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Novica & Forum Members Tips & Product Reviews Pt 10

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  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,651
    edited January 2018

    Wow that’s disappointing, guess I never really thought each part was a different figure. I do wonder about the moderation of the gallery but know I will be hit with the mod stick for questioning it.

    Post edited by Serene Night on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited January 2018
    Serene Night said:

    I actually have had a pa tell me they have made changes based on thing I’ve commented on. So I don’t agree at all that remaining silent is the answer.

     What comes to my mind though, is how thorough you are in explaining what you would like to see changed. When something could be tweaked or made better,  people in the Art Studio tend to explain WHY. That's putting the emphasis on helping the vendor understand the buyer's perspective. I think the regulars who have their own Art Studio threads do an impressive job trying to show what works well, and what could be looked at.

    Post edited by Novica on
  • 3Diva3Diva Posts: 11,546
    escrandall said:

    Thank you so much Diva for making Lori.  I don't buy many characters these days, but she's very different with a very expressive face that will work well in story telling.  It is rare to see someone start out at a high level like this.  All probably instabuy anything else from you:-)

    Thank you for the lovely compliment on Lori - that's great to hear! I'm very glad you like her!! laugh

  • DarwinsMishapDarwinsMishap Posts: 4,087
    Divamakeup said:
    DarwinsMishap said:

    Diva's new girl looks lovely- congrats from me as well!

    Thank you, DM! And thank you for the feedback and support! :) I really appreciate it!

     

    Divamakeup said:
    DarwinsMishap said:

    Diva's new girl looks lovely- congrats from me as well!

    Thank you, DM! And thank you for the feedback and support! :) I really appreciate it!

    Of course, anytime!

  • Daywalker DesignsDaywalker Designs Posts: 3,586
    Novica said:
    Serene Night said:

    I actually have had a pa tell me they have made changes based on thing I’ve commented on. So I don’t agree at all that remaining silent is the answer.

     What comes to my mind though, is how thorough you are in explaining what you would like to see changed. When something could be tweaked or made better,  people in the Art Studio tend to explain WHY. That's putting the emphasis on helping the vendor understand the buyer's perspective. I think the regulars who have their own Art Studio threads do an impressive job trying to show what works well, and what could be looked at.

    It's like I said in another thread recently. If you want some PAs to step up their game, you'll have to convince DAZ to require certain things you want, since as long as those are not required, they won't be done by everyone that does that kind of product.
  • SimonJMSimonJM Posts: 5,983
    Novica said:

    OT

    I am going through boxes from the storage unit, cleaning out closets, etc. Going to share a bit of humor and wisdom that I saved. 

    BUMPER STICKERS FOR LADIES
     

    My 1st sister-in-law had a bumper sticker that read: "Microbiologists do it with culture and sensitivity" 

  • donovancolbertdonovancolbert Posts: 1,421

    You and the others who post on this thread are very specific about what you don't like, and courteous. I appreciate all of you doing that. But hey @donovancolbert   I happen to think my horse's face is gorgeous! But I'm biased.

    HAH! laugh

  • donovancolbertdonovancolbert Posts: 1,421
    edited January 2018

    I always get too excited and publish my images before I'm completely done with them. Yesterday I missed a webinar on ParticleShop for Paint Shop Pro. I followed up watching the YouTube video today, and that got me excited about brushes in PSP. So I went back and did some postwork on the fire and the grassline between Tangy Orchard and the Pond Builder kit. I'm not going to bore you with the whole thing again, but here is the part where I concentrated most of my efforts. I'm really hapy with the smoke effect. I have Sy's smoke layers and some fire effects, so I could have probably just rendered it instead of doing post work - but I really like the way the post work ended up - the smoke really seems like it is catching the setting rays of the sun over the edge of the trees. 

    The fire I'm less ecstatic about. The smoke is just brushwork in PSP. The fire is brushwork from ParticleShop. 


     

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  • donovancolbertdonovancolbert Posts: 1,421
    edited January 2018

    It also got me to import all my Photoshop brushes into PSP. At this point, the CC subscription is looking less and less likely to get continued. I'm not finding much I can do in Photoshop I can't in PSP 2018 Ultimate. It seems a little *slower* at times than Photoshop. 

    I had a $30 coupon from buying PSP, and I went to go use it finally - going to buy some brush packs, and of course it expired *yesterday*. Grrrr. 

    I wish I could find a vector program that feels as powerful and stable as Illustrator. 

    Post edited by donovancolbert on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887

    The Photoshop subscription is easy to cancel then reinstate, isn't it? I think last year I knew I was going to be writing and not doing book renders (and I don't Photoshop when I show products here) so I cancelled it. 

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited January 2018
    donovancolbert said:

    . So I went back and did some postwork on the fire..... the smoke really seems like it is catching the setting rays of the sun over the edge of the trees. 

    The fire I'm less ecstatic about. The smoke is just brushwork in PSP. The fire is brushwork from ParticleShop. 


     

    Well, I like the smoke and fire! It really adds to it, and I like the wind blowing it effect. Nicely done! Now just give that dog a bone and you'll be all set.

    Post edited by Novica on
  • NathNath Posts: 2,808

    Well, no new videocard for now... price went up by 50 euros, putting it outside the allocated budget, and the delivery date kept being pushed back, so I cancelled.

    Ah well... there's always another sale, elsewhere as at DAZ.

  • donovancolbertdonovancolbert Posts: 1,421

    My read of the terms was that it was billed monthly, but sold as a 1 year subscription, and if you cancel, the unused portion is non-refundable. But maybe that was to buy at a discounted price? Maybe they have a more expensive month-to-month plan? That isn't really appetizing to me either though. 

    Part of it is that Adobe's model is very confusing. 

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    Nath said:

    Well, no new videocard for now... price went up by 50 euros, putting it outside the allocated budget, and the delivery date kept being pushed back, so I cancelled.

    Ah well... there's always another sale, elsewhere as at DAZ.

    Sorry to hear that. Maybe you'll get a better deal at a later time. 

  • StormlyghtStormlyght Posts: 666
    firewarden said:

    Sharks by AM: Great White  - is this the one that was gone?

    I haven't been able to go through all of the art thread until today. @firewarden thank you for mentioning it. I had wanted to purchase the shark and then it was gone. Glad it is back!

    Trish

  • firewardenfirewarden Posts: 1,482
    donovancolbert said:

    My read of the terms was that it was billed monthly, but sold as a 1 year subscription, and if you cancel, the unused portion is non-refundable. But maybe that was to buy at a discounted price? Maybe they have a more expensive month-to-month plan? That isn't really appetizing to me either though. 

    Part of it is that Adobe's model is very confusing. 

    I buy it through Amazon when it's on sale. It was recently $89 for a year, so I bought two years. You have to pay it up front, but makes it cheaper overall. You can also commit to buying a year, but pay by the month. I just buy Photoshop Lightroom. I like the other products and used to use some of them, but it's not worth it to me.  

  • NathNath Posts: 2,808
    Novica said:
    Nath said:

    Well, no new videocard for now... price went up by 50 euros, putting it outside the allocated budget, and the delivery date kept being pushed back, so I cancelled.

    Ah well... there's always another sale, elsewhere as at DAZ.

    Sorry to hear that. Maybe you'll get a better deal at a later time. 

    That is the plan:-)

    Back to rendering slowly now...

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited January 2018

    I'm going to mention this in case you hadn't seen an offer like this. My son said he had (he's more into tech than I am) but I hadn't. My external hard drive has a lot on it so I was looking for a 3TB and found this for $140 off- an 8TB. I love WD, had them for many years and no failures or problems whatsoever.  I can't do the link as it's commercial, but it's normally 300.00 (299.99) on sale for 160.00 (159.99, stupid marketing. Yep that penny puts it in the 150's.)  

    Google (and this is BestBuy(dot)com)  the WD easystore 8TB External USB 3.0 Hard Drive- Black

    Post edited by Novica on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited January 2018

    Pix Elaine (Gen3F)      Jeweled Excellence Bracelets 1 for Genesis 2, 3, and 8 Female(s)

    I did this a couple days ago and forgot to post it!  I really like @mattymanx bracelets. The bracelet shown has different material zones within the bracelet, which makes it easy to do a band of color on both sides, with the interior rows a different color, or every row a different color, etc. I just kept it simple. 

    I picked up Elaine on sale, this is out of the box. I like her better from the side or 3/4 view, rather than the front, and would probably tweak her a bit in the nose. I like nostrils to be a bit wider and flared wings. It's nice to see characters with straightline noses, they seem regal. 

     

     

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited January 2018

    Progress report on Lily. Happy Camper.  I first got her the cardboard/pet bed scratcher, delighted that I found a kitty condo piece that was mostly focused on the scratching part. I ordered the tall post and waited for it to come in, it's sisal. She loves both of them.

    I acted fast when Lily was at the window, and I let my dogs outside. Knowing they'd head to the side yard, (affectionately called the Bone and Toys-You-Weren't-Supposed-To-Take-Outside area)  I snapped a shot of the exact moment all three saw each other. Geico (big dog) had spotted her a few minutes before, and just sat down, looked at her (she stood up and stretched, sat back down) then he laid down with a bone. Duvee and Dibbs wagged their tails and Dibbs (the Cairn mix) raised up on the window, whining, then Duvee did too. 

    Lily?  Didn't budge. Talk about Miss Chill Pill! 

    She'll be in quarantine for another week just to ensure she isn't carrying a virus / sick, plus we're going to be moving furniture and boxes back and forth to the storage unit and NO WAY am I taking a chance on her zipping out the door. She's already tried it with the bedroom door, and she's fast! 

    Lily's personality (remember, I didn't pet her, hold her, nada at the shelter) is sooooo sweet. And she's a talker, which I love. You first walk in, "Mew- ow?"  She trills, you know, that "Lrrrrrrrrow?" when she's happy. I drove the other neighborhood last night, calling Eevie. Will keep doing that for awhile. :) 

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  • L'AdairL'Adair Posts: 9,479

    Lily is so cute! And it looks like she's going to fit right in.

  • agent unawaresagent unawares Posts: 3,513

    Lily is the prettiest cat I've ever seen in my life.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887

    I haven't tried Dforce yet, but reading a couple threads. So here's an interesting question. Since hierarchial poses include the ability to save a prop and a character, if the character is interacting with a dforce object, how exactly does that work? . If I remember right, the cube is parented to the girl. If you had a blanket that was going to be dforced onto the cube, that blanket would also have to be parented, to the cube, which is parented to the girl. So if you save those three as a hierarchial pose set, when you hit Simulation, does Dforce simply ignore the girl because it's blanketed to the cube? 

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited January 2018
    agent unawares said:

    Lily is the prettiest cat I've ever seen in my life.

    Well, thank you. Take a look at this- then pick ONE.  (Edit- I've got dibbs on the one that  is looking at us, completely upside down, in the middle. What a nutball!) 

    Post edited by Novica on
  • L'AdairL'Adair Posts: 9,479
    edited January 2018
    Novica said:

    I haven't tried Dforce yet, but reading a couple threads. So here's an interesting question. Since hierarchial poses include the ability to save a prop and a character, if the character is interacting with a dforce object, how exactly does that work? . If I remember right, the cube is parented to the girl. If you had a blanket that was going to be dforced onto the cube, that blanket would also have to be parented, to the cube, which is parented to the girl. So if you save those three as a hierarchial pose set, when you hit Simulation, does Dforce simply ignore the girl because it's blanketed to the cube? 

    Assuming nothing is set up for the girl, dForce will simulate the blanket, using both the cube and the girl as colliders. If you don't want the blanket to interact with the girl, you can turn off her visibility in the scene tab.

    There are other options, but for your question, I think that is the simplest answer.

    ETA: Even if the blanket doesn't come in contact with anything but the cube, dForce will have to make calculations based on everything in the scene, which is why running a simulation with hair on the character can result in really long simulation times. When you're first getting started, it may be easiest to hide—via Scene tab, Surfaces->Editor, or Geometry Editor—anything that isn't in contact with the object being simulated.

    Novica said:
    agent unawares said:

    Lily is the prettiest cat I've ever seen in my life.

    Well, thank you. Take a look at this- then pick ONE.  (Edit- I've got dibbs on the one that  is looking at us, completely upside down, in the middle. What a nutball!) 

    My husband wouldn't choose. He'd try to bring them all home!

    Post edited by L'Adair on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited January 2018

    @ladair     I'm wondering about when saving as a hierarchial pose preset, does turning things off in the Scene Tab (hiding them via closing the eye) interfere with the pose saving?

    Post edited by Novica on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited January 2018

    Since this was mentioned over 12 hours ago this morning by someone else (I just got online at 2pm) the different gift card sales are stacking. Get 21% off!  Since it has been so long since someone posted it, and it is still working,  it may be intentional.  

    One is the Overcome by Fear  page sale, which does require 2 new items from that particular sale (I had waited, I've learned my lesson, so got the Haunted Toy and Strings) and then the sale today which is more general, it's just a new release, so did a PC+. (I never grab those right away either.) 

    Post edited by Novica on
  • RGcincyRGcincy Posts: 2,834
    Novica said:

    One is the Overcome by Fear  page sale, which does require 2 new items from that particular sale (I had waited, I've learned my lesson, so got the Haunted Toy and Strings) and then the sale today which is more general, it's just a new release, so did a PC+. (I never grab those right away either.) 

    I wondered if they would stack but hadn't tested it yet. I too had waited on Strings and then picked up the basement since I'm not into zombies, as well as a PC+ shader set I had wishlisted. Since the basement was a DO, I was also able to use my PC coupon. Good deal.

  • L'AdairL'Adair Posts: 9,479
    Novica said:

    Since this was mentioned over 12 hours ago this morning by someone else (I just got online at 2pm) the different gift card sales are stacking. Get 21% off!  Since it has been so long since someone posted it, and it is still working,  it may be intentional.  

    One is the Overcome by Fear  page sale, which does require 2 new items from that particular sale (I had waited, I've learned my lesson, so got the Haunted Toy and Strings) and then the sale today which is more general, it's just a new release, so did a PC+. (I never grab those right away either.) 

    I put five items in my cart to test it last night, I thought it said 27%... Old eyes, I guess. Anyway, I already bought what I wanted from "fear" so there's no incentive to stack. Too bad, too. It would have cost me about the same as I paid on Wednesday, but I'd have five new items instead of two... C'est la vie!
    laugh

    Not a lot of incentive to buy more than one item today either. I've got Expression Mixer in my cart. I've passed on too many of Riversoft Art's posing products lately, and then wished I hadn't. So I'm getting this one. I'm waiting to see what's on offer over the next couple of days before checking out though. I do like that Daz is giving an extra discount on the products when you get multiples to buy the GC. I hope it means more GC sales for them, so it becomes a standard when multiples are involved.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887

    Oh hey, they changed the support tickets. Now you also have:

    Product SKU
    Coupon Code
    PC Membership Renewal
    Price Change
    Accidental Purchase
    Sale Ticket Tracker
    Tech Ticket Tracker

This discussion has been closed.