New Clothing Body Style Converter Beta v0.89f (10-26-2014)

[orgs1n]

Indeed I can see that... The body inside the harness is somewhat thinner than CBBE v3, which is what I was converting from because the Expansion page states: For the optional "Devious Devices - Expansion" mod, a CBBE body-type is required.

 

I guess I'll go ask in the mod's support thread, thanks for the tip!

[gerra6]

For the purposes of Clothing Converter, what matters most is whether the From nif matches the physical shape of the meshes that you want to convert later.

 

So, why not try this. Select the harnessBodyFull_0.nif as your From nif. Enable 'skin only'

 

Then run the converter, create the lattice, and then run clothing converter on harnessBodyFull_0.nif

[orgs1n]

 

Unless I'm very much mistaken, your To nif matches the body in harnessBodyFull_0.nif

 

Look closely at the thighs. They're all distorted. In-game it looks horribly. I'd post a screenshot, but Skyrim refuses to run again... *Sigh*, off to dig for mod conflicts!

[gerra6]

 

Unless I'm very much mistaken, your To nif matches the body in harnessBodyFull_0.nif

 

Look closely at the thighs. They're all distorted. In-game it looks horribly. I'd post a screenshot, but Skyrim refuses to run again... *Sigh*, off to dig for mod conflicts!

 

OK...wait...are you saying that the nif that you used as the 'To' nif for your template has distorted thighs?

 

Or are you saying that the nif that you were going to convert already had distorted thighs before you converted it?

 

Or are you saying that the nif, after you converted it, had distorted thighs?

 

If you're saying 1, then choose a different nif to use when you build your lattice.

 

If you're saying 2, then any problems that exist before you convert a nif will still be there after you convert it.

 

If you're saying 3...yeah, I get that. I've already addressed that in my first response. Basically, you're using a From nif that doesn't match the nif that you are attempting to convert. If the From nif is a different body shape than the nif you want to convert, your results will be terrible. No getting around that.

 

Rule 1 of clothing converter: Use a from nif that matches the body style that you want to convert

 

***Edit***

Or 4, did you read my comment referring to the version harnessBodyFull_0.nif from the Target folder or the bad post-conversion one? Anyways, to restate, hopefully more clearly this time...the body nif that you were using for your 'To' nif looks an awful lot like the body nif in /target/harnessBodyFull_0.nif and it looks *nothing* whatsoever like the body you were using for your 'From' nif.

 

I hope that makes more sense.

[orgs1n]

Thanks for the quick answer, but you're too quick for your own good. You need to give your testers more time to fiddle with stuff and report back. At least this tester.

 

Or maybe I posted too soon: I was indeed confirming 3, then went to work on your suggestion, which worked (as always)! I had to Clean Nif afterwards, but it looks good now, cheers!

[gerra6]

Woohoo.

 

Sorry about that...was performing simultaneous tool related technical support on an IRC channel, in a PM, here, and trying to code a bad face normals flipper.

 

Too much multi-tasking

[xarathos]

**********Meshes Initialized**********

Traceback (most recent call last):

  File "make_lattice.py", line 237, in <module>

    Main()

  File "make_lattice.py", line 130, in Main

    to_nif = file_util.load_nif(c_s.get('target'), template = from_nif, init_mes

h = True)

  File "C:\Users\Jonathan\Desktop\Skyrim Meshes Working Directory\Convert Clothi

ng\kg\file_util.py", line 376, in __init__

    self.nif_file = open(self.path, 'rb')

IOError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: 'C:\\Users\\Jonathan\\Desktop\\Skyrim Mes

hes Working Directory\\Convert Clothing'

 

C:\Users\Jonathan\Desktop\Skyrim Meshes Working Directory\Convert Clothing>pause

 

Press any key to continue . . .

 

So I'm getting a weird error. Gonna see if running it as an admin helps or something because um.

 

That's never happened before.

 

Happened while generating a lattice.

 

EDIT: Yeah, weird. Running as admin got the lattice generator to run. No idea why it should be needing that all of a sudden. :/

[gerra6]

I now have a new question. What causes this and how can it be fixed? heebiejeebies.jpgheebiejeebies2.jpg

 

I have seen these marks before but this is the first time that I have tried to convert a armor that has them. When rendered you can still see those spots as they are darker then the rest of the outfit. I can Run a lattice great and it seems to do good when trying to convert till I think it tries to make those parts as the converter says something quick and then closes.

That particular issue is caused by faces on the nif that have flipped normals.

 

They can be incredibly annoying. So I went ahead and wrote a tool to automatically repair them.

 

Nif Utilities v.0.81.a

 

This is a collection of utility tools to mend and modify Nifs.

 

Contents:

 

1. Mend Face Normals: This is a lightweight repair tool that will examine a nif for flipped faces and repair them.

 

2. Convert Pose: Convert the pose of a nif between Oblivion, Fallout, and Skyrim rest pose

 

3. Modify Vertex Normals: Intentionally damage vertex normals so that vertex doubles will survive importation into Blender. This tool can also mend damaged vertex normals (after export, for example)

 

4. Clean Nif: Lightweight version of Mesh Rigger without the boneweight copying ability

 

5. Change Vertex Weights: This tool can be used to increase or decrease the relative weights of different bones on a mesh.

 

To Use, simply copy the contents of the Nif Utilities folder into your Clothing Converter folder.

Nif Utilities Upgrade b_81_a.7z

Nif Utilities RC_81_a_a_Light.7z

[gerra6]

So I'm getting a weird error. Gonna see if running it as an admin helps or something because um.

 

That's never happened before.

 

Happened while generating a lattice.

 

EDIT: Yeah, weird. Running as admin got the lattice generator to run. No idea why it should be needing that all of a sudden. :/

Clothing Converter likes to make new folders. That might be what caused it.

[Monsto Brukes]

I disagree. There are quite a few armors, even if they don't have an object between the breasts, that just shouldn't be form-fitting like that. Some, like the Fallout vault suits, aren't to begin with but currently end up that way and it just makes the converted versions look weird.

 

Ah there's a difference between our stances . . . I agree with you that shit looks weird.

 

But you're talking about content. You're talking about how an artists model work could be better on the whole.

 

What I'm talking about is that this hasn't been a tool about modifying content and that I believe it should stay focused on what it does best; that building in features explicitly for modifying content could devolve the focus of the tool. 

[Monsto Brukes]

Clothing Converter likes to make new folders. That might be what caused it.

 

Yeah, but it's made new folders for me in the past without the need for admin. I'm assuming that he got the same 'permissions' error that I got a couple days ago as that's what it sounds like.

 

[edit] Oh shit I'll bet it was the batch file.

 

[Monsto Brukes]

So what am I to expect when converting between bodies?

[orgs1n]

Are you asking about the status of Clothing Converter in general? Some armors work well, but the more the 'from' body differs from the 'to' body, the more stretching will inevitably appear. Clipping isn't 100% absent, but usually ok. A few case results.

 

Aradia's Lace Dress, from UNPB 2.2 to custom Bodyslide 0.4. Perfect results.

 

Northgirl armor, from UNP 1.2 to custom Bodyslide 0.4. An odd clip at the breasts, otherwise a good fit. Note, in the middle shot, how the leg straps float. This is odd: in some earlier version, this was almost unnoticeable. Rightmost is the conversion from SeveNBase Original to the same custom Bodyslide 0.4 model. This one has BBP, at the price of increased distortion at the lower breasts. 

 

Nocturnal robes: this armor came with its own body, which I had to replace using the nif tools. A side effect was that the robes got turned into a miniskirt. The second shot is the original CBBE version with its long, triangular form.

 

Devious Expansion harness: also came with its own body which had to be replaced, and suffers major clipping because of it.

 

A peculiarity in the shibari harness is how the loops below the breasts got stretched, and the ensuing loopholes filled with a black plane. To the right is the original, which in itself was a port from Fallout. Its loops were all tight with no gap at all. Perhaps an idea for gerra6 to fill such gaps with a transparent plane.

 

All of the above were done with the latest version of Clothing Converter.

 

[Monsto Brukes]

With the conversions I'm trying, clipping is almost nonexistant. it's little enough to be problematic... a couple of symmetrical places which will be hard to iron out using the tools. 

 

The problem is that the outfit is always badly distorted. If you've ever used 3ds max, it's as if smoothing had been run across it without keeping edges intact.

 

I'll get some pics later.

[gerra6]

That sounds like the vertex normal recalculation.

 

 

Try disabling that option and see what happens.

[ger4]

Had any luck fixing the clipping detector yet and/or the UV library?

[zippy57]

Some, like the Fallout vault suits, aren't to begin with but currently end up that way and it just makes the converted versions look weird.

But you're talking about content. You're talking about how an artists model work could be better on the whole.

No, I'm not. I'm talking about creating an accurate conversion. When the original isn't form-fitting, the new one shouldn't be either.

[gerra6]

Current Development Plan: Clothing Converter/Make Lattice

 

1. Modify the algorithm that calculates Vertex Normals. Currently, if 'Re-Calculate Normals' is enabled in Clothing it recalculates vertices using a method that is the equivalent of setting edges to 'smooth' in a 3d modeling program. This is fine for skin, but provides undesirable results if hard edges are desired.

Plan:

1.a. Modify the default behavior of the 'Re-Calculate Normals' button. If the mesh is detected as skin, use smooth edge vertex normal calculation. If the mesh is detected as non-skin, use hard edge vertex normal calculation.

1.b. Expand the options available in the Nif Utilities tool, Modify Normals. Allow users to specify which type of edge smoothing to use for individual meshes.

 

2. Upgrade the Clothing Converter UI. Existing 'customize mesh' options window is a jumbled mess with too many options at one time

Plan:

2.a Replace 'customized mesh' options window with a tabbed design that separates options categories.

2.b. Add an optional mode that will allow end-users to pre-select behaviors of certain categories of meshes.

 

3. X-Axis behavior and Cleavage. This is causing a bit of controversy in the thread.

Plan:

3.a Write an algorithm that categorizes regions of a lattice by the behavior of neighboring regions. Cleavage region will likely be categorized as a region centered on the X-Axis with neighbors that have significant X and Y transform vectors.

3.b. Have three basic search modes for this region. The basic idea is to stretch or shrink the search along a given axis. As an aside, this sort of search distance manipulation is already built into my algorithms.

 

4. UV Map conversion. I plan on writing a mini tool that will be able to automatically generate a library of UV map conversions.

Plan:

4.a. The idea is to start with 2 extremely similar meshes that have different UV maps. I then combine my existing nearest point on surface search algorithm with my barycentric coordinate UV search to essentially reverse the process used by Clothing converter. In Clothing Converter, the tool generates conversions the mesh by searching the UV maps. In the UV library factory, the tool generates conversions on the UV map by searching the physical meshes.

4.b. Once the library is in place for at least two UV maps, add an option to Make Lattice that will allow the tool to map between a mesh using one UV standard and another UV standard

4.c. Once that is complete, code an algorithm that will automatically convert a mesh with a UV in the library to any other UV in the library. Provide front-end access to that algorithm as both a stand-alone tool and as an option in Clothing Converter.

 

5. Clipping Multi-Tool (still trying different names out). Development is currently stalled. Existing approaches by Moller and others, when applied to the high-precision non-real time collision detection required for Clipping Multi-Tool, were unsatisfactory. I'm going to have to code this one from scratch. Which is what I usually do (no better way to learn this stuff on a deep level than to try, fail, try again until I really understand it)

Plan:

5.a. Continue developing and improving the nearest point in surface search used by Clothing Converter and Make Lattice.

5.b. Experiment with bounding box and plane intersection style techniques to quickly identify potential targets. With the assumption that accuracy trumps any and all performance considerations, evaluate these methods for the most accurate and highest performance approaches. On the plus side, the approach that requires the fewest floating point divisions is sometimes both the most accurate and the fastest.

5.c. Evaluate Line-Triangle intersection techniques with an eye to accuracy over performance.

5.d. Once I can accurately identify triangle collisions without false positives, I will begin experimenting with different approaches to eliminate the clipping.

5.e. Likely options: Morph the meshes to eliminate clipping. Delete clipping faces. Increase the number of faces in the clipping region of the non-skin mesh and then morph it to better follow the curve of the skin.

 

Timeline?

 

Shrug. Dunno. It takes a fair bit of motivation to do this. I'm not going to make any promises about the amount of time any of this will take. For some bits, I know exactly what I need to do and how to do them...those will be quick and easy. Some bits are extremely experimental and, in a few cases, may not have been done before...those bits...well...we'll see how I do.

[ger4]

Thanks

 

By the way, did you have any luck with the vertex averaging to help mesh keep their shape?

[gerra6]

Oh yeah. I'll take a look at that.

 

Shouldn't be hard to do, but the front end is getting too damn crowded

[Monsto Brukes]

 

Some, like the Fallout vault suits, aren't to begin with but currently end up that way and it just makes the converted versions look weird.

But you're talking about content. You're talking about how an artists model work could be better on the whole.

No, I'm not. I'm talking about creating an accurate conversion. When the original isn't form-fitting, the new one shouldn't be either.

 

 

Sure.

 

Adding a feature to "undo" a cleavage valley that exists in the source is specifically inaccurate by changing the content.

 

3. X-Axis behavior and Cleavage. This is causing a bit of controversy in the thread.

 

 

Bottom line is that it's your tool. AFAIC you can ignore me. 

 

Except do the ignoreing after reading that IMO the content and style of the original should remain 100% intact, even if the changes are just an option.

 

But an even more salient point that I just thought of: Some authors might not be copasetic with "editing their original work" because some of these people are complete asshats. Can you imagine for a moment the uproar if this worked on hair and some of those Sims hair people caught wind that you had 'straightened hairlines'?

 

And now I'll shutup about it.

[gerra6]

I always appreciate your feedback and your viewpoint.

 

Part of the issue is that the tool, as it is currently designed, will modify the cleavage region to a different style than existed in the original.

 

So a T-shirt that had the shirt stretching across the cleavage will end up converted to a form-fitting one, depending on the differences in cleavage between the nifs.

 

I'd like the tool to have the ability to preserve the original structure of the mesh, rather than modify it. As things stand now, it doesn't always do that.

 

Monsto Brukes, you mentioned a page or two back that you had tried some conversions and ended up with ugly distorted meshes. Would you be willing to send me the From nif, the To nif, and the meshes you were trying to convert?

 

I'd like to test them and see where the tool is failing.

 

Thanks

[Monsto Brukes]

I unchecked recalc as you suggested but I'm not sure it helped, but I only tried it on one outfit.. Here's the files.

 

monsto_distortion.7z

[Skjall]

I tried to find a solution, but there's too many pages, so if someone knows what I'm doing wrong, please show me the error of my ways

 

To the point.

I tried converting aradia kato bra from unp to unpb. Rigger works great, I managed to copy tbbp and belly weights successfully, but when it comes to changing bodies, I just can't get rid of bust clipping. 

I tried fiddling with various numbers and buttons, but the only thing I achieved were holes in slightly different areas.

 

And so a question:

1. should I recreate a more accurate lattice, if it's possible.<-- this is what I think i should do. Alas to no avail.

2. is there any additional "hidden" button i'm too blind to see in converter itself, that deals with such problems ?

 

Other than this slight disturbance, a great tool.

[AnnaFly]

Greetings.

 

@ Xelladan...

 

 

Well done , mine are not so good... as i see it's a very little imperfection, you can correct this only by moving the Y axe with NifsKope i think.  Or rescale the Y axe by 0.005. ... i think i t would be enought.

 

Don't forget to "Apply" your modifications.

 

I 've made some conversions last night but with the version RC 72 , not the updated ... UNPB BBP to a custumized CBBE doesn't work well ...The custumized CBBE is the body from TurboSnowy 's mod "Summon Angels " ... by the way i'm glad to find this guy here...  i loose my first verion of his mod , and there is no more TurboSnowy's mods on " That  site over there " ...

 

I think the RC 72 versio is just here to make a "quick" conversion ... this is not so accurate than with "Blender" of course ... but i'm happy to have this tool now ... 

 

Bye.

 

NB : by the way if you don't like your conversion, please share it and give it to me ...:°) Is this was done with the defaut setting ? From which body to which body ?