Novica & Serene Night's Renders, Tips, Tutorials & Product Reviews Part 1
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Wait a moment... that's the doublebraid french? I thought it was the fishtail braid *sorry Novica* I have that problem with the fishtail Braids for genesis and I honestly didn't quite read through which one you had used, it looked similar enough to the fishtails for me.. until I looked closer.. clearly not enough coffee for me yet *hangs head*
Yeah, I do need to point out there are two of these- the Genesis one I used is number TWO- I don't know anything about modeling and as you said, it was done after the first so "not originally designed for Genesis." I think I'll stick with braided hair on top of the head, lol!
Don't worry about it Carola- they look an awful lot alike, don't they?! It just tells me that braids might be a problem then, since we are both using two different products and had the same issues to address.
Okay, it's done- take a look at these details!
You can put the hair in front of the ear, over it (like I did) and it moves independently of other sections. Love that!
And you can see the skin texture for Aiko 5 and the clothing details. Enjoy! (G'nite!)
Click to enlarge, then click again.
OOOOPS.
I loaded the Princess Hair from Jasmin, then clicked Materials, thinking it was for the hair (I'm tired, remember?) and Genesis was still selected. I've now got a cartoon made from Aubrie! Will post a picture. I didn't do ANYTHING to it- and if I do, it won't be today! The hair (coming in on the render now) is very squared and stiff instead of curving over the skull- I'm sure that's easily fixed. Also, I think some strands are poking through others- again, probably a morph for that. Just want you to see what I saw with one click of the mouse- the "OHHHHH!" my cat heard. (The cat that was TRYING to snooze on a chair next to me.)
Yep, there's hair strands out of whack. But a "Barbie" Aubrie is very pretty! (You'll see.) I'll do a separate post when she's done. I can't get to sleep until you see this- it's TOO funny. All I was trying to do was put on a different hair. Epic fail on THAT.
Sounds like you having fun Novica, can't wait to see it. I came to think of something regarding the braided hair, have to check it myself too later. But what happens if you raise the limits of the parameter settings? is it possible for you to work it out than perhaps?
I am going to try that on the fishtail, might be worth to try on yours unless you already have of course *smiles*
Will definitely have to play around and fix the hair for this cutie!
Yep, already tried it. The hair would start to move then jerk back. Let me know if it works for you on yours though!
it seems to work.. (so much for doing it later *laughs*) couldn't get it out of my head so opened up studio and tried on a new character. Will have to try it on the scene itself. But on the base I just tried it on, it seems to work. Posting the screen of it if you don't mind, let me know if I should remove it *smiles*
The picture is with the parameter settings changed from 100% to 500% . I had problems to do this with the ribbons, so will see if that was cause they needed more than 500% or if they simply don't want to work. If so I can turn them invisible I guess, time will tell *laughs*
Of course it's fine to post it, no problem! Five hundred percent- WOW.
EDIT: But did you get it to go in FRONT? That was my problem- it wouldn't lay on the chest.
Princess Hair
Okay, maybe it's just luck- lack of it- but I seem to be running into hair that doesn't quite "make it" with me. two in a row.
The Princess Hair now- those long strands- bangs- I can't find a way to shorten them. I have submenu-ed every blasted part in Scene tab, there are no morphs, and then in Scene tab I selected the bangs and then in "Visible in Render" turned it off- isn't that supposed to hide what you selected in the render????? (Never used it before) Well, it DIDNT. So I can't shorten them (there's no scaling for the bangs) and can't get rid of them. You can only twist, bend, send them back into the other hair, which looks clunky.
Can't recommend this hair unless someone can do both of those things and show me (and it might just be me, but I DO know how to break things down in Scene, check the morphs under Actor, etc.) Ain't my first rodeo but I've been thrown off this pony!
Is there a way to create a scale option for specific parts of the hair?
Yunko Hair
http://www.daz3d.com/yunko-hair
First impression- WHAT FUN!
I'm rendering it on my new cartoon character (the Oopsie from selecting the character and apply MATS without knowing what I was doing) andI've already named her Aerie. Her hair is light and airy (aerie) and she will be along shortly sporting her new hairdo. This was an "unplanned birth" but I love this gal! Will post in a separate render when she is ready.
Yunko Hair "Out of the Box"
One thing I noticed is by the hairband, you can see through to the background (see the orange sunset peeking through?) so you might want to watch your angle to downplay that.
Second, your bangs are going to be a LOT thicker than they seem. I was like, "Oh, I don't need to adjust those light wispy strands..." Well, not so light and wispy. Remember- I am not spot rendering when I test out of the box (no changes) as these aren't renders to keep, just to test the products.
Let me just say, the color choices are AWESOME. You seriously get your money's worth just with those- you don't have to get a separate color pack product. Take a peek while we're waiting for Aerie to finish.
Introducing Aerie
Will probably change the hair a bit, or even use a new one- but I like that the eyebrows (definitely cartoon) are hidden, but her gorgeous eyes are hidden too much. Haven't tweaked yet. Really like the Yunko Hair!
STILL USING MERLINS CROSSING- just hid the tree. Wonderful sky domes!
EDIT: CLICK TO ENLARGE, THEN DOUBLE CLICK- and check out the gaps by the headband (the orange sunset showing through.) That's what I meant about for extreme closeups, you need to be aware that could show your background.
Yunko Hair
http://www.daz3d.com/yunko-hair
Oh wow- the Style morphs are AWESOME- AWESOME- AWESOME!!!
If this hair "isn't your style" then you might still want to take a look at it. The bangs alone have about TEN morphs to move them, make them shorter or longer, add length to the sides. Then the top has a lot more morphs, including toning down the height and making it a more moderate hairdo. I'm delighted with this hair!
If you have a cartoon character and want to hide the toon eyebrows, consider the Yunko Hair!
Am now rendering Aerie with the adjusted morphs for the bangs. If it looks good, I'll keep her in this hairdo and change the colors periodically. Separate post coming when the adjusted hair render is done. Currently at 25% so will be about 30 minutes or so.
Here she is!
Note- the hairband comes in different colors, but since it is a light color, you can apply your own pattern or just Diffuse color in Surfaces tab.
Note how nicely the cartoon eyebrows are hidden, but with the bangs styled, you can see that gorgeous eye!
Aerie with my hair pattern. Funky fun! The hairband is the exact same pattern, which shows you the difference it makes as to whether the surface is round and bowed, or strips (of polygons.)
Click to enlarge, then click again.
That hair is on the front though, from the beginning.. hmm I don't have the hair you tried it on, so can't try. But all in all, it should be possible if you change the parameter settings to -500 or whatever is needed. But if I understood you correctly earlier you have tried to change these settings and it didn't work?
Right. Zero luck with parameters. Both negative and positive. I think it's because the shoulder is raised. The hair would work fine if it was a plain old standing there pose, lol! I broke down the Scene tab into submenus and moved whatever I could, did the change parameters, etc. No one else has come forward to say VOILA! so not going to worry about it.
That's kinda sad, it's such a nice hair so would have been great if it could have been used properly.. thouhg that made me think of osmething..
I have a hair called Moonbeam, and when I first tried to find the morphs for it.. I couldn't find any at all, until Jaderail told me to look in the neck part of the hair. As in, have the hair as target, move to parameter pane, go into the little drop down menu and go through the arrows for the hair, maybe it is hiding something in there? (you probably have done this already too, but only thing I could think off)
That Princess hair might be the same, having the morphs hidden in the Neck area or something?
edit - Oups *sheepish smile and blushing* Had kinda forgot that Novica already had checked the that.....
This is Aerie wearing one of my patterns for the hair. Having fun!
And another one. Remember, just go to Surfaces tab and put your image in the diffuse, then twiddle with the specular (for shine) and ambient too (put the images there and change the bump if you want it to appear raised or lowered.
As mentioned before, when using CMYK it renders black. Use RGB (24 bit) I tested it again and yep, it goes black.
Working on Cassidy!
Let's have some fun and review two more products. First, to recap. I started with Aubrie, from Aiko 5. Then I added materials by mistake from Jasmin, I think- and Aerie was born. Then trying to get rid of the fake eyelashes and eyebrows and go from cartoon to realistic- what a TRIP. I found btw that Aiko has Aiko 5 eyelashes- so adding eyelashes would not have been a problem- but those fake eyebrows- ouch.
Well, this is where it gets weird. And difficult. Changing eye color, no problem. But when you do makeup, the materials for the entire face change. And it doesn't match the body. There was no options for the body either, I looked high and low. The character whose MAT (materials) applied to the face- well, when I went searching into the smart content and surfaces, the young lady was nowhere to be found so far as a body material. (Yes, Genesis was selected, the body parts were selected, I was in Editor looking at presets, materials, everything under the sun. I also went into smart content when the figure parts were selected- at all times, the figure was selected. I could NOT find this character anywhere. I tried looking using the face, the torso, ugh. I may pursue it later to see what I overlooked.
But for now, I had to manually match the face and body skin tones because I am in LOVE with the makeup on this new character. We have quite a hodge podge going on her. She came from Aiko 5, had Jasmin applied, back to Aiko for the eyelashes, then had someone else's irises (go Muses!- Check those gals out, wonderful eyes!) then someone else's makeup- then me doing my own skin to match up with the makeup- then changing the face too so it's my own blend- Whew.
Therefore, Cassidy was "born." Cassini's younger sister- not a twin by a long shot! I'm really proud of her as she came from a cartoon and I naturalized her in stages. All my body morphs are intact- the eyes, nose, mouth positioning, etc- are mine. I haven't decided on a hair for her yet, the one she is showcasing won't be it.
The two products she will be showcasing are the new Casual Denim http://www.daz3d.com/casual-denim (great without the black shirt underneath) and a messy styled hair that I've had for a long time. Will have to wait until it's done rendering to see what it is, I've gone through a bunch of hair and can't find it in the shopping gallery.
Render is 50% along.
Chelsea Hair
Casual Denim
http://www.daz3d.com/chelsea-hair
http://www.daz3d.com/casual-denim
Okay, here's the newest product model, Cassidy! NOT in her permanent hair- but in Chelsea Hair. This is the out of the box, no messing with it results. It went on the head smoothly- and it's for Genesis and Generation 4, so if you like it, you can use it on a variety of your figures! There is a wide range of colors with it, too. After the render I fiddled with it and things moved quite easily. A fun, messy hairstyle- and seemed to just "go" with the overalls. Reminded me of Ellie Mae from Beverly Hillbillies! (Showing my age.)
Making Your Ledge Larger
I doodled with this (and didn't have Photoshop, didn't do layers- just painted over the details which means they won't be as crisp. Trying to illustrate a point, not do artwork, if you know what I mean.) If you want to practice altering a scene in postwork, say, your ledge and your subject didn't quite get lined up the way you wanted- you can widen it with postwork. But a couple things (and I am keeping this EASY for non- drawers) to help you merge what you've added with what is there-
1. If it's a curved surface, remember to put light in the dip if your subject is lit at that height. Aka, if her stomach is lit, the ledge addition would be lit too, fading as it goes back.
2. Put in an irregular, darker line (broken up) where the new ledge meets the other surfaces and blend the matching wall or ground into it. (using transparency of 85% up works well.)
3. That said, don't be afraid to be bold- and IRREGULAR. The last thing you want to do is have something so uniform (particularly if you are dealing with stone) that it looks "fixed."
4. If you're darkening the ledge, lighten some of the background so the contrast isn't the total responsibility of what you're adding. Make them team players!
After you look at these two images, I will share something else in the next post.
As for the Casual Denim outfit, it went on like a dream, no problem adjusting the morphs for this extreme sitting position (the leg on the left as we look at it could be tighter around the top of the thigh, but is easy to do.) Lots of morphs, easy to fit, highly recommend. Shown without the black shirt that goes under the overalls. (Didn't try to fit it but everything else I tried was easy and there are a lot of chest morphs for the overalls to expand.)
Tip: Tip That Floor!
Cassidy isn't on a ledge, she's on a floor that was rotated up to be a background.
Use your Surfaces tab and increase the bump and displacement to create texture and give it more depth.
Place your lights so there are shadows- then do postwork if needed to make your ledge more of a ledge. Cassidy didn't have one at all!
(And that was only 15 minutes piddlin' with it. You get the gist. If you spent half an hour on it, you could fool many folks into thinking your subject was sitting on something that was originally FLAT.)
And even if you don't do postwork, rotate those floors (go to Parameters tab after you select the object in Scene tab) and use them for some neat backdrops! I recommend the DM series. Here's what I used:
DMs Circle
http://www.daz3d.com/dms-circle
Look at the FLOOR in the image. Look familiar? THIS MAKES A GORGEOUS BACKDROP when you expand the view- the tiles are gorgeous. Consider this one!
EDIT: I was originally going to put Cassidy leaning against one of those things with the floor as the backdrop, then got curious about seating her supposedly on the background as a ledge. Fun!
Here's some of the fiddling I was doing, dealing with the cartoon materials and trying to figure out the different settings to convert back to more realistic. Still not done (and kept these other settings- would be great if I ever need a doll, lol)
See how nice that floor makes for a backdrop? Cassidy looks good as a brunette. Still haven't figured out the hair I want yet. The Chelsea Hair comes with this much shine btw- you'd like it. Easy to work with.
Still not done, have to add back in some of the glossy.
Again, 3rd photo- this is Chelsea Hair and Casual-Denim
http://www.daz3d.com/chelsea-hair
http://www.daz3d.com/casual-denim
SilverMoon Hair
http://www.daz3d.com/silvermoon-hair
http://www.daz3d.com/silvermoon-colors
Cassidy (Aiko 5) is wearing SilverMoon Hair, which can go from extreme windswept to somewhat organized, lol. This is Cassidy wearing it out of the box. Lovely colors and great shine!
Luka Hair
http://www.daz3d.com/luka-hair
You'll like the Luka Hair, very misleading from the promos. You can do an asymmetrical front, increase the volume, change the sides.
EDIT: Here it is! I have to say, I've owned the Luka Hair for almost a year and based on the promo, I thought, "Um, straight hair, kinda straightforward...."
WOW. I really like the hair! Cassidy looks adorable in it- this may be the keeper! It is a "there ya go" type of hair, but you have SO many morphs for the bangs that you can make it somewhat like a Taylor Hair, a longer Gloria Hair, etc in the front when you do the parts. (I am not showing the extreme parts and asymmetry in these shots.) Doing a separate post because the edits don't show up and folks watching the thread via email won't get notified the photo's up.
Read the EDIT from the previous post if you haven't.
I darkened this a bit so you could see the hair a bit better. Also included is the original.
Note- it does not have the shine of the previous hair- but the strands are nicely detailed.
Also note you can increase the volume and make this quite a bit poofier. A VERY nice hair! (hangs head in shame for not trying it sooner.)
What do you think of it?
COMING: Side view Luka Hair. Be a couple hours, headed to the ranch (incoming storms.)
Here's the side view, hair volume slightly increased. This is one of THE easiest to use hairstyles I've tried. Newbies, take note!