to a newer version, but in most cases it is wise for the artist to pay attention to what version the clothing was made for and use the clothing for that version.

Figure 13.1Mixing cloth-ing between model versions can cause problems.


Chapter 13 ■ Avatars and Game Art E-165

New TechnologyDAZ 3D is constantly trying to improve their software packages and their content library. With each improvement come changes to both software and content. For exam-ple, Genesis is a highly advanced model that can literally change into almost any human character. However, in order to get the model to work right, DAZ 3D had to make changes to how they handle models in DAZ Studio 4. They also had to make signifi-cant changes in how they deal with clothing for the Genesis model. Because Genesis can change dramatically, the clothing had to change in the same way. This means that all clothing developed for Genesis had to follow specific guidelines that didn’t exist for earlier models. That is why only clothing specifically created for Genesis will work with the model.

Like Genesis there are hundreds of other examples of technology changes that affect how models are created and used in DAZ Studio. Each one represents an advancement that helps to make the artist’s experience with DAZ Studio better. To take advantage of advancements in technology you need to make sure the models you choose to pur-chase from DAZ are current with the technology you want to use. To help make it easier for you, DAZ 3D includes a compatibility chart on the product page in their store similar to the one shown in Figure 13.2.

The compatibility chart indicates which DAZ Studio products the model works with and also what programs you can load the model in. Those marked in blue are the ones that are compatible with the model. If you don’t know what the two-letter abbreviation means just place your cursor over the blue square for a tool tip that gives the full name.

Some models require that you have other models already. This is because they are part of a set or they can only work if the base model is loaded first. These required models are listed just above the compatibility chart, as shown in Figure 13.3.

If the model you are looking to add to your collection has a required product, you should make sure you get the required product first. After a few times where I bought a model and tried to load it into DAZ Studio only to find the model wouldn’t load, I learned to pay attention to the required models listed. Making sure you are aware of required products will help to ensure you don’t add something to your collection that you can’t use.

Figure 13.2Always look at

the compatibil-ity chart before

you buy a product.



3D Model LimitationsAlthough it may seem like the models available from DAZ 3D are lifelike, they are still 3D models and as such will have limitations in what you can do with them. You will occasionally find times where your character will poke through her clothing or an arm may have a weird twist to it when you pose her. This is common with all 3D art. As an artist you have to be aware of the limitations of your models and compensate for those by making refining adjustments before you try to render the model or use it in an ani-mation. Some day in the future we may have perfect models to work with but until then, you should always take the time to fully inspect your creations for problems.

Clothing OptionsOne of the most exciting developments at DAZ is the huge variety of clothing options available to artists. You can find modern clothing styles, historical styles, fantasy styles, and many others. You can even find armor and other accessories like hats, weapons, tools, and other fun accessories. Let’s take a quick look at a few fun options. Figure 13.4 shows a few different dress styles.

In addition to dress styles you can also find a number of other outfits from modern jeans to shorts and pajamas, as shown in Figure 13.5.

There are a number of great clothing styles for men available as well. Figure 13.6 shows a few of them.

But clothing is just the beginning. If you want a warrior character or a knight in shining armor, there are plenty of choices. Figure 13.7 shows a few nice options.

Many ensembles for your DAZ characters come with props that go along with the type of outfit. Props include things like swords and battle axes for knights, guns for police and military, hats for a wide variety of outfits, and even jewels for evening gowns. Some models have accessory packs that extend what you can do with the original model. Figure 13.8 shows a few of these.

Figure 13.3Some models have prerequi-site models.



Figure 13.4 There are a lot of dresses to choose from.

Figure 13.6 There are quite a few styles for men as well.

Figure 13.5 Pants and other styles are also available.

Figure 13.7 You can find many options to dress your characters in armor.



Figure 13.8 Some models have accessory packs. Figure 13.9 All of these dresses are variations of the Morphing Fantasy Dress.

Some outfits have multiple versions and variations, giving the artist a huge amount of flexibility with just a single base model. For example, the Morphing Fantasy Dress has versions that fit many of the most popular DAZ models and an extensive number of variations. Believe it or not, all of the dresses pictured in Figure 13.9 come from the Morphing Fantasy Dress and its add-ons.

HairA big part of a character is hair. Many models come with some kind of base hair but they are designed to allow the artist to add other hairstyles. If you look in the DAZ 3D store you can find page after page of hairstyles and color variations to give your char-acter almost any look you can imagine. Figure 13.10 shows a few styles.

Be aware that like clothing, hairstyles should be compatible with the model you want to wear the style. While you might be successful using a style on a model that it wasn’t built for, more often than not, it will not work without a lot of work to get it to fit right.



Figure 13.11You can use

morphs to adjust hair in DAZ Studio.

Figure 13.10The DAZ 3D

store has lots of hairstyles.

Unlike buying a wig at the store, many hairstyles have quite a bit of flexibility. Because they are 3D models they can be adjusted for different purposes like simulating blowing wind or shifting as your character changes body positions by using the hair morphs in the Parameter tab. For example, Figure 13.11 shows some of the morphs available for the Chelsea hairstyle. There are so many that only a part of the list can be shown.



Exporting Your ModelOnce you have a character in DAZ Studio that you like, the next step will be to export the avatar model in a format that works with the virtual world or game. Not all worlds and games accept imported models but a few do. Those that do support imported models will likely have a specific file format that they accept. Unfortunately, native DAZ Studio files are unlikely to be supported. You will need to export your character using DAZ Studio’s Export feature located under the File menu.

When you click on Export, an Export File dialog box will appear. In the Save As Type pull-down menu, you have a choice of several file formats in which you can export your model (shown in Figure 13.12).

Of these file formats, Collada or .dae files are the most likely to be accepted by other programs; however, Autodesk .fbx files are gaining support, so check if your program accepts those files as well. For this demonstration we will use the Collada file format.

Collada was developed originally for Sony’s PS3 game system for transferring 3D files. It is a good file format that is becoming increasingly popular among 3D developers. Many 3D applications and virtual worlds support it. DAZ 3D added Collada support to DAZ Studio to make exporting characters easier. Check with your virtual world or game application importer to see if it supports Collada files.

Once you pick a file name and location to save your exported file, the Collada Export Options dialog will appear, as shown in Figure 13.13.

Click on Show Individual Settings to customize your export, as shown in Figure 13.14.

Figure 13.12Pick the file for-mat you want to use for export.



Every virtual world requires specific parameters for their imported models. I will only be able to give you general guidelines for what options to select. Refer to your virtual world import requirements for the exact parameters you need.

Under the Geometry tab there are several check boxes, I’ve left the first three checked. The last one should only be used if directed to by your application.

Under Materials, checking Collect Images is important so you can find all the texture files you need. Try using Invert alpha images, as this will make the transparent images work with most worlds.

Unless your virtual world requires you import your own animations and you have the animations loaded as part of the export, leave the Animation Options section unchecked. Some game engines will require animations to be imported with the character. If this is the case there will be a frame guide or some other information on how to set up your animations. If you need to export with animation, you will need to check the animation boxes.

Once you have everything ready, click Accept and your avatar will be exported in Collada format. Your avatar is now exported. You should have a .dae file and a folder containing the model’s textures. Use these exported files to import your character into your chosen virtual world or game engine.

Figure 13.13 The Collada Export Options dialog will help you export the right options.

Figure 13.14 Click on Show Individual Settings.



You may have to try changing a few options if your model does not work correctly in your application. 3D models are complex and every application will handle them a little differently. If you have problems check with the application makers to see if they can help.

SummaryDAZ 3D has gone to great lengths to ensure that they have the widest variety of the highest quality models available. There are literally thousands of options for creating avatars or game characters. However, you should be careful when choosing model varia-tions because not all models are the same. Some base character models will only work with specific clothing, hair, and accessory items and vice versa. Always check the com-patibility chart and required products listed on the product page before you purchase the model.

Exporting from DAZ Studio is easy and there are a number of popular file formats available. Make sure you check with the application you want to export the model to before you export your model to ensure you are using the right file format. Also see what restrictions they may have on the types of models you can import.


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