Novica, Serene Night, & Invited Guest Contributors Tips & Product Reviews Pt 3
This discussion has been closed.
Daz 3D is part of 
Connect
DAZ Productions, Inc.
7533 S Center View Ct #4664
West Jordan, UT 84084
Licensing Agreement | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | EULA
© 2024 Daz Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Comments
Yeah. =-)
I was wrong though, the light set came with the "alcove" http://www.daz3d.com/the-alcove
It is a PC club item. Great little light set. I only thought it came with starter essentials, because I actually remove all my lights and place them in a single folder. But... Upon closer inspection that's where the set comes from.
OMGosh, I am laughing SO hard. Tjohns "Duckie" from his top 10 list is in one of the featured stores!
Trish NOW has Fur, it was a team effort but is now 100% loading. Just needed to say that.
Houston we have a go for fur...all set to blast off now.....LOL Trish
That's right. The Sun in lighting sets is a distant light, as is the Specular light (AFAIK, because the lighting sets I've examined seem to follow this naming convention) The Sun provides the diffuse lighting and casts the shadows, the Specular provides the shine on objects that use the specular and glossiness settings in their surfaces, but doesn't cast shadows. What I'm calling Ambient is usually the UberEnvironment2, which acts as a "fill" light to lighten the shadows in the scene and uses an image to simulate light "bounce" and also doesn't cast shadows.
These are all based on "native" lights that are provided for free with Daz Studio, but have been tweaked by the vendor to provide more useful (and easier and quicker than adding the lights yourself one by one and tweaking them) lighting effects in a scene.
I'm self-taught, so if the information I'm giving here is not quite right, someone who is more in the know, please clarify.
That's right. The Sun in lighting sets is a distant light, as is the Specular light (AFAIK, because the lighting sets I've examined seem to follow this naming convention) The Sun provides the diffuse lighting and casts the shadows, the Specular provides the shine on objects that use the specular and glossiness settings in their surfaces, but doesn't cast shadows. What I'm calling Ambient is usually the UberEnvironment2, which acts as a "fill" light to lighten the shadows in the scene and uses an image to simulate light "bounce" and also doesn't cast shadows.
These are all based on "native" lights that are provided for free with Daz Studio, but have been tweaked by the vendor to provide more useful (and easier and quicker than adding the lights yourself one by one and tweaking them) lighting effects in a scene.
I'm self-taught, so if the information I'm giving here is not quite right, someone who is more in the know, please clarify.100% dead on the Nail my friend.
Thanks for confirming, Jade. :)
Just would like to say this is one of the most informative and fun threads in the Forums, and to thank our gracious hostesses for providing it. :)
Wow, love those 'Ninja' poses SereneNight. It's not often poses turn my head but the romantic ones you featured recently and these action ones have both done that. I don't remember who the others were by, but hope Smay and Velemudr continue their partnership (with a warm welcome to Velemudr who seems to be a new name).
Ivy, beautiful work with Pabu. What a gorgeous winter wonderland image -- just look at that shadow too! Can't wait to see your yoga animation.
Now I'm off to play with the latest Christmas Freebies and also take a look at the Alcove lights. I must admit, until I started reading this thread, it never occurred to me to mix and match light presets from different scenes....
You're welcome- but YOU'RE the one that just answered one of OUR questions, LOL!
Trish- glad you can finally get your kitty cats up and running with fur. Sorry it took a team to do it!
FYI- I am shopping the "not usually on sale" vendors to use my snowball discounts, and I've found some older goodies. Now, I use V4 and will start using M4, because I have so much stuff and I don't frankly care about every bend in the elbow or thigh, or a crease here and there- there is just TOO much cool stuff out there. For example, that diving suit that just came out, I wondered about it for the older figures- and voila, look at the PROPS that come with these below. The second one has the poses- away you go!
First, if you have the V4 Bodysuit, have a blast making it a wetsuit:
http://www.daz3d.com/diving-suits-for-v4-bodysuit
Here's Serrge:
Oh yeah- they are 1.99 platinum club! PLUS your snowball discount.
http://www.daz3d.com/v4-diving-gear (with suit, fins, snorkel, mask. Not bad for under $2)
http://www.daz3d.com/v4-diving-gear-2
Buoyancy Compensator with Rebreather
Fins, Mask, Leg Sheath with removable knife, Spear Gun with spear,
Hand Scooter Figure: Spinning propeller
Pose Presets:
Diving with gun
Diving with scooter
Diving
Grab spear gun
Position hand scooter
Tiki Bar: I'm giving up- this thing has been on my wishlist since Sept. 2012. I'm caving and getting it. Look at the sign that comes with it :) So to keep with the ocean theme, this is my Christmas present to me.
http://www.daz3d.com/tiki-bar
Now off the ocean stuff-
Also, if you use police, don't forget our wonderful firefighters that need to get in the action- found them for M4. The vendor is Billy-T and I've never heard of him. So now you have too,
http://www.daz3d.com/m4-fire-fighters-set
Reference Post: Hair That Works Well In Underwater Scenes
Here's your chance to help fellow artists. Want to know what hair you have found useful for mermaids or folks in the water- what gives the best floating look? (I know, I am on a water kick at the moment. I AM in upper Florida and at 5:45am it is 68 degrees on Dec 21st, which is unusual, so I am thinking tropical.)
Please tell what figure it is originally for. I will compile all your suggestions and copy/paste here, then put a link to this post in the reference section for easy access. (Although that will stay in thread 2, remember it's linked from the first post in THIS thread.) Help us get a good list going. Hair should be able to "wisp away" and "float."
Please put the hair in the title with the Generation, like I have done. Put the link(s) under it. :) I am not putting ALL the color links, just if they are easy to find- so don't assume they don't have additional / related products.
Calais Hair And Ruff (Gen 4)
EXAMPLE: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/28321/#421647
http://www.daz3d.com/calais-hair-and-ruff
Esidor (Genesis, Gen 4)
http://www.daz3d.com/long/esidor-hair
http://www.daz3d.com/coloration-esidor
Gregoria Hair (Genesis, Gen 4)
http://www.daz3d.com/long/gregoria-hair
Kione Hair (Gen 4, some Gen 3's)
http://www.daz3d.com/kione-hair
http://www.daz3d.com/kione-color-and-movement
http://www.daz3d.com/coloration-kione
FOR THE GUYS, LOOK AT MARABOO HAIR:
Maraboo Hair
http://www.daz3d.com/maraboo-hair
Marja Hair
EXAMPLE:http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/34269/P105/#509028
http://www.daz3d.com/marja-hair
Mitsu Hair For Genesis
EXAMPLE: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/34269/P90/#508715
http://www.daz3d.com/long/mitsu-hair-for-genesis
Naoko Fantasy Action Hair (Gen 4, Gen 3)
EXAMPLE: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/28321/
http://www.daz3d.com/naoko-fantasy-action-hair
http://www.daz3d.com/naoko-hair-props-plus
Reby Sky Elite Hair
EXAMPLE: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/28321/#424137
http://www.daz3d.com/reby-sky-elite-hair
Sylphiad Hair (Gen 3)
http://www.daz3d.com/sylphiad-hair
[strong]Tatiana hair
EXAMPLE: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/34269/P105/#509028
http://www.daz3d.com/tatiana-hair
Xenia Hair
EXAMPLE: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/34269/P105/#509028
http://www.daz3d.com/xenia-hair
Will someone who has this hair test it for float? It LOOKS like it might. You don't have to do a render, just go check the morphs and see if you can get the strands to flow out convincingly (or out-up, etc)
http://www.daz3d.com/long/titania-hair
Anyone got this one? That promo doesn't do diddly squat. Need it tested too. (again, just test, you don't have to do a render unless you want to.)
http://www.daz3d.com/long/mitsu-hair-for-genesis
Look through this thread, there are some nice suggestions in there. http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/28321/
Personally I think that Garibaldi Hair gives you the most control over the results. I also like AlfaSeed's Desir Hair from RDNA http://www.runtimedna.com/DesirHair.html It has some nice floating morphs. Their store is curently at 30% off. Mostly skimpwear but the hair looks quite realistic.
EDIT: I cannot wait to see your underwater renders. I've been in a mood for underwater lately as well...
I have it and it has some nice floating morphs. : )
EDIT: Added a quick example of some of the more "floaty" morphs.
Thanks, will add it then :) Skimming that forum now- only listing DAZ items though.
EDIT: Thanks for the pictures- I put a link to your post under the "Example" for it. :)
Thanks Jindi! I think you'll like those lights, I know I am, plus it seems a reasonable base preset for other lights, as I've experimented making my own by copying some of the settings. I do admit I love pre-made pose sets, so you will probably see more from me, especially those of a action/romantic variety.
Just would like to say this is one of the most informative and fun threads in the Forums, and to thank our gracious hostesses for providing it. :)
Thank you! We love doing it and like to hear from you all. =-)
"I'm self-taught, so if the information I'm giving here is not quite right, someone who is more in the know, please clarify"
Thanks so much TJohn. =-) This was useful as well. I'm self taught as well. All I've learned is from reading the forums, helpful people like Jaderail, and you and just messing around with things..It can be tough to admit that I have gaps in basic knowledge because there are some things I simply know nothing about.
Just FYI everyone: I picked up Sheppherd for M6. The skin looks great, BUT no cleanshaven option. It wasn't sure from reading the promo whether all characters had facial hair or what. So just FYI if you want to buy him, he has perma stubble and a sole patch, with no option to remove. That I can see. =-)
Does the stubble look realistic? (I'm too lazy to go look at the promos, lol. I'm getting ready to go get some sleep. We have some potentially violent storms tracking from west to east (Hope you folks in TX, LA, and MS did okay last night, there were two tornadoes last time I checked in the middle of the night in Mississippi.) But anyway, I need to get some sleep in case I need to head out to the horse, so you all have fun today on the thread. I just bought a bunch of stuff, but I have to work on my RRRR all weekend and next week. I am rendering Thalia Hair- goes on like a breeze, can recommend that one. Will post sometime soon.
Yes, the stubble looks great to me. Not being able to remove it and the sole patch, however will limit the versatility of this skin for me. I'll have to pull it up in photoshop sometime. Even so, I think the skin texture is excellent. Not ashy or beige, but vibrant and full of life.
I have put this character's skin on Shaun who I happen to have on-screen and been tweaking his facial features This is not the default morphs, just the skin. You can see how nice it looks, there is some vascularity here which looks good.
Lights here are the from alcove.
These are quick renders.
In the 3rd image I adjusted one light to reflect gray and toned down the specular. I'm not fond of too much burn on the character, although sometimes I do not alway see this.
Cute renders. I like men with stubble. :) I haven't seen too many men in my neighborhood with stubble. They are either clean shaven or have beards and mustaches.
=) He sure is a cutie. I would love a cleanshaven version though. It allows me to get more milage from the character.
Guest Product Review:
Growing Up for Genesis
One of my Top Ten from 2013
(Now also available as part of the Growing Up Bundle)
If you render a lot of children and like to use the Genesis figure, this product is nearly indispensable. There aren't many child characters for Genesis available for purchase--hardly any, in fact--and "Basic Child" will only get you so far. I'm the father of three, and have worked with young people for most of my adult life, and I've yet to meet a "basic" child. The product consists of ten morphs and five age-based presets (plus presets for zeroing the figure). The presets set the "Growing Up" morphs to predefined levels (five-year-old, ten-year-old, young teen, older teen, and adult), and you can apply them to the character of your choice in order to change his or her age. The character retains basically the same appearance, only younger. Works well with realistic characters, anime or toon-styled characters, and even monstrous creatures.
One of the morphs included is a Youth Posture morph, which is helpful even for adult characters who you wish to have a more upright, less swaybacked posture.
No textures are included...the G2F and G2M versions of the product have optional add-on "Sisters" and "Brothers" products containing textures, but no such product exists for Growing Up Genesis. If you are in need of child textures, keep in mind that skins made for K4 are compatible with Genesis. One option: Children of the World by Virtual_World is a budget-friendly source of high-quality textures, in several skin tones.
One thing to watch when using this product: when morphing an adult female character into a young girl, the Growing Up morphs alone probably won't flatten the chest enough. You'll need to either dial in some other morphs to assist, or else dial down the female character's full-body morph (and dial up the head morph to compensate)
Wow! Thanks for that review Scott! I do agree morphs like these are great. I also think that is a handy tip about dealing with the swaybacked posture. =-)
I like your application of the aged/stone texture to these morphs. and your kids playing in the study is well done! =-)
Invited Guest Contributor
I had planned to do this yesterday but someone ate all my time, I think it was the Christmas monster Rudolf the mutated Reindeer. I also was unsure on what to do, if I should take an action scene or a scene from RRRR or something between that, but I finally settled for Let him live.
A take on Let Him Live!
I decided to do a take on one of my most successful renders from 2013, which uses both old and new stuff.
The scene
Medieval Docks by Faveral
One of the best medieval city environments out there, detailed and renders pretty good. It is a town that is very plausible, in layout and design.
The cage
The Caged Cart by ART Collaboration
Was a freebee around that time and I felt it suited my scene perfectly. I scaled it a bit though.
The executioner
The Executioner for Genesis b Age of Armour
One of my top then sets, extremely well done, renders great and can make anyone look scary.
The guards
Defiant for Genesis plus expansions
A really good basic Fantasy cloth kit, for him and her. used on the two guards together with a helmet from Merlin (not available at DAZ though)
The prisoner
Fantasy Basic Wear for Genesis by Bobbie 25
A very good basic fantasy set for Genesis without high-heels.
Glyn Hair by Aprylsh
One of my favourite fantasy and old man hairs. I still lack really good half bald hairs, but for fantasy long and old this is great.
The girl
Sylvanna for Genesis by Orion1167
A little "light" female fantasy armor, but it did work in these scene.
Tatiana Hair by Mairy3Dream
A really good hair with many morphs, as most haris from these PAs has. I use it both for fantasy and for pretty girls that will lure agents from M.I.6 into lethal traps, works every time.
Persons in the background
They are both wearing outfits for genesis from XSurge.
Lights
Light Dome PRO - R by Dreamlight
This is a light set that I have very mixed feelings about as it can produce some marvelous results but it is achieved by creating multiple renders that you assemble in Photoshop or Gimp. It made this render stand out, but I've used it on others where the result has not been that great. It's superb for great outdoor scenes where you fade that background into a haze, but render times sometimes comes close to rendering with LuxRender.
I hope you enjoyed this little look behind the scenes.
/ Totte
@Scott-Livingston
Nice review, I also consider Zev0 morphs to be superb and put them in my Top Ten of 2013 as well. : )
I would love to see more textures and clothes for children to be released for G2 (or Genesis)... Even if we do not need a specific DO character base of a child (Growing Up has already taken care of that), a bundle of children related DO's would be welcome...
@Totte
I like your idea of a "behind the scenes" look at one of your renders. Quite an interesting idea for an image as well. As always one can see a story in it, which is something I really like about your renders. : )
Thanks Tarina, I'm very glad you liked it.I might come back and make some more (if Novica let me).
I almost always try to tell a story with my renders, that's the basic reason for me to make one. I can appreciate a pure pinup or portrait but I very seldom make one myself.
I'm sure she will let you. ; )
I like character portraits but I find renders that tell a story more engaging and interesting to look at. That's why I find the RRRR contest idea so great. People come up with some incredible stuff for their entries.
I see that you have used Tatiana hair in your render. Novica asked about this very hair on a previous page, the question was about the morphs, as she was looking for a hair that would look good in the underwater renders. I would be curious to know if it has some useful movement morphs for that very purpose as well...
I'm sure she will let you. ; )
I like character portraits but I find renders that tell a story more engaging and interesting to look at. That's why I find the RRRR contest idea so great, even when I cannot participate as much as I would like to.
I see that you have used Tatiana hair in your render. Novica asked about this very hair on a previous page, the question was about the morphs, as she was looking for a hair that would look good in the underwater renders. I would be curious to know if it has some useful movement morphs for that very purpose as well...
Let me check, some of their hair has very good "upside down" or windy ones.
Made three of their hair with "underwater look", each hair have over 50 morphs.
Let me check, some of their hair has very good "upside down" or windy ones.
Made three of their hair with "underwater look", each hair have over 50 morphs.
Thanks Totte! They indeed look as if they can be used in the underwater scenes. That's good to know, so thanks for taking the time to render them. Sometimes from the promos and official descriptions it's hard to tell how extreme the included morphs are. I really like it when a vendor includes some "windy", more wild presets in addition to the adjustment morphs. I like the look of Tatiana most from the three you've rendered.
I have Xenia and Marja. I agree they are great. Now I'll have to add Tatiana to my wishlist.
Let me check, some of their hair has very good "upside down" or windy ones.
Made three of their hair with "underwater look", each hair have over 50 morphs.
Thanks Totte! They indeed look as if they can be used in the underwater scenes. That's good to know, so thanks for taking the time to render them. Sometimes from the promos and official descriptions it's hard to tell how extreme the included morphs are. I really like it when a vendor includes some "windy", more wild presets in addition to the adjustment morphs. I like the look of Tatiana most from the three you've rendered.
Those morphs are at 100% (the slider goes to 300% without removing the limits)