Using MakeHuman to add morph targets to the base mesh

[prasht63]

Hi everybody
I am facing some problem with my GSoC project for this year.my project requires me to create a app to be rendered on web browser which allows the user to morph the base model according to his measurements.I am using three.js library for that purpose.
However three.js library uses morph targets to morph from one state to another.Is there anyway I can export the model with some customized morph targets available in MakeHuman software.I want to export it using .mhx or .obj file

[duststorm]

Interesting, are you working on project Valentina?

The morphs cannot be exported from makehuman, but they are stored as .target in the data folder of makehuman.
Note that the targets (morph data) of MakeHuman is considered as the source code of MakeHuman (details here: http://www.makehuman.org/doc/node/makeh ... cense.html), so if you include them in another open source application, it has to be licensed under the same license (AGPL3). The same license applies if you try to reverse engineer the MakeHuman morphs or convert them to a different format.
So verify if this is acceptable and whether this license is compatible with your project.

There's other difficulties, though. The makehuman target data is larger than 100 MB which probably makes it impossible to include it in an android app (especially if that app has to go on the app store).
Using it in a web service is possible, but consider that creating a MakeHuman web service is a considerable task (probably worthy of a GSoC project in itself). I would welcome an attempt to make a webgl makehuman a lot, though, as it is something I hope to achieve some day!

The meshes that MakeHuman outputs are freely usable though (licensed CC0). Perhaps you could even try using a lower poly proxy for faster downloading and compatibility with slower mobile devices.
So it's always an option to create custom assets for the program you're designing using makehuman.

Another option you could consider is designing a plugin for MakeHuman to modify the mesh as desired, if it is acceptable for the project that multiple programs are used.

It depends a bit on what you want to achieve in your project.

[prasht63]

Interesting, are you working on project Valentina?
Yes the project is a sub-part of the project.

So verify if this is acceptable and whether this license is compatible with your project.
Ok , will have to check on it.

but consider that creating a MakeHuman web service is a considerable task (probably worthy of a GSoC project in itself)
I had the same thought myself . Hope next year you can mentor this project.

Now for the problem I am facing , is there any way I can easily morph the mesh generated in makehuman using blender.I don't know too much in blender but I suppose I can use it to create morph targets /shape keys.It might sound noob-y but should I use the muscle rig to mprph the human body?.
How would you proceed , suppose if my final requirement is a model in blender with possible option to morph calf-muscles?(on the basis of measurement in cm or inches)

[duststorm]

Hope next year you can mentor this project.

That would be great

I don't know too much in blender but I suppose I can use it to create morph targets /shape keys.

This gives you an idea how you create shapekeys/blendshapes/morp targets (different names, same thing) in blender: http://cgcookie.com/blender/2012/03/28/ ... ender-2-6/
You can use MakeHuman to create your base mesh, then model the different measures you want on it as shapekeys. This way your mesh will be available to you under the CC0 license.
Blender also allows importing different meshes as a shapekey for the other, so you could import different makehuman meshes and extract shapekeys from them, but that is reverse engineering the makehuman morphs, so in that case your data should adhere the AGPL3 license of MakeHuman.

should I use the muscle rig to morph the human body?

No, probably not. Skeletal rigging and blendshapes are two entirely different techniques for modifying and animating a mesh. I don't see much use in the rig for your project.

How would you proceed, suppose if my final requirement is a model in blender with possible option to morph calf-muscles?(on the basis of measurement in cm or inches)

If the absolute requirement is that this all works in blender: You could export one MH mesh to blender to use as your basis, then model all measurement morphs as shapekeys, and convert morph values to real life measures using the length measurement tools of blender. You could create your own python scripts in blender to help you in this.

Another option: You could also test the measurement plugin in makehuman (Modeling > Measurement tab), and evaluate whether it is useful for your project. If it is acceptable to use makehuman, for example from commandline, to integrate into your project, that's an option too. You could help extending the commandline interface and measurement plugin of MakeHuman to offer the options you need. We hope to improve the measurement plugin in MakeHuman to be more useful, including for clothing designers, but due to lack of time this has not been developed further. Perhaps you can help with that, it could benefit both projects.