Novica & Serene Night's Renders, Tips, Tutorials & Product Reviews Part 1

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited December 1969

    P21 (1)
    And here's your "flesh-pink" point light. Notice it is a different color than the yellow-ish chest, so you might change it later to get both in sync. For now, just see if the area lit is what you want.

    P22 (2) TIP!!!
    I'm going to mention a nice trick- stacking spotlights or stacking Point Lights is fun and you can make gradients of light by bringing in another Point Light (or Spotlight) from where you already have one, and just barely moving it. That's how you can create really gradual changes in light!

    Even though we are in Perspective view, we are going to select Point Light 1 and stack this second Point Light! So let's create another Point Light. (Go to Create>New Point Light) and BE SURE POINT LIGHT 1 is selected in SCENE tab so you can choose to copy that one when our pop-up appears.

    P23 (3) Choose "Copy Selected Item- Point Light 1."

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited December 1969

    P24 (1)
    And no surprise- You now have TWO Point Lights, same location, SAME EVERYTHING. The XYZ coordinates, the light intensity, everything is copies from Point Light 1 to Point Light 2. Both are in existance- you did not replace one with the other. One nice side benefit of this? You get to see what double strength Point Light 1 looks like!

    So now you have 2 Point Lights and 1 Spot Light.

    P25 (2)
    Let's change Point Light 2 to hot pink. Make sure it's selected in Scene, then go to Parameters, click your little cog by the color and open up the color palette and ok the color.

    P26 (3)
    This shows your Point Light 2 in hot pink. See, point lights are not hard to set up, and can add some really nice glows. Of course, we aren't keeping this pink!

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    P27 (1)
    Let's stack those Point Lights! (I know you've been waiting for this) Change your Z translation from -16.43 (which is Point Light 1's position that you copied) to 59.41- we're bringing this baby FORWARD!

    P28 (2)
    And now let's change the color. And you might want to try this color for your other tan color too. (And jot it down, it's a pretty color!)

    P29 (3)
    Now rotate right (see blue cube in viewport) and look at your lovely Point Lights, the only difference is where they are located toward the front or a bit further behind toward the rear. You can do this with Y translations (up and down) or side to side (X translation) to make really pretty, gradual changes in light. I made these two different colors on purpose for the tutorial, but they do quite well as the same color too. If you have a glowing orb, think what you can do putting one higher than the other and stacking them (using Y translation for up and down.) The top of your orb can glow green, the one right below it a light blue, and where they overlap, wow!

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    Photos 30, 31, 32:
    See what you've created from different angles! This is just with two point lights and that one spot light coming from over the right shoulder.

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    P33 (1)
    Using the Perspective view, move your view so your character is seen like this. We're adding a Spotlight and again, using the Perspective view to easily place it. This Spotlight will bring in light to the lower regions. Go to Create>New Spotlight and when the popup appears, name it SpotLowLeft. And you know by now- select the transforms for the Perspective View, as shown.

    P34 (2)
    Your new Spotlight as seen from the Perspective view. You have a lot more covered now!

    P35 (3)
    You can change this color, but for now, a dullish mauve. 213/ 173 / 154 (another good color to jot down)

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    P36 (1)
    If your spread angle is high (mine is 60) then the area covered will be similar to what is shown. You're in the Perspective view here, and that circle is your Spotlight 2 that was just created. In Parameters>Light.... Note the light intensity and angle. Intensity is 42.6% and Spread Angle is 60. We want to keep that arm with a delightful, dark dropoff so let's zoom in on that hand.

    P37 (2)
    Change the angle to a lower number (I tried 4.70) Although you COULD change to the second Spotlight in the view and move it that way, this is a quick and easy way to get you zoomed in fast. Either way is fine.

    P38 (3)
    Thought you'd like to see the coordinates for this spotlight. We are going to move this hand later- up to the face- but this spotlight is needed for this area regardless.

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    P39 (1)
    Not shown- because by now, I can tell you how. Go to Parameter>Light and lower the intensity to 30.4. We are keeping the angle at 4.70 for now. Let's get some action going on the face. Get this view. Shown over in Parameters are the settings for the SpotLowLeft that we just created.

    P40 (2)
    Go to Create>New Spotlight> and select the Perspective view transforms. Again, you are using the Perspective view to create your light. Easy smeezy, eh? Not shown- Rename your light (I would recommend SpotFaceLft or something where you'll know it's the spotlight on the face, left side) I just left mine Spotlight 1 because I forgot. If you do, when you start working with more than one light, you'll remember because it's so inconvenient to guess which light is which- and you'll rename. No biggie. (How to do that- in Scene, click on the name of the light and the little textbox will let you rename it.)

    P41 (3)
    And there's your spotlight you just created on the face, as seen from the Perspective view. So now you have 3 spotlights. The first was behind the right shoulder from the top, then we did the lower front, now this one on the left for the face. You have 2 point lights, both on the right. Why all this stuff on the right? LIGHT SOURCE CONSISTENCY. If you go back and look at the final render, we're going to dull these other lights out so they are fillers. But for now, get 'em in place!

    And no, I haven't forgotten about doing the shadows for all these lights.

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    I'm going to post the final render here so you can see how what we're doing will play out in the end. Remember, the dark render is the real thing, the light render is one of many ways you can lighten it. You can have it dark, this light, or somewhere in-between.

    One of my main goals that I'll share in advance- is keeping that left sleeve dropoff- aka, the dark of the sleeve really adds to the feeling of lack of illumination on the left (the right as you are looking at it.) Under no circumstances will that sleeve get lit!

    EDIT: Take a close look at the inside of her mouth. I worked quite awhile to get those surface colors just that way- not distracting. I'll share those settings when we get there.

    Am leaving for the ranch, it's 108 heat index and Nova (arabian) is going under a fan. And Happy Father's Day to all you dads, granddads!

    ONE OTHER NOTE- Newbies- Perhaps when you first saw the final render, you didn't notice there was a filler light on the back of that hand raised to her mouth. It would be almost BLACK if there wasn't a filler. But I made sure it didn't light the sleeve where that dark crease is (near the top) Don't forget the small details! In doing more postwork, I would eliminate that "bubble" at her wrist. It looks WEIRD. (Smile.)

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    P42 (1)
    For all of your lights, if you want to set the shadows at this point, do Raytraced and consider setting them 60% or more. Many of my shadows were at 80% because this was going to be in a cave. The brighter your lights, the sharper shadows you'd probably want- to make a statement. This is a soft, hazy environment of little light. It's up to you.

    P43 (2)
    Remember, my face spotlight is Spotlight 1, which is what we are currently doing. The intensity is 34.8 and the spread angle is 40.70 It's at the default white, which we will now change. (If you like the white look, you can later go in and make it a bluish white.)

    P44 (3)
    Change the color (Parameters>Light- go to the cog) to 255/ 220/180 and see how you like it with the intensity of 44.3 and spread angle the same.

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    P45 (1)
    The bust and raised hand sleeve stayed dark, but the right shoulder is too bright. The settings were- same color, same intensity, but the spread angle is 28.96. Remember, you are seeing this as the WIP, with all the changes that were tried. You may like some of them which I eliminate, so if you find a light setup which was removed, at least you have these photos to go back to. These three photos have no changes, I wanted you to get the "feel" of what we've done from different angles.

    P46 (2)
    I retreated and pulled back. All settings the same. This just gives you an idea of the overall impact.

    P47 (3)
    Different view. THIS SHOWS YOU THE ARM AND HAND OUTSTRECHED AND ITS LIGHTING BEFORE WE MOVE THE ARM COMPLETELY. So if you like this lighting, you know how to do it, and how it looks on a lowered arm from this view- and I LOVE this view! If you are doing a majestic queen, this would sure be a great shot, with torches lit behind the the throne, right?!

    When I first started, that was the alternate pose I had in mind-a royal person waving the people behind her to be silent, and let the person speak. So keep this lighting in mind for something like that, the people behind her should be in the shadows and this works well for that.

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    Hopefully you've been noticing the tweaking of the fingers too. At this point, I wasn't moving that hand, so it needed finessing.
    Photos 48, 49, 50-
    More views, no changes. This is what we've created using those 3 spotlights and 2 point lights. I was getting different views so you can imagine what this setup can do for folks going down a narrow tunnel, with a view from a companion, or from slightly behind/to the side of the woman. Again, keep in mind all you have to do is brighten to have a totally different daytime scene!

    The plan was to have her hand resting on the cave wall. That's why it is up. Or, she can be resting against a knarled tree, overlooking the cliff, or even a door scene, coaxing a bedragged feral cat out of the rain.

    EDIT: Reminder- look at the lighting, NOT the colors. We'll be changing some of them.

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited December 1969

    Photos 51, 52, 53

    More views- see what scenes you can image with this lighting and these poses- or this lighting and your own poses!

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    P54 (1)
    Hope you like that last view, because we're going to light up that back! Get this view in your Perspective view. You know what to do, right? Go to Create>New Spotlight> and select the Perspective View transforms.

    Why are we lighting the back, and from this angle? Because it increases your options for side shots. If you want those front views, it hardly impacts your scene and you can shut this one off (speed up render time.) But with some side shots, this really adds to the scene.

    P55 (2)
    Parameters>Shadow> Do raytraced. I went 80% I want this really soft. This view shows you the spotlight (Spotlight 2, which you can rename SpotBack2 or something to remind yourself it's not the first light in the back. And notice it is not in the center. Consider (again) your light source. It's more from the right than the back.

    P56 (3)
    Now here is the ultimate cool color to have in your arsenal of spotlights- 201/ 154 / 126- for those "have it lit but not a lot" scenes. Just look at that back! (Remember, change the color in Parameters>Light> click the cog by the color.) Intensity 15.7, Spread Angle 18.78

    You could almost do a render with that view and lighting- eerie!

    Notice how well the two spotlights and point lights are working together. Don't limit yourself to one or the other! Many newbies don't have them overlap, or exist in the same area. They really complement each other.

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    P57 (1)
    Talk about versatile! This is how that spotlight (Spotlight 2, the second one we added to the back) looks from the other side, but still behind the woman.

    P58 (2)
    I was curious to see how it looked from the front- with all the lights on EXCEPT THE VERY FIRST SPOTLIGHT. This could be useful for a very, very dark and suspenseful scene. It would certainly have to be closeup though! Newbies- the way you can tell if a light is off- see how the eye is closed next to the SpotTopRt1 in the Scene tab? That means it is not visible (if an object), or impacting ( a light) the scene.


    P59 (3)
    Now I start twiddling. NOTE: I am leaving the main light (the first spotlight, over her shoulder) OFF so I can see what the effects are when I tweak the color of the hand. I KNOW that spotlight will change it when I add it, but I want to get it less red before I add that light back in. Keeping it simple, in other words.

    Don't be afraid to TURN OFF LIGHTS when you're color balancing a light- but you have to remember what color you are adding back in. The bright spotlight will be bluish so I keep that in mind. So, I am adjusting the first point light as the raised hand is too red. It was 201 / 183 / 170. I'm going with 201 / 200 / 156- another cool color to jot down! Look at it in the photo. And we're going to start doing RENDERS shortly. Then comes the massive tweaking!

    Remember: CLICK TO ENLARGE, THEN CLICK AGAIN. You'll see this all clearly.

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited December 1969

    P60 (1)
    Here's what Point Light 1 looks like with the 201/ 200 / 156 color. It took the red out of the hand. Again, a nice color to keep in mind if you're dealing with red issues.

    P61 (2)
    Go to Scene and select our very first spotlight- SpotTopRt1, and in Parameters> Light, we're experimenting with color. Here you see 158 / 174 / 205 with 100% intensity and spread angle 60.00

    So now you can see what this does as a RENDER. Next post.

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    Well, we certainly have a glowingly bright shoulder, don't we?! But there's a lot I like, so I continue on. This is a RENDER, not a spot render. We're going to keep tweaking. But I think you'll see that she is already good so far as mixing the point and spot lights for soft, muted source of light. AND YOU CAN SEE HER EYES.

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    P62 (1)
    Still working with SpotTopRt1, as the shoulder is too bright.

    P63 (2)
    SpotTopRt1 is selected, the color is 158 / 174 / 205 (no change) with intensity lowered from 100% down to 77.8% and the Spread Angle is 60.00 (no change)

    P64 (3)
    This is the second render- and the shoulder is still too bright.

    So what should you do if you have an area that is too bright, and you are changing a light and not seeing quite what you expect? TURN OFF AND ON THE LIGHTS AND SEE WHICH LIGHTS OVERLAP. Let's do that in the next set of photos and see which lights are contributing to this bright shoulder.

    EDIT: Although you may actually like this light setup- it's just not what I am aiming for. At any time during this tutorial, you may want to stop and not make changes that I do, and add your own lights, make changes to mine, etc. That's why the screenshots are so important, you can come back and look and stop at any stage.

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited December 1969

    P65 (1)
    There are three culprits contributing to the shoulder light. SpotTopRt1 (the first spotlight we did from behind the right shoulder), Point Light 1 which is on the woman's right, and Spot Light 1.

    P66 (2)
    TIP: Use dark light to neutralize a bright area if you have too many lights impacting the area- which can't be changed because it would ruin the other parts of the scene they impact. In other words, you might have a point light that gives that perfect glow to fingertips just beyond the "too bright" area, so by using dark light on the bright area, and zooming in, you can keep those fingertips nice and glow-y.

    Using Perspective view, zoom in on the shoulder. Create a new spotlight and select the Perspective view transforms. (You know how by now.)

    P67 (3)
    This is Perspective view of Spotlight 3 which we just created (be sure it is selected in the Scene tab.) We're going to apply a dark color to just that shoulder area, to neutralize it.

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    P68 (1)
    I'm showing you step by step what I did- and you'll also see some great colors to try / note. The next one wasn't dark enough.
    Go to Scene and select Spotlight 3 (or whatever you named it.)

    P69 (2)
    I changed the color to 129 / 113 / 88. It's a good one for darkening skin tones, but it wasn't enough. (not shown)

    P70 (3)
    So we're going to try 82 / 77 / 73

    NOTE HOW CLOSE IT IS TO THE CHEST COLOR. Much better!

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    P71 (1)
    I'm going for a more negative value on this. If your slider limits you, click on the cog (the same one we use to change color) and you'll see an option to change the parameter settings. You can then type in a negative number in the "min" and make sure the "use limits" is checked. EDIT: You'll notice I did not use a negative number- but I wanted it to experiment.

    P72 (2)
    I am working with most of the other lights in that area OFF. That's just the way I work, I found it faster to get as close as possible in my initial revamps if I tackle one light at a time, then start adding one by one. This is working well on the shoulder, but Point Light 2 also puts a dim glow onto it.

    P73 (3)
    Point Light 2 (see in the image, the dull brown glowing splotch with rays) was originally 255/252/202 (see image) and I tried 33/52/162 as a color correction to darken the hand. It's a neat mauve/gray. I'm showing you this so you can see that color swatch. I will show you Render 3 in the next post, and you'll see the hand is too red- so we're going green!

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    P74 (1)
    This is Render 3. The shoulder area is nicely dimmed, the hands still need work. Too red, and the front one is also too bright.

    P75 (2)
    The 162 / 147 / 129 is contributing to the red for Point Light 2, so we're switching and trying 112 /108 / 65 (greenish) It's another neat color!

    P76 (3)
    Render 4. That shoulder is looking good, we still need to work on those hands. Would you have known there was a really dark light shining on that shoulder? (SMILE) Use your darks to help with too-bright areas, when you can't mess with surface areas. I can't change that on the arm, because I'd have to change it on the hand, the neck, etc. That's the drawback of sleeveless outfits!

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    P77 (1)
    I'm headed to SpotLowLeft (shining on that front hand) which is too red. The setting for that was 213 / 173 / 154 and we are going to start neutralizing that with 134 / 126 / 96 which is more of a taupe/ brown.

    P78 (2)
    Using Perspective view, I'm going to do the same thing I did with the shoulder and pinpoint the problem areas, aka the red hand- which is impacted by several lights. The point lights and spotlights overlap a bit, so another spotlight may be an easy solution.


    P79 (3)
    Found the color which worked on both hands, shown here is the Spotlight 4 we just created, with the color. It's an oyster color, 201 /200 / 156 and intensity was only 2.0%, spread angle 21.21 Please note: I would darken this color and do a bit more tweaking- remember my studio did not save my scene and I had done a bit more work and wasn't quite finished. But you WILL get to the point I did which is acceptable- the render looks good, I am just picky.

    Now we'll see a few more things- almost done.

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited December 1969

    P80 (1)
    The raised hand is closer to the face color- I added a yellow (you'll see in another photo) which is 253 / 255 / 121 at about 12% intensity. I decided to experiment with an open mouth so I raised the front hand to her mouth. (Of course, you should have your poses set BEFORE you do your lights- if this didn't work, I'd just "undo" and have my old pose handy with one click. (And save as a pose preset of course) So next, we'll get that arm raised.

    P81 (2) I created a spotlight (I left the one in place that had been on the lowered arm, it lights the top part of the thighs) shown here. Not shown: Change the bright white (default) to the same as in photo 69- the 129 / 113 / 88. You are darkening the spotlight so the back of the hand has SOME light, but your light source, remember, is on the RIGHT. Play with the intensity. Mine was around 6.


    P82 (3)
    Here's the yellow added to both hands.

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    P83 (1)
    Here's with the dark added to the back of the hand and with yellow added to both hands (the palm of the one in front, not shown much- but it makes a difference when slivers shine through.

    Now- you'll notice her expression has been changed and her mouth is open. I am not a fan of Genesis teeth, I always shrink the bottom teeth so they don't interfere with the [removed]they make the bottom of the face poof out, right below the bottom lip, in case you haven't noticed that when you try to do an expression.) But those pesky white teeth glow in the dark and that tongue is awful- so here's the formula I used to get them to darken. EDIT: this is the formula being used on the Cassini dragon render, as I don't have the formula for this render.

    TEETH:
    For daylight, I would start testing with this set:
    Diffuse 190 / 200 /221 at 100%, Glossiness 70% Specular 0 / 17 / 34 at 87.7%, Multiply Specular is ON, Ambient 129 / 103 / 90 at 52.9%, Opacity Strength 100%, Bump is 15%, with negative at 0% and positive .10

    For darker preference, I would start testing with this set:
    Diffuse 161 / 169/ 186 at 100%, Glossiness 54.8% Specular 0 / 17 / 34 at 94.8%, Multiply Specular is ON, Ambient 129 / 103 / 90 at 52.9% Opacity Strength is 100%, Bump is 15%, with negative at 0% and positive .10

    TONGUE:
    Diffuse 112 / 103 / 97 at 100%, Glossiness 70% Specular 180 / 187 / 213 at 60%, Multiply Specular is ON, Ambient 80 /34 / 34 at 15% Opacity Strength is 100%, Bump is 25%, with negative at -.10% and positive .10

    This isn't the final render pose, I had come from a top view so more of the mouth and tongue would show for you. you can see how the red in the hands is more balanced with the facial color, after we added that yellow color. And the dark that we added on the back of the hand still illuminates it! The palm of the hand shining through helps showcase the fingers (could still be color tweaked a bit more, but as I said, I never got to do my final tweaks as it didn't save.)

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    And here's our final girl. Sure would be nice if I had her, lol.
    EDIT: One other thing to point out- that shoulder (on the left as you look at it) where we added the dark spotlight because the shoulder was glowing with three lights impacting it- do you see the thin band of light running parallel to her clothing? You can use dark spotlights to create those and highlight things like the bridges of noses, finger tips (bring the dark in and leave the tips alone) etc. I've added a picture. CLICK TO ENLARGE.

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    And again, this was what can be done by postwork, just brightening it and adding intensity. This is too bright for my taste, but if you have an explosion or brightly lit scene, it shows what can be done going bright.

    You can also make it go darker with the hand and face illuminated. Look at the sleeve on your right- the hint of it. This also looks good with a blue overlay.

    So with this light setup, hopefully you got a feel for illuminating a hand going up, using dark lights, remembering to adjust the teeth and tongue so they aren't so distracting, and some good color choices to help balance out reds and for general use. You also saw that point lights and spotlights used together can create nice glowing surfaces and depending on what your shadows are set at, you can have a dimly lit scene that still showcases the characters' emotions and shows not only the eyes, but the details of the mouth.

    Consider trying mulitiple lights instead of plastering a spotlight on the character's face. Because it looks exactly that- like a plastered spotlight! We used two point lights with incidental lighting from spotlights!

    Wish I could have tweaked it more for you, but still haven't been able to locate the file in the studio. It did not save.

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited December 1969

    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/19756/P435

    Heads up! Today's posts are back here- and I am featuring the Fast Grab items for TODAY. Keep an eye on those posts! (I had to delete the light tutorial as the images wouldn't post in order, so those posts were "holders." Am using them today! Go see the Summer Halter dress in that link- it's 70% off.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    Another one back a few pages to fill in a post- and I need your input- see if this dress is what I thought it was. Check the promo images with the material- but none of the related products appear to be this material either. I couldn't find any MAT files other than what loaded.

    The Sensibility Dress review.

    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/19756/P435/#351965

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    OH MY GOSH!!!!
    I am featured on the FRONT PAGE of Accuweather.com!
    That's my photo being used for "Top Five Extreme Weather Events of Summer 2012" with the waves crashing on the pier at Pensacola Beach! When you click and go to the article, it has the larger picture and says Accuweather Fan user Cathie" They used MY photo instead of the one above it from an AP photographer- wow!

    I had NO idea about this. I was just reading the page to check on the heat index due to Nova (my horse) and I was like, "Um, that looks like Pensacola Beach pier....and um...that looks like one of my photos.....but everyone takes photos....." I squealed!

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited June 2013

    Get ready for some fun- Victoria 5 takes on a dragon to protect a baby dorpodon. I will share her face (prior to lighting in the scene) so you can see something fun that I did with it. And we're going to discuss....

    POWER
    You might think poor Cassini- vs a dragon? Armed only with a small sword?

    I did that deliberately as our "topic of the day" for my thread is how to show power. And feel free to toss in your thoughts.
    I am working on the scene later tonight as it was just going to be a quick product review, but I had an idea, and then you know how that goes. So how to show power- and what does that mean in a scene?

    Power- sheer muscle.
    Power- who has authority?
    Power- who is in control- whether they have authority or NOT- due to personality traits
    Power- who is affecting everyone else's emotions and influencing people- by actions, lack of action, or expressions?
    Power- by sheer size or magnitude
    Power- environmental- harshness of weather, weapons, anything in scene other than people
    Power- due to sheer numbers- allies, groups


    You get the gist. So I wanted to do something similar to my first render, where a warrior woman shows tenderness to two baby dragons. So, I took a bolodon, shrunk it, and made Cassini his guardian protector. Against a very determined millennium subdragon LE.

    But when you see the scene, you know Cassini is in charge, even before you read the title. "I Said NO."

    So as you wait on the scene I'm doing, think what you're first impression was when you think of a woman fending off a dragon and protecting a little critter.

    TIPS- How To SHOW Power:
    Not all encompassing just a few basics:

    1. Stalled action can show the relationship between the two players. If someone isn't taking action, there must be a good reason for it.
    My dragon is hovering- and not going forward. This shows previous experience with- or an instinct about- Cassini.

    2. Close proximity to something dangerous- by choice. Cassini is not only standing close to the dragon, she is reaching forward to point in it's face! The viewer has NO doubt whose in charge. She's almost daring it to raise its head and go for her hand.

    3. Open body language- while Cassini has a sword in her hand- IT IS NOT THRUST TOWARD THE DRAGON. She's got it ready to swipe down- which reeks confidence. Like, "Go for it!" The baby bolodon is probably thinking, "Eh, um, how about bringing that down closer to ME?" Her chest and front are open for the dragon to attack- she is daring an encounter and yet not expecting it- this dragon has had previous experience and isn't going to proceed. (His legs show his action is stalled- he is not reaching.)

    4. Shoulders, neck, and head- all three, all the time! The head doesn't have to be UP to reek confidence- if someone is challenging another person or thing, the chin and neck can be thrust forward, and the head can be slightly turned. Think about when someone says "What are you doing?" But all three should be used to convey the feeling. Just piddle with the neck (easiest done in Parameters so you don't mess up the head) and see if there is a slight tweak which really makes a difference.

    5. Squint the eyes if you're challenging someone. Eyes tend to "harden." Eyebrows come down. Or, if you really want to emphasize the open "Come and get me" just cock an eyebrow and DROP the shoulders. Cassini has tilted her head foward and is giving a stern look at the dragon- but her shoulders stay UP. Expressions are the key to showing someone in control, and back up body language.

    6. Turned AWAY or with total disregard. Should the person be facing somewhere that they aren't? If you go this route, their eyes slid left or right toward the danger will show that they are fully aware and it's a calculated move.

    7. Feet and leg position- Having legs locked can show physical strength- standing their ground so to speak- having legs flexed- agility, ready to spring. And a casual stance in the face of danger? Sheer confidence. (Cassini.) Having her weight off of one foot gives the impression she is ready to MOVE.

    8. Using props- if your character is a fast thinker, they can easily be in charge and the others in the scene know it! Yes, poor Goliath never stood a chance against David, right?

    9. Special props: is there a prop that really lends aid- something magical? Show it with special effects so the viewer is aware the person has something unusual that could "turn the tide" of the encounter. Aka,Cassini's sword is glowing.

    10. Character's attire or physical build- Note Cassini's skin. What does it tell you about her? She has reptile bumps- so is she all human, or does she possess some of the ferocity of the dragon? (Hint, she should.)

    Try to do something that isn't the same ole, same ole. Always challenging a dragon with sword drawn, thrusting forward? Try a taunting challenge to the beast of, "Game on, dude. Come and get me!"

    Here's Cassini- in "I Said NO." prior to posture positioning. Wanted to show you the teeth, and am going back into the light tutorial and posting these settings. The other that I posted that I wasn't sure about (scene didn't save) seem too dark to work. These teeth don't distract. Also did the tongue.

    EDIT: COMPARE THE WHITENESS OF THE TEETH AND EYES (not fixed)

    cassinidrag3.jpg
    1356 x 1356 - 871K
    Post edited by Novica on
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