Novica & Forum Members Tips & Product Reviews Pt 10

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  • KindredArtsKindredArts Posts: 1,239
    Novica said:

     Apparently the person who did the glitches a few days ago is still employed. As mentioned in the Sale thread, it's glitch city again. (No not free, but just as bad. It's the new releases that are affected this time.)  Edit- oh man, and in the cart, some of them are going to 82% depending on what is tested.

    Yeh, most of our stores are going for next to nothing right now. It must be a glitch or reset. crying

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,865
    Novica said:

     Apparently the person who did the glitches a few days ago is still employed. As mentioned in the Sale thread, it's glitch city again. (No not free, but just as bad. It's the new releases that are affected this time.)  Edit- oh man, and in the cart, some of them are going to 82% depending on what is tested.

    Yeh, most of our stores are going for next to nothing right now. It must be a glitch or reset. crying

    Several of us are frankly wondering if the person actually did get fired, and others don't know what to do. Why on earth would they be messing with the store at around 7:30-8pm (central time) anyway? None of this makes sense. 

  • Novica said:

     Apparently the person who did the glitches a few days ago is still employed. As mentioned in the Sale thread, it's glitch city again. (No not free, but just as bad. It's the new releases that are affected this time.)  Edit- oh man, and in the cart, some of them are going to 82% depending on what is tested.

    Its nearly the whole store actually.

  • KindredArtsKindredArts Posts: 1,239

    I don't know if its some sort of legit happy hour or they are having major issues. I don't know anything about the zero $ bug, i was away, you guys probably know more than i do. I'm asking around to see if its just a glitch, i'll report back if i can.

  • V8 and Michael 8 Pro for $19, I'm almost tempted to try Gen 8.

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,570

    The continued problems of this sort aren’t really excusable. It might be easier to pay someone to check each order and invoice rather than lose all this money.  

  • KindredArtsKindredArts Posts: 1,239

    OK, they know whats going on and they're pushing a fix. Should be sorted in about ten minutes.

  • firewardenfirewarden Posts: 1,459
    NSFW said:

    V8 and Michael 8 Pro for $19, I'm almost tempted to try Gen 8.

    I hear ya. It was tempting. I did snag the Lucas 8 base. My toes have now dipped into the G8 waters...

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,865

    Hopefully, on a positive note (well, I'm trying!) is more people will try Genesis 8 and hopefully increase the pose, hair, and character artists' sales. 

     

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,570

    Some of the prices were comparable to last months sales... about 50 percent. I own pretty much all I’m willing to buy at that price poInt.  

  • Yeah, the whole store was at 50% off at the peak of it, and that seemed to stack with loyalty rewards and with already discounted items, even brand new. Only a few things didn't stack for some reason.

  • OdaaOdaa Posts: 1,548
    edited December 2017

    More for my own benefit than anything else...basic dForce workflow:

    -load and dress character.

    -Skim to frame 30 on timeframe. Pose character. Assess which pieces of clothing might benefit from dynamics. Select them.

    -Edit/Object/Geometry/MakeDForce Dynamic Surface.

    -Go to surfaces, work your way through the surfaces of the stuff you just made dynamic. Turn self collision off on everything (unless you have some specific reason to leave it on). Set any rigid bits (buttons, zippers, armor) as not visible in simulation. Figure out which is the bottonmost surface across all the dynamic stuff, make sure its layer is set as 1. Figure out which is the next-to-bottommost surface, set as layer 2, and repeat until all layers are accounted for. (This is not important right now, because the layers function only works when you set simulation to good-swept-vertex, and often blows up even then, but its good practice for when they have it fixed).

    -run simulation. If it doesn't explode, use smoothing modifiers to deal with pokethrough.

    Post edited by Odaa on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,865
    Odaa said:

    More for my own benefit than anything else...basic dForce workflow:

    @odaa   Would love to see your work. Any gallery images or renders?  Thanks for sharing your tips! 

  • OdaaOdaa Posts: 1,548

    Thank you! Got one cooking now, but it won't be done until sometime on Sunday. I've only been playing with Dforce for 3-4 days at this point, and I'm still mostly at the stage of just finding out which clothes work and which ones don't.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,865

    Well you're 3-4 days ahead of me. I don't have any plans to even try it for quite awhile. 

  • L'AdairL'Adair Posts: 9,479
    Odaa said:
    Figure out which is the topmost surface across all the dynamic stuff, make sure its layer is set as 1. Figure out which is the next-to-topmost surface, set as layer 2, and repeat until all layers are accounted for.

    -run simulation.

    No wonder I've only run into problems trying to use Layers. I've been doing it backwards, setting layer 1 as the closest to the skin, and moving out from there. I have got to give this a try. Thank you so much for sharing!

  • jakibluejakiblue Posts: 7,281

    whoa, how did I miss HP Penny? She's awesome! that's the sort of makeup options I LOVE. Nice pic too Llynara! I hate clowns but boy, I love me some evil clowns to play with :D  

    Llynara said:

    So let's talk clowns. There are some new ones out at both stores. Clowns give me nightmares. But I just got on at Sympatico Studios to do promo renders, and one of the first items I had to do was...clown stuff! So I went for a hottie clown, using Darwin's Guiseppe. I could go down to Clowntown with him! (Click on pic for full size, then zoom in to see those gorgeous green eyes!) HP Penny is actually quite lovely if you can get past her makeup.

     

  • jakibluejakiblue Posts: 7,281
    edited December 2017

    She doesn't look like she changes at all! I wonder if she requires some other morph that wasn't mentioned on the page or something....and I REALLY don't like the lipsticks at all. They look like they've missed half the upper lip. Are you going to return her?  

    Novica said:

    I want you to see this. The Genesis 3 Female Base and Ekatrina without materials.

    Post edited by jakiblue on
  • jakibluejakiblue Posts: 7,281

    when you load her, check the "currently used" to make sure her morphs are applying and if there is anything else wonky there.  

    Novica said:
    Llynara said:

    Wow. I'll have to check that one when I have a chance. I did pick her up recently, thinking she was a unique character. Her promos looked pretty good, and I've used other characters by that PA, they were very good. Is this the first one that PA did? Wonder if there's some mistake.

    @llynara   Did you test that character?

     

  • nattaruknattaruk Posts: 527
    L'Adair said:
    Odaa said:
    Figure out which is the topmost surface across all the dynamic stuff, make sure its layer is set as 1. Figure out which is the next-to-topmost surface, set as layer 2, and repeat until all layers are accounted for.

    -run simulation.

    No wonder I've only run into problems trying to use Layers. I've been doing it backwards, setting layer 1 as the closest to the skin, and moving out from there. I have got to give this a try. Thank you so much for sharing!

    If I may quote from this thread: https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/203081/dforce-start-here 

    Simulation/Collision

    • Collision Layer (see Known Issues)
      • Notes:
        • Describes an ordering of surfaces for the purpose of collision detection, whereby a surface assigned to a layer with a higher value collides with the outside of surfaces assigned to a layer with a lower value, where a surface assigned to a layer with a lower value collides with the inside of surfaces assigned to a layer with a higher value, and where surfaces assigned to a layer with the same value collide with both the inside and outside of surfaces assigned to a layer with the same value
        • In cases that involve clothing colliding with a figure, the figure should typically be assigned to the lowest value in the stack (i.e., 0, default) and the value assigned to clothing items should increase as the distance from the body increases 

    And the relevant known issue:

    • The Simulation > Collision > Collision Layer property on a surface currently only works between separate objects when the Simulation > Collision > Collision Mode property on the Simulation Settings pane is set to "Good - Discrete : Swept Vertex". When the Collision Mode property is set to either of the "CCD" options (e.g., Better or Best), the Collision Layer property has no effect.

    Or, in brief, it doesn't yet work!

     

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,865
    jakiblue said:

    when you load her, check the "currently used" to make sure her morphs are applying and if there is anything else wonky there.  

    Yeah, I did. And just did it again. The head and body are both showing 100% Ekatrina.

  • jakibluejakiblue Posts: 7,281

    Weird. There truly doens't seem to be ANY change. If you can, maybe open up her file in a text editor and see if it's calling out to some other morphs you don't have - that's been known to happen and slip right past QA.  

    Novica said:
    jakiblue said:

    when you load her, check the "currently used" to make sure her morphs are applying and if there is anything else wonky there.  

    Yeah, I did. And just did it again. The head and body are both showing 100% Ekatrina.

     

  • OdaaOdaa Posts: 1,548

    Nattaruk: thank you! Sounds like I've been doing it wrong, but at least it doesn't have an effect (officially)!

    L'Adair: sorry for steering you wrong!

    Here's my first picture with dforce: 1950 Casual for Genesis Male, autofitted to G3M and modeled by Ahmad. Dforce applied to pants, shirt and jacket (jacket ended up a bit of a mess on the left side, but you can't tell from this angle), parrotdolphin shaders used to leatherizse the jacket and give a faint mesh vibe to the tshirt.

    nattaruk said:
    L'Adair said:
    Odaa said:
    Figure out which is the topmost surface across all the dynamic stuff, make sure its layer is set as 1. Figure out which is the next-to-topmost surface, set as layer 2, and repeat until all layers are accounted for.

    -run simulation.

    No wonder I've only run into problems trying to use Layers. I've been doing it backwards, setting layer 1 as the closest to the skin, and moving out from there. I have got to give this a try. Thank you so much for sharing!

    If I may quote from this thread: https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/203081/dforce-start-here 

    Simulation/Collision

    • Collision Layer (see Known Issues)
      • Notes:
        • Describes an ordering of surfaces for the purpose of collision detection, whereby a surface assigned to a layer with a higher value collides with the outside of surfaces assigned to a layer with a lower value, where a surface assigned to a layer with a lower value collides with the inside of surfaces assigned to a layer with a higher value, and where surfaces assigned to a layer with the same value collide with both the inside and outside of surfaces assigned to a layer with the same value
        • In cases that involve clothing colliding with a figure, the figure should typically be assigned to the lowest value in the stack (i.e., 0, default) and the value assigned to clothing items should increase as the distance from the body increases 

    And the relevant known issue:

    • The Simulation > Collision > Collision Layer property on a surface currently only works between separate objects when the Simulation > Collision > Collision Mode property on the Simulation Settings pane is set to "Good - Discrete : Swept Vertex". When the Collision Mode property is set to either of the "CCD" options (e.g., Better or Best), the Collision Layer property has no effect.

    Or, in brief, it doesn't yet work!

     

     

    Ahmad_dForce.png
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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,865
    edited December 2017

    Omnix (Gen8F)         White Fox Outfit (Gen8F)      Bad Clown Hairpieces (Gen8 M/F)       Iray Fashion Leathers

    As with many specialty characters, the lighting is going to make a big difference regarding the appearance of the materials. (Particularly the specular sheen.)  Be sure and test quite a few if you get Omnix, because some made her look quite dull. Or change the skin surface by adding Metallicity, glossy, etc.)  This is out of the box. I think those materials are my favorite for an alien so far!   TIP: Got aliens?  Pro-Studio Light 7 Left.

    The Bad Clown Hairpieces work great with aliens! Seriously, I was looking at her and thinking, "Welllllllll....what do I use on you?" This has a lot of quickie postwork/ additional hair strands/blending though. There were quite a bit of choppy cutoffs (which makes sense for the clowns.) 

    The White Fox Outfit has nice material zones. I think it's interesting the outfit ONLY comes in white, but you can just add color in the Diffuse and change up the outfit if you don't have many shaders.  I used Iray Fashion Leathers by @khory   There is a really great variety of textures- hope you noticed the ultra glossy/ vinyl looking one, which I used here. These are really cool for those Sci-Fi outfits!  I thought the shaders went perfectly with this outfit, when used with the collar's morphs it gives it the look a vinyl material would have.(Bendy and not laying down flat.) 

    Omnix.png
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    Omnix2.png
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    Post edited by Novica on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,865
    jakiblue said:

    Weird. There truly doens't seem to be ANY change. If you can, maybe open up her file in a text editor and see if it's calling out to some other morphs you don't have - that's been known to happen and slip right past QA.  

     

    Yes, there were changes, but slight.  And nah, I'm not wasting my time exploring further. I'm pointing out issues and if the vendors want to fix them, fine. If they see the thread, fine, if not, fine, they'll know when they get the return as I tell why I am returning it. The important thing is buyers see the info and decide if they want it enough to test out all the glitches, as Daz has been known to not reply to open cases regarding them. 

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,865
    edited December 2017

    OT: Southern Vocabulary, Lesson One

    For December, I thought I'd contribute to the holiday mood with some humor from a book I've owned since 1983. Just couldn't throw it away.  So check back in for some old timer vocabulary from the South. (My fav in this group is Asthma.) 

    Aint: (A sister of one of your parents.) 
    Aint Maude is an old mayud, been kissed goodbye mower tayums than kissed goodnight.

    Arn: (a mineral.) 
    Iffun it's of arn it don't break.

    Attair: (indicate something specific)
    Look at the color of attair sunset!

    Ayuh: (atmosphere)
    The ayuh is so bad in the cities you hear the birds coughin'

    Asthma: (possessive pronoun)
    Asthma wife yore cozying up to...

    Bidness: (enterprise)
    His bidness hadta close after a year.

    Bone: (date of birth)
    I was bone in Georgia.

    Brake: (building material)
    Ah larned math in a red brake school house.

    Beeyun: (number after 999,999,999)
    A beeyun bees came afta me, I swear!

    Bubb: (incandescent, oval shaped)
    Hand me that bubb so we can get some light in hare.

    Clar: (good visibility)
    On a clar day yew can see real good.

    Camphor: (organized flames)
    Sittin' around the camphor swappin' stories is a good time.

    Cinnamon: (observe)
    Sure ah know who Johnny Carson is. I cinnamon t.v.

    Cayut:  (feline)
    Our cayut gits a lot of critters.

    Coet: (judicial proceeding)
    Havta go to coet to pay yore ticket.

    Cram: (a felony or misdeamor)
    Cram sure don't pay around hare.

    Cyst: (help)
    Good folks try to cyst the needy.

    Dowuz:  (location)
    Inside the house yew is indowuz. Go out and yer outdowuz.

    Dot: (regimen to lose weight)
    Ah went on a dot and it didn't do nuthin'.

    Dragon:  (exhausted)
    I wuz dragon my feet I wuz so tuckered out.

    Dowen: (direction)
    If yew not goin' up, yew going dowen.
     

     

     

     

    Post edited by Novica on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,865
    edited December 2017

    Here's Drogon (Gen8M) . Took an hour to get to 94%, not sure how fast he will render for you. I have a pretty speedy computer. This is using the same Pro-Studio light, so yep, it does well on alien skins.

    Drogon.png
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    Post edited by Novica on
  • SimonJMSimonJM Posts: 5,958
    Novica said:

    OT: Southern Vocabulary, Lesson One

     

    Got t love accents! :)

    And in return soething from a book I am reading, "Born to run", Springsteen's autobiography:

     

    "We were told by the kindly gentleman doing the selling they were all of fine stiock and coudl be ridden by an inebriated chimpanzee.  Okay.  With no riding experience, I climbed on.  I'd seen a million Westerns, how hard could it be?

    I was then pulled al lover our farm by one son of Secretariat after another until I found one who "sort of" listened to my unskilled commands.  Over the next several months we put together a stable of animals ranging tfom the very rideable to some only for the suicide prone.

    LESSON 1: Never get on a horse named "Lightning", "Thunder", "Widow Maker", "Undertaker", "Acid Trip", "Hurricane" or "Sudden Death".

    LESSON 2: Take a few lessons."

     

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,865
    edited December 2017

    @SimonJM  LOL- wise words.  I was visiting relatives in the country (Bratt, FL)  for the summer, and we always rode horses that were NOT ridden the rest of the year. My cousin got on "Pete" and I got on my horse. As we took off down the road, I found out his name was (no kidding) Bananas. He took me under a clothesline and I ended up with someones shorts wrapped around my neck as we galloped off from that neighbor's yard.  (I took them back, yes.) 

     I'll never forget the Bonanza episode where Tim Matheson got on a horse and asked his name. They said, "Dynamite" right when the horse exploded into action and bucked straight up. Edit- btw, if you just saw Madam Secretary where a staffer's parents just visited, the dad was Tim Matheson, so guess he survived Dynamite.

    Post edited by Novica on
  • SimonJMSimonJM Posts: 5,958
    Novica said:

    @SimonJM  LOL- wise words.  I was visiting relatives in the country (Bratt, FL)  for the summer, and we always rode horses that were NOT ridden the rest of the year. My cousin got on "Pete" and I got on my horse. As we took off down the road, I found out his name was (no kidding) Bananas. He took me under a clothesline and I ended up with someones shorts wrapped around my neck as we galloped off from that neighbor's yard.  (I took them back, yes.) 

     I'll never forget the Bonanza episode where Tim Matheson got on a horse and asked his name. They said, "Dynamite" right when the horse exploded into action and bucked straight up. Edit- btw, if you just saw Madam Secretary where a staffer's parents just visited, the dad was Tim Matheson, so guess he survived Dynamite.

    I have a LOT of respect for horses (I respect ANYTHING that is a) mobile and b) outweighs me by a huge factor!) and will follow the lead, example, and requests of whoever owns them.  Some relatives have an old horse and I have been ambled up and down on that; walking only!

    I recall Bonanza from years ago, but have no clue what Madam Secretary is (I don't have a TV).

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