Mimic 2 – the Display Window

this tutorial was specificly requested by DAZ 3D is also available on DAZ arcana website

Ok so you’ve gone through the Session manager and now you are in the Main Window. And there’s Vicky in the Display Window. But say you want to get a real close-up to sync the words to the phonemes more precisely or see her speaking from a side angle, or in the pro version you want to match her angle to the video you’ve imported so you can adjust her gestures to match the action in the scene. For that you are going to need camera controls. And that’s what those little boxes along the side are for.

1. the Window

(Note: the display window is identical for both the standard and pro versions of Mimic 2).
To use the controls you will place your cursor over the control, press your mouse button, and drag in the desired direction. When you release the button the camera retains the position it was in upon release.
The three lower buttons are used by simple single click but we’ll talk about those when we get to them.

2. Rotation Control

The first button is your rotation button [circling Arrow] (step1). It acts the same as the trackball in Poser. Its center of rotation is the part of the figure that is centered in the Display. You can drag the mouse in any direction to turn the figure on that center pivot.

3. Pan Control

The second button is the Pan control [four directional arrow](step 2). you can drag the mouse to move the camera vertically or horizontally in the plain of the display to reposition the figure in those directions. You can drag the mouse in any direction to reposition the figure in the window.

4. Zoom Control

The third button is the zoom control [Magnifying glass](step 3). This allows you to zoom the camera in and out from the figure. Dragging up zooms in and down zooms out. Dragging right or left creates uneven results and should be avoided with this control.

5. Center Control

The fourth button is the center figure control [crosshairs](Step 4). It centers the visible portion of the figure in the Display Window with the camera facing the figure directly. This button is a simple click and release button.

6. Hide Control

The fifth button is the Hide control [closed eye] (step 5). It hides the portion of the figure that is off screen. If you use the translation control to drag the figure down until only the head is visible then click on this button it will make the body of the figure invisible then if you click on the center figure control only the visible portion of the figure is centered and the rest of the body is invisible.

(note: figures come into Mimic 2 preset with all bodyparts hidden except the head)

7. Un-hide Control

The sixth and last button is the Un-hide control [open eye](step 6). It un-hides the whole figure. If you click the center figure button now, the whole figure, from head to toe, is centered in the display window.

I hope that clears up any questions you’ve had about those mysterious little buttons.

Onwards to the Phonemes Tute