Digital Art Zone

Thorne - 25 May 2012 06:50 PM

I am currently working on a “Basic Youth” set for Genesis which will include both a teen girl and teen boy shape.  These have been in development for a while now and so should be surfacing in about another month, just finalizing some of the extra included morphs and the new texture sets, of which there will be one each for the boy and for the girl.

The boy will look much more boyish than in the preview below—he just has a V4 texture in this image, because his isn’t finished yet,  but this shows the basic shapes.  These have all new joint parameters and any Genesis clothing will fit them perfectly.

You say Basic Youth.  To me they look like Pre-Teen (10-12yo).

I would suggest you create 3 sets.  Pre-Teen (10-12), Young Teen (13-16), Older Teen (17-19).

As well include a height/growth dial.  Teens come in all height. Also head morph sets for these for variation. And for future you can consider texture sets for ethnic groups.  I know my neighborhood looks like a rainbow.

Then it would have a range of age groups for those creating scenes for thing like say Harry Potter and other teen subject matter.  I know I have considered making images for scenes from some of my favorite Fanfiction as a thankyou to the author.  But found making a belivable teen with genesis is difficult.  And like I mentioned before a height/growth dial would be useful. Using the Harry Potter reference as an example, Harry was short compared to his friend Ron. And the gap in height only got worse as they got older.

But the reason I suggest 3 set for age ranges is that faces change a lot for kids 10-19.  You could easily include 10 age adjustment morphs for each of boys and girls for ages 10-19.  So the 3 ranges I suggested are not that wild.

Anyway, hope to see this out soon.  Ideally DAZ will simply come out with EVERY previous shape for genesis with autofit. So all those with previous collections of clothing for older shapes will be able to have those shapes in genesis.

I have been doing some experiments with Genesis for my own entertainment and post some of the results in case they are of interest to others.

In the first experiment, the heads have been scaled to similar size so the shapes can be better compared.

In the second experiment, I have changed only the skin.

Head shape (and relative size) and skin contribute to the apparent age of a character but much more beside.

Might the Tanners stages provide a useful age scale?

Yeah, I definitely see how skins really age a character. As seen in my Laura & Luke 5 mugshots, Laura looks young no problem until you render her with fine lighting quality (like the Lights preset that comes in Gabi for V5) because I used the Basic Child sample that DS4 already has. As for my Luke, however, he look much older than I want him too no matter how much I move Heaven & Hell to try and youthify his face. The skin I used for him is Lajisis’ Askan for M4-H4 from Renderocity.

At first I tried using the same BC skin as I did my Laura to maintain equivalence between them and maybe pass them off as twins, however I fear as though using the sample makes him appear a bit too feminine (the skin doesn’t even have nipples)...

I don’t know, what do you guys think?

I’m guessing you are not going for the Justin Bieber look?

You need a different skin…

Since Genesis can basically use ANY M4/V4 skin texture, you should have a wide range to choose from…

Genesis can also take K4 skins.  I don’t have any renders handy, but I’ve used them a time or two.

It’s just a matter of finding the right one.

A common trait left out of many “young boy” models that make them seem older are the “dumbo ears.”  MANY young boys have ears that protrude from the head at a larger angle than at older ages, and greater than that of any young girl.  As one enters maturity, the ears tend to start to lay back more against the head (at least for the luck ones) and get less noticeable.  Of course, as one enters the latter years, those ears again start to protrude from the head.  Of course, a few unlucky souls’ ears stay out and they end up looking like Howdy Doody, or Ron Howard.  However, those men tend to look younger longer because of the ears.

And don’t forget that the hair density for children is significantly less.  The use of “thick” hair modeled for older models will age a child model very quickly.  Even the Duke Hair that ships with DS4 is too dense for a young boy.

Kendall

mjc1016 - 16 September 2012 10:02 PM

I’m guessing you are not going for the Justin Bieber look?

You need a different skin…

Since Genesis can basically use ANY M4/V4 skin texture, you should have a wide range to choose from…

Well, if you ask me, he looks more like the scientifically cloned and mutated DNA child of him and Zac Efron. (Wow, I’m harsh! )

But exactly, you’d think that with all the V4/M4 characters out there that SOMETHING would work decently. However, I found out rather quickly that anything originally designed for Victoria or Michael just too mature looking for the ages I’m trying to pull off.

I swear, the second I tried my first V4 skin on my Laura I almost wanted to tell her “you’re not leaving the Studio looking like THAT, young lady! You’re a Millennium, not a tramp!” (I’ll be a “great” parent, someday! ) This is especially worse for anything Michael-oriented, considering very few character textures for him are hairless or low body hair. Teen boys are in the middle of puberty, most definitely, but modern teen boys, as well as girls (of course, not as much), are very appearance savvy. If not even that, they just make his face look either zombified or trashy.

DaWaterRat - 16 September 2012 10:05 PM

Genesis can also take K4 skins.  I don’t have any renders handy, but I’ve used them a time or two.

It’s just a matter of finding the right one.

Unfortunately, I don’t really have anything texture-wise for children outside of the Kids 4 Pro Bundle.  So I don’t have much to choose from at the moment…

Kendall Sears - 16 September 2012 11:03 PM

And don’t forget that the hair density for children is significantly less.  The use of “thick” hair modeled for older models will age a child model very quickly.  Even the Duke Hair that ships with DS4 is too dense for a young boy.

Kendall

Actually, I can’t help but disagree. If anything, I’ve found that lowering the hair volume on my youths actually is what helps shape their faces. I think the fact that I used Hampton Hair for my Laura is what ultimately helped over-thin the sides of her facial structure to that of the developed cheeks of a fully-matured woman…

I also dissagree, I have many young members in my family, and it wasnt too long ago that I was one of them. Thickness of hair, I believe is no different between adults and teens/kids. Babies definately. Kids/teens No. We all have individual thicknesses of hair, as with body hair some of us are really hairy, others hairless.

Spyro - 17 September 2012 02:24 AM

I also dissagree, I have many young members in my family, and it wasnt too long ago that I was one of them. Thickness of hair, I believe is no different between adults and teens/kids. Babies definately. Kids/teens No. We all have individual thicknesses of hair, as with body hair some of us are really hairy, others hairless.

Here is one of many scholarly articles to back up my statement:

http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc1969/cc020n03/p00159-p00171.pdf  (as early as page 2 and throughout including tables)

EDIT: Another reference

http://books.google.com/books?isbn=3642256104 (section 1.4.3.3, pp 25-26)

Kendall

Kendel, I’m not trying to fight about hair LOL I’m just saying, we are all very unique.

And I’m sorry but in the real world statistics and nice fancy charts are only based from a select few which they then multiply with some mathematical equation and announce that it is statistically correct for the rest of the populations. Such statistics are often tailored to suit their subjects. (But I’m not going to go into that).

All I was saying earlier, is that we all vary, some of us have thin hair, others thick, density varies over all ages.

It’s just my opinion, and you are entitled to yours

Wow, forget the hair, his face alone makes him look matured dashing young man.

Lol, but his maturity can be quite the opposite, I assure you

Well of course, you said he was thirteen…

RCDeschene - 17 September 2012 02:18 AM

Unfortunately, I don’t really have anything texture-wise for children outside of the Kids 4 Pro Bundle.  So I don’t have much to choose from at the moment….

There’s a couple of nice freebies by Shaaelia over on ShareCG.  http://www.sharecg.com/pf/full_uploads.php?pf_user_name=shaaelia

Sammie for K4 and George for M4.

There was also a freebie K4 texture on RDNA called Clara. It was part of their Christmas Nutcracker Suite freebie series. Here she is, if the forum will take the pic. Can’t remember the pixel size off the top of my head.