What Software do you use for DAZ animation composite work?
kwannie
Posts: 865
in The Commons
I purchase Sony Vegas Movie Studio because I heard that it is great for combining animation layers from a program like DAZ. I have not used it yet for that purpose so I was curious what folks in the DAZ community use for doing composite work from an image series or movie created in DAZ. I'm curious if there are any free programs that allow combining animation layers from outside sources.
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Hitfilm Express is the free version of Hitfilm. I think the free version allows up to 4 layers and has many of the most common options (green screen, fade in/out, etc). The paid programs is expensive, but professional level.
DaVinci Resolve has both free and paid versions. Both versions have Blackmagic Fusion integrated into them. It also works with Windows, MacOS, and Linux. I haven't done much video work yet, but it has done well on my projects so far.
I have heard a lot of amazing things about Hitfilm but I came across the link below a few months back talking about some issues between DAZ and Hitfilm. How badly would this effect compositing seperate layers together.
https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/367001/exporting-daz-models-with-animation-to-hitfilm-as-i-know-it
have a copy of the free version of Hitfilm but have been reluctant to try it because I was not sure if it would ask for a registration via email during the install process. I don't remember where I was able to download the install program from but I have had it a while.
DaVinci does require registration as well doesn't it?
Blender has a built-in video sequencer. As long as you output your Daz animation as image files (which is what you should be doing anyway), you can import and edit them.
Can Blender import image sequences to seperate layers? I have used it before to render a single layer to avi. I never could get sound to work in the Blender sequencer though.
Yes, it can. Just create two image sequence strips and put them atop each other.
Now, if you're talking about chromakeying layers, then I'm not sure. I know you can do it, since they made a whole live-action film about it (Tears of Steel). But I think it's more complicated. You have to use either the compositor or the movie clip editor, and create a mask there, then import it into the VSE? I think?
Last time I tried, sound worked fine for me.
Do you know if there are any good tutorials on just using the VSE? I did do it before but it was tricky from what I remember and I never tried it with layers.
Are you talking about the time, pre-2.8, when you had to manually dump the memory cache to prevent it from slowing to a crawl? Yeah, I think they cleaned it up a bit since then.
I don't know of any particular tutorials, so just searching on Youtube will be as good as any I can name. It's not that difficult; you just use "G" to grab strips and drag them onto another channel, and you fiddle with the properties by hitting "N", same as every other Blender editor.
Use Davinci Resolve. For being free, you can't beat it for editing and comping. I use after effects to go to Premiere or Final Cut X, or Davinci, depends which computer I'm on when I am getting shots prepped for editing.
I've used Hitfilm Express, and it's got a lot of good features, but you do need an authorization code. I've just started using DaVinci Resolve over the past couple of months, and I'm really happy with it. It does not need an authorization code to use it,, and you can install it on as many computers as you want. I'm using it to teach color grading and video editing/production for sUAS (small Unmanned Aerial Systems, or drones). It's a great piece of kit, and if you want the full version it's a one time purchase, and you get upgrades for life. I have run into one small problem where it can't use AVI's created by Metashape. However, Shotcut (open source video editor) can load them, and re-render them and then Resolve can use them. You might want to take a look at Shotcut too. It's not as slick and fast as Resolve, but there are some things that are easier to do in Shotcut.
Has anybody ever tried using Sony Vegas Movie Studio to composite animation layers from DAZ? I actually have that software.
Sorry, haven't used Vegas since Sony purchased it (a looong time ago). It's a very capable video editor, so I would think it should be able to do everything you need. IIRC it can do composite (green screen/alpha) shots, and I'm sure it can do multiple tracks (layers).
The issues noted in the link refer to importing the 3d model into HitFilm. Most people will render out image sequences from DAZ, then use the video editor to make the image sequences into video clips rather than trying to import the models into the video editing software to render the animation.
I use Hitfilm Pro.
Before that, I used DaVinci Resolve. It was really good.
I use Vegas Pro 16.0. If you render without a background Vegas uses the Alpha chanel so that you can move the tracks up or down and see the other tracks either over or under each one. You can also download Particle Illusion for free and add falling snow, explosions and fog too :)
This is four layers.
Wow, I just tried my hand at using the VSE in Blender 2.92 and it is really simple to get the hang of it. Layering video really is as easy as bringing in different video clips and placing them on top of eachother. One thing I am having issues with now is what do we do to catch shadows in DAZ with Iray. I saw an old video about how to do it in DAZ 3.0 using 3Delight but nothing about how you do it now. I also saw that DAZ still has PW Catch but I think it s also for use in 3Delight. Anyone know how to catch shadows in DAZ 4.12 and above?
Casting my vote for da Vinci Resolve, but I'm going to start doing more right there in Blender because man, the composition nodes are nice.
I bought Sony Vegas and didn't get along with it. I then used Blender and was quite happy with it although it had limitations. I see that they have just added some updates but I have already moved over to da Vinci Resolve and it is more than adequate for my needs. Lots of good tutorials on YouTube but I found the user forum a bit unfriendly for noobs.
Yeah, I just started Toying with Blender because of the feedback I got here. I'm using Ver 2.92 and it is so much easier than previous versions. The biggest hag up I have now is getting shadows from DAZ via the Matte function. It seems that it only works with distant lights, so I can't capture shadows using the lights I want to use in my scene. I can still export the character with shadows none the less. I am trying to figure out if it is possible to get only shadows in a seperate layer using Canvas. You have any idea if that is possible?
Wolf is Davinci 17 the proffessional version?
Da Vinci Resolve has a free verson and a paid version which is called Da Vinci Resolve Studio. The Studio verson has some nice features like multiple GPU support (I only have one GPU) and some AI plugins for features such as noise reduction, banding removal, etc. If you are a serious video editing pro, you will want to spend the $$ on a lifetime license but for myself, the free version has all I need.
I know this thread is old, but I thought I'd point out that Davinci Studio (Pro version) is $295, but if you buy the Speed Editor w/ Key for $395 it comes with studio... so if you want an extra piece of kit, the speed editor on its own is $371, it's kind of a no brainer to just go that route rather than spend nearly $700 buying them separately...
Definitely try Davinci Resolve, which is free, before spending 295 bucks and see if you're able to get all of your color grading and editing needs with Resolve. I've used it for years and never felt I needed to upgrade to the Studio version. I even edited a TV show I was directing a couple of years ago in Resolve. Not saying I enjoyed editing in Resolve, I prefer FCX quite honestly but now that I'm using Windows, I use Premiere, but the free version of Davinci can do a lot. You personally might need the extra features in Studio, I don't know, but for folks seeing this that haven't used it yet, first try the free version of Resolve and see if you need to spend the extra money.
I looked at a comparison a while back, and from what I could see, the features you get in the paid version of Resolve are things that you're unlikely to need unless you're in a pretty serious production environment. I have a paid copy that came with my Pocket Cinema camera, but I feel like I could easily get by with the free version. Of course, I also have Premiere and After Effects, and an old version of Vegas sitting around, so I've definitely got options, but Resolve is what I choose to use.
And with Davinci Resolve - you can use Previious Versions + thanx