DesignDollTutorials

With Design Doll, you can you can add characters to the model by adding various tags.
You can move each tag easily by drag and drop.

Introduction to pose creation

Let's make adjustments in the following order:
1. Torso
2. Shoulders
3. Hand & Feet
4. Fine Tuning

1

First Step (Torso)

First, click the pose tag.

Using the following 3 methods adjust the torso.

Bending

1. Click on the hip controller.
2. Drag the pale □ or △ up or down.

Twisting

Drag the red or blue parts.
(Drag the model itself, not a controller)

Whole Body Angles

1. Click [Tab] （Click again to cancel）.
2. Drag the arrow controllers.

2

Second Step (Shoulders)

The position of the shoulders can be changed by directly dragging the parts of the image

3

Third Step (Hands & Feet)

Once you finish making adjustments to the torso and shoulders, there are 2 hand and 2 foot controllers to adjust.
The foot and hand controllers on Design Doll are a little different than those found on typical 3D software

Typical “Bone” Thinking

First, determine the primary angle “A”.
Next, determine the secondary angle “B”.
The data is determined by the angle, which changes 360°.

Design Doll Thinking

First, determine point “A”.
Next, determine direction “B”.
The data is controlled by the point and direction.

By understanding this difference, the speed of posing can be remarkably increased.
First, drag the hand or foot controller, moving the part that contacts “A”.
However, because the screen is 2D, depth can not be controlled.
This is where the “mini-view” at the bottom right is used.

The “mini-view” always displays what would be seen (at “ground” level) from 90 degrees to the right of the main display.
As a result, you can easily adjust depth, without moving the camera.
Finally, by dragging the pale-colored ring around the controller, you can adjust the direction of “B”.

Before ver5.3 or Simple Controller

By moving the cursor around the circle, you can adjust the angle however you like.

After ver5.3

4

Fourth Step (Fine Tuning)

Directly drag the head, neck, feet, hands, etc to fine tune the angles.
Depending on the area, after clicking on a body part, a controller may appear.
These parts can be rotated along the chosen axis by dragging the controllers.
By directly dragging the parts you want to move, you can adjust the various details.

By unchecking the “shoulder link” or “wrist link” boxes, you can stop the automatic movement of the shoulders and wrists.

First-time pose creators, please look at the following practice modification.
The majority of Design Doll’s functions are demonstrated.

POSE CREATION (PRACTICE)

Introduction to Changing Model Body Types

・Change the shape of the face and muscles using the “Morphing” tag.
・Adjust the head & body, using the “Scale” tag. (Perfect your body type in Detail Adjustment Mode, after making rough changes in Simple Adjustment Mode.)
・It does not matter what order you use the “Morphing” or “Scale” tags

Process: Adjusting the face & flesh

1

First Step

Click the “Morphing” tag.

2

Second Step

Click the parts you want to change.

3

Third Step

Choose facial types and change the blend rate.
Since the percentage of the blend appears next to the icons, you can experiment with blending them a little bit at a time.
You can set the method of adjustment (direction, etc) in the Tool menu under Preferences – Mouse – Slider Mode.

Adjusting the Head & Body (Simple Adjustment Mode)

1

First Step

Click the Scale tag.

2

Second Step

Click the Simple Adjustment Mode.

3

Third Step

Adjust the length and thickness of parts by dragging.

Circles : Length
Rings : Thickness

Adjusting the Head & Body (Detail Adjustment Mode)

1

First Step

Click the Scale tag.

2

Second Step

Click the Detail Adjustment Mode.

3

Third Step

Click the bone you want to adjust.

4

Fourth Step

Drag controllers to make detail adjustments.

Black arrow : Length
Ball in the middle of the bone : Expand or shrink the whole bone
Rings : Thickness (X & Y axis simultaneously)
Balls on the Rings : Thickness (X or Y axis independently)
XYZ arrows : Bone starting or ending point

Adjusting the Fingers

1

First Step

Click the Scale tag.

2

Second Step

Click the Hand mode.

3

Third Step

Drag the sliders.

While adjusting the scale of a model, the approximate height and number of heads tall of the model is displayed.(Detail Adjustment Mode)
With one model selected, to select additional models, simply hold [Ctrl] and click on the additional model(s) in the 3D view or tag menu.
With multiple models selected, if you right click on the tag menu (upper right) for one of the models, then click “Mix Model,” Design Doll will merge the selected models into one new model that blends the characteristics of the selected models.

Introduction to Moving Hands

・First, determine the rough positioning of the hand in “Simple” mode.
・Next, switch to “Detail” mode to adjust the finer details.

1

First Step

Click the hand tag.

2

Second Step

Determine the basic position in basic mode.

3

Third Step

Click the mode switch mode button.

4

Fourth Step

Adjust the fine details in detail mode.
・Drag the lines to adjust the precise angle of each part.
・Imagine that you are bending the fingers at the joint lines.
・Control finger spacing with the circles between the fingers.

By clicking on “Load from library,” you can speed things up by using preset hand positions.
Since the “Hand” tag was implemented in Ver 3.5.0.0, it will not be found in data from earlier versions. (Hand tags can be added by right clicking on the tag list for the model in the upper right, then selecting “Hand tag” from the “Add Tag” menu.)
While editing poses, you can open the hand menu by pressing the [H] key or by double-clicking on the model’s hand in the 3D View.

Introduction to importing 3D models created in other programs.

・Import tags must be added to models.
・Locate the data file for the model to be loaded.
・Choose the initial size and position.

1

First Step

Right-click the model in the tag menu (upper right) → Add tag → Import tag

2

Second Step

Click on the new import tag.

3

Third Step

Click “Import Mesh” → Choose the obj file to be imported.

4

Fourth Step

Click “Size” → Choose your model size (Type the size and axis).

5

Fifth Step

Choose the part you want to link the object to (Default: Right hand).

6

Sixth Step

Choose the position and angle in the 3D view.

Use the “Model Object” import tag for models
Use the “Box Object” import tag for background objects.

Introduction to painting directly on models

・This feature was created to increase the efficiency of drawing auxiliary lines on faces, etc.
・Add a sketch tag (not included by default).
・Draw directly on your 3D model, while adjusting pen thickness and transparency.

1

First Step

Click on a model → Add tag → Sketch tag

2

Second Step

Click on the newly added sketch tag.

3

Third Step

Adjust pen properties
A: Pen thickness
B: Color
C: Transparency

4

Fourth Step

Turn off “Through” painting.
Paint directly on your 3D model.

When “through” painting is turned on, you can paint on the backside of your model at the same time. (This is useful for painting lines that circle an arm, for example)
You can add multiple sketch tags to a single model, giving it a layered effect.
While you have a sketch tag selected, if you drag & drop it onto a 1024×1024 image, it will be imported as a UV texture.

Tutorial: Pose Creation (Practice)

We will now show you how to make the poses below.
We recommend that fist time users follow along in Design Doll.
If you make a mistake, you can undo your last step by pressing [Ctrl+Z].

Click on the Pose tag in the object list (upper right).

Holding down the right mouse button on the 3D (main) screen, drag the camera view until the model is facing forward.
Drag part of the model’s chest to the left, to create a slight twisting of the upper body.
(Remember, you will be draging the model itself, not a controller.)

Before ver5.3
or
Simple Controller

In order to created a slight stooping, click on the hip controler.
Then drag the small, pale colored box controller down, to bend the model’s back.
You can get a feel for the progression of the bending by looking at the mini-view at the lower right.

After ver5.3

Drag the right shoulder up.
In the same manner, drop the left shoulder.

To give the impression of carrying weight, shift the right shoulder slightly forward.
Since this is a little difficult to do from the front, rotate the camera view around to the side.

While it’s a little different than the order described in POSE CREATION (PROCESS) we’ll adjust the head and neck here, to facilitate envisioning the finished product more easily.
When you click on the head, a controller that looks like a head brace will appear.

Using the light gray horizontal ring, rotate the head towards the model’s right.
Next, use the medium gray ring, running up & down the front of the model’s face, to lower the face towards the right shoulder.

We’ll now move the arms.
Since we’ve already positioned the shoulders, let’s uncheck the shoulder link (found at about the middle of the right hand side of the screen).
Move the right arm by the model’s hip.
If you work from directly in front of the model, use the mini-view to monitor depth.

Move the left arm to about the model’s right elbow.
While the arm will temporarily be embedded in the model’s torso, we will come back to modify that shortly. For now, just concentrate on positioning the model’s left wrist near the right elbow.

Before ver5.3
or
Simple Controller

Using the pale ring controller, adjust the angle of the model’s left arm.

After ver5.3

Finally, we will adjust the lower half of the body.
While it would be okay to the legs in the same way as the arms, this time we’ll introduce another method.
First off, with the camera in front of the model, click and drag a box around the model’s upper body & hips, using the left mouse button.

Since we are now interested in adjusting the depth of the model, we’ll use the red controlers on the mini-view.
Drag the red controlers towards the model’s backside and down, to create a seated position.
Selecting multiple controllers in this manner is useful for times when you want to move multiple parts together.

To release the selection, click on an empty area.
Drag the left leg towards the monitor’s left side.

Like a figurine, you can also drag the knee of the model directly.
Drag the model’s left knee to the left, so that it sits in front of the model’s right hip.

Move the right leg in the same manner, or use the pale ring controller, instead of direct knee manipulation.

The position of the right ankle on the two figures are the same.
However, the knee’s position will change depending on how you move the controller.
If you consider the trajectory of your movements, you can more efficiently adjust the pose of your models.

Now that we have the rough positioning of our controlers taken care of, we can move on to fine tuning our pose.
Since the center of gravity is not right, we’ll need to adjust that.
Easily adjusting the center of gravity afterwards is one of Design Dolls special features
Position the camera in front of the model, then the square controller on the model’s chest slightly to the left.

Even with this, there is no real feeling of a body weight shift, so lets adjust the center of gravity from the chest up.
First, drag and select the upper body controllers, as we did before, when creating the seated position.
Next, hold [Ctrl] and click on the hip controller, to unselect it.
(Using [Ctrl] can be convenient, when unwanted controllers are close to those you want to select.)
In this condition, you can drag the selected controllers and easily shift the center of gravity of your model’s upper body.

Without throwing off the balance of your entire model, drag the controllers down, and to the left.
While the positioning of the model’s elbow, etc, might shift somewhat during this move, focus on adjusting the model’s center of gravity for now, and we’ll fix the details later.

Moving the camera around, make fine adjustments to your model’s face, wrists, ankles, etc, to finish up. (To complete your pose, you’ll want to adjust the hand tag as well.)
No matter what the pose, the process is the same, so once you get used to the controls, you should be able to create the pose you want in 2-3 minutes.

Introduction to Using Cameras

・Open the camera view, and adjust the angle, at “Eye level.”
・Select the type of perspective and choose the parameters.

1

First Step

Open the “Camera view,” by pressing the yellow arrow to the left of the main window, by pressing Alt+C, or by selecting “Camera view” from the “Camera” menu at the top left.

2

Second Step

By dragging the edges of the main window, you can adjust it’s size.

3

Third Step

You can adjust the point-of-view in the same way as the 3D view.

4

Fourth Step

Click on the “Pers” tag (The default is “Real Perspective.”)

5

Fifth Step

By adjusting the “FOV” (Field of View), “Distortion,” and “Distance” you can change the characteristics of the pespective distortions.
You can easily adjust the numerical value of each, by clicking & dragging the textbox.

When you want to display the Camera View larger, choose “Large Screen Mode” from the “tool” menu, or hit the [Home] key. (In the event that you do not have the Camera View open, “Large Screen Mode” will expand the 3D View.)
By pressing the [←] key, you can copy the information from the 3D View camera to the Camera View.
There is a “Roll” feature added to the Camera View that is not found in the 3D View camera, which rotates the camera view clockwise or counter-clockwise.
In the event that an imported 3D model does not distort neatly, it can usually be resolved by inserting a vertex between the long sides.

About the Field of View

Within the perspective settings, FOV is a very important parameter, to the impression of your image.
Because this number is so influential on the overall feel of your creation, it is recommended that you experiment with it.
Main Points
・45~60 is often used in games.
・Illustrations typically use values over 30, while there is a trend toward using lower values for deformed depictions.
・Illustrations typically use values over 30, while lower values are popular with deformed depictions.
・Photos taken with a regular camera would have lower values.
・Higher values will give compositions greater weight.

Fake Pers(pective)

1

First Step

First, follow the process set-out above.

2

Second Step

Click the dark gray bar, where it says “Real Pers” (or the arrow to the right of it), and select “Fake Pers”.

3

Third Step

Click on “Click Pers Center”, then click on the part of the model you want emphasized in the 3D view.
A　The distance from the perspective center included in the primary focal area (red).
B　The distance from the focal point where the secondary focal area (blue) begins.
C　The level of emphasis on the primary focal area (the smaller the number, the greater the emphasis).
D　The level of emphasis on the secondary focal area.

*If the value of A is bigger than B, A will become blue, and B will become red. Likewise, C will affect the blue area, and D will affect the red.
**The bigger the gap between A & B, the smoother the transition will be.
***If the value of C & D are the same, there will be no distortion.