Novica & Forum Members Tips & Product Reviews Pt 8
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lol-kinda like no tangles for kiddos, huh, but for horses? I can imagine. Would NOT want to get kicked because of a snag in the tail. Love horses, myself, and this one is one I'd love to ride.
I gave the horse textures a miss too. Like Novica, I couldn't see any benefit that went beyond the uber base and UHT shaders that I usually use on the mane and tail. I'm forever either having to pose that horse so that you can't see the massive bald length in the mane behind the ears or filling it in during postwork, and buying a set of shaders that would do nothing to address that made me feel that I was saying 'This model is totally acceptable and there's no need for a new and improved version'. It isn't, not really, and there is.
Unlike Novica though, I don't have masses of experience with horses. We lived in an old Romany bow-topped wagon until I was six months old, when we had to sell the horses that pulled it after it caught fire. After that, we lived in a van with no windows for almost a year until my non-Romany mum, then pregnant with my sister, mentioned how very much she'd like to go back to living in a house again. My Romany dad would have done anything for my mum and immediately bought one, with cash that she never knew he had (and that he never had again!). It had honestly never occurred to him that anyone wouldn't want to live in a van with no windows - I imagine she wished she brought the subject up a bit sooner :)
I did split my trousers as I just-about-successfully managed to stay on a friend's horse after he randomly decided to investigate a wooded area and suddenly took off at a gallop over the enormous log that barred the path to it. I would have been about thirteen at the time and can remember having one of my sisters walking behind me all the way home to protect my modesty, while the other walked in front. Most memorable of all was a stable-mate of the same horse, who I took home to see The Horse Whisperer (my dad!) after being assured that the horse was calm in traffic. 'Calm in traffic' turned out to be an understatement, although we made steady progress until we got to the busy five-way junction not far from where I lived. At this point, he suddenly came to a standstill and had a good investigative peek down all the roads, refusing to move. I got off to try to lead him through, but he just kept nuzzling my face and happily looking around. Even the odd idiot blowing a horn didn't bother him. The most it got was what I'd swear was a mildy disinterested 'Road rage? What's all that about, then?' expression. Eventually, he just gave an impatient snort as if to say 'We gonna stand here all day then, or what?' and just calmly started walking forward again. He didn't take a blind bit of notice of the junction on the way back ('Been there, done that, bought the horse blanket!'), but was good enough to give my dad some fresh manure for the garden before he left :)
I always love getting Stetson updates, but I don't think I've ever seen him. He's absolutely gorgeous :)
Ohh Stetson is gorgeous Novica. I really miss working with horses and just being around them .
I skipped those horse mats too .
Thank you! I can see why they left the glasses on, they make him look much different.
That's amazing. I haven't bought him because I thought he was weird-looking. With your renders, I can see he would make an awesome warrior, drill sargent, or some other intense character.
What a gorgeous beast your Stetson is! (I wish my hair was as lovely as his mane and tail
)
Wow Novica he is an absolutely beautiful horse!
Well hello Stetson! A lovely horse who looks well-cared for. Must have a great owner
I find that how well someone takes care of their animals/pets/furry(or scaley or feathery) companions is a very good way to judge the quality of their character, doesn't matter if it's a horse or a hampster.
Oh, Stetson is absolutely gorgeous!
Stetson is absolutely gorgeous; his color is incredible! And he's obviously well-cared for. I'm guessing he's indulged. ;) Out of all our horses, we only had a Morgan once, a chestnut. But she was such a dream, beautiful and a great personality. Morgans are awesome. Do you remember the (Disney?) movie, Justin Morgan had a Horse?
And on the Horse 2 Iray... Not only does it look as if they tried to show veins or something lumpy along the ribs, some of the views look as if the shoulder, chest, and forearm are lumpy. Strange.
The Horse is another reason I got Anagenesis. Someday, I'm actually going to work on trying it out on stuff...
https://www.daz3d.com/gallery/images/345236/
I had picked up the https://www.daz3d.com/woman-in-white-outfit-for-genesis-3-female-s outfit recently as it was inexpensive. The dress seems to work well with geneis 3 variations.
The hair looks a little off when up close. But other then that I think was a good addition.
Oh, I like Novica's horse much better than the DAZ horse! LOL And Makao is...wow. Nice!
@cismic Wow, that Woman in White is a bit creepy and looks like she desperately needs to use some virtual Tide or bleach in her next laundry load!
PS. Been here 17 months, average is 145 posts/month, or 4-5 a day. Yeah, I like to chat.
Thank you very, very much for the compliments. Yeah, indulged, (see the bag of carrots sitting there in the picture?) he's a pet first, a useful animal second. Let me share some OT things that you may find helpful- (long post, but several goodies not related to horses that you may find interesting-
But first- I look at it this way- he is a mammal, who feels hot and cold just like we do. If you wouldn't have your dog outside in massive heat for eight to ten hours, why would you leave your horse (a black one at that) out in the heat/sun? (each pasture has a run-in building, but the stupid horses rarely go in!)
TIP The barn has fans in every stall but I bought the two high velocity ones as they're so much better than box fans. Note- even though they are indoor only fans so far a supposedly durability- they run full time (never shut off) in the spring, summer, and late fall- and have lasted each time for two years. Yep, even in the high humidity.
And for $40 (instead of $19-25 for a box fan) it's a great investment. Those blow air three to four time stronger than box fans, and are DURABLE. Have a covered back porch? Need a breeze indoors? Try the high velocity fans from Home Depot.
TIP: for you outdoorsy folks (when we can tear ourselves away from the computer, that is), I buy the Homestead Witch Hazel With Lavendar Oil (it's pricey at $14 a bottle, on Amazon only) which works for flies. (Citronella is better for mosquitos, so all those fly sprays aren't really for flies primarily. Lavendar is the top dog.) Use any of this at your own risk, test on a small sample of skin first to see if you get an adverse reaction. (Also, do the same for your horse.)
So if you are outside and being bothered with flying pests like flies and gnats, this Witch Hazel goes on like water with a silky smooth feel, and not oily. Just an FYI. (great for kids.) Add three drops of Citronella Oil and you have a mosquito repellant. Stetson NEVER has bite lumps and the oils with Witch Hazel water don't clog the pores and make him sweat. His coat will testify in the picture that he's not getting bit, and that's the Witch Hazel coat, not oily at all.)
And that Witch Hazel's perservatives is raspberries- so 99.9% natural. Have kids? Use this!
TIP: For horses: For Stetson, I mix the Witch Hazel With Lavendar into a regular bottle of natural flyspray (Absorbine Ultra Shield Green Natural Fly Repellent) but that only has .05 to .10 percent for each oil. However, it has the same variety as those I had researched/already bought in the concentrated bottles. So I add three to five drops of Lavendar, Citronella, Peppermint, Geranium, Eucalyptus, Vanilla, and Neem Essential Oils (found on Puritan.com, which often has buy three get two free) and then that Witch Hazel with Lavendar (about half a bottle) as the oils need a base. A dash of Skin So Soft (less than a capful, that is really oily) and your horse won't get bit or very little- for that day. I don't think any of this stuff works more than a day, maybe two. Vanilla oil may also help extend the life of the product as some studies showed it increased the heat resistance of the other oils.
EDIT: TIP: TICKS And Geranium is the BEST THING FOR TICKS. It's very pricey, you won't find it in many of the fly sprays. The Green one I buy has it. So buy Geranium and add that to your own personal insectide if you are going in the woods (or your kids.) Second tip: Army folks use the Original Irish Spring soap (the green bar) and leave a thin film along the waist, sleeves, sock line- it repels chiggers. The PX couldn't keep it in stock, it works!
EDIT: One last thing- Coconut Oil for the hooves, to nourish them and prevent cracks. Great for your hands too. You can see in the image, I had just done his feet. Flies aren't attracted to it either, it also has a strong repellent attribute. TIP: In Thailand, the government did a study and Coconut Oil plus Neem Oil had a 98% positive result in the tropical jungles for repelling a variety of pesky insects- the biting kind.
Tip: Horse won't go? Captain America has a line that suits this perfectly. "I can do this all day." You figure out which way (left or right) that he normally likes to go (when you don't steer him, he will turn his head and favor a direction) then when he refuses to budge, you lower your hands way down to the sides so you don't hurt his mouth, then pull his head toward your leg ON THE SIDE HE DOESN'T LIKE.
Keep his head there and slide your leg on that same side and pressure his flank (hip) If pressure doesn't work, lightly tap, never, ever kick. He gets resistant to that. (Horses move away from pressure. By pressuring the flank on the same side, he will move away and turn in a circle. He'll get tired of doing circles!)
Do that for a minute, then let him put his head forward. Give him another chance to move forward (click, and light leg pressure) and say Walk On or whatever you use. Repeat. He'll get tired of this quick, and he soons associates Walk On with "Oh, I'm not doing THAT again with my head" and responds. Stetson has his moments and my trainer that I had a couple months showed me this and it worked much better than using the seat pressure/thrusting forward cues. Every horse is different, but you not-often riders can give this a try and at least look like an do-this-all-the-time-just-another-day-at-the-barn rider.
So far as being an indulged horse, my budget every month is as follows:
1. Show Sheen
2. Carrots
3. More Show Sheen
4. Rinse, repeat about two more times.
5. DAZ.
Well, in all honesty. There's a clean white texture of the dress as well. :-) I used the dirty dress as the fringe kind of matched the eyelashes..
@cismic What an interesting render!
I just thought of something that made me giggle. A couple years ago, a group of ladies (all in their late 50's up to late 60's) went riding on a regular basis. It was too early in the morning for me, so I never went. But they named their group "Hags On Nags." I laughed so hard!
@novica it was a fun idea. :-)
Great tips, Novica! I don't like the smell of citronella but am a lavender freak. I will definitely look that Witch Hazel up for my little guys. I love Geranium Oil. It's great for small wounds too. Stops the bleeding quickly and speeds up the healing process. Works on bruises as well. (Plenty of bumps, scrapes and bruises here with my boys!)
Be sure and look carefully when you go to Amazon- there's only one company, Homestead- that has the pure form, and the Witch Hazel (plain) is the SAME PRICE as the one with Lavendar (or Lavender, seen it spelled both ways) so be sure you get the right one. It's $14 a bottle, not cheap, but very effective. I also use Burt's Bees Natural Repellent as it has those same oils ($11.00) but that smells highly citronella. Not oily at all. I actually rub that on Stetson's face (cheeks, and way above the eyes, even though it doesn't run I give eyes a wide berth) using a cosmetic cotton square.
Has anyone tried this Fantasy Eyes-Semi Precious Gems and Lashes? Drops to $9.66 with two new featured in the cart.
It's by Draagonstorm (who was always so sweet in answering questions in PMs) and while there's no indication any of those items won't be in the store forever, (Draagonstorm sadly passed away, not recently) I'm taking a second look since it's a featured store. These eyes are really neat! (And I'd use some of them on regular people.)
I haven't ever used Skin Blender, but look how easy it is to change the darkness of the skin! In the cart, boom. I had it wishlisted.
What I'm doing is putting Skin Builder in the cart, it goes to 27.97, with a second item, Ekatrina (Yeah, I took a chance on Makoa, going to try Ekatrina. I like that vendor's other products.) because that makes the Skin Builder and Pool Waters only a couple dollars more to get BOTH of them, than just buying the Skin Builder.
For SY Pool Waters Iray- I'm wondering if I can use those water setups in other places, and not just those particular sets? Anyone tried it?
And I've never used any of these types of products (Skin Blender or Builder) so you're probably going to get a lot of "OMG, help me!!!!" I haven't even tried the brow removal or brow products in months, and didn't even do all of them yet.
EDIT: With those three practical items in the cart, plus Ekatrina, it's about 50% off overall. While not as jaw dropping as the recent discounts, I'm getting three things I can use on multiple characters so I'm going common sense with this buy. It's $56.47 but $53.33 off (the extra 20% on the stores and new releases helps bring the overall down.) So now I'm going to USE this stuff, probably next month. (Getting back to weight mapping all this weekend. I will render more characters for you too.)
Beautiful horse:-)
The SY Pool Waters have generally usable materials as well as the specific presets.
I recently returned skinblender it crashed and didn't save the altered skins and it seemed to have trouble blending the eyebrow area.
@astracadia Nah, I think splitting the pants was the most memorable. Horses stalling out are boring compared to you!
I haven't had a chance to do much rendering over the past couple of months, but I promised Novica to share something here when I got the chance...
I mixed a number of G3M products to get the human half of the centaur. The body is Darius 7 at 100%, the head is Awan at 100% and Gianni 7 at 36.2%. then to really confuse things, I used the materials from Anicinabe. The body hair is RedzStudio Oh My Body Hair. The clothing is kit-bashed: Leather Warrior for G3M on the arms, and Havoc Outfit for G3M for the rest. I used d-forms to make the belt and vest expand to reach around the join to the horse body. It's not perfect, but looks good facing the camera. The forest is Forest Superior with the Iray Uber Base applied, with a stone shader on the rocks and one of DA's Stonework and Masonry shaders on the ground. The centaur body coat uses a normal map I'd created from a horse 2 texture last year. The weapons, belt and necklace received a liberal dose of Iray shaders from Mec4D's iray shaders vols 2 & 3. I used TerraDome 3 for the first time, using the Bzone to create the mountains in the background and the atmosphere prop to add the haze. The hdr lighting the scene and providing the sky is also from TD3.
ETA, the review: After all the hullabaloo over the "abrupt" transition between man and horse, I was delighted to find the transition works very well in the latest released version of Daz Studio. I started the scene on this computer, using an older beta install, and there was no transtion. I've read where others had issues with the geoshell showing up. The only time I saw the untextured geoshell, or the hidden parts of G3M, was when I had the Geometry Editor tool active. The biggest problems with Horse 2, imo, were the mane and tail. As the centaur uses the horse 2 mesh and textures, the tail has the same issues. It would have been nice if they could have redesigned the tail. It's also a shame not all the Horse 2 morphs came with the centaur. I tried unsuccessfully to add the Horse 2 Mare morph by adding it to the directory with the other morphs. I found the centaur product to be relatively easy to work with, and a lot of fun.
The transition certainly looks nice in your render.
but perhaps it is less obvious with a darker skin that matches the horse's hide.
To me, I think it is a bit too high for me.Especially when not covered by clothing.
I don't think it's bad. A google image search shows a lot of variation, from quite low to even higher than C7. But I admit it would have been nice to have a morph to raise or lower the transition. Probably not feasible, though.
The belly hair, (from Redz Oh My Body Hair,) actually goes below the transition area. I originally had removed it using the geometry editor, but later I just applied the same shaders as the rest of the hair and left it in place. I think it helps with the transition a bit, too.
Agree witht he observations about the transition seeming too high. I think making it lower would probably present some UV challenges with morphing the human lower torso and hips wider and the horses "shoulders" thinner to find some sort of balance.
The Horse 2 tail is an unsatisfying thing to work with. I wonder how hard it would be to design a prop that would just completely replace the stock tail. There are a number of freebie and commercial tails for Genesis figures already, and some of them have quite a few options for adding fur and textures.
That render is awesome. There is a lot going on though - seems like you would either need a LOT of rendering time or a lot of GPU horsepower and memory to take this on.
I won't beat a dead horse (no pun intended) but I'm rather disatisfied with the centaur 7 male product. I find it kind of buggy, I am not sastified at all with the fit of a lot of the clothing, the men's hair is repetitive, the horse texture fake, and shiny, the hooves and waist area, are poorly conceived, the texture of the hair portion of the horse, looks flat and odd and well, I thought Millenium horse when I saw it.
Everyone likes different stuff, but, I think this could've been a far better product than it has turned out to be.
I picked up the horse set. I'll take a closer look at these lumps.
ETA: Um. Yeah. I was expecting I wouldn't be nearly as discriminating as somebody who sees horses everyday, but, um..... I think unfortunately I will be returning this. Not only are there weird vein lumps in random-to-me places, the coat shines in direct light like molded plastic.