Novica & Serene Night’s Renders, Tips, Tutorials & Product Reviews PART 2
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I have a rule much like Novica's new one. I'm trying to just buy things that will help me make 'stuff': tutorials, shaders, etc. I've been learning to make clothes and those shaders of Marieah's sure will come in useful as right now I can only make simple repeating patterns for textures.
I'll admit, it's not an easy rule to stick to with all these new goodies every day. I'm seriously tempted by PAs like Sugatak. So much detail! (When I grow up, I want to make models like that.) I'll wishlist for now.
You'll be glad you grabbed Fugazi's video tutorials, Novica. They are both excellent and will teach you Hexagon (assuming you'll be using Hexagon for this) as well as how to make clothes.
OK, back to my dress morph....
Good to know Jindi! :)
Like the wrinkled dress on sale, but not the neckline. Even if I were to put pants with it and use as a top, there is no morph to raise the neckline. So skipping that one.
Based on my experience with the Atmospheric Camera http://www.daz3d.com/atmospheric-effects-cameras-for-daz-studio (remember the fog? AND ITS ON SALE, HIGHLY RECOMMEND) I am getting
http://www.daz3d.com/graphic-art-cameras
I am downloading and installing the following right now for possible reviews: (all for V4)
Performer / City Nights For Performer
Arinae
Ainsley
Lirio
Chicari
Malvada
If you have any of these and want to showcase your renders, feel free! Also Urban Shabby Chic, Ruffle Top (for V4) Jean Z, Daiquiri Dress, Sci-Fi Boots, Dulce, Frangipani Dress, Piper, Lex, Just You, and Facial Expressions.
Novica, just curious, with tons of content and being a "New" user ( I have learned more from your tips thread in the last few months than I have in the last ten years playing on my own...lol) how do you go about installing your content? Do you have a custom setup or use the defaults? Just curious as I have aquired so much new stuff I don't know how I will ever remember I have it. Thank goodness for the green to grey purchased button, hope it never quits working again...lol
Some content throws this error. I find it annoying. It basically means it loads for you but gives an error 'duplicate id found in file x.' Whenever you use the product or apply the part.
It seems fairly harmless but annoying bug. It has something to do with the script I believe but I am not an expert and that is just my guess. A vendor could probably say more.
I don't like it, because it slows my computer down. Whenever I load a file with this content, it will want me to reassure it it is okay to open because a duplicate id was found. I think this is something that could be discovered easily during beta testing.
I am hoping just my quilled friend is throwing the error, and not everyone has had this error, since this content isn't a new product.
The effect of the Duplicate ID error may not be immediately apparent, but from what I have seen of it it has a knock-on effect with 'random' morph dials, for example. The script only needs to be run once per item and is very much a useful and good thing to do!
The effect of the Duplicate ID error may not be immediately apparent, but from what I have seen of it it has a knock-on effect with 'random' morph dials, for example. The script only needs to be run once per item and is very much a useful and good thing to do!
That's good to know SimonJM. There was one skin I loved to use.... That threw this error because of one of the included morphs.. Even though the vendor submitted an immediate fix it took a LONG time to get an updated product. I hope it doesn't take that long for Kuril!
I've been trying to do a figure in my spare render time who posesses an inner glow a golden aura. This is a real challengel. I have been attempting to add some soft points lights on key points of the figure and then postworking the digital energy around him however it looks a tad like he's casting a spell rather than... That he is glowing/has an aura, adding color postwork in a slight haze washes out the character's definition.
This is an interesting challenge.
Has anyone done a glowing character that works for them?
Can't wait to see what you come up with those graphic art cameras!
I use the default. I was just thinking about doing a video showing how to quickly find your stuff, using the defaults. The reason is that ever since I installed version 4.6 it has been nothing but a pain in the hiney to find stuff that is installed. Most things don't show up, I end up going into the content database maintenance and having to reimport metadata, etc. But you need the SKU number to do that (and as from a thread I posted a month ago, my database refuses to start before an ungodly high number, ignoring a lot of my installed content.)
So I switched tactics a couple weeks ago and now quickly find my content. What I would recommend you try if you are using the default to find your stuff ULTRA fast, is go to your directory (mine is the default C>users>Cathie>MyDocuments>DAZ3D>Studio>MyLibrary (and you can stop there, but to go even faster continue to) >Content>ReadMes and in the search box at the top of your page, just type in the product and you'll zip right to the readme. I just keep the readme section open as I am working and zippity do dah I can go right to where the content is without looking for it anywhere. I found this to be faster than using the readme sections as you have to know the SKU.
Does that help? (and thanks for the compliment. But I seem to recall you pitching in and helping me on the forums. Do you remember what that was? We were both diving into the same topic and of course, you figured it out first :)
Cathie
EDIT: That should be CONTENTS. There is a CONTENT and a CONTENTS in my setup, CONTENTS has more. I didn't set that up, don't know why its that way. I'd go CONTENTS first- it has more.
Okay, bear with me. What if you had a DUPLICATE figure, and put that figure directly on top of the first one, and the second figure could have a very low opacity and a different color opacity? Change up the ambient/ surfaces radically. Am I making sense?
EDIT: Didn't mean different color opacity, I meant diffuse/specular/ambient. Didn't type what I was thinking.
Kharma, I edited the post but this is important (and edits dont show up in emails for those subscribed to the thread) so am posting it:
That should be CONTENTS. There is a CONTENT and a CONTENTS in my setup, CONTENTS has more. I didn't set that up, don't know why its that way. I'd go CONTENTS first- it has more of the readmes.
One thing I would do if you have time- I changed the names of the readmes so it is alphabetical. Then you can just scroll right down to what you want instead of typing it in the search. I will come back and attach a screenshot in about two minutes.
Edit: As you can see, I haven't gotten all mine done either, lol. I've attached two different sections so you can see how much nicer it is to have them alphabetical. When you are working in the studio, all you do is scroll down and find the Readme and then you can go right to where it is. If they don't have a Readme it's a pain, then go to your content database maintenance, (that little square menu above the Smart Content tab) armed with the SKU number and try reimporting metadata. But you can usually get an answer within minutes on the forums if you can't find something :)
thanks for the install tips, I am always searching for an easier way to set up content , I find it annoying when parts of a product are all over. Didn't think to rename the read me's, I will check that out...they do help to find parts of an item.
I don't recall what we were trying to accomplish that time, but glad I could provide you with some help :)
If you find an easy way to rename and reorganize (I'm afraid of messing things up) let me know :) I just looked in my list of references (linked from the first post) and I don't have anything for reorganizing content. I know Szark and I think also Chohole has been very helpful with that, so I may look it up and see if it's over my head (which isn't hard, I'm not up for a challenge this week.)
I did try the whole category thing ( with help from Szark and AdamR) but it was beyond me...I would start moving stuff around to where I thought it should be then *poof* it would all be gone and I'd have to start over. I even went right back to uninstalling everything including DS and started over several times, now I have been installing everything into folders on an external hard drive with the DIM but even that isn't putting some files where I would prefer them to be. So again thinking of starting all over with a new method...lol...no wonder why I never get to post any renders
I have three libraries: purchased content (default), my stuff (morphs, materials, converted clothes...), and extras (freebies). I usually don't reorganise the content itself, unless there's a faulty path or something.
I don't really use smart content, except sometimes for poses. Instead, I've created my own categories.
Okay, bear with me. What if you had a DUPLICATE figure, and put that figure directly on top of the first one, and the second figure could have a very low opacity and a different color opacity? Change up the ambient/ surfaces radically. Am I making sense?
EDIT: Didn't mean different color opacity, I meant diffuse/specular/ambient. Didn't type what I was thinking.
Hmm. That is interesting. I'm going to have to try it tonight. Good idea!
What looks best is what I call the 'madonna look' you know the aura which surrounds a person like a halo but doesn't cover the person, that is easy to do with layers and a few blur motions. But making it surround a person... Ack. IT is proving a challenge.
I only use personally created categories these days and I hand file everything I get into the proper category that I custom make. This is the only way I can ever find content, because I also use content bought elsewhere. I make sure to back up my content user database and daz folder periodically so I don't have to do it ever make categories again. I sometimes put content in two categories, because sometimes somethigng could be both a monster AND an alien.
I'm starting to even file poses, because the names of poses can be wonky. Sometimes I'm looking for a type of pose say: fleeing in terror, and I can't find one, and I'm in a hurry and have to search through a number of files to find the pose I want. Sometimes pose sets may have a particular pose that may suit me for something else, so I file it in my Poses by type folder.
I am constantly refining my process. Once I have it down keeping on top of it saves me more time than hunting for it. .
My library is a mess :) But while I was deciding on how to organize everything, I sort of learned what goes where. I still should organize, but I know that once I do, I won't be able to find anythign anymore.
It's how I work ;)
Wow SereneNight, that's very impressive how you categorize everything. Wish mine looked like that, I could actually find what I want. Usually I get so frustrated looking for something I give up and set my attention elsewhere...
I just don't seem to understand the whole process of categories....
My suggestion is to start small. Do 1 category: Hair. I do not use daz's default folders. EDITED: Daz recommends filing content Under the Default category.
So I make one category and call it HAIR
Place every hair you own in there. Including the ones from genesis starter essentials and their colors which you can copy and put in that folder. They don't have their own product view so sometimes you just have to make a subcategory for them under Hair to place them in. Such as Wildmane hair.
Make sure to get all the hairs that come with models. There are a surprising amount of hairs like the awesome one that came with horror Survivor.
Once you know all your hair is in one place, if you want to break down the category further (I have men's hair and womens), then you can just drag and drop them into the separate folders from within the hair category. I also put the colors in the folder with the hair. I hate that it alphabetizes them by colors instead of by the name of the hair. It makes organization a pain.
Doing this has saved me tons of time when I try out hairs for a figure.
I also do this for lights. If I test a light I like, Such as Jason Lights or Gabage Pile, Or enchanted Island. I create a folder called lights and put all those in there.
Another thing you can do is pace yourself. Use dim and do just products in the 'a' category. File those all by looking them up in product view and putting them in their folder. If you do one a day you get it done.
Content bought off-site just have to bite the bullet and locate in your poser folders. I do this immediately... .Some content is hard to find.
Sorry to sound not so smart about this ( I did post a warning above lol) so under Catagories there is Default , now I created a category called Hair right under it...big question...how do I get my hair files copied to it ?
I've been gone for about 5 hours so am just now reading up. Kharma, if you've created a category at all, you're ahead of my understanding, lol! SereneNight, you have to take baby steps as remember a lot of the folks reading this thread are TOTAL newbies. Can you guide them (and ME) to what step one is perhaps? Many of us are not computer saavy, we just hope the files go where they need to go!
No problem Novica. Will right it up right now. =-)
Okay, here is the first step.
1. In DAZ. Click on the content Library tab on the Right of your viewport.
2. Right click with your mouse on the word Categories
3. Select the Create Sub-Category option. (here is where you create all your categories.)
4. Label the first folder HAIR
Now When you go to your content library and click on Categories you will see: Default and Hair.
5. We are now going to put a hair inside the Hair Category.
To do this, I would recommend using the Product menu which is right above the word Categories. The product menu is very helpful- your content is all there alphabetized if it has meta data.
Lets find Bechet Braids. (or any hair you know the name of).
6. Click the letter B for Bechet braids. All your content will populate with the first letter B.
7. Right click on Bechet Braids
8. Select Create Category
9. Navigate to your hair folder and click Accept.
10 Bechet Braids will now show up when you click hair folder. Repeat for all hairs you have in your product menu.
You are almost there.
Now you go to the Product Menu (Right under categories) . Your Installed content is there in alphabetical order if it has meta data.
Lets select "D" for Damaris Hair.
When you see the word Damaris Hair, right click on it. Select the option Create Category. Name your hair category damaris hair, navigate to the hair folder and click accept.
Damris hair will now show up in your hair category. My apologies for the small screenshots. I cannot show the full view on my notebook.
I'll give this a try later tonight- my studio is acting up- when I open it, it is frozen. I can't even get to Default in Smart Content, so since things are messing up, I'm going to wait a bit and see if rebooting my computer, etc will unlock some issues. All my V's are GONE over in Content Library!
I am sorry. Daz 4.6 is a problem child for me too. Make sure Daz Content manager service is running. Click Ctrl Alt delete
Go to processes make sure DazContentManagement service it isn't stopped. If it is right click and restart. Reboot It may come back.
Will write up instructions on how to deal with hair without individual meta data in a few tics. Have to go downstairs and help wash the dogs!
To categorize hairs and other content that don't have it's own product... Like wild mane hair and Cat hair (for example part of Cat Character and hair).
You must use the product menu to find this content or navigate through the daz Studio format menu. I prefer the Product view because all content including poses and props, and such are in the same place.
Select C and go to Cat Character and Hair.
Categorizing content that is part of another package is slightly different here. If you want you can just put the whole character in your hair category, if you choose to do this, just follow previous instructions. However if you want to file just the hair, you must do it slightly differently.
To just select the hair, navigate to the cat character and hair menu. Find the hair and colors. Use the CTRL button while LEFT clicking with your mouse This will allow you to select more than one item at once. In this case you want just the hair and the colors. When you have completed your multiple selection (don't forget to get the hair too), right click with your mouse and select "categorize"
A sub menu will appear. It wants you to put the file in ta category. Navigate to the hair folder, but instead of just selecting Hair, you want to make a folder for this content. Otherwise the Cat Character Hair will not have a folder and will just be listed at the root of the Hair folder which may look messy.
It is best in this case to RIGHT CLICK on the Hair folder and create a sub category called Cat hair, and then navigate to this folder (now located under the HAIR option and select the folder and accept.
The new hair will now be in its own folder under cat hair.
This is the way to categorize individual items where you do not want to categorize the entire product. This works well for single poses and things like props that you might want to weed out into their own category. I for example have a ROCK category since I use a lot of them as props and like to easily find them. When I get a prop set that contains a rock, I file it with the other rocks for easy access. I now have a library of rocks from various packages so I can easily locate them for a scene.
Please let me know if you need clarification on any of these steps.
Okay, bear with me. What if you had a DUPLICATE figure, and put that figure directly on top of the first one, and the second figure could have a very low opacity and a different color opacity? Change up the ambient/ surfaces radically. Am I making sense?
EDIT: Didn't mean different color opacity, I meant diffuse/specular/ambient. Didn't type what I was thinking.
I tried this method. I had high hopes, but it doesn't product in the desired look- although I must say the eyes are supremely neat looking.
EDIT In the attached picture I made a duplicate M5 and made hip transparent aqua. I upped the ambient. The look really shows with the eyes.
Here's my two other late last night attempts to make this character Glow. In general my aim was not to make him look like a wizard, but to look like he shines like the sun. I think I didn't pull this off because the poses are too wizardly. At anyrate somone might learn from my failure so here goes.
Image 1. I lit him up with some point lights. His skin gets a bit of a jaundiced look, because he's supposed to have a glowing gold aura. The problem I've found with using points is you lose shadow and definition. The closer you put the points to the skin, the more mannequinish the figure looks, because his color and textures are blown out.. His skin is already a caramel brown color so the added points are emphasizing this.
(The backdrop is snowlands Pack for worldbase XT with the curvy mountains removed).
Image 2. I really liked when I worked on it late last night, but you know how that goes, you work on something you like it less when you look at it next. I did enjoy messing around with Ron's digital energy paint brushes to try to get a interesting effect.
One thing I've learned that may be useful to others is:
The clouds from Winter Terrains by stonemason work well with Snowlands Pack for worldbase xt.
They also reflect light so you can get a cloud glow effect when posed near the figure using point lights.
The clouds probably would work nicely with other outdoor environements. They are quite interesting. I'm going to try 'em in other skies to see how they look.
I actually really like the first one where he is looking up at the sky, and the way one arm is lit more than the other. Uneven lighting is more interesting.
Okay, I haven't used many products, but do you use this on regular people, or are the ghosts supplied? http://www.daz3d.com/pwghost
Maybe THAT would work with a duplicate person on top of him, with the ghost outline the glowing gold.