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DAZ Studio 4.5 How do I add texture and color to primitive

craig_b2717bf573craig_b2717bf573 Posts: 3
edited January 2013 in Daz Studio Discussion

I just started using DAZ Studio 4.5 Pro and I want to create some ground with green grass for my model to stand on.

I created a new primitive plane and I can see it in the Scene Tab. But what do I do now? It seems like 4.5 Pro is set up differently than 4.0 Advanced, so the post on 4.0 Advanced haven't helped me very much.

Thanks for any advice.


I am on a Mac 10.6.8 64bit. Here's what my screen looks like.

daz_primitive.jpg
720 x 486 - 112K
Post edited by craig_b2717bf573 on

Comments

  • wancowwancow Posts: 2,708
    edited December 1969

    create a surface tab. and you can apply your surfaces that way. You don't seem to have one that I can see. Right click... oops... you can't, you don't have a right click on a mac, do you? Hmmmmm... however you create a new tab...

  • SimonJMSimonJM Posts: 5,980
    edited December 1969

    As Wancow says, you'll need to do the colouring, etc., via the Surfaces tab. Once there, select the plane in the scene and you shoudl see a material zone called 'Default'. Give that a green diffuse colour and you're on your way. Of course, it'll look all flat and not very grass-like just like that.

  • wancowwancow Posts: 2,708
    edited December 1969

    Playing with displacement mapping can help that out I might suspect, though I have not tried it for grass... maybe I should :)

  • craig_b2717bf573craig_b2717bf573 Posts: 3
    edited January 2013

    Thanks guys.

    Actually, I do have a 3 button mouse (just not from apple) -- and it works great.

    You said I "right click the mouse" to create Surface Tab. Do you mean I should first select the new primitive object, then right click the mouse? When I do that, I get a pop-up menu. But I don't see anything about "Create Surface Tab". Remember, this is free Studio Pro 4.5 and not the paid Studio Advanced 4.0.

    Here's what my screen looks like after I right click on the new primitive.

    daz_primitive_2.jpg
    864 x 581 - 155K
    Post edited by craig_b2717bf573 on
  • wancowwancow Posts: 2,708
    edited December 1969

    Free studio 4.5 acts the same way in this respect. You should have a surface tab there regardless. When you select the object, it should show all your material zones available for that object, and yes, for the plane, it's "Default" The diffuse colour is your base texture colour.

  • craig_b2717bf573craig_b2717bf573 Posts: 3
    edited January 2013

    Not very encouraging really.

    I wonder if there's a problem with Mac version of Studio Pro 4.5 not showing a Surface Tab? This is a fresh purchase from DAZ store, and it seems to be working correctly otherwise?

    I tried loading an older DAZ content called "PickUp Truck". Still no Surface Tab.

    Is this just me? Has anyone else out there got a Surface Tab working with Studio Pro 4.5 on a Mac?

    Thanks,

    daz_primitive_3.jpg
    1307 x 884 - 237K
    Post edited by craig_b2717bf573 on
  • SimonJMSimonJM Posts: 5,980
    edited December 1969

    What tools and tabs you have visible will be down to what style and/or workspace you have active - which is what makes it hard to help people by saying simple 'click on this, do that' as it's likely one screen display does not look like the other.
    Try this:
    On the pale grey vertical bar that contains the tabs Scene, Parameters, Content Library and Tool Settings (i.e., the one you show in the screen capture) right-click. That will pop-up a small menu, the top option should be (cross fingers!) "Add Pane (tab) >". Move the mouse to that line to dynamically expand it, and from the list that is produced select Surfaces.

    With luck, you will now have a Surfaces tab.

  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    edited December 1969

    Change your layout...Window > Workspace > Select layout...

    Self Serve would probably be a good choice.

    Then the Surfaces should be under Surfacing/Rendering.

    But as far as it goes a noise displacement map isn't going to do much for you, with a flat plane primitive, unless you make a number of divisions to it, when creating it.

    Several divisions to the plane, with maybe even converting it to SubD and tiling the noise map will go a long way to getting a better 'look' to it.

  • craig_b2717bf573craig_b2717bf573 Posts: 3
    edited December 1969

    Thank you SimonJM! You solved the problem.

    Right clicking "ON THE VERTICAL GREY BAR" did, in fact, let me add a new tab. I selected Surface (Color) from a list -- and it worked.

    It would be so helpful if there was an online manual that covered this stuff.

    Here is something odd, after adding the Surface tab, I right clicked again on the vertical grey bar (thought I might add another tab) -- but nothing happened. There was no pop-up menu offering to add another tab. Is there a limit on number of tabs?

    Anyway, much thanks again!

    daz_primitive_4.jpg
    1432 x 882 - 305K
  • craig_b2717bf573craig_b2717bf573 Posts: 3
    edited January 2013

    mjc1016

    Good suggestions. I will experiment with the UI layouts.

    Also, I checked out ShareCG -- what a great site. It even have some grass textures that will help with my project.

    Thanks!

    Post edited by craig_b2717bf573 on
  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    edited December 1969

    dpixguy said:

    Here is something odd, after adding the Surface tab, I right clicked again on the vertical grey bar (thought I might add another tab) -- but nothing happened. There was no pop-up menu offering to add another tab. Is there a limit on number of tabs?


    Nope...not odd at all. That section is 'full'...there's no more room to add any more panes/tabs. That's why I like a layout with the panes displayed horizontally,...you stretch the space and add more, then slide it back and have a bunch that you can scroll through...there's no way of stretching the vertical layout, so you are stuck with 4, maybe 5.

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