Subject: An 'MMD/PMX To Rigged FBX' Converter ??
'Truebones' do mocap and animation, offer a bunch of FBX budget/freebies for free membership.
https://truebones.gumroad.com/

Their sister site offers a ($$) utility that claims to convert MMD rigged-PMX and motion files to generic rigged FBX. :clap: :clap: :clap:

Excluding TDA-derived PMX models, which have strict 'NO PORT' T&Cs due '2nd Life' piracy, this may allow porting a zillion rigged PMX freebies to FBX for use in Poser.

Or it may not... :mmmh: :mmmh: :mmmh:

Poser is very fussy about its FBX rigging, preferring authentic 'Autodesk-SDK' flavour. 'Open Source' versions such as 'Noesis' or 'Blender' often import as multiple sub-rigs. A few sub-rigs are okay. Getting 10~~20 is manageable, as may include 'options' you can identify and delete. Some have 20~30~~50++ sub-rigs, choking Poser's hierarchy root. Even 'parenting' them to the first, 'master' sub-rig may leave Poser unstable...

Whatever: As Truebones does not seem to offer student / hobbyist discount, a trial version/period or even 'meaningful' FAQs, I'll need convincing.

I've sent an e-mail asking for clarification.
:mmmh: :mmmh: :mmmh: :mmmh: :mmmh:

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Subject: Re: An 'MMD/PMX To Rigged FBX' Converter ??
Had a very prompt reply:
100% moneyback guarantee, plus possible discount for making enquiry...

Checking cash-flow...

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Subject: Re: An 'MMD/PMX To Rigged FBX' Converter ??
I've trawled my archives, rounded up a bunch of rigged PMX figures, including some that already have XPS / FBX versions for comparison.

Got several days of 'Real Life' stuff to do, then plan to down-load Truebones' utility and test its limits.

Should be interesting...

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Subject: So Far, So Good...
I managed to catch Truebones' seasonal sale, but there was 20% UK VAT on top.
Ouch...

Took watching the first tutorial that you drag PMD etc *onto* the EXE, *not* into some window that you've opened by clicking that EXE...

Well, D'uh...

Meiko FBX loaded into Poser at 100% default scale as two sub-rigs _0, _1

Although U_char_0 is clothes, that's the first in Poser's list, so the one to use to pose via hierarchy. Changed eye colour from white to blue.

Test-Rendered with Poser Superfly, 32 pixel-samples, progressive, 1024 vol-bounces & buckets, both GTX 750 Ti cards... .

Greetings from Meiko in Poser !!

Image

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Subject: Report: An 'MMD/PMX To Rigged FBX' Converter ??
Tried a bunch of figures today...

Good news, the rig usually comes across as just *two* sub-rigs, ..._0 and ..._1.
Poser likes, Use _0 to pose...

Bad news, as yet app only ports 'hues', not texture calls.

They're not 'wrong' calls to a non-existent directory, or non-relative location, they simply do not get called.

This is unfortunate. Yes, compared to the issues involved rigging a model, having to hand-load a few, or even a dozen textures is almost trivial.

Sadly, one model I tried made ~70 calls to ~25 textures in the PMX format, none in the FBX version. Oops....
( That model grew from ~16 MB PMX to ~96 MB FBX. FWIW, Poser loaded it... )

Also, though the 'well-trapped' app dies not 'fall over' if it meets a Cyrillic character or a JP/CN glyph, it just replaces such with '?'. This is akin to the 'dipthong noodle soup' you'd get un-zipping such with IzArc / 7-zip etc instead of eg free Bandizip with code-page set to correct region...

To solve this, you must unpack PMX and texture files using eg free Bandizip. Make a copy of all 'glyph' files. Translate original name using eg Google translate. Re-name copy. Again use Google translate to edit PMX material names and file calls using eg free PMX Editor, available via DA...

I've sat through the ten short MP4 tutorials, been amazed by the 'motion' files that may be merged into the FBX. However, that is not my scene. It is clear the Trubones' guy is baffled by why those textures do not get called...

Okay, whistle-stop tour over...

Summary: This app does the previously impracticable porting of rigging, Poser likes the FBX, but the non-porting of texture calls is a significant limitation.

I'm hoping there'll be a free upgrade ~mid-2023.

Meanwhile, I'm going to play with it...

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Subject: Re: An 'MMD/PMX To Rigged FBX' Converter ??
Two things, okay, sorta three:

1) Converter also works on eg vehicles, usually producing just a single rig that Poser likes. More interesting is that FBX supports eg doors swinging beyond 'small' angles, unlike Poser morphs which are meant for 'linear' motion.

Down-sides, if 'hinges' are compounded, eg hatch in tail-ramp, swung alignment may suffer. Also, some vehicles are built to scale for dainty Vocaloid 'Miku' rather than 'Real Life' figures such as Posette, V4 and LaF. May need to scale FBX import to 135~~150 %...

2) Asian glyphs in part names: Looks like free PMX Editor has a well-hidden 'dictionary' facility for 'batch' re-naming of bones, morphs etc. If the 'rename' is loaded from a pass through 'Google Translate', should solve that issue...
https://learnmmd.com/http:/learnmmd.com/translate-pmx-models/
https://learnmmd.com/http:/learnmmd...ch-name-editor/

3) For info: I forwarded 'Mr Bones' the link for ~2018 documentation of PMX files, which includes texture calls. This supersedes the ~2014 version I suspect he used. As yet, no response beyond thanks. :thumb: But, as he's US based, I reckon he'll be hip-deep in his tax :bad-words: forms...

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Subject: Re: An 'MMD/PMX To Rigged FBX' Converter ??
Two modellers, two scales...

Image

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Subject: Re: An 'MMD/PMX To Rigged FBX' Converter ??
And van at ~150% default scale...

Image

I really, really wish models came with a metre 'yardstick' or equivalent...

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