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Novica & Serene Night’s Renders, Tips, Tutorials & Product Reviews PART 2

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited December 1969

    BTW, that splotchy guy might be worth keeping to enter into a creature creation contest- change up the ears, face, body, and you definitely already have the weird skin materials! Like someone who is in the middle of transforming into a reptile, lol! (Or either he's converting BACK from one.)

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,654
    edited September 2013

    Novica said:
    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.


    I agree. It is more appealing. Uneven lighting is more visually interesting. That I think is the problem with making a person glow. Light would be somewhat uniform from all angles creating less visual interest.

    Post edited by Serene Night on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited December 1969

    I just did the Beautiful Black Hairstyles using your directions, very easy! One tiny thing- Step 8. Select Create Category is easy, then for Step 9- "Navigate to your hair folder and click Accept." that means click on the black arrowhead to expand that section, as the categories you have created will be listed as submenus. (aka, Hair will be there.)

    Thanks so much SereneNight! Just to be sure- This isn't Smart Content so if I am understanding correctly, when I go to Hair in Content Library, ALL my hair will be there. I need to know what goes to what figure, right? IF so, then...

    TIP: Have your Product Library open- and look up the hair or clothing and put who it is for at the end of the name. For instance, I put "Beautiful Black HairStyles V4" If there was more than one, say Aiko 4, Stephanie 4, Victoria 4 I'd put A.S.V4 (in alphabetical order, every time) at the end.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited September 2013

    Second thought, I think with the amount of products I have (and you folks have) it might be worthwhile to make hair folders for each model, aka Hair4 (meaning 4th generation) then use the A.S.V (Aiko, Stephanie, Victoria) at the end. I want to separate my 5th generation stuff for Genesis. That would be Hair5. If they work for both, I'd put them in the lowest Generation I think.

    EDIT: Okay, the way I went with the hair was:
    Hair 4
    Hair 4.5
    Hair 5
    Hair 5.6

    The 4.5 means generation 4 and 5 (V4 and Genesis)
    5.6 means Genesis (Generation 5) and Genesis 2 (V6)

    And for the earlier generations (the 4th) I can still put the A (Aiko) S (Stephanie) etc at the end of the title.

    Post edited by Novica on
  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,654
    edited December 1969

    I don't presently sort by hair generation, only by gender. Because of auto fit i don't find it necessary. However with gen 2 this may eventually be necessary. But the trick is to make categories which work for you.

    One thing is once you get it all in the hair folder you can drag and drop it within the folder and save you time. So if you decide to sub-categorize just make extra folders within hair you can drag and drop content in hese folders to easily organize your categories.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited December 1969

    I have those already set up so as I check them out in the Product Library, I can do it quickly.
    I have to say you ROCK. This is the easiest explanation I found so far as setting this up. I am only doing the first part (aka, steps 1-9) using Products, will go through and do that first, before tackling anything else. Again, thanks SO much.

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,654
    edited December 1969

    Novica said:
    I just did the Beautiful Black Hairstyles using your directions, very easy! One tiny thing- Step 8. Select Create Category is easy, then for Step 9- "Navigate to your hair folder and click Accept." that means click on the black arrowhead to expand that section, as the categories you have created will be listed as submenus. (aka, Hair will be there.)

    Thanks so much SereneNight! Just to be sure- This isn't Smart Content so if I am understanding correctly, when I go to Hair in Content Library, ALL my hair will be there. I need to know what goes to what figure, right? IF so, then...

    TIP: Have your Product Library open- and look up the hair or clothing and put who it is for at the end of the name. For instance, I put "Beautiful Black HairStyles V4" If there was more than one, say Aiko 4, Stephanie 4, Victoria 4 I'd put A.S.V4 (in alphabetical order, every time) at the end.

    You can categorize both smart and unsmart content this way. If you can locate it in you directory you can file it in your own categories whether it is daz content or rendo content. For content purchased outside daz you will not have a product view folder to help you. You will need to find the hair and the colors and accessories in their various folders and compile them in a single folder in you categories.

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,654
    edited September 2013

    Novica said:
    I have those already set up so as I check them out in the Product Library, I can do it quickly.
    I have to say you ROCK. This is the easiest explanation I found so far as setting this up. I am only doing the first part (aka, steps 1-9) using Products, will go through and do that first, before tackling anything else. Again, thanks SO much.

    Glad to help. =) When I first used daz I only used smart content and the folders were mystifying. I could often spend hours finding third party content because some would be in pose file, some in character etc. This way I can organize properly and find content every time.

    EDITED to add:

    There also is content that has no product view like "Probes mechanical Mayhem"

    This content was never brought to dim or has a product view. This has to be noted and put together manually.

    One thing about doing all similar content is Daz remembers the last folder you were in. So if you do all men's hair, (or whatever category you use), you don't have to go in and re-select the same thing when you categorize- like you would if you alternated doing different types of products.

    Post edited by Serene Night on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited September 2013

    Good morning everyone :)
    Yes, to save time, think about this-
    Set up a main category such as Hair. Drag all your hair into it. (Instead of setting up specific ones like hair4, hair4.5, whatever) then make those specific categories. You can drag the hair where it needs to be after you have it all in the main Hair folder. How this saves time- you don't have to keep switching back and forth between Products (the alphabetical list) and Categories (where Hair, 4.5 etc is located.) EDIT: And that main category will remain the one selected, so all you do when that box pops up is "Accept." It's very fast.

    Post edited by Novica on
  • KharmaKharma Posts: 3,214
    edited December 1969

    SereneNight thanks for the clear concise instructions on categories...I am going to work on that today so please bear with me if I have more questions. I don't know why this is such a mystifying subject...seems much easier now :)

    Novica, thanks for the tips about subcategories...wasn't sure how to make notes about which products work for who

  • KharmaKharma Posts: 3,214
    edited December 1969

    Ok so I am back to the same problem I had before when trying to create categories.

    Yesterday I created my Hair folder in categories right under default folder. Then proceeded to add my hair product to the folder and there it was as should be. Today I open my DS 4.6 - go to my category folder and default folder is still there, hair folder is still there, BUT the hair product I put in the folder is no longer there.

    Is there a save I am supposed to do after moving products to categories so they stay put next time I open DS?? This is exactly why I gave up the whole thing last fall when Istruggled for hours to make it stay put! :(

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited September 2013

    Hi Kharma :)
    The setup that I think is going to work great for me is Hair 4, 4.5 (Which means Generation 4 and Genesis), 5, 5.6 (Genesis and Genesis 2)
    That way, I don't have to deal with autofit, (but I can) as with so many hair styles, I can just zip to one I know is for that character. What I did was this: I made a page (on paper, I can jot faster than going back and forth to a computer page) and I left room on the left to write the hair, then across the top put (Gen is Genesis) Gen Gen 2 A F G H K M S V VE (Aiko, Freak, Girl Hiro, Kids, Michael, Stephanie, Victoria, Victoria Elite) Then I work in Product Library and do all my research, check mark the columns, then it's fast when I go work in the studio. Zipping right along. If something is both Gen and any of those letters for the 4th generation they go in Hair 4.5 (for 4th generation, and Genesis.)

    What is nice about this, in your menus, you will have hair 4, hair 4.5 right next to each other so they are all together. Same for 4.5 then 5, they are both together. If something is in the 4 or 4.5 file, I assume they are for Victoria or Michael if they have nothing after their name. If it is also designated for Aiko, Freak, etc, I will put A.F after the name. (Just because the vendor didn't designate it, doesnt mean I won't TRY it on Stephanie, etc- but if it's specifically noted for a figure, I'll note it.) BTW, using periods between the A, F, G, H, etc makes them easiest to see.

    So far as saving. When you create the subcategory, you click Accept. When you do a product (I am doing one now as a "test") you right click it, Create A Category, then the Select Parent Category popup appears, click on the category and click ACCEPT. Try that and then go to the category and see if it's there. Shut off your studio and reopen, and let me know if it's there. I did a complete reinstall of my 4.6 before I started this- because my content management service was messed up. This is working great. Are you version 4.6?

    Post edited by Novica on
  • KharmaKharma Posts: 3,214
    edited December 1969

    I am using DS 4.6. I tried again to move my hair product, Aila Hair, into the hair category. Shut down my DS and my computer and restarted...so far so good it is still there. Going to add a couple more and shut down again and see if they stay....

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited December 1969

    Glad it's working. Don't know why it didn't earlier, maybe, somehow, you didn't click Accept, but that window would have stayed open, I think. Keep me posted, hoping for the best.

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,654
    edited September 2013

    There is one other trick I have found that can be helpful.

    Categorizing in 2 places

    Say you want to categorize something in two places. Once you have it in a category, you can right click on the it's folder : Say: Damarais Hair, and click "Duplicate category only"

    or "Duplicate category and sub-categories". You can then make a copy to place in a different category while keeping the initial category. This is useful for items you might want to see filed in two places at once.

    One thing to remember is if you uninstall a product it will remove your items in the categories. So be prepared to re-categorize stuff. It will leave a blank folder with nothing inside.

    Backing Up: -Somewhat advanced

    Backup.User Data

    Once you have your categories worked out, backup your user data is an important thing to do. If you have a huge runtime, it could take a while to do this. To backup your

    categories:

    1. Right Click on the content Library tab.
    2. Select Content Database Maintenance
    3. Select Export User Data
    4. Click Accept

    Now the user data has been backed up. So if something should happen to your install you can restore your categories if the Content Management Service folder is in tact.

    to further backup your stuff, it is recommended that you backup your content management service folder.

    To do this:

    1. Exit daz.
    2. You must stop the DazContentManagementService. On Windows You click CTRL ALT DELETE at the same time. Click Start Task Manager. Go to the Services tab. Right Click and stop

    this service from running.
    3. Locate your content management service folder. (It is on my machine: C:\Program Files\DAZ 3D) May be in different location if you have custom install.
    4. Copy this folder to external location.
    5. Start up DAZCONTENTMANAGEMENT Service.

    You now have backed up both User data and content management service folder.

    Post edited by Serene Night on
  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,654
    edited December 1969

    I like the suggestion of trying pwghost if anyone has used this product let me know.

  • raindrop_1ff71f4538raindrop_1ff71f4538 Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    SereneNight, have you tried with a geometry shell?

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited September 2013

    A surprise product combination that is really fun-

    Performer For V4
    JeanZ For V4
    Nikkou Hair For Hiro 5
    LR's Bianca For V4

    http://www.daz3d.com/performer-for-v4
    http://www.daz3d.com/jeanz-for-v4
    http://www.daz3d.com/nikkou-hair-for-hiro-5
    http://www.daz3d.com/lr-s-bianca-for-v4

    The TUTU IS SEPARATE- without it, this makes an adorable top! There is also http://www.daz3d.com/city-nights-for-performer-v4

    So I guess I have to remind myself when I see outfits, that even if they seem one piece, they might not be. I didn't think I could use that as a top at all! I was going to zoom in and do a closeup and then was thinking, "Wait a minute...the frilly bottom isn't there. Neat!"

    The Nikkou Hair takes forever to render. 12% at 34 minutes with a .80 shading rate. Still on the hair and it's barely showing. A 900 X 1080 render, so I am whacking it down to 500 x 600 and a 1.00 shading rate. Well, 13% at 19 minutes and I need to get my content organized so here is a SCREENSHOT. The pearls are also from The Performer.

    The jeans have easy to use morphs, you can make them baggy, low rise, or high rise, etc. You'll be pleased. The top (well, outfit) went on without ANY adjustments!

    performer2.jpg
    1091 x 1792 - 376K
    Post edited by Novica on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited December 1969

    I knew about the duplicates :) Figured that out last night. With doing my hair as Hair4.5 I don't have to do duplicates, I know it works for Generation 4 and Genesis (a rare flash of brilliance) so I don't have to put in two folders.

    Here's something I need to nail down- you said, "One thing to remember is if you uninstall a product it will remove your items in the categories. So be prepared to re-categorize stuff. It will leave a blank folder with nothing inside." Is uninstalling the same thing as clicking and Deleting?

  • KharmaKharma Posts: 3,214
    edited December 1969

    Had aDIM update to install got big error message and DIM disappeared completely, even uninstall couldn't find it...lol Anyway rebooted computer again finally managed to redownload and install it again and everything still shows up in DIM as before..whew.

    Good news...my categorized files I did previously were all still there so I stilldon't know why they disappeared this morning. oh well...all is good at the moment. One thing I did discover was a few orphaned references that showed up in smart content but there was no remove orphaned reference choice when right clicking on it, so I went into content DB and checked it and reimport metadata. I have no idea but it sounded good so I hope it works. Looks like the reimport may take awhile tho...

  • JaderailJaderail Posts: 0
    edited September 2013

    I have the pwGhost shader, I did as suggested and tried it with a Geo Shell. Here are my notes on it. First off, FINISH your base Figure first. That means textures and items including Clothing. For your UV be sure you LOCK it as pwGhost will cause issues with it. SAVE the fully done figure as a Scene Subset. From there your ready to try. Clear DS, shutting it down and starting again is best. LOAD the figure, for JUST the character Select it and do Create Geo Shell, for a full all of it clothing type do Multi Select and create the Geo Shell. NOW un-Parent the Shell from the Figure. Select the Shell in the Scene Tab and in the Surfaces Tab and Apply the pwGhost shader PHAMTOM setting. Then change the Colors in the Surfaces Tab while ALL surfaces are selected. Here is a FAST example done with M5.

    Glow_Test.jpg
    1000 x 1000 - 113K
    Post edited by Jaderail on
  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,654
    edited December 1969

    Jaderail said:
    I have the pwGhost shader, I did as suggested and tried it with a Geo Shell. Here are my notes on it. First off, FINISH your base Figure first. That means textures and items including Clothing. For your UV be sure you LOCK it as pwGhost will cause issues with it. SAVE the fully done figure as a Scene Subset. From there your ready to try. Clear DS, shutting it down and starting again is best. LOAD the figure, for JUST the character Select it and do Create Geo Shell, for a full all of it clothing type do Multi Select and create the Geo Shell. NOW un-Parent the Shell from the Figure. Select the Shell in the Scene Tab and in the Surfaces Tab and Apply the pwGhost shader PHAMTOM setting. Then change the Colors in the Surfaces Tab while ALL surfaces are selected. Here is a FAST example done with M5.

    That looks awesome Jaderail. Thanks for testing it for me. I may have to pick that up!

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,654
    edited December 1969

    Novica said:
    I knew about the duplicates :) Figured that out last night. With doing my hair as Hair4.5 I don't have to do duplicates, I know it works for Generation 4 and Genesis (a rare flash of brilliance) so I don't have to put in two folders.

    Here's something I need to nail down- you said, "One thing to remember is if you uninstall a product it will remove your items in the categories. So be prepared to re-categorize stuff. It will leave a blank folder with nothing inside." Is uninstalling the same thing as clicking and Deleting?

    I figured, but thought I'd mention. Some things you might want to categorize twice at some point.

    Uninstalling via dim is what I mean. Now that I think it is fairly obvious, but, eh, I typed it at work... Hah and posted on my lunch hour.

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,654
    edited December 1969

    Raindrop Drinkwater said:
    SereneNight, have you tried with a geometry shell?

    No haven't tried that, but thanks for the tip! Going to check it out. =-)

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,654
    edited December 1969

    Novica said:
    A surprise product combination that is really fun-

    Performer For V4
    JeanZ For V4
    Nikkou Hair For Hiro 5

    http://www.daz3d.com/performer-for-v4
    http://www.daz3d.com/jeanz-for-v4
    http://www.daz3d.com/nikkou-hair-for-hiro-5

    The TUTU IS SEPARATE- without it, this makes an adorable top! There is also http://www.daz3d.com/city-nights-for-performer-v4

    So I guess I have to remind myself when I see outfits, that even if they seem one piece, they might not be. I didn't think I could use that as a top at all! I was going to zoom in and do a closeup and then was thinking, "Wait a minute...the frilly bottom isn't there. Neat!"

    The Nikkou Hair takes forever to render. 12% at 34 minutes with a .80 shading rate. Still on the hair and it's barely showing. A 900 X 1080 render, so I am whacking it down to 500 x 600 and a 1.00 shading rate. Well, 13% at 19 minutes and I need to get my content organized so here is a SCREENSHOT. The pearls are also from The Performer.

    The jeans have easy to use morphs, you can make them baggy, low rise, or high rise, etc. You'll be pleased. The top (well, outfit) went on without ANY adjustments!

    Nice. I like the top and the hair on that character! Cool.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited December 1969

    Jaderail, that is perfect! Thanks for taking the time to help out :) That glow is really neat.

  • JaderailJaderail Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    More than welcome. I'm in near limbo waiting on the new PC so I enjoy using this one to help if I can.

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,654
    edited December 1969

    By Candle Light
    http://www.daz3d.com/by-candle-light-for-daz-studio

    By Candle Light is a nice light and prop set by Khory which allows you to achieve a realistic candlelit scene using a variety of different candles of various sizes and shapes. You can really light up your romantic scene or dinner table using these lights. Plus I like and appreciate how realistic and detailed the candle flame appears in renders.

    There are also a number of nice lights included in this set which I never really played with too much initially, but upon experimenting with, can produce some really nice looks for your scene. These lights in addition to the candle flame really can create a nice mood.

    Render 1. Just a close up of a large candle.
    Render 2. Holding a candle.

    candle-holding-guy.jpg
    604 x 720 - 59K
    candle-2.jpg
    852 x 852 - 229K
  • IndigoJansonIndigoJanson Posts: 1,100
    edited December 1969

    Thanks for sharing your candle renders, this looks like one to put on my wishlist!

  • KharmaKharma Posts: 3,214
    edited December 1969

    Thanks for the candle review, its been on my wishlist awhile now...hoping Khory's store goes on sale this month

This discussion has been closed.