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Freeware Photo-2-3D Head Model Software
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These pages are a copy of the official truespace forums prior to their removal somewhere around 2011.
They are retained here for archive purposes only.
Freeware Photo-2-3D Head Model Software // Roundtable
Post by 3dvisuals dude // Jul 25, 2007, 2:53pm
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3dvisuals dude
Total Posts: 1703
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Wow...
This is a "Heads Up" post folks....
I've been looking for months at the huge pricetags of software to transform reference photos into textured 3D models of human heads and thought they would be expensive forever... and then I ran across this one today... it's freeware for non-commercial use!!!
It has the option of saving heads to OBJ format.:)
If you read Roman's latest Captains Blog post you know that you'll be able to have your own custom Avatars online soon in truePlay... now you will also be able to make them very easily.:D
LOOXIS Faceworx®
LOOXIS Faceworx creates a 3D head out of two standard 2D photos.
From their site regarding this download:
The software components made available for download are free (freeware) and may be redistributed freely. LOOXIS guarantees that the software components downloaded below are free from viruses, trojans or similar, and that it does not contain spyware or adware or similar malware!
LOOXIS Faceworx Download
http://www.looxis.com/download/LOOXIS_Faceworx_v1.exe
Version: 1.0 | Filesize: 11,5 Mb
Systemrequirements: Windows XP
LOOXIS Faceworks Webpage:
http://www.looxis.com/cms/index.php?t=90&language=en&language=de&language=en
Enjoy, I know I will!:D
- 3dvisuals dude |
Post by jayr // Jul 26, 2007, 3:37am
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jayr
Total Posts: 1074
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Brilliant 3DViz Dude. just downloaded it, not tried it yet though, fingers crossed... |
Post by 3dvisuals dude // Jul 26, 2007, 9:01am
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3dvisuals dude
Total Posts: 1703
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Brilliant 3DViz Dude. just downloaded it, not tried it yet though, fingers crossed...
Hi Jayr,
I tried it last night for a couple of hours... it's actually a pretty capable little program. This is only Version 1 of the program though, and that will be noticable in some ways. It's very difficult, for instance, to get ears looking right when viewed from behind or in some cases from in front, and takes a lot of careful line and point manipulation in both the front and side views to overcome that particular obstacle (or to come close).
I was having a similar problem with noses at first, until I discovered the fact that the 3D View updates in realtime as you manipulate line and point references in either the side view or front view... a fact which saved me a lot of related grief. As you manipulate these reference lines and points while observing the realtime (and rotational) update in the 3D View, you will find that these lines and points "pull" and "push" the texture in numerous ways across the head model beneath it, some also actually shape the head model as well. TIP: Rotate the head often in 3D as you work!;)
EDIT: another tip... use a scrollwheel mouse to zoom in the viewports... a major timesaver!
I'm having a lot of fun with this program now by using it with HAND DRAWN pictures and also some portrait photos I have previously altered with a cool little freeware program I use called "DistortIt" which makes Characterizations of people by distorting their photos in a very fun way.:D
I forgot to mention also that on the download page for LOOXIS Faceworks are additional utility programs which can be used with it for web and desktop use.:)
Enjoy... it has many uses!;)
- 3dvisuals dude
PS: Here's a picture to show you what fun "DistortIt" can be too! |
Post by Changa // Jul 26, 2007, 10:48pm
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Changa
Total Posts: 187
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Thanks Dude, cool program!
It took 40 min to make my head in Faceworx and I'm almost like alive there. The same empty space inside:D That's why I can not understand how to wrap the head with the image in TS. All tries look terrible. |
Post by 3dvisuals dude // Jul 27, 2007, 3:40pm
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3dvisuals dude
Total Posts: 1703
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Thanks Dude, cool program!
It took 40 min to make my head in Faceworx and I'm almost like alive there. The same empty space inside:D That's why I can not understand how to wrap the head with the image in TS. All tries look terrible.
Hi Changa, glad you like it!
Nice and powerful little program for sure, but as I said and you discovered it does show signs of only being a Version 1 program for sure, the fact that one can only load two pictures (front and only one side) in it being the most obvious sign, and naturally that will lead to imperfect texture map output.
I figure that like most good modeling-related freeware it will have some serious limitations but provide some handy workflow features nevertheless, and in this case as in most others will require postwork within additional programs to arrive at an originally intended solution.
Probably the best thing I can recommend to you about the related texture mapping problem inside trueSpace would be to suggest you Zip the model along with the texture(s) and attach that to a reply message here via the "Manage Attachments" uploading feature of the Forum.
Once I and others here have that file perhaps we can then arrive at a workable solution together, both for you now and the for rest of us intending to use this program sometime in the near future.:)
Sounds good?
- 3dvisuals dude |
Post by Changa // Jul 27, 2007, 8:54pm
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Changa
Total Posts: 187
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Thanks Dude!
Can I take this chance later, if I will not have any good results? Be honest, I need to practice in UV more, because it is not my strongest point. I'v just hoped that obj keeps UV coordinates like 3ds, and everything can be done in one touch. |
Post by 3dvisuals dude // Jul 27, 2007, 9:29pm
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3dvisuals dude
Total Posts: 1703
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Thanks Dude!
Can I take this chance later, if I will not have any good results? Be honest, I need to practice in UV more, because it is not my strongest point. I'v just hoped that obj keeps UV coordinates like 3ds, and everything can be done in one touch.
Sure, anytime Changa!
Be sure to import your OBJ format models into trueSpace with the Luuv Plugin on modelside rather than straight through trueSpace's object loading dialog though, since Luuv at the moment does a far superior job on OBJ import.
If you just want to upload related images in this thread too feel free anytime, we're all in this together after all!:)
- 3dvisuals dude |
Post by Changa // Jul 27, 2007, 9:45pm
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Changa
Total Posts: 187
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Luuv works fine!
Thanks a lot! |
Post by 3dvisuals dude // Jul 27, 2007, 10:17pm
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3dvisuals dude
Total Posts: 1703
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Luuv works fine!
Thanks a lot!
Excellent!
Yeah, thank Caligari for including Luuv in their installs, I'd be lost without it for sure!
You'll still find that a head model created with this new freeware program will produce a texture that's not perfect from every angle, so you may be "tweaking" the UV Map for a few days both in trueSpace and an external 2D image editor to get it looking just right.
Not the easiest approach to making heads but the price is right!:D
Be sure to try it out with characature images too, that's a lot of fun as well!
- 3dvisuals dude |
Post by JimB // Jul 28, 2007, 1:35am
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JimB
Total Posts: 341
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A very nice find 3dvisuals dude I'm looking forward to trying a bit later.:)
Jim |
Post by 3dvisuals dude // Jul 28, 2007, 1:57am
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3dvisuals dude
Total Posts: 1703
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A very nice find 3dvisuals dude I'm looking forward to trying a bit later.:)
Jim
Thanks JimB.
Yeah, I thought it was a good find too considering how much the alternatives to it cost! Of course it is still only a Version 1 program though and does have some limitations as discussed above. Still, it's another handy little free tool to have in your "trueSpace companion programs" arsenal, nevertheless.
I've found that it's fun for making models of caricatures (not sure how to spell that word...) from altered photos or drawings too, so be sure to try that out too, it may end up being it's best feature!
Enjoy,
- 3dvisuals dude |
Post by splinters // Jul 30, 2007, 1:47pm
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splinters
Total Posts: 4148
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I seems to have got the grasp of this (similar to facegen) but when I export it the texture is just black/plain. Anyone else finding this and is there a workaround? |
Post by scapino // Jul 30, 2007, 4:28pm
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scapino
Total Posts: 101
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I have the same problem. The exported texture is black. Could be a vista thing, but I also tried it in a XP virtual machine (s3 card emulated), and with the same results. A completly black texture.
Kurt |
Post by Burnart // Jul 30, 2007, 5:01pm
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Burnart
Total Posts: 839
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I've had things go black on me when the face normals are pointing the wrong way. Could that be a factor in this? |
Post by 3dvisuals dude // Jul 30, 2007, 5:24pm
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3dvisuals dude
Total Posts: 1703
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Hi guys...
I figured out the problem, works fine on this end now.
There's a problem with the type of "phong" in the OBJ
export settings, but there is a very easy workaround.
Enjoy,
- 3dvisuals dude |
Post by 3dvisuals dude // Jul 30, 2007, 5:44pm
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3dvisuals dude
Total Posts: 1703
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Also... just in case...
Since there could be another issue in there somewhere I'll outline exactly what I did to export that model from the program and render it in TS7.51.
1) Before exporting the model I went to the upper menu in Faceworx and chose "View" then "Model Detail" then I set it from the default "Medium" to the optional "High." (Note that there are also subdiv options in that same area)
2) Then I went to "File" and "Export" and set the slider for "texture quality" all the way to the right (high).
3) In that same dialog I put the export filename and also I TYPED IN THE ".obj" EXTENSION (I learned this from W!ZARD the other day here in regard to a different program).
4) In that same dialog under "Model Detail" I went from the default "Medium" to the optional "High," this is done via a dropdown but there is a strange dropdown there which requires a click, a scroll, and another click to see and select "high."
5) I opened up TS6.6 and used the Luuv Plugin to import the OBJ format head with it's textures. (This could be done in TS7.xx Modelside also.)
6) I selected the object with the Material Inspect Eyedropper Tool, and when the material appeared in the Material Editor I changed the Reflectance Channel from the existing "phong" shader to the "Matte" shader.
7) I saved the result as a Cob format file.
8) I opened TS7.51, went to Modelside, loaded the Cobfile and switched to Workplace side.
9) I set the Vray Background to black, and went into the LE to delete all the lights except one spotlight.
10) I set up the spotlight and rendered the head in Vray.
Just in case there was anything else in there that might help, that was the entire procedure.
- 3dvisuals dude |
Post by splinters // Jul 31, 2007, 2:54am
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splinters
Total Posts: 4148
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My problem is not rendering 3DVD; it is the actual texture map exported from the Faceworx program-it is just a black square, no texture at all...:( |
Post by 3dvisuals dude // Jul 31, 2007, 5:10am
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3dvisuals dude
Total Posts: 1703
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My problem is not rendering 3DVD; it is the actual texture map exported from the Faceworx program-it is just a black square, no texture at all...:(
I understand that now, I'm just trying to help. It works in XPproSP2 for me perfectly, although when I brought the model into TS via Luuv it was looking black due to the shader. If your problem is different OK, lets solve that one too then.
In the following thread W!ZARD, for instance had a problem with a program which wasn't rendering image output until he actually typed in the format extension manually, not allowing the program to automatically append the extension... and it worked: (See post #11, #15, and #20)
http://forums1.caligari.com/truespace/showthread.php?t=3728&page=2
Maybe the solution is something just that simple. Maybe it's a difference between something I'm doing (which works correctly) and something you guys are doing which isn't working correctly... it may well be a problem of the program itself, and something I'm doing is slightly different but doesn't trigger the bad output which you encountered. That's why I listed everything I did carefully, and the render was only to show that it works at this end this way, although it is on XP here and not Vista.
Even the slightest difference in methods could give rise to only some of us encountering a bug in some option of the software, so it is worth duplicating exactly if that is possible.
Since the "solution" to the black-looking exported texture on this end was just a matter of changing shaders I offered that up thinking you were having the same problem, but apparently the problem at that end is a different one entirely.
Since I don't have a Vista machine here it makes it difficult for me to help by testing, especially since it works on XP for me just fine except for the export's phong shader problem described above.
Do you know anyone else here with Vista who can test run this puppy and help you see if it's a "Vista Only" problem?
If I could I would have already.
An e-mail to the Author may meet with a solution, especially if this is a known problem at their end, and the Company does only make money on that program when and if people sucessfully export their models as OBJ format models. Their customers then submit those OBJ format models to the Company for further commercial work in metals and glass... so I would think an issue of this magnitude would certainly not escape their notice, assuming that is that the problem lies with their software and not with Vista itself.
Any other Vista users here wanna help with this testing?
Not much else I can do on this one.:confused:
- 3dvisuals dude |
Post by 3dvisuals dude // Jul 31, 2007, 6:14am
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3dvisuals dude
Total Posts: 1703
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OK folks,
I've done a little investigating here on this, which is pretty much all I can do since I don't have Vista to test this with.
From what I can see, the program ~MAY~ work with Vista 32 Bit, but definitely will ~NOT~ work with Vista 64Bit.
This is due to the fact that the program installs and utilizes "vcredist_x86.exe" (it's in their install directory) which is compatable with 32Bit versions of WIndows ONLY, ~possibly~ including 32-Bit Vista.
If you're running Vista 64Bit, however, in order for the program to be compatable it would have to utilize "vcredist_x64.exe," and it does not.
If you are running 64Bit Vista this would explain the failure of the program to perform some or all functions within Vista, including proper export.
If you're running 32Bit Vista, there ~may~ be hope for this App to work, but you will need to determine the best approach directly via e-mail with the Author of the software.
I looked again at the download page for Faceworx and their only requirement listed (as I posted in Post#1 above) is "Windows XP."
Sorry for the bad news, but that's the facts apparently.:(
- 3dvisuals dude |
Post by 3dvisuals dude // Jul 31, 2007, 6:31am
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3dvisuals dude
Total Posts: 1703
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I've had things go black on me when the face normals are pointing the wrong way. Could that be a factor in this?
Sorry Burnart, I didn't spot your post here until just now.
That can definitely cause a similar look to the texture on an export, but in this case I had already checked the normals and they're correct on my system every time.
Then again... we are talking Vista here... maybe another thing for you Vista guys to check out, sure would be nice if that's all it takes to solve the problem for you! Somehow I doubt it will be that easy though.
As for running in XP emulation mode you are still using a program with dependencies on files you may well not have in a Vista install.
Maybe time to install XP on some old computer you gave to the kids?
- 3dvisuals dude |
Post by splinters // Jul 31, 2007, 7:54am
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splinters
Total Posts: 4148
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Just about to archive all the stuff I have done then put it on an XP machine...then I should know if the problem is Vista...:) |
Post by splinters // Jul 31, 2007, 8:15am
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splinters
Total Posts: 4148
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Okay, the example scene works fine on my XP machine but the Roman images are too big or so the warning tells me.
I must get them shrunk down a bit...:D |
Post by splinters // Jul 31, 2007, 1:14pm
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splinters
Total Posts: 4148
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Well I may just have to scrap this idea...I managed the export etc. but when I loaded the model into tS7.5 it looked awful even after some tweaking. I did the same with my own head using Genhead and the results were almost 'photorealistic'. Roman's avatar in Faceworx was too bad to show here and looked nothing like the 3d view in the program before exporting.
Oh well...never mind.
Lesson to be learnt: free is nice but not always good...you get what you pay for (or didn't pay for in the case of my 7 day Genhead trial...:rolleyes: ) |
Post by 3dvisuals dude // Jul 31, 2007, 6:27pm
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3dvisuals dude
Total Posts: 1703
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Sorry it didn't work out for you Paul,
Like you say, you get what you pay for, and the more expensive programs in this genre like Genhead and Facegen certainly produce a superior model.
As Caligari begins to offer the "affordable" rentable private shared spaces on their servers which Roman has indicated are coming now, lots of folks (not only forum users here) will be looking to get involved with that as designers, visitors, or both. When that day arrives, many folks will be searching for methods to develop their own custom Avatars for use there or to offer to others for use there, some will be free and some not. One thing is certain though, not many folks will be likely to spring for the more expensive head modelers in this genre just for use as a one-time Avatar customizer... so a freeware program such as this, even with it's limitations, will be popular.
I would love to have some of these high-end head modelers myself, but what this freeware generator provides as a base model can be altered both modelwise and UV mapwise if one is determined enough to stay with it, or as in my case, poor enough to not have much choice!:o
I've seen your head model generation work in Genhead and was very impressed with your mastery of the program, the results you achieved were truly photorealistic. It's too bad this freeware modeler falls way short of that standard, and also too bad it apparently won't work with Vista either. Still, it is just another tool for me and like most others has it's share of limitations one must turn to further programs to address.
I do find it fun to use for making caricatures, for instance, with a hand drawn front and side view you can make it create some pretty funny head models and apply textures and UV mapping with different programs afterward. Before you scrap it altogether, you may want to test it's potential in that regard at least for yourself, but as a photorealistic head modeler it doesn't compare at all with Genhead or Facegen in it's current Version 1 form at all.
I like it though, in spite of being aware of its limitations, and I certainly like the price!:)
Regards,
- 3dvisuals dude |
Post by splinters // Jul 31, 2007, 10:15pm
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splinters
Total Posts: 4148
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Free is good 3DVD, what bothered me here is that the imported head looked nothing like the 3d preview in Faceworx so it was very disappointing to see that after all the time spent messing around with this. Maybe I will give it one more go to see if I did something wrong but I got a good result in the program before exporting....it just looked pretty bad in tS.
But like you say...it's free....:o |
Post by splinters // Aug 1, 2007, 12:38am
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splinters
Total Posts: 4148
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Has anyone had decent results with this yet?
I cannot believe how realistic the 3D preview is compared to the exported object. I have done only slight tweaking of the texture and no UV messing at all...they really are not that alike. Very disappointing after the time spent tweaking in Faceworx...the preview is very misleading...the eyes are the main problem!
Or am I missing something? 1st image is faceworx preview while second is a HDRI render of the imported object...:( |
Post by splinters // Aug 1, 2007, 1:30am
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splinters
Total Posts: 4148
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This really is the best I can do with the software for now. Eyes, as usual, are just creepy but at least there is some improvement. |
Post by scapino // Aug 1, 2007, 5:27am
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scapino
Total Posts: 101
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Looks to me like the exported texture is too low res. You are loosing a lot of detail in the texture.
Kurt |
Post by 3dvisuals dude // Aug 1, 2007, 5:42am
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3dvisuals dude
Total Posts: 1703
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Yowtch...
It does look creepy doesn't it?! The "5 Minute Roman" I did previously looked pretty bad too but I just assumed it was because I only spent 5 minutes on it!
Scapino may be on to something here too, it does look as he said that you are losing texture resolution between the realtime Faceworks viewport version and the TS render.
There are two independent settings in Faceworx for the texture resolution, one controls the viewport and the other the export... maybe only one of the two is set to high resolution?
The eyes were a problem for me too, as were the ears. Unfortunately the mesh controls inherent in the modeler are pretty low end... you can't modify the eyes or ears in the program to any substantial degree as one may in higher-end head generators. That fact bummed me out too.
Still, if the head looks that good in the viewport you would think it would look good in the export as well... I wonder if the base head can be tweaked verticewise? Have you tried soft-selecting the eyes in TS and dragging them around / scaling them a tad? Yeah, I know... kinda defeats the whole idea.
Oh well... at least I still like it for making caricatures!
- 3dvisuals dude |
Post by splinters // Aug 1, 2007, 8:05am
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splinters
Total Posts: 4148
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I maxed out all settings and it outputs at 2048x2048. I think the main problem is the way the program defines the eyes on the mesh which then do not match with texture so well. |
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