Opinion on Base Figures?

Honzo

Is there a good reason to use pre-G8 figures? It seems that compatibility with clothing fits, and pose files is pretty low. On the other hand, there's a lot of sale/cheap stuff available for earlier base morphs. Outfitting G8 figures is quite a bit more expensive, and my impression is that there are a lot of items for ealier models that don't have compatible versions for G8.

 

So, for experienced users out there, do you think it's worthwhile for new users on a budget to deal with non-G8 figures? Knowing what you know now, would you acquire previous gen products if you were starting fresh? And- on a budget?

Gordig

I started using DS early in G8's life cycle, and I experimented with every figure back to V4/M4. I found G8 the easiest to use and most flexible, so I stuck with that. Some people are still primarily using generation 3, because they prefer the look of them and some of the add-ons that haven't really been replicated for later generations. It's all a question of what your goals are, and which figure is going to best help you meet those goals. If, like @Ethin, you do a lot of toon anthro/furry characters, then generation 3 might be the best fit. If you're more interested in realistic figures, then a more recent generation might work better for you. Generation 4 was a watershed for 3D figures, and new items are still being released for it (though not in the Daz store), so if you like using gen4, there's probably the most available items for them in total. By contrast, G8 has had the longest life cycle as Daz's flagship figure, and is the current flagship, so it has the widest range of new items available, and a more diverse set of items that previous generations (again, looking only at the Daz store, at least). Having said all that, even choosing one generation and sticking to it doesn't necessarily limit you on the items you use. It's possible to use items across generations, but it does require a bit of legwork.

vrba79

Genesis 1 is where its at for the older base figures, as far as I'm concerned. There is a WIDE variety of stuff for it, and its unisex. There are two-way clones available that allow you to use clothes and hair from every following Genesis with it, including 8. The fact its backwards compatible with the Unimesh 4 UVs, also means great stuff like the H4/A4 anime eyes pack works with it as well.

Richard Haseltine

Moved to Art studio as it is not a Daz Studio topic.

Hylas

I'm all for Genesis 8.1!

It's a really nice generation all by itself, it's the most current one, and it feels like it's going to stay for quite a while longer.

And G8.1 has amazing backward compatibility!

Right out of the box, 8.1's backward compatibility is quite high.

And with just a few tricks (eg enabling 8.0 facial expressions on G8.1 or the scene identification trick for converting G3 hair to G8) and a few add-ons (such as XTransfer or these free pose converters), G8.1 can use almost anything from G8.0 and G3.

When you start going further back in time compatibility starts becoming more hit-and-miss... but there's still a lot that you can use from G2, Genesis, Generation 4, and even Generation 3.

nonesuch00

On a budget it's Genesis (1) for sure!

FirstBastion

All four of the genesis bases are useful,  Genesis 3 in particular because in most cases the characters and clothing have iRay materials.  Genesis 1 has decent skin converters so it can also be used in iRay renders  and  the reasonable textures sizes allows you to place more of them in any given scene.

vrba79

One of my favorite things about Genesis 1, is it there legacy morphs avalable for it of the Unimesh 3 and Unimesh 4 figures. Between those and Aiko 5, Hiro 5 and Hitomi, you have a HUGE pool of anime-style morphs, it also has a great "Creature Creator" morph packs available for it, something that got less and less emphasis as the Genesis line continued forward.

csaa

@Honzo,

When I started out a few years back, I made it a point to build up my G8 assets. But these days I'm less into photorealism than I am exploring NPR -- I simply find more room for creativity in it. So for me, combining G8 with G3 assets, and even G2 ones, with their lower price point, has helped expand my range. Particularly G3 hair. Whatever these earlier assets may lack I simply add on with brushwork during post edit. But G8 clothes still haven't lost their shine for me thanks to dForce. And while I don't rely on G8 textures so much these days, I really appreciate the range of facial expression these figures have.

Cheers!

 

juvesatriani

It depend on how styles you want to achieve . I believe for Fantasy Stuff G2 wardrobes simple awesome .The basic mesh mostly great and full of detail.  You`ll also getting more additional Morph sliders ( or Addtional bones)  . This will be useful if you prefer more control instead let your machines do it for you ( DFORCE) . I saw some cloth converter in store so it would be safe assets inverstment . Just be aware that sometimes boot/shoes not easily converted .

V4 - G1 -G2 textures mostly give you raw look since they`ve created before shader/lighting manipulation so advanced in DAZ Studio . So if you`ve seen some beautiful textures for earlier generation , 85% that will look like that in your 3DELIGHT final render . I cant speak of  Quality because everyone have different tastes and standard bars about good renders 

 In contrast  with G8 families , You need mastering or at least having good understanding about IRAY and lighting setup to get what you`ve seen in their Promo images . So consider investing MAP/SKIN converters if you want to use earlier texture maps . 

And finally you should ask yourself about How your workflow to create artworks ? Let machines doing all for you  or you`re the one who have more controls ? Realistic or Stylized or Fantasy ones ? How your machine`s power ?

As we know , recent generation promise or can wes say "push the idea" about realism . Easy to bring into another software ( with help bridges etc) but need proper machines to get alll features works meanwhile earlier generation promise you more "options" in term of characteristic/styles final artworks and also lighter in machine if your plan is only use/work in DAZ Studio 

vrba79

That's not to say you cannot bludgeon G8 into doing NPR, but if you are budget minded, definitely go with the older figures.

3141592654

It really depends on what the individual is wanting to do. I came into Daz Studio when Generation 7 was just starting and was therefore expensive. I built up quite a collection of generations 4, 5, and 6 with a little bit of 3 and also 7. The older generations use a lot less memory and graphics resources. There are a lot of animations available for older generations. Cartoons can be done with any generation, but 3delight (on older generations) makes that a lot easier. For photorealism, generations 7 and 8 are much better. As I do a little bit of everything, I am enjoying having a wide range of generations at my disposal. Also, if using a scene and there are poses made for that scene, it works much easier using the generation models made at the same time. In short, older generations can have their uses.