DAZ Studio is a 3d software package with a
focus on character creation, posing and rendering. What makes it special, is its vast library
of customizable character models, high quality outfits, and scenery assets. The software itself is freeware. However, the company still needs to make money. So the assets and models are often expensive,
and sold through their own website. So, if we paid good money for these assets,
it would be nice if we could import them into Blender. Unfortunately the official DAZ to Blender
add-on has multiple issues, and often doesn't work well. That's why, in this video, I'll show you how
to import DAZ assets into Blender using the Diffeomorphic add-on. # Installation
You can download DAZ Studio for free over at DAZ3D.com. You may need to create an account and log
in beforehand. You can download the installer itself, or
use a content manager like DazCentral. With Daz Studio installed, we can move on
to installing the importer. Since the DAZ importer consists of multiple
components, it's a bit more complicated than just following the addon installation process. On the Diffeomorphic blog, download the version
that's compatible with your version of Blender. I always recommend using the most recent version. At this time, for Blender 2.93, that's 1.6. For older versions of Blender, like 2.79 and
2.8, it's version 1.5. Be sure to read the fine print on the download
page, since the addon might have been updated since the release of this video. On the dropbox page, click the Direct Download
option on the top right. Unpack the zip file. This zip file contains four folders, with
addons that each serve their own purpose. Let's focus on the import_daz folder first. This folder contains the addon files for the
importer. It also contains a folder named "to_daz_studio",
in which we find a single folder named Scripts - we'll need to install this to the DAZ Studio
content directory. This depends on where you've installed DAZ
on your hard drive. If you've used DAZ before, you will know where
to find this. If you don't, you can open DAZ, go the Content
Library panel, unfold DAZ studio formats, right click "My DAZ 3D Library" and click
browse folder location. You should see a Scripts directory here. We want to merge the scripts folder we got
the addon, into this one. So drag and drop your downloaded Scripts folder
into the My DAZ 3D Library folder, so that the two Scripts folders get merged. If you click into the Scripts folder, it should
look like this. If your Scripts folder contains another Scripts
folder inside it, you did it wrong. We can now activate the scripts in DAZ. In the Content Library tab, open the Scripts
folder and then the Diffeomorphic subfolder. It contains five scripts. Double click on the script "Setup Menus". This should confirm that the menu entries
have now been created in the "File" menu. But we're not done yet. Click the Save Paths script next. This script will create a file that the Blender
addon will use to find the DAZ content directory. Save it in a place where you can find it easily. Name it import-daz-paths.json. Now zip the import_daz folder. I use 7zip, so I click right, Add to archive. Make sure to select zip as the file type,
and leave all the other settings at their defaults. This should create a file called import_daz.zip. Follow the same process for the "mhx_rts"
and "daz_hd_morphs" folders. Next, we can hop over to Blender. Open the Preferences window under Edit -> Preferences
and head to the Addon tab. Hit the install button and navigate to the
import_daz.zip file. Hit the checkbox to install the addon. Do the same for the "mhx_rts" and "daz_hd_morphs"
zip files. Save your preferences Three new tabs now appear in the UI panel
to the right of the viewport: DAZ Importer, MHX, and HD Morphs. This first is for the Importer itself, MHX
is for the specialized MHX rig, and the HD morphs settings are for importing high definition
meshes and morphs. Each contain options and actions related to
the add-ons. If you don't see the panel on the right, mouse
into the viewport and hit the N. Now we need to tell the importer where to
find the Daz path. Click the Global Settings button in the Daz
importer panel. Hit Load Root Paths. Now navigate to the import-daz-paths.json
file we created earlier, and select it. It should now have autofilled the paths, and
we're ready to use the addon. # Using the addon
The first step is to create and shape a character in DAZ Studio. We start loading characters, outfits and props
into our scene. You can do whatever you want here, and if
you've got a lot of DAZ content, the possibilites are truly endless. Let's focus on the process though. With a character created and shaped, we fill
first go to File -> Save -> Scene. Give it a name that describes your character. Since I don't really care, I'm naming mine
Julia.duf. This is important because this name will appear
in Blender, and we don't want all our characters to be called Genesis 8 Female. Next, we will create a .dbz file using the
File -> Export to Blender option. If you don't have this menu option, you have
failed to install the DAZ script, and will need to go back and do that part of the installation
again. Export a .dbz file with the same name as the
.duf file, and located in the same directory. Since Julia lives in the file Julia.duf, the
file name becomes Julia.dbz. If you just save the .duf file, the right
file name should be suggested automatically. After a little while we receive a message
that the file has been saved. You can also choose to do an HD export, but
unless you know what you're doing, you really really don't need this. It will generate incredibly inefficient meshes,
that are difficult to edit and animate. For almost any Blender use, the standard export
will suffice. Finally, we can go into Blender. With a new scene opened, unlink the the default
cube and in the importer menu, hit Easy Import DAZ. Navigate to your duf file, and on the right,
select these settings. Or, mix and match depending on your preference. Once you confirm your choices, Blender will
freeze for a while as it works on importing your model. And there you have it; your DAZ character,
fully rigged in Blender. One suggestion before proceeding, is that
you will want to disable the Subsurf modifier on all the model parts. While you're posing the model, viewport performance
will be terrible if you leave it enabled. There are many optimizations and improvements
to make from here. But that's a topic for another time. # Acknowledgements For a more in-depth, and uncensored tutorial
regarding DAZ characters for use in adult content, I would like to refer you to Maximus
Jandari. You can find his work on Twitter or Subscribestar. Major shoutout to Thomas Larsson and the other
contributors to the Diffeomorphic DAZ importer. The addon is a major improvement over the
official tools, and DAZ should compensate you for your efforts. If you thought this video was useful; like,
comment, subscribe and pledge in the usual places if you want to see more. Until next time.
