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PMD Editor Basics, now in English – Modify Your MMD Models!

MikuMikuDance 7.39 How can I change the color of my models? How can I edit my models in MMD 7.39? Is PMD Editor PMDE available in English?

Make Your Own MMD Models – PMD Editor Basics

Ever wanted a model of  a certain character, but haven’t been able to find it? Or the only one you can find doesn’t look right? Or maybe you have a great idea for a model, but can’t make it. I know I’ve had all 3 problems before, from the day I first downloaded dear old MMD 5-point-something. (Don’t worry, I’ve upgraded since then. xD)

Well, today we’re going to learn how to fix this problem, or at least start learning how! My name is Stella, and I am an ambitious (Sometimes a bit too ambitious) MMD modeler, with experience in all aspects of PMD Editor. I’m going to teach you the basics, starting with the interface. I’ll even teach you how to make your very first model – and use it! Sound fun to you? Then keep reading. ;D

Download PMD Editor!

You can download an English version of PMD Editor here: http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&q=pmd+editor#/d3c8z2w

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When you first open PMD Editor, you’ll no doubt see something like this.

This may seem a bit confusing and intimidating to a newbie. Sure, there are a lot of things that are just like MMD. There is a bone in the middle (Which is always there for some reason), and our good friend, the coordinate axis. There’s also the camera control buttons in the upper right corner, just like in MMD.

But WAIT! What’s this? A whole separate window, with just text?! Blasphemy! O:

Yes, it will probably come as a shock to most of you used to MMD, where everything is all in one window. However, PMD Editor has so many things to do and so many features that it couldn’t possibly all fit! So the creative geniuses (Whoever they may be; I wish I knew…) behind PMDE came up with a unique solution: The tabs.

If you look at the smaller window, you will notice that it has several tabs, much like most internet browsers – Likely including the one you’re reading this post in! These are the editing tabs. Each tab pertains to a specific aspect of a model, be it bones, materials, physics, or whatever. The tabs are, as follows: GE, the info tab; VR, the I-Don’t-Know-What-It-Does tab; —, a tab that seems to be there purely for spacing… no clue what the point of that is…; MA, the materials tab; BON, the bones tab; IK, the IK bones tab; FA, the facial expression/sliders tab; GRP, the grouping tab; ENGL, the English info tab; Toon, the toons (PMD-speak for… um… shadingy-ness…) tab; PH, the physics tab; And finally, Joint, the joint tab. (Learn more: see the READ ME English text file inside the PMD Editor download folder.)

Recoloring an MMD model …

For this project, all we will need is the materials tab. We will be recoloring a model, the most basic of all edits. Now, I won’t lie to you; If you’re like me, someday you’ll look at this model and cringe in horror. “Oh god! Why would I make such a horrible edit? Only noobs do that! My latest models are sooo much better!” Well, don’t get discouraged! I started out doing recolors too, much as I may hate to admit it. ^_^’ Even if they’re not as fancy as Gijinshi-san or Nanami-san’s models, you’re not going to get anywhere if you don’t learn, and the first step of learning is recoloring. If you do this, you’ll have started on your way to becoming a great modeler. Someday you’ll be amazing. Don’t give up!

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EDITOR’S NOTE: While it is easy to make changes to your model, the creator of your model may have requested restrictions on the copying, modifying, and redistribution of his artistic creation. See the READ ME document included with most models to see if the author has asked for you to respect him in these ways. If you modify a model for your amusement, you may use it in a video, but do not share it or make the link available online unless you know, for certain, that you have the permission to do so.
See this link for the MMD Rules of Etiquette.

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So, the first thing you’ll want to do is load up the model you want to recolor. I’ll be using Animasa Miku. Next, switch to the materials tab, or MA. This is what you should see:

It’s hard to see here … so click on that picture to see the enlarged view. There’s a list of materials, named MA with a number: MA0, MA1, MA2, and so on, all the way through MA16. These are the materials; Basically different parts of the model. (More on that later.) Each material has its own specific color. The color and appearance of the material are determined by a combination of 3 factors: Diffuse, Specular, and Ambient. Diffuse is the base color. Ambient is another part of the color; They both combine to create the color you see on the model. You can click on the box with the color in it to change it. Some combinations may have unexpected results… try playing around a bit! You never know what you might get! ;3

Specular is basically the color light reflects as. This is generally set to some shade of black. It won’t make much of a noticeable difference in PMDE, but if you change it, you’ll be able to see it in MMD.

If you look, you’ll also notice fields with numbers next to each color type. These affect different qualities of the material. Next to the diffuse is A, or alpha. This changes the transparency. This can be anywhere between 0 and 1. Next to the specular is shininess, which is rather self-explanitory. The higher the number, the higher the shiny. Shiiiiny… 8D This won’t make much of a difference unless the specular is a light color. Finally, next to the ambient we have line, which decides whether or not the part will have an edge line. It can be either 0 or 1. 0 is no edge line, 1 is edge line.

That’s pretty much everything you need to know to make your very first model, a simple recolor. ^_^ Play around with these settings, and see what you can do! And remember, don’t be afraid to experiment on your own. Explore the rest of PMDE! Learn more! There’s no limit to what you can do.

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Use Center Position Bias to Move Models in MMD 7.39

How do you get MikuMikuDance 7.39 models out of the center? What is Center Position Bias? How do you use more than one MMD 7.39 model at a time? When do I use negative numbers in miku miku dance numeric input?

Coordinate Coordination …

Remember in your more lucid moments in Math class when you studied graphing? You thought to yourself “When am I ever going to use this stuff?” “Does this really exist in the real world?” “How can I fake my death when report cards come out?” Well, here it is. Your math teachers are, probably, laughing at you right now- I hope you paid attention!

The world of MMD is a very structured world. When you first opened it up, all you found was a barren grid and a Display Coordinate Axis (That green vertical line in the middle). The grid is divided up into a 20×20 field made up of 400 individual squares. Each square is a unit with a value of 5 (five of “what” I don’t know) and has positive and negative values.

When you load any model they will, by default, open at the origin (dead center) of all X, Y and Z axes. So if you want to make your models move anywhere on the grid you have to physically place it there. This is where you have to use the Center Position Bias function.

At this point, I want to give you three little phrases that will help you remember each axis:

X is side to side.

Y is up and down.

Z is forward and back.

If you want to set this to your favorite melody in order to help you remember then by all means do it. Please refer to the illustrations for more clarification. Also remember (in MMD) direction is referenced from the model’s point of view. Example: Go to the View field and click on Left, and it will show you the model’s left side-just like on a theatre stage, it is a backward world.

USE
CENTER POSITION BIAS

to move your model and her motion data
to a new spot on the stage.

The first step is to load your model(s). Then, load the motion data you want to use. If you are using more than one model you have to load the motion data to each and every model and THEN reposition the model (NOTE: This is a good habit to develop, otherwise your model will just start at the point programed by the motion data).

Now go to the Model Manipulation field and select the model you want to move.

Next, go to the main menu bar and choose the Frame menu option and click on the select all bone frame option.

Go back to the Frame menu option and this time you select the apply center position bias. A small chart will pop up and this is where you enter the coordinates you want for your model.  For instance, enter “-20” in the X field and “30” in the Z field and see where your model is placed. This would be a good time to practice different coordinates and do be prepared to do some math. Remember, each move is from the model’s current position (you can also just hit Undo). You’re not restricted to multiples of 5 try “27” or any other number in these fields. The more time you spend getting familiar with this function, the more time you will save later on (as well as your tears and sanity).

When you get to exactly where you want your model don’t forget to click Register in the Model Manipulation field. Otherwise, your character will just fly back to its last registered position. If you’re like me and just ever so slightly OCD you can go the Bone menu option and select numeric input and see exactly where your model is located.

Have fun with this.

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Playing with MME – Using MORE cool MikuMikuEffects!

What is the SSAO effect for MikuMikuDance 7.39? How do I use MME effects in MMD 7.39? Do some MMD MME effects load like accessories? Where can I get MME effects for Miku Miku Dance 7.39?

Learn to use the MME  SSAO and the SvDOF Effects

Hello again dear MMDers!! (^^)/

I have once again come back to tell you about some really great MME effects that can be directly applied, and give the most wonderful results!!

Before you can use these effects, you must have MME downloaded and installed in your copy of MikuMikuDance 7.39. Read the instructions for getting MME.

Use the SSAO Effect …

Let’s start with my personal favorite of all the effects: SSAO!

While I might not know what SSAO actually means in its full form, I know that using this effect will give a really gorgeous and realistic look to your models and the background stages you use!

You can see the difference in the image below:
Click the Picture for the larger image!

In simple words, this effect makes your images look more sharp and gives them a more ominous effect by giving them some shadows that make them look realistic.

Using this effect is simple! You just have to load the “.x” file like any other Accessory through the Accessory Manipulation area … that’s it … the effect is loaded!

Here is the download link to the effect:

http://mqdl.jpn.org/public/SSAO.zip

Clicking on this link or pasting it to your web browser will automatically start the download as a “.zip” file. Save the ZIP file to your desktop. Unzip the folder and drop the new folder into your MMD Accessories folder … (Make a new “Effects” folder inside the Accessories folder and keep your effects in there.)

Start MMD. While in the Camera/Light/Accessory mode, load SSAO like you would any accessory. See that the SSAO folder has two effects:  “SSAO.x” and the other “SSAO_Lite.x”. The SSAO effect gives a stronger result, while SSAO_Lite gives a lesser effect of the same kind. It’s up to your choice which one you want to use!

Now try the SvDOF Effect … It’s Adjustable!

ALRIGHT! Now to the next effect which is really interesting to use and look at! It’s the SvDOF or DOF effect!

SvDOF gives a blurred effect to the Background surrounding your model. Unlike the SSAO effect, this time it’s necessary that you adjust the effect so that you get the right “look” … otherwise your model may look “blurred out” as well, which is not what we really want!

Here is the link to the SvDOF effect:

http://www.mediafire.com/?xx3hex7qfr1875v

After you have downloaded this effect, just extract the file to your Effects folder. Then start MMD and set up your models and your stage before using the effect. For this effect, you set up your stage and your models first … and then apply the SvDOF effect to give it a final touch!

After arranging your stage and models, go over to the folder with “SvDOF2″ and, upon clicking the folder, you will notice that there are three effects. The effect on the top, the “ManualFocus.x” effect, doesn’t really have any sort of effect on your setup, so it is practically not needed here … let’s ignore that one and take a look at the other two: the “SvDOF.x” and the “SvDOF_HQ.x”. These effects are the ones that really work! :3

After selecting the effect, you will see that your whole MMD set-up looks rather blurry, and, by adjusting the settings in the boxes with the numbers (like 0.0000), you can get the outcome you desire. Keep making adjustments until you love the result!

An example of how this effect works is given below (through Yuma-san who voluntarily posed for this picture!).
Click the Picture for the larger image!

Thank you for reading this article! (^^)

If there are still any doubts or any troubles with the effects, do comment on this article and I or Reggie-san will see to it that you get it solved! :3
Email questions to LearnMMD@aol.com

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First Steps for the Beginner MMD 7.39

Visit the “Start Here” page for the basic instructions.

Visit the “HOW TO” Page for links to What YOU are Looking For!

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MikuMikuDance is FREE … no charge!

Never PAY for anything … do not charge for anything. Everything in the MMD Community is to be given freely and used with utmost respect by the MMD artists. Be sure to list credits for your sources whenever you upload a video.    Keep the faith!

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Departures Meme Is a Beautiful MMD 7.39 Project

Departures Meme Is a Beautiful MMD 7.39 Project

A few days ago I found a cute Chibi-Miku model … and yesterday I discovered the “Departures” meme for MikuMikuDance on YouTube. For me, it was the perfect match.

 

Watch the video … study that lip-sync … NICE, indeed. Just wonderful!

I located a video on YouTube by LadySunny888 that included the links to the motion files and the beautiful WAV file …

… The Links are in the description for that video.

I downloaded the files … I made note of the fact that a Password was needed for the motion file ZIP. I did not need it to download the ZIP file. BUT I DID need it when I tried to unzip the file. When you get to that Japanese web page, the actual button for downloading the link is the red rectangular button.

I started MMD 7.39 and Loaded the Camera motion file. I loaded the WAV file. I Loaded my LearnMMD Stage. I loaded my little Miku and Loaded her Motion file. When I switched to CAMERA view … I found that my Chibi-Miku was too short for those camera motions! I wanted to use the Camera motions with a minimum of tweaking, so, rather than lower the camera, I raised little Miku up until her face was in the camera’s view. Then I attached the stage to a dummy bone and raised it up to kiss Miku’s tiny feet. The Floorlight.x accessory was also maneuvered until it sat flat on the stage floor.

I used the MME Effect Diffusion 7 to soften the whole scene.

After playing the animation a handful of times (and falling in love with it!) I noticed that the lip-sync could be adjusted a teenie bit to better match the WAV. I deleted my Chibi-Miku and then Loaded her again. I Loaded the Motion file AT FRAME 7 instead of frame zero. “Perfect!” I then did a V-SELect of frame 7, COPY, and PASTEd it in Frame zero so that the model wouldn’t jump between frames zero and 7.

Next, I started fine tuning the camera motions. I didn’t add anymore registered points (until the closing scene) … I simply stopped at each “diamond” and tweaked the camera’s view to better catch the little Miku model.

Finally, I went in and adjusted the Motion to better accommodate my particular dance model. I moved the arms away from her chest a little bit because those huge sleeves were disappearing into her blouse. I also tweaked the angle of the sleeves to clear the hand motions and adjusted Miku’s wrists to clear the sleeves.

I noticed that Miku’s hair was being jittery, jumping around a little. I went to the Physics menu and selected No Calculation … now the hair is still … looks perfect.

I decided to add the final camera move, drawing way back to show a tiny, lonely Miku upon a dark stage.

ONE THING I FORGOT was to “Normalize” the WAV file’s volume using AUDACITY^® 2.0.  This “Departures” WAV file plays at a low volume. In AUDACITY you can use “Normalize” to adjust the volume level to “CD normal”, based around 0.0db. That would have set the volume of my video to “YouTube normal”.

To get your video to be the standard 1:31 long, at 30 fps your video your video will be 2730 frames. Under the Play button, set the range from 0 thru 2730, or so. Mine’s a bit longer because I wanted some “dark” at the end.

Enjoy!

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LearnMMD’s Dueling Banjos Banjo is avilable for Download!

Where can I get a banjo for MikuMikuDance 7.39? I need musical instruments for MMD 7.39. Is there a banjo for miku miku dance 7.39?

An MMDer on YouTube requested my Banjo … Here you go!

I created this banjo for use in MikuMikuDance from a model I found in Google Sketchup’s 3D-Warehouse … a model created by FCMDSC. I downloaded that model into Sketchup, resized it to look good with my dancers in MMD 7.39, and used the 3D-RAD plugin to save the model as a DirectX “.x” object. Read all about how to do that, here.

My first attempt didn’t give me a good model … no strings on my Banjo! After playing with the Sketchup image and trying to render the model a couple of times, I discovered that the Sketchup model’s strings were only simple lines … no 3D aspect to them. So … when I rendered them into a DirectX model, they simply disappeared.

I had to restring my banjo! I created a new 3D shape with a square profile: 1/8 inch x 1/8 inch x 36 inches that I duplicated several times and then placed into position upon the banjo. I had to drag and shrink ‘em a bit untilIi had ‘em where I wanted ‘em.

Now, when I rendered to the “.x” accessory file, the strings were in place. Woo-Hoo!

See the banjo “in action” in my “Dueling Banjos” test video …

The Banjo model is available on the LearnMMD Downloads page.

Enjoy the Banjo! Send me a link to your video!

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MikuMikuDancers Salute YouTube: The MMD 7.39 Artist’s Home

MikuMikuDancers Salute YouTube: The MMD 7.39 Enthusiast’s Home

YouTube.com serves as THE HUB of the English language MMD Community. MMDers owe them a huge “Thank you!”

We upload the equivalent of “tons of data” each day. We download, view, save, “favorite”, embed and comment upon thousands of videos 24-hours a day. We swap dance models, motion files, stages, accessories, and WAV files … and we gain an intimate knowledge of ourselves and other MMD artists by swapping comments, tips and tricks. We must drive YouTube’s servers Crazy!

YouTube.com is amazingly tolerant of us MMDers. As with everything in the MMD world, YouTube’s service is free to us … free to use. With our huge international community, we MikuMikuDance users run the risk of “abusing” YouTube.com’s hospitality!

What can we do to thank YouTube.com? … We need to spend the time that it takes to view some of the ads on YouTube. YouTube, like Google (and LearnMMD, too, actually “:o) lives by the “Click”. They sell their ad space at prices based upon the number of visitors they expect … the number of clicks that an advertiser can expect.

Pay YouTube for their Service…

… Click on an Ad!

I KNOW the MMD community. We are, for the most part, young people … Junior High aged thru University aged. That means that we do not have much money, and not many of us within this community have credit/debit cards for making purchases. Even so, we CAN click on, and watch, ads on YouTube. Go ahead … “Pay” YouTube for their service. Do so by clicking on an ad ,once in a while. Maybe every time you go to YouTube, click on at least one ad link.

When you DO click an ad … let it play … or click on one of its internal links to another page from that advertiser. Ad clickers who instantly close the window or stop the video don’t count for … and actually count against … YouTube’s statistics. Please take a few moments to let the ad play. Clicking on another link inside the same ad will drive YouTube’s stats UP substantially!

WE LOVE YOU, YouTube! Please be there for us … we will be there for you!

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Playing with MME – Using the Basic Effects for MMD 7.39

How do I use special effects in mikumikudance 7.39? Where do you go to get MME effects for MMD 7.39? What are MME effects and how do you use them?

Playing with MME – Using the Basic Effects for MMD 7.39

Hello fellow MMDers!! (^^)

You might be extremely fascinated with the various effects that are used in MMD videos that you see on YouTube. Here I am going to show you how to use the basic effects in MME; before we get into the more sophisticated ones. =)

First we will start with the popular “Diffusion” effect! This effect is very gentle and is known to make the models look softer, giving the screen a bit of a soft blur.

In this picture I have tried to show you the “Diffusion 7″ effect. I used the version 7 as it gives a clearer view than the previous versions!

Download the effect here. Just click on the name of the file and it will automatically start downloading!
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=a17ecb6418a4b2d1&id=A17ECB6418A4B2D1%21202
Select Diffusion 7: [It is just below Diffusion 6]

Now to use this effect:

1. Open up MMD and load a model. [REMEMBER] MME effects will only work for the users who have installed MME into their computer and have interlinked it with MMD. See the instructions for downloading MME.
2. Under “Accessory Manipulation” click on load; and then go over to the file in which you have saved your diffusion effect file.
3. Once you have found the file, open the file and click on the “Diffusion.x” file and the effect will be loaded!

And now you will have your model looking softer at the edges with a gently blurred look! (^^) … You can turn the effect off and on using the Display check-box. Be sure to Register when you click/unclick the Display box.

These steps can be applied to the Snow effect and the Blizzard effect.
Refer to the pictures to see how the effects look!

Also, below, is a lovely effect known as “Falling Hearts” where hearts replace the snow!!
This effect was made by an MMDer named RinnyKagamine!

Download link for the “Falling Hearts” effect:
http://www.mediafire.com/?po8b54zlsm3l51l

Refer to her site for other effects too!
http://rinnykagamine.tumblr.com/effects

I will explain about other effects that are to be applied to the model manually in the next article of the “Playing with MME” series!

If you have any trouble with these MMD Effects, email your questions to LearnMMD@aol.com and I will help you with any of the effects. I’ll try to sort out any problem that you may face.

Also … don’t be afraid to experiment with new effects. That is the motto of an MMDer!! *laughs*
You will learn more about MME faster that way!

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