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To Vam - Facegen

To get your FaceGen creation into VaM, you typically need to pass through DAZ Studio first.

Export from FaceGen: Create your head in FaceGen Artist Pro and export it specifically for Genesis 2 Female (the base model for most VaM assets).

Locate Files: FaceGen saves morphs and textures to your DAZ library (usually Documents/DAZ 3D/Studio/My Library).

Move Morphs: Copy the .dsf morph file from the FaceGen directory in DAZ to your VaM directory: Custom/Atom/Person/Morphs/female.

Move Textures: Copy the exported .jpg or .png face textures to Custom/Atom/Person/Textures.

Refresh VaM: Perform a Hard Reset or restart VaM so it can scan and convert the new morph file.

Apply in-sim: Load a Female Atom, find your morph under the "Morphs" tab, and set it to 100%. Apply the textures via the "Skin" tab. 📝 Community Post Template Title: Guide/Help: Successful FaceGen to VaM Workflow (G2F)

Hey everyone! I’ve been experimenting with FaceGen Artist Pro to bring real-life likenesses into VaM. Since VaM is built on the Genesis 2 Female (G2F) architecture, the results can be incredibly accurate if you follow the right steps. My Workflow: Generate the head in FaceGen using the G2F export target.

Locate the generated .dsf in your DAZ morphs folder and move it to VaM/Custom/Atom/Person/Morphs/female. Import the face textures into the VaM textures folder.

Pro Tip: Do a Hard Reset in VaM after adding the files. The background script needs a moment to convert the morph into a VaM-compatible format.

Current Issues:I’m finding that matching the FaceGen face texture to existing body skins can be tricky. Using the Base Skin sets seems to work best for alignment, but I’d love to hear if anyone has a better method for blending the neck seam!

Has anyone tried this with Genesis 8 yet, or are you all sticking to G2F for the best stability? facegen to vam

If you'd like, I can help you fine-tune the post by knowing:

Are you sharing a guide or asking for help with a specific error? Which version of FaceGen are you using? Are you targeting Genesis 2 or Genesis 8 models?

Let me know and I can adjust the tone to be more technical or more casual! Question - Facegen | Virt-A-Mate Hub

Here’s a balanced, informative review of the FaceGen to VAM workflow—commonly used to import custom head morphs into Virt-A-Mate (VaM).

Cons

❌ Not Plug-and-Play
Requires manual file conversion, renaming, folder placement, and often cleanup in DAZ Studio or Blender. Beginners can easily get lost.

❌ FaceGen Limitations

❌ Texture Work Still Needed
The generated textures often look plastic or washed out. You’ll likely need to blend them with VaM’s skin materials or edit in Photoshop/GIMP.

❌ No Direct VaM Export
FaceGen doesn’t export directly to VaM’s morph format. You must use third-party tools (e.g., Morph Merge, VaM Tools Suite) – a barrier for casual users.

❌ Performance Overhead
Custom high-poly morphs + unique textures can slightly impact frame rate, especially in scenes with multiple custom characters.

What Is It?

The FaceGen to VaM pipeline uses FaceGen Artist Pro (a standalone app) to generate 3D head models from one or more photos. Those models are then converted into a custom morph for use in Virt-A-Mate. This is not an official plugin but a community-driven workflow using tools like Morph Merge and CustomUnityAssets.

Part 1: Why Use FaceGen for VaM?

VaM comes with a robust, albeit complex, morph system. You can sculpt a face by hand using in-game sliders, but doing so accurately is time-consuming and requires the eye of a portrait artist. FaceGen automates the heavy lifting. To get your FaceGen creation into VaM, you

6. References & Tools

Transforming Reality: A Comprehensive Guide to Using FaceGen with Virt-A-Mate (VaM)

Bringing real-world faces into the virtual playground of Virt-A-Mate (VaM) is one of the most popular ways to customize your experience. The primary tool for this task is FaceGen Artist Pro, a powerful software that can generate 3D head morphs and skin textures from just a few photographs. This process allows users to recreate specific people or design unique characters with high-fidelity facial features that VaM’s native sliders might struggle to achieve alone. Why Use FaceGen for Virt-A-Mate?

While VaM includes hundreds of built-in "morphs" (sliders that change body and face shapes), creating a likeness from scratch is difficult and time-consuming. FaceGen streamlines this by:

Photo-to-3D Conversion: Using one or more photos to automatically map facial geometry.

Genesis 2 Compatibility: VaM is built on the DAZ Genesis 2 (G2) framework, and FaceGen Artist Pro can export directly to this format.

Unique Textures: It generates custom diffuse maps (skin textures) based on the uploaded photos, ensuring the skin tone and features like moles or freckles are preserved. Step-by-Step Workflow: FaceGen to VaM 1. Software Requirements

To get started, you will need the specific FaceGen Artist Pro version. Standard versions of FaceGen (like Modeller) often lack the necessary export support for DAZ Studio files required by VaM. Software: FaceGen Artist Pro Target: Genesis 2 Female/Male 2. Creating the Face in FaceGen

Import Photos: Load a clear, front-facing photo. Profile shots can help refine the 3D depth.

Refine the Mesh: Use the internal tools to align markers for eyes, nose, and mouth.

Export: Navigate to the File > Export tab and select Genesis 2 as the target. This will generate both a .dsf morph file and several image files (textures) for the head and body. 3. Moving Files to Virt-A-Mate

Once exported, you must manually move the files into your VaM directory structure so the game can recognize them. Cons ❌ Not Plug-and-Play Requires manual file conversion,

Morph File: Copy the exported .dsf file from your DAZ library to:VaM/Custom/Atom/Person/Morphs/female/ (or male).

Textures: Copy the exported JPG/PNG face and body textures to:VaM/Custom/Atom/Person/Textures/. 4. Loading in Virt-A-Mate

Hard Reset: Open VaM and perform a "Hard Reset" (found in the system menu). This forces the background script to scan for the new morph files you just added.

Apply the Morph: Select your Person Atom, go to Morphs, and search for the name of the file you exported. Move the slider to 100% to apply the shape.

Apply Textures: Go to the Skin tab, select the Face texture slot, and navigate to the folder where you placed your FaceGen textures. Expert Tips for Better Results How to use FaceGen Artist Pro – Part 1 of 3

Integrating FaceGen into Virt-A-Mate (VAM) is a popular workflow for creating realistic, unique characters without spending hours sculpting sliders manually. Because VAM does not have a native "FaceGen importer," the process relies on an intermediary step involving image manipulation and VAM's built-in photo-to-morph tools.

Here is a breakdown of the current methods, workflows, and limitations.

Overview

4. Critical Challenges: The "Expression Problem"

A purely FaceGen-derived face imported via OBJ often appears "dead" or "frozen."

4.1 The Morph Loss If you simply import the FaceGen OBJ as a static mesh, the character will not blink, smile, or talk. The FaceGen mesh does not contain VAM's expression bones or morphs.

4.2 Solutions

1) Export from FaceGen

  1. In FaceGen Modeler, finalize the head. Export as OBJ for maximum compatibility (FBX can be used but OBJ + MTL is most reliable).
  2. Export options:
    • Geometry: high or medium resolution depending on target performance.
    • Export UVs and materials.
    • Include diffuse/albedo texture (FaceGen typically exports a skin texture) and any separate maps (specular/normal if available).
  3. Save the exported files (OBJ, MTL, diffuse texture). If FaceGen outputs separate head/teeth/eyeballs, keep them organized.