Please help the newbie Part 1: Why Michael 5
realbobele
Posts: 0
Hi there.
I am a bit confused about why I need Michael5 when I already own Genesis an it´s Morphpacks (Face and Body). As far as I understand, Michael5 is based on Genesis and it´s Morphs, isn't he? Am I right when I say that with some work I should be able to build Michael5 myself with only using DAZ Studio and Genesis and Morphpacks?
So, as Michael5 (and Victoria) have quite a high price, I am sure I do misunderstand this. And there are clothes an props which are labeled to NEED the Michael5 Figure, so I think it´s not just a morph of Genesis?
But what exactly IS Michael5 if not a morphed Genesis and maybe some HighRes Textures and the genitalia ;) and what can I do with it I cannot with Genesis alone?
Thank you in advance for your time if you answer on this :)
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Comments
Good questions.
M5 is indeed a Morph and texture set for Genesis as for can you make the morph yourself with the parameter adjustment settings I don't know. I would have thought so but I to would like to know that myself.
Look at Genesis as base, a starting point. The look at the Morphs, M and V5, Gorilla, Troll, etc etc is your Gene Pool. You can dial a bit of troll, a little bit of this and that to make a new character. Many new Morph sets are made with Z-Brush etc by manipulating the original base mesh, not adding polygon but just moving them about to get a new shape. Then with the tools provided in Daz Studio those morphs can be added to the Gene Pool. So some Morph sets maybe just dial settings but many will be whole new animals. :)
Clothing that is made for Genesis should fit all shapes. Older clothing may work on exaggerated morphs on Genesis with the autofit but it isn't prefect. Anyway yes what will fit M5 will fit V5, Troll for Genesis etc etc.
Hope that helps.
one important thing is,, these famous base morph are often have many JCM and MCM
which work with when you dial up these moprhs and pozing..
they can almost fit to mnay pozing and expression,,,and remove the problem of joint area.
so that if you use M5 and V5 morphs as base and mix other morph.
it can reduce the problem even though you need some adjustment.
if you use simple FBM or PBM to make new moprh, they often do not have JCM or MCM ,,
so you may need to adjust the shape when you pozing much. or make expression by poze controller,,
it can not work well
(if you hope more beautiful or more smooth shape,, )
about clothing, and props,, simply daz shop comaptibility corrupted often.
every items for M5 or V5 can work with genesis. (even though sometimes need tweaking)
but about character morph,, if it use M5, and V5 moprh (and not a few,, because Victoria and Micheal are famous ^^;)
you nee to get V5 or M5 moprh.. without it,, even though you apply the morph to genesis,
it can not same shape as product.
But actually,,I think, you are clever,, and know well. ^^;
you go right way,, so untill you feel you must need to get M5,, you need not to buy it I think
(actually, I do not have M5,, but may buy it someday ^^;)
(may DAZ plan new big sale,, so you can get more less price,, if you hope I think,,
and if you get them, I recommend buy bundle ^^ because even though you can not feel content with the FBM
there is many character morph or wardlobe or hair, it can fit to your character of genesis)
Daz frequently has sales. If you're going to buy M5/V5 wait until then - you can pick stuff up at around 50% off. I bought M5 with the intro discount and some coupons. I was very annoyed that it went on sale barely two months later at around 70% off including PC discount. Now I wait until there is a sale before I buy most items.
I think you're right on both counts:
Using a variety of morphs, you could probably dial your own Michael 5 look-alike. But yes, there's more to him than that.
Here's what you get with Michael 5:
Default Michael 5 shape
Two additive shapes (additional shapes that can be added to Michael's default shape in order to change how it looks): Michael 5 Hero, and Michael 5 Smooth
Default Michael 5 head shape
Two alternate head shapes (AverageJoe and ToughGuy)
High-resolution textures (Michael 5 Elite Texture Philip)
Michael 5 UV set
20 poses
3-piece boxer set
and, quoting his product description, "Over 150 Custom Adjustments to Improve Shaping and Bending" (more on that below)
When thinking about the value and cost of the Michael 5 product, consider each of these...maybe you could replicate M5's head and body shapes using morphs. I'm sure he was sculpted in a modeling program like ZBrush, so morphs alone won't create an exact duplicate. But I bet you could get pretty close. But there is some value in being able to mix the Michael 5 shapes with other shapes you may own, at least for me.
You get an elite texture set...other elite textures in the store cost $29.95 each just for the texture (that's the base, non-Platinum Club price), so that's a key factor. The UV set may not seem like a big deal, but without it you won't be able to use the skin textures of other Michael 5 characters. And then add the value of the poses and clothing and Mike is maybe starting to look like a better deal (depending on your needs and preferences, of course).
Lastly, we come to those custom adjustments. These are the JCMs (joint control morphs, I believe) and MCMs (movement control morphs) that kitakoredaz mentioned. I admit I don't have a clear understanding of what they are or what they do, aside from a general realization that they result in a more lifelike, realistic figure--particularly when it comes to bending and movements. They do thing automatically, without added work on the user's part. Your dialed Michael 5 doppleganger would lack these, so his joints and bends would not have the same degree of realism.
As far as Michael 5's clothing and props are concerned, there are certainly items in the store that were designed specifically for Michael 5. But (except for characters using the Michael 5 UV set) all should be usable by other Genesis characters too, even if you don't own M5. If you find a clothing product or prop that says it NEEDS Michael 5, can you post a link to it? (That "Required Products" thing can be tricky...sometimes it means "supports" rather than "requires," but it's best to ask if you're not sure)
I'm a Michael 5 fan so I'm probably a bit biased. ;-) Whether he makes sense for you will depend on a number of factors, but I hope this will at least help you make an informed decision. If you do decide to get him, it may be worth saving up for one of the various Michael 5 bundles (Starter Bundle, Pro Bundle, Pro Suite, or Victoria Michael Combo Bundle).
A few useful things to know about getting both Victoria and Michael 5. Firstly, you'll need them if you use any textures for M5 + V5. They have a specific UV set which is available only after installing them, though you can use V4 textures immediately upon installation. Secondly they bring a whole set of morphs and texture sets with them. Not only does this allow you to 'dial in' additional shapes, but it also gives you variation on appearance, allowing you to change things like eye colour, and skin tones.
M5 might seem expensive, but you really do get a lot for your money. The basic pack is around $40 and comes with a lot of high quality textures, including SSS maps. Bear in mind that if you do ever need anatomical correctness in your renders, only the pro bundles come with the necessary files, but they do also come with a large wardrobe for M5 to wear, as well as props.