Digital Art Zone

Now for the really dumb question. What's a UV set, and what's it got to do with skin? I've run across lots of mentions of UV, but so far have only a vague notion of how it works. Very vague.

Without Uv Maps http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UV_mapping the textures wouldn't line up on the mesh as they do. Think of it as a texture template, a grid to guide us to where the texture maps should be made and what shape it needs to be. We get a lot of templates in our content or sometimes Daz3D makes then available on the main product page under the Resource Files tab at the bottom of the page like this example http://www.daz3d.com/dream-home-yard-and-pool

sithkitten - 05 January 2013 06:02 AM

Now for the really dumb question. What's a UV set, and what's it got to do with skin? I've run across lots of mentions of UV, but so far have only a vague notion of how it works. Very vague.

Each quad (a four-sided face on the model) is made up of four vertices. Each vertex has a UV telling the computer which part of the image it should draw, sometimes multiple UV's if the vertex is on a seam. Think of them as coordinates for the 2-Dimensional texture map.

Genesis is one of the few character models which improves compatibility by having the ability to change which UV set it uses for a given surface. This makes it compatible with previous texture sets such as V4 Lana and M4 Lee. As shown in the earlier post, there is a simple drop-down box in the surfaces tab if you want to change to a different UV set.

this was the one I picked for my first time entering the contest, my idea of a pin-up, I just knew I was doing good till I saw some of the other entry's, then looking back I still have trouble with lighting, and posing, I liked this one because to me it was new, something I never tried before. but the more you learn the more you look back and find things I could have done better, so I know you will be seeing this one again as well as one more, and I hope I learned something

Thanks for the responses about the UV stuff! Sometimes I feel so clueless in this program, but that just makes it more interesting.

Pendraia - 03 January 2013 02:34 AM

I'm not a new user but there's an image I did years ago that I've been thinking of redoing if I have time I'll post some images myself...

So as promised here is my original render, which was a very early one using Laura as a fairy. IIRC it was a Thorne/Mada Character and it's very basic. I posed the model, stuck a dress on it. Hoped like hell there was no pokethrough and stuck a background picture in. Like I said very basic. It's from my first year of rendering.

I've been thinking that I would like to redo a new image of a fairy...but she had a mind of her own and instead is going to be an angel. ; )
She was nspired by the James Christensen style of angel seen here...
http://shambala25.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/the-angels-of-james-c-christensen/
and Renaissance paintings of angels...all mixed together.
https://global9renaissance.wikispaces.com/Naomi+Manning
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/proto-renaissance-artists.htm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10782886@N03/966093591/

I used the backdrop from photostudio 3 by Inane Glory and his freebie light the softbox preset.

The camera is Age of Armours fog camera.

Halo is Jepes hero extreme special effects and his deluxe fog creepy is also in there.

Genesis with Deborah applied, bloodmage hair and epic wings. The dress is the empirewaist from the historical gowns for V2 autofitted using V3. Sleeves are from the MFD expansions and I've used a Calida Lush shader for the dress and short sleeves and a different tonal version for the long sleeves.

This is a wip not a finished render. I can still see the following that I need to work on...
1. Scale on the sleeve is different to the dress I need to increase the scale on the sleeve so it matches in size.
2. The left wing tip is sticking out at the back and looks like its part of the hair gone wonky.
3. I need to look at the placement of the lights to get better shadows.
4. I want to tone down the colour on the long sleeves and also try a crushed velvet shader from Fisty's sparkle shaders. Preferably something in a darker brown. My aim is to have the skin colour be the brightest colour and the face the focal point.

How has my work flow/style changed from early to now?
1. I'm more likely to kit bash an outfit together from pieces and use shaders to make them into a cohesive whole.
2. Use of shaders in general for example using Age of armours fog camera to soften the image.
3. I have a better idea of what I'm trying to achieve overall and have certain artworks that tend to inspire my work and I'm gradually developing my own style.

Revisited these two images done in DAZ 4 from the very beginning. There is also one I did for a contest on here a year ago( can't remember which month it was) with a young lady stumbling upon the proposal of marriage but it had no shadows. Have to dug up from the old forum if it can be accessed. Anyways, here are the ones and also got this wrong type of shadow on several renders so if you know what causes these...

Below is the image being done at the moment.

sithkitten if you place the end part of the "[ /quote ]" (minus spaces and quotes) before your text you will avoid the confusion it can cause.

Kit Bashing is so much more easier in DS4.5 than it was in DS3 with the advent of Geometery Shells and Collision.

My only clothing kit bash image I have done becasue I found it awkward in DS3 to do.

I think this image was made up of parts from 4 clothing sets.

dune411412 - 05 January 2013 09:57 PM

this was the one I picked for my first time entering the contest, my idea of a pin-up, I just knew I was doing good till I saw some of the other entry's, then looking back I still have trouble with lighting, and posing, I liked this one because to me it was new, something I never tried before. but the more you learn the more you look back and find things I could have done better, so I know you will be seeing this one again as well as one more, and I hope I learned something

With the light, try to play around with shadows.
Question does she leans against the tank?

sithkitten - 06 January 2013 10:25 AM

Wow! I had no idea you could use bits and pieces of stuff! How inspiring, for the times when I like the shirt but not the sleeves for this image, etc.

Thank you : )

Kitbashing is a lot of fun. That image is a fairly simple kit bash. Leander and Baglet are extremely good at kitbashing and so is Chohole.

Szark - 06 January 2013 11:08 AM

sithkitten if you place the end part of the "[ /quote ]" (minus spaces and quotes) before your text you will avoid the confusion it can cause.

Kit Bashing is so much more easier in DS4.5 than it was in DS3 with the advent of Geometery Shells and Collision.

My only clothing kit bash image I have done becasue I found it awkward in DS3 to do.

I think this image was made up of parts from 4 clothing sets.

Yes it is, but I haven't used anything like that in my image...I also think that there are more shaders available for DS. I used Calida Lush but I could have used so many different ones. Fisty's or Marieah's for example.

You can even do Kitbashing ans use Bryce mats from the DTE, I used parts of 4 different outfits with this one.

Oh yeah I remember that one chohole. I think I said it before that you did an amazing job of kitbashing there in Bryce and Poser. You're just showing off now.

Szark - 06 January 2013 03:35 PM

Oh yeah I remember that one chohole. I think I said it before that you did an amazing job of kitbashing there in Bryce and Poser. You're just showing off now.

Yep...but she has a lot to brag about! lol

Beautiful work Cho!

Yes Pete I have to admit I did it just to prove that Bryce is capable of producing "shaders" The main striped fabric is purely generated from the DTE, with no jpg input. The others have a little help from jpgs, but not much