Your Own Face Into RealXtend

From RexWiki

The information on this page is specific to realXtend version 0.5. The avatar system is largely similar in the new Taiga/Naali architecture (http://wiki.realxtend.org/index.php/Main_Page), but this tutorial no longer applies.

You can have your own face in realXtend if you use the FaceGen Modeller (it's free) from Singular Inversions and our FaceGen2rex tool. The procedure is pretty straightforward, so you do not need to be a professional 3D designer to complete the following steps:

Use FaceGen Modeller to construct your own face model

1. Download and instal the FaceGen Modeller available from: http://www.facegen.com/downloads.htm
2. Start the modeller and select the PhotoFit tab.
3. Take 1-3 photographs as described in the FaceGen Modeller PhotoFit instructions.
4. Upload the photograph files to your computer.
5. Click Next when happy with picture files.
6. Move the green crosses to the corresponding places (as shown on the reference image) and click Next when done.
7. Repeat the previous step again as many times as the tool asks you to.
8. When complete, press Start Now button and wait until the face has been processed.

Use FaceGen2reX tool to convert your face model into realXtend format

1. Start the program "facegen2rex.exe" with no command line arguments and follow these steps - you will be presented with 5 file selection dialogs.
2. Choose the base model (.tri file) from the FaceGen2Rex's Data subdirectory - either the male (Jack) or the female.
3. Choose the base texture image for the face. Ready-made base textures exist in the Data subdirectory. The image can be either .jpg or .bmp format, but its resolution must match what the FaceGen files expect (512x512).
4. Browse for your face coordinate data (.fg) file that you want to be applied on the model.
5. Enter the name & location of the output realXtend mesh file to be saved. realXtend expects the file to be saved in a certain subdirectory - media\models\avatar - under the realXtend installation directory (for example C:\Program Files\realXtend\media\models\avatar)
6. Finally, enter name & location for the modified texture image (.jpg format). This should be media\materials\textures\avatar_face under the realXtend installation directory. (for example C:\Program Files\realXtend\media\materials\textures\avatar_face)

See FaceGen2reX Readme for more information and the instructions to use the command line mode.

Finalization - copying avatar specific settings

Lastly, make a copy of the avatar description .xml file in realXtend's media\models\avatar directory to match your new avatar. For example, if you used the male (Jack) as your base model, and saved your avatar mesh as JackMyFace.mesh, make a copy of Jack.xml and rename it JackMyFace.xml. This ensures that animations and body shape controls will also work as expected for your customized avatar.

Now you should be able to choose your new custom avatar in the realXtend avatar generator and select the custom face texture. Follow the Avatar Generator modification instructions to change your avatar.