[Blender] [Marvelous Designer] - need help with workflow suggestions for draped figures

Styraco

Hey guys, I'm mainly a 2d guy but I also use Blender to set up reference for digital painting. I can sculpt and model adequately if I have to but I like to kitbash as much as possible for generic objects since I am only using it for reference. I haven't worked with draped figures before and now I am researching some options on how to implement that into my workflow. Marvelous Designer is popular among concept artists and I'm looking into it since the clothing simulation yields superior results to what I can get in Blender but I am open to suggestions.

As an example, say I need to make a generic guy in a suit sitting cross legged in a chair. I have the naked figure base mesh and the chair model in Blender. Would I make an animation in Blender and export it to Marvelous Designer where I drape it and then export it back to Blender, or what other ways would be a good way to go about it? Obviously I don't expect a full tutorial but just a "rough sketch" of the steps involved would be tremendously useful. Since 3d is not my speciality it is all a bit overwhelming - any help appreciated.

amandell

Generally the process involves using a skin weighted/rigged model that you would animate to go from T-Pose to whatever pose you're looking for. Create the garments in MD on the T-Pose model and use an animation transition to simulate the clothing deformations into the final pose. A decent guide for that here: https://youtu.be/Kn5G555pSyg

It takes some time to set up, but if the investment is worth it to you, I don't think there is a better software package for designing and simulating clothing on characters (especially animated or posed) than MD.