Novica & Invited Guest Contributors Tips & Product Reviews Pt 4
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Say hello to the dude you've been waiting for. He's been released.
Invited Guest Contributor
This is what I used in this picture
Experimenting with - Subsurface Toolbox http://www.daz3d.com/subsurface-toolbox
- Send a Message: Numbers and Symbols http://www.daz3d.com/send-a-message-numbers-and-symbols
There are also Send a Message: Letters http://www.daz3d.com/send-a-message-letters
Textures for the numbers I used
- The Fabricator http://www.daz3d.com/the-fabricator
- Leatherize http://www.daz3d.com/leatherize
And for the light
- Advanced DAZ Studio Light Bundle http://www.daz3d.com/advanced-daz-studio-light-bundle
I picked up the pro bundle, and a few extra items, do not need underwear or loin cloths, but the rest looks nice. =-)
haha, that is the funniest thing I've read today. Thanks for sharing your thoughts SereneNight. You do raise an interesting idea: we're going to see Giovanni in skimpy outfits on the Daz site and other online art galleries. lol Bye
Invited Guest Contributor
Taking Gianni for a spin. :)
From Gianni 6 Pro Bundle
http://www.daz3d.com/new-releases/gianni-6-pro-bundle
Gianni 6
http://www.daz3d.com/new-releases/gianni-6
Bold Hair
http://www.daz3d.com/bold-hair
Weapons of War (dagger)
http://www.daz3d.com/weapons-of-war
Gianni 6 Jungle Poses
http://www.daz3d.com/gianni-6-jungle-poses
Also used
Troll for Genesis (loincloth)
http://www.daz3d.com/troll-for-genesis
Jungle Ruins
http://www.daz3d.com/jungle-ruins
HDR ProSets Yosemite Pack One (lighting and background)
http://www.daz3d.com/hdr-prosets-yosemite-pack-one
Oops, just realized this might be too revealing for this thread. Shall I remove it, Novica?
As long as the "unmentionables" are fully covered, you're good.
Nope. :)
The only things I object to on this thread are G string/thong type outfits- shows too much of the booty.
What are your first impressions tjohn?
Sasje- you should use that figure and do a children's book- that is absolutely STUNNING.
I actually have a G-string type underwear that I bought from the Daz store. lol
edit: You're right: the G-string shows too much bum for my tastes.
Gianni 6 is a definite evolution in the G2M line. The musculature is very believable, the figure is quite expressive, and the textures render very nicely. I'm looking forward to using the other characters that came in the Pro Bundle, but I'm waiting and anxious to see what you and the other IGCs come up with first. :)
ETA: Oh, and I think Olympia 6 may have found her match for those who like to do Frazetta type fantasy renders. :lol:
Unfortunately I'm stuck for quite awhile on the RRRR render. I've spent three weeks working on it, and the studio IS NOT SAVING all my latest additions. It zips through the (edit) writing assets part and shows 0% for saving, so I don't dare exit it. The scene is very large (had to use three sets) so I am doing renders of all the sections and that is occupying my studio for a very long time. (aka, round the clock.) I can't post anything here until I post to the RRRR.
I haven't been playing much- life is getting in the way, but I like Gianni much more than Michael 6. He has a more realistic head, and the placement of his features isn't so exaggerated, especially the eyebrows.
He has a very prominent temple, and the eyebrows seem lower and less huge to me which I prefer.
He has less SSS headbloom which I like. His head doesn't look like there was a lightbulb inserted. Default skin is a nice tan. Lips are slightly imperfect which is realistic.
Both characters have the odd temple squeeze that gen 2 men seem to posses, but it is more livable on Gianni, because his face is slightly broader. Here's a render, of both characters together. Just default lights.
Good comparison! Thanks for showing that, I am eager to play around with the new clothes and character soon. It looks like they did a decent job on the eyebrows.
I am saving character poses and wondered what the difference was in hierarchial poses. Found this explanation:
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/20688/P15/#304745
So if I wanted to save 6 characters I would Create Group first, then put all six in that group, then do hierarchial and all 6 character poses would be in that?
I'm not sure. I've never tried that. Would be interesting to see what you come up with Novica.
I'll test it when I'm done rendering. BTW, the scene DID save.. big sigh of relief.
Anyone have this product? Says it's 55 brushes. And why is the URL showing Fast Grab?
http://www.daz3d.com/fast-grab-3d-models/doarte-s-celestial-dimensions
TIP: Images On Primitives
Although DAZ Studio supposedly takes JPGs, mine doesn't. Period. It will only accept PNG's (and possibly GIFs.)
If you want to attach an image to a primitive plane (to make a sign, for example) here's a few tips to speed you along. I KNOW PNGs will work because my studio is funky and it works in mine.
This is a fun way to make pictures to insert in frames, or to put OVER pictures that you have in a set which you don't like. I showed you this already in the L'Atelier makeover I did, but didn't go into detail about the PNG makeover. I made some fun Hawaiian framed pictures :)
(Be sure and respect copyright.)
1. If you have a JPG, convert it to RGB instead of CYMK.
2. Then Save As a PNG.
3. Create your primitive (go up to Create) I use inches and match it up to the size of my PNG image. (as close as possible. Use your largest dimension.
4. In Surfaces, under Diffuse, click on the image box and Browse. Select your image. Voila, you have a sign or framed artwork.
WineWalk Limbo
Wheeeee! I counted and out of curiosity and there are over 40 vendors' products used to create this fun RRRR scene. (46) The challenge was to create a whacky sport, but I had to use the four products which were randomly selected using a number generator (which correlates to the list of my products.) I've never had 3 sets generated, usually it's a combination of props and characters! I had one pose product, and the sets were the interior of a carnival big top, the interior of a Mayan temple, and a sci-fi lounge!
So, to make it even more of a challenge, I put all three sets into the sport itself. The spectator chairs surround the sport (firepit) and the sport also takes place on the carnival platform. The Mayan temple is the main set but also used in the sport as the props are the limbo poles. And of course, the sci-fi lounge contributed the wine bottles to the WineWalk Limbo. In the end, I was delighted to have drawn three mismatched sets- I wouldn't have thought of the sport otherwise. There are so many fun renders over in the RRRR thread, be sure and check out everyone else's contributions. We have buffalo, polar bear, wrestling, car skating, you name it!
Here's the thread: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/39429/
This scene takes about 4 hours to render due to the number of characters and size of the set. Shading rate .10
In case you're interested, I broke it down by character.
Hudson
Location: Standing At The Bar, Getting Hamburger
Hudson For Victoria 4 And Genesis (Artemis3d)
B25 Real Clothes (Bobbie25)
Elements Hair For Genesis (DAZ 3D / goldtassel)
Handy For Genesis (3dCelebrity)
http://www.daz3d.com/hudson-for-victoria-4-and-genesis
no link found for B25 Real Clothes (the file name in studio)
http://www.daz3d.com/elements-hair-for-genesis
http://www.daz3d.com/handy-for-genesis
The hand pose was a beginning pose, then I adjusted both hands.
***********************************************************************
Peter
Location: Bartender, Handing Out Hamburger
Peter For Genesis 2 Male(s) (shox-design)
Day By Day For Genesis 2 Male(s) (DAZ 3D / Mada / Sarsa)
Lanny Hair (SWAM)
Main Man Mix And Match Expressions For Michael 6 (EmmaAndJordi)
Props:
Diner Food 4 ( DAZ 3D / blondie9999)
Dining Tableware ( DAZ 3D / blondie9999)
http://www.daz3d.com/peter-for-genesis-2-male-s
http://www.daz3d.com/day-by-day-for-genesis-2-male-s
http://www.daz3d.com/lanny-hair
http://www.daz3d.com/main-man-mix-and-match-expressions-for-michael-6
http://www.daz3d.com/diner-food-4
http://www.daz3d.com/diner-tableware
Because of Peter's shriveled body, which would seem out of place at a popular nightclub spot for the younger set, I only used the head and kept the basic Genesis 2 male body. For the sleeves on the Day By Day outfit, I darkened the white (Diffuse) to a light gray so they would not be so distracting. The Lanny Hair has a headband which is easily eliminated using zero Opacity in the Surfaces tab. I shortened the hair quite a bit.
One note- the Main Man expressions would not work unless the previous one was erased, and that's a real pain. (Expression 21 would not take unless number 15 was edited back out. Tested several times.)
***********************************************************************
Nidale
Location: Sitting In First Chair On Left
Nidale (For Olympia 6) (DAZ 3D / Countess / Silver)
Afternoon Heat Outfit for Genesis 2 Female(s) (DAZ 3D / Bobbie25 / Sarsa)
Micah Hair (DAZ 3D / AprilYSH)
What A Cutie Expressions For Stephanie 6 (DAZ3D / 3DCelebrity)
http://www.daz3d.com/nidale
http://www.daz3d.com/afternoon-heat-outfit-for-genesis-2-female-s
http://www.daz3d.com/micah-hair
http://www.daz3d.com/what-a-cutie-expressions-for-stephanie-6
I personally consider Nidale a "must have" for everyone's product library. Depending on her lighting, she can appear African American, Native American, or a tanned Caucasian. She never disappoints. The What A Cutie was #9 with Josie Mean .62 and Excitement .51
***********************************************************************
Anabelle
Location: Kneeling
Anabelle (Silver) (Genesis)
Anemone Hair (V4) (3Dream / Mairy)
3 In 1 Skinny Outfit (DogZ)
Teen Angst Poses And Expressions (Canary3D)
Smile! (DogZ)
Props:
Diner Food 3 ( DAZ 3D / blondie9999)
Dining Tableware ( DAZ 3D / blondie9999)
http://www.daz3d.com/anabelle
http://www.daz3d.com/anemone-hair
http://www.daz3d.com/3-in-1-skinny-outfit
http://www.daz3d.com/teen-angst-poses-and-expressions
http://www.daz3d.com/smile
http://www.daz3d.com/diner-food-3
http://www.daz3d.com/diner-tableware
Anabelle notes: Anemone Hair fits superb on Genesis Anabelle. I assume it will work with other Genesis figures.
Note the 3 in 1 Skinny Outfit comes with shoes (3 pump styles.) The Teen Angst pose is #12.
***********************************************************************
Benjamin
Location: Seated, far right.
Benjamin For M5 (DAZ3D)
Casual Surf Wear For Genesis (DAZ3D)
At Home Poses For M5 And V5 (Bluebird 3d)
Smile! (DogZ)
Props:
Diner Food 4 ( DAZ 3D / blondie9999)
Dining Tableware ( DAZ 3D / blondie9999)
http://www.daz3d.com/benjamin-for-m5
http://www.daz3d.com/casual-surf-wear-for-genesis
http://www.daz3d.com/at-home-poses-for-m5-v5
http://www.daz3d.com/smile
I changed the tank top color. I really like the At Home Poses, there's a nice variety. I changed the pose slightly (moved the legs so the foot would be more extended, and also moved it from behind the limbo post.) I used the expression in the 7th row, first one, from Smile.
***********************************************************************
Maxim
Location: Standing, Pointing To The Firepit
Maxim HD For Michael 6 (JSGraphics / Male-M3dia / ProFotograf)
Dynamic Casuals For Genesis 2 Males (SimonWM / OptiTex)
Casual T-Shirt And Pants For Genesis 2 Male(s) (Trendy Renders)
Crazy Locks Male Hair (DAZ 3D / goldtassel) (Genesis)
BWC The Man (Sedor)
http://www.daz3d.com/maxim-hd-for-michael-6
http://www.daz3d.com/dynamic-casuals-for-genesis-2-male-s
http://www.daz3d.com/casual-t-shirt-and-pants-for-genesis-2-male-s
http://www.daz3d.com/crazy-locks-male-hair
http://www.daz3d.com/bwc-the-man
The pants are Dynamic Casuals while the shirt is Casual T-shirt and Pants. The Crazy Locks Male Hair for Genesis worked perfectly on the Genesis 2 Male. BWC The Man pointing pose was required for the RRRR contest, and there were quite a few to choose from. It's got a nice variety of poses and this one was just what I was looking for to get interaction with another character. (Anabelle.)
***********************************************************************
Amon
Location: WineWalking In Firepit
Amon For M6 (Raiya)
Zior Hair ( AprilYSH)
Trendy College Outfit For Genesis 2 Male(s)
Surfs Up And Out
Capsces Poses M5 (Capsces Digital Ink)
http://www.daz3d.com/amon-for-m6
http://www.daz3d.com/zior-hair
http://www.daz3d.com/trendy-college-outfit-for-genesis-2-male-s
no link found
http://www.daz3d.com/capsces-poses-m5
The shirt is from Trendy and the shorts are Surfs Up And Out, according to the file name. Can not find the product. It is not Casual Surfwear, the design is different.
***********************************************************************
Sayuri
Location: Standing Against Back Wall
FWEJ Sayuri (EmmaAndJordi / FWArt)
Vault Rustler (Slide3D)
Jungle Girl (DAZ3D / Mada)
http://www.daz3d.com/fwej-sayuri
http://www.daz3d.com/vault-rustler
http://www.daz3d.com/jungle-girl-for-genesis-2-female-s
The arm bracers from Jungle Girl go really well with Vault Rustler!
***********************************************************************
The other products were:
Ancient Prophecies (Faveral)
Ancient Prophecies Props (Faveral)
Carnival Big Tent Interior (DAZ 3D / Jack Tomalin)
Cotton Candy For Carnival Tent And Interior (DAZ 3D / ForbiddenWhispers)
Dystopia Destinations: Hyperion Bar ( Ajax /billyhome / Moebius87)
http://www.daz3d.com/ancient-prophecies
http://www.daz3d.com/ancient-prophecies-props
http://www.daz3d.com/carnival-big-tent-interior
http://www.daz3d.com/cotton-candy-for-carnival-tent-and-interior
http://www.daz3d.com/dystopia-destinations-hyperion-bar
Also used Ron's Smoke and Smoke 2 for the firepit and wall fires.
I also created a D-former for a slight bulge in the crotch of Amon, because stretching out like that doing the limbo, the shorts looked really unrealistic with a perfectly flat front.
Ancient Prophecies and the Hyperion Bar are not cheap, but you really, really get what you pay for. Wishlist them and wait for a sale or a coupon.
To achieve the lighting, UE2 was used, in conjunction with 16 spotlights and 15 linear point lights for a total of 31 lights. Some negative (dark) lights had to be used to counterbalance the bright lights shining on some of the characters/objects- this scene has a lot of overlapping elements in close proximity.
EDIT: Witch Gear (Feral Fey)
http://www.daz3d.com/witch-gear
The fire for the firepit is actually 5 of the Witch Gear firepits, each surrounded by (and attached to) stones and a cauldron. The cauldron disappears when you select "basic fire" which is GREAT because then you can put the fire and logs into your ground plane and hide the stones. Rotate them around and stretch (Y translation) to get different flames! So thanks to the witch, we have our firepit for the Limbo.
It was a bit tricky to manipulate the camera view and move the figures to accomplish my checklist of "watch out for this." You know, the things you immediately identify as "this would not be good artistically."
If you're a new user of DAZ Studio, remember you can not only move the camera view, figures, and props, but change the colors of background elements if they are drawing too much attention. For example, I dimmed the monitors on the bar counter. They were glowing bright white. The sci-fi bar, stools, and lounge tables were a bright silver, they were all changed to the colors of the temple.
So far as composition, for newbies the things to note:
* the animal head in the curve of the limbo person's back- you don't want the person to appear to be resting on it
*Ben's head (the man on the end) shouldn't have a block sitting on his head. He is raised up with the camera angle.
*the skull pole in the large sign can't rest directly on the man's head. Watch your background elements if you are not using
depth of field to blur/set things back. (I didn't, because I want viewers to read the sign which is part of the humor.)
*the huge sign in the bar can't touch the flames
*the bottle behind the pointing man's face shouldn't be touching it- it would be distracting. Want a clear outline of the face.
*the bottle behind the woman standing at the bar likewise does not rest on top of her hair, and note the solid background behind her face. There is actually a third looping hose that was covered up by her head so it didn't come down by her face.
*the skull feather couldn't hang down in the fire in the background. It would be distracting.
I will look up my notes for the Ron's brushes used for the smoke.
Be sure to click to enlarge and click again- read the signs. :)
And enjoy!
Wow, that's some picture - lots to look at there (and thanks for the name-check! I must have been a lot younger then - not sure I can limbo anymore :) )
I don't think I was ever a rocket scientist at doing limbo to begin with!
I am rendering each character individually as a closeup, starting with Anabelle and Anemone Hair, although I've already done that once, she's lit differently.
Meanwhile, for Ron's Smoke, for the WineWalk Limbo scene- a combination of these three gives a nice balance of trailing wisps and more substantial smoke:
brush 471, 214 pixels, spaced at 338%, opacity 66%, flow 76%
brush 1139, same opacity and flow, 92 pixels and 330 spacing
brush 1516, 165 pixels, 66% opacity, flow 41%, spacing 25%
I like the fire. Cool.
Oops, I actually forgot to put that in the list-
The fire is actually firepits, buried underneath the carnival platform. I made the pots from another set, they did not come with Ancient Prophecies. I used Y translate to flatten the pots and make them wide. They are from one of the DM sets and you wouldn't recognize them from the originals. :)
Witch Gear firepit has a cauldron, but when you select the basic fire, the pots disappear. Kinda funky, you wouldn't know that until you selected it and tried it.
Here's a good basic fire that you can rotate around and get different looks to it, or scale it:
Witch Gear (Feral Fey)
http://www.daz3d.com/witch-gear
Anabelle
Location: Kneeling
Anabelle (Silver) (Genesis)
Anemone Hair (V4) (3Dream / Mairy)
3 In 1 Skinny Outfit (DogZ)
Teen Angst Poses And Expressions (Canary3D)
Smile! (DogZ)
http://www.daz3d.com/anabelle
http://www.daz3d.com/anemone-hair
http://www.daz3d.com/3-in-1-skinny-outfit
http://www.daz3d.com/teen-angst-poses-and-expressions
http://www.daz3d.com/smile
So here's what you couldn't see because she was turned away from the camera. Which was SO hard for me to do because she is just so spunky. I love Anabelle! For convenience, I re-listed the products associated with just her.
Rendering next is Amon. I am still not a fan of the huge part in the Zior Hair, but it's easy to postwork and it depends on the angle. Once I can get back into the studio, I'll share the materials settings for the skin if you want a slightly darker/less ruddy dude. Also changed the lips.
WOW. Lots of nice detail in your club scene. Like all the food on the table, and the bartender serving food. =-)
Thank you :) I had not used diner food before, and was surprised at the nice variety.
Now I can get back to doing some renders for the thread. I'm doing closeups of the characters used / adjustments. And back to working on reorganizing my studio. Are you having fun with Gianni?
Amon For M6 (Raiya)
Zior Hair ( AprilYSH)
Trendy College Outfit For Genesis 2 Male(s) (top)
http://www.daz3d.com/amon-for-m6
http://www.daz3d.com/zior-hair
http://www.daz3d.com/trendy-college-outfit-for-genesis-2-male-s
Amon was a bit light and yellowish under my lights so the skin adjustments were:
diffuse 218 / 205 / 186 at 50% Glossiness 22%
specular 201 / 201 / 171 at 50%
ambient 221 / 206 / 193 at 75%
And try this for some darker lips with nice highlights-
diffuse 156 / 117 / 102 84.6% with glossiness 66.9%
specular 218 / 142 / 98 (orange. Really neat.) 50%
ambient 215 / 161 / 148 (light pink) 75%.
Edit: I also darkened the teeth and fingernails- use blue and grays.
Gianni is quite useful altogether. His face is a definite improvement.
I've had some fun results rendering kronos and default gianni.
I am finding some pose sets I bought recently to be a disappointment. I dislike it when a character is at zero and turns away from the camera when the pose is applied, unless this is what is depicted in the preview. I also dislike it when the preview image is not accuracte to a character at zero (with the exception of a character set being made for a specific location.
I am experimenting with using the Ocean wide product. It is not just for depicting seas, but can be used to flood basements and buildings.
Maxim HD For Michael 6 (JSGraphics / Male-M3dia / ProFotograf)
Casual T-Shirt And Pants For Genesis 2 Male(s) (Trendy Renders)
Crazy Locks Male Hair (DAZ 3D / goldtassel) (Genesis)
http://www.daz3d.com/maxim-hd-for-michael-6
http://www.daz3d.com/casual-t-shirt-and-pants-for-genesis-2-male-s
http://www.daz3d.com/crazy-locks-male-hair
If you look at the promo images for Maxim, you'll notice the cheek has an unevenly lit texture area on the cheek for a bit of realism. It's subtle.
The hair is too clumpy on closeups, so you'll need to use a lot of smoothing to get those locks more flowing.
EDIT: I am going to put smoothing on the hair and re-render him. I am doing a smoothing of 11. It is coming in nicely.
Novica..outstanding render, love the interaction between all the characters, and the attention to details! Great job :)
Thank you Kharma :)
Maxim HD For Michael 6 (JSGraphics / Male-M3dia / ProFotograf)
http://www.daz3d.com/maxim-hd-for-michael-6
Ancient Combat Hair For Genesis 2 Male(s)
http://www.daz3d.com/ancient-combat-hair-for-genesis-2-male-s
I decided to do Maxim with one of the new hairstyles since I haven't had a chance to do anything recently released. Ancient Combat Hair went on easily, but I'm wondering about the faded sides again. Hope this isn't becoming a trend. I chose the bald aspect of the figure, but it looked like there was a bit of stubble on the head- but not enough to impact the grayed out temple/sideburn area. It also appears in the promos. The rest of the hair is nice, however I also wish there was a morph to lower the temple hairline.
Maxim's eyes look a bit flat, but facial stubble looks good. Also really like that the eyebrows are imperfect, they look very realistic to me.