Using the Morpher Modifier

The morpher modifier is something I have never used before in 3ds Max. I watched a couple of online tutorial videos to learn how to use it. At first I ran into huge problems when trying to apply it to my character model. The first problem was 3ds Max would not let me pick a copied object that had a turbo smooth modifier applied to it. Once removed there was a problem getting the morpher modifier to replicate the morph pose on the main model, as it would pull the vertices into a completely random pose, just like when weighting on a physique modifier was incorrect. I looked at several forum posts on the Internet about this problem and eventually discovered it was a problem caused by the symmetry modifier on the main model and specifically if the vertices on the mirrored edge were moved. The forum suggested using a turn to mesh modifier however this did not work for me. Eventually a solution was discovered, which was to add the morpher modifier just above the editable poly modifier, before the rest of the modifiers on the main model. This meant that the models that were used to create the pose did not have a turbo smooth modifier applied making it slightly harder to get the correct pose, as I had to keep switching back and forward from the main model to the pose model. Using the research information about facial expressions the morphed models were created and then assigned to the main model.