Novica & Forum Members Tips & Product Reviews Pt 8
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Time consuming but worth it. It certainly cuts down on my need for new outfits.
The ghost lights are truly a resource I don't think I can do without at this point.
Wow, MelanieL, I love that! I've always loved The Dress. I tried doing that two-part conversion one and it blew up on me. Maybe I'll try again. It seems to help if the smoothing is turned down or maybe it depends on it being a good mesh. Anyway, really cool!
@Novica I also bought the island house. You're right about the pancake issue. I like the first version's water color and sand color (it seems "warmer"), but the second version does resolve the pancake issue. The interior with ghost lights looks great.
I have a set of backdrops like that in several colour-ways - I thought I'd added them to your Backgrounds thread, but it seems I never got around it it. Shall I add them when I get chance?
Aha, now that is interesting! I had a crash the first time I tried it, but I'd been playing with several other models first. I restarted DS and tried again and it worked just fine. I've had some odd crashes recently, doing simple things like clicking on the "Scene" tab or trying to remove a filter from the Search box. It happens intermittently and unpredictably so I've not bothered to report it.
The interior shot of the island house looks great!
Yes please they are beautiful!
OK, done - four colours plus the one with "lightning" from the Skadi render, plus a couple of other plainer tree-related backdrops.
@MelanieL Thank you very much!
Ah, finally my dude went off New status and I got him at 50% off. (with a gift card discount that isn't included, so another 20% off that) Here's Samanyo for Genesis 3 Male(s) wearing the very versatile Agent Hair. Agent Hair can go longer with fine strands to complete the casual look, and get away from a more refined, short style. You'd never guess it was the same hair! Again, this is with the same Iray Ghost Light Set 2 setup. Samanyo is more red, it's not the lights.
If you don't have FW Carson HD for Michael 7 and LI Carson Whiskers then you're missing out on some fine whiskers! I haven't done Carson yet, he's recently acquired last week from my wishlist. The whiskers come in a variety of colors that easily match Slosh's hair shaders, which are also used here. The hair colors that came with it really lit up with the side lighting- Slosh's kept the color better, using the medium shine option.
If you haven't bought one of the hair shader products, you'd be saving money overall if you buy add-on hair colors (particularly the PC+ ones)
So let's chat a bit about postwork- the basics, nothing fancy like adding flames, wisps of smoke, etc. I have Photoshop BUT my go-to is always Corel Photo Paint. The Adjustment Lab is just so much easier, and with the same options as Photoshop. It does color (hue), saturation, temperature, brightness, contrast, midtones, shadows- all in one place, with sliders. Here's the before and after of Samanyo. So if you don't want to pay for a CC subscription and want something keepable for the money, the Corel Photo Paint / Draw (which is excellent for creating PDFs, you import in the images and can type right on the "paper") is a good choice.
I think it's called CorelDraw X8 Home and Student Suite and it's 129.00 (The other versions are 499.00 and if you are only wanting a great program for fine tuning what I listed, it's well worth it. There are other products out there that do it for free, too. I don't do Blender, and not sure exactly what all it can do, but hear many good things about it.
One thing about Photoshop, for you book folks- that compression for web will really help you with those bytes you get charged for. I don't know if Corel Photo Paint does that or not. I also like the plug-ins for Photoshop.
Here's before tweaking. Keep an eye on that cheek that is dark.
Now look at the cheek, and the overall skin tone. Added more blue and yellow to the hue, to reduce the ruddy.
Here's how simply the options are presented. All together.
I would've bought the male version of agent hair, but the hairline is not masculine. Its very much a woman's hairline unless I'm missing something in the promos... You are right Carson's beard looks fantastic. I also like how you styled Agen't's hair, away from the bob-style.
Using a slightly different Iray Ghost Light Set 2 setup, much dimmer, as it's paired with the Pro-Studio HDR Lighting System.Remember, the Ghost Lights play extremely well with other light products! The light striking his ear and OUR left, is the Ghost Lights.
This is Isamu for Genesis 3 Males. He is wearing Thomas Hair (that icon looks horrible in the studio. I almost pass this by every time, as the lighting makes the icon look very cartoony/stark.) I took most of the junk off his shoulder, but it is the Eternal Desert Warrior for Genesis 3 Males.
Wonderful image and the way the light catches his eye shine is fantastic
Love the renders of La Plume and Skadi. I love the Skadi outfit. I managed to get that on a V3 and a V7 here.
Also, just posted a bunch of pics on the Wear Them All Thread for the Spanish Rose Flamenco set. This is another set that got me into Generation 3. It's gorgeous and renders beautifully, but the skirts keep breaking (there are quite a few.) When I figure out a workaround, I'll post. There are many pieces and textures in this very versatile series, including three Bridal Design Kits (June might be a good month to play with those.) I'm surprised at how well many of Lori S's very old designs hold up in Iray- both the clothing and the sets.
Here's another one, the Spanish Rose Chalet de Sevilla. The floor may need to be retextured but the rest looks pretty good. (That's Ophelia 7 and FW Malachi, by the way, wearing the Spanish Heart textures for the Matador and Flamenco Dress):
Very nice! I can even see the shine on her shoes. It comes across as very regal. They're ready for Dancing With The Stars!
And you knew he was coming...yep. FW Carson HD for Michael 7 and LI Carson Whiskers I already showed you the whiskers a few posts back on another guy, so here is Carson without them. He's wearing Mathew Hair for Genesis 3 Male(s) and Genesis 2 Male(s) and Casual Heat Outfit for Genesis 3 Male(s), and the tshirt has DG Tropical Fabrics Shaders Take a look at the plain fabrics in those, as you can see they have a nice subtle linen-type look. She thoughtfully used quite a few light colors/white so you can change up the diffuse and make your own colors. The outer shirt ISN'T shaded- see how nicely they go together?
This is again using the Iray Ghost Light Kit 2 for some of the lights, in addition to the Pro-Studio HDR Lighting System. The Ghost Lights are above and to our left.
Love Carson's dimples!!!
BTW, there's Flash Sales going on right now- AntFarm and Nightshift3D, Esha, Sickleyield, Bluebird 3d, Polish, Deviney!!!!! All 60%, no purchase needed!
Great render Novica! Is that fiber hair by the way? It looks very soft.
How would I tell if it's fiber mesh? (Is that the term?) I've never really understood that. It didn't take any longer than hair normally does, and it's my understanding fiber mesh hair takes a long time. The Neftis hair I used in the past took quite awhile, and I read it was fiber mesh.
Just look at the wireframe mode. Fiber mesh has each individual hair as strands, while transmapped hair has a single plane for each lock or layer of hair.
Nowadays, much larger polygon counts can be handled, whereas transparency maps can still slow down a render, so some Fibermesh hairs can actually render faster than some transmapped.
Ah, well, the only way to get it to show up was "Lit Wireframe" otherwise it was a black blob with any other wireframes. So it's fibermesh?
Taking a look at the promos and considering Laticis Imagry had a hand in it (The product) along with this
Beard
I would say this is fiber mesh.
I'm in a thinking mood. (Warning.)
Well, I was smart last time, and I'm going to be again this time. Remember if you bought quickly on the great gift card deal, there was an even better one the next day because they stacked? The centaur bundles will be on sale several days, and I may or may not get them- but I would if another gift card sale stacks. (last time it went to 22% with both.) On the other hand, that flash sale may go poof at any time and there's better deals there. As I am apparently officially a CC (character collector) for this thread so far as Genesis 2 and Genesis 3, I picked up some goodies to show you later.
I hope the PAs won't forget the Genesis 3 fan base when Genesis 4 comes around. Those will continue to be my focus, and probably more of the Genesis 2 transferred onto Genesis 3. I just haven't had time to do that with all the new Genesis 3 models that came out. But when Genesis 4 does, I'll probably get more time.
I'm not sure that Genesis 4 will get initial showcasing from me on this thread, because I'm not investing in another generation unless the prices are dirt cheap. (which I wouldn't expect for awhile- I'm not saying they should be.) I think unique Genesis 3 characters would still do very well. Gypsy Angel characters and DarwinsMishap are just two that come to mind. I'd love to see some of the vendors test the waters and the support for the Genesis 3 figures. (but they can't be similar to what we've already got.)
Many of us have invested a lot in poses and clothes. We have the ability to cross generations with V4/M4, Genesis, Genesis 2- and take them to Genesis 3. But there's only so much work we want to do and if another step is involved or a lot more products have to be bought to get them compatible to get them to Genesis 4- that really adds up. After this generation, I'm not buying just to showcase anymore, and I have more than I can use for an entire book series going for an eternity!
So here's what I want to point your attention to in the sale for Genesis 3 (and I didn't uncheck "hide what I own" so these are only the ones I didn't already have) so far as superb discounts. Remember you can use either the morphs, or the materials. If you like the head features, put someone else's materials (skin) on them! I don't know how two of these will work (for the female demon) but if they don't work well without her, I'll just return them. They're dirt cheap.
I won't be listing the gallery images on a regular basis, but I had time this morning. If you get the Daz Deal add-on, you'll get links on the product page and the images open right up.
Attitude Outfit Textures 66% 4.53 Because it has the jeans textures, light colored pants so can change it up in Diffuse, and belts are all different.
gallery 1 (by our friend SereneNight!)
Valiona for Genevieve 7 79% 3.77 And if you bought her a few days ago, you paid more. Check out the double cat-eye eyeliner- good for a villian or exotic person. Otherwise, I'll change out the materials and use the morphs. gallery 1 gallery 2
Zari for Genesis 3 Female 79% 3.77 The eyebrows have a different shape, more rounded at the inside (like a bit bulbous) and unique. Looks like an everyday person to me. gallery 1
Song for Mei Lin 7 79% 3.77 I just love the end of her nose, it's not a rounded model nose. Has character. It's also longer. If you don't like the materials, look at the morphs, and vice versa. HINT: do a gallery image if you have her, there's none listed.
Jezebeth for Annaka Demon And She Devil 79% 3.98 I don't have those, but I'm testing the materials/character on the regular G3F. This is a dark, vibrant makeup character, great for a villian or strong personality. gallery 1
JianShi for Annaka Demon and She Devil 79% 3.98 Same here. Note it's not listed- but there seems to be different eyebrows, not just the short ones in the main promo. Anyone got her who can check that?
Irisa for Genesis 3 Female(s) 70% 5.39 Lovely eyebrows, well filled in, and look at the gallery pictures to see the different uses. (If you have the add-on by Ati, you'll love that feature- it shows on the product pages) gallery 1 gallery 2
Ezmi for Genesis 3 Female(s) 70% 5.39 Again, you paid more if you bought her several days ago. She's just plain classy!
gallery 1
If you got all these, the cart would be 75% savings, better than Fast Grab- and $34.58 for 8 things. That's $4.32 a piece on average for 7 characters and 1 texture.
So what are you buying?
It depends for me what gen 4 male brings to the table. I don't want to just buy new characters with the same skin sources over and over such is beginning to happen with Genesis 3. I also just don't need more female characters so I suspect Victoria 8 will debut first and I pass. I don't render women nearly the same amount as many daz users so what I have will tide me for a while and I have female characters I haven't used.
im also passing on more centaur content. Lately the sales have no been sufficient here to tempt me to buy. Just the pc intro discount and so even though I wanted Javier's latest for example I will pass until it is more discounted. I am also not a huge fan of the centaurs. The torso area is awkward and I don't like the horse textures too shiny and odd.
I"m not buying anything more at the moment. I am waiting for Creech to come out, I am pretty sure its going to come out in a bundle with poses and clothing etc., very soon, from what I understand its now through the testing phase. I would love to by the female centaur but I honestly can't justify spending any more at this point. I don't NEED anything else, and I have some other things in life I need to save up for this summer. I would have loved to buy some of the new dino's that came out but those will have to wait as well. I am going to have to wait until most things are at a really steep discount at this point. As far as Gen4 goes, I sincerely can't imagine anything being different enough to make me want to buy it. I have so much stuff I haven't even touched as far as rendering goes. I can render for the next 10 years without buying another thing and probably still not use everything. Now there is lots of stuff I would like to have but nothing I absolutely have to have at this point.
I'm trying to stick mostly to lights and utilities, plus a few unique characters. Some older content due to the blow-outs. But, I doubt that I will invest in Genesis 4, unless it brings something huge to the table. It wasn't until late last year that I started buying Genesis 3 content.
If it's innovative or unique, I'll pick it up, whether it's for Victoria 3 or Michael 8 or whatever. Especially it's within my price point. Right now I'm mostly using Generation 4 and Genesis 3 items. There's a stunning variety of both being produced here at at Rendo, plus great deals in the blowouts. I can't seem to get away from V4 and M4. I love them, they port over into Iray easily and there's so much available for them. They're also very expressive.
I'll continue to use and love my V3s and M3s, but they are so much work. I'm glad Wear Them All can bring their clothing forward easier now. And as long as we've got a Wear Them All and a GenX2 for future generations, I'll happily invest in them. I want that backwards compatibility though. I've invested a huge amount in current and older stuff, and I'm not willing to abandon it. I would love to see more dynamics in the hair and clothing, as well as more natural movement of fat and muscle on the next generation. Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with the current technology and how good Iray is looking these days.
I personally want sets!! Glad to see some variety (barber shops, malls, donut shops, police stations, banks, etc) because I don't need any more living rooms, kitchens, etc. But most of all, don't we all want....drum roll...
the darned Daz kitty cat and Daz dog with the latest technology and FUR without having to do a LAMH preset???? Where are they?!!!!
Yes please! And a baby too! How can we have all these people running around in skimpwear and there's NO babies??? DAZ birth control must be pretty good, LOL
Apparently Victoria 7 has never met Carson...
I second all this. I especially want sets that include the exterior and interior. And a +1 to infiinity on the DAZ cat and dog.