NEW! Novica & Invited Guest Contributors Tips & Product Reviews Pt 6
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I like that too. It's turning into a small enclave grouped together like that. . It's really offering some story telling potential.
just a quick note, purely as trivial inside information, there's actually a transmap inside the 50's motel texture folder for a pool to be placed in the parking area of the motel, because I had considered adding it, just around where RGcincy placed the diner. Sized to fit the neighbour's yard inground pool, if anyone is adventurous and wants to try. You will have to set the tiling scale to 1 on the parking area though, which will lead to other considerations. As a side note, the next motel will definitely have a pool.
Thanks Luci and FirstBastion! It's been fun trying the sets out together.
Novica, some day I'm going to have to go through all your iRay light examples and see which ones are the best to add to my collection. I have a couple of iRay sets but have been hesitant to buy more without seeing them in action.
Forty years ago, on Nov. 10, 1975, the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald sank during a ferocious storm on Lake Superior. I thought this would be a good occasion to render Katherina Boat. I used the night scene preset and combined it with chaotic ocean from Ocean Wide and the lightning preset from FM Night Builder. I scaled down the y-direction of the ocean because it was even more extreme, changed the direction of a couple of the spotlights on the ship and rotated the skydome to reposition the lightning. The render is 3DL. I like the boat as it has lots of little details and plenty of lights for night scenes. It also comes with a stand, so could be a prop in a kid's room or adult parlor. I might have to give something like that a try.
That looks great rgincy! Cool render
I did a few more light tests (a couple days ago) and will post them as soon as I get a chance. I'm doing files (don't want to get behind, and I make folders for each one alphabetically before I download. With the changes in the future to encrypted files, I want to get all mine that aren't, so I don't mix the two.)
Anyway, the boat looks good- I like the small amounts of light on different parts of the boat, even the rim of the portholes show up!
Regarding today's New Releases-
I certainly hope this is meant as a TOP and not a dress like it's shown. In the thumbnails, you can see from the back view that her cheeks are showing (and I'm talking about the side that has her leg down.) It would make a good dressy top. And on the positive side, the vendor took the time to show you side by side comparisons of Iray and 3DL, which was thoughtful. The shoes look like they have nice textures too.
These head morphs should be noted- because they also include TEETH morphs! It's showing 65%, but is one of the Daily Spotlight Items (says 50% w purchase of featured items) so it will drop to $5.98
LOVE Lorilynn- of course I do... thicker, not penciled or ultra thin eyebrows!!!
Here's a great site to compare the Equestrian outfit. Look at these Dover products. Look at the Nouvelle and right below it, the Concour Elite. (Don't look at the kid's products, those are meant to be much shorter. Compare apples to apples.) I would have liked the bottom of the jacket to come a couple inches lower but overall, I like the outfit. Nice crop too.
And I had wishlisted this- if you own Skylar, these poses are fun and they involve Genesis 3 and Genesis 2 (Skylar) They're 50% with purchase of a featured item. They go to $6.97, and frankly, you couldn't pay me to pose two figures that many times for around $7.
This post has some well needed scripts! Tired of rotating your scene to double check and see if something is on top of another? (particularly feet on a surface) Have a script do it for you!
Check these out!
Thanks for posting those scripts. I will check those out.
I like Lorilyn's eyebrows. Those look realistic.
I do admit, as far as the rest I'm over-saturated now with female content, it is all beginning to run together the constant female-only new releases. I'll be happy for a break when- and if Michael 7 comes out.
DG Iray Deco Metal Shaders will NOT install via DIM. I've tried it three times and it says install failed (30+ other things installed without any problems.) Anyone have problems with this?
Flash sales, be sure and check the scrolling banner!
EDIT: Seriously, I exited DIM and came back in, refreshed, etc and that product will NOT install. I bought other things a few minutes ago, and all six installed fine. The Metal Shaders said Install Failed! (again)
Just going on a guess, if it is not something like a bad connection (It is a remote possibility even this day and age
), just maybe some wires got crossed and the servers are trying to give you the 'Cloud' files, or the zip may be bad from that end. I don't have that set yet, so can not try it myself 
.
Hi Z!
Nah, the connection seems fine, and everything else is fine so there's really nothing I can do except see if anyone who has it, has installed it recently.
I'm rendering Lorilynn right now, she'll be ready in about 30 minutes.
So, it's at there end. Probably just a mistake, nothing more.
Lorilynn, the name sounds familiar from somewhere, tho I guess this is the new figure/outfit by 3DSublimeProductions/WildDesigns. I'm looking forward to this
, I've done most of what I can this month (within reason), and am working on simpler things.
I'm getting myself completely lost in the many dials
of the OmUberSurface shader 
. I'm about to look for the advanced manual, as there are a few dials that the name alone is not adequately telling me what they do. OK, it's not just the definition for some, it's a question of what direction on the dial dose what, lol.
I'm also playing with the "Fabric Basics Mix and Match for Iray" maps in 3delight. So it's been fun.
The fabrics look good. I've got to explore shaders more in depth, I've bought most of the Iray ones and really need to see what I've got before I start buying anything else.
This is Lorilynn (Genesis 3) with Genesis 2 hair (Anemone Hair) and I did not apply anything to the hair (no UberBase, no Iray hair settings.) I'm using the Iray HDR Outdoor Environments lighting and Victoria 7 Attitude Expressions. Let me say that I don't buy many expressions, and this set seems more fluid than others I have tried. The sliders work well together. This was Surprised 2 at 0.13 / Skeptical 0.20 / Secret 0.013 / Scared 0.089 It was nice that they were in the Parameters tab under the Pose Controls>Head>Expressions.
This is Soulless Outfit for Genesis 3 Female(s)
So I played with the results and on the second one which is rendering now (and will take a few hours) I felt it could use some increased crush blacks for more contrast (0.35 up from 0.25) and I upped Saturation to 1.10 (from 1.0) I put Exposure Value at 14.10 to darken it and Shutter Speed was 273.91 and F Stop stayed at 8.00 and ISO stayed at 100. In Environment, I increased the Intensity to 1.11 So we'll see how that does.
Same vendor- I think Destiny looks like Parisa.
One more of Lorilynn using those same light settings, I also went into Surface and darkened the color of the very pale Romance Dress. (Genesis 3) It's Selena Hair, which we've already featured several times.
Remember to explore your products' textures for backgrounds- this is from the latest Merlin product (The Knight pavilion) and it's the sheet textures. Makes a great backdrop texture!
That looks really good, great idea to recycle an old bedsheet as a backdrop lol
Hu? Naaa, not posible, lol. May posibly be the same artist making the Promos, lol.
Parisa I do have in my collection (somewhere), tho I'm not sure, How I missed the (eight? or seventh?) Olympia figure. I need to wake up a bit, and count them again.
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/42487/is-olympia-6-a-new-figure-no-olympia-5-4-etc
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/33594/olympia-6-discussion-and-render-thread-previously-olympia-6-preview-thread/p1
As for Destiny looking like Parisa (Hold on Dr Rush, not that Destiny, lol), Some PA's and many artists like to work with a particular style, and do variations of them. Yes, same vender that I only have six figures from, "gypsyangel" for both. http://www.daz3d.com/gypsyangel
I see, Some, similarity between three of them that I have purchased (in the promos), tho they are still very different. Izarra for G2F (Smart), Adrianna for V6 (Smart), and Parisa (CL only). As for the other three, not so much similarity Larian for Ninive 6 (Smart), Aneta for V6 (CL only), and Malakai for Lee 6 (Smart). I am very happy with Izarra, Adrianna, and Malakai. I think 'Jindi' was very pleased with Aneta's mats, and they do look very good (lineup with Aneta). I've yet to peal the 'New' stickers off of ANY of the Ninive6 stuff, and I don't remember much about the other (it was a long time ago). Before I say any more, I want to hunt down some renders and look for some other links. If I brought up any doubts regarding Destiny (Smart), let me just say "I'm clicking the Buy Now button", along with this that didn't make it into my collection yet, odd combo, hmm, lol.
(Switching Topics) Lorilynn looks really good with that Romance dress and Senela hair, nice render Novica
.
In separate news, the Keyhole dress is a very nice outfit. Paloma is another incredible figure from Fred. I don't have the texture set for the dress, nor have I done any show-n-tell renders yet. http://www.daz3d.com/paloma-and-keyhole-style-hd-bundle
@Novica - I love your Lorilynn renders. (That trick with the sheet texture worked out well too)
Love your products Merlin Studios! I can't wait to render the Knights Pavilion. Gorgeous! Melanie, remember when the thread was experimenting with flipping floors for backdrops? Hmmm, I haven't done that in awhile...I used DM's sets quite a bit.
Coming up will be P3D Celine- I think she'd make a great child too (Want a Growing Up for Genesis 3!)
Lorilynn looks a tad like Gwen from Young and the Restless. (Nadine Nichole) True, her lips and eyebrows would have to be thinner and the nostrils brought down a bit, the chin widened, but it niggled at me that she looked like someone when I used the dark hair. She could be her sister perhaps. Her eyes have the straight across line for the upper lid, the dimples and cheeks and jaw are very similar.
P3D Celine has Krayon Hair (Genesis 3) and is wearing the Ghost Bride Dress for Genesis 3 Female(s) This is using the same Outdoor Environment lighting, with the tweaks I listed earlier. I brightened/intensified these a bit whereas Lorilynn was "out of the box" with the lighting. She has more yellow in her skin than Lorilynn. Her mouth is very easy to pose, and love the freckles!
EDIT: Found my notes. Celine is using DMs Sensual Grace poses. I like those, they are casual and elegant at the same time.
Rendering Knights Pavilion now. STUNNING. (17% in 26 minutes, 24% in 1 hour) Out of the box with Merlin's lighting (Iray) Will take awhile and I have a repairman coming in about 5 minutes. Our hot water heater had apparently been leaking for some time, ruined the base it was sitting on, have to get a new water heater (11 years old.) There goes over $1000.00. (Could be worse, could be December around Christmas...)
I'm sorry to hear about the Hot watter heater, I had one explode here some time ago, and it was not fun.
I did manage to get some renders of Paloma and Destiny going, tho using AltShaders at the moment as I'm still playing with fabric shaders.
I'm sure I got Destiny's skin tone way off, tho that is her maps. Paloma I think I got that closer to the Promos.
I have Malakai - Render: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/743138/#Comment_743138
I didn't notice this before as the promo showed ruins. This has an undamaged set, and is Flash Sale 60% off.
There is a big blue popup box appeared with the discount on Zev0s Fit Control product today. It says as a previous owner, there is an additional discount. This is worrisome because what about the people who shopped earlier today? I was online from 2am and again around 3am, and I didn't have that banner. EDIT: The blue banner is there now.
WHY wasn't this implemented from the get-go, or was it and I didn't see it? They'd get more sales if people knew there indeed was a discount for previous owners.
It wasn't there this morning but was when I checked back this afternoon.
You've mentioned this before but I always forget. Guess I need a "Daz Studio for Dummies" book to keep track of all your good tips!
Knights Pavilion
This is the same render, the above with Merlin's lights and the second (below) with it lightened/intensified.
Well, it's taken awhile to do the Knights Pavilion- and I tested it two ways. One with the entire set loaded, whether it was in the scene or not. This is with the full scene loaded:
34% and 2hr 40 min 39% and 4 hr 40 min 47% 5 hr 30 min 67% and 8 hr 15 min 84% 11 hours 35 min (went to bed, but at 14 hours still going when I checked)
then the second render, everything not in this scene (including walls and top of tent) was taken out. To compare, at 5 hours 30 minutes, it was 77% instead of 47%. At 8 hours 45 minutes it was 89% (and it was 67% to 70% on the other, allowing for the extra 20 minute difference)
So be sure and take everything out of the scene that isn't in the render. (There ya go, another tip that we all know but if you're like me, you sometimes forget!)
I'm showing you two of each one- the first is the original, the second is with lightening and a bit of intensity. This is Merlin's lighting and scene the way it loads. Easy!
Playing with Fotosketcher again, in discussion on coloring pages. Frankly though, as expected, the Photoshop plugins have more of a "line only" ability. But Fotosketcher is free (we've mentioned it several times in my threads, but for you newcomers, wanted to point it out) and it's fun to play with if you don't have Photoshop. Will attach a vintage one I didn't post in the other thread, as it doesn't apply to coloring pages. It's called Old Paper Effects.
I like that! gives it a a soft, faded effect with a hint of color. I was thinking Genie would go well in Knights Pavilion too.
I've had SoulessEmpathy's Castle Turret on my wishlist for some time, so when I saw it on fast grab the other day, I bought it. I'm finding it has good 3DL textures and interior lights right out of the box and many spots inside and out for setting scenes. Here are 5 renders that show what I mean.
Scene 1: Inside the central spiral staircase next to the door leading to the roof. The figure is Victoria 6 wearing Fayre for Genesis Female(s) clothing, using textures from Spritely for Fayre and Buenaventura Hair For Genesis 2 Female(s) and Male(s). I did nothing for the lighting - it's what you get when you load the set. The door loads closed, there's a parameter slider to open/close it. I find the steps a bit out of scale as it's a big step for Victoria.
Scene 2: On the roof looking back to the central staircase. I added a cloak from Medieval Cloaks for Genesis 2 Female(s) with a texture from Capable for the Medieval Cloaks. I also added a staff from Enchanted Wings and FirstBastion's skydome. The outdoor lights loaded way too bright, so I had to reduce the sunlight and ambient lights in half to avoid washed out textures.
Scene 3: This is one of the middle floors. Michael 6 with Order of the Wolf armor and Ancient Combat Hair for Genesis 2 Male(s) hair. Sword is short sword from Weapons of War. This is the first time I used Order of the Wolf and it loads the props without the textures so be sure to add them including the second skin for Michael so he's wearing the chain mail.
Scene 4: The same location but with a wide-angle camera at a new position. I like the mix of stone and wooden features on the interior scenes.
Scene 5: This set is not a complete castle, but you can use it for closeup outside scene as there are two ramparts leading to the central turret.
My first test of the new Iray Worlds SkyDome. I was waiting for this to appear in the store as I like Magix's 101 Worldbase products and he posted early in November that he had an iRay product on the way. I added it to the outdoor scene I just posted using Castle Turret. I hid the 3DL skydome and lights, added iRay uber base shaders to the castle, then added the Water 2 preset and rendered. The set comes with 9 preset scenes as well as separate sun position presets and shaders for sun color and skies. You find the product under the Skydome tab under Environments in Smart Content. My first impression is very favorable - I especially like the bright clouds and snowy mountains in the background.
Magix mentions it can be used with Worldbase which I have, so I'll be giving that a try. If anyone wants to see other tests, let me know.
Yep, before you ask, using Merlin's Knight Pavilion again for the backdrop- this time it's the calendar texture!
Novarys for Genesis 3 Female(s) has Leyton Hair (Genesis 2 & 3) and is wearing Summer Trend Outfit. (Genesis 3) IMPORTANT: Shown is the top (with the two women together) as "out of the box" and it does NOT have any smoothing or collision whatsoever, and the three figures I've tried it on, it always comes out looking quite rough. You should consider putting the smoothing to at least 4 and the collision somewhere between 4-6 and test it. (Don't forget or you'll possibly be wasting time on a render that may look pretty ragged under the breasts.) The one with Novarys by herself, you can see the difference it made when smoothing and collision were added.
I also wanted a pinkish top so I changed the Diffuse color to .54 / .42 / .39
Selina (Genesis 3) is wearing Christina Hair and has on the TOA Divine outfit. The material zones are nicely organized so you can make the midriff bare and get a totally different look. All the TOA's are worth a look!
I used the same lighting for both women so I could compare. (The second Apocalyptic set, (Corridor) with one front distant light, the lumen was 45 and it was a light mauve (almost a white.) Selina turned out more tanned.
One of the poses is from Capsces Fun and Flirty Victoria 7.
Btw, I think I mentioned it before, but if you are doing zombie poses or want a great variety of poses, the Pitfall Poses (Victoria 7) are good.