Digital Art Zone

I,m starting this thread to find out what any of my fellow DAZ Studio users may know about the existence of a manual or guide for DAZ Studio 4. I have the Pro version and I am still confused with several of the features. I,m not putting the software down at all, since in my opinion it is one of the best of its type, being fairly simple to use. Still, there are many things I would like to learn about it and without a guide, I may never discover the hidden features that could help me in my endeavors.

Here are some of the things I would like to learn about:
1) How to organize my content library. At this time it is beginning to get hard to find the content I am wanting to use.
2) Creating content of my own and where to keep it.
3) Rigging my own 3D products for posing.
4) Saving my 3D products for export and upload to the internet for fellow artists to acquire and use.
And the list goes on.

I recently acquired the Bryce 7 Artist’s Guide, and the built in guide for Hexagon 2.5 Pro, but trying to find a guide for DAZ Studio 4 has thus far proven fruitless for me. This is why I decided to create this thread in the DAZ Studio discussion forum at DAZ 3D. I figure if anyone would know if a guide exists and where I can find it, it would be the good people who use this forum. Even if the guide is a 3rd party production, I would welcome it, as long as it is comprehensive and simple to follow.

I welcome any and all comments regarding this topic, and I await your responses.

Thank you,
Cleveland Major,
AKA Art Mage 13,
or Agent 0013

I need to look for myself! The problem is I can’t recall where I was when I lost me!

The manual can be found here: http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/userguide/start

ThinMick - 09 June 2012 10:08 AM

The manual can be found here: http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/userguide/start

Wow! That was fast! Thanks for the quick response. I’m going to go to the site and get the guide right now.
Happy rendering!

I am wondering if there is anything more in-depth, particularly in rendering surfaces that are reflective or that have video content.  I have a super weapons explosions pack which is supposed to run in DAZ Studio, but no instruction how to get it running.  A full blown user manual will be a tremendous help . 

I also need to get some DAZ studio 3 running in DAZ studio 4 but so far without success.  Again a manual would be excellent assistance .

Cheers

Buck

Buck Cerridwyn - 10 June 2012 02:49 AM

I am wondering if there is anything more in-depth, particularly in rendering surfaces that are reflective or that have video content.  I have a super weapons explosions pack which is supposed to run in DAZ Studio, but no instruction how to get it running.  A full blown user manual will be a tremendous help . 

I also need to get some DAZ studio 3 running in DAZ studio 4 but so far without success.  Again a manual would be excellent assistance .

Cheers

Buck

Buck,
The Studio 3 Manual has more info than the Studio4 manual WIP on Surfaces.  http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/3/start  It’s still not real thorough, but it should be enough to get you rolling.  As far as your “super weapons explosion pack”; I am not familiar with that product, but it is the product itself that should have instruction on “how to get it running”.  You won’t find that in a DAZ manual.  Check for a readme with your downloaded files, or go back to the site where you got it and ask for instructions.  I don’t understand your last statement, but Studio 3 & 4 should both run on the same machine, and you should be able to use Studio3 content in Studio4.  Most Studio3 plugins will NOT work in Studio4.
Hope that helps.

Daz should set up a publice pad, so people could write together a “advanced manual”.

see more information about etherpad (as example): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EtherPad
It is a little bit like Google wave, a document people can work together on.

PaulSW - 10 June 2012 06:36 AM

Daz should set up a publice pad, so people could write together a “advanced manual”.

see more information about etherpad (as example): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EtherPad
It is a little bit like Google wave, a document people can work together on.

Anyone who wants to participate in documentation already can. http://www.daz3d.com/forums/viewthread/69/ 

Thanks Adam,

good to know Even if the center seems to be offline right now.
I hope it is as easy to use as EtherPad.

This is an update concerning the manual for DAZ Studio 4. While there is a lot of good information in the documents at http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/userguide/start it is, far from complete. With much of the pertinent data missing from several of the PDF files that would make them more comprehensive, it is hard to figure out what to do in a particular task. Crucial steps are left out at this time in many of them. Another thing I do not like is the fact that the guide is broken up into a lot of PDF files; and several videos are included but, (as far as I can tell), inaccessible if you are offline. I was able to download a lot of the PDF files, but I cannot find a way to do the same for the videos. I got 59 files, which now must be organized by me if I decide to keep them. I don’t think I will. Just the fact that it is broken up into so many files is reason for me to delete them, not to mention that it is a WIP, (Work In Progress).
I do thank the person that gave us the link for doing so. I don’t blame that person for the condition of the guide. I am wondering when the guide will be complete and in an organized single file. Also I think that the videos need to be downloadable, because when watching a video online that stop midstream because the play bar has caught up to the buffer bar I get confused.
As for now, we are no better off than when I started this thread. Let me know what you think about this.

adamr001 - 11 June 2012 06:51 AM

PaulSW - 10 June 2012 06:36 AM

Daz should set up a publice pad, so people could write together a “advanced manual”.

see more information about etherpad (as example): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EtherPad
It is a little bit like Google wave, a document people can work together on.

Anyone who wants to participate in documentation already can. http://www.daz3d.com/forums/viewthread/69/ 

 

And this has been true for quite a while.  This won’t work!  The designers of the software are the only ones who can properly identify all the in’s and out’s and unobvious features.

“Manuals” created by the public are nothing more than anecdotal tutorials and will be perpetually incomplete, inconsistent and unorganized.

I used to be optimistic but now I have absolutely zero hope that DAZ will ever release a proper manual for Studio4 or any of its products.  We are stuck forever fumbling in ignorance about what’s under the hood.  Sure we have forum comments and tutorials but those are like trying to find a particular mosquito in Carlsbad Caverns with a penlight.

I know this won’t bother the children with attention spans the size of a gnat’s egg who grew up not having manuals for things, but us old farts who can still read and write understand that its absence will eventually destroy human civilization.  (requisite statement to take this post to the “in your face” level).