Daz Store product description suggestions - what do you think?
dave_0aa47f5a80
Posts: 68
Hi All,
As Daz figures and other Daz assets are increasingly used in interactive / realtime 3D environments like games and VR experiences, I'd like to suggest the following ideas for inclusion in the product description in the Daz store (if the asset is sold with an interactive license):
1) Polygon or vertex count. Before buying an asset for use in an interactive environment, it would be really useful to know the base vertex count. I have bought assets in the past that I only found out the had too many verts to be usable after I had bought them.
2) The result of a test for nonmanifold geometry. Asset with nonmanifold geometry can cause significant issues when used in interactive 3D environments and sometimes cannot be used at all (see https://virtuality.space/dtl/dtl-nonmanifold-geometry.html). Sometimes DCCs like Maya can fix it automatically, sometimes not. Unreal Engine seems to try to apply an automatic fix on import, but this can take hours and doesn't always work. I have in the past paid for assets that i can never use because of nonmanifold geometry.
Are you using Daz figures / assets in a 3D interactive / realtime environment?
What do you think - is there anything else that would be useful in the product description?
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Comments
I don't play games or make games, so I can't address that. But, if you have DAZ Deals, the links to forum posts for new or older products can clue you in to issues with high vertices or other problems products have, or positive feedback as well. This add-on to the shopping page is worth its weight in gold and your time.
Users have been asking for years for these counts and many of the PAs are giving that information either in the promo images or in the text which is very helpful for those with older computers/graphic cards.
Yes, product descriptions should inform customers of both the relevant geometric information as well as any quantitative info about textures and shaders.
But, it's Daz, and we don't even find out the download size of the asset until it's been purchased.
Rather frustrating and annoying for me, and I just render still images with a comparatively minimalist design aesthetic (a few foreground figures/objects, no clutter, never more than three light sources). For users who want to put stuff in motion, or who love clutter, the frustration factor must be significantly greater.
As a customer and PA, I do agree with you on posting the info about the poly count. I also agree with knowing the overall product size before buying. Such info may reduce sales a little but I would also reduce the number of tickets for returs too.
As for Non-manifold Geometry, it is my understanding that products should not contain any at all. However I am not sure what kind of test could be done to check for it as Daz QA only tests the product in Daz Studio and ensures it works.
Many here are hobbyists just using DS to render and maybe create animations. They also don't have access to (cost) or use highend apps ouside the DAZ community like Maya, or Reallusion CC. Based on what I see on the forums, the most used apps for many here outside of DS would be Zbrush to create morphs, substance painter for texture work and Blender.
How much of a negative effect on sales would full disclosure and transparency have? Great question.
In the absence of disclosed info, I'm put into a position of making semi-educated guesses about both the installed size on the drive and the various system demands for assets upon loading them into the scene. Some customers might actually be cautious or pessimistic in the absence of info, and therefore inhibited about purchasing out of fear that an asset involves excessive storage or is too demanding on their computer to be truly usable (crashes/freezes the app., causes sluggish performance, won't finish rendering prior to the heat death of the universe, etc.).
I suspect that proper disclosure of the relevant info would have a small negative effect on initial sales, but would reduce refund requests and improve general satisfaction, which would have long-term sales benefits.
Proper disclosure would also encourage PAs to exercise good judgment about the utility and efficiency of their content, while discouraging file bloat (including features that relatively few customers will make much use of or really want, especially features that would be better offered as a separate product).
I believe nonmanifold geometry is deliberately used for some dforce cloth items, to maintain creases during the dforce simulation. I have seen turorials that specifically recommend it.