Is there any way to change the tex_face.jpg that facegen uses?

[AshAuryn]

All of my female skins for g2f that I put into facegen end up with a sort of "5 oclock shadow" around their mouth and upper lip, because the tex_face.jpg that facegen uses is a male and has that pattern.

I tried using photoshop to smooth out those areas, but apparently the software gets its information from somewhere else as well, because that just gave me a similar output, but whited out.

Of course I don't know anything about the internal workings of the software, but I was hoping I could change some of those files to get a nicer, smoother output.  Similarly, I tried adjusting the tex_fad_face_gen.jpg so get some better fading and blending, but it didn't seem to actually do anything - even though it appeared to be the right file.

I learned it was these files I needed to adjust, because when I change their color tone I get different output results. Any ideas how I can get rid of that beard shadow and maybe also improve the smoothness and get rid of some highlights as well?

[FaceGen Expert]

While a bit of beard shadow can occasionally appear on female faces in FaceGen this does not happen consistently and not, in my tests, any more frequently with G2F.

Our base color map is not male specific.

So I'm not sure what's going on here. Are you using a custom base color map for the export from FaceGen Artist ?

[AshAuryn]

No it's not custom, although I have played with tweaking it. Adjusting hue, swapping it for a different map, even at one point erasing it entirely. Doesn't matter what I do, there is always a discolored "square" goatee like shape around all of my diffuse map outputs.

Also, there is a fade map in that same folder, black with holes for the eyes, nostrils, and mouth. Except there is an error, and there are a couple white pixels on the cheek in that map. I never noticed it before, but all g2f diffuse face maps have a blemish where those white pixels are on the face_fade image. I tried editing that image too, but nothing changes.

[AshAuryn]

Alternatively, is it possible to re-train the software for a specific purpose - such as g2f, with a g2f specific base map? Or have future plans and development ceased with the current version?

[AshAuryn]

Just to be clear and to help you help me troubleshoot:

I am loading 4k studio facial images -front facing with neutral expression and excellent lighting - of women.

After analyzing, regardless of the quality of the photo, the resulting texture has a discoloration in the form of a "goatee" shape, as well as a brown shadow under the chin, and excessive pink highlights around the cheeks and nose. This is precisely consistent with the tex.face.jpg image found in program files/facegen/artist home 2/data/artist/daz/genesis2f/

I then export to map textures using the base genesis 2 diffuse maps without any modifications. The final product always has the beard discoloration, pink highlights, and the pixelation on the eyes, nose, lips, and cheek from the bad fad_face file in that same genesis2f folder where i found tex_face.

[FaceGen Expert]

I can't replicate this problem with FaceGen Artist Demo 2.1 and Daz Studio 4.11 (both are most recent).

No 'face_fade' image is output by Artist. These are internal data files of the program and should not be used directly.

The locations of the exported files are shown in the program after export. Sometimes you have to scroll down to see all the instructions.

Best wishes,

[FaceGen Expert]

I apologize, for some reason only the first of your previous group of 3 posts showed up on my feed so I was unclear what you were trying to do.

Although 'tex_face.jpg' has some goatee darkness this is in most cases removed by the statistics that operate on it before export.

If some remains you can remove it on a per-face basis using the Modify -> Color -> Beard* controls.

For most specific feedback I'll need to see image captures of exactly what you're talking about - preferably from both Artist and Daz since Daz Studio adds a whole bunch of shader complexity that's out of our control. If there is a consistent problem here then we can work on fixing it for a future version.

We are also working hard on a future version that should greatly improve quality issues.

Thank you for your valuable feedback,

[AshAuryn]

I seem to be having some technical difficulties in responding.  I had used imgur links but my post was deleted, so I will try to attach the files now. However, it will not allow me to attach all at once, so I apologize for sending multiple messages.

Let me say thank you for your patience, and I am excited to hear that development is ongoing with this tool.

First image is the stock photo I will use in the examples I will give you. Original is 4k resolution.

[AshAuryn]

Next, this is the standard Daz genesis2f base model diffuse map that I am using when I export from Artist.  It has not been modified.

[AshAuryn]

This is a series of exports using the same stock photo.  Top left is using the unmodified internal file "tex_face.jpg" when processing. The other photos I have modified the file slightly. In the bottom right, you will see that I erased the face entirely from the internal file. In each result, you clearly see the "beard". Especially in the "erased" tex_face example.

[AshAuryn]

I have enlarged the example and highlighted the issue.

[AshAuryn]

Lastly, apparently Artist uses a sort of fade mask to know where to blend textures when creating a diffuse map. This mask is apparently represented by the internal file tex_face_fade_gen.jpg.  Unfortunately, there is a an artifact in the mask, to the right of the nostrils, which causes that artifact to be replicated in all face map outputs by Artist, regardless of the original photo and despite my attempts to modify the internal file.

Likely the developers are already aware of these limitations, and I am only just discovering them (or misunderstanding them). Again, thank you for your patience.

[FaceGen Expert]

Yes, I see your point. I think the reason this hasn't been an issue before is that most people are looking at the rendered object, where the beard shadow less visible and often not noticeable.

Either way it's something we'd like to fix but it requires a change to the way we handle the statistics so will not be fixed until our next major upgrade a couple of years out.

There's no good way to fix it in the meantime because it's not just in the base FaceGen color map but entwined with the color statistics.

The file 'tex_face_fade_gen.jpg' is not actually used by the program, it just happened to be sitting in that directory :) The apparent connection with the output texture is due to its shared computational origin with the inverse rendering phase of the photofit.

There is a color matching bug in the existing Artist version between face and body that can occur in certain cases which we will have fixed in the next release.

Best wishes,

[AshAuryn]

I understand. Cool!  Thanks for taking the time to fully explain. I appreciate it!  Can't wait for the future release. Of course, deep neural algorithm technology is advancing at an extremely rapid pace, and I am a huge fan. I hope in 2 years, I will be able to give Artist a screenshot or video, and it will create, bake, and render a perfect replica of my entire model! haha :) 

Good luck! Thanks for your hard work.