[DOA5LR] Help adding accessories to characters? *Episode 3: Legs and Things*

[Y2Ryoko]

I've been trying my hands at modding using the various tutorials and guides found around the forum, but I've hit a wall while looking at some examples in screenshots. Specifically, I can't figure out a reliable way of adding more specific details to a character as seen in many screenshots from other modders -- things like extra jewelry or piercings and the like. I've figured out how to export and import .obj files to edit in blender, but whenever I try to add an additional object to the models I'm editting, the final TMC file looks exploded and jaggy (see screenshot below).

Can someone point me in the right direction? Maybe tell me what I might be doing wrong?

[Lilstormcloud]

You've found Patrick the starfish.

 

You can't just add objects.

The reason why it does that is because you you've messed up the index order.

 

There's ways around it but, you'll have to either

inject another mesh and reshape it, then pin it to 1 or more nodes.

 

or you can just manually write the vertex + index, which is quite a bit harder.

 

 

[Y2Ryoko]

Thanks for the advice! I am having better luck by injecting meshes into the base models. Now I just need to find accessories that are easy to work with.

[Y2Ryoko]

All right, I've been making a lot of progress! I can now insert objects into meshes and manipulate them when I need to (kind of), but now I have another issue...texturing the objects I insert. So far, I've played around with a couple of methods for injecting objects into a body mesh, but they all have some kind of drawback...

 

1. I can inject an accessory from the same or another character's costume into the one I'm working with, then export that obj file into a program like Blender and work with it. The benefit is that I can freely manipulate the object I added to the character, and seems to be the easiest way for me to do so. The negative is that I don't know how to texture the object here without resorting to extensive trial and error. It's a bit outside my skillset, but I'm willing to learn if anyone has advice on this method.

 

2. Taking a nude base body and injecting a new accessory mesh into one of the free mesh slots. This let's me texture the imported item freely using the Texture Tool. This is probably familiar to a lot of people already. The problem here is that I can't really manipulate the imported accessory with the tools I have. At the moment, it seems I can only extract a body to obj (if I want to re-insert it into the TMC afterwards), It would be great if I had a method for manipulating tmcmesh files in Blender or another program, but I don't think that's possible right now.

 

If anyone has any advice for either of these methods, or even a completely different approach, I'd appreciate it!

[rapgeekman]

Tongue piercing on nyotengu please!!! oh! can you add some accessory  from a costume to an other? like shoes?

[Y2Ryoko]

Well... I've made a lot more progress, but also ran into a lot more problems, it seems. Feels like I'm getting close, though. I got to the point where I could use a modeling program and edit my TMC to move imported accessories around. This was the result:

 

 

When I installed it in game, however, a whole new issue arose:

 

I anticipated something like this happening. The object moves somewhat independently from the character. The object I used to create these rings comes from another character's earrings, so they have a completely different movement pattern, and my placement wasn't enough to correct that. I'm not actually sure how to fix it though. The program I used to edit the meshes (Metasequoia) doesn't seem to have a function to help me lock objects in place. Perhaps I'm being naive in thinking that I can actually do that at all.

 

I'm assuming if I had picked a more relatable accessory, like something closer to a character's chest, I would have less of an issue (though with Honoka's bust size, it's likely a similar thing would happen regardless). Marie Rose does have an independent piece of jewelry on her default costume that might be easier to use, but the file is too large for Ink_shuffle to extract, and I can't find any other mods for it that use that costume, so I can't borrow the piece either.

 

Sooo I'm pretty much stuck... Once again, I'm open to any help the community give me. Specifically, if someone can tell me if this is even possible or if there's anything I can do to fix the wonky movement of the objects in-game. I'm not afraid to start over or take a new approach... In the mean time though, I think I might use what I learned to make other kinds of mods.

 

This'll still be my "white whale" though.

[timmyc]

I may be able to help, but I think it is getting difficult to gauge where people are actually at now due to all the tools currently available.

 

I am going to assume that you have written some kind of a tool to add objects since you encountered the starfish. If you have the ability to create your own tools to edit mesh then this will be a very trivial issue to fix for you, but if you have just been using tools to do this then you are going to have to understand what the tools are doing in order to do this part and have a way to automate this part of the process.  Otherwise there will be a lot of manual labor to correct this issue.

 

Most of the people browsing this forum don't seem to pay much attention to modding related posts. I used to post my own findings a while ago but have since stopped.

 

[Y2Ryoko]

I may be able to help, but I think it is getting difficult to gauge where people are actually at now due to all the tools currently available.

 

I am going to assume that you have written some kind of a tool to add objects since you encountered the starfish. If you have the ability to create your own tools to edit mesh then this will be a very trivial issue to fix for you, but if you have just been using tools to do this then you are going to have to understand what the tools are doing in order to do this part and have a way to automate this part of the process.  Otherwise there will be a lot of manual labor to correct this issue.

 

Most of the people browsing this forum don't seem to pay much attention to modding related posts. I used to post my own findings a while ago but have since stopped.

Yeah, I think I've come a long way since the starfish alien phase . Unfortunately I'm not nearly skilled enough to write my own tools for this kind of thing. I've mostly been picking up tools and trying to use them the best I can. Basically it's all trial and error and experimentation, hoping that I can take what I learn from failing to improve.

 

You're right, though. I don't think I have the best understanding of what some of the tools do. It's likely that there's something I've picked up that fixes this and I just haven't figured it out yet. It also doesn't help that I'm relatively new to 3D modeling.

 

I've been trying to keep track of various modding posts across here, gamevixen, xentax, zetaboards, and some Japanese BBS's to get a good understanding of things, but a lot of it has gotten so convuluted that I'm not sure how to find what I'm looking for. Most of the time, I see some information that I think might help me with this particular issue (adding accessories to characters), don't work out in the long run.

 

It's nice to know that I'm on the right track though! I'd appreciate any help you can give me, even if it's a bit above my skill set. Still willing to learn!

 

 

[timmyc]

 

Yeah, I think I've come a long way since the starfish alien phase . Unfortunately I'm not nearly skilled enough to write my own tools for this kind of thing. I've mostly been picking up tools and trying to use them the best I can. Basically it's all trial and error and experimentation, hoping that I can take what I learn from failing to improve.

 

You're right, though. I don't think I have the best understanding of what some of the tools do. It's likely that there's something I've picked up that fixes this and I just haven't figured it out yet. It also doesn't help that I'm relatively new to 3D modeling.

 

I've been trying to keep track of various modding posts across here, gamevixen, xentax, zetaboards, and some Japanese BBS's to get a good understanding of things, but a lot of it has gotten so convuluted that I'm not sure how to find what I'm looking for. Most of the time, I see some information that I think might help me with this particular issue (adding accessories to characters), don't work out in the long run.

 

It's nice to know that I'm on the right track though! I'd appreciate any help you can give me, even if it's a bit above my skill set. Still willing to learn!

 

 

 

 

You are definitely on the right track.  It's the only way to learn.    I had gone thru similar phases before and I still haven't figured out most of the stuff yet.

 

As Lilstormcloud stated above, you need to be able to pin these objects to a node.  To do this, you will have to understand the structure the model to be able to locate the nodes which references you need to update.  It's probably doable by hand for small objects like these earrings.

 

Edit: another way to achieve this kind of effect is to find, like you said, pieces that are already close to the place you want them so they will move in sync when in motion.   You can try Lisa's jewelry pieces on her chest in her "venus" swimsuit maybe those will work for what you are trying to do.

[Y2Ryoko]

All right, gave it another try and here's what came out:

 

So far so good... It moves with the body the way it should. It looks pretty natural in game (as natural as I could get for a test mod anyway), and it was relatively easy to do compared to the way I was going about it before, but it didn't feel like I wasted anything I learned along the way.

 

The kind of..tribal look of  the accessories themselves is kind of an accident that occurred while I was applying textures. They weren't supposed to be black, silver, and huge but I kind of like it. I think it looks better in motion.

 

I could probably shrink them a bit so they don't look so gnarly, but it was much easier to work with them like this.

 

You are definitely on the right track.  It's the only way to learn.    I had gone thru similar phases before and I still haven't figured out most of the stuff yet.
 
As Lilstormcloud stated above, you need to be able to pin these objects to a node.  To do this, you will have to understand the structure the model to be able to locate the nodes which references you need to update.  It's probably doable by hand for small objects like these earrings.
 
Edit: another way to achieve this kind of effect is to find, like you said, pieces that are already close to the place you want them so they will move in sync when in motion.   You can try Lisa's jewelry pieces on her chest in her "venus" swimsuit maybe those will work for what you are trying to do.

 

Thanks so much for all the advice! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any nodes to connect Lisa's earrings to for them to animate properly. I'd still love to try that method because I can use a lot more varied accessories, but I'm not sure how to do it with the tools I have. Whenever I tried in Blender and Metasequoia, I ended up with even creepier starfish aliens.

 

I was however able to use existing chest-piece meshes from other characters and costumes to create these, which worked out way better than I expected! I just need to find more pieces that I like and won't be too difficult to reshape.

 

I also might try using a more discreet/invisible chest piece and pinning another accessory to it to see if that bypasses the wonky animation problems from before.

[timmyc]

I wonder if you are trying to add torture instruments or accessories

 

Good job nonetheless.

[mrmojorisin]

Is that the Honoka Base v1 03 you are using?

[Y2Ryoko]

I wonder if you are trying to add torture instruments or accessories

 

Good job nonetheless.

Thanks! I assure you, the extreme nature of the accessories was purely accidental. It's just easier to work around large pieces

 

 

Is that the Honoka Base v1 03 you are using?

Yep. Among the base bodies I've been using, v1 03 has been the easiest to work with for a variety of reasons. Mostly because I needed the most bust size for these tests with a good amount of free slots.

[wejekwjek]

Y2Ryoko, honoka full nude is best of best!

Please, how to download...

[uSnD6ySW]

Good stuff Y2Ryoko. It begs a fairly obvious question for others trying to learn... (how) did you pin the meshes to a node?

 

Additionally, how does one map UV coordinates?

 

Thanks if you can help

[rapgeekman]

where did you get the full nude of honoka?

[Y2Ryoko]

The nude Honoka I used doesn't really belong to me. It's a WIP nude base developed by a user on the Japanese mod forums. As such, I'm not very comfortable linking it without permission. I think it's also against the rules for me to do so. Unfortunately, the link to said mod has been removed from the original source.

 

 

Good stuff Y2Ryoko. It begs a fairly obvious question for others trying to learn... (how) did you pin the meshes to a node?

 

Additionally, how does one map UV coordinates?

 

Thanks if you can help

 

 

I was unable to find a decent method for pinning new objects to a node and have them function properly. Most changes to the mesh will result in more messed up starfish monsters like in my first post. I'm still working on a better way to go about that. In the meantime, I instead opted to work with objects that were already pinned correctly on other costumes.

[wejekwjek]

Y2Ryoko, I sent a message to you

Please reply...

[Wish Upon a Star]

The nude Honoka I used doesn't really belong to me. It's a WIP nude base developed by a user on the Japanese mod forums. As such, I'm not very comfortable linking it without permission. I think it's also against the rules for me to do so. Unfortunately, the link to said mod has been removed from the original source.

 

 

Good stuff Y2Ryoko. It begs a fairly obvious question for others trying to learn... (how) did you pin the meshes to a node?

 

Additionally, how does one map UV coordinates?

 

Thanks if you can help

 

 

I was unable to find a decent method for pinning new objects to a node and have them function properly. Most changes to the mesh will result in more messed up starfish monsters like in my first post. I'm still working on a better way to go about that. In the meantime, I instead opted to work with objects that were already pinned correctly on other costumes.

what is name of this japan forum ??

[wejekwjek]

Y2Ryoko, I sent a message to you

Please... Y2Ryoko, I need your help...

[Y2Ryoko]

Tried to use something more...cute... Didn't get the result I was looking for.

 

 

These bows look all right at first, but the more you look at them, the smaller they seem to be. When checking them out in game...

 

 

They're pretty much invisible. These were kind of my Plan... D? F? for possible nipple accessories, but I ran into another wall I was hoping something would be able to help me with. Whenever I try to insert certain items like Lisa's Venus bikini or Helena's Goddess swimsuit, they Polygon Insert Tool just refuses to let me do it. All the choices in Honoka's drop-down menu are blank. So far, I've only been able to use a handful of Ayane stuff and items from other Honoka costumes.

 

Can someone suggest an alternative to applying these other costumes? Actually, an alternate for ink_reshuffle would work too, as there're several costumes it can't seen to access due to memory restrictions and I'd really like to mess around with.

 

Edit: I actually went back and found something that worked a bit better!

 

 

Still need to work on the left (her right) though... Also I think I've been spending entirely too much time on this.

 

[userchan00]

nice, who made the rope bondage honoka mod? the same japanese modder? let us know if he's ever going to release his work around here. also good job on the progress you've been making so far, keep up the good work.

and i have one more question, do you know if it's possible to apply physics to the objects you add to the models? like so it's moves like the hair/breasts/clothes

[Y2Ryoko]

nice, who made the rope bondage honoka mod? the same japanese modder? let us know if he's ever going to release his work around here. also good job on the progress you've been making so far, keep up the good work.

and i have one more question, do you know if it's possible to apply physics to the objects you add to the models? like so it's moves like the hair/breasts/clothes

 

Thanks! While not from the same modder, the files I used (originally a Kokoro mod I applied to Honoka), come from the same general source, and it's unlikely that the author will ever allow them to be shared freely.

 

From what I've tested so far, the physics of an object brought in from another object will share its physics. For example, if I were to take one of Lisa's costumes with loose-hanging objects and put it on Honoka, it would move just like it did when Lisa was wearing it. I don't know how this would apply to items that don't have an original state in the game. Such items, like the ropes, don't seem to have much physics at all.

 

[Y2Ryoko]

So... Morbid curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to experiment with some mods I actually know a fair bit more about using -- Skyrim and Oblivion obj files. Using some of the tools I've been experimenting with over the past week, I had an...unexpected result.

 

 

So i can finally add non-DOA5LR assets to a character's costume set, though I'm not sure what my limitations are just yet. Well, one limitation is obvious: I don't know how to apply textures to things, as evident by the blistering white surface of Honoka's new accessory. I think if I can find the original textures this model used, I can just apply those and it'll look fine, if not a little awkward and out of place.

 

And don't worry, this really was just an experiment... I just thought it would be funny if this worked and didn't create a creepy starfish alien (as all my other attempts as modifying models to this extent  have caused). I don't plan on flooding the community with stuff of this nature...I mean... unless that's what people want? I don't know. I'm kind of confused.

 

 

[NiteGuardian]

Thanks for posting your findings, its interesting to see what can or can't be done, even though this is all far above what I can do.

 

Mainly I'm hoping to see more working piercings for all the girls, I hope for complete sets someday including nipples, both sides of labia, clit, belly and tongue, that we can remix and use some with parts of outfits. (one can dream!)

 

But would follow progress on any imported objects that are not native to the game, just to see what can be done, so thank you again for this.