Songbird ReMix Troubleshooting and FAQ

Topics:

 
General Topics

Songbird ReMix

  • What do I need to upgrade or get to use SBRM or the add-on packages?

    You'll need:

  • The texture and transparency maps don't seem to line up right

    One of the most common problem emails I received is that the texture maps don't seem to work. 99% of the time this is because the user is trying to use the Songbird model with the Songbird ReMix maps. These are NOT compatible. You need to use the Songbird ReMix model with the Songbird ReMix maps. Why...? See below.

  • Will the Original Songbird Maps work with Songbird ReMix?

    No. while close to the SBRM maps they need to be adjusted to match the SBRM Templates. There are no plans to revise the Songbird maps to Songbird ReMix format and visa versa.

  • I'm having troubles with the SBRM2 Conforming Crests in Poser?

Well, if your like me, you don't read those readme's and other documentation when the DAZ installer asks if you want to read them. They then get buried some where in the Poser Runtime and are soon forgotten.  In SBRM2 there are two .PDF files you'll find incredibly useful; the Manual and Field Guide and the Conforming Crest Quick Reference Sheets. Now I know I roll my eyes at manuals but you'll find the Field Guide part of the manual pretty cool-- there's all sorts of information about the birds featured in the package like habitat, status, nesting habits and cool facts.

  • Will Songbird ReMix work with Mimic?

There's a Mimic configuration (DMC) file for SBRM in the downloads Section.  How good does Mimic work with a bird? Click here for a demo movie (Flash8 format)

  • Ken's take on Songbird ReMix Vs. other artist's bird models

    Many people have asked me what I think of other artists creating birds or textures for my Songbird ReMix series.  That's easy question... the more birds out there, the better for the users (more choices), and the more visibility and respect birds will get.  It's probably clear to most that I do the birds I want to do. I don't really look at market trends-- if I did, I'd be creating skimpy clothes for the Victoria and Stephanie models. In some cases at my chosen vender, DAZ3D, I have overlapped some bird species found in other artist's product list (Blue Tit, Raven, Pigeon, etc) and, in some cases, they have overlapped my library. If I create an overlap, it's just simply I wanted them in Songbird ReMix format. 

The Songbird ReMix 2 Confusion

  • The Songbird ReMix 2 Package and the Songbird Remix 2 .CR2

I made a mistake in the naming of the Songbird ReMix "2" package... most everyone thought it was an upgrade when in fact in was a package signaling a new take on the series using the new morphs, conforming crests and improved texture maps. "2" was short for it's true title, "Second Edition", on hind sight I should have called it "New beginning" or something like that.  Immediately after the release of SBRM2, I put together service releases for all the other packages to bring them to SBRM2's standards.

So if SBRM2 isn't an upgrade, what is it?  Think of it as an add-on pack showing the diversity in the model since you can create everything from hummingbirds to pigeons to cockatoos with it.

The latest CR2 can be found the the Songbird ReMix Downloads

Expansion Plans

  • I've had numerous requests for all sort of birds around the world. While I try to try each request seriously, there's only so much I can do with the basic songbird model, so no, a heron or vulture aren't possible ;-) but there's hundreds of other birds that are. Here's the current line-up.
DAZ|Studio Use
  • How to use SBRM in DAZ|Studio
    • There are two ways you can use Songbird ReMix with DAZ|Studio. One is very easy and the other, exceptionally difficult.
    • The Easy Way
      • Make sure you have the Native DAZ|Studio versions installed. If you don't, and have the imported Poser Versions, reset your downloads at DAZ and get the native DAZ version (Native versions will be in place April 2008)
    • The Difficult way
      • Use the Poser imported version. With this way, you'll have to apply conforming crests and tails, materials, correct feet scaling and other issues DS doesn't import improperly from the Poser version.
      • Running the Imported Poser Version.
      1. Use SBRM as you would any POSER content.
      2. Load from Runtime:Figures  Base Bird Model.
      3. Apply the appropriate MAT/MOR file in the Runtime:Poses:SBRM PP-P6 folder to Base Bird Model.
      4. Open the DAZ|Studio:Content folder and select the SBRM2 folder inside the SBRM folder, then apply the appropriate Materials.
      5. See Conforming Crest Problems with DS below if using crests.
      • Conforming Crests Problems
      • Special versions of all SBRM products (except Woodpeckers) now correct these problems. Look for the D|S FIT "TO" updates in Downloads.
      • Another word of caution, DAZ Studio isn't quite as forgiving on User error as Poser is. If you apply the wrong MAT/MOR file to the conforming crest, it wipes out it's original positioning on the head.  You'll have to manually reposition the crest correctly on the head or, BETTER, delete and reload the conforming crest and apply the correct MAT/MOR file.
      • SBRM Woodpeckers has issues with DAZ|Studio regarding the Conforming Crests. This is because D|S automatically resizes the Crest and also applies the additional MOR sizing commands when the “FIT TO” command is used. Here’s the work around process for this:
        1. Load from Runtime:Figures the Conforming Crest and Base Bird Model.
        2. Apply the appropriate MAT/MOR file in the Runtime:Poses:SBRM PP-P6 folder to Conforming Crest and Base Bird Model. Don’t use “FIT TO”
        3. Open the DAZ|Studio:Content folder and select the SBRM2 folder inside the SBRM folder, then apply the appropriate Materials.
        4. In the Scene tab, move the entire Conforming Crest to the HEAD section of the Bird Base Model. This parents the Crest to the Head of the Bird Base.
    • Feet Scaling Issues with imported Poser Version
      • Some versions of DAZ|Studio have problems with the Propagating Scale of the Feet in Songbird ReMix. Unfortunately, the only current solution is to manually scale all the digits on each foot. To determine if manual scaling is needed, look at the SCALE settings on rFoot or lFoot parts in DAZ|Studio. If the amount is more than 100%, then all the digits (rPinky1, rPinky2, rMid1, etc.) will need to be scaled accordingly. As this is a known bug in DAZ|Studio that will hopefully get corrected in a forth-coming release/patch. The easy way to correct the scaling issues is to use the "Scale Feet" pose commands in the Native DS versions otherwise use the Scaling Tool
  • Using the Latest CR2 in DAZ Studio.  
    • While the premade DS birds are great, there are issues when wanting to take advantage of the latest master CR2. Unlike Poser, all the joint parameters and morphs are hard coded to the preassembled bird. Thus to take advantage of the latest CR2, it needs to be rebuilt from a Poser import of using the latest CR2 and PZ2 files.  Native DS version will be periodically updated  in the Download section.
POSER Use

 
Vue, Bryce & Other 3D App Use