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

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Comments

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited October 2013

    So let's compare. Both images, Bucket Size is 32. Shadow Samples 32. Max Ray Trace Depth 0 (is that correct for Ray Trace Depth? That has to do with reflective surfaces?) Gain 1.0, Gamma Off. So none of those were changed.

    Above photo:
    Shading Rate .40
    Pixel Samples 10
    Pixel Filter Width 8.63

    This image:
    Shading Rate .20
    Pixel Samples 18
    Pixel Filter Width 15.24

    I'm headed out the door, so not ignoring posts. I used to know this stuff but you set settings then forget why you do it when you don't tweak things. So refresh my memory please! :)

    EDIT: Darn it this went to a new page, so I am going to post the other image so you can see both together. No matter which way I load it, the second one is FIRST. Stupid forums! So the better settings are the FIRST IMAGE. When you compare, be sure you scroll and get each image in the MIDDLE of your screen.

    EDIT: I grouped them so you can see side by side. The first one is the shading rate .40, the second is the higher quality.
    Click to enlarge, click again, then make sure the page is fully expanded so you can scroll.

    If you really want to see the difference quickly, look at:
    1. the left side of her nose (as you are viewing it) and the middle strip of her nose, down to the tip.
    2. the lit cheek area under the eye on the left, as you are looking at it, and the shadows on that cheek.
    3. the right side, the cheek shadow by the mouth
    4. the bottom lip

    josieCompare.jpg
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    josieBWCSky01.jpg
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    josieBWCSky01No2.jpg
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    Post edited by Novica on
  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,647
    edited October 2013

    I don't render teens so I'll pass on Josie. I think some of the textures overdo it with makeup and some clothing not to my tastes. I prefer natural makeup and more of a casual look in clothing for children when I have to render them.

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

    I don't think Max Ray Trace Depth 0 is what you want. Look at these comparison images:

    Max_Ray_Trace_1.jpg
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    Max_Ray_Trace_0.jpg
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  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,647
    edited October 2013

    Oh my! Have to say his expression is diabolical barbult. Great. =-)

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

    Oh my! Have to say his expression is diabolical barbult. Great.

    That comes from West Park Horror Movie Poses 2
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited December 1969

    I'll switch it over to 1. Not sure how or why it got to 0, I went back and looked at my Seychelle, Gia, Giovana renders and most were on 1. Some Cassini's were, others weren't. I am tweaking the lights too. Josie looks fun with Diva hair. Will be awhile before I post. Thanks Barbult :)

  • jorge dorlandojorge dorlando Posts: 1,157
    edited December 1969

    Hello,
    Who is this old man in the corner of the image:
    is a 3D character?
    thank you

    temp_file_clown-finale1.jpg
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  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,647
    edited October 2013

    Hello,
    Who is this old man in the corner of the image:
    is a 3D character?
    thank you

    The old man is a custom genesis male character. I used morphs to get him skinny, including emaciated, crows feat,and several other morphs. I used Zev's old age morphs to age him up. Skin is M4 skin from Runtime DNA called MB the elder.

    Clothing is all from the shop here at daz.

    I think the hat is from Badboy, pants are Probably badguy, jacket is from the truck set which I think is a great set for M4. http://www.daz3d.com/truck-clothing-set

    Glad you like him. =)

    Post edited by Serene Night on
  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,647
    edited October 2013

    barbult said:
    Oh my! Have to say his expression is diabolical barbult. Great.

    That comes from West Park Horror Movie Poses 2

    Ah, I have the set then, but under the original name. Like the new name better. =-)

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

    Novica: Did you get the unicorn? I admit I was tempted. Did anyone buy it?

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

    Okay, this is cute. But I never noticed before that Enchanted Island: http://www.daz3d.com/enchanted-island

    Has a fun little prop added that is a 'bubblegum' prop. Has anyone noticed any fun little extras added to packs that people might find useful?

    gum.jpg
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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited October 2013

    Afternoon Heat Outfit For Genesis 2 Females
    Diva Hair For Genesis 2 Females

    http://www.daz3d.com/afternoon-heat-outfit-for-genesis-2-female-s
    http://www.daz3d.com/diva-hair-for-genesis-2-female-s

    I like Josie so far, except for the dark circles under her eyes. This is the last one you'll see of her out of the box, I have done my morphed character using Ariadne and the gang- and will post her probably tomorrow- going to be a long render time as I put her in a new set I am building. (not Tranquility.)

    TIP: Anyway, for those straps, if they are way up (and there aren't any morphs, at least I couldn't find any for the straps) use the Parameters tab, submenu the shirt and get to the right and left shoulder, and do about -350 Y translation to lower the straps.

    EDIT: This was with the old settings (with Ray Trace 0, shading rate .40, etc) so the next one should be better. Face seems splotchy.

    josieBWCSky01MyAdjust1.jpg
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    Post edited by Novica on
  • JaderailJaderail Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Novica said:
    I'll switch it over to 1. Not sure how or why it got to 0, I went back and looked at my Seychelle, Gia, Giovana renders and most were on 1. Some Cassini's were, others weren't. I am tweaking the lights too. Josie looks fun with Diva hair. Will be awhile before I post. Thanks Barbult :)
    Max Ray Trace never goes down it goes up, 1 is default, most need to go UP except for Shading Rate. It needs to go down for it to get better. Also Many settings can be set to your Graphic Card maximum supported setting and never need touched again. Then all your renders will have the best your Card can do when TDLmake converts the textures for the Render engine to use. Just a small nibble of Info you folks might like.
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited December 1969

    No, I didn't get the unicorn- wouldn't use it anytime soon and with spending almost $50 on Josie I am being picky. I'll add the bubblegum to the Prop Shop list- I worked on that several hours last week :)

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited December 1969

    Jaderail said:
    Max Ray Trace never goes down it goes up, 1 is default, most need to go UP except for Shading Rate.

    Thanks Jaderail. I knew about the Shading Rate but not Max Ray Trace.
  • JaderailJaderail Posts: 0
    edited October 2013

    Novica said:
    Thanks Jaderail. I knew about the Shading Rate but not Max Ray Trace.
    Max Ray Trace is the number of Bounces between two mirrors, ie reflections to render, and also used for Glass items. If a glass has 4 sides, Ie Outer, inner then inner and Outer again you would set it to 4 to render the light passing, RAYS, through all the sides of the glass.

    I Hope this helps, Note This WILL increase render times as it goes up.
    Post edited by Jaderail on
  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,647
    edited December 1969

    Interesting. Hadn't noticed the shadow under the eyes very much until you mentioned it. I wonder if it is a result of the model or a shadow caused by the brow above or...lower lid lashes.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited October 2013

    Jaderail said:
    Max Ray Trace is the number of Bounces between two mirrors, ie reflections to render, and also used for Glass items. If a glass has 4 sides, Ie Outer, inner then inner and Outer again you would set it to 4 to render the light passing, RAYS, through all the sides of the glass.

    I had read explanations on that (either Chohole or Szark's, can't remember) but didn't know the default was 1. Why, if it deals with reflections, would the default be 1, and why did it make such a difference on a person, such as Barbults- particularly the tongue/mouth? Anyway, I have set the default back (to 1.)

    EDIT: I added this post to the reference section. BTW, remember to check that (you can find it linked from our first post) as I added a lot in September and below is what I found interesting in the forums for October so far.

    Uber Surface http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/30047/
    Difference in Shaders and Textures: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/29938/P30/#446519
    Spheres: Making Your Own http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/30278/#449053
    Layering: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/30626/
    Rendering: Maxium Ray Trace Setting http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/28138/P435/#453757

    Post edited by Novica on
  • Tramp GraphicsTramp Graphics Posts: 2,411
    edited December 1969

    Novica said:
    Jaderail said:
    Max Ray Trace is the number of Bounces between two mirrors, ie reflections to render, and also used for Glass items. If a glass has 4 sides, Ie Outer, inner then inner and Outer again you would set it to 4 to render the light passing, RAYS, through all the sides of the glass.

    I had read explanations on that (either Chohole or Szark's, can't remember) but didn't know the default was 1. Why, if it deals with reflections, would the default be 1, and why did it make such a difference on a person, such as Barbults- particularly the tongue/mouth? Anyway, I have set the default back (to 1.)

    EDIT: I added this post to the reference section. BTW, remember to check that (you can find it linked from our first post) as I added a lot in September and below is what I found interesting in the forums for October so far.

    Uber Surface http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/30047/
    Difference in Shaders and Textures: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/29938/P30/#446519
    Spheres: Making Your Own http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/30278/#449053
    Layering: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/30626/
    Rendering: Maxium Ray Trace Setting http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/28138/P435/#453757I'm no "expert" on the subject by any means, but the reason why the default is set to one is because Ray-tracing doesn't only affect reflections,. It also affects shadows.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited October 2013

    Jungle Ruins
    Jungle Ruins 2
    Teen Josie 6
    Vault Rustler
    Diva Hair For Genesis 2 Females

    http://www.daz3d.com/jungle-ruins
    http://www.daz3d.com/jungle-ruins-2
    http://www.daz3d.com/teen-josie-6
    http://www.daz3d.com/vault-rustler
    http://www.daz3d.com/diva-hair-for-genesis-2-female-s

    This is my morphed Josie using Jungle Ruins with a LOT of set renovation and I'm still not done. This doesn't show the part I constructed from scratch. I'll do a mini tutorial on that later.

    I will say this- Jungle Ruins/J.Ruins2 are very nice, however I was totally disappointed that in the individual props, there were no broken stones! The only stones are in a group (stonesbroken) and they all move together. So even if you were saving as a subscene so you can bring more in, you have the entire darned group. Yes, you can rotate them and bring them up through the floor, but you still increase your render time with tons of hidden items that you can't remove from the scene. Not very satisfactory in that regard. These are expensive sets and one should expect there to be more than crumbling walls and vines, I think broken stones/displaced stones are KEY props. If I've overlooked individual stones, jump in and let me know because I am fair in my reviews and I don't want to mislead anyone. These are awesome sets in all other regards.

    The walls, when tipped and taken through the floor, look totally different. There are a lot of tropicals. Use Enchanted Forest to get the same ferns and more tropicals.

    I was getting a Depth Of Field error, don't know why. She was between the two planes, done this a hundred times. But anyway, the background would look awesome blurred out. The set has a lot of varied heights, which makes it really nice for closeups or distant shots.

    The Vault Rustler outfit breezes on, no adjusting necessary for Josie. Love that outfit!!!

    This is my lighting plus the BWC Lighting turned down. Had to do a spotlight on the eye area to eliminate shadows with Josie. They seem to occur no matter where the lights are coming from, and she appears to have darker material zones under the eyes. I can see it in the viewport before rendering, it's a blue-ish gray. Not what I think of when I think of a typical teenager.

    Edit: Note the fingers are doing that Genesis 2 thing- I personally hate the fake curvy-ness. This was a preset pose.

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

    Thanks Tramp, that makes sense. :)

    The morphed Josie, btw, is 56% Ariadne. I'll say it again, she's a wonderful morph to have, and fun character.
    http://www.daz3d.com/ariadne-for-v6

    I also used about 5% Ambie, less than 1% Neomie, and went negative with Vianne and Charlize. Nyssa was .52 Josie was 1.0
    I didn't use V6 at all, it sunk in the face, and that was pretty much it. Girl 6 of course had the opposite effect.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited October 2013

    BTW, I was wondering if it was the UE2 lighting that really showed up the varied skin areas of the face- I am doing a closeup render and her skin is definitely marked with what appears to be freckles but when lit, they are showing up as uneven material zones due to the lumping of the freckles. Don't know how else to put it. I went to the promos and this one shows it best. EDIT: Look at the cheek on YOUR right. Be sure to click and enlarge. See that whiter area? (It's not lighting.) Same with the forehead on YOUR left.
    http://www.daz3d.com/expressions-for-teen-josie

    I've got the shading rate down to .20, the raytraced shadows 1.0 default, the pixel samples etc all on excellent settings. The UE2 has specular to counterbalance flatness, done everything I know to do which always results in really good lighting/renders. (In other words, I don't know everything (not even close), but this ain't my first rodeo either.) This is going to be a slow render due to the quality settings and closeup which involves hair, but wanted to give you a heads up that it will be coming in a few hours. Meanwhile, see how your Josie renders and if you have these definitely discernible areas without using UE2. I'm curious?

    Post edited by Novica on
  • Tramp GraphicsTramp Graphics Posts: 2,411
    edited December 1969

    Novica said:
    BTW, I was wondering if it was the UE2 lighting that really showed up the varied skin areas of the face- I am doing a closeup render and her skin is definitely marked with what appears to be freckles but when lit, they are showing up as uneven material zones due to the lumping of the freckles. Don't know how else to put it. I went to the promos and this one shows it best. EDIT: Look at the cheek on YOUR right. Be sure to click and enlarge. See that whiter area? (It's not lighting.) Same with the forehead on YOUR left.
    http://www.daz3d.com/expressions-for-teen-josie

    I've got the shading rate down to .20, the raytraced shadows 1.0 default, the pixel samples etc all on excellent settings. The UE2 has specular to counterbalance flatness, done everything I know to do which always results in really good lighting/renders. (In other words, I don't know everything (not even close), but this ain't my first rodeo either.) This is going to be a slow render due to the quality settings and closeup which involves hair, but wanted to give you a heads up that it will be coming in a few hours. Meanwhile, see how your Josie renders and if you have these definitely discernible areas without using UE2. I'm curious?

    I don't have this set, nor do I typically use UE2 lighting, but it looks to me like what you're seeing are intentional skin blemishes typical of teenagers (acne), rather than perfectly flawless skin.
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited October 2013

    Nice Shader- Good Job Standfast!
    And thanks for the mention of our thread. (The post following this one on that thread.)

    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/29938/P135/#452167

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

    Best thing to do is to click to enlarge then click again to see the skin, and everyone can decide if they like it or not. At least it's not an unrealistic perfect complexion. Again, this is my Josie/Ariadne etc morphs.

    josieJungleA.jpg
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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited October 2013

    Take a look here- this is another closeup of Josie that shows the skin. It's with different lighting so it really is a good look at it.
    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/30587/P30/#453907

    Post edited by Novica on
  • jorge dorlandojorge dorlando Posts: 1,157
    edited December 1969

    Hello,
    Who is this old man in the corner of the image:
    is a 3D character?
    thank you

    The old man is a custom genesis male character. I used morphs to get him skinny, including emaciated, crows feat,and several other morphs. I used Zev's old age morphs to age him up. Skin is M4 skin from Runtime DNA called MB the elder.

    Clothing is all from the shop here at daz.

    I think the hat is from Badboy, pants are Probably badguy, jacket is from the truck set which I think is a great set for M4. http://www.daz3d.com/truck-clothing-set

    Glad you like him. =)

    Hmmm! Thank you.
    I thought this character would be available in the store.
    It is a well thought out character, seems to be strong in their expression.
    With an outfit Arabic, it is an authentic Arabian;
    with a Indian clothing, it is an authentic Indian;
    and ... It also looks like my father.

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,647
    edited October 2013

    Hello,
    Who is this old man in the corner of the image:
    is a 3D character?
    thank you

    The old man is a custom genesis male character. I used morphs to get him skinny, including emaciated, crows feat,and several other morphs. I used Zev's old age morphs to age him up. Skin is M4 skin from Runtime DNA called MB the elder.

    Clothing is all from the shop here at daz.

    I think the hat is from Badboy, pants are Probably badguy, jacket is from the truck set which I think is a great set for M4. http://www.daz3d.com/truck-clothing-set

    Glad you like him. =)

    Hmmm! Thank you.
    I thought this character would be available in the store.
    It is a well thought out character, seems to be strong in their expression.
    With an outfit Arabic, it is an authentic Arabian;
    with a Indian clothing, it is an authentic Indian;
    and ... It also looks like my father.


    Thank you. He neat looking character and I liked the way he turned out. =-)

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

    Today's Review is Every day Groceries (there is a typo in the store copy that puts a space in between Every and Day for this item, so if you search for it, remember that).

    http://www.daz3d.com/every-day-groceries

    by Maclean


    Sometimes you just need 'stuff' to clutter up your scene or to give that extra 'lived in feel' to your render. Props like the everyday series (of which Everyday Food is a part) gives you some nice kitchen clutter on your counter, and a variety of props to use in your scenes which are (mostly), food related. Included are: a pasta box, toilet paper, different variety of cans, cookies, water bottle, tea bags, and yes even a cat food container. Some are quite detailed. For example, you can see the eggs inside the clear plastic container, the honey is a beautiful gold color, the orange marmalade has a nice filling in the jar etc. The toilet paper has a clear plastic outside, and the rolls are nicely visible within. These are super cute and well done. I love it.

    I found the easiest way to move the items on the counter was to load them all into the scene, group them and move them simultaneously. Even so, you still may have to adjust the items so that they don't impale the counter or float above it. (If you are like me, sometimes I don't always see pokethrough or floatiness the first go-round), and maybe not even the second or third so double check those surface to make sure they aren't sinking or floating =-).

    To show off the set, I bought Country Kitchen and Retextured it using DAZ Wood Shaders. Lighting the kitchen up proved a bit challenging because of the counter overhang, but I removed the ceiling and I used Jason lights, and added an extra spot light set at 40 percent intensity in light yellow, and a second point light in gray at 40 percent under the counter cupboard (overhead). This adequately lit the scene so you can check out the cool groceries. The set includes high and lo resolution groceries.

    Voila! A counter filled with grocery props.

    One thing I would dearly love to have for the groceries would be a grocery bag, an eco-friendly cloth bag, or something to carry groceries in. I would also like to see some vegetables like celery, carrots, a loaf of bread, and some hotdog or hamburger patties. I think it would be fun to render a character carrying groceries down the street, and these would be great props to use with that. Or perhaps a character dropping groceries and having them spill out of the top of the bag.

    Regardless, I love the set. Lots of detail here. It is an excellent addition to your food props.

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  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,647
    edited October 2013

    Novica said:
    Best thing to do is to click to enlarge then click again to see the skin, and everyone can decide if they like it or not. At least it's not an unrealistic perfect complexion. Again, this is my Josie/Ariadne etc morphs.

    I agree. Nice the skin is not perfect has some blemishes. Perfect skin can look unrealistic. I prefer a bit of speckles here and there for realism's sake.

    Post edited by Serene Night on
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