Daz 3D is part of 
Connect
DAZ Productions, Inc.
7533 S Center View Ct #4664
West Jordan, UT 84084
Licensing Agreement | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | EULA
© 2024 Daz Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Comments
I use the space bar to go to another view.
Thank you for letting me know I am not losing my mind...lol Most things are working just fine and as expected, still the funky viewport issues tho...oh well for now I know how to work around it. I have some great ideas for some products ( they come easy) I hope learning this program is just as easy :)
i lost my mind about a decade ago.. but that is a topic for another thread. lol wish I could buy Silo or Zbrush. Thanks for posting the screenshots though. I've been meaning to look at screenshots of Silo. I found lots of photos of silos on farms.
edited cuz I'm still half asleep.
Glad you caught that- will go change it. :) I'm doing one thing and typing another. (You're now my official editor, lol.) Never did figure out the problem you had with losing the Perspective view and not being able to get it back when Silo opens.
none01ohone- Thanks, I'll add the link. BTW, can you answer Tobias' question about Blender Vs Silo- anything you can comment on as a recent dabbler?
Here's my layout. I've seen some really crazy ones but I like a pretty clean UI. It's very easy to customize the UI in Silo.
You're welcome :) I'm hoping it will help you and others be able to learn it before you purchase it- or help you decide if you want to. I know that even when having the program, I found reading the book and watching the videos were the first thing I did, even when I could have used the program. I was at the "What on earth am I supposed to do?" stage, and still am, but going slow.
I also decided to post a lot of screenshots instead of just explaining things, more with the focus of taking care of folks who do NOT have the program. And okay,people, you can laugh at me- I sat there with my computer turned off and practiced the hotkeys. :)
Oooh Frank- like the color! Your layout doesn't make sense to me because I'm not there yet with the fancy stuff on the right :)
I have a question- I'm already puzzled about using reference materials and having two panes, and when you only have one view. Here goes-
If you only have one view, aka, a front shot of something- lets say a giraffe- is it still possible to model it? I think most often, we won't have a cyclorama of images for what we want to model. Aka, I might find more than one giraffe image, but not the SAME giraffe in the same pose.
Second, would it be best to have the front view, or side view, if I had to settle for one view of the object? (giraffe)
For two reference photos or drawings- let's use the giraffe- what if I have a large shot of the head, but a full body shot of him (Edit- from the side)- do I shrink the head and put it in the squares correlating to where it would be over in the full shot view? Or do I model the head then just scale and plop it on?
The stuff on the right is custom. Most the buttons were made by me. I wanted them to look like it was part of the program. The stuff on the right are the things I use the most. You can model from just one ref image. You just have to use your imagination for the rest. If you have 2 images but of different sizes just scale them in an external app like photoshop. You can do it in Silo but its hard to get the proportions right at times. I do it all the time. I primarily model in one view. Perspective and then toggle between left, right, top. I set up specific hotkeys for fast switching. I use hotkeys for almost everything. I typically start a model off in front view and then start switching. I'm with everyone when I say the open to different views get on my nerves to. It should open in perspective and you then switch to the others. Mine usually opens in top view.
Good to know :) I am a 2D artist so filling in the other views won't be that hard for me. One suggestion I would have for DAZ-ers is to use your studio and view a similar item so you can view it and get a feel for it from there. (Edit- Want to clarify, I'm talking about viewing it in the studio to get an idea of the basic form, not stealing someone's work.)
I was just using giraffe off the top of my head, but I'm back in the Append Polygon post and working on that, using a giraffe. Headed to the barn for a couple hours, but folks should check back later tonight to see Append Polygon in action. (Just the basics, then will add Extrude.)
Since quads are desirable, I do have a question Frank- are triangles a big no-no? Do they create more artifacts and poles? (Which I will cover for everyone, don't worry about me skipping around. Having this answer will be put in the logical place.)
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/41937/#615284
I made this reserved post the hotkey/shortcut/tips post. It's on the front page so it's easy for us to use. If you find any mistakes, please let me know. It's an important reference and needs to be correct. I am posting the hotkeys as we go, it's not all inclusive right now obviously. :)
Headed to the barn for a few hours, but you may have noticed the Append Polygon has been worked on. I will be doing that when I return in a couple hours (around 9pm you should see more posted.)
EDIT: I am back and playing with the giraffe. Keep an eye on the Append Polygon post. I am also going to Split Loop to make the polygons smaller (I think.)
Frank- just practicing with the Append Polygon tool, and it seems buggy to me. I started with one polygon (seems like a flat face) and for several times, it would proceed and make the new polygon. Using hotkey P. Then suddenly it wouldn't make a green dot when I clicked, or when I hit Enter the green face would disappear. If I stopped and used CTRL to Tweak something, sometimes the P would resume it's function. Is there a "fix" to re-trigger the Append Polygon if it stops functioning?
Second, if the polygons are not connecting (with uneven spaces) would that be Merge?
I tested it, and it's merge. Will show you folks that when we get to merge. If you are doing a row of polygons using Append Polygon, this is a nice thing to know. Select two vertices and Cntrl M (merge.) They will form one vertex so you get one edge and no gap between polygons. Easy smeezy!
The append polygon tool is used to place cuts between the points you select. "P" is basically used to fill in polygons the are missing. You can select points or edges and merge them. Most applications are build to use quads. Tris can be very problematic at times.
I built all my models in Silo as well.
There are lots of good videos on Youtube for Silo. Anything from Glen Southern is really good. There is a series about modeling the Firefly ship that is good for learning the keyboard shortcuts and hard surface modeling.
Imagine FX has a very good modelling tutorial on Youtube ( sorry no link at the moment) using lineart to model a child demon. My questions are where do you get this line art to put in the viewport to follow when modelling? Is it something you have to draw yourself then scan in? Also do most modellers use this method or do they just have inspiration from seeing something and then start playing in their modeller of choice?
I usually just google for blueprints or lineart of the item you want to model. With clothing I just find reference images and work from them.
Most people draw it or scan it themselves. I don't use it that way. I import a photo image just so i don't have to keep poping up the image outside the program. Occasionally I'll print a ref image and set it in front of me while I model.
Thanks for the feedback Wilmap and Frank,
Kharma- have you tried FotoSketcher yet? You can take any photo and turn it into line art. http://www.fotosketcher.com/
It's a safe download.
Frank and whoever else wants to help a DUH person: What I don't get (and I was using a book) is after I place a bunch of specific polygons (not box modeling- point modeling is what they called it) (using Append Polygon as was suggested) there are just flat surfaces. It follows the contour of the giraffe, was good practice.
Using extrude won't get a four sided polygon. What the heck am I supposed to do with a flat giraffe? (Stop laughing.)
I will check out that program, haven't heard of it. As far as your flat giraffe (lol) can't help, I have been playing around with the box modelling myself
Throw rug?
Below are 3 screen shots of my Silo setup showing a very early version of the Llamaghini Amenazador. As you can see there are a total of 4 planes setup with images on them so I can trace the car. I used the line tracing (Shift+E) to trace the car and also to connect points and then used the fill (Shift+F) to fill in the polys. It was a slow method or so it seemed but it got the job done. Its best to trace with multiple view up so you can quickly pick your points and move them to line them up. You only ever model half the vehicle cause you will mirror the other half. For parts of the car that will not be connected to its mirrored half, you can sub divide, clean the mesh and UV it prior to mirroring it so that when you do mirror it all you need to do is flip the UV. For parts like the hood where its connected to the mirrored half, its best to mirror first, then subD, then mesh clen up and UV.
When you set out to do something like a car you are going to need a lot of reference images cause the blueprints are never perfect. The best way I found to set up the planes is to start in DAZ Studio and set up primative planes in cm according to the real world size of the car and then crop my images of the vehicle as best as possible and apply those in DS to make sure it looks ok. I then export each plane by itself as is in the correct orientation so all I need to so in Silo is load it up and apply the same image. I always export from DS at Poser scale because DS will automatically load a CR2 file in at poser scale. When all the planes are in Silo I scale them all up by 4 or 5 times so its easier to work in details when needed.
Since I used Hexagon first, the only change to the Silo controls was to use the Hexagon mouse camera movements.
Here is a video showing the basic concept but done a little differently
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc0mqud6YHk
For other videos I would recommend a few:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoxZuNQPcQs (part 1 of 5)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s59fsiG2Xw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ1_AcZiWdk (Part 1 of 14 - incomplete series but still good)
Throw rug?
There's one in every crowd. But happy to have you in mine. I'll read what you posted now. I have abandoned the giraffe for now, ever-after referred to by the name "Rug." And be careful Mattymanx, he can fit in an envelope and can be sent ANYWHERE. (wah-ha-ha) I'll send him to DAZ in Utah and ask them to forward him to you- he doesn't like being made fun of and is plotting his revenge as we speak....
EDIT: I posted him back in the beginning posts, but will put him here also.
Okay, here's what I am playing with. I am NOT saying this is the right way, but if it's the wrong way, that's good too because everyone can see the attempts/mistakes. I'm experimenting with shapes, splitting loops, selection (use Alt+E) and just trying to get more intuitive about remembering shortcuts. So even if I am wrong, at least I am putzing. So here's what I have done so far on "Not-The-Rug" Giraffe. Known as NTR for short.
Even if this is the "not perfect" approach, you can still play with the options we have discussed so far. This assumes you have read the first posts. I haven't gotten very far so this may be a wash-out.
NTR The Giraffe
Create a cylinder (you should instantly think Ctrl + Y)
Next, I thought two things: I want to cut it in half so I can just do Instance Mirroring and work one side. Second, I want to do some split loops so when I pull polygon faces, I can be more specific. The diagrams say it all, no need to repeat everything.
One thing I will say is this- remember to save your primitives (there is a Save>Objects option) so you don't re-create the wheel. Once I split the cylinder, I saved it as CylinderHalf.
Soft Selection has been added to the first posts, please review. It has the colored dots which show you which faces/vertices are included. The darker the dots, the less influence. I did soft selection to pull up those newly created smaller surfaces for the hump. Soft Selection is easy to remember, it's in the Selection menu. Or Alt + Shift + S.
So play around with the Soft Selection, cutting loops, and mirroring...you'll be on your way!
I'm adding more edges so the Paint Displacement tools will be more effective. The tips from the Nevercenter book indicate to work with larger polygons first, and divide as needed. I'm keeping the body of the giraffe large for now, but used the Cut tool (X) to divide down the back and to add more into the shoulder.
I'll be showing what I am experimenting with, but I am only doing "saves" for what I am keeping. Some of this may or may not be kept, but you'll be able to see the tools used and can apply them to your own project. I am also adding tips/additional thoughts back into the first posts, so be aware those are dynamic and not static.
Not shown: I selected faces and Shift+X to cut those face loops, so now the body of the giraffe has smaller quads. (polygons)
Yee-haw, I haven't lost my touch. Without a reference photo (I've just been doing rough estimation for the hump, using only Perspective), I did the hump almost perfectly- yeah for me! Refer to this post on how to set up your second view polygons with a ghost shader so you can see your image.
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/41937/#615301
I selected faces, then used the Push Brush to dig into the back. I noticed the seam was splitting away from the ghost image, so all I had to do was use the move manipulator to pull the seams together. Keeping it as tidy as possible as I go.
Next, I selected (hold down mouse and move over the faces, with Face Selection active) all those extra polygons that I didn't need at the tail area. I'm going to putz with adding a cylinder there and do a merge. It would be faster than trying to curve all the original cylinder to make the hiney. (I think.)
IN PROGRESS
NTR Giraffe Continued
So that should give you a good start- from my experience as a brand new user, you REALLY need to get these tips/keys down pat:
Alt+E selects faces between two that you have selected (one on each end.) Really fast way to select face loops.
Always open the Paint Displacement>Opt menu so you have those brushes on the viewport area to quickly select. Once you have that open, then just use T to activate the tool if you've had to switch and use a manipulator or different tool, and want to quickly go back to the brush. T!
X is cut. If you have made vertices and the next polygon doesn't have edges that line up with it, go to vertex mode, X for cut, and place your two cut dots (vertexes) then hit Enter. Voila, a cut (EDGE) is made.
Test your brush settings. I found that a strength of 3 helps save time, not quite so "baby stepping." Radius I have found useful on average is 50 for a decent amount of polygons.
Paint Displacement
IN PROGRESS
The displacement brushes relate to scultping. Although the shortcut is Shift + T, I would use Modify>Paint Displacement>OPT so you can easily see the dropdown and the brushes. It helps to quickly switch back and forth. If you want to get out of the brush, you can ESC or click on a manipulator. To get back to the tool, then use "T" because you already have that handy OPT menu open.
I am finding a radius of 60 to 80 is good for a general area, then I cut down to 20 for selecting specific polygonal areas of two or three. (Depending on the size of your polygon surfaces, of course.)
Yikes- if you use Smooth, try setting the strength to about .25 if you want to GENTLY stroke over polygons and even out the surfaces. That is one powerful tool!
I have a sphere and the body cylinder. Silo is not letting me select vertices from each one so I can merge. How do I activate the manipulation process so both objects can have faces or vertices or whatever I want to select become activated?
if it helps, I just found a blueprint of a Giraffe
http://seamless-pixels.blogspot.ca/2012/09/animal-blueprints-model-sheets.html
YOu need to merge the pieces before you can merge their parts (if I made sense)
Nope- sorry- not getting it. Whatever I choose, whether it be vertices, faces, edges- I can't click on one and hold Shift and click another. (I do know how to Merge within an object, haven't had problems with that.) Can you tell us the steps Mattymanx? (Appreciate your time, I know you are really busy creating more wonderful products.) I'm just stuck and can't do anything. (Getting ready to head out for most the day, so if I don't reply, it's not that I am ignoring you.) I am putting a sphere on the rump (well, half of one) and half for the chest. I think that's a fun way to approach it. I got the idea from the book, but it was boobs. My giraffe doesn't have those but needs a rounded hiney!