SERVICE RELEASE 1 : Progress Blog

As we discussed in another post I'll start some sort of "blog" to keep you informed about changes I made for SR1, and for you so you can chime in to comment and remind me of features i promised (but unfortunately forgot)

As I already mentioned in another post, I've a little lost track with SASHA due to my coommitment to PE and other matters.
So I'm currently "learnig" SASHA again and I also try to recall all of the suggestions that you made hitherto.
I'm sorry if I forgot some, but then that's the purpose of this "blog".
---

For ease of reading I will limit my "blog" to the initial post and edit it when changes are made.
If you want to add comments you can do so in replies below, or via PM.

Thank you!
Karina

• Whole base figure file replaced with a fresh version, so you won't have to inject the separate fixes one by one. Check for figure name: it is "### SASHA-16 ###" now. Detailed instructions see below in LIBRARY FILES section.
• Renamed "InjectionChecker" to "Morph Tap" and "Default Channel" to "Morph Trap Channel".
• Fixed issue with non-zero dials in the eyes actors which led to problems with octane materials.

• Changed extra injection channel names in the KarinaVagina from "KVC xx" to "SBM xx" to facilitate
  creation of Full Body Morphs including the KarinaVagina.
  Also added the ususal "Community" channels (PBMDC_ & PBMCC_ 01 to 50) for that same purpose.

• - Figures: SASHA-16: 0 - SASHA-16 SETUP:
  File "SASHA-16 WM (BASE).pz2" replaced to spare you the work of injecting every single quick fix by yourself.
  It also makes sure that everytime you load S-16 it will be the latest version.
  (Check for figure name: it should be "### SASHA-16 ###" now).
  "runtimeData! KarinaSASHA-16SASHA-16 WM (BASE).pz2"
  * replace file with the new one *
• - Figures: SASHA-16: 0 - SASHA-16 SETUP:
  all injection files now adding a "SUCCESS! xxx Morphs injected" in a new "! NOTIFICATIONS !" group in the BODY actor.
  "runtimelibrariescharacterSASHA-16 - SASHA-16 SETUP*.pz2 "
  * replace files with the new versions *
  -
  The Injection Pose "27 V4 Creature" should be deleted.
  It's a leftover from former experiments and does the wrong thing anyway (injects the "Muscle" morphs)
  "runtimelibrariescharacterSASHA-16 - SASHA-16 SETUP*.pz2 "
  * delete files *
  -
• - Pose: !## KARINA'S TOOLBOX: SWITCHES:
  Thumbnails #305 and #306 showed the wrong images.
  "runtimelibrariesPose!## KARINA'S TOOLBOXSWITCHES*.png"
  * replace thumbnails with the new ones *
  -
• - Pose: SASHA-16 INJECTIONS: SASHA Teen character:
  Fixed problem with wrong head scale value in the REM pose.
  "runtimelibrariesPoseSASHA-16 INJECTIONSSASHA TEEN characterSASHA Teen Face REM.pz2"
  * replace old REM pose file with the new one *
  -
• - Pose: !## KARINA'S TOOLBOX: PYTHON SCRIPTS:
  Added new script "Repair Morph Trap" which will place the two Morph Trap channels "-Morph Trap; MUST be 666 :"
  and the invisible "Morph Trap Channel" right on top of the channels list again, e.g.like after you injected new morphs
  which use Poser's ability to ceate new morph channels "on the fly".

• NOTE: For faster execution all Python scripts should be copied to the runtime in Poser's Program folder!
  -
• - [POSER PROGRAM DIRECTORY]runtimePythonposerScriptsScriptsMenuKarina
  The "ZERO All Rotations Any Figure" script now detects rotation dials by their internal names to eliminate the
  chance of malfunction because of odd external naming in other figures.
  "[POSER PROGRAM DIRECTORY]runtimePythonposerScriptsScriptsMenuKarinaZERO All Rotations Any Figure.py"
  * replace file with the new one *

Hello knyghtmarev3,

I'm sorry but I don't have any updates worth mentioning yet.
I did play with some extra "SASHA CONTROL" features, however, they won't work as they should in P11, so I finally discarded the whole thing.

Work on MISHA-17 will start in earnest as soon as S-16 SR1 is finished because then it's easier for me to just let M-17 inherit all the features of S-16.
However other work on M-17 is in the pipeline and making progress, but it needs a lot of testing and tweaking because DAZ Michael-4 differs from S-16 in many parts.
The plan is to release a test version circa mid-year with all the S-16 features incl. easy posing and figure control, and then the weight maps will be made.
The reason is that many people have different opinions about the base M4 figure should look like:

• Some want a brute hulk like the original M4
• Others even ask for superheroes
• But some (like me) just want an average male figure that walks the streets in everyday life (sort of a Clark Kent)

1. The standard V4 shape
2. The S-16 shape that comes with the product as a "teen preload"
3. A "preteen shape" that can be used either as an adolescent girl or boy (this one hasn't been released for obvious reasons...)

@ knyghtmarev3, Wickerman:

Thank your for your feedback!

After thinking about the issue for some more days I think it's really best to weight map the M4 figure for the standard shape, and for an "average Joe" too to get the best of both.
"Freak" or "Creature" shapes can't be covered anyhow because thei're too extreme. Impossible to find an "all included" compromise with those.

Something that just lately came to my attention (while I played with SASHA) and which is another reason for the delay:

SASHA's "feline" parts (to avoid the "P" word) could benefit a lot if I split up a couple of the KV functions/morphs in -left/right- unilateral ones.
Also adding some additional "shape" and "action" morphs would certainly make some users quite happy...

I would like to include all those improvement into SR1 right now because it would be a lot more difficult to include them as an "update" later (could need some extra sworxhoundred lines of code which still isn't sure to work in all Poser versions.

Unfortunately this needs not only the actual morph creation, but also a lot of tweaking .pz2 code, so it's a lot of extra work.

Karina

Hello RLOwens,

unfortunatrely no good news. To be honest, I suffered from a sort of 3D fatigue lately, so SR1 has only made minimal progress.
Also the "buttcheeks" weight maps still don't work as I hoped. However I want them to be in SR1 because it needs some extra ghostbones in the rig so it would be extremely complicated to add them later (and I don't want to postpone that until another SR which I try to avoid: I leave the constant changing of figures to DAZ )

However, postponed doesn't mean cancelled, so rest assured that SR1 WILL come in due time.
I only need a bust of new motivation to carry on...

Karina

Funny you ask right now!

Indeed I've made progress (sorry that I didn't take my time to update the "blog")

But to be honest, I admit that I was stuck with SR1 because of a few problems which I was unable to solve.
This is not an excuse, just an explanation.

In one of the posts about features that should be added to SASHA there was someone who suggested to add kind of "butt cheek bones" so that these could be moved/jiggled in a similar way that you already can do with the breasts.

I realized that this is a great idea, so I set to work and created a new rig including the butt cheek bones.
And that's where the trouble started:
I was absolutely unable to create any weight map that would influence the involved actors (hip, r/lThigh).
I could create a weight map that worked on a thigh, but NOT on the hip. It made me tear my hair out!

You see, the weight mapping tech is already several years old, yet there are still only a very few people out there who know the ins and outs of it, and those that probably do (like the folks who made the first V4WM) don't share their knowledge, for whatever reason.:(

So I basically had to learn everything form scratch, and I think the results you see in SASHA prove that I did learn quite well.

Until the butt cheeks problem, that is.
It was as if I had lost all my knowledge about rigging ghost bones and weight mapping them!
Whatever I tried - nothing worked as it should!

I was stuck with this problem for more than half a year!

And then, accidentally, it was solved.
If you've followed my "Mirror Mirror" thread here and at the SM forum (the one where the mirror didn't reflect light as it should), you will have read that something in my Poser went whacko and I finally deleted Poser and installed it again from scratch.

Well, a few days ago I loaded the "SR1 ButtCheeks" file again to continue my quest
--- and there it was!
Suddenly I could again paint the weight maps as they should be!

So I deleted all the (probably compromised) old weight maps and started again.

I've already created some nice "up/down" and "side-side" movements.
I will need some more time to fine-tune those, but I'm confident that I will achieve my goal.
Final weight map to create would be the "zRotate /twist". But now that the weight mapping is working again this is just a question of a week or two.

The major problem with the butt cheeks is to keep them round shape as they are shifted up/down/side/side.
Had to use a lot of bulge maps, and I wonder whether all this could be also achieved solely by bulge maps.
I'll look into that before I continue.


Question:
Would you be interested in Beta-testing the butt cheeks?
I could upload the WIP file for you.

Problem is, I have no Beta testers left, and my former strategy of using my own body as reference for bendings obviously won't work here because it's bloody hard for me to look at my bum even in a mirror, let alone in various poses.
I've also watched a plethora of XXX videos, but most were of no help either.


To sum it up:

Basically all other issues that were addressed in the various forums are fixed.
The new features are almost (some fine tuning still needed) ready.
Then to check and double-check the SR1 bundle for errors (which alone can be VERY time consuming)

IF I can get the butt cheeks working there's nothing that will stop the release of SR1 early 2019 (as a New Year's gift I hope, but I think February/March would be more realistic) [rolling_eyes]


Thank you for staying in the ranks and supporting SASHA!

Karina
(a.k.a. "Master Of Desaster" and "Duke Of Delays")

@knyghtmarev3:

Actually MISHA is on hold because releasing SR1 for SAHA is #1 priority now.

Look at it from the positive side: [rolling_eyes]
All the improvements I make for SASHA will also benefit MISHA.

Thank you for your offer to Beta-test MISHA - greatly appreciated!
If the time comes, you will be on the list.

Thank you!

Karina