IMVU Studio FAQs

 
FBX Importer Microsoft Libraries

Are you getting an error related to the FBX Import when using Studio on a Windows PC? It could be because you do not have certain Microsoft runtime libraries installed on your computer. This can happen if you just completed a fresh install of the Windows OS.

To make sure you have the most up to date version of these drivers installed please visit Latest supported Visual C++ Redistributable downloads | Microsoft Learn or you can download them from one of the following links below.

In the ‘About’ page of the ‘Setting’ dialog, look for ‘System type’. The system pictured below uses the ‘X64’ architecture.

Transparency Priority Explained

Hi All, This has come up a few times and I thought it might be helpful to explain how Transparency Priority works and how you can use it to set the draw/sort order of transparent materials when using Transparency Mode 'Composite Blend'.

This will only work for conditions where you know the mesh(es) will only be viewed from certain directions or the layering of meshes is a fixed order.

IMPORTANT: 'Double Sided' must be turned off for all transparent materials.

The 'Priority' sets the order the mesh is drawn starting from 0 (drawn first) to 100 (drawn last). That is a mesh with material 'Priority' set to 3 will always draw on top of (appear in front of) any meshes with material 'Priority' set less than 3. By default all material priorities are set to 0.

Here is the set up:

In IMVU Studio when using Alpha Test you have the ability to adjust the 'Threshold', which is the bias between black and white at which a pixel in the opacity map will be rendered opaque. This is a new feature in IMVU Studio which was not available in IMVU Classic (IMVU Client) Creator. In the Classic Creator when "use blending" is unchecked [alpha test] the bias is 0.5 and cannot be changed.

In IMVU Studio if you slide the Threshold toward 0 the bias is toward white and makes more of the material opaque. If you slide the Threshold toward 1 the bias is toward black and makes less of the material opaque. Try this out.

Any mesh with a material which is set to "composite blend" may have sorting issues with other meshes with materials that are also set to "composite blend", unless you can resolve this using Priority. You can use double-sided and "composite blend", but its use would be very limited, such as a "single window" product.

To hopefully answer your questions: In order to use "composite blending" such as in a room product like in the example above, yes you would have to create double layers. Using double-sided will not sort correctly. This can be done in IMVU Classic (IMVU Client) Create as well and you can arrange 'Priority' by the order of the materials, but I think has been more common for creators to uncheck 'Use Blending' (alpha test).

One more piece of information: Sorting is done per product. That is, Priority is per product and multiple products when viewed together such as in a room should always sort correctly. Example: a furniture product that uses "composite blending" when placed inside a room product which also "composite blending".

If you want to use Composite Blend on the windows and the windows will be seen from both sides and there will be other meshes with Composite Blend materials on either side of the windows (e.g. inside and outside of a house), then yes, the windows would need to be constructed this way.

For existing rooms, these likely have their window materials set to 'Alpha Test' (or 'Use Blending' unchecked in IMVU Classic) to prevent the sort issues. This was the solution in IMVU Classic and also works in IMVU Desktop, IMVU Website and IMVU Mobile.

As a note: Alpha sorting (draw order) *should* also happened based on the mesh bounding sphere, but I have found inconsistent results and will be looking into this with the engineering team. Sorting based on bounding sphere looks like this, the mesh closest to the camera should draw in front of the one furthest from the camera (each mesh would still need to have a unique material):

How do I save chkn files in IMVU Studio?

Currently it is not possible to export a chkn file from IMVU Studio. The option to import is there to support legacy development. We are currently evaluating the possibility of exporting projects from IMVU Studio.

If the purpose is to move a draft project you are working on from one computer to another that is also running IMVU Studio, you can simply go into your 'IMVU Studio Projects' directory, and move the relevant folder of the project to another machine. :-)

How do I save an image without a background in IMVU Studio?

To capture a high resolution image with no background, use the command '*hiresnobg' in the triggers/chat.

Why do I get an error when I use the photo button in IMVU Studio?

Check to see if you have malware security software installed on your computer, like MalwareBytes or Windows Security built into Windows 10. If it is on, it might be preventing IMVU Studio from saving to your desktop. You can add IMVU Studio as a trusted app and the issue should go away.
 

How do I prevent reflectivity on shiny materials that are 100% transparent?

What is ‘Prevent Reflection’ and what does it do? When ‘Prevent Reflection’ is off, a material with a shininess map and a 100% black opacity map will still "shine" and behave like clear glass. If you wish to "mask" the shininess with the opacity map, then turn on ‘Prevent Reflection’. With ‘Prevent Reflection’ on you will see no reflectivity on that material for sections that are 100% transparent. You can find the setting in the Material Inspector here:

How do I zoom in to view small objects I’m creating in IMVU Studio?

Try using your right mouse button (or two finger click and drag on a touchpad) to pan the view around. Use the middle mouse wheel (or two finger drag on a touchpad) to zoom in and out. You can also apply a 200% scaler to your avatar when looking at clothing and accessories.
 

Why do my bangs have opacity issues in IMVU Studio?

With 'Transparency Mode' set to 'Composite Blend' there will always be opacity (alpha sorting) issues with this type of mesh - where there is intersecting geometry, and the product overlaps with other products using 'Transparency Mode' set to 'Composite Blend'.
 

You also have 'Double Sided' set, which is necessary to see the underside of the hair - but this also contributes to the (alpha sorting) issue.

Currently, the only way to avoid (alpha sorting) issues is to set the 'Transparency Mode' to 'Alpha Test' and adjust the 'Threshold'.+
 

Is there a way to release the blending check box in IMVU?

Yes there is. In the inspector of your products, you first select the layer opacity of your choice. Then you go select transparency.

You will have multiple choices:

Composite Blend: If you wish to have blur or transparency in your opacity.
Alpha Test: If you wish to keep as it is.

Do new IMVU Studio features like dynamic shine show up in IMVU Classic (IMVU Client)?

Dynamic shine using Normal and Shininess maps is only viewable in the newer IMVU platforms like IMVU Desktop and IMVU Mobile.

What are Normal and Shininess Maps?

Normal Maps add fine details that react to lighting in the scene without the need for added detail in the mesh or in the diffuse map.

Shininess creates the look and feel of many different surface types such as polished metal and satin or a combination of smooth and rough surfaces like metal and wood or fabric with a shiny pattern.

Shininess relies on scene lights to create a dynamic look that changes as the object moves, the camera moves about the object, or as lights move. With shininess you can achieve a brilliant new shine look to your products without painting it into your diffuse maps.

Normal and Shininess Maps work together to create an optimal look.

See our Normal Maps video tutorial here https://youtu.be/eTm1OrqRrfY and our Shininess video tutorial here https://youtu.be/HWK1bA5oOm0

If you are unable to create Normal Maps in Photoshop, this 3rd party resource can be used instead: https://cpetry.github.io/NormalMap-Online/

How do I test the shine on my product?

To help you test the shine on your products we’ve provided you with two test rooms.

https://www.imvu.com/next/shop/product-53938380
https://www.imvu.com/next/shop/product-53938393

You can access the rooms in IMVU Studio two different ways:

1. Go to Preferences and set one of the rooms as your default room for Creating:

2. While creating, go to your INVENTORY panel, click on the filter button, then the Rooms button. The test rooms should appear at the top of your inventory.

What to do if the text in the UI of IMVU Studio is blurry?  

If you are on a Windows computer and experiencing blurry text in the UI of IMVU Studio such as this:

We have a simple solution for you. The reason this is happening is because FXAA (Antialiasing) is enabled. Here is how you turn it off for IMVU Studio

NOTE: You may need to repeat this process after a Studio update as the settings are applied to a version specific executable.

Step 1 - Right-click on the your Windows desktop and select ‘NVIDIA Control Panel’.

Step 2 - Add IMVU Studio as program to Manage 3D Settings

• In the left panel select ‘Manage 3D Settings’
• Select the ‘Program Settings’ tab
• Click ‘Add’ (if IMVU Studio is not already in the list)
• In the ‘Add’ window that pops up select IMVU Studio from the list.
  • If IMVU Studio is not in the list you may have to Browse for it. It will be located here: C:\Users\\AppData\Local\IMVU-Studio\app-1.3.1\imvu-studio.exe
• Click ‘Add Selected Program’

Step 3 - Turn Off ‘Antialiasing - FXAA’

• In the ‘Specify the settings for this program’ window select ‘Antialiasing - FXAA’ and turn the Setting to ‘Off’

  • NOTE: If you cannot change the setting because it is disabled you may need to ‘Select the preferred graphics processor for this program’.

• Click ‘Apply’

Why is lighting on the IMVU Website versus IMVU Classic (IMVU Client) different? 

Have you ever noticed that the lighting in rooms or certain products looks different in IMVU Classic as compared to IMVU Desktop? The simple reason is because the two applications use completely different rendering engines for displaying the 3d scene. The IMVU Classic (IMVU Client) engine and the new engine used for IMVU Desktop, IMVU Website, IMVU Studio, and IMVU Mobile render color values differently. Specifically it is the different color space pipeline used.

In the IMVU Classic engine the lighting is not actually calculated correctly for realistic rendering and results in darker colors appearing lighter than they should be. This is because the IMVU Classic engine uses a gamma space pipeline where color on the textures is not transformed before applying the lighting calculation. Lighting in the new engine is accurately calculated. We transform the color on the textures to Linear, then we compute the lighting with linear values, and then we convert back to Gamma for output to screen. Computing the lighting with linear values produces results which much more closely resemble how things look in real life and allows for creating realistic effects such as shininess, normal, and irridence.

The difference is most noticeable for darker colors in textures. To compensate for this you will need to lighten darker textures up a bit to get the result you want in the new engine.

The difference is also noticeable in the lighting of rooms. In IMVU Classic (IMVU Client), even a room with completely black ambient color the scene is still visible. The engine used for IMVU Desktop, IMVU Website, IMVU Studio, and IMVU Mobile allows for a completely dark room with no lighting. To compensate for this you will need to add a little bit of ambient light. It does not take much, about 1,1,1 to 3,3,3. This will not significantly affect the look of the room when viewed in IMVU Classic (IMVU Client), but will allow for the scene to be visible without any other lights present.

Here is an even more in depth explanation of the two methods: Gamma and Linear Space - What they are and how they differ. 

What are the Product size limits?  

All products used to be limited to a 2mb (compressed) size. Now that products can have more texture maps per material (normal and shiny maps), we’ve upped the limit to give you more room to make incredible higher resolution products.

The limits are:

• Rooms: 6 MB (6144 KB)

• Tops / Bottoms / Heads / Skins / Avatars / Furniture: 3 MB (3072 KB)

• Shoes / Hair / Eyes / Eyebrows / Accessories: 2 MB (2304 KB)

There is also a product size meter so you know if you are going over the maximum project size

What are the hazards of wearing light products?

If you are seeing unusual brightness or lighting on your clothing products or in a room you may be wearing products that include lights! This is most noticeable with IMVU Plus products that have shininess.

Products like this one Body Light actually affect the lighting of your avatar and the look of rooms you enter.

The solution to this is simple: Go to your inventory and remove any light products that you are wearing.

Click here to download IMVU Studio and find IMVU Studio Tutorials.

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