Hi

I am creating this thread in response to another one in which we were speaking of missing tools.
In particular, Rhia474 gave a list here, one of them being something to help adding tattoos.

So, here is one that I have just wrote, and tested under Win11 and Mac Sequoia, using Poser 13.3.1009. A ZIP file can be downloaded here:
https://kdrive.digital-paradize.com/app/share/116364/431d84e4-2450-4b84-98ff-45d8fa7e5e73

Actually, the purpose of this script is to help with the Superfly engine, it should work with PhysicalSurface as well, but I mainly use Cycles. If you encounter a difficulty, don't hesitate to explain, I will add the necessary corrections.

In the following dialog, first select one of the sets. For this, I loop through the Textures folder of each runtime listed in Poser's Library Window, and I keep those that:
- include "Shana" in the name
- include at least one sub-folder containing "Inked_Vol" in its name

This method showed me that some of the sets were in two runtimes 

Upon selecting a set, the "Content" list is refreshed. Note that the list corresponds to what is in the corresponding folder, under Textures, not to what is presented in the Pose list in the Library window, hence the "01_inked_Vol2_Tat15 - jaune.jpg" file  in the example below.
Each time a content is selected, it is displayed in the right corner, as you can see above.

More than one item may be selected in the "Apply to" list.
The method used depends on the fact that all Shana's Tattoo bitmaps have a white background, so that a simple Color Multiplication suffices to create the effect:

The script is able to re-add any of the new two nodes: Tattoo mixer and Tattoo map.
I can extend the method for any other bitmap, for example PNG with transparent background, as well as any other character, as Shana's Inked volumes for Poser were exclusively for Vic4, except one for Dawn (that I don't use)

I hope that you will find it useful 

Oh my Gawd, Phil. :) I'll test this as soon as I get a chance!

Probably tomorrow evening,  i gotta pick up hubs from airport tonight. Thank you!!

Rhia474 posted at 7:30 PM Sun, 16 March 2025 - #4494318

Oh my Gawd, Phil. :) I'll test this as soon as I get a chance!

Probably tomorrow evening,  i gotta pick up hubs from airport tonight. Thank you!!

Hey, so I see no one else responded, not sure why this is just my problem here. Maybe everyone is a python guru and they already have their own solutions.

Anyway, Phil. This works without a hitch.  The only think I can think about is allowing to add a custom textures folder in case I want to, say, use scars and woulds instead of tattoos, or some other tattoos than Shana's .

The setup is great and simple to use.  It is a bit of a guess atm to figure which body part the tattoos go to since that is not evident from just the textures, but the big work is to get the script work, which you did, so yay!!

I really hope others also try this and there is still a market and interest for Poser scripts. Lately it really seems the market is dead for end users.

I did not response because I have no inked packs.. but now I wish I had XD XD 

Maybe Y-phil can make a tool to add randomly freckles and spots to skin? :D

I liked this tool very much :) https://www.renderosity.com/marketplace/products/37307/unimesh-realism-kit

Right, so allowing to add our own tattoo maps AND something that lets us do skinblending for freckles and scars would be the logical next step? Would that be more popular?

Concerning the possibility to add other folders: it's  not a problem, I just have to think about two things:
- find an elegant way to add as much folders as we want
- find a way to decide the kind of bitmap that has to be mixed with the skin:
    * white backgrounds, such as Shana's is a method (multiply)
    * black and transparent backgrounds (probably something like "add")

Now that I'm writing this, solutions are slowly popping in my mind 

When it comes to freckles: well, I have to look if there's a blender-like solution that could be either used or adaptedb, as because of copyright I can't use or adapt the script pointed to, except if the author agrees.

Anyway: good ideas  

You are a gem, sir, thanks again for you bending your brain to our whims for nothing but our gratitude!

Oh it's a real pleasure, and it's also a way to return the favor, compared to everything I've learned over the years, here and there, from the defunct RuntimeDNA to Renderority's forums 

Y-Phil Consider yourself virtually hugged for all your scripts that make our lives easier. :D

Hm... does that mean I can add a new folder to your script – even without owning any Inked packs – just by naming it 'Shana' and putting black and white images in there?

Y-Phil Consider yourself virtually hugged for all your scripts that make our lives easier. :D

Hm... does that mean I can add a new folder to your script – even without owning any Inked packs – just by naming it 'Shana' and putting black and white images in there?

Ok, here is an upgrade to the script that allows to add a tattoo on a skin part.
It can be downloaded here: https://kdrive.digital-paradize.com/app/share/116364/2e44a808-24a2-42df-93de-1b73f5da482c

A new button has appeared: Setup, it displays a list of personal folders to add (they appear before Shana's). The Save button closes the part that overlaps the picture of the last selected tattoo, that part also disappears if one select another volume or content.

As you can see above, the complementary folders are stored in the script's config file:
- same place as other tools: in Poser's data folder,
- on Windows: in the user's profile, roaming part
- on Mac, if I'm not wrong in a place called Application data (?)

Actually, I don't know how to use a PNG with a transparent background, whatever the image node is used and whatever the way to add the necessary nodes.
Even with a Mix + Transparent Closures setup nodes, the result is not satisfying, at least with the PNG I have (see below).
I may have missed something. If a solution is found, the script will be updated consequently.

Example with another tattoo, as a JPG file from a PNG with a transparent background, replaced with a white background.

Note that the Laced Patterns entry is just to have two user-defined paths as it's mainly for clothes...
Also note the the Content list displays only JPG, JPEG and PNG files

Have fun 

A PNG with an alpha channel needs to be placed in the Cycles ImageTexture node, which has both the Color and Alpha outputs. Utilizing this approach will require rewriting the script.

hborre posted at 7:45 PM Sat, 22 March 2025 - #4494457

A PNG with an alpha channel needs to be placed in the Cycles ImageTexture node, which has both the Color and Alpha outputs. Utilizing this approach will require rewriting the script.

Thank you hborre  I've got it to work correctly 

Here is the V1.3 of the script. It handles correctly PNG's  with a transparent background. The only thing is that you will have to to check the corresponding option, as  for the moment I haven't added a detection 

You can download it here: https://kdrive.digital-paradize.com/app/share/116364/e28a21ef-0eea-424c-bd38-bb34ab95a27d

This...

... give this:

You may have noticed that below the list of mat lies a button: it can detect and remove the nodes added by this script (and only them), restoring the skin as it was before:

The label of the button has "..." because a confirmation is required:

The removal process works by detecting the label and the type of the involved nodes. If no corresponding nodes are found, or if no material is selected, nothing happens, of course.

Again: feel free use the script from the Pose room, but be careful in the Material room: make sure that the selected material is not involved in the addition/removal of nodes.
In my case Poser really hates this and crashes almost immediately.

Have fun

This is the first I've seen of this thread.  I myself was hand modifying the tattoo files to use the Layers material function.  Someone had suggested I use a user modifiable saturation node to allow black work to either actually be black, or to be that dark gray that black work becomes after a period of time.  Then I went on a sort of hiatus, and never returned to the project.

This is genius and works great for mud and stain layers as well like a charm. Thank you ever so much!

My pleasure