Released: "A Touch Of Dirt For Iray" (Commercial)

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Comments

  • V3DigitimesV3Digitimes Posts: 3,150

    Hi KA1 yes it seems that the banner appeared before the "Dirt" is really alive. In general products become acessible just before or at the same time as the mail Daz send everyday. I think, I hope, the product will be available when you receive the mail.  Probably within the next 30 minutes.  I cross the fingers ! 

  • barbultbarbult Posts: 24,245

    Don't miss the readme PDF. I installed with Daz Connect and I found it in \data\cloud\1_31495\readme's\31495_a-touch-of-dirt-user-guide.pdf. It even has links to 6 YouTube video tutorials that should be very helpful. The videos are 1080P HD quality and even narrated!

  • Kev914Kev914 Posts: 1,113

    I saw this was released in the middle of the night. My puppy wanted to go out, so while I was up at 4 AM, I decided to see what was new at Daz. Sometimes I hope that there will be nothing new that I want. I buy way too much! But I knew I wanted this, so I now own it. Since it was a script (or I assume so), I decided to install with DIM. Thanks for the tip though Barbult. I didn't know where the pdfs went when you install through Connect.

  • V3DigitimesV3Digitimes Posts: 3,150
    barbult said:

    Don't miss the readme PDF. I installed with Daz Connect and I found it in \data\cloud\1_31495\readme's\31495_a-touch-of-dirt-user-guide.pdf. It even has links to 6 YouTube video tutorials that should be very helpful. The videos are 1080P HD quality and even narrated!

    Lol  thanks barbult ! And you even can learn the French accent ! 

    KevinH said:

    I saw this was released in the middle of the night. My puppy wanted to go out, so while I was up at 4 AM, I decided to see what was new at Daz. Sometimes I hope that there will be nothing new that I want. I buy way too much! But I knew I wanted this, so I now own it. Since it was a script (or I assume so), I decided to install with DIM. Thanks for the tip though Barbult. I didn't know where the pdfs went when you install through Connect.

    I installed it using Connect too but did not have a look at the help file (lol I don't need a lot of help on this one). Glad there is a way to access the pdf in connect... 

    I'm glad your puppy wanted to go out ! Thanks for buying it. 

  • outrider42outrider42 Posts: 3,679

    Hi! I have a few questions about this one, forgive me if I overlooked any answers posted already.

    Does this work with DS 4.8? I just want to be certain. And it works on multiple generations of figures? That would be amazing.

    Does this play nice with your other products? I LOVE, LOVE your Iray Converter for G2. How would I use this with it? Do I apply the dirt first, or use the converter first?

    BTW, that Iray Converter is basically my favorite Daz purchase EVER. Most of my stuff is G2 based, or V4 stuff converted to G2, and that product gave them all new life I never thought I could achieve before. I read a comment on another place that called it "Iray for Dummies." I think that is a very apt description. It makes quality Iray so easy, and it makes Iray truly accessible to anyone regardless of their skill set or knowledge. So I want to say thank you so much for that product! I'm probably going to buy the G3 version along with this Dirt product. What I really like is how you make your menu simple, yet include explanations of what does what. Very well designed from a user stand point.

  • barbultbarbult Posts: 24,245
    edited April 2016

    Hi! I have a few questions about this one, forgive me if I overlooked any answers posted already.

    Does this work with DS 4.8? I just want to be certain. And it works on multiple generations of figures? That would be amazing.

    Does this play nice with your other products? I LOVE, LOVE your Iray Converter for G2. How would I use this with it? Do I apply the dirt first, or use the converter first?

    BTW, that Iray Converter is basically my favorite Daz purchase EVER. Most of my stuff is G2 based, or V4 stuff converted to G2, and that product gave them all new life I never thought I could achieve before. I read a comment on another place that called it "Iray for Dummies." I think that is a very apt description. It makes quality Iray so easy, and it makes Iray truly accessible to anyone regardless of their skill set or knowledge. So I want to say thank you so much for that product! I'm probably going to buy the G3 version along with this Dirt product. What I really like is how you make your menu simple, yet include explanations of what does what. Very well designed from a user stand point.

    I can try to answer some of your questions until V3Digitimes gets back to the thread.

    I'm not sure about 4.8, because I am using 4.9 and Daz Connect now, so I will let her answer that.

    It works with anything that you can put a Geometry Shell on, which is everything as far as I know. I've used it on people (any generation) and props. It works great with characters that have the Iray Converter skin. I do the skin first and then the dirt, but I bet you could do it the other way around, too. The Geometry Shell for the dirt is an independent item in your scene pane. It is not like LIE that modifies your actual textures in the Surfaces pane.

    I have all the generations of Iray skin converters and I think they are some of the best purchases I ever made! This sale is a great time to pick up any you don't alreay own.

    Post edited by barbult on
  • outrider42outrider42 Posts: 3,679

    Thanks for that bit of info. I believe it would work with 4.8, but I just want to be sure. 

  • barbultbarbult Posts: 24,245
    edited April 2016

    Thanks for that bit of info. I believe it would work with 4.8, but I just want to be sure. 

    You can always buy it and return if if it doesn't work in 4.8, or upgrade to 4.9. Daz has fixed numerous bugs since 4.9 first came out. It was kind of a disaster at first, but seems quite good to me now.

    Edit: I posted a thread over in the Commons about how A Touch of Dirt can do more than dirt. There I used it on a character (Genesis 3 Male) and lots of props.

    Post edited by barbult on
  • namffuaknamffuak Posts: 4,146

    Thanks for that bit of info. I believe it would work with 4.8, but I just want to be sure. 

    It might not. There are three scripts in the package, and if they were created on 4.9 they won't run on 4.8.

  • V3DigitimesV3Digitimes Posts: 3,150
    edited April 2016

    They are created with 4.8.0.59.

     

    They will work with all versions above this one, including this one.

     

     

    Post edited by V3Digitimes on
  • outrider42outrider42 Posts: 3,679
    edited April 2016
    barbult said:

    Thanks for that bit of info. I believe it would work with 4.8, but I just want to be sure. 

    You can always buy it and return if if it doesn't work in 4.8, or upgrade to 4.9. Daz has fixed numerous bugs since 4.9 first came out. It was kind of a disaster at first, but seems quite good to me now.

    Edit: I posted a thread over in the Commons about how A Touch of Dirt can do more than dirt. There I used it on a character (Genesis 3 Male) and lots of props.

    I get nervous about upgrading after reading the horror stories. But my main concern is the change to how lighting works that make the same scene rendered in 4.8 look different in 4.9. I value consistancy. Actually, that would lead to another question. I see the Iray Converter detects which version of Daz is in use, I was wondering how that works and if that adds more consistancy to a character that would have been rendered in different versions of Daz.

    Edit: I see the post. Thanks for that clarification!

    Post edited by outrider42 on
  • V3DigitimesV3Digitimes Posts: 3,150

    You are welcome. For your question the way the render engine treats the scattering changed between daz studio versions 4.8 and 4.9. Since skin uses scattering the look of skin will differ in 4.8 and 4.9.

    I think the lights are not really an issue, well I never remarked anything special about lights. But the way translucency and sss will render can be strongly different. If you need to be constant in your skin renders for your project then don't upgrade before the end of this project. Then upgrade at the end since more and more products will be developed with 4.9. I will try to release products compatible  with 4.8 as long as possible on my side.

    There are ways to make in 4.9 skins closer to the ones in 4.8 for non african (very dark) skins, but closer only, they will never be identical. The tone will change glob ally or locally. But the scattering calculations seem to be more physical in 4.9 than in 4.8 and the skin rendering, especially on caucasian and Asian skin tones is better in 4.9. It is a little bit harder to manage on dark skin tones, well it has to be done differently..

    The converters will read your DS version and will propose the best and most robust skin settings for each version of the render engine, both for clear and dark skins. They will also provide a full range of useful tools to change efficiently skin gloss aspect, bump details, and tones if you want to do so. The tools are made for beginners as well as advanced users and organised by folders.

    I hope this helps.

  • outrider42outrider42 Posts: 3,679

    Thank you for that information. As it stands right now, I'm more inclined to stay within V4 and Genesis 2 era characters anyway. In fact, your Iray Converter might be TOO good, because it really made me wonder why I need to buy any more G3 characters! Daz might not like that so much, LOL. Though I have been buying older characters thanks to great deals. I've found a lot of dirt cheap V4 characters, which I then convert to G2, and these render so wonderfully with your G2 converter. Another reason is my PC was not built for Daz, and there is a big difference in render times between the different generations, even when I disable some textures like normal maps. Sometimes I wonder if my PC is allergic to G3 stuff.

    Anyway, I'll be picking up the Dirt along with your Magic Serpio, which looks very cool. I guess the Iray Converter for G3 is not part of the sale as it is still new. So I'll have to get it later as it pushes my budget a bit much this week, and being for G3, it is not a big focus for me at this time. But I do plan on getting it!

  • Kev914Kev914 Posts: 1,113

    I originally installed this with DIM. I thought I would begin by reading the pdf, but I couldn't find it. I saw where the DIM said it put it, but it wasn't there. Or I was overlooking it. And still am. So in frustration, I then installed with contect. After some effort, I finally found where Connect was putting the files and I found the pdf, but by now I'm so frustrated, I don't even want to read it. I've also been looking for at least one of the files so I can right click on it and see what the icons look like, etc. But I can't seem to find even one. Of course, like I said I'm so frustrated, I could be looking right at it and not seeing it. This is what I LOVE about DAZ...sometimes I look and I look and I can't find the product that I just installed.

    Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought if you installed through Connect that the files won't show in the Content library, so that would mean that I need to look in the Smart Content, but there is no folder called Shader Presets. And if I look in the Content Library, then I do find a Shader Presets, but I don't see A touch of dirt. If I search for V3D, I do find some icons but they look like the iray shaders.

    So where should I be looking for this product?

  • @KevinH Look under Scripts.

  • Kev914Kev914 Posts: 1,113

    Something must have been wrong with the DIM install. When I asked where the files were installed and then I checked for them, they weren't there. I un-installed and then re-installed and now I find the files, and they show up in Daz Studio too. Even the pdf file that wasn't in the readme folder is there. When I looked for it the first time, I even searched the entire drive and couldn't find it. But now there it is.

    But where do you find them in Smart Content. If you install via Connect, don't they only show in the Smart Content and not the Content Library?

  • barbultbarbult Posts: 24,245

    I think Daz did a poor job on the metadata for A Touch of Dirt. For me, it is easiest to find and use it from the Product display rather than from Categories. I installed with Daz Connect. I can see the product both in Smart Content and in the Content Library's Products listing. See the attached screenshots.

    Touch of Dirt Smart Content 1.jpg
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    Touch of Dirt Smart Content 2.jpg
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    Touch of Dirt Content Library.JPG
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  • V3DigitimesV3Digitimes Posts: 3,150
    edited May 2016

    Thank you for that information. As it stands right now, I'm more inclined to stay within V4 and Genesis 2 era characters anyway. In fact, your Iray Converter might be TOO good, because it really made me wonder why I need to buy any more G3 characters! Daz might not like that so much, LOL. Though I have been buying older characters thanks to great deals. I've found a lot of dirt cheap V4 characters, which I then convert to G2, and these render so wonderfully with your G2 converter. Another reason is my PC was not built for Daz, and there is a big difference in render times between the different generations, even when I disable some textures like normal maps. Sometimes I wonder if my PC is allergic to G3 stuff.

    Anyway, I'll be picking up the Dirt along with your Magic Serpio, which looks very cool. I guess the Iray Converter for G3 is not part of the sale as it is still new. So I'll have to get it later as it pushes my budget a bit much this week, and being for G3, it is not a big focus for me at this time. But I do plan on getting it!

    Thanks a lot for this feedback. A lot of work has been done in all the converters, mixing my knowledge of light physics, and a lot of tests and optimisations using a large panel of figures and of lights types. So when I read such words, my heart is full of joy! Lol! Yes I can understand that using the latest generations figures on old PC can... ask for a lot of patience... when it is possible. Sometimes I test my products on a very very old computer and the fans of it go crazy, like a plane taking off!

    Thanks if you plan to buy my products, just take care, the Soldiers of Magic Serpio shaders are made for 3Delight only. For Iray, the equivalent shaders do not exist, mainly because Iray makes "physically based" renders, and that a magic glow is "not that physical". Some users, amongst them Jepe and Sickelyield, successfully used it in Iray, it asks to activate the bloom filter, eventually also using a volumetric box. You can also render the magic effect with 3Delight, the rest of the image with Iray, and mix both in photoshop. Other users used the Serpio with Iray water or stone shaders to have other magical effects. But basically Serpio is 3Delight.

    KevinH said:

    Something must have been wrong with the DIM install. When I asked where the files were installed and then I checked for them, they weren't there. I un-installed and then re-installed and now I find the files, and they show up in Daz Studio too. Even the pdf file that wasn't in the readme folder is there. When I looked for it the first time, I even searched the entire drive and couldn't find it. But now there it is.

    But where do you find them in Smart Content. If you install via Connect, don't they only show in the Smart Content and not the Content Library?

    Hello Kevin! Happy to know the install finally went right. I'm currently on 4.9.0.24 and indeed you once installed with connect, they appear in the smart content, but in the content library you won't have the folder hierarchy, they appear only in the "product" part of the content library. In smart content, in order to find the script to apply dirt on selections, you have to select an object and it wil show in "Utilities/scripts" the name is "V3DPD Apply Dirty Shell". In order to have the shaders once the shells or overlays are there (overlay is in "props" and also begins with V3D), you can select there surfaces and the shaders will be in "Shaders/Iray/Grunge". I hope this helps, but let me know if you still have an issue finding them.

    barbult said:

    I think Daz did a poor job on the metadata for A Touch of Dirt. For me, it is easiest to find and use it from the Product display rather than from Categories. I installed with Daz Connect. I can see the product both in Smart Content and in the Content Library's Products listing. See the attached screenshots.

    Thanks barbult, that's it!! You can also access it via the product tab of the smart content, writing "dirt" as a filter, and the content library "product" but you won't have the folder hierarchy. Well I think Daz is not used to make metadata for such a complete product mixing scripts relying on objects, scripts relying on surfaces, overlays linked to "any human shape", full or partial shader presets for shells and overlays, but not only for them.. I'm gonna have a look if something can be done for my metadata, but I cannot warranty this is possible. I remember some of my products were the people who made metadata managed to keep the exact product hierarchy, and this was really cool for the user. Otherwise a good old DIM install will allow to see both the folder hierarchy and the smart content too..

    Thank you also barbult for your thread : http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/84181/a-touch-of-dirt-can-do-more-than-add-dirt

    This is something I have not mentionned a lot because there are already a lot of things in it and I did not want to add more info than I had, but yes, lol, it can do more than add dirt!!!

    Post edited by V3Digitimes on
  • Kev914Kev914 Posts: 1,113

    Thanks @V3digitimes, @barbult and @daywalker03. I'm finding the product where you said it would be now.

    I never even noticed that product folder was there in the content library. Well, actually I think I opened it once, but it looked kind of scary...just some folders with a number or a letter. Didn't realize you could actually make use of those folders!

    I was also mainly using the Files tab. I would hunt for one icon for a product I wanted to use and then right clicking for it to take me to the product page for that item. But the was h@%! when you couldn't even find one icon. But maybe I'll try just going to the product page and looking and or searching.

    I must confess, when people attach little images to their posts, I don't know how people make use of them. They are too small to read. But maybe there is some way to blow them up in a browser? There must be, because people often comment about what is in the images.

  • barbultbarbult Posts: 24,245

    KevinH, just click on the little image and it should open full size in your browser.

  • V3DigitimesV3Digitimes Posts: 3,150
    barbult said:

    KevinH, just click on the little image and it should open full size in your browser.

    It works for me but I need to be logged in. Otherwise the dont popup.
  • barbultbarbult Posts: 24,245
    edited May 2016

    In the latest Daz Studio Beta, 4.9.2.44, the product folder structures for Daz Connect installations are available in the Content Library!

    Now we can find the files as V3Digitimes intended them to be.

     

    Daz Connect in Content Library.JPG
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    Post edited by barbult on
  • barbultbarbult Posts: 24,245
    barbult said:

    KevinH, just click on the little image and it should open full size in your browser.

     

    It works for me but I need to be logged in. Otherwise the dont popup.

    Oh, yes, I forgot about that. I try to always stay logged in so the forum keeps track of threads I have already read and what is new to me.

  • Kev914Kev914 Posts: 1,113

    That must be what I am doing wrong. I often look at the forums while I am logged out. But I did try them and the did enlarge for me. Thanks again.

  • V3DigitimesV3Digitimes Posts: 3,150
    barbult said:

    In the latest Daz Studio Beta, 4.9.2.44, the product folder structures for Daz Connect installations are available in the Content Library!

    Now we can find the files as V3Digitimes intended them to be.

     

    This is absolutely great news! This was the only thing that was missing I found in the Connect.
    barbult said:
    barbult said:

    KevinH, just click on the little image and it should open full size in your browser.

     

    It works for me but I need to be logged in. Otherwise the dont popup.

    Oh, yes, I forgot about that. I try to always stay logged in so the forum keeps track of threads I have already read and what is new to me.

    Lol I don't know how but I almost always logged out...
  • barbultbarbult Posts: 24,245
    KevinH said:

    That must be what I am doing wrong. I often look at the forums while I am logged out. But I did try them and the did enlarge for me. Thanks again.

    Usually I attach the larger view right in the main thread body, but with three large attachments, it seemed like it might overwhelm the thread, so I left them small for interested parties to enlarge themselves. I forgot all about the log in limitation. I'm glad you got it all figured out now. Now you can have fun playing!

  • barbultbarbult Posts: 24,245
    Lol I don't know how but I almost always logged out...

    The forum logs me out frequently. I have to manually check and log myself back in. It is a pain.

  • MJWMJW Posts: 524

    Got a problem. The first time I have tried using this, on a figure morphed by me, the lips are remaining steadfastly clean. The image shows the character and a V7 but the lips are ignored in my modifiied character. I can't fathome out a reason, having tried applying the same skin to the V7 (although the colours came out very different.

    Dirty Iray Shader problem 160501.png
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  • V3DigitimesV3Digitimes Posts: 3,150
    edited May 2016
    MJW said:

    Got a problem. The first time I have tried using this, on a figure morphed by me, the lips are remaining steadfastly clean. The image shows the character and a V7 but the lips are ignored in my modifiied character. I can't fathome out a reason, having tried applying the same skin to the V7 (although the colours came out very different.

    First time I see this and yet, there were a lot of tests.

    1. Was the shell applied after of before the morph was applied?

    2. What is happening if you just "create a geometry shell" on the figure using Create/New Geometry Shell?

    I try to understand if the issue comes from the geometry shell. This will give me clues to propose you a solution for this.

    The impression I have is that your custom morph is not seen by the geometry shell. The idea I have is that if the morph is save as a custom morph for the figure and then reloaded, then if should be "seen" by the shell. This is the intuition I have. If it is the case, I'll report a bug to Daz, because this is a bug in the way Shells treat not saved morphs. But for this we first have to check it comes from the shell or not. But I think saving your morph using : file/save as/ support asset/morph asset, then reloading the morph on the figure, it might solve this. Not sure, just a feeling.

    Edit :

    - can you also tell me if you're with 4.8 or 4.9. I tried to replicate this but don't manage. I meant I create a mouth morph using ZBrush but the shell then works for me.

    - can you tell me if the original figure was installed with Daz connect (I try to find the conditions which will allow me to replicate the issue).

    - can you tell me if when you dial your lips morph to 0, the lips are then covered with the shell?

    - Suddenly I have a doubt : can you tell me if the material you use for the figure also uses displacement maps??? If it is the case copy the maps and strength using the script dedicated for that, adjust SubD level and min max of the shell to match the one of the original figure. I think this is the first of my video tutorial  here concerning the displacement (it begins at around 5 minutes and 10 second ends at around 6 minutes 42)

     

    Post edited by V3Digitimes on
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