Novica & Serene Night’s Renders, Tips, Tutorials & Product Reviews PART 2

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Comments

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,647
    edited December 1969

    Head up!

    If you like the new pose set by Don Albert: http://www.daz3d.com/new-releases/3drama-xpress

    You can buy one of his 1.99 pose sets and get it for free (if you are pc member).

    Also the new bundle http://www.daz3d.com/crazy-deal-marrakesh-1 is a great deal if you don't have any of these items.

  • barbultbarbult Posts: 24,244
    edited December 1969

    How did you find $1.99 Don Albert sets? When I searched his store, the lowest price I saw was $6.95. And, I am logged in.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited December 1969

    Hmm, they advertise to buy-this-get-that and the "that" doesn't exist when I do a search or click links to promos. You get 50% off a list of products if you buy Marrakesh 2 promo, but there were no links to it, it's currently not on the promo page, and a search shows 404 PAGE NOT FOUND. Anyone find it?

    Read about that here:
    http://www.daz3d.com/crazy-deal-marrakesh-1

    Note, you are supposed to get 50% off ONE of the listed products on the above page. Right now you can get more than one from that list. And it's more than 50%. Don't know if PC members are supposed to get more- the promo page states pc members get an extra 20% off any products on that page, which would include the the marrakesh bundle, but that is just 1.99 so that would only add .40 and my discount was over $5 more than the 50% would have been. I didn't buy anything else from that page.

  • KharmaKharma Posts: 3,214
    edited December 1969

    The Marakesh Drama poses are 1.99 from Don Albert whcih ties in with the sale items for today.

    Novica in the PC newsletter it says PC members get 60% off Jack's items if you but the crazy deal, but I wish I had known you get more than one at the moment I only put Saba'a AlKair in my cart while wishing I could get 2 @ 60% off...lol

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited October 2013

    http://www.daz3d.com/marrakesh-drama
    is 1.99 so you get the 13.97 off!

    Edit: Oops, Kharma was on the ball :)

    Post edited by Novica on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited December 1969

    Kharma said:
    The Marakesh Drama poses are 1.99 from Don Albert whcih ties in with the sale items for today.

    Novica in the PC newsletter it says PC members get 60% off Jack's items if you but the crazy deal, but I wish I had known you get more than one at the moment I only put Saba'a AlKair in my cart while wishing I could get 2 @ 60% off...lol

    You could just cancel the crazy deal on the other one and tell Britney you thought it would be easier than canceling the entire order and reordering the Saba. But if you have the money to cancel the entire first order, that's what I would do. Then buy Saba with the new order (and your other items.)

  • KharmaKharma Posts: 3,214
    edited December 1969

    Novica said:
    Kharma said:
    The Marakesh Drama poses are 1.99 from Don Albert whcih ties in with the sale items for today.

    Novica in the PC newsletter it says PC members get 60% off Jack's items if you but the crazy deal, but I wish I had known you get more than one at the moment I only put Saba'a AlKair in my cart while wishing I could get 2 @ 60% off...lol

    You could just cancel the crazy deal on the other one and tell Britney you thought it would be easier than canceling the entire order and reordering the Saba. But if you have the money to cancel the entire first order, that's what I would do. Then buy Saba with the new order (and your other items.)

    So I did submit a ticket for refund of crazy deal and the bonus, and already did a repurchase of Crazy deal plus 3 of the ites all at 60% off. what a bonus, I have wanted all these items for a long time. Thanks for pointing this out :)

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,647
    edited December 1969

    barbult said:
    How did you find $1.99 Don Albert sets? When I searched his store, the lowest price I saw was $6.95. And, I am logged in.

    That's odd. He has a number of old sets at the end of his history like saloon poses. and stuff for M3 that are showing 1.99.

    You add that and expressive drama and it will only charge 1.99 if you are a pc member.

    Just tested and it still works.

    It was a deal to celebrate him havin 100 items in his store and is supposed to run until the 10th or 11th.

  • barbultbarbult Posts: 24,244
    edited December 1969

    Novica said:
    http://www.daz3d.com/marrakesh-drama
    is 1.99 so you get the 13.97 off!

    Edit: Oops, Kharma was on the ball :)


    Yes, the $1.99 ones are showing up now. Either I made a mistake before, or something in the store changed. Thank you both.
  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,647
    edited December 1969

    Hmm. I'm confused about the crazy-deal deal. Do I need to put everything in the cart for it to give me a deal on Jack's store, or do I need to buy the crazy deal first before getting the discount on his store?

    I tried putting a high priced Jack item in my cart with the crazy deal, but the Jack item remained full price.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited December 1969

    http://www.daz3d.com/crazy-deal-marrakesh-1
    will tell you the ones that you get the discount on- I don't think any others will get a discount when you buy that bundle. But note on that page it says there is bundle #2, which hasn't come out yet, so I dont know if there will be different ones that get the 50% or if it will be the same ones.

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,647
    edited December 1969

    Okay, I understand now! I didn't see the paragraph blurb.

    I think I'm going to pass for now. I like some of those sets, particularly: Saba'a AlKair with that lovely pool. But... I don't have immediate need.

  • TeofaTeofa Posts: 823
    edited December 1969

    Novica said:
    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.

    I just have to butt into this review thread long enough to say I absolutely love the Paloma character and renders.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited December 1969

    Thank you Standfast. Paloma is a bit tricky to light because she has medium-dark skin. So if anyone is lighting her, if you would typically have your lights at say, 30%, try 45% as a starting point. Every scene she is in, I have to change the lights depending where she is at on set- a LOT more than say, Victoria 4 or Genesis. I'm still working on the set and will post some frontal shots with the tropical flowers in a few days.

    And have to agree with SereneNight, the Trixy Hair is one of the most natural looking ones- the edges are ROUNDED without messing with the geometry. I did nothing to the hair with the exception of drawing it in at the nape. Great for closeups. I think it would look very pretty in formal pictures too.

    The leather texture on the aviator's clothing is REALLY nice.

  • TeofaTeofa Posts: 823
    edited December 1969

    yes, that scuffed up leather is so nice. Paloma's whole aura is "been around the world". I love that. I tried for that scuffed and worn look for a jacket I just did.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited December 1969

    Want you to see a render from our friend Barbult. Wonderful lighting! Barbult, would you mind explaining how you did the flashlight light? I love that beam!
    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/29799/P15/#443328

  • Tramp GraphicsTramp Graphics Posts: 2,411
    edited December 1969

    Novica said:
    Want you to see a render from our friend Barbult. Wonderful lighting! Barbult, would you mind explaining how you did the flashlight light? I love that beam!
    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/29799/P15/#443328
    The link's not working for me. It just reroutes me to my account page.
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited October 2013

    Hmm, I clicked it directly from your "quote" part of your message, and it's working. The site does crazy things sometimes. To get the link, I clicked on the post number, and copied the url. Done it a hundred times :) (well, probably more like a thousand. It's how I have to link the products in the product review section, and the tips in the reference section.) Anyway, it's working. LOVE the wonky site. If you say it's not working for you, I don't doubt that.

    The render has a nice flashlight beam and I just love the overall theme (it's for a contest about dark and scary.)

    Post edited by Novica on
  • barbultbarbult Posts: 24,244
    edited December 1969

    Novica said:
    Want you to see a render from our friend Barbult. Wonderful lighting! Barbult, would you mind explaining how you did the flashlight light? I love that beam!
    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/29799/P15/#443328

    Well, I'm flattered! I spent hours experimenting with that lighting. I ended up doing two separate renders and combining them in Photoshop layers. I did that because I wanted the AoA Atmospheric camera to make the strong ray on the flashlight beam, but I didn't want the whole picture to be "fogged" by that camera. I did one render with the AoA Atmospheric camera and no ambient light. The flashlight light is a spotlight pointing out with a narrow beam and a very low intensity point light to provide a little illumination on the flashlight lens. I adjusted the AoA Atmospheric camera settings to intensify the visibility of the spotlight beam. Then I did a second render with a regular DAZ camera with UE2 20% ambient light added. I combined them in Photoshop and adjusted the overall brightness and contrast to my liking.
    Renders.jpg
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    Volume_Camera.JPG
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    Spot_light.JPG
    381 x 876 - 57K
    Point_light.JPG
    389 x 577 - 45K
    flashlight_lights.JPG
    1301 x 961 - 289K
  • barbultbarbult Posts: 24,244
    edited December 1969

    Novica said:
    Want you to see a render from our friend Barbult. Wonderful lighting! Barbult, would you mind explaining how you did the flashlight light? I love that beam!
    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/29799/P15/#443328
    The link's not working for me. It just reroutes me to my account page.
    The link points to the Members Only forum for Platinum Club. If you are a member, log in first, then click the link. If not, sorry, you won't be able to view that forum.
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited December 1969

    Since you've already posted to the contest thread, can you post the image here? I really want everyone to see it. Thanks for sharing how it was done, I knew it had to be something out of the ordinary. You never fail to impress me :)

  • Tarina KiviTarina Kivi Posts: 488
    edited December 1969

    I really liked that image when I saw it in the contest thread. Thanks for explaining how it was done barbult! Great render, very atmospheric. :)

    Since it's my first post in here I would also like to thank you, Novica and SereneNight, for this thread. I check it out regularly since I have found useful information in here on several occasions. ^^

  • barbultbarbult Posts: 24,244
    edited December 1969

    Novica said:
    Since you've already posted to the contest thread, can you post the image here? I really want everyone to see it. Thanks for sharing how it was done, I knew it had to be something out of the ordinary. You never fail to impress me :)

    Here is the large size.
    dubious_hallway-what_is_that_noise_large.jpg
    1690 x 1352 - 2M
  • KharmaKharma Posts: 3,214
    edited December 1969

    Barbault I love that render, your lighting is amazing

  • barbultbarbult Posts: 24,244
    edited December 1969

    Gosh, thank you all. I worked so hard on it, it is great to hear that people like it, :-)

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,647
    edited December 1969

    Very good Barbult. I admit, I don't usually like my results with the atmospheric effect cameras. Your lighting is lovely. Thanks for posting that.

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,647
    edited December 1969

    Today's Review is Coalition Rapier Armor (one of my favorites) and Coalition elite textures

    http://www.daz3d.com/coalition-rapier-armor
    mighty_mestophales, Sequestrian

    http://www.daz3d.com/coalition-elite-textures
    Sequestrian,shaunahowell


    Coalition Rapier Armor is an awesome gen 4 product with a lot of versatility. The set is a full armor body suit, which includes a quite useful undersuit, several armor colors, a helmet, and different colors for the armor's leds. It applies quickly and easily to gen 4 figures. (like Michael 4 Shown here). Unlike products designed for genesis, the armor has some nice clean edges and hard lines which seems to be an issue in gen 5 clothing which I find doughy. Not a problem with this suit. It renders and looks like metal, which I love.

    The fit is perfect on gen 4 figures, however it is not as easy to fit to gen 5. While there is a full armor preset, it won't apply to the entire figure, you'll have to manually apply each armor piece. Since the armor has a lot of parts this can be time consuming. However, the results are worth it. I recommend if you are a genesis user applying the armor to default genesis, and then saving the set so you can alter the character and not have to reapply the armor again piece by piece. The set also renders nicely on the female figure. The colors are quite striking and have an amazing metallic feel which I really like. This is a set which I think is quite excellent quality and is perfect for sci-fi renders. Very well done, and worth purchasing.

    Coalition Elite Armor Textures

    The texture set is for both Rapier and Claymore suits. I do not own the Claymore Armor, but Claymore is a more heavier suit than Rapier-suitable for a tank character like Sarge. I hope to pick up at some point. One thing to note, is that the default texture for Rapier Armor appears to be poser only. (Hence a very light aqua color to ever armor piece when you choose the apply full armor option). To get the DAZ mats, you must individually add the textures to each piece of the armor suit (the individual textures are somewhat tough to discern from the Claymore textures as product view lumps them together). You must hover your mouse over them to discern which is which). There doesn't appear to be an 'apply the full texture' like there is for the Poser version. This is kind of frustrating. I wish there was an apply all option for daz users as well. If I'm missing some obvious way to do this, please let me know, but I'm just not seeing it.

    The elite textures have a more scuffed and worn appearance than the default rapier texture which looks shiny and new. The set is also quite nice and produces a different look than the original set. The contrast is nice, and provides a different sort of look for this armor.

    Image 1

    This is M4. He is wearing default Coalition Rapier Armor. His skin is Samson and morphs are aged. The hair Is Jai. Lights are Jason Lights with the Rim light peach.

    Image 2.

    This is the same M4. There is an additional yellow point light added under the hand. HeroFX were added to make a yellow ball under the Knight's fingers. I did two renders here, one of the figure with Hero FX and one without. I then layered them in Photoshop and removed the yellow light which appeared over the palm and fingers. I wanted the effect that the light was below the figure's palm. I dislike it when the whole hand is engulfed in a yellow blob because this makes it appear that the light is in front not beneath the hand.

    Image 3.

    Here is the Coalition Elite Texture In White. Skin is Raw's lords of battle. Lights are Jason with a yellow rim instead of aqua. Eyes are from Woodland Prince. Hair is Cuffed Tail Hair. Backdrop is Designfera Nebula

    Image 4.

    Same figure as above, Coalition Elite texture Blue

    I have left the helmet off on all the renders.

    Image5.jpg
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    Image3.jpg
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    Image2.jpg
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    Image1.jpg
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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited December 1969

    Very inspiring! The third one is my favorite- love the green background, the shadowing on the right side of the face (as we look at it) and how even though the background is very light at the bottom, the silver of the outfit is still clearly shown. There's just something about that pose that really shows the emotion and I love the color scheme.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited December 1969

    I'm still working on the Tranquility set, and I am experimenting with complicated sections. AKA, it's easy when you plop a yard in, but what about those sections where you have a rounded concrete/patio area next to a grassy one? How do you get the grass in there? (Yes, you can cheat with your camera angle, but I want it RIGHT from any angle. ) TIP: Scale down, then x rotate to make the grass lower and insert it under your concrete or floor.

    Also, what if you have limited vegetation, but you LOVE that vegetation? Although it being limited wasn't a problem (there are several props, but some are just mirror reflections, and very obvious that it's the same plant) I am going to tell you how to really make a plant different- and show you the same plant with the tweaks.

    TIP: To make a plant radically different: (this is for tall stalky plants)
    1. Scale it down first (that really throws off the eye. Start with 87.3% if it's the size of a tall lily)
    2. Y rotate 225%
    3. X scale 175%
    4. X rotate 9% (that makes it lean in a different direction)

    The arrows will show you the same flowers, before and after. The circled group shows you the group of the same plant, before and after.

    flwrs2.jpg
    1651 x 1671 - 880K
    flwrs.jpg
    1651 x 1671 - 838K
  • mori_mannmori_mann Posts: 1,152
    edited December 1969

    Scaling and rotating are very useful tools for making (copies of) the same object look different. I did that on the pupmkins in one of my latest renders.

    For even more variation, you can go to the Surfaces tab/menu and play with the diffuse colour (only helpful if you can select the different parts of the object in question - like stems and petals for flowers for example - of course). So much fun and no two items will ever need to look the same :)

This discussion has been closed.