Prop or figure

[Dreamer]

I have made a very simple necklace for Dawn, a pendant on a cord.
What I am wondering is what would be the best way to set it up, static smart prop, (nice and easy), or boned figure, (not so easy).
Thought please

 

[quietrob]

Bone that necklace. Of course it's harder but adjustments are often needed for necklaces and like items.

 

[Dreamer]

@quietrob

you have a point lol I just have never rigged anything before

 

[quietrob]

I've tried and failed to follow a tutorial. Apparently it was assumed that I would know about grouping. I didn't.

But now I'm surrounded by friends here at the hive. That means you are too!

 

[Dreamer]

true dat

 

[Jeanne Harmon]

Cord should be boned, while pendant can be a prop

 

[Dreamer]

Ok, umm I think I have it saver as one obj at the moment but that could be fixed

 

[quietrob]

Both figure and Prop are first saved as an OBJ. You're using Poser, Yes? Still, does that mean you have to break it? @Jeanne Harmon is right, of course. The pendant can be adjusted via a normal rotation of the xyz axis but it still has to stay attached to the cord. I'm thinking of the breasts for the cord and how you don't want it disappearing.

 

[Dreamer]

Yep. BUt I think when I exorted from modeling program I lumped the two parts together so if I want to have the cord as a figure and the pendent as a prop I'll need to split them in to two obj's not one

 

[quietrob]

I don't know if Poser can split a solid OBJ even though an OBJ is really several parts originally. I know it can split two OBJ's saved as one item if that makes sense.

 

[Dreamer]

I can do it in the program I made it in, no biggy, just a resave in two parts rather than one. Makes it easier at the poser end

 

[Glitterati3D]

Your answer really lies in the design of your product. If the necklace spans one group with minor crossover into a 2nd group, a prop is the best approach. If it groups to several groups, you are better off as a figure. If you think about it, it makes sense - the chest group twists very differently from the neck groups and rigging those disparities is not simple.

A prop can have morphs created for it, so necessary adjustments shouldn't be your defining factor.

On a personal suggestion, I would honestly tell you to start with something easier to rig - like a shirt - as your first attempt at conforming rigging. It's not easy to rig just a few polygons to behave properly as it spans multiple body parts.

 

[Dreamer]

Your answer really lies in the design of your product. If the necklace spans one group with minor crossover into a 2nd group, a prop is the best approach. If it groups to several groups, you are better off as a figure. If you think about it, it makes sense - the chest group twists very differently from the neck groups and rigging those disparities is not simple.

A prop can have morphs created for it, so necessary adjustments shouldn't be your defining factor.

On a personal suggestion, I would honestly tell you to start with something easier to rig - like a shirt - as your first attempt at conforming rigging. It's not easy to rig just a few polygons to behave properly as it spans multiple body parts.

I'll have to have a look but Iiirc it sits pretty close up on dawn's neck so maybe only really one group.
Making addjustment morphs might not be too hard to do.
Hehe I never seem to start with easy, I did try making a conforming top way back in poser 7 but never finished it.

 

[StudioMartillo]

In PP2014 there's the fitting room, which can do some real nice tricks.
If your version of Poser has the fitting room, maybe just try putting the necklace as a prop in the scene with Dawn and then go to the fitting room, fit the necklace to Dawn and use Auto-group.
See what happens.
The prop has to be made so it's in just the right place with it's origin at 0,0,0 I think, and Dawn zeroed too.

 

[carmen indorato]

Morphing prop so you can use it on other figures. Always have preferred props with morphing capability over conforming accessories.
Like I prefer .hr2 hair figures over .Cr2 conforming hair.

 

[kobaltkween]

Just speaking personally, I _hate_ conforming pendants and necklaces. In real life, necklaces don't move like skin. They never stretch, and they certainly never compress. The only pose I've ever made a conforming necklace look good in was pretty close to default. And 9 times out of 10, I'll end up parenting and posing, which would be _so_ much easier if the necklace had a base of the neck and a parented chest/pendant area rather than the other way around. And that doesn't even address the issue of conformers being figure specific, which is fine for DS but presumptuous or a thankless amount of work in Poser.

One of the most popular jewelry and accessory makers at DAZ make their necklaces so they fit all figures (at least that's how they advertised them last I checked). I'm guessing they're parented figures, but I haven't bought any to check.

 

[eclark1894]

I tried to make a purse for Dawn. It did not go well as I am not adept to making morphs... at all. Still, I've learned a couple of new tricks since then that could possibly compensate for the lack of morphs. Maybe I'll revisit that one day.

 

[quietrob]

Without seeing the necklace in question, it's difficult to make a judgement. A simple pearl necklace may barely go past the neckline but I've seen them long enough to rest on top of large breasts in which case you would like them to have SOME type of morph or control so they don't disappear into her cleavage. I can understand the hatred for conforming pendants and such. But jewelry really only needs a way to make sure it holds position (which conforming will make it do. Better than Parenting) and that it doesn't disappear in that aforementioned cleavage.

 

[Dreamer]

@quietrob its a simple cord with a horse shaped pendant on it that sits just below the hollow of Dawns throat. Its modeled off my own

 

[eclark1894]

Have you given using the Cloth room any thought?