Posing SASHA:



6. POSING SASHA

 Before you continue please make sure that you've read and understood chapter 2. "SASHA Basics", especially chapter 2.2. pp.

Knowing how to smart pose SASHA will facilitate the work of posing considerably - if you know how to!



6.1. SASHA posing basics

 The very first thing that you have to realize is that each pose you create is unique to the particular figure and character that you used to create the pose. The more a character which you apply the pose to differs from the "sample figure", the more corrections are needed. Think of different limbs or torso scaling or fingers resting on a thigh with various "thigh thickness" settings.

 So each pose you create can only be a "rough sample" and almost always needs fine tuning. To reduce the fine tuning to a minimum you have two options between which you must decide before you start posing a figure:

Depending on your answer there are different approaches.



6.1.1. Using joint limits or not?

I *strongly* advise you to use the joint limits which are hard-coded into SASHA.

Not only do they prevent "unnatural" bending which looks weird (and also isn't covered by corresponding weight maps!) but setting the joint limits "off" can also produce unwanted results with the "smart posing" features of SASHA.

*IF* you think you *must* overstretch a joint, do it selectively by double clicking the rotation parameter and change the limits for this joint manually.

But why do so?
If you force a human body into an unnatural pose you'll hear the sound of tendons snapping, muscles tearing or bones breaking. That's not a nice sound at all, and your render won't look natural either.

So if you want to achieve a certain pose and can't do it the way *you* want because SASHA denies it, then a real person wouldn't be able to do so either.
Instead, try to pose the body parts differently. *1
Your reward will be a realistic and good-looking pose.

Footnote *1:
Look at how the pose "gym0026" in the "SASHA Poses : Gymnastics" is built:
Most people would just move the thighs sideways. This is *wrong*!
It would break the hip/thigh joint! So also rotating it is the solution, the concept copied from "Mother Nature".



6.1.2. Using SASHA's extended "CHEAT" limits or not?

 As I already explained in chapter "2.3.1. The Joint Limits", there's an option in the simple "hinge" joints which allows them some leeway to be moved side-side or to be twisted.
You can control this behaviour from the BODY "SPECIAL SASHA CONTROLS / Joint Rotations CHEAT (global)":

 If you want to create a pose for saving to the Library or redistribution there's only one answer:
"SET CHEATS OFF"!

It's compatible with any figure you apply it to later, and it also works on other peoples' SASHAs who have the cheats turned *off* by default. *1

 However, if you only want to pose your figure for a particular scene, you can turn it on globally (which I don't) or you can allow it in individual body parts only when needed (which I prefer).

Find out what works best for you - with SASHA-16 you have the choice!

Footnote *1:
If you want to redistribute a set of poses for SASHA it might be a good idea to tell the user what settings should be applied: Look in the "SASHA-16 Poses" Library folder to see how I did it.
A "readme" file would be another option; but who reads those??



6.2. Using 3rd party poses



6.2.1. Preface

 Many of the poses available for V4 are just plain awful because they have one or more of these flaws:

  1. Wrong BODY and/or hip rotations or hip offsets. (see chapter 2.4. for details)
  2. Overstretched limbs and/or anatomically impossible bends. (You can't imagine how many bone-breaking poses I've already seen...)
  3. Contradictory rotations (I've actually seen a pose where in a straight arm the "shoulder was twisted +70° and the "forearm" was twisted -70°! Result: None, except a weird looking arm...)

Unfortunately SASHA can't help you in the third case, so it's up to you to hunt down such irregularities.
But she can do a lot to help you in the other two.



6.2.2. Testing multiple poses in a row

 Let's suppose you've acquired a new pose set and want to check all the poses, one by one.
As almost always SASHA offers you options:

 1. The "Surprise" option:

With this setting SASHA will come closest to the original pose (yet still without over-stretched or wrongly bent joints).


 2. The "No Fly" option:

This makes sense when the poses tend to make SASHA fly out of the viewport.


 1. The "All under control" option:

These are the best settings to eliminate all the wrong translations and bending and allows you to have a preview of how heavily the pose needs fixing.

 After you've finished testing or found a pose that you want to use, proceed to fixing this pose:



6.2.3. Fixing a wrong pose

 If you only want to fix a single pose it is a bit cumbersome to always fiddle around with the global control settings in the BODY. You probably also have your preferred control settings, so you have set the control dials to your preference. However it still leaves us with the unwanted, "wrong" bending etc.

Time to fix that!
Go to the "Pose" Library. In the "SASHA-16 POSES" folder, as well as in the "Karina's Tool Box", you will find a pose file called "090 Fix Wrong Bending".

 Just throw it at SASHA and it will not only zero all the wrong joint bending, but also fix any irregular BODY and hip actor offsets and rotations.
Now you have a "cleaned up" SASHA at 0,0,0 location, and you are ready to fix the pose until it suits your needs. With the help of SASHA's Posing System this shouldn't be a big problem.

Your reward is a figure which from now on behaves as expected.



6.3. Saving poses to the Library



6.3.1. Don't use the Poser Library "Add to library" function!

 The standard "Add to library" function in Poser's Library has a serious flaw:
It only saves the *local* value of a joint and completely ignores any ERC*1 or JCM*2 induced values.
So if you've used *any* of SASHA's "EASY POSING" dials, these won't be saved with the pose, thus making your saved pose completely useless (e.g. a pose created by *only* using the "EASY POSE" dials and then saved as a pose would result in an "all-zero" T-pose!

Fortunately for us all, "Netherworks" great Python tool "PoseWriter Panel" is included in Poser since P9.

Footnote *1:
ERC = "Extended Remote Control". This means that a joint or dial is also controlled by another (master) dial in other body parts (the "Easy Posing" dials in the BODY are a good example!), which results in two values:
• The local value (i.e. the value you set in the joint itself) • The global value, which consists of the local value AND the value changes made by other dials or parameters.
Footnote *2:
JCM = "Joint Controlled Morphs". Like ERC, but here a morph is controlled by the bending of joints. This is almost universally used for "fix" morphs.



6.3.2. "PoseWriter Panel" to the rescue!

 You will find "PoseWriter Panel" in the Poser menu, "Scripts / Partners / Netherworks / PoseWriter Panel"
It might be a good idea if you first read it's (really good!) manual before you save your first pose.

 I've provided a "PartsIgnoreList.txt" which contains all the body parts that don't belong in a body pose, like eyes, tongue, etc.. Copy this file into the folder which contains the "PoseWriter Panel.py" script.

 Now launch the script and the body parts list should only contain the body parts which are still allowed.
Make sure that only the "Rotations" are checked.
click the "Write Pose" button to choose a path where all Poses should be written to.
Enter a pose name in the field just on top and click the "Write Pose" button again. Your pose is saved.



6.3.3. Tips and tricks:

** For every pose that you create (for distribution or for your own use), think about how the pose will probably be used:

• If the pose is mostly intended for use with a regular V4, then use SASHA in it's "standard V4" shape.
• If the pose is mostly intended for use with a particular character, then use SASHA with that charactrt applied.


** Use a barefoot model when creating poses.

It's much easier for the user to tweak a barefoot pose to his high-heeled figure than vice-versa!
It also makes it easier for users of SASHA-16:
They can quickly adjust the feet with the "Compensate Barefoot Pose" dial in the BODY!


** Also ask yourself some questions before you proceed:

• Is this pose intended for publishing, to be used with non-SASHA figures?
• Is this pose intended for publishing, to be used with other SASHA figures with unknown "Collar Control" settings?
• Is this pose intended only for my own use, with my favourite settings?

Depending on your answer, you could proceed as follows:

  1. The pose is intended for use with non-SASHA figures:
    The simplest case. Just leave everything as it is, save the pose, and you're done.
  2. The pose is intended for use with other people's SASHA figures:
    Decide whether you want to create the poses for "Collar Control" on or off. I suggest "ON". However, add a Readme file to tell your "customers" how to set up their SASHA or, better still, use the "S-16 CONTROL Settings.pz2" which is included in the "Other Utilities\Poses\" folder.
    Copy it into your pose folder and edit it with a plain text editor. The user has to click it once before clicking a pose and it sets the "Control" dials to the needed values.
  3. The pose is intended for your own use only:
    Exactly like in 2., except that you probably won't need the "S-16 CONTROL Settings.pz2".


** Creating poses for "Collar Control" ON:

• Pose SASHA, then start "PoseWriter Panel. Select all body parts, write the pose's name
• Now switch "Collar Control" OFF! Save the pose like this!
• Finally turn "Collar Control" back ON.

That's all.

Explanation:
This method makes sure that all the ERC values from "Collar Control" are eliminated and the collars are saved at zero rotations, or the respective local values which you set if you posed the collars individually too.
(That's how I saved all the poses in the "SASHA-16 Poses" folder in the library)


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