New artist looking to develop environments and props for Daz, any ideas?
scott_lozano
Posts: 17
Hello everyone!
My name is Scott and I am a 3D Modeling/Texture artist looking to start my own store here on Daz. I am looking to develop sets or vignettes and props for now, and I was hoping you guys would be kind enough to help with the brainstorming by just talking about what you would like to see. I have already gathered some ideas a few of which are an old 1950s style Dinner, a set with a Lighttower on a small island with maybe a small dock, or maybe even an old abandoned insane asylum with peeling paint on the walls and of course the obligatory dimly lit empty wheelchair.
So, what would you like to see? I appreciate any and all ideas!
Thanks for reading!
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Comments
There are already lots of diners. You'd need some really stand out features to make it attractive.
As to a lighttower and asylum. You'd be running into the problem that there are either very cheap or completely free sets of those and while you could improve on those most people already have them.
In both cases developing, or partnering with an artist who will produce them, pose and wardrobe sets for G8 that go along with the enivornment would be a selling point as the existing environments tend to be older and intended for previous Genesis generations or Vicky 4.
As to stuff I'd love to see, almost anything if the modeling is done well and the features make it worth the price. For instance every door and at least some windows should have morph dials for opening. Also every wall should be a seperate piece so that it is is easy to hide or remove when positioning a camera for a scene.
One thing I've found to be of questionable utility is lots of camera presets. I usually just delete all of them and position a single camera as I need it. I don't think I've ever found an environment where the presets were actually in useful positions.
It is also really nice if you include presets for the entire environment with and without the props you include. I might decide to use the entire thing as you built it or I might want to just use the empty space and decorate it myself.
I have requested for a long time for a working fishing dock, (preferable Japanese themed.) But when i say working I mean creates with fish in them, rigged cranes with cargo-nets that can load props like creates and barrels etc. docks for fish haulers boats to pull up to loading ramps etc. it doesn't have to be very big set, a vignettes style with props would work great. there is a few docks in the store but none of them had animation in mind and would require more work to ready them then they are worth. . I need one bad for a Karate girl storyline I have had a long time. i have tried kit bashing a set like this a few time with content i bought in the past hoping to making a fishing dock,. but my results have not been very satisfactory to use in animation.
that would be my request.
here some examples of my Karate girl series.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0BED8C486F8E9C55
If you are interested in props, I would suggest looking around and notice all the little things scattered around that you otherwise ignore, seemingly random decorations or trinkets. Include at least 3 or 4 different texture sets for each item, or make them very easy for the artist to apply their own. These are the sorts of things you can add to a scene to really make it look "lived in" and can really make the difference in a final render.
Hi Scitt, welcome! As for the ideas you mentioned, they have been done already and while there isn't anything wrong with you doing your version of any of them, there are ideas that haven't been done that would probably sell better.
One big thing to keep in mind that some seem to have lost recently is efficient modeling and texturing. Iray is very taxing and takes a ton of resources. If you are doing props and rooms and such keep in mind that these are mostly used as background for the main scene which is usually figures, clothing and hair which tend to take up even more resources. Develop for Daz Studio and not for the modeling /texuring app and what it tells you to do. For instance, substance painter gives great results, but they are normally geared for use in high end apps like Maya and Max and while that way will look good in DS, it takes way to many resources, creates too many textures and relies on maps for material zone settings instead of creating actual material zones that the DS user can change.
Most here are hobby users that unlike gamers, don't have high end rigs. Many here also are 3D illiterate and prefer plug and play assets meaning click, click, click and render, so the more options the better
If you are looking for ideas, there is a product suggestion forum here, even though some PAs say not to pay attention to, but it can also give you ideas
For me personally, I'd like to see anything military related, modern or WW2 scene fillers like modern tents, hesco containers, cargo, crates, etc. I like cave, cove, ruins vignettes, environemnts that can be kitbashed. castle, medieval vignettes would be cool.
Anyhoo, you will get a lot of personal requests for some specific ideas soon probably, so good luck!
Got any examples of your work?
Environments:
Modern Fire Station
Modern Fast Food restaurant
High School Football/soccer Field
High School cafeteria/multipurpose room with folding tables and stage
MIssion Control Center
Props/Vehicles:
Gas Pump with poseable, smartpropped pump/handle and user settable LED read out
GoPro type camera and accessories
Sewing machine, smart-propped articulated scissors, needle, thread set.
High Speed (bullet) Train
Used Car lot with low-rez used cars
Slip 'n Slide and other backyard water toys
City Bus
Scott,
If you're going for environments, you have to think outside of the box. The absolute worst path you could go down currently is contemporary interiors, especially clean interiors. Lounges, bedrooms, bathrooms, offices, kitchens, all that kind of stuff. It's easy to make, but sells dismally. If you want to be a pure Arch guy you need to carve out a niche for yourself. Stonemason is the massive set guy, C3D is the modular guy, Fugazi is the bundle guy, jack is the art-deco guy, Faveral is the Historical guy (Or girl?), you get the picture. I branched into FX and other other things because i couldn't quite find my niche Arch-wise. I guess i could have been British-stuff guy, but Dave Brinnen/Tango Alpha do that. It's not that you have to find anything specific, but it would be wise to find your own niche, so you can repeat a process rather than hitting walls constantly due to inexperience. If you're going to be the vignette guy, go for it. Do small, focused sets with a theme (Cyberpunk/steampunk/derelict/sci-fi/etc). Find a workflow and replicate it, you'll save a ton of time and be able to offer quality material without headaches. Good luck!
1) If you consider the partner idea for poses &/or clothing, do G3 as well as G8. A lot of us here still use G3, whether we also use G8 or decided not to upgrade.
2) Yes to being able to open/close windows/doors and "Yes! Yes!" to walls (and even ceilings) that are separate pieces and hideable. I have a set right now that I like --except that it drives me crazy that I can't just click an eye icon to hide it.
3) Presets with & without props plus have the individual props loadable separately. I will often decide that This One Thingamagig from one of your sets is just what I need for my project.
4) Would love some underwater sets--sub interiors (modern & Captain Nemo's Nautilus), reef environments, undersea labs/habitats, vehicles. Bonus points if you get a partner to do Nemo's diving suits. I have seen sets like these but the only one I can think of that isn't old is a G8 modern dive gear set.
I would suggest something new put popular that isn't in the store already like your suggesstions are.
If you really want a huge seller make this hair, prop, & pose products for Genesis 8 Female:
Here are the pieces needed:
a) A long straight hair prop
b) about 20 poses, but here is the difference for the poses make a hair brush, comb, bobby pin (or similar hair ribbon and similar hair props), and the G8F hands, arms, shoulder, and face posed as if doing the activity suggested by the hair & hair prop pose! That's lots of hard but good work.
c) plus make the hair d-Forcable too
Bonus:
d) Methodically pose the hair in increments along with the appropriate hair props and G8F poses until the long straight flowing hair is put up in a bun hair style, or a French Braid, or similarly complex hair styles.
Wow! Awesome product but tons of modeling work to make such a product. The hair would be undergoing extremes in morphs for the different styles.
I'd consider something a bit different, like, oversized props, possibly given a new purpose.
For example, in the (original) Tom & Jerry cartoons, Jerry is often seen sleeping in a matchbox, or carrying a knapsack on a bent paperclip. It's been quite a while since I saw a pinup-in-a-martini-glass product as well.
So look around your house, open your cupboards, and re-purpose what you see there.
Just pleeeeeeeeeeeease...no more bathrooms!
Disaster scenes? Maybe start with smaller sets of props, damaged by fire/flood/tornado, and work up to larger scenes.
Stonemason has some excellent war scenes and ruins, but I'm sure that more contemporary scenes would prove popular.
The most important qualities, regardless of what theme you adopt, is usability, quality and adaptability from the point of view of the average customer; that is, someone with a mid-budget computer, who just likes to throw a quick scene in as background for a swimsuit clad Vicky/Mike render. The rest of us, with dedicated render machines, can add more if we want.
A tailor / sewing room, something with a sewing machine.
You know, I don't think I've seen many basements and attics...
People are always asking for modern sedan type cars, something an average person would drive. We have old antique cars, sports cars, off road trucks, SUVs, fantasy vehicles already.
This. I've got modern luxury cars but nothing like a Civic or Taurus.
on the subject of underwater scenes, I'd love something with an alien look to it. just take a look at Subnautica to see what alien underwater environments can look like.
I have no idea whether there's a market for this kind of thing, but...
There are very few futuristic Utopian environments. There are several Dystopian ones, and that's not even counting all the Industrial and War environments, which can easily double for Dystopian environments as well, but a quick search on the word "Utopia" in the shop here yields 11 results. Three of which are addons to a fourth product, while a fifth is a bundle containing one of those addons.. So I think there's definitely space for some futuristic architecture that blends seamlesly with lush forests surrounding it.
Dungeons, Crypts, Catacombs, oh my. The darker and danker the better, Tombs, Underground Lairs, & Underground Vaults will work too.
A Veterinary clinic - many people here seem to have cats.
Very realistic partly eaten food, dirty plates and utinsels.
If you do exterirors or interiors make sure the scale is consistent!
Messy garages
Look through what already exists .. there are many holes when you think of ordinary life. And look at period clothing.. the same can be said for a lot of that.. few scenes to go with them.
Good luck!
I would love to see a modern downtown rea and then various areas damaged by a superfight.
I would love a "true" iray underwater scene. One that doesn't use tricks and has real caustics
As long as you dont mind the wait time to render it cause causics is slow to render.
Some suggestions (not necessarily dForce):
1. Stand alone poseable severed hands: with or without dirt and blood
2. Wrinkled or creased patchy erotic denims for men
3. Broken or severely dented weapons with options for blood and severed flesh
4. Realistic tornado with lightning sparks and dark clouds; some elements in it's sphere
5. Exploding volcano with lava flowing all over with heavy smoke in the air, and red hot rocks also in the air
6. Realy really realistic hair that can follow wind patterns in all directions
7. Poseable book or magazine pages that can bend along with it's illustrations and fonts
8. Water level that shows a bit of surface but mostly underwater
9. Stand alone realistic eye with eyelashes (not the eyeball type)
10. Morphable mountains with sharp pointed peaks and with mist or fog at lower levels
11. Morphable real feathered angel wings: not the typical
12. Shoes with morphable tongue and shoelace
13. Chimney with morphable smoke that follows wind directions
14. Opened canned foods with partly consumed contents; and their messes
15. Morphable peeled banana, oranges, apples, and mango: morphable skins/peels also
16. Shelled and unshelled peanuts, walnuts, beans, and other legumes
17. Morphable drips for chocolate, paint, watercolor, and other types of liquid
18. Winged horse with different texture for skins and wings
19. Morphable and realistic magical wisps, rays, beams, flashes, lights
20. Full jointed doll; neck, shoulder, elbow, wrists, hips, knees, ankles
Assuming your goal here is to earn income from this, you might want to consider that what some people say they'd like and what the broad market is actually willing to pay for might be two vastly different things. As you can see in this thread you'll get a list of 20,000 widely varying things people say they'd like, but I'm guessing your true interest is what you can make income from.
If you look at what's available in the store over the years, and assume that it's generally reflective of what a lot of users will actually pay for, then it seems clear to me that the following types of things sell:
I think if you scan the store, probably 70-80% of items will fall into those categories. Actually a quick scan of the first few pages of store items shows that something like 1/2 the items on each page have images of pretty girls alone. So if you add the dragons, monsters, etc., you're probably close to 70%.
Doesn't mean that other breakaway themes might not also sell, but I think those are pretty safe.
What he said! :)
Also, please don't make the mistake that sooo many make and make everything "clean". The world is dirty and rundown mostly. I want dirt. LOL Cracks in plaster, scuff marks on walls and doors, scratches on hardwood and linoleum. Am I asking too much? :P
Laurie
Hello! Congratulations! I like everything. However, there are two sets I really and they are completely different. One is called "CLASSY: Cover Photo Light Set & Vignette". Just really like teh simplicity, and the really high quality look of the props. The other is called "Tree of life environment." Both seem really very detailed,and at the same time "simple". That what I like. Hope that helps!
Small, useful things - a month ago, I was to the point of trading a kid (a real one!) for a model of a diaper pin/safety pin - I wanted one very badly for a render I was doing, and didn't want to pay $30 for a single pin. :-P In the end, I used something else in its place, but if there had been one here, it would have gone in my basket. Sometimes it really is the small things that make a scene... I would have bought a set for that one thing :-)
Little stuff ya should ask for...some of us model. If I need something small I just make it ;). If you still want a diaper pin, I'll upload one to my freebies tomorrow.
:P
Laurie
I would like to see environments with an interior AND exterior (like a house with muliple apartments with stairs, a hallway and so on).
Here / you / go, @gerster.
To make it easier on the OP (and i'm curious too)
Tree of Life: https://www.daz3d.com/tree-of-life
CLASSY: Cover Photo Light Set & Vignette: https://www.daz3d.com/classy-cover-photo-light-set-vignette