Novica, Serene Night, & Invited Guest Contributors Tips & Product Reviews Pt 3
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@Estroyer
Nice list! I agree with you about Axel. He would certainly be in my top list, except for some reason I thought it could be only stuff I bought this year, not used this year. Axel is a wonderful character. =-)
Thank you- I'm just tickled to have SereneNight with me to help out and do so many of the sci-fi products. And thanks so much for chipping in!
I am headed out the door but will check out each one in more detail, I read it and was wondering if you had rendered any of Axel and the Briefing Room? (Don't think that is weird, both SereneNight and I love the garbage pile product!) Any renders you have of those on your list (family friendly, I need to remind everyone- not directed at you) please feel free to come back and attach to your list.
I am SO sorry to hear about your mother. Mine just turned 86 and that's where I'm headed this morning, to spend some time playing cards with her. My father died when I was 23- I'm sorry yours has had a stroke. Do you live nearby hopefully?
Shame on you. I put in bold "bought or used." :) Although I did elaborate on the fact you don't even have to render it this year. And you leave your list alone- I love it!
LOL- I'm looking at the writing on that Hexxus Sword and hoping it doesn't translate into something that would get the FBI or CIA on my tail. I can just see three dudes in business suits at my front door saying, "Come with us."
=)That's a good pose. Thanks for showing the sword. I have been curious about it. And your rrr was cute! The newspaper was a fun idea. I think I saw a newspaper prop in that standing in line set if you are looking for one.
Summer Trees By Merlin
Waiting In Line Too
Fern Lea Cottage
http://www.daz3d.com/summer-trees-by-merlin
http://www.daz3d.com/waiting-in-line-too
http://www.daz3d.com/fern-lea-cottage
That is the one I used :) It was Waiting In Line Too.
Everyday Stationary has a folded one.
Yeah, the Sea Gulls are currently in the second render that I'm working on, will see how many people notice the little details. I got the giggles when I put it was continued in the Dining section. Poor Scott-L.
Here's the first render in the RRRR contest that she is referring to. If you want to do images in the newspaper that you can move around or cover existing print/ photos, make a primitive plane, then bring your image in using the Diffuse channel (have the plane selected in Scene.)
All the names in the paper are from people competing in the RRRR contest- they have been good sports. Jaderail was the Mayor because it's his birthday. SereneNight had to settle for being a bird, but at least she wasn't sushi. (Scott-L is being a good sport, saying he had been to Japan so that must be karma.)
We have to use the items that we draw. This one has Merlin's summer trees, Fern Lea cottage, and Lilly for V4.
Click to enlarge and have fun. The complete story is over in the RRRR story thread in the commons. It is a continuation of when Gunner caught a baby jellyfish from my first RRRR thread. See how many forum members' names you recognize!
EDIT: You'll really like Merlin's trees- they are big and bushy, well filled in. Lilly shows expressions well and lights quite nicely (this scene, I went with a somewhat weird hue because all of Dazzville is experiencing a sorceress's wrath. I didn't want bright and cheery, and wanted an off color.) Fern Lea cottage has nice areas all along each side to place figures. There's a trellis area on one side.
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/33478/#505977 is the link to the story that goes with this image. The image isn't enlarging when I click on it, so if it does that for you, use this link. (It's strange, it was working, then stopped.)
NOW I am headed out the door. But I got curious and went to find our first thread. It continues to have heavy viewing for being "closed."
35,943 views + second thread (still climbing) 29, 254 + this one at 427 for about 8 hours of existance= 65,624 views. :) Again, thank you everyone for visiting us, don't be shy about asking about products or telling us if you find a great deal (like the pool!)
Where can I subscribe to that paper? :)
If you, or anyone, are intersted I did a little 'how to' for just such a thing as the newspaper
Just added two renders with the Axel skin on M6 and the briefingroom transformed into a classroom.
My dad does indeed live nearby in a town near us.
Tomorrow I go there for christmas dinner :)
I am sorry for your loss at such a young age!
I was talking to one of my elderly clients (mid 70) and she told me that even at that age she sometimes cries missing her parents.
Hope you have a nice time with your mom, those moments can be so precious.
See Estroyer's renders here:
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/34269/P15/#507313
Oooh, I see why you like him. Renders quite nicely!
Tarina's Top Ten of 2013
In no particular order:
#Best of 2013 Underwater Theme Products (IMO) - Ok, so I will cheat and put these three products as one since they go together so well. These are products that I think are essential for anyone who would like to make underwater renders. I was very happy to see so many products in this theme come out during the PA Sale. Here are my favourite ones:
Gardens of Poseidon - Super Bundle by Orestes Graphics - A must have. Very detailed set of plants, rocks, corals and much more, that will make your underwater renders come to life.
Mermaid Genesis 2 Female(s) Mega Bundle by Sickleyield and Fuseling - Finally we have a way to turn genesis figures into mermaids. A must for anyone who likes this theme. The genesis counterpart is also great.
UnderWater Ambiance for DAZ Studio by DestinysGarden - Very versatile set of underwater lights for DS. There exists a Poser counterpart as well.
Morphs:
All of them are by Zev0 whose products I adore. Each set is of high quality and yields wonderful results. In this list I have included only some of my favourite sets by said vendor.
#Growing Up Series: I find it indispensable. A great line of products that adds lots of versatility and realism to your genesis and genesis 2 figures. A must for anyone even marginally interested in rendering children.
Growing Up for Genesis2 Female(s) and V6
Growing Up for Genesis
Growing Up for Genesis2Male(s) / M6 - It is supposed to arrive in the store on Friday (which is Tomorrow! = P). I've been waiting for it to come out and I am sure that I will love it just as much as the previous sets. Preview Thread -----> Growing Up for G2M/M6 & Brothers (Coming Soon)(Commercial)
#Aging Morphs For Genesis - This set enables you to create aged characters for genesis. The set for Genesis 2 is curently in development, you can see some excellent promo shots and WIP's in this thred by Zev0 -----> Aging Morphs2 for G2F & M (WIP) If it comes out in 2014 I'm sure that it will make to my Top Ten of 2014 list. ^^
Lights:
#Advanced DAZ Studio Light Bundle by Age of Armour - The bundle contains: Advanced Ambient Light and Advanced Spotlight This light is great. It really shortens your render times. I haven't used UberEnvironment even once since buying it.
Characters:
#Mouse for Genesis by JoeQuick - It's not an obvious choice for the Top Ten but I find this character very adorable and would like to see more creature-characters from JoeQuick similar to this one. I'm also impressed by its quality. To make such an extreme morph work properly, one has to be very talented. I haven't rendered it yet but I will post some images when I do. In every render of it I've seen so far this mouse looks so cute. ^^
#David 5 Pro Bundle - David 5 is my favourite DO genesis character and I really liked the contents of his Pro Bundle. I am really curious how his genesis 2 counterpart will look like. I also hope that more Pro bundles in the future will contain darker-skinned characters, just like David 5's does.
Last but not least:
#Shades Of Life - Nature by DimensionTheory - This bundle contains excellent shaders you can use on virtually anything: characters, rocks, whole terrains, stone sculptures... I fell in love with this set the first time I've seen it and bought it during PA Sale Anniversary. I would highly recommend it. It is very useful for objects with low-res textures.
#Garibaldi Express Hair System For DAZ Studio by futurebiscuit - Excellent plug-in that enables you to create realistic hairstyles in DS. I have used it only once so far to create hair for my characters in an underwater scene. I'm only slowly beginning to understand how this plug-in works so my work might not be the best example of what it can do, but you can find some amazing creations in here.
#Nature - Plants Pack 1 by Andrey Pestryakov http://www.daz3d.com/nature-plants-pack-1 - Very realistic plants pack that comes with lots of easy to use presets. I must say that it is in my opinion the best creation of this vendor to-date.
#Modular Ruins by Stonemason - I think this set by Stonemason is great (as any of his sets) and would love to see more such modular sets by Stefan. I put it in here because I find it so versatile. The quality of the textures and modeling is of course superb. It's also easy to use and construct your own ruins. I would like to see this set expanded however. Some additional pieces like arches, more floor and wall pieces etc., would make it even more versatile.
@Novica
I do hope that I won't end up as some of the others.=P I really enjoyed reading your entry. It's also great that you won during the previous contest and are now doing the continuation of that other story. : )
Tjohn's Top Ten for 2013 (see photos below for examples of the top four products in action)
(There's no particular order to these, just some of my favorites. :) )
#1 - HDR Pro Sets Urban Recreation by Dimension Theory
http://www.daz3d.com/urban-recreation
A set of 6 360-degree photographic environments each consisting of an outdoor scene, a shadow catching floor plane (only the shadows from objects you place into the scene render on the plane, giving the illusion that objects are casting shadows onto the photographic ground) and lights that match the lighting in the scene. The environments render reasonably fast.
#2 - Subsurface Toolbox by Dimension Theory
http://www.daz3d.com/subsurface-toolbox
The AoA Subsurface Shader can be a bit daunting at first, so I recommend this as a starting point. These are presets that will guide you through the process of tweaking all the individual settings. Look to spend quite a bit of time doing test renders while you learn what each preset does, but this is in my opinion worth the work. Subsurface can mean the difference between a good and a great render. (Subsurface adds some render time, but more and more figures are arriving in the Store with Subsurface skin textures already applied).
#3 - Predatron Essential Lights & Skies
http://www.daz3d.com/predatron-essential-lights-skies
You have an outdoor scene that doesn't come with lights or a Skybox? Here's your answer. The IDL presets can mean long renders, but the other presets are relatively quick and give very good results.
#4 - Growing Up for Genesis2 Female(s) and V6 by Zev0
http://www.daz3d.com/growing-up-for-genesis2-female-s-v6
and
Growing Up for Genesis by Zev0
http://www.daz3d.com/growing-up-for-genesis
These two products can help you age your favorite characters from 5 years old through adulthood. Great for creating families that look like they actually share dna. In the sample image below, all five Genesis 1 figures have the same Michael 5 head shape, but the four younger versions have the base male body shape. From left to right: Michael 5, older teen preset, younger teen preset, 10 year old preset, and 5 year old preset.
#5 - Duckie for Genesis by Joe Quick
http://www.daz3d.com/duckie-for-genesis
Okay, we all have our goofy side, and I just love the Toon Duckie. He (or she) never fails to make me smile. And clothes that weren't specifically made for the Duck can fit well with a bit of adjusting.
#6 - FWEJ Sayuri by EmmaAndJordi, FWArt
http://www.daz3d.com/fwej-sayuri
Victoria 6 asian character that is one of my favorites. She comes with a lot of make-up, eye and nail color options.
#7 - Portia Hair 2 by AprilYSH
http://www.daz3d.com/portia-hair-2
I'm a sucker for the classic 1950's and -60's hairstyles and this Marilyn Monroe-esque hair is one of my favorites. Lots of morphs included.
#8 - Victoria 6 by DAZ 3D
http://www.daz3d.com/victoria-6
Michael 6 by DAZ 3D
http://www.daz3d.com/michael-6
Victoria 6 & Michael 6 HD Add-On Bundle by DAZ 3D
http://www.daz3d.com/victoria-6-michael-6-hd-add-on-bundle
I put all these under one entry because together, they make up the most realistic human figures available for DAZ yet released. The skins that come with these are outstanding, and the HD details are a wonder.
#9 - Project EYEris
http://www.daz3d.com/project-eyeris
Project EYEris - Subsurface Expansion
http://www.daz3d.com/project-eyeris-subsurface-expansion
both by Dimension Theory
Right, more Dimension Theory lol. I'm a bit of a tech geek and many of my favorite products are ways to enhance the figures. The original product has been updated so that it now works with G2 eyes, and the Subsurface Expansion adds some glowing eye presets and also some realistic, monstrous and hi-tech look eyes.
#10 - Subtle Couple Poses For Victoria 5 & Michael 5 by Elele
http://www.daz3d.com/subtle-couple-poses-for-v5-m5
Soulmate II Poses for V6 and M6 by DAZ 3D, Morris
http://www.daz3d.com/combined-figure/soulmate-ii-poses-for-v6-and-m6
Both of these pose sets work very well, and bring out the romantic in me - no easy feat. :)
Invited Guest Contributors
Beginning with thread 3, we are extending the invitation to have Invited Guest Contributors to help showcase the products. These individuals post family friendly renders which are delightful in quality, and they are supportive of other forum members throughout all the threads. They are not hosts of the thread and have no obligation to post renders, but when they do, they agree to list the products in the render and the links, in the format which is already established. They will also be diplomatically sharing their opinions on the products.
This takes time and effort and we appreciate those individuals very much who accept our invitation.
We feel it is important for our thread visitors to understand the thread isn't a free-for-all regarding product reviews, while we encourage visitors to contribute their experience and a render when we discuss a product, there is a structure in place and a certain level of quality we need when representing these vendor's products. We wanted to explain why you would be seeing a lot of renders by specific individuals, and it is because they have been asked to do so. Their posts will be clearly identified.
There are two types of IGC's (Invited Guest Contributors) Permanent and Weekend. Currently we only needed one permanent "staff" member for the thread, and that position has been filled.
Weekend ICG's will be invited and their content coordinated so we can announce it on the thread. Thread visitors will get a real treat starting Friday nights, as we let the Weekend ICG's showcase the products THEY like! (Same requirements- you have to set it up the way we do, provide the links to all products used, and tell why the products rocks!) IT SHOULD BE DAZ PRODUCTS FOR THE MAIN PRODUCTS.
This is a great place for your family friendly work to be seen. Weekend ICG's will probably have 600+ views easily. (Today, Thursday, is 503 so far at 11am for a weekday.) To be an Invited Guest Contributor (ICG) you will receive a PM from me (Novica) and we can discuss what you've already got rendered, or what you'd like to render.
The Permanent Invited Guest Contributor is Jindi. We are delighted to have Jindi assist us and know you'll enjoy seeing those renders. Jindi has been a long time supporter of the threads and knows how we operate. Welcome Jindi!
Weekend Invited Guest Contributors
Our first Invited Guest Contributor this weekend is Totte. Keep an eye out starting tomorrow through Sunday for some fun renders!
Tarina, I have Garibaldi Hair and haven't ever tried to use it, so at least you're ahead of me! And I also like that mouse in your list.
I think it's interesting that Jack's stuff hasn't dominated the top 10, but that's because we assume everyone knows it's good, lol!
The first time I used the Nature- Plants Pack 1 was this morning when I did the sword render. Totally agree it is awesome- fill the scene quickly with plants and away you go!
Thanks Novica and SereneNight. I'm looking forward to it.
By the way, I'm enjoying all these top 10s and now have new products to go on my wishlist, including Nature Plants Pack, The Briefing Room, and Easy Shadows (and those are just for starters)!
Post a render when you finally use Garibaldi Hair. : ) The results people are getting with this plug-in are amazing but I still need a lot of practice with it to create results I'm satisfied with. Using Garibaldi Hair with the Advanced Ambient Light has its advantages since you can flag it. It really reduces your render times. During Animal Sale I bought Grizzly Bear by Alessandro, I love how it looks with the fur in the promos, but when I tried to render it it was so slow that I gave up on it. I have a render I want to use it in and hopefully I will get back to it one day and just let it render over night to avoid frustration. Genesis Mouse also has a LAMH preset and I am hoping to use it when I finally get around to rendering it. I want to finish my RRRR contest entry first however.
I have never used Nature - Plants Pack 1 in any of my final renders but it looked gorgeous in my test ones so I just need to get around to a render that requires some vegetation, to use it. Maybe during RRRR. I am eagerly awaiting the Plants Pack 2. ^^
Choosing my Top Ten was very difficult. For example I had to kick out Michael 6 from it to make room for David 5. =P I purchased a lot of wonderful products during 2013, most of them in its second half and although genesis 2 has become my go-to figure since its release, I thought that poor David deserved some acknowledgment as he came early during the year and I liked him from the first. I think that I would have bought Michael 6 Pro Bundle if it had a darker skinned character in it, sadly it didn't. I really hope this trend changes in the future and we will see more variety is in the DO bundles and G2 characters. Olympia 6 has Nidale but her official promos were a bit misleading.
Still pulling my Top ten together. Will hit Bottom of page one when done. I'm an A Type so I'm checking I bought this year and Used this year. As Forum and render time allows.
Well this thread is really hopping. That's so nice to see, and it is quite exciting we'll get some guest renders on the weekend. Looking forward to it. I wonder how your new favorite skin DarkMatter would look in an underwater render, Novica....?
I'm liking these New Modern Ninja Poses and the character FW Diana. In fact, I think Diana is my favorite skin for Olympia.
I do admit, Forbidden Whispers makes great characters. =-)
Scott's Top Ten Tools of 2013
- Advanced DAZ Studio Light Bundle (see my thread on the topic here)
- Growing Up for Genesis (my review here)
- Skin Overlay Bundle (my review here)
- 220 Emotions for Genesis (my review here)
- Portrait Lighting Tutorial for DS4 (my review here)
- Genesis 2 clones and Gen4 iconic morphs
(including Genesis 2 Female Clone for Genesis, Genesis 2 Male Clone for Genesis, Victoria 4 for Genesis 2 Female, and Michael 4 for Genesis 2 Male
- Sickle Rigging and Morphing System (see official discussion thread here)
- Luxus (my review here)
- DAZ Studio 4.6 with the Subsurface Shader Base, Genesis 2 Female Starter Essentials, Genesis 2 Male Starter Essentials, Genesis Starter Essentials (this one's not new for 2013), the User Guide, Quick Start Guide, and 3D University free video tutorial series.
- Golden Rules composition helpers (available for DAZ Studio and for Bryce).
Scott's Top 10 3D Content of 2013
People
- David 5
- Santo for M5
- Victoria 6
- Michael 6
Hair
- Udane Hair
Clothing
- Game of Thrones-inspired clothing
- includes: Dragon Queen, Lion Queen, Wolf King, Night Guard, Priestess, King of the Steppe and additional texture sets
- Doomed Poet Clothing and Poses and Expressions
Sets
- Aslan Court
- High Cliff Crossing
- Royal Court Bundle
Invited Guest Contributors
Get ready to rock n' roll tomorrow (through Sunday) as our Weekend Invited Guest Contributors share their renders. They have the option to post other weekends as their time permits, but you'll definitely see something from these folks sometime during this weekend. I will be sending out invitations for new contributors to start next weekend, so the number will grow. That way it remains a fun "do it when you can" option. These do NOT need to be new renders- we often wonder what products are used in some of the existing ones, so it's a great way to find out! You may even see RRRR renders which have a wild variety of items thrown together- those are really fun!
Thanks so much to these wonderful artists. Looking forward to the renders. I've asked that they post starting sometime tomorrow afternoon through Sunday night. They can post as often as they want but we've only asked for one render. (Be careful IGC's, it's addictive!)
ICG's- remember to put a link to your wonderful galleries and art studio threads :) I know Ivy and Scott-L have threads and Tjohn has a gallery.
Totte
Tarina Kivi
Koyoto Kid
Ivy
Tjohn
Scott-Livingston
Next Week's Invited Guest Contributors: (Dec 27th)
In addition to the ICG's from this week who want to post renders, next week, Jaderail will post a render a two and share his opinions on some products. He's really busy so we really appreciate his time!
Looking forward to those renders Jaderail, and the top 10 list. =-)
Heads up on the new shopping cart- FINALLY they will show you the original price, and the new price- so you don't have to take all the items out to test and see what discount you are getting, or which one might be screwing up! The Commons has a post on it.
Nidale
Regina Malorum Hair
http://www.daz3d.com/nidale
http://www.daz3d.com/regina-malorum-hair
Wanted to quickly show you Nidale before she goes off sale. She was placed on Victoria 6 High Definition.
This is the character "out of the box." Also another reminder about the Rocks N Drops backgrounds- use that Diffuse channel and change the colors! You would have an unlimited amount of charming backgrounds just with color changes.
This is my first test render- which I think is important for you to see. I don't like what's going on with the front of the hair. If you go to the product page, there's a hint of it there too. Will see what tweaking does, but you needed to see this out of the box. The great news- the hair and character took under 6 minutes to render- with ALL that plant pack loaded. Tellin' ya, it's a must have!
Gotta go tweak the lights and the hair.
My Top Ten is ready when you are. :)
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/34269/P42
Great list- I was going to put Predatron's Essential Lights and Skies but only had ten slots- and totally agree with Portia Hair. My other go-to for a windswept look from that time period (any time period) is Nordic Hair. It's almost like people had their hair done, but got caught in a windy day or just a good game of tennis, lol!
Duckie eh? Mine continues to be the baby dragons I first rendered. The toon ones.
I am having very little luck with that hair. I am going to reload it and start from scratch- maybe. There are crown adjustments but after using them, I had to make the hair poof out so much from the front that it looked ridiculous. I would say it is my level of expertise, but duh, I'm not a new kid on the block and if I am having this much trouble, it's either just not my day or there's something that needs to be fine tuned and it will take you awhile.
Before I redo it, I decided to test the other hair by this vendor to see if it loads looking halfway decent or not. If not, I am returning both of them, whether they say you can or not! Neither were used to achieve Snowball status. Testing it now, it will speak for itself. Same lighting, will show you out of the box. If this doesn't turn out, I might not mess with the first one.
EDIT:.The upcoming render will show you how this loads out of the box.