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My Graphic novel is done except for some pasting in dialogue for the final pages
and an AI assisted QC/spell check today and its off to be printed next week.
So I decided to have a bit of fun with grok
and made this "Pixar Style" character based on a real life photo myself.
A bit of a spoof as my gym,”Planet fitness” has an infamous reputation for prohibiting such lunk headed “gym bro” behaviour.
Excellent stuff!
Does it feel weird taking time to have some fun after all the time you had to spend having fun doing the book?
After spending 11 days playing with animating my DAZ-born 2D toon characters I figured that I should really try at least one more, a sligthly more realistic character. I grabbed a small iRay still I use to test my hardware speeds (I use Zuna, my favourite Mechasar character) and fed her a bit of speech I'd created for Maggie, my Cheetah Girl toon character.
In case the image doen't bring up the video:
http://sterdan.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Zuna-Speech-Test-00.mp4
Essentially, this is using an AI as both a render engine and an animation tool (instead of applying saved poses or motions, you tell it what you want), while still using DAZ characters.
The original toon version:
If clicking on the image doesn't bring the animation up, here's a link to the video:
http://sterdan.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Maggie-Toon-Test.mp4
Double post, sorry!
Just testing uploading non-Youtube video links that are payable with a preview image. It seems to work the first time I click it, but then never again...
click Source on the forum post header then paste the url
Simply pasting the link in the source editor does the same as using the link button from the header for me.
I've tried putting the image there, selecting the image and hitting the link button and pasting the link while the image is selected and this works... once. The first time I select the image, it brings up the video; if I return, then try again, it only brings up the image, not the video.
your links so far are not YouTube URLs though, so they won't work
I don't upload an image
Correct; in the past I uploaded Youtube videos. which work fine, but I'm trying to upload non-Youtube and still have a preview image. The method I just tested works on the very first time I click it, but never again.
I'll keep puttering with the html code for a while longer.
Got it! I had to set the Link Target to New Window (_blank).
ah, now understand
Final answer: I've reduced the size of the preview images and I think that fixes it. If the uploaded image is too large, the forum uses the lightbox "zoom" feature and that stops it from working.
UPDATE #2: And it works... until the forum software rewrites the code. It might work once, twice, or X times but eventually the forum software removes the code, even if the forum software put it there in the first place.
<img src="https://your-thumbnail-url.jpg"; width="800" />
</a>
The bold text is the code that forces the forum software to open the link to the animation in a new window. The forum software eventually deletes it. I can't think of any way to get the forum software to leave it alone.
UPDATE: Added a bit of html code, I think it works now. "Famous Last Words".
Well, I don't. They worked a few times without issues, but now they're just bringing up the preview image, no video.
If I open it up and check the link settings it's still the same, then I close it and it works again... for a while.
I'm getting more than "only works once" but not much better if it doesn't five minutes later.
I just spent a half hour adding preview images to a mess of video links that I'm going to have to go back and fix... but that's a "tomorrow job".
Having a little fun with a simpler animated style. A quickie motion/voice test for DzFire's character "Nails" https://www.daz3d.com/nails (playing the part of BOB); the Professor is a much-toonified, simplified "Creeper" (now "inactive"):
If the animation doesn't open when the image is pressed, here's the link to video:
https://sterdan.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/CrystalCavesPreview01.mp4
Bit of fun on a Sunday morning, it's the toonified Creeper, Moira and a toonified Cryptozoic Worm by Antfarm https://www.daz3d.com/cryptozoic-worm
If pressing the image doesn't lauch the video, it can also be found here: https://sterdan.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Dont-touch-the-EGG.mp4
At least the troublemaker is at the end of the queue.
LOL! I didn't think of that, Moira and Maggie only have to be faster than him!
Notice they are running without Bob! Wonder if he was consumed or will appear from the worm.
is BOB short for battery operated boyfriend
He's keeping the ship's engine running for a fast getaway... now if the team can just get away from the worm... though bursting out of the worm *would* be pretty cool! Messy, but cool!
LOL! Now I can't *not* think that.
Originally, I was going to use 3DUniverse's Klank model. I had planned on him being a very "old" robot based on "Robert", the robot from the old Gerry Anderson series "Fireball XL5". Stezza did a model (from a cube!) of Robert and showed him off here:
https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/9491026/#Comment_9491026
This was going to be an update to "Robert" and I changed the serial number 3D Universe had given him to "XL6". I just made a quick test to show him talking (the Professor, who upgraded him, gave him his own voice... because he's the Professor):
If the video doesn't load when the image is pressed, the animation can be found here: https://sterdan.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Bob-XL6-Preview.mp4
If I were doing this for "real", I'd have greenscreened the background behind Bob and stripped in a series of lovely explosions, similar to those in the second half of the video.
those explosions look really cool, honestly one can use AI to just create specialFX that can be composited in anything
rendered or videoed
I know, it's pretty amazing. I've only been playing with this for three weeks now and I'm amazed that I can go, "I wonder what *that* character would look like doing *that* or saying *that*" and an hour or two later I have a video cllp showing me.
It's certainly not because I'm especially smart or talented (ask my wife, she'll give you an earful), it's a tribute to technology. Anyone can tell the stories they want to tell.
Another quick explosion test set, this time with Moira's crew of Freya's Folly, whose "Bob" is based on DzFilre's "Nails" model. I keep re-using "working" names for these little tests, but if I ever decide to do something more than a litlte fun, test clip I'll have to come up with more unique names. I kinda think this guy looks like a "Nigel".. just not a "Kevin".
For the record, I liked the explosions in the first one better, they were more "toon".
If the movie doesn't come up when you click on the image, the animation can be found here: https://sterdan.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/TRAITOR.mp4
Last test animation for a while; I'd originally planned to do a Trek short, but decided against it and started working on something this weekend happening in the Hrimfaxiverse instead.
All of the characters (Willow 9-based), scenes and props all started as still images in DAZ Studio before toonifying and animating them.
First draft of the opening:
If clicking on the preview image above doesn't work, the animation can be found here: https://sterdan.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Black-Box-Scenario-–-A-Nightingale-Adventure-00d.mp4
awesome stuff wsterdan
Thanks, Wendy, much appreciated.
Thanks, lots of rough spots to sand down and polish but lots of fun was had so far. Luckily cartoon animation is far, far more forgiving than photorealism.
I think I'll buckle down for a change and extend it to a full, 10-minute episode.
I'm still almost two years behind in catching up on your excellent animation thread, but two areas that I've never really touched on yet are foley work and doing a proper background soundtrack. Do you have any tutorials or products you've done that would help me there?
Nothing on that yet. Thanks for the idea! :)
For my wacky videos, I most often make the music according to the 'feel' I want, and then shape my edit around it - since I haven't been doing dialog. In my case, I'd likely do the same with dialog, and just back the music track down as we enter the dialog parts. I also like to make modular music - one full theme, then several much shorter versions for adding a particular emotion for a few seconds.
I have a fairly extensive collection of stock foley tracks - but I've also always wanted to create my own using my mic and voice. I used to be known for the sounds I could make with my voice when I was younger.
Thanks for the background theme description, that helps immensely, believe it or not. Much appreciated!
Wow lots of great information here. Love the stuff we are able to do with Daz and augmentation. Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing.
Keep an eye out for Foley deals on Humble Bundle. I picked up some great packs in the past for a few bucks. They work great in Davinci Resolve and other editors.