NEW! Novica & Invited Guest Contributors Tips & Product Reviews Pt 5

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited December 1969

    Okay, that's all my questions except one- anything coming up/ in the works that you can hint at?

    Anyone have anything they would like to ask Khory? I've got to leave to blanket my horse as the temperature is dropping fast, it's going on 9 PM here and the ranch owner doesn't really like folks out there too late. The horses are already snoozing. You all can continue to ask Khory questions and she'll be checking back in, but we've been on for about two hours already so going to also cut her loose if you don't have any questions at the moment. But DO post them if you think of any :) And thanks Khory- enjoyed it!

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited December 1969

    Khory's store can be found here, there are 46 products. And we thank her for putting her store on sale last weekend.

    http://www.daz3d.com/khory

  • KhoryKhory Posts: 3,854
    edited December 1969

    I don't have anything worth hinting at right now. I have about a half dozen things started but most of them are waiting on me to figure out something to make them work properly.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited December 1969

    That's a sign of talent :) (I say that because it sounds like me. But I never get anything done while you have 46 things you've already accomplished!

    Thanks so much Khory- is there anything else you'd like to say?

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

    Novica said:
    Zangetsu- where or what exactly is that, I am showing my ignorance.

    Zangetsu.. My son Alex named that one. I am told it means "big knife" basically. It is from one of his Manga or something. Funny thing is that when he named him that he was this little bitty shrimpy kitten and now he is this huge, muscle bound bad ass cat. He looks black till you rub him and then you see all the gray under the tips.


    Zangetsu was the name of Ichigo Kurosaki's Zanpakuto in the manga and anime Bleach by Tite Kubo. According the the manga and anime, it means "Slaying Moon".
  • KhoryKhory Posts: 3,854
    edited December 1969

    I can't think of anything off hand I need to add. If anyone thinks of questions..not just now but later or tomorrow.. I am happy to answer if I can.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited December 1969


    Zangetsu was the name of Ichigo Kurosaki's Zanpakuto in the manga and anime Bleach by Tite Kubo. According the the manga and anime, it means "Slaying Moon".

    That must be one tough critter!

    Thanks Khory, I'm headed out the door.

  • KhoryKhory Posts: 3,854
    edited December 1969

    Zangetsu was the name of Ichigo Kurosaki’s Zanpakuto in the manga and anime Bleach by Tite Kubo. According the the manga and anime, it means “Slaying Moon”.

    Well he has a big old moon face. Only at our house would cats be named after the sword of a character from a manga/anime, a character from Hitchhikers guide, and rug rat's cartoon. Lilly's full name is LillyAnn and she has a "twin" brother named Phil.

  • Tramp GraphicsTramp Graphics Posts: 2,411
    edited November 2014

    Khory said:
    I can't think of anything off hand I need to add. If anyone thinks of questions..not just now but later or tomorrow.. I am happy to answer if I can.
    I have a couple. As you may or may not remember, I had been working on a conforming men's Victorian era Opera cloak for Genesis figures (seen in the attached images below). I've pretty much gotten as far as I can with my skill level, but really want to get it perfect so I can submit it to DAZ for release. That means I need some serious help from someone more experienced, available for collaboration, and trustworthy to get it to a point where it is a salable product.I had asked Sickleyield when I first started this project, but she's constantly busy with her own projects and collaborations with Fuseling.

    Among the issues I have is the lining will clip the main body of the cloak in some poses, and the capelet sometimes clips through the lapels. The shoulders are also very "puffy" and rounded instead of following the wearer's shoulders. It also needs a good texture for the outer skin (I have the World of Satin Shaders Resource Pack for the linings and trim). It's still set up for "Legacy" format (Daz 4.0) so it's currently a .daz file.

    What do you suggest?

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    Post edited by Tramp Graphics on
  • KhoryKhory Posts: 3,854
    edited December 1969

    I have a couple. As you may or may not remember, I had been working on a conforming men’s Victorian era Opera cloak for Genesis figures (seen in the attached images below). I’ve pretty much gotten as far as I can with my skill level, but really want to get it perfect so I can submit it to DAZ for release. That means I need some serious help from someone more experienced, available for collaboration, and trustworthy to get it to a point where it is a salable product.I had asked Sickleyield when I first started this project, but she’s constantly busy with her own projects and collaborations with Fuseling.

    Among the issues I have is the lining will clip the main body of the cloak in some poses, and the capelet sometimes clips through the lapels. The shoulders are also very “puffy” and rounded instead of following the wearer’s shoulders. It also needs a good texture for the outer skin (I have the World of Satin Shaders Resource Pack for the linings and trim). It’s still set up for “Legacy” format (Daz 4.0) so it’s currently a .daz file.

    What do you suggest?

    I 'm a bit more worried about the lining having poke issues than the capelet since the caplet should be fixable with some adjustment morphs. Or so I would think. What sort of poses are causing issues with the lining? Can you see why it isn't moving with the outer side? Could it be due to fall off or something?

    As far as the shoulders go I think that the whole capelet is a bit to full and round. You might consider going back and giving having a look at the fit and see if you can a more draped feel to it. Keep in mind this is only based on the two images and I could be way off base here.

    As far as texturing goes.. You need a good near black wool weave that can be recolored for perhaps a dark gray and a navy as well the bump that matches it. I suspect I can help you with that. The link for the shaders didn't open for me. Do they have a base fabric and a bump or are they simply a solid satin look shader?

    Do you want the product to also be poser compatible or only studio?

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited December 1969

    Khory and Tramp- please PM each other to further discuss the technical aspects. I'm pleased you can give/get input and hope your product gets the glitches worked out so it's in the store. :)

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

    Khory said:
    I have a couple. As you may or may not remember, I had been working on a conforming men’s Victorian era Opera cloak for Genesis figures (seen in the attached images below). I’ve pretty much gotten as far as I can with my skill level, but really want to get it perfect so I can submit it to DAZ for release. That means I need some serious help from someone more experienced, available for collaboration, and trustworthy to get it to a point where it is a salable product.I had asked Sickleyield when I first started this project, but she’s constantly busy with her own projects and collaborations with Fuseling.

    Among the issues I have is the lining will clip the main body of the cloak in some poses, and the capelet sometimes clips through the lapels. The shoulders are also very “puffy” and rounded instead of following the wearer’s shoulders. It also needs a good texture for the outer skin (I have the World of Satin Shaders Resource Pack for the linings and trim). It’s still set up for “Legacy” format (Daz 4.0) so it’s currently a .daz file.

    What do you suggest?

    I 'm a bit more worried about the lining having poke issues than the capelet since the caplet should be fixable with some adjustment morphs. Or so I would think. What sort of poses are causing issues with the lining? Can you see why it isn't moving with the outer side? Could it be due to fall off or something?

    As far as the shoulders go I think that the whole capelet is a bit to full and round. You might consider going back and giving having a look at the fit and see if you can a more draped feel to it. Keep in mind this is only based on the two images and I could be way off base here.

    As far as texturing goes.. You need a good near black wool weave that can be recolored for perhaps a dark gray and a navy as well the bump that matches it. I suspect I can help you with that. The link for the shaders didn't open for me. Do they have a base fabric and a bump or are they simply a solid satin look shader?

    Do you want the product to also be poser compatible or only studio? I can't do Poser compatibility, so....

    ShareCG.com seems to be having technical problems, that's why the link isn't currently working. As for the World of Satin shader resource, they are solid satin shaders, no bump or texture maps (though they can be added) There are actually two shader packs, and I have both, so there is a wide variety of colors I can make the lining and trim, though I'm probably going to stick with only a few, namely red, white, black, and blue for lining, and yellow, white, and black for trim. I would just have to make material presets for the cloak lining and trim, and capelet lining. The World of Satin shader packs are a merchant resource, which is why I can use them for the planned product. I'm currently using a velvet shader by R 72 from ShareCG for the main cloak shell and capelet shell, but it's not a merchant resource, which means I can't use it for the final product, and I don't have a wool weave texture, much less a merchant resource one, so I'm kind of stuck there. That's another reason why this hasn't been "completed".

    The cloak and lining are all one mesh, (it's a thickened mesh) with the cloak, lining, and trim being different material zones than the shell. The capelet is also built in with its own mat zones for the shell and lining, so the whole thing is one unit. The problem with thickened meshes is the layers tend to clip through each other depending upon poses and shape morphs. so, the problem isn't with one mesh not moving with the other; it does move together, since it's all one mesh to begin with. It's just the nature of thickened meshes, especially when the layers are very close together. hey tend to clip. I managed to "minimize" it, at least when My Buccaneer character wears it, using smoothing, but I haven't eliminated it entirely for every conceivable draping, fluttering, and flowing pose it can be posed. Now, according to Patience, over in this thread, there is a way to use shader mixer to give a single layer mesh different material zones on each side, but, once again, I have no idea how to do that, which is why I went with the thickened mesh. I thought about using geometry shells (and hiding the corresponding mat zones for each) to fix the clipping issue, but I don't know if that's a viable option for a salable product, and don't know if it would work anyway. I have SickleYield's Sickle Rigging and Morphing system, but don't know how I would use it to improve this cloak, except, maybe as a means of adding FBMs. If you're interested, here is a link to my original WIP thread. You can see the progress I made.

    The cloak's collar (rigged to the neck bone of the cloak) could probably use some work in the weight mapping area too. I discovered some unexpected "issues" when working on my Witching Hour piece, given the guitarist's extreme pose with the right collar bone, and the tilt of his head, and I ended up having to parent the cloak to him instead of having it properly fit to him (something I do not want to have to do again).

    And, for the record, I have no clue how to make JCMs, FBMs, pose controls and the like, which is really the only way to "fix the drape" of the cloak over the shoulders when the arms are down at the sides, as far as I know. They are way beyond my level of skill.

    This cloak was primarily designed for the guy in my first picture (the one with the metal half-mask), but it's also generic enough to be used by a wide variety of men, which is why I want to make it a salable product and mot just a proprietary one for my own use, as is the case with pretty much everything else I've made to date. And, based upon some of the discussions I've had in the past, it appears to be something people are definitely interested in buying, as there isn't anything like it on the market, given it's complexity in rigging (it has over 45 bones).

    If you're interested in working on this with me, PM me, I'd be most appreciative.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited December 1969

    Lion War pack has got problems so if you bought it, that has been reported. The installation fails or there are problems after install. It was asked about in Members Forum so thought I'd share it.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited November 2014

    Here we go again, now the V4/M4 is Category 5. Get what you want today, it seems to just last one day now! I almost bought FW Kyra then fortunately remembered I needed a new item for the v4 sale. Been a long day/evening, headed to bed (4am.) Happy shopping!

    http://www.daz3d.com/pc-sale-v4-m4-category-5

    EDIT: Don't click on Harlow Hair Color and Movement- it links back to the daz main page. I told Jack about it and DAZ will have to fix it.
    I added it to my cart from the front page, then from the cart went to the product page.
    http://www.daz3d.com/catalog/product/view/id/12640/

    Post edited by Novica on
  • IndigoJansonIndigoJanson Posts: 1,100
    edited December 1969

    Novica said:
    Here we go again, now the V4/M4 is Category 5. Get what you want today, it seems to just last one day now! I almost bought FW Kyra then fortunately remembered I needed a new item for the v4 sale. Been a long day/evening, headed to bed (4am.) Happy shopping!

    Someone woke up and is switching these now like crazy. Normally I'd expect the Saturday category to last through Sunday too... but who knows! I've seen a couple of things I want and this time I'm not going to wait.

    I've just read through the chat with Khory. Very interesting. Thanks both of you for giving your time to do this.

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,647
    edited November 2014

    I kind of admit I'm going against the grain and like the categories switching daily. =-) The category content appears to bleed over somewhat with some content from previous categories, so often if you look carefully there are repeats. I hope it changes again soon... I've got nearly everything I want in this one.

    Post edited by Serene Night on
  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited December 1969

    Was going to buy some Category 3 stuff last night, but it had already changed (this was before midnight DAZ time). :( Other than that, I'm happy with the more frequent shifts. Hope Category 3 comes back at some point though.

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

    I suspect at this speed we will see it again before the sale ends, or they will offer it all in one big sale at the end as a catch up.

    That would be what I would do at least!

  • IndigoJansonIndigoJanson Posts: 1,100
    edited December 1969

    Fresh stuff in the categories is great... only I was lulled into a false sense of security by how long a previous category had been there and thought I had more time to make up my mind. It's a good opportunity to stock up on those Phoenix1966 characters. The two I want most of all haven't showed up yet, I wonder if they will be included?

  • KeryaKerya Posts: 10,943
    edited December 1969

    I do hope they do put them up again! I missed some things ...

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

    Jindi said:
    Fresh stuff in the categories is great... only I was lulled into a false sense of security by how long a previous category had been there and thought I had more time to make up my mind. It's a good opportunity to stock up on those Phoenix1966 characters. The two I want most of all haven't showed up yet, I wonder if they will be included?

    Which ones are you looking for. I've seen a number of them show up, so maybe we will see them again. =-)

  • IndigoJansonIndigoJanson Posts: 1,100
    edited December 1969

    Most of them seem to have appeared but I don't think I've seen Stefan? He's been on my wishlist for ages...

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

    Jindi said:
    Most of them seem to have appeared but I don't think I've seen Stefan? He's been on my wishlist for ages...

    Okay, if I see him, I'll IM you. Maybe that will help lessen the pain. =-)

  • IndigoJansonIndigoJanson Posts: 1,100
    edited December 1969

    Thanks Serene! We must almost be at the end of the sale, but there's still time for him to sneak in.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited November 2014

    I think they'll repeat, offer all at the end. If they were smart they'd do that.
    I buy the textures if I like an outfit, even if I don't have it, because it usually pops up shortly after.

    Case in point, but the opposite flow- I got Lotus Flower a few days ago and now they have this:
    http://www.daz3d.com/lotus-flower-addon

    I have a lot in the cart with today's selection. I used Kyra to trigger the discount. Some of these I will use their faces but go with other people's materials. I keep forgetting about that and often look at a character too fast. This is what I'm looking at (I put things in my cart then whittle down. Not sure what I'm whittlin' though.)

    http://www.daz3d.com/alessandra-for-victoria-4-and-genesis
    http://www.daz3d.com/muriel-character-and-hair
    http://www.daz3d.com/evelyn-for-victoria-4-2-and-genesis
    http://www.daz3d.com/francesca-for-v4 FINALLY on sale. Or I missed her before.
    http://www.daz3d.com/lisbeth LOVE the movie.
    http://www.daz3d.com/men-of-the-night-m4
    http://www.daz3d.com/lily-and-lottie Great family friendly dress! Will use without the gloves,etc.
    http://www.daz3d.com/seasons Someone showcased this on the thread. Who?

    http://www.daz3d.com/royal-collection-princess-exp Been waiting FOREVER on this. Snag it- the required gown goes on sale pretty often but this isn't as frequent.

    http://www.daz3d.com/caroline Hmmm, Addy? I like the way she does eyebrows.
    http://www.daz3d.com/wynter Another Addy.

    http://www.daz3d.com/nadine-for-v4 Thicker eyebrows.
    http://www.daz3d.com/modern-muses-jaide

    http://www.daz3d.com/calliope-for-v4 HOW DID I MISS THIS????? I love those wings- they are a perfect balance with that outfit. Did you see the little claw in the wings?

    http://www.daz3d.com/snowboarder-for-m4 Another one I had wishlisted quite awhile. I wishlisted the poses. All done for you- sweet.

    http://www.daz3d.com/twinkel-outfit-for-v4 YES!- a family friendly fairy outfit. Look at the white lace top and red- prom dress?

    http://www.daz3d.com/fr-rosalyn
    http://www.daz3d.com/nikki-for-v4 Going to do Surface work and darken the lips/reduce the shine, then she's ready to go.

    Also getting Savage Attack V4 poses, Tender Moments V4/M4

    http://www.daz3d.com/regency-tableware is by Ness Period Reproductions- the knife, fork, spoon are awesome!

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

    Jindi said:
    Most of them seem to have appeared but I don't think I've seen Stefan? He's been on my wishlist for ages...

    Love Stefan. He looks good with Addison- a cute couple.

    I agree- I like the pages changing too- I just didn't like the inconsistency and not knowing they were going to only be up a day after the first batches were several days. I don't ever check out right away because some afternoons they introduce that buy $50 get $10 off,etc- but I always check out that day unless I just forget (darned Fast Grabs, I've lost more than I want to remember! But that's okay, they're showing up in the 80% off sale occasionally.)

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited November 2014

    Cat Character And Hair (Valea)
    http://www.daz3d.com/cat-character-and-hair

    A suggestion- use gray and blue lights, or your Cat is going to go really, really yellow. This is with adjustments in Surface and turning her skin to 173 / 192 / 192.

    It's a large render and looking darker due to shrinkage by the forum. Click to enlarge.

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

    @Novica, your Cat looks great. I love her hair and lights too. The hair has some nice movement to it. =-)

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited December 1969

    The hair has one of the nicest fits for lowering the hairline in front and right by the ears. I hate hair that leaves a huge curve above the ears, and this one is noticeably close. There are many morphs with this hair. One I don't remember it having was the ability to bend in the middle of the chest, the entire strand moves. It's not shown in this view, it's a braided strand. You can sling it over the shoulder to avoid chest poke through.

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

    The store is glitching showing everything 100% free. Sadly.... The items aren't...

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