NEW! Novica & Invited Guest Contributors Tips & Product Reviews Pt 6
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Summer Island offers a variety of shots and comes with quite a few cameras already set up for you.
It does come with the headlamp light on and with settings for it, I turned it off and increased the environment intensity, ISO, as I liked it better.
I've done some Photoshop actions over in my Photoshop Playtime thread, this is the latest. (Even if you don't do PHotoshop, go take a peek and see how it was created. Quite fun!) I am very sad to announce that a few of the Photoshop Actions I had bought are no longer available- they were pulled yesterday! So yes, some of the wonderful ones I used for the London examples are gone. They may be doing upgrades, changed, or pulled, Envato never tells you. (You get sent to a standard page.)
So if you like these actions (even if you don't currently have Photoshop but might subscribe at some point) then go back through this thread and see which ones you like (or over at the Playtime thread.) The one I showcased half an hour ago is available, and it's really cool. If you have kids, they will love it. You hit the button, it turns to a pencil outline, then YOU brush over it and decide how much you want to changeover to color mode. I posted the tips about opacity and flow. The vendor didn't give the right instructions (it was a one-fit-all blurb that didn't fit) but was nice enough to respond immediately to help me, so I really recommend him/her. They stand behind their products.
Hmm, I'm looking at some of the "also featured" characters (like I really need more characters..)
Does anyone have any renders of the following people:
Kristal (Genesis 2) has really nice eyebrows.
Haiku for Keiko 6 I have a question. If it says compatible figure is Genesis 2 Female, but requires Keiko 6, does that mean I can't use her skin materials/maps on anything other than the Keiko gals? I've never understood the "compatible" and the "required." In this case, since the Keiko figure is so stylized, I can't see this going on a regular Genesis 2 Female face.
Clarissa (Genesis 2) also has nice brows. I would change the nose a bit, but the skin looks good IMO from what I see.
Maret I have a question It says Daz Studio Material Presets (.DUF) twice. Is one supposed to be indentified as IRAY? She's rendered in IRAY, so someone might want to take a look at that product description. I think one is supposed to say Iray.
Love Hemlock Folly- that No Trespassing gate and driveway can be used for a lot of different settings. And with both interior and exterior done, that price with the discounts is really a good deal. Thanks again to the vendors for giving us such great variety!
Maret thread http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/62291/maret-v7-commercial-pa-sale
LOL, I had gone to find it, as I posted in it a couple days ago. I asked about the materials there. Thanks so much Kerya! So, are you busy shopping?
No ... I am saving money by not buying ... too tired and no time to play with things anyway.
Just sneaking into forums and then out again.
Hope you get some rest!
I did chat with Gypsyangel and that should say Iray. Apparently, the wrong promo images were used too. (But I like them, so wonder what the others looked like.)
If you read the "What's Included and Features", it states that Haiku for Keioko 6 uses the Base G2F UV maps, so the skin texures can be used on non Keiko characters. It's the actual character morphs which require Keiko 6, since they require her basic shape in order to work right, given that they were built upon that shape rather than the base G2F.
Thanks- at 5:40am in the morning, I'm not the brightest bulb.
Look out when I get grumpy. This comes from reading several threads, and does not relate to one thread, or necessarily recent threads. (But you'll find examples of these behaviors repeated in many threads.)
My Netiquette Observations:
If a vendor is kind enough to post a thread about their new product, then don't voice your displeasure then divert the thread to products on other sites that do the same thing. That is seriously, seriously rude. That should be against the TOS. PM the other person and keep it off the thread.
If you don't like a product that has its own thread, bluntly- choose your wording with consideration. Costing someone sales with things that are your opinion is okay, (yes, I said that) IF you show several examples and state HOW you got to that, and IF you've done everything perfectly to showcase that product in the BEST way possible. (Now see why I said that it was okay? Good luck with that.) In other words, allow that it could be your render. Why? Because other people coming onto that thread see what you've put out and it hurts the vendors. If a product really doesn't live up to expectations, you can feel okay about sharing your results if you've given it a reasonable try. You still do NOT have the right to use harsh words.
In a specific product thread, if you haven't tested the product in several types of lighting, then don't post your garbage results. You need to post different experiments, not only one. And if you get garbage results after all that, then yes, post them. But do it in a nice way, and ask if perhaps you did something wrong. GIVE THE VENDOR THE BENEFIT OF DOUBT.
I'm not seeing "IMO" (In my opinion) statements, I reading statements of fact, some of them are put very rudely- which are opinions. Try "It's been my experience that..." There are always people who know more than you do, thank goodness there are people loaded with experience and we all want their input. But please, do it modestly and without criticizing with loaded words. Be helpful, not hurtful.
Don't attack another vendor or person who comes in to try and help you. (SERIOUSLY.) First thing out of your mouth should be THANK YOU. Yes, it's okay to say "I shouldn't have to fix..." (And I totally agree- should work out of the box) but it's not okay to ignore someone's kindness who tried to help you, whether it be the product vendor, another vendor, or another forum member. Thank them first, then say the product should work without tweaking. (We've all heard it before, btw, so two, three, or four paragraphs of a rant about it, is merely going to get skimmed over by everyone. Save yourself some time and be concise with "I shouldn't have to tweak this product, it should work out of the box." Everyone will thank you for your brevity!)
And this one really got my blood boiling- don't call a vendor unprofessional because they haven't hopped when you said HOP! They don't owe you more renders, they don't owe you a reply within X amount of time- THEY ARE BUSY PEOPLE. Matter of fact, I'm going to go flag that one right now. It's disgusting.
Yes, quality and skill varies among the PAs, and some are new vendors- who I wouldn't blame if they never posted in the forums again. Thanks, rude people. Vendors are people too, and launching a new career can be nerve wracking enough without having a product thread trashed or harsh words posted.
I've done product showcases for three years now (about 390,000 posts/views) and my rules are:
1. It's probably me, what did I do wrong? (how many times have I said that?)
2. Let's try that again...nope. Try something else..(Rinse, repeat)
3. Be diplomatic as possible. If voicing frustration, where did it go wrong? Be specific so the vendor can help. They want to, they really do.(As witnessed by the vendors coming to this thread and bailing me out SO many times!)
4. Ask for help and other people's renders/experience.
Vendors- this is your chance. Anything else you'd like to say? (and members?)
No one hits a home run all the time. Sometimes there is a flaw with an item, or it doesn't render that great well in one render engine, or there really isn't the best promo art to showcase an item. I'm okay with people expressing frustration, with stuff that doesn't work even if it is their perception it doesn't work. Everyone has a different skill level.
I like vendors, but I am less vendor focused. I don't think it is okay to be rude, but I'm not really worried about vendors sales, even though I am constantly reminded by them that certain things don't sell, sales figures are their business, not mine.
My focus really is on making art with the products. I'm going to let DAZ deal with the policing of the forums and making the policies and rules.
I also think, that the interraction in the forums is not really a good example of the community at large... So I would tell PA's not to take it to heart.
And finally, I do think at some point not allowing people to return items, can cause a great deal of frustration with users when they buy items which for whatever reason do not work. That to me is problematic especially when product descriptions aren't always clear and promo art does not always show what the buyer is looking for.
Yeah, I don't envy the mods trying to wade through the volume of posts. Unfortunately, some of the posts really don't violate the TOS (or the comments would have been removed. I did notice several had been edited. That's a good thing.) I, too, am okay with expressing frustration, as long as it's tastefully done.
We have been told we aren't the larger part of the buyer community, we've been told forum folks are only a small percentage of buyers. Makes me wonder how buyers muddle through some of the store glitches as we point them out to each other. The no returns I can see as a necessity because changing the discounts manually by sales support wouldn't be possible due to the large volume, so some products I don't buy during these sales. It's why people posting their experiences are important during these sales.
LOL- you couldn't possibly be referring to men's clothing so far as things not selling?
There has been more men's clothing lately.
I'll just say there's a reason I don't post much anymore and leave it at that.
Haters gonna hate. They thrive on it. Poor miserable people, unable to derive any real joy out of life.
Happy Fall to you too! Watched the weather a few minutes ago and apparently the East Coast is going to get some rain but no tropical storm, and the one for the Gulf Coast is now predicted not to form, it fizzled. Ping, pong. Hoping folks in California will get rain to douse the fires (but no lightning!)
BTW, love your latest quote about fixing things.
I like the Smells Like Fall outfit, finally got a longer dress/skirt. Also picked up Pioneer Kitchen, Hemlock Folly, and the i13 Modern Office.
There are ways to fix communications issues if the store is really interested but they involve time and energy. Allowing people to rate and review products they purchase would be one way. Providing clear/more information in the product description so people don't have to ask about stuff would also be helpful. To some extent the very fact that the store sometimes obfuscates stuff which should be made clear in the product description. (Whether it has IRAY materials or 3delight fore example ) makes it hard for customers to know what they are buying. Not including renders in both engines is another difficulty for me. I really want to see what something looks like before I buy it.
Interraction between customers and PA's is a tough issue because we both have different needs. It isn't very helpful to tell off customers or scold them. While I have seen customers behaving badly, I have also seen PA's lash out. Being defensive or aggressive doesn't help anyone.
With the 'men's clothing doesn't sell' statement, I find frustrating because I do buy men's content. It clearly doesn't sell enough for some PA's, but hearing it often gets annoying, and can be alienating. I'm not obligated to buy content just because its guy stuff.
Amandla for Teen Josie 7 looks really nice wearing Summer Trend Outfit (Genesis 3) and I used a texture for the shirt from the texture set The hair is Eclectic Hair (Genesis 3) I like the eyebrows with the individual hairs at the beginning of the brow. This is a 12 hour render.
I put Burn Highlights at .36 and Crush Blacks at .27, with Saturation at 1.09.
Amandla and EJ Atsuko (Gen3 Females) with the desk and wall of Class Room. They're wearing the same outfit (from the post above) but with different materials. I think it's strange to have long sleeve shirts with shorts and sandals but I've seen it here in Florida.
If you like classrooms, be sure and look at Science Classroom. If you need classroom props, particularly regular chalkboards, this is a PC item and cheap. I've never seen desks with those type of holders under the desk, but it's a fun, modern approach.
Novica,
I'd like to counter your very valid rant with one comment. I agree that users should not simply rant because they couldn't, in a few minutes, duplicate the promo images. However, I would also ask the vendors (I have to remain widely general here) to actually follow threads. Specifically those addressed to them (i.e. "A question about Etrigan's skyscraper"). When I post a question, it's because I've failed to duplicate the functionality or implied modification to a model, not that I can't get the lighting right. I don't want the 25 well-meaning forumites to give me work-arounds. If the answer is, "Sorry, that's Poser centric and won't work in DS." I can live with that, my mistake for not seeing "Not tested in DAZ". or not, but to leave me hanging while the work-arounds might serve is unacceptable.
So, while I fully support your request for civil discourse, know we live in a "YELP" world and usually those with gripes post, not the satisfied customer. Equally, vendors are... well... vendors, and should at least scan the reviews to see if their product is the best they can produce, given all the variables; especially where functionality and compatability are concerned.
Excellent thread, BTW. I rely on your reviews to see if I want to buy a product.
Cordially,
Ah then you have never been to North Queensland *laughs* In winter/early spring here, it's cool enough to wear long sleeves...but we still wear our shorts and thongs with it :)
The holders under those desks made me grin - we had similar ones in primary school (years ago for me). They were boxes tho, not the clear wire ones there. We called them "Tidy Boxes" - as in "Time to clear out your tidy boxes, class!" They were only in primary school tho, where you were in the same classroom all the time. Once you got to high school, it was a different classroom for each subject, so we didn't have them there.
Thank you Etrigan- very valid input. I think many vendors watch the forums at the release of their products, I'm not sure if they could maintain their perusal month after month. I'm very guilty of not using products right away, so even if I buy something immediately, I'm probably the one who has a question five to nine months after I buy something. (And using site search is a nightmare, I find Google gives me better results.)
Thank you for the compliment! That means alot to me.
I'm nearing the end of this thread and I'll be changing things up a bit for Thread 7. This is probably a good time to discuss some of the options that will be available on the next thread. First, the Invited Guest Contributors retain their designation, however in Thread 7 I am opening the thread up for all forum members to assist in showcasing the products that they like. It does not have to be a New Release. The post must include a link to the product(s) (The link must be to a separate window to X out of so as not to leave the thread) and if it is an Iray or 3DL render. A brief statement of what you like about the product would be nice, but not required. The renders should be well lit so the products are showcased well. (Meaning if it is a night scene, the products should be recognizable) Absolutely no works in progress.
And maybe another change, I'm scouting it out.
LOL, funny you should mention that- I did part of my student teaching in Sydney (Australia) New South Wales from january-march and that was summer compared to our winter in the Midwest. Interesting that you had similar desks. Ours were the open-up-the-top and put things in it for gradeschool, middle school was a rectangle box (front end open to slide stuff in, not big enough to hold diddly squat really) that attached under the desk. I don't know what they have here in Florida now, or if they rotate classrooms (but have one main homeroom to keep everything except the class you're attending/leaving the room for) or have your own designated desk for gradeschool. When my sons went to gradeschool, a main desk and leave for other classes was how it worked 15 or so years ago.
Has anyone rendered the science classroom?
Trying to do some of the new products in a more timely manner, this was a 6 hour render and I think she's mostly "done" in Iray- she certainly is finished enough so you can see she is a really neat character. I was testing dark on dark background lighting, and this turned out well enough to share it.
Say hello to Maret for Victoria 7 wearing Dance Gear and sporting Christina Hair. That hair has one click wind morphs, really nice, and a lot of movement options. You'll love the hair. The Dance Gear (Genesis 3 Females) sweater has quite lovely textures. I would also recommend Z Comfort in Red for the poses and great couch. I added a dark color in Diffuse and made the couch a chocolate-maroon in some of my test renders, looked quite elegant. The hand positioning is quite nice.
And kudos to OOT- look who the hair is made for: (WOW)
All Christina Hair options come with both native Daz Studio and Poser files, making use of the hair in your preferred software easy. It comes with fits for Victoria 4, Aiko 4, The Girl 4, Genesis 2 Female, Victoria 6, Aiko 6, The Girl 6, Genesis 3 Female and Victoria 7.
Here's the Maret thread:
ooo nice! I LOVE Maret!!! Played with her last night and posted a pic in the commercial thread for her, in 3Delight. (can't do iray til i get new computer)
I don't know if this will go off sale in about six minutes, but what a deal! Summer Kiss is showing 71% off and is $4.98 BEFORE your discounts. Scoop it up, it's really cute! (For Genesis 3, and YES has both 3DL and Iray materials)
Going to make a few changes to the thread. In addition to the talented Invited Guest Contributors, the forum members are also invited to help showcase the New Releases, and "blasts from the past" too. Let's address that before I explain the other new additions to the thread.
***************
If you would like to showcase a product, please do the following.
1. Put a link to the product. Doing it as a title is fine, or somewhere in the paragraph description. To do a link: Click on the link icon (it's that chain-link above this text area) and paste it there where it says URL. IMPORTANT: there will be two tabs, Link Info and Target. The URL is in Link Info, so that's easy. What I need you to do is THEN click on the Target tab. Please open the drop down and select "New Window (_blank) so when people do click on the link you've provided, they don't leave the thread. (Very annoying.)
2. IMAGES: The original size must be a MINIMUM of 400 pixels in either the width or length. People need to be able to see details. If it's a scene, they really should be larger than that if possible.
3. IMAGES: Embed the image in the post, with a maximum pixel size of 600 pixels vertically, and 800 horizontally. This ensures people don't have to scroll to see the entire image. All the images in my threads are 600 vertical (or less.) You can do larger images (remember the minimum size is 600 on either height or width) Since this is a Showcase thread, we want viewers to easily see the renders without clicking attachments.
How to do this: (It's easy.) Attach your image using the Attach A File below this message area. Save the post. Now go to your image and click it to view it. Copy the URL. Now Edit your post (mouse over the upper right corner above this area and you'll see a cog to click/Select Edit. Next, go to the postcard icon above this message area and click it. Paste the URL where it says URL. For width and height, make sure width is 800 or less, and height is 600 or less. It will automatically keep the aspect ratio for you. Then, while the popup is still open, click on the Link tab and paste the URL there too. For Target, please select the "New Window (_blank) option so again, they stay on the thread.
4. Please post renders which are completed, no works in progress or those which need a lot of obvious fixes (poke through, extremely dark, glaringly bright with washed out details, out of focus, etc.) You don't have to the ultimate artist (obviously) but a general guideline would be to showcase the product well enough for others to want to take a look at purchasing it.
5. Please tell what you like about the product. For hair, is it the styles and fixes? The color options? Did the clothes go on easily without poke-through? Did you auto fit and it was a breeze? Basically, note things you would like to know if you were another potential buyer. This doesn't have to be long, one or two sentences is fine.
6. Identify if it's a 3DL or Iray render.
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Next activity which is new to this thread- CONTESTS. I'm still putting this together, will have more information shortly. I plan on having the voting similar to the RRRR contest, winners will be determined by forum members or the particpants only! (That wouldn't be announced until the end of the contest.) While the prizes won't be large, I hope people will give it a try.
EDIT: They have extended the number of pages for each thread, so this thread is going to remain OPEN for another 50 pages. The moderators are in the process of merging the new thread with this one. Sorry 'bout that- my bad! I am going to go ahead and change the content of this thread.
Because I Said So! Contest
I will give you a heads-up on the first contest, which will kick off the beginning of the month and last 3 weeks. You will be provided a statement and have the opportunity to interpret it humorously. Emphasis- humorously. This contest is about the best rendered, funniest render, all in one. You will be able to vote and determine the winners.
The first statements you will have to work with are "You SERIOUSLY thought that was a good idea?" or "You want me to do WHAT?"
There will be a first, second, and third place winner. First place will be a $20 DAZ Gift Certificate, second place will be a $10 DAZ Gift Certificate, third place will be a $5 DAZ Gift Certificate. The first place winner entry will be showcased in my Art Studio thread.
If you wish to get started on ideas/renders, here are your guidelines:
1. Maximum 4 entries. You must be logged in and use your registered account for the forums. (No guest/anonymous entries.) Deadlines are strictly enforced when receiving entries- no exceptions.
2. Images must be .jpg format and new- not previously published. They must be family friendly and follow the TOS.
3. Minimum size for each dimension is 600 x 600 so details are clearly shown. I recommend much larger so people can click and see more details. (Maximum is the forum limit of 2000 pixels.)
4. When the entry thread is created, follow the same guidelines as #3 (go up two posts) for putting the image in the actual post (required) and for sizing it in the post.
5. Put the Statement as your title (you have two to chose from. Remember to put them in quotes!) with your Entry # (Example Entry 1) next one would be (Entry 2)
6. You may put up to 10 lines (NOT SENTENCES) as a story. Keep it short and simple. Anyone going over 10 lines will not be submitted for voting. Your image should do the work!
7.) For this contest, you must use a minimum of 4 products. Future contests will be more specific, so have fun with this one! Each product must be identified and linked, using the method in #1 (go up two posts)
8.) Postwork is allowed, but the overwhelming impression of the render should be the product on its own merit
Now...
Here's what I am proposing to see if any of the PAs would like to participate: (everyone needs to read it!) Since this thread showcases the PAs, it's a perfect fit for the vendors products to get included.
Vendors, here's what I would like to do, and it would be a fun way to see what our forum members can do with your products.
If a vendor wishes to participate, here's how that works. Contact me via PM or on the thread. If you are one of the participating PAs, you offer a product from your store (their choice) with a minimum $15 value to the first place winner. (If you don't have a $15 item, please make it $20) Here's the catch- the only entries which qualify for a vendor's prize MUST USE A PRODUCT FROM THAT VENDOR IN THE RENDER! These renders also compete for my prizes AND there will be a separate section in the voting area for the Render The Vendor entries. If a vendor also wants to offer second and third place products of lesser amounts, that is fine too. (But the vendor must first offer that first place product obviously. We don't want the 2nd and 3rd places getting more prize money and/or products than first place)
1. In the case of multiple PAs participating, artists may compete for each of the PA store items- but ONLY ONE PA store item is allowed to the first place winner. (You'd have to pick which one you wanted. PAs would need to agree that the other store offers would go "back in the pot" for the next contest.)
2. Each entry can only compete for ONE vendor, and that vendor is clearly identified when the entry is posted (more on that later.) Example: If there is a limit of 4 renders per person, and we had 4 PAs participating, you could do a different vendor for each entry, or do all four for the same vendor, or 3 renders for one PA and one for another etc. It's up to you. If you won first place from two vendors, you would pick ONE store for your prize.)
3. Vendors- It will be a rule that the product must be substantially represented, not a minor kit-bash, and I will make that call. (In fairness to the PAs, the product needs to be well represented. I am going to be strict about that.)
4. The PAs are responsible to provide the winner with the product they have chosen, in a timely manner (within 2 days of the win.)
5. If the vendor's store is not selected / competed for, it automatically goes into the prizes for the next month. After that, there is no obligation.
This is the first time it has been mentioned about PA participation, so there are no PA sponsors. There are several days before the contest begins next month, so that could change. We'll see. Regardless, there is $35 in prize money which I am offering.
I'll post the entry thread next month- DO NOT POST ENTRIES ON MY ART STUDIO THREAD! Feel free to ask questions.
We're going to merge this thread with the Part 6 because in the new forums, they are doing 100 pages instead of only 50. So Part 6 is going to be active.