Tutorial [ILLUSION] HS2 Studio Neo|Chara Maker - (Help & guides Thread)

[Albertant]

F5? don't you mean F1? that's where my settings are

i mean where the next gen skin textures ... i used to press f5 and the window appears but not now... i'm crying

 

[Mr-Fox]

i mean where the next gen skin textures ... i used to press f5 and the window appears but not now... i'm crying

start initsetting.exe and make sure that graphic mod is selected as a first step.
Next step is to "re install", unpack the rar files or zipfiles for hanmen and put into mods/mymods.

 

[Sepheyer]

There is a thought in the back of my mind that for all screenshot work, one should completely disable anti-aliasing, and instead up-sample screenshots. The "developer" version of the screenshots can be 1:1, and the "release" version of the screenshots can derp out silly.

Naturally, this is rather in the context of screenshots for "games", where the AA doesn't really do proper AA and ends up being disappointing with all the staggering edges one can admire:

Spoiler: Illustration

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[cptboofy]

Help (2 questions): I'm trying to find where to get cube maps - I've seen a few youtube videos on how to do some shoots in studio and want to futz around with the lighting but cannot for the life of me find where to get cube maps like in the video (from lavalamp22 for example - that video is a bit old so the links he offered don't work). I see the folder for it but where can I get them from to put IN the folder? I've dl'd all the repacks looking and googled like mad, but my googlefu failed me.
Second question: more recommendation request. Anyone got a GOOD tutorial for learning how to use the lighting controls (I'm a complete and total newbie at anything cg).

 

[ninetofive]

Here's how you do it: In Studio, you load two characters into your scene. Make sure they are placed in the exact same location, so f.ex. both have XYZ coordinates 0,0,0. Then, in the Workspace menu on the top right, while holding the Ctrl button, select the name of one of your characters, then the name of the other. So, now you have both characters selected. Then, on the top left, go into the Animation menu. You are now technically selecting the animation for the last character you selected, but since you have two selected, whatever you choose will apply to both. Now, if you select a couple's animation, it should automatically place both characters in the right position relative to each other. If one character is male, it should be in the "male" position, vice versa for female.

It just works. There is a mod that's responsible, but I can't remember which one exactly. It's certainly included in BetterRepack though.

Thanks for the help. This certainly is a good start for posing for animations. Some of the animations work well like this and others the characters don't appear to be in the correct position even if they are both on the same coordinates. I guess you just have to do some manual work to get these animations to work well. I also noticed some animations where parts of bodies are clipping through each other/themselves. For this I guess you just have to use the FK/IK features to re-arrange those body parts manually? For example when a girl is in the titjob animation her hands are inside her own tits

 

[Sepheyer]

Help (2 questions): I'm trying to find where to get cube maps - I've seen a few youtube videos on how to do some shoots in studio and want to futz around with the lighting but cannot for the life of me find where to get cube maps like in the video (from lavalamp22 for example - that video is a bit old so the links he offered don't work). I see the folder for it but where can I get them from to put IN the folder? I've dl'd all the repacks looking and googled like mad, but my googlefu failed me.
Second question: more recommendation request. Anyone got a GOOD tutorial for learning how to use the lighting controls (I'm a complete and total newbie at anything cg).

Cubemaps are here:
https://f95zone.to/threads/illusion-hs2-studio-neo-chara-maker-help-guides-thread.66252/post-8663378
https://f95zone.to/threads/illusion-hs2-studio-neo-chara-maker-help-guides-thread.66252/post-7417121

Lights for beginners:
https://f95zone.to/threads/illusion-hs2-studio-neo-chara-maker-help-guides-thread.66252/post-5990119
https://f95zone.to/threads/illusion-hs2-studio-neo-chara-maker-help-guides-thread.66252/post-5986677
https://f95zone.to/threads/honey-select-2-dx-r11-illusion.53457/post-5574379

 

[shakus-gravus]

I search for good backdrops with google search and in wallpaper sites in the interior category. Place it in UserData/bg.
It needs to be in png, it's easy to open a jpg in paint or gimp or photoshop and then save it as png. Inside maker you can find your backgrounds in the image selector in the right low corner.
A tip for making a preview like this is to instead of using an image to use "solid" and then use "magic eraser tool" in Photoshop thus you can remove the background with a few clicks from a screen cap.
Then open the background you want and simply place the screen caps over it in the composition you envision. Merge layers and ad some vignette with either "camera raw filter" or "lens correction" in Photoshop.
A vignette ads a bit more depth to a photo without too much manipulation, so no trickery in other words to make it look better than it is.

View attachment 2221243 View attachment 2221244
View attachment 2221245 View attachment 2221247

I can go into more details if there is an interest.

Here's the locker room and some more:

Spoiler:

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Thanks so much for the detailed reply! Very helpful.

 

[AmaNo04]

For this I guess you just have to use the FK/IK features to re-arrange those body parts manually? For example when a girl is in the titjob animation her hands are inside her own tits

Activating FK/IK makes the chara's node stay at that location until you move it using Gimmick/VNGE/Timeline.
Playing the animation in the animation tab with FK/IK enabled would only make the chara wiggles around.
You can choose which node that enabled or not though.

For example, chara A has all node IK disabled except the hands, you proceed to play the animation from animation tab, the chara will do moves according the animation except the hands which will only stay at base position and the hand will looks wiggling around.
Another example is if you activate all nodes, proceed to play the animation, the chara will wiggle around entirely.

That's why if you choose to activate FK/IK, you must proceed to animate it using one of 3 options I mentioned above.
Also if you want to make certain node follow another node e.g. hands grabbing tits in titjob, you can just use Node Constraint while having IK active.

 

[Noa69]

About shader, somehow I can't load "hanmen/condom shader". Did I missing something? Beside that, other shaders is work fine I guess.

 

[Herbmetaru]

Rookies guide to texture-mods

edit: small fixes on part 2 and added part 4, that also covers those changes.

Colors? I only paint in white !

Back again. I updated it a bit and added part 4, where I go into details about colors, that is especially important, when you are using gradients in mods. To keep it together, part 4 is attached in the op.

 

[Kaseijin]

Colors? I only paint in white !

Back again. I updated it a bit and added part 4, where I go into details about colors, that is especially important, when you are using gradients in mods. To keep it together, part 4 is attached in the op.
View attachment 2223783

I'm always looking forward to read your tutorials. Tnx!!

 

[Mr-Fox]

Help (2 questions): I'm trying to find where to get cube maps - I've seen a few youtube videos on how to do some shoots in studio and want to futz around with the lighting but cannot for the life of me find where to get cube maps like in the video (from lavalamp22 for example - that video is a bit old so the links he offered don't work). I see the folder for it but where can I get them from to put IN the folder? I've dl'd all the repacks looking and googled like mad, but my googlefu failed me.
Second question: more recommendation request. Anyone got a GOOD tutorial for learning how to use the lighting controls (I'm a complete and total newbie at anything cg).

And to add to what seph links, I also have links in my signature for cubemaps and a tutorial.

This feels a bit dejavo or vojadey doesn't it? Did we not just do this the other day?..

 

[cptboofy]

Cubemaps are here:
https://f95zone.to/threads/illusion-hs2-studio-neo-chara-maker-help-guides-thread.66252/post-8663378
https://f95zone.to/threads/illusion-hs2-studio-neo-chara-maker-help-guides-thread.66252/post-7417121

Lights for beginners:
https://f95zone.to/threads/illusion-hs2-studio-neo-chara-maker-help-guides-thread.66252/post-5990119
https://f95zone.to/threads/illusion-hs2-studio-neo-chara-maker-help-guides-thread.66252/post-5986677
https://f95zone.to/threads/honey-select-2-dx-r11-illusion.53457/post-5574379

Thanks so much!

 

[cptboofy]

And to add to what seph links, I also have links in my signature for cubemaps and a tutorial.

This feels a bit dejavo or vojadey doesn't it? Did we not just do this the other day?..

Thanks!
I did try searching before posting but it was a total fail. My search skills were lacking. (hangs head in shame).

 

[ninetofive]

Activating FK/IK makes the chara's node stay at that location until you move it using Gimmick/VNGE/Timeline.
Playing the animation in the animation tab with FK/IK enabled would only make the chara wiggles around.
You can choose which node that enabled or not though.

For example, chara A has all node IK disabled except the hands, you proceed to play the animation from animation tab, the chara will do moves according the animation except the hands which will only stay at base position and the hand will looks wiggling around.
Another example is if you activate all nodes, proceed to play the animation, the chara will wiggle around entirely.

That's why if you choose to activate FK/IK, you must proceed to animate it using one of 3 options I mentioned above.
Also if you want to make certain node follow another node e.g. hands grabbing tits in titjob, you can just use Node Constraint while having IK active.

Yeah as per the animation guide that's linked in the OP for the titjob you could use FK/IK to position the hands on the tits and then attach them using NodeConstraints, then turn off FK/IK and that should work right? Although I guess the arms might do some weird movements.

The animations just seem super janky if you're using custom cards with differing proportions. Some animations I've seen random parts of the body flickering in and out, some I've seen the shadows of one of the charas hands moving all over the body when their hands aren't moving at all. Seems like a lot of manual work is required to get the animations to actually look good when using custom characters.

 

[AmaNo04]

attach them using NodeConstraints, then turn off FK/IK and that should work right? Although I guess the arms might do some weird movements.

Not sure about turning of the FK/IK after using Node Constraint, but yes that's correct.
Probably you might need to animate the upper body too since arm's FK/IK includes shoulder, elbow and hand.

The animations just seem super janky if you're using custom cards with differing proportions. Some animations I've seen random parts of the body flickering in and out, some I've seen the shadows of one of the charas hands moving all over the body when their hands aren't moving at all. Seems like a lot of manual work is required to get the animations to actually look good when using custom characters.

Flickering body parts especially shoulder and waist caused by abnormal position between hips (as the middle body bone) and waist (lower body) or the rotation of shoulder IK is weird.
For example, waist moves diagonally from XYZ 0,0,0 to 0,2,1 while hips linearly from 0,1,0 to 0,2,0.
In this case, the waist bone passed the hips bone in the middle of animation, which i think confuses the game hence resulting in flicker.

As for shoulder IK (also may happens on various bones), just try adjust the rotation in the HS2PE Adv., usually its caused by the base pose you chose to adjust.
For example, you chose a pose that female's arm is pulled from behind.
If you try to bring the arm to the front using IK, the shoulder will stay as if the arms is pulled whilst the lower arm is in the front of the body.
Of course this in unwanted, so you need to adjust it.

That's why you want to make the moving part is adjustable so when you replaced the chara, you dont have to remake the whole animation.
I always use IK Anchor and place them inside a folder.
The thing I register in the VNGE is the anchor, so when I replaced the chara to another with too much difference in height, I can just move the folder as an offset.

Well, animating stuff is indeed complicated and you only can embrace it .

 

[thisisweak]

I found Patreon post with 7.3GB's of free cubemaps. Some of them are repeats, but it has 169 different maps! (is this all of them? )

You must be registered to see the links

 

[Noa69]

I found Patreon post with 7.3GB's of free cubemaps. Some of them are repeats, but it has 169 different maps! (is this all of them? )

You must be registered to see the links

Can you re-upload only those 169 different map sir, if its not troubled you. Because its too big for me to download them all . Thanks

 

[Mr-Fox]

Can you re-upload only those 169 different map sir, if its not troubled you. Because its too big for me to download them all . Thanks

It would be beneficial to know in what form and within what limits do you need them to be posted?

 

[Mr-Fox]

Visibility rules.