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Quick way of combining shapes?


Blaise Glendevon
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53 minutes ago, Blaise Glendevon said:

OK, a few weeks ago I saw someone talking about a quick way to combine shapes - say, a new head's default shape onto a body shape you've been using - without having to go number by number, writing each one down and then making a whole new shape. I can't seem to find it, though. 

@Nalates Urriahhas a way to do that.  Maybe on her blog?

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There is a program called 'Dr Frank shape combiner' that I got from somewhere.  It takes the .xml files that you can dump from SL, and makes a new .xml file with the head of one and the body of the other.  Not on-line at the moment to check how to dump and load the xml, but it's easy.  The dump is somewhere in Advanced menu, and the load is an option in Shape Edit IIRC.

Edit:

https://gitlab.com/Captain_Ai/dr-frank-shape-combiner_/-/releases

Edited by Anna Nova
added the url
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10 hours ago, Blaise Glendevon said:

OK! I'll go have a look. Thank you.

There isn't any info on combining shapes in the blog but there is some info on exporting shape which is here: http://blog.nalates.net/2013/04/23/second-life-shape-export/2/ Its old so some viewers have changed.

To export use Developer (Alt-Ctrl-Q)->Avatar->Character Tests->Appearance to XML in the top menu.

The idea is that you can import "PART" of a shape to combine shapes. Whatever shape you wear will be what the partial shape partially replaces. The result is a combined shape.

You edit the XML file exported to your computer. Remove all the settings for either the body or head. The settings left will replace the shape settings of the shape you are wearing. Then Save As... the shape to have your new combined shape.

Both the SL and Firestorm viewers have shape export. FS has an import shape. Create a new shape or wear and edit a full perm shape. In the lower right of that edit shape panel is the import shape button.

For most the scary part is editing the XML file. Even if you screw it up, you just wear another shape and you are fixed and ready to start over. Also, the setting names in the XLM file match the settings' names in the Appearance Panel. Its easy to see which settings go with what body part.

 

 

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The way I do it isn't automated, but it's a lot faster and easier than writing numbers down. I'll use a new head shape that I want to merge with my body shape as an example. I log on wearing the head shape in one window. I log an alt on wearing my body shape in another window. I place the windows side by side. I page through the tabs in the shape editor one by one copying numbers. It's not automated, but it is fast, and considering how infrequently I need to do this, I think I'd spend more time finding and learning a better way than I will doing it this way.

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I just copy the numbers to a notecard and then just go down the list  on the shape I'm working on. This way I just jump in and go..

Each time I make a shape or changes to a shape I just make either a new card or adjust the older card, depending on if I want to keep a copy of the last one or not..

 

If I need to make changes to the head, then I grab the card i want and get the head numbers or the body numbers , which ever.

it's kind of handy for trying out things like if I want a certain nose or certain eyes or certain lips and so on.. I just pull out a few cards and try different features..

 

 

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37 minutes ago, Ceka Cianci said:

I just copy the numbers to a notecard and then just go down the list  on the shape I'm working on. This way I just jump in and go..

Each time I make a shape or changes to a shape I just make either a new card or adjust the older card, depending on if I want to keep a copy of the last one or not..

 

If I need to make changes to the head, then I grab the card i want and get the head numbers or the body numbers , which ever.

it's kind of handy for trying out things like if I want a certain nose or certain eyes or certain lips and so on.. I just pull out a few cards and try different features..

 

 

I normally keep my body shape the same unless I'm switching bodies which I rarely do.  It really takes.no time at all to punch in the numbers from a notecard.  If I find a new skin I like, I may start with the shape included with it, write down the head numbers then transfer them to my current shape.  Edit from there as needed.  Easy peasy.

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On 11/13/2021 at 3:29 AM, Rowan Amore said:

@Nalates Urriahhas a way to do that.  Maybe on her blog?

There is a way to export the files as XML and edit individual parts of them.  I tried doing that once. Never again. Never in a million years.

The file is HUGE, many pages long, there's so much in there that is not even shape-related, and it's in no particular order, so finding everything you need to change is next to impossible.

It was far, far quicker to just do it the old fashioned way by writing your numbers down on a notecard. 

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On 11/16/2021 at 12:46 AM, Karly Kiyori said:

There is a way to export the files as XML and edit individual parts of them.  I tried doing that once. Never again. Never in a million years.

The file is HUGE, many pages long, there's so much in there that is not even shape-related, and it's in no particular order, so finding everything you need to change is next to impossible.

It was far, far quicker to just do it the old fashioned way by writing your numbers down on a notecard. 

There is a lot of stuff in the XML file. If you have lots of body shapes, like I do, it is worth the time to create a head-only shape to merge with all those shapes.

Everything in the XML file can go, except the settings one wants to keep.

XML files have opening and closing tags arranged  in an outline like format, meaning there is depth. The opening tags identify what information they contain. The closing tag denotes the end of that specific information. The setting names in the file match the setting names in the Appearance panel. Each setting in the file is a row.

The opening tags one must keep are:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="US-ASCII" standalone="yes"?>
<linden_genepool version="1.0">

    <archetype name="???">

Everything else is a setting and can be removed by simply deleting the line/row of text it is on. Make sure you editor is wide so lines of text are on a single row.

The closing tags to keep at the end are:

    </archetype>

</linden_genepool>

People get scared when they see an XML file for the first time. But, if you are brave you can save yourself A LOT of work in the long term.

There are explanations of how to edit and understand XML files on the web.

 

Edited by Nalates Urriah
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