Novica, Serene Night, & Invited Guest Contributors Tips & Product Reviews Pt 3
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Would be good if you were making Jack Nicholson, too. :)
Would be good if you were making Jack Nicholson, too. :)
Oh man, yes. =) that is spot on comparison. .I really can't wait for the release of a new male adult figure with less of an issue with the forehead. It bugs the bejeepers out of me those odd brow ridges... worse that I can't use my vast library of m4 skins without eyebrows going getting almost diabolically arched.
Guest Contributor
Mini Product Review: Skin Overlay Bundle
One of my Top Ten from 2013
This product allows you to easily and seamlessly add things like freckles, wrinkles, acne, age spots, vascularity, and many other features. Works with V4, M4, V5, and M5 UV sets. Great for creating characters that are more unique and realistic (or "normal-looking").
The image below (which is the same as one I posted here, except with the Growing Up morphs removed) uses several of the overlays. Can you guess what the underlying texture is? (answer: this one)
This product is also available as a Merchant Resource.
Wow, didn't guess that was Dave. that really can change the look of a skin, can't it? Cool!
I agree, amazing change with Zev's overlays, Scott. This is on my wishlist. I liked the render you shared a while back where you had the child version of this guy too (just looked for it in the Gallery but you don't have it there). I thought it was a nice concept, showing the same character as child and then aged.
Novica, that Thalia hair and the spider-web crown go beautifully together. I also like the necklace.
SereneNight, I've been trying 'girl hair' on the guys too... will share a render. The M4 eyebrows make your guy look like he's planning some mischief... but good to know he can wear the hair.
Invited Guest Contributor
Mini Product Review: Pyrit Hair (for Genesis and Generation 4) http://www.daz3d.com/pyrit-hair
Also available for Genesis 2 Female: http://www.daz3d.com/pyrit-hair-for-genesis-2-female-s
Since it's Christmas Eve and we're all busy, I'm following Scott-Livingston's example with a mini review. :)
If I remember correctly, Novica has mentioned before that you can use Pyrit Hair on the men. We're just seen SereneNight's Toulouse render on M6, so I wanted to share something I was playing around with a while back when making a custom character.
This is a D5 base, and it played nice with Pyrit. I think it's a good modern style for younger men. One of SWAM's promo pics also shows it on a male.
Personally I'm not a fan of hair over the eyes and much prefer the look in the main G2F picture (link above). However, if you've played with this hair, you'll know it comes with a lot of morphs (I counted 37) so you can tweak it to your heart's content. I've pushed a couple of dials to max here which is why there's a bit of crinkling right there at the front. I removed his glasses and it didn't change so I think it's simply extreme morphing that has done this.
In fact... I just now found a Hide Front option hiding in with the MAT options. I'm going to try this guy later with that and see if I like it better. As for colours, I like real-world ones but there's a dark blue and a raspberry shade which I could see would be great for some genres. I also can see this as a good steampunk or sci-fi hair for girls in addition to being a cool unisex style for modern guys and gals.
I know you're going to ask me about the lighting.... I can't take credit for it, much as I'd like to! It's from the Lacticis Portrait Lighting Tutorial. http://www.daz3d.com/portrait-lighting-tutorial-for-ds4 It's a good tutorial for new users, nicely put together and easy to follow. Those of you who are confident working with the different light settings and already know what to crank up for higher quality could feel you learned nothing new from this step-by-step approach that starts with the basics... but you do get to put together this one killer lighting rig which made it worthwhile for me.
The glasses are Steel Framed Specs by Dogz, and are the usual high standard you'd expect from Dogz. I love anything that gives a character a touch of realism so these were a must-buy for me.
Scott-L and Jindi- wonderful reviews! Scott, you person looks so real with that "not perfect" skin- really looks aged.
Now for fun- did anyone get any of their wishlist items during the 22% + Snowball sales? I went for a guilty pleasure and got the jet! Won't be rendering it anytime soon as I am spending all day on my RRRR entries. But expect to see that jet in the future. But of course, many of us shopped when it was 22% and now it's 40% for many stores. Unreal.
Very nice, Jindi! I thought I recognized that lighting! The Portrait Lighting Tutorial was another of my Top 10. I did a little review of it here (and there are more renders in subsequent posts in the same thread).
What I liked about it:
1. Allows you to achieve professional-level results, from scratch
2. Good for beginners, particularly with regards to UberEnvironment2
3. Also contains some helpful information on depth of field and other camera functions, as well as render settings
And I agree with Jindi that those who already have an intermediate (or better) knowledge of lighting may not learn much from this tutorial...but even if you only learn two or three small things, it could still make a big difference in the appearance/quality of your portrait renders.
@Novica: I took advantage of the 22% and Zev0 sales and bought the G2F and G2M versions of Growing Up, plus Brothers, and I also got the G2M autofit clone for Genesis and, to reach $50, added some PC products that were on my wishlist. Very happy with the bargain!
http://www.daz3d.com/access-1510
take a look at the thumbnails. The promo doesnt show the stairs, door, etc. For your claustrophobic scenes, would be great.
The mantiraptor I showcased is on sale (and so is the texture/poses)
http://www.daz3d.com/mantiraptor
http://www.daz3d.com/mantiraptor-expansion-pack
I don't say this lightly- if there was ONE SET that I would splurge on, it would be this one. If you have decent snowball savings (20% up) with the 40%, you'd get 60%, and this set is marvelous. It has steps leading to the walls so you can have sitting/standing characters, that wall head lights beautifully, the room is very large, just can't say enough about it. I can't show you any renders because I started one for a contest and never had time to finish it, and saving it for a contest when I get it done. This set is that good! Look at the thumbnails and you'll see the "Ahhhhhhhh" factor.
http://www.daz3d.com/ancient-prophecies
Today’s Review is:
http://www.daz3d.com/oot-styles-for-rogue-sci-fi-outfit
http://www.daz3d.com/oot-styles-for-rogue-sci-fi-outfit
Other Content:
Desert Outpost
http://www.daz3d.com/desert-outpost
This is a set of 5 texture’s for Stonemason’s fantastic Rogue Sci-fi outfit for V6. As you can tell, I consider the V6 Rogue outfit to be pretty gender neutral and useful for characters of both genders. These textures really allow you to vary the outfit, and adds a fiber and leather appeal to the original look.
I like them all, but for me, I will probably photoshop out the chest patches on the purple one.
This texture expansion can be mix-n-match as well, as there are 5 textures with different presets for each costume part. Overall, I think this is a great set. I’ve already begun to use it, and Out of Touch has done a great job adding some variety to one of my favorite outfits.
Images 1-5 Characters using this product
Nice! I tend to favor the olive greens and earth colors. That set is detailed (as usual)
Do you happen to have this? It sounds pretty neat- it uses the Johan figure (but not required) and you can make a ton of characters from that one model. Like that concept.
http://www.daz3d.com/m3d-men-1-for-michael-5
http://www.daz3d.com/johan-for-m5
http://www.daz3d.com/sparkles-for-studio
Watch the video- really fun!
Anyone have these? I'm buying them- Those thumbnails are gorgeous. Have to check and see what outfits those are.
http://www.daz3d.com/hardcore-utility-shaders-ds
Reminder- SereneNight really loves this:
http://www.daz3d.com/machpack
and I believe Scott-L also mentioned it. The Totally Bazaar is also in that store at 40%- be sure and get the bundle! (If you don't have Fabricator, check that out too. Gives you SO many clothing options. You'll find you tend to buy less clothes because you can texture them with Fabricator with just a click!)
Ever want to have dolls and toys for the kids in your scenes? Turn a statue into porcelain? Slosh's cool tool is on sale.
http://www.daz3d.com/dolled-up
And while you're there, pick up the MUST HAVE Handy Dandy. SereneNight had it in her top 10 list.
http://www.daz3d.com/hula-kahiko-poses-for-gen4-and-genesis
Don't let the Hawaiian theme fool you- take a look at the poses. There is one that would be good for worshiping idols, several for supplication or putting hands up to ward off evil!
And this one http://www.daz3d.com/kuialua-warfare-poses-for-genesis is good to have to get your characters into lower or leaning positions quickly.
I haven't seen too many clothes or shaders that have earth tones. I like the evening gown. Thanks for sharing the review.
I'm a total shader junkie, so basically if it's for DAZ Studio I've probably got it!
I love the sparkles set (though it was always rather slow to render - probably my lights) and use the Hardcore Utility ones a lot for the metals - lovely effects with the various embossing presets (it was the set I always used before Gemologica turned up, which I also love)
I took a look round my laptop but don't have any samples to share there (I had a big cleanup of old renders a while ago as my 500GB disk is rapidly filling) - I do most of my rendering on my desktop m/c but that's currently bundled up as we had a storm last night and lost some roof tiles so I'm nervous of water getting in before we can get repairs done (realy hard finding roofers on Christmas Eve!)
Ah, so that was the review I read before going ahead and buying it! If Laticis does any more of these tutorials, I'll be interested in them. He knows his stuff.
Novica -- I agree, MachPack and Totally Bazaar are well worth having. It's great to be able to change the look of an outfit, and they are indispensable when you get into making your own clothing. In fact, speaking of reviews, it was your review that I read (with those pillows!) before getting Totally Bazaar. I can see Dolled Up being a lot of fun, I hope to get it eventually.
My feeling if it looks good, I use it regardless of gender. =-) There is so little male content, If I want variety, I use whatever works. You are kind about the brows though. To me they look like they are attacking his face. M6 really deforms some m4 brows I'm afraid. But since I rarely use that skin, I just decided to go for it.
Mini Product Review: Pyrit Hair (for Genesis and Generation 4) http://www.daz3d.com/pyrit-hair
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Thanks for showing Pyrit hair. I use that one too for men. It is a cute short hairdo suitable for everyone. Looks great with your lighting and specs.
@ no one in particular I took the plunge and bought the sentry drone. I'm also eyeing Antfarm's latest, but I have tough time using big bots, as I don't tend to do a lot of distance work.
I am curious about the high definition terrain but not sure my box can handle it. High def figures take too long to render on my rig, and it is pretty fast, not sure how the terrain would work, so I'm holding off.
LOL Jindi- I remember the pillows. And if you'll recall, Scott-L was jumping in to help because The Fabricator and / or Totally Bazaar was on sale and we were trying to crank out stuff as fast as we could. Pillows were easy- poor Scott was tackling outfits and putting 2 or 3 different materials on! (Love ya Scott-L!)
Oh MelanieL- so sorry to hear about your roof! It was weird down here in Florida- I sat at the computer going, "THIS is the big rain event? Pooh." We got less than half an inch. But I found out that just 20 minutes away at the ranch, they got EIGHT INCHES! And I just saw that 30-40 car pileup (I think it was outside Cleveland?) so I hope everyone stays off the roads where this mess is happening.
You folks might have to tell me how to use this stuff I'm scooping up. I do have to share this because it made my hubby laugh. I just told him he was SO sweet to get me a private jet and a very nice car for Christmas! http://www.daz3d.com/llamaghini-gallopngo has been on my wishlist since Sept 2012. Got it! (good deal with the stacking snowball discount.)
Take a look at this one, it could be a 1960's swimsuit!
http://www.daz3d.com/foxy-white-dots
Ariadne For V6- I LOVE HER!!!!!! Great makeup options, renders beautifully. She is my SeaNautica gal!
http://www.daz3d.com/ariadne-for-v6
Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year, too! I made a silly card. I hope you enjoy it. :)
Tjohn's Christmas Card
LOL! I like it. Thanks, and have a merry xmas and happy new year. =-)
That's some team you've assembled there tjohn! :) Merry Christmas, happy holidays to you and everyone!
and the same to everyone here also!!!! Trish
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
Wishing all my new friends here in Art Studio (and around the DAZ forums) a wonderful Christmas... A year ago I had no idea any of this even existed. It has been a fun year.
Those are beautiful cards!
Tramp and Jindi- GORGEOUS!!!!!! Merry Christmas to you to, from chilly Pensacola! There's frost on the grass, that's as close to snow as we're going to get- but no complaints about that. Hope everyone's day is exactly how they want it to be :)
Cathie
If our Weekend Contributors are reading the thread, please PM me to let me know you've read this post- we're going to remove the "weekend" status for at least December and January, to test and see how that works out. Several reasons-
1. It allows for more products to be covered
2. You may have a render of something that is currently on sale and if you wait until the weekend, the sale will be gone
3. You can watch the thread and space things out with other contributors. A good rule of thumb would be maximum 1-2 a day. (Again, if you want to render things on sale, or have something already rendered, go for it!)
Reminders:
Put "Invited Guest Contributor" in green and bold at the top of your post for the title. (Some of you have forgotten- would you go back and edit your posts for me?)
You can use renders you have already posted elsewhere. Usually the products have not been overly discussed, and that's the focus here. People are interested in why you chose what you did. Keep in mind you don't have to do scenes- if you want to show a hair, for example, just do the face and hair. (My favorite thing to do, as you can tell I love checking out the hairstyles.)
Don't feel you HAVE to be super detailed- loving it so far that the reviews are in-depth, but Serene Night and I know (believe it!) how much time that takes. A few sentences is fine if you are limited on time. :)
Remember, once invited, you are an IGC. It's not just for that week. You post when you feel like it- we are NOT expecting a weekly contribution. This thread is about fun and sharing- not stress. If you want to post as to what product(s) you're working on, that might give the other IGC's (Invited Guest Contributors) a heads up. But it's not required.
Merry Christmas to all our Invited Guest Contributors.It's an honor to have your work on our thread. Remember to PM me :)
Per our invitations, our current IGC's are:
Bullit35744
Estroyer
Ivy
Jaderail
Jindi
Kyoto Kid
Llolalane
Luci45
MelanieL
Sasje
Scott-Livingston
Szark
Tarina Kivi
Tjohn
Totte
Jumping in to wish you all a very merry christmas and happy holidays. Have absolutely loved this thread all year and look forward to it for the next year.
Kharma :)