Novica & Serene Night’s Renders, Tips, Tutorials & Product Reviews PART 2
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Your Dylan was well done. He deserves some friends!
Yeah, I can't wait for M6. I intend to buy the pro pack if the extras are any good. He is essential figure for my art, and I'm realy hoping this month he'll be released. I'm not counting on it, since I hear they will release another female figure- Josie, but I would really like a gen2 male. . I'm saturated with female gen2 figures. Unless they make a nice elder character, or a few aliens or something, My wallet is closed to new gen2 female figures of the pretty-lady variety. Got plenty of those.
I really need an improved male figure because there are problems with the way M5 bends, the sausage fingers shoulders and the lack of good male expressions. The new figure will also likely bring a temporary increase of male hair, clothing and such to the market which is badly needed.
I should probably say I do like female characters as well. Unfortunately, too much of V6's figures and models look like they suffer from lumbar lordosis. I like less overt sexiness.
Novica you should try deleting the contentdb.ind file like I did, then restart studio and let the database rebuild, not only did I get everything back as before but DS also loads much faster now. I am sure it was that the database got corrupted. I followed some instructions posted in Daz Studio discussion, I think pendraia posted. It sounded complicated but was actually quite easy. Sorry I don't know how to get the link for the topic for you
edit to add this link for instructions
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/viewreply/439695/
Thanks Kharma, I may try that next week. There are SO many things (stressful) going on right now that I don't want to do anything new at the moment. I am gone most of this week and probably next week, so at the moment, I can find some products, start the render before I leave, and at least know it will do THAT. :)
Today's review is:
Tarnished and Polished Shaders
DAZ 3D, Digital Lite Design
http://www.daz3d.com/new-releases/tarnished-and-polished-shaders
I regularly purchase shaders. It is always nice to customize your objects with new surfaces and to spruce up your prop or clothing with something that will give it more pizazz. Tarnished and Polished shaders is a nice set of glass shaders with a number of great surface options and some utilities that make it easy to remove your custom textures.
I used the dim installer, and sadly, had a bit of trouble with the meta data. It created an empty product view, dispite me re-importing it, and reinstalling when that didn't work.
Fortunately, it is easy enough to find the shaders manually. The files are located in daz studio>my library>shader presets>DLD> Tarnished and Polished
From there, you can make a product and categorize the files. There are fiver different types of shaders available. Colors Chunked, Colors Cloudy, Colors Smooth, Colors Polished, Fantasy Match.
For the purpose of showing the shaders, I created a simple still-life with a number of glass objects on a table.
1. No shaders.
2. Shaders of various types
3. Colors Chunked Shaders
The utilities folder offers the ability to remove and clear shaders which is a nice option, as well as the abiity to apply different reflections and textures.
Overall, this is a great texture set. I love it. And such a value if you are a platinum club member at 1.59
There is a contest for new users here..
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/29935/
As part o the contest this item is being offered for free to practice on for new users
http://www.daz3d.com/masquerade-masks
Yes, you are right. The Tarnished and Polished metadata is wrong. I am so sick of this problem over and over and over... Where is DAZ QA? Is is pretty obvious that nobody is checking packaged products before putting them live in the store. >:(
The problem with this one is that the metadata says all the files are in a Shaders folder when in fact they are in a Shader Presets folder. If you have an editor that can easily replace multiple instances (like notepad++) it is easy to fix by substituting Shader Presets for Shader in runtime\support\DAZ_3D_17054_Tarnished_and_Polished_Shaders.dsx. There may be other metadata problems with this package, too, but at least this fix will get the files to show up in the product.
Thanks, how did you find it?
I didn't. Someone posted about it in the members only forum. It is part of the new users render contest here.
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/29938/
So newbies should check this thread out and enter.
It is also listed in the 100 percent off in the http://3dwishlist.com/specials
Richard said at one point that it specifies stuff like file locations and any dependencies for the use of the install manager, so no if you are installing by hand you probably don’t need it.
The manifest.dsx files contain information used by DIM - order number, order date, SKU, file guid, tags indicating what the product is or works with, and assorted other trivia. You don't need them if you aren't using DIM. If you are using DIM for downloads, the .dsx files are used to determine if something you've downloaded has an update.
Like the shaders, and you're right- what a deal!
Medieval Shop
Medieval Tavern
Medieval Inn
Garden Of Galahad
Barn Yard (Ground) Garbage Pile (Ground)
Okay, here we go with more "outside the box." Use this product and set up OUTSIDE picnics in your medieval villages. I would add some tall lightstand candalabras (self supporting, about 6 feet tall) scattered around and make it a cool moonlight festival.
http://www.daz3d.com/medieval-tavern
Use Medieval Shop to go with your picnic, it's got similar food. It's nice for the background. Think of the eateries in a mall, you go buy the food and eat it right there at a table.
http://www.daz3d.com/medieval-shop
And the Medieval Market is your main food source- and the vendor stalls. Reminder- this is where I also got the wheelbarrow and wheel to bury out at the farm in the previous Garbage Pile render.
http://www.daz3d.com/medieval-market
Not only can you use the building, you can use that little round table and chair in the STALLS from the Medieval Market. I'll do some closeups in the next day or so, going to be gone tomorrow most of the day and evening.
http://www.daz3d.com/medieval-inn
http://www.daz3d.com/garden-of-galahad provided the shrubs.
http://www.daz3d.com/fm-solar-system or other starry night skies can be used to make the picnic candles more romantic. This scene used the EXACT same lighting as the Garbage Pile/Barn scene but I turned off two of the ambients and added a spotlight for the moonlight- waaaaay up high, at 45% intensity and a medium light blue. The spotlights would be in the center of the scene, I just turned them off.
I spent a lot of time on that barrel with the apples and pears on it- put some in the bowl and scattered on top of the barrel.
TIP: Use your surfaces like people would! Think of the action in your scene. People who are with the vendors would be chit chatting outside the stall, and that barrel makes a handy table. Perfect height for teens who would be standing around, ready to assist their parents.
Click to enlarge, then click again. The entire scene is large, 2000 pixels :)
I then zoomed in to show you that stool and table in the stall (and of course the handy mug of ale) Am rendering a series of closeups for you and will post periodically. Headed out the door in a few minutes for the day.
More of that set- closeups of the stalls. I expanded the shrubs from the first scene as they didn't go all the way over and left a small gap.
This stall was empty, I put the food and baskets on the bench and the table and chair in the stall. So you can do whatever you want with this stall quickly- it's an empty slate.
Oh, this is interesting- look at the background building. It turns and comes toward us, and makes that straight line cutoff shadow. Ugh.
So...
TIP: if you have a square building watch out for straight line cutoffs if your distant light/spotlight is coming in from the side. Changes in the building (the part coming toward you) can become very noticeable! This would not be a "keeper." But I want to show you the "oopsies" so you know what to look for when you have that side light overhead setup.
I love the fabric covering on this stall. THIS SHOWS YOU THAT BARREL WITH THE APPLES AND PEARS (on the left)
One other thing to note, make sure your horizontal lines don't "line up." Go back to the first village scene and look where the line of the back wall is compared to the stalls' roof lines are- on the left, one is below it and one is above it. Then on the right, the stall roof is below the horizontal line of that wood section on the building (and the window sills.)
Meat anyone?
Definitely not a fan of the fabric "out of the box." I'd like to see more of a variety of the sharper corners, mixed with round corners. Seems like you have the upright rolls with round corners, or the squashed ones with just square corners. Like to see those a bit softer. Or mix these- with some upright on top, squashed on bottom. This looks yukky, too segregated IMO.
Which leads me to the grouped items- trying to figure out how to ungroup them- I right clicked and expand selection, expand all, etc, doesn't ungroup. Select >all objects does the entire scene, not just the fabric stand. How do I change the geometry on just certain rolls of fabric to soften the edges? (and also use Y translation to unflatten them.) So bottom line, can you ungroup something a vendor does? I'm also in Edit and don't see anything that would work either.
Some items are created as Object Groups in the Modeler, with just different material zones. Only sending to HEX or another Modeler will let you Break them up. And then you would lose the UV by breaking the mesh into different items. You would then need to UV them yourself.
This is one of those indoor tavern tables- they come already set up. The items on the table match what is in the stalls so you can easily add to the meal. I like the small details- the spoon (or whatever, assume it would have to be a spoon) that is buried in that large bowl of green whatever-it-is-I'm-not-eating-it.
I'd have to change the lighting if I were focusing on this area, there's too much glare on the stoneware vase at the upper right corner, etc.
Thanks Jaderail :) I'm sure I'm not the only one who has wondered about that.
Cathie
wow, nice work on that village scene, and all the little details. I like the tavern table, that chicken looks good enough to eat!
Today's review is: The Cage
By Daz/Predatron
http://www.daz3d.com/the-cage
This set was included in the the Freak 4 bundle, which I picked up last month during the sale, and I thought I'd briefly review it.
The cage is actually a very simple environment. A big cage, with a couple of stairs leading up to it in a large building with a roof, and a hidden projector area. The sides of the cage has some morphs to raise and lower the so your fighters can enter and exit. The set is suitable for your Fight Club/Illegal street fight scene/ to being a pen to hide your alien critters.
There really aren't any additional props here, so what you see is what you get. Make sure to apply the daz studio mats and lights because by default it loads without them.
The included lights show off the set well, however, I didn't find them very flattering to figures I placed inside the cage. They also render quite slowly so if you are like me, you might soon be questing elsewhere to find lights which look good to render this environment.
This set has a lot of potential, and is a good set to experiment with your god ray technique.
Screenshot 1. Showing the cage- set lights
Screenshot 2 Showing the cage 2- set lights
Screenshot 3- Sarge in the cage-testing different lights
Screenshot 4-Sarge in the cage- sides raised. DIY Portrait Studio light "Above Right Deep shadow" Less intensity. I added a darker shade to the cage's environment's diffuse because the Undead Fiend and the cage are really close in color and I wanted the undead to stand out from the background. . Took it into photoshop and darkened slightly and used Ron's Light & Shadows to add some rays of light.
With the sides raised, it looks like a very different set. I like the lighting, particularly the streaks coming down on the last one. And the characters stand out well, nicely done! Sarge just wanted to relieve his boredom, eh? Pity the Fiends. (couldn't resist, Mr T was so cool in A Team!)
It's balmy and bands of rain coming in from Tropical Depression Karen, we're going to get some rain but not the 8" originally forecasted. I'm going to see what I've downloaded and do a render later today hopefully.
LOL. Yes. Sarge has no qualms about taking out as many undead fiends as possible. =-)
BTW, welcome SereneNight to the realm of Addicts. You went over the 2500 posts a day or so ago but I kept forgetting to mention it. :)
Now, been working on a set for a whopping 18 hours- yep, it's not necessarily my most complicated -my very first one was actually the hardest with the lighting and props and poses. However, I tested many, many things and took a lot out, added back, took out, etc. My goal was to make a set with many different looks, depending on where the camera is. I've used about 20 different products. It is going to take a LOT of time to render these options, so this week will be BRC Tranquility Week for me!
I want to spend the time showcasing this set because it really is much nicer than it appears in the product images. (And they are nice!) You can pick this up for $1.99 and YOU SHOULD. The door comes off so you can have interior views/scenes, and I'll show you a fun thing to do with the dome.
I also spent a lot of time on the lights- which have to be changed depending on where you are in the scene if you have certain people. The materials on the character I am using are darker than what I normally use. So here's a few renders, these are slow going, even with a shading rate of .50
And I'm still not done with the set :)
Here are the products used in these renders, and in the upcoming renders:
BRC- Tranquility
Trixy Hair
Modern Muses Paloma V5 V4 (This is Victoria 4)
Steam Punk Aviator V4
DM's Circle
DMs Courage Realm
Garden Collection
Willow Spring
Easy Environments: The Rock
Garden Of Galahad
and more coming up.
http://www.daz3d.com/brc-tranquility
http://www.daz3d.com/trixy-hair
http://www.daz3d.com/modern-muses-paloma-v5-v4
http://www.daz3d.com/b25-steam-punk-aviator-v4
http://www.daz3d.com/dms-circle
http://www.daz3d.com/dms-courage-realm
http://www.daz3d.com/garden-collection
http://www.daz3d.com/willow-spring
http://www.daz3d.com/easy-environments-the-rock
http://www.daz3d.com/garden-of-galahad
The Steam Punk Aviator (SPA) comes with a skirt and the leggings are white. I changed the leggings to olive/dark green and didn't use the skirt. SPA was very easy to fit and I love the textures on it. I think you'd be really pleased! You don't have to use the aviator goggles/hat, and the shirt is really nice.
DM's Circle contributed the flooring/platform for the structure- it's the round stone. And of course, it makes a beautiful backdrop if you raise it and put it behind characters or props. It will be shown in the upcoming renders.
DMs Courage Realm provided the "burners" with the flames near the front door. Seen in upcoming renders. The rust colors of the container tie in nicely with the color of the door (as do the flames of course.)
Garden Collection is a MUST HAVE if you want to get a lot of things you will USE. There is a chair, different pavillions, lanterns, a potted tree, a floor, and a ground. And the trees are nice- and the flowering one provides that nice light green which contrasts with other typical trees. You will see several trees and the nice iron fence from Garden Collection in upcoming renders.
Willow Spring is going to be my Creative Cathie tip. The embankment is the large island/ rock outcroppings out in the water! Yes, it makes a very nice island! (And pairs nicely with Easy Environments: The Rock btw) Go look at the fifth thumbnail in Willow Spring. You would NOT think, "My, what a great island that makes!"
TIP: When cruising through the Content Library, click on products- even those you don't think you could possibly use- and see what the props are. I found that mound of dirt and rocks by clicking on Willow Spring- quite by happy accident. (again. Just call me HA) IT LOOKED TOTALLY DIFFERENT ALONE THAN IN THE PRODUCT THUMBNAILS.
Easy Environments: The Rock is the skybox, with the sky and water LOWERED to hide the water. That is correct- the water is NOT from The Rock. I wanted the sky, but also those very, very distant cliffs. You will see those on the right side of these renders. Small details matter.
Garden Of Galahad- just as in the marketplace, I am using the shrubs. Seen in upcoming renders, near the front, behind the fence from Garden Collection.
Again, these are my light setups (about 95%) and I have them grouped depending on where I put dear Paloma.
These are LARGE renders, click to enlarge then click again. Enjoy! :)
Note the gorgeous planter on top the column.
1. It also has hand drawn leaves and areas darkened near the bottom to make it more solid.
2. I also eliminated the opacity of the stem. (It was like a pole sticking into the concrete.)
3. And I made sure one of the long stems overlapped with Paloma, providing more depth in the scene. NOTHING COMES OUT OF HER HEAD. Ferns go behind and above her head, but the strands of the fern above her head do not REST on her head and they certainly do not extend in front of the face..
Background: The rounded rusty rock by her shoulder is nowhere near her mouth. I tipped the camera to avoid rock lines coming out of her nose and mouth.
EDIT: I had time to do the postwork one today, so compare the before and after. The columns, the water, and the background island have all been hand painted and the brightness adjusted/details added.
One fun thing about the setup I have- you'd never guess that to the right of the scene, above, are gorgeous willow trees and flowering trees, with a pretty fence and tropical flowers. :) Here's Paloma seated in that same area shown above.
EDIT: Look at the closeup render. The eyes have a lot of hand coloring- they glisten a LOT, turned them almost white in the iris. The hair was completely hand rendered at the back of the neck, the white collar of the shirt poked up and I completely eliminated it. Compare it to the farther away render in this post. You'll see the little white triangle at the back of her neck in that one. I left it so you could compare the two. I love drawing hair :)
See the distant land mass in the first render? That's the tiny sliver from Easy Environments: The Rock.
Today's review is:
Under attack for V4/M4
http://www.daz3d.com/under-attack-for-v4m4
By Digiport, InfinityRain
I've had this set for a while and really like the set. There is a nice variety of poses here. The poses can and do work with genesis, however, here I decided to dust of Celebrity Lola, Sad Clown Theo and a added a custom character to demo the product.
The set has 14 V4 Action poses and 14 M4 action poses and 8 expression sets each. While I was using this set, I was really impressed with how much more expressive V4/M4 expressions were than Gen 5 characters. The male expressions look good, and aren't just a set made for female genesis applied to men. The eyes and hands go well with a variety of poses.
If you like gen 4 poses, or need a fear/action/combat pose set, this is a nice set to use.
Lights here started with the base Garbage Pile, with the light blue rim from Jason added and a yellow distant light added. I grayed one of the spotlights and then dialed down the uber-environment. I then added some darkness with Ron's Light & Shadow brushes. All poses used are from the set except for Manwolf's pose. Glass was added using Ron's explosions Glass.
SereneNight I like the cage pics you posted, I have that and have wondered what to do with it. Seeing it used gets ideas flowing.
Novica, the garden market is very nice lots going on there, I don't have it but its on my wishlist for later.
Right now I am totally absorbed in GenX and transfering my morphs to Genesis, its incredible what it can do. A bit of a learning curve but trial and error work.
When I get ready to do that, if I have trouble I know who to ask :)
SereneNight- I had to laugh at that dude in back- he's really hustling it out of there!
Novica: heh! I hadn't noticed I'd become an addict without even noticing it? Eh. I guess that's how it goes.
This is the third attempt to reply here. My handheld and daz ate my last post post. I tried to make earlier. That is how it goes here for me sometimes. =-)
I really like the aviator outfit. It looks good and the leather looks nice and realistic and very good on Miss Paloma. I like her texture. A very nice mid-tone skin. I also really like Trixie hair. one of my favorites in the pc club. It doesn't look clumpy and looks real and professional to boot. Good renders!
Kharma: thanks for the comments. I try to render every piece I get just to see how I like it. The cage was a bit of a challenge for me. I found lighting to be an issue. Can't wait to see what you do with it.
When I get ready to do that, if I have trouble I know who to ask :)
SereneNight- I had to laugh at that dude in back- he's really hustling it out of there!
Yeah The end of his arm brace cane though is probably close to poking that orderly!
At last I have done something with Manwolf AND got to use those Westpark Ailment medical tools we got from the PC Club.