A heartfelt *THANK YOU* and congratulatory letter to DAZ 3D management (comments are 2 years in the
mixfixer
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Hi DAZ engineers…. managers… artists…
I just wanted to say THANKS. It’s 4-freaking THIRTY in the A.M. (in California) and I am so jazzed, that I feel compelled to write you all a LOVE LETTER. Can you bear with me for a minute or two - this being only my SECOND post in over two years of near daily DAZ 3D use.
Again, I would just like to say—to ALL at DAZ 3D—THANK YOU!
I’ll try to keep it short, but I probably won’t, so sorry in advance!
Two years ago, when I accidentally discovered DAZ, I was just so happy to sink my teeth into 3D, that the various bugs…. and the many missing documents, user guides and other assorted documents which seemed to have fallen into a state of perpetual “WIP”-ness—well, all those things were, to me at least, happily overlooked. I was too busy digging in and learning how to light properly (etc.) to care. Plus, I am also intimately aware of how incredibly difficult it can be to wrangle a job like that - with so many loose ends dangling… just deciding where to start and how to proceed can be paralyzing. Then, once a PLAN is in place, an often overlooked “executional” detail, is the careful recruitment of the *right* people with which to augment the existing team - so that you’re not all killing yourselves and getting nowhere. Oh yeah. Seen it. Been there done that. Just thinking about it gives me shivers! The six years I spent at Apple (right up until Steve Jobs signed off), were *intense* to say the least (although I loved working for Apple, I do in fact feel like a “survivor”). Point is, I know to accomplish what you all have accomplished in the past year (probably more) is simply a TON of hard and dedicated work. There’s just no getting around it. I can also imagine that a lot of the true heros at DAZ, are largely “Unsung Heroes”, and are probably used to getting more criticism than praise, (unfortunately, it often times just goes with the territory).
The DAZ 3D “call to arms” (for lack of a better term) that started about 2 or more years ago, and which has really, REALLY ramped up over the past year or so, has NOT gone unnoticed. Not just the obvious stuff, but in ALL of the departments. Yes, some people do actually notice these things! They have a medical term for it, I’m sure… whudevah… Anyway, stay tuned because I have had one too many Ciders (and I only had two), and I am handing out some RAISES. Virtual, of course, but heartfelt, all the same.
So, MARKETING. Okay, whoa. Who ever has been cracking the marketing whip at Daz deserves a raise. Straight up. DAZ, you have one kick-ass Marketing group. Take care of them! You guys are more than just “on it” - You have reinvented DAZ, as a company. Bold of me? Yes. But I speak the simple truth. That is no small feat. It’s the equivalent of puttering around town, aimlessly, at 25 miles an hour, or less, and then suddenly from out of the blue someone from the backseat reaches over and slams down a “Nitrous boost” switch! Suddenly the speedometer is RED-LINED! Very impresssive turn-around! Point in case: Just take a look at some of your competitor’s “ho-hum” websites - (of course you do already). DAZ 3D is now LEADING the industry. I think that is a accurate statement. Not in sales, neccesarily )I have no idea), but I’m referring to smart and proactive marketing tactics - and YES - in product offering. In short, in CONTENT. [ The other’s don’t realize that they are being assimilated quite yet. Slow digestive juices and all. But they will. Resistance is futile…. ( One by one, they are beginning to take your lead, and are updating their sites and a few are ( in my opinion) imitating your formatting style, your advertising style, and even your marketing methods. As they say: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
So, a shout out to Marketing: Raises all around!
To your hiring managers, or the core team, as the case may be: Firstly - a DOUBLE thumbs up on recruiting Jack T. Sweet! This sent a HUGE message to the 3D community, without saying a word. There are a lot, no… not a lot…. SOME and only some, EXCELLENT content artists out there, and Jack’s work is right at the top, with those few. (and a quick thank you directly to JACK T. for your consistently inspired work, as it has consistently kept ME inspired. There are other greats that have their work showcased at DAZ that shouldn’t go unmentioned, of course…. Moyra comes immediately to mind, as a wonderful compliment to all of Jack’s stunning work. But I digress - and you all get my point - that there’s a huge pool of talented artists at DAZ, for sure. The bar has been set very high but bringing Jack onboard. It’s more than just the detail in the work (and that’s superb), but it’s the artistic taste that you infuse every single piece with. Bravo Jack! Bravo Daz! To early for a raise for Jack. What the hell - I vote for a raise for Jack!
What else? Who else…?
Customer support: I’m impressed. Totally on it. Not one BAD thing to say (I have had only limited experience with Customer Support. but it’s all been good. Perfect even. So, I figure that’s the same thing as saying a hundred GOOD things!
I’ll cut directly to the THRUST of why I started on this rambling love-fest: Your Development engineers and designers….. and management. You guys all deserve, and no doubt NEED some love…. KUDOS to you all!
Here’s why I am so jovial at 5am….. I am, as of today, enjoying my “SMART CONTENT” folder, for the FIRST FREAKING TIME EVER!! And that is in over TWO YEARS of solid DAZ 3D use over many versions. I gave up long ago trying to get it to work. So I was SHOCKED today find it working (with the help of content reinstallation via your Install app). The Smart Content feature, along with your Installer App - should BOTH win AWARDS, if they haven’t already. You heard it here first folks. Or maybe not….
Anyway, ENOUGH OF MY YAPPIN!
Thanks again to all at DAZ 3D! EXCELLENT WORK!!
- Sincerely,
Christopher Bentley*
(Bentley Audio Production and Graphic Design)
(* The author is an EX-high-tech hardware and software engineer and was a major STRESS-MESS. And is in fact amazed that he avoided a stroke or heart attack after 20 years in the trenches (off and on) in Silicon Valley. You can now find him in Sunny California calmly rendering more art than should be legal - mediocre art? eh… perhaps… but the point is that *I* like it, so therefore it is STRESS-FREE ART!
For that, I could kiss you all!
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Comments
+ + Great post.
Thank you for the kind words! You certainly made my morning! :0)
This still makes me smile... :D
I concur and feel the same, thanks for saying it so well. Keep up the enthusiasm.
I agree that the DAZ team is (usually) fantastic and deserves being recognized for all their hard work. ::clap::
Great letter midfixer!
I'll take this straight to my boss and say that Christopher Bentley sent me. ;)
Thank you for the kind words. It means a lot to us. <3</p>
Thank you so much. This was a great way to start my day!
I'll echo what's already been said - thanks very much, appreciate the kind words :)
+++ couldn't agree more
I too discovered Studio accidentally about 2 years ago and was instantly hooked......the bonus for me is that not only can I doodle in 3d art.......I can now make a living creating content for DAZ. The entire DAZ team is amazing!
+10!
Very much what he said up there!
Wonderful post. Love seeing these. I agree fully to it all.
+++ Ditto from me.
My father was an artist (oil paintings and wood carving). My oldest daughter IS an artist (BFA in Illustration). Me? I'm the Engineer. Can't draw a straight line without a drafting machine. Can't draw a curve without a template. Couldn't draw my way out of a paper bag, but I can mess around in DAZ Studio to my heart's content! It's a fun hobby that doesn't have to cost me a fortune (I buy all my content when it's on sale). One of these days, I'm going to learn Hexagon and give Stonemason a run for his money (Yeah, right). :lol:
Customer support has always taken good care of me. The new home page looks great. The store is working great too. That greyed out button that says "Purchased" is the biggest improvement EVER. Happy customer here!
Couldn't have put it better, well said. Add my thumbs up as well. From another in the development industry and surviving :-)
I'll add a +10 as well. I've been a member for going on 10 years, first playing in Bryce 4 and then Poser 5, but I added DAZ Studio 2 to my bag of tricks in early 2008. Then I upgraded to DS 3 Advanced just about 3 years later, and then to DS 4 Advanced (and ultimately Pro) the following year.
I also try to make my purchases when items are on sale, and I've had nothing but excellent interaction with the Customer Support team.
I'm not sure I could write anything that isn't book length about the dev team, as moving to the current forum and store software was a major project, and have to agree with the OP about the wonderful "Purchased" button. It makes it so much easier to discover you've already purchased something, without having to ultimately get in touch with Customer Support because you just purchased something you already owned.
Lastly, I have to say thank you for DIM. I know a lot of folks don't like it, and I don't use it to it's full potential as I prefer to install manually, but just being able to select a lot of items, and then clicking on a button to start the downloading while I can walk away and get something else accomplished, instead of having to select and download each and every file individually as we did in the old store, to me is a VAST improvement. Thank you guys. You made my day with it's creation. :coolsmirk:
As for customer support, one word says it all. BRITNEY. :)
I'm not sure how sales compare between sites, but for me Daz has always been the first site I think of when it comes to finding new content. I agree that it's really the leader in the field, and a lot of other sites feel basic and dare I say even primitive in their design. Here I get intuitive search options and can narrow down content in minutes as opposed to scrolling through pages of on-screen icons, which is a HUGE selling point.
I've been constantly blown away by the quality of the items I've purchased here and the value for money as a Platinum Club member boggles the mind as to how they actually make a profit! It almost feels like theft at times. I'll be here for a good many years to come, and I hope the site attracts more greats like Jack Tomalin, Stonemason, ForbiddenWhispers and Zev0 to say but a few of my personal favourites.
Using Daz Studio was the first time I had used a 3D app which just worked. It was quite a liberating experience. Beforehand I'd been using Poser Pro and was constantly fighting the UI which, correct me if I'm wrong, hasn't changed much over the years. DS cleared all of that and gave me a more familiar interface with lighting I could position more accurately and access to all of my previous Poser content. Small wonder that my art had transformed in only a few months of using it compared to over 2 years of using Poser.
I don't even want to guess at how many thousands of british pounds Iv'e spent in the Daz store, but I've not regretted a single purchase. So, hats off to the team and the PA's who work tirelessly so that the artists can do what they do best.
YES!!! She is a treasure!! :coolsmile:
I concur that things have really improved over the last two or so years. One thing I really appreciate is the attention and competence of the Administrators, including some now who are actually DAZ employees, who do an amazing job of keeping up with our input here in the forums. This has always been my primary site for 3D products, but lately it seems to be virtually the only site I buy products from.
One thing I wonder about, though, is that the customer base seems to be spread all over the globe, while the DAZ office is only open for business hours during U.S. Mountain time. Is it possible to change the office hours to better support the international base, or isn't it a significant enough portion of the total customer base?
Very well put Christopher. And what a wonderful 'positive' post. Our stories are very much the same. I blundered onto it about the time Studio went to free and I figured what the heck. It changed my life. :)
Kathy P, Kevin, Paul H, Jared, cjones, Richard H.. etc.. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3</p>
And... KAYJAY!!!
And marketing.. I forget your name, but man you're awesome!
One thing I would like the DAZ marketing peeps to improve on is the Facebook presence. Yes, I know, not everyone here uses it (and even outright despises it), but it has a lot of potential of bringing in more "kids" to the hobby. Yet, I rarely notice any updates to the official DAZ Facebook page (although the PC club one does get updated weekly, more or less). I mean, at one point, the profile image was still the Infernal Behemoth yet Victoria 6 already debuted 2 weeks prior. That was a missed opportunity to promote the franchise model. By comparison, the Poser FB page is updated almost every two days https://www.facebook.com/Poser3DFigures
If the problem is time or not enough "hands on deck", perhaps some DAZ volunteers who are active on Facebook can keep track of and update it? Just a head's up guys and gals.
When was the last time you checked? We've been making a push for the past 2 weeks to update everyday (every other day at a minimum). Though before that you are 100% correct posts were fairly sporadic.
Thanks for the enthusiastic post, Christopher. A definite positive jolt to the spirit and I agree with everything.
There were a few hiccups along the way but the result is nothing short of amazing. And if I may be so bold, I'd like to acknowledge DAZ's customer base as well. I mean we went through major changes along with DAZ: Studio 4+, Genesis, new storefront, new forums, humungous sales that make us show up even more often, and the brilliant Daz Install Manager which I could not live without but which cost me almost a year in time and effort to modify the way I work with my content. (I'm still not done.)
Is it all worth it? H*ll yeah!
+++ to the original post. DAZ has been a major positive thing in my life for almost 4 years soon (damn, has it been that long, time flies). A great way to boost creativity, have fun and relieve stress. Great work everyone, and a as software developer I'm impressed buy the quality of the products and the way the constantly are getting better.
I leave my Daz thankyous /praises up to paypal
I've seen them recently, but I guess I should have phrased my post in a way that this should be maintained (as there was a point when there were regular updates for a week or so and then they stop for loooooonnng stretches).
You rock! Thanks for the feedback. It's good to hear that our efforts are being noticed. I'm going to bookmark your post just so I can quickly navigate to it and lift my spirits whenever I'm having a bad day. Maybe I should just print it and hang it on my wall. Either way, Thanks! You're my hero.
Christopher Bentley should be awarded a gold plated Bentley for this post and all DAZ staff should of course get 5 Bentleys each. Mr. Bentley speaks for many people. I stand to be counted as one of them. Well done team DAZ!