Knittingmommy's Laboratory

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  • Hmmm thicker at the roots and tip might be something to try.  I followed along with you and (crashes not withstanding) felt that the hair was too thin for what I wanted even at a couple million strands.  But that's in the preview and not in the actual render because when I go to import it, it either crashes before finishing, although thats not happening quite as much, or it crashes the second I hit render. Very frustrating.

  • So, I kind of finished Jaguar Sadie's grooming and photo shoot.  She isn't perfect, but she will do for now.  I was having issues with my computer and the number of hairs I had to generate to get her rendered.  My computer really did NOT like going up over 800,000 hairs.  The hair looks a little thinner than I would like.  I'm really hoping that the never version of LAMH can help with that issue.  I've read several things Kendal Sears has written and it looks like FiberHair will be native in Iray for the next major upgrade and will take up less memory.  In the meantime, there are a few things I will be fixing in the next few weeks.  I think JS needs more fiberhair around her mouth than I have currently.  Same goes for her hands, she need more hair on the fingers which I left kind of bald and I really think she needs it.  I'll be working on that as well as trying to push for a more furrier render.  One thing I may try, is to create a preset that only includes her upper body so I can have more hairs for a thicker appearance on the head and upper body.

    At any rate, for a first LAMH preset, it isn't bad.  I've learned a lot.  I hope anyone following along has learned a lot.  While I'm fine tuning JS as time permits, I'll be starting on an actual hairstyle in LAMH and see how that goes.  I'll take screenshots along the way and, when I'm done, I'll post the tutorial in case anyone wants to attempt a hairstyle, too.  I'll be doing one for both G3M and G3F, but I'll be starting with G3M.  I will probably also attempt a beard and mustache preset.

    So, for the big reveal, here is Jaguar Sadie's final picture full size:

    I did a little postwork magic for my final avatar.  I don't know if I'll keep it or change it out for one of the other versions that I did.  I may switch them up once a week and see how I like them.  Seeing them in thumbnail version really makes a huge difference.

    Wow - 800,000 hairs? IIRC, my noodle only had 200,000 hairs. As far as the thinness goes, might adjusting the root/tip thickness help? I know I cheated a bit and made each hair thicker so I wouldn't need so many hairs. I also vaguely remember playing with opacity.

    She looks great, and I like the NPR work a lot, too!

    - Greg

    I didn't think to try that!  Thanks.  I'll play around with that and see what kind of a difference it makes!  I'm glad you like the NPR version.  I like it, too, just not sure it works on the small scale for an avatar pic.  It looks great full size though.  I'm glad you like it!

  • Hmmm thicker at the roots and tip might be something to try.  I followed along with you and (crashes not withstanding) felt that the hair was too thin for what I wanted even at a couple million strands.  But that's in the preview and not in the actual render because when I go to import it, it either crashes before finishing, although thats not happening quite as much, or it crashes the second I hit render. Very frustrating.

    Sonja, did you make sure to take your FiberHair out of the LAMH group and save before hitting render?  If you do that, then the FiberHair for Iray will still be in your save file.  I've been having a lot of crashes with DS lately and I've found when I do a lot of complicated stuff, DS just grabs too much memory and my computer does not like it.  Take that FiberHair out of the LAMH group, save your file and close down DS completely.  Wait a few minutes before starting it back up again.  I've been watching DS close out in the windows process box and I was very surprised at exactly how long it takes DS to completely shut down after it closes and release its hold on the memory it tries to take.  After it is completely shut down, load it back up and then try rendering your file.  No guarantees, but it is something to try.  I never had this problem in Win  7 and DS 4.8, but I really hate it!  I don't know if the problem is with Windows or with DS.  There are an awful of Windows processes going on in the background and I don't know what half of them are any more since going to Win 10.  I'll be so glad to have Linux back up and running so I can see if I have the same problems while running DS under Linux.

  • Oso3DOso3D Posts: 14,886

    I would consider trying a render without the eyelashes. I've found on a lot of animal-ish critters, going lash-less looks better.

    It's awesome!

     

  • Thanks, Will!  I was actually thinking I might try an eyelash free version, but hadn't quite decided yet.  I'll definitely give it a go and see what she looks like!  Tips are always appreciated.  :)

  • KnittingmommyKnittingmommy Posts: 8,191
    edited September 2016

    I have this render going and it's been going for almost 2 days now.  I have a lot going on, but I'm thinking of stopping it where it is and just finishing it in post.  I saved out an image to see what I could do in post with it and I'd like some opinions.  I'll post the original and some postworked versions.  I'm not sure letting it go for another few days will be worth it as it kind of looks like what I had in mind when I started messing around with it.  Scarry and creepy isn't usually my thing, but I seem to collect these pieces and I want to actually do something with them.  I'm just not sure I'm good at setting that kind of mood.  So, opinions please.  Much appreciated.  Even if you think it is horrible, let me know that, too.

    Original:

    Fixed sharp lines with Healing Tool:

    Original with Overlay:

    NIKColor Effects 01:

    NIKColor Effects 02:

    I have to admit that the last one is my favorite postworked version.  Advice or opinions wanted.

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    Post edited by Knittingmommy on
  • Shweeeet! Did you save out a beauty canvas?

    - Greg

  • Shweeeet! Did you save out a beauty canvas?

    - Greg

    @algovincian  No, I honestly didn't think about doing that until after it had been rendering for several hours.  If I decide to render it again at some point, I plan to try that.  I've been doing more research on how to use all of the files that get generated with canvases and I'm seriously thinking of trying to remember to do that with all of my renders.  It doesn't seem to take any longer to render and I end up with extra files that can give me more control now that I'm postworking more.  I really wish I had done that with this picture.  I still have that mindset of just automatically hitting that render button and I really need to remember to do canvases instead.

  • Hmmm thicker at the roots and tip might be something to try.  I followed along with you and (crashes not withstanding) felt that the hair was too thin for what I wanted even at a couple million strands.  But that's in the preview and not in the actual render because when I go to import it, it either crashes before finishing, although thats not happening quite as much, or it crashes the second I hit render. Very frustrating.

    Sonja, did you make sure to take your FiberHair out of the LAMH group and save before hitting render?  If you do that, then the FiberHair for Iray will still be in your save file.  I've been having a lot of crashes with DS lately and I've found when I do a lot of complicated stuff, DS just grabs too much memory and my computer does not like it.  Take that FiberHair out of the LAMH group, save your file and close down DS completely.  Wait a few minutes before starting it back up again.  I've been watching DS close out in the windows process box and I was very surprised at exactly how long it takes DS to completely shut down after it closes and release its hold on the memory it tries to take.  After it is completely shut down, load it back up and then try rendering your file.  No guarantees, but it is something to try.  I never had this problem in Win  7 and DS 4.8, but I really hate it!  I don't know if the problem is with Windows or with DS.  There are an awful of Windows processes going on in the background and I don't know what half of them are any more since going to Win 10.  I'll be so glad to have Linux back up and running so I can see if I have the same problems while running DS under Linux.

    I actually still have windows 7 and have no intention of giving it up anytime soon lol.  I believe I did save the fiber hair out, will have to check when I get home from work.

  • And I like the last one the best as well.

  • And I like the last one the best as well.

    Thanks!

  • LinwellyLinwelly Posts: 5,795

    Knitting, those glowing wings are a great idea and you worked that beautifully! From the versions you show here I prefer the NIK 01. There are though some things the I wonder about, for one what is the glowing thing he's holding with his right hand? The other one is that construct that is half concealing the moon, its not getting clear waht that thing is, its too small to be a building ( just blacking out the right upper corner could be an option that its taken as a building and the brain is done with it), its not a tree either, as no branches. And that upper right corner has a curious colour swap. So maybe there are some options to change.

  • KnittingmommyKnittingmommy Posts: 8,191
    edited September 2016
    Linwelly said:

    Knitting, those glowing wings are a great idea and you worked that beautifully! From the versions you show here I prefer the NIK 01. There are though some things the I wonder about, for one what is the glowing thing he's holding with his right hand? The other one is that construct that is half concealing the moon, its not getting clear waht that thing is, its too small to be a building ( just blacking out the right upper corner could be an option that its taken as a building and the brain is done with it), its not a tree either, as no branches. And that upper right corner has a curious colour swap. So maybe there are some options to change.

    First, the moon, that is a cloud in the middle of it.  I used Stonemason's Iray Clouds for both some clouds and the fog down on the ground.  The other thing in front of the moon and behind the Blind Demon is the Curious Passage.  The gate is open and the stone pillar it is connected to is directly behind the Blind Demon's wing on the right side of the image.  That one section of color in the corner is from the HDRI for the moon.  None of the color from the emission from the wings reached back that far, only coloring most of the cloud/fog in the foreground.  There are some clouds floating in that corner, too.

    Second, the glowing thing, that is part of his clothing.  It comes with arm wraps and both the wings and the arm and leg wraps have several emission presets.  His leg wraps are glowing, too, but the 'fog' is hiding his lower half pretty well.  I do like the effect of him seeming to come out of the fog though.

    I keep waffling back and forth over which one I like best.  I still think I like NIKColor Effects 02 better, but I also like the impact of the glow and how the colors came out, too.  I'm seriously thinking of putting both in my gallery if I can't decide which one I like better.

    edit: no idea why that last sentence is highlighted.  must be a forum glitch as there isn't any reason to have it highlighted and I can't seem to fix it.  Took a look at the html code and fixed it there.

    Post edited by Knittingmommy on
  • @Linwelly  I forgot to add that I wish the idea for the glowing wings was my idea, but I am perfectly happy to take advantage of what the vendor did.  I think it was an inspired move on vendors' part.  I guess there are two vendors listed, not sure which to thank for that move, but I highly approve of it.

    Oh, and thanks for the compliment on working with them well.  I wasn't sure, when I saw the promos, if what I immediately thought of would work, but it worked out better than I imagined.  :)

  • Shweeeet! Did you save out a beauty canvas?

    - Greg

    @algovincian  No, I honestly didn't think about doing that until after it had been rendering for several hours.  If I decide to render it again at some point, I plan to try that.  I've been doing more research on how to use all of the files that get generated with canvases and I'm seriously thinking of trying to remember to do that with all of my renders.  It doesn't seem to take any longer to render and I end up with extra files that can give me more control now that I'm postworking more.  I really wish I had done that with this picture.  I still have that mindset of just automatically hitting that render button and I really need to remember to do canvases instead.

    Well, it's an awesome image! Love the use of silhouettes and the atmosphere. It's got a very non-cgi feel to it, which is excellent.

    - Greg

  • Shweeeet! Did you save out a beauty canvas?

    - Greg

    @algovincian  No, I honestly didn't think about doing that until after it had been rendering for several hours.  If I decide to render it again at some point, I plan to try that.  I've been doing more research on how to use all of the files that get generated with canvases and I'm seriously thinking of trying to remember to do that with all of my renders.  It doesn't seem to take any longer to render and I end up with extra files that can give me more control now that I'm postworking more.  I really wish I had done that with this picture.  I still have that mindset of just automatically hitting that render button and I really need to remember to do canvases instead.

    Well, it's an awesome image! Love the use of silhouettes and the atmosphere. It's got a very non-cgi feel to it, which is excellent.

    - Greg

    @algovincian  Ah, thanks, Greg!  I love when I get something right.  :)  I'm actually pretty impressed that I managed to do it and that it looks almost exactly like I had it in my head.  I'm getting better at doing that lately. 

  • KnittingmommyKnittingmommy Posts: 8,191
    edited September 2016

    I was talking to Linwelly on her thread and she wondered how Real Hairy looked on G3M.  I posted that I would do a render for her so she could see what it looked like.  Both Real Hairy and Real Hairy for Genesis work fairly well.  The only real glitches are on the chest hair as the nipples don't quite line up with the small patch of hair that is empty specifically for the nipples.  That being said it doesn't look that bad.  While a comparable product specifically for G3M would be nice, G3M can still use the products with much success with autofit.

    Since Linwelly mostly works in 3Delight, I did the shots in that render engine.  Not my favorite, but I'm getting better at it and I'm figured it was a good chance to experiment and get better.

    Real Hairy (G2M version) on G3M:

    Hairs: Chest, Abdomen, Forearms, Triceps, Thighs, & Calves

    Hairs: Chest, Happy Trail, Forearms & Calves

    Real Hairy for Genesis on G3M:

    Hairs: Chest, Happy Trail, Forearms & Calves

     

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    Post edited by Knittingmommy on
  • KnittingmommyKnittingmommy Posts: 8,191
    edited September 2016

    So, after playing around with the tests of the Real Hairy products for Linwelly, I decided to fix the lighting so it didn't blow out quite so much on the forehead and change the pose somewhat.  I figured I had him set up I might as well go for a real render in 3Delight to see how I managed.  I think it turned out okay.  I'm still not comfortable with 3Delight, but I'm getting better.  Good light sets help and in this image I'm using @InaneGlory's Photo Studio - Point and Shoot 2.  Thank goodness for him as he does all of my favorite light sets.

    I think he turned out pretty good, not spectacular, but a big improvement over what I usually manage to do in 3Delight.

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  • Oso3DOso3D Posts: 14,886

    It seems a little on the high saturation side, but... it looks cool that way. Almost looks like some exotic velvet painting. ;)

    Might be worth seeing how it comes out with Vibrance turned down a bit, though.

     

  • It seems a little on the high saturation side, but... it looks cool that way. Almost looks like some exotic velvet painting. ;)

    Might be worth seeing how it comes out with Vibrance turned down a bit, though.

     

    Thanks.  I may have to try and make a velvet background image!  :)   I can see it as a painting in an apartment scene.  Although, I think this background turned out rather interesting.  It's a mash up of the Deviny stuff I've been playing around with lately.  I have to go read the readme to see if I can put my creations up on the Free Backgrounds thread.  I haven't read that for one particular file yet.

    I'm still playing with settings.  The main setting I changed was Gamma.  I kind of like it the way it is, but I may have to play with other settings to get a nicer balance.  I'm still not sure what some of the setting do or what to change to get the look I want.  With Iray, I've learned how to use tone mapping to my advantage, but with 3Delight, I'm still trying to figure out what besides gamma I can change that impacts the look of the render.  I'm going to have to start reading the 3Delight thread now that I know more about using the engine so I can learn those details.  Still, it's a big improvement over what I've done previously so I'm happy with it.

  • LinwellyLinwelly Posts: 5,795

    Thanks a lot for those really hairy renders Knitting! Tha was really fast.  It is actually looking rather good and if there is a nice opportunity in the PA sala I guess I will take it. I was thinking about Garibaldi for a moment when it was on the fasgrab yesterday. ... Ahh damn, way to many options to get rid of my money.

  • LinwellyLinwelly Posts: 5,795

    Knitting, I got another question about real hairy. I got the http://www.daz3d.com/project-hairy-456-for-daz-studio on the sale now ( and was ROFLing around here when I tried it out).

    Genesis male works without problem but when I tried it on G2m I got a message that the Micheal 4. dsf file could not be found. The result is that the UV maps are not matching nicely on arms and legs. I saw that it requres http://www.daz3d.com/michael-4-for-genesis-2-male but I didn't think about that too much but now I wonder if you used any kind of converter for the version on g3? or you probably own the product needed?

  • KnittingmommyKnittingmommy Posts: 8,191
    edited October 2016

    @Linwelly  You know, I totally forgot I had that product.  And, yes, I do believe you do need the michael-4-for-genesis-2-male in order for some of those to work on that product.  I'm not positive, though, and, yes, I do have the UVs for M4. I have not used it in awhile, not since the last batch of conversions I was doing.  I wonder if this will work on G3 in conjunction with the UVs for G3?  I'll have to give that a try and see what I can do with it.

    'S's should be on sale tomorrow so you might be able to pick up the M4 UV then.  I needed it when I was converting a bunch of M4 stuff to G2M.  If you get it, make sure you go to ShareCG and pick up Slosh's freebie to go with it.  It comes in handy on a few occasions.  Just makes things easier. 

    edit: forgot to add that you don't need anything for the Real Hairy products other than the autofit.  I'll play around with the Project Harry and see what I can do and what is needed.  I have a render still going right now.  My last entry for Zev0's contest, but I didn't get it done in time.  It's a shame, too, because I think it turned out cool, but was too grainy to stop it and upload to the contest thread.  Ah, well.

    Post edited by Knittingmommy on
  • LinwellyLinwelly Posts: 5,795

    Thanks a lot Knitting, any "hairy" product you don't own? I guess I'll just get the micheal 4 for gen2, I have so much M4 stuff by now, would be nice to use it on the g2males and obviously it even works for the females.

  • I see the michael 4 for gen2 is on sale today, too.  And, no, I think I own almost every hairy product here in the DAZ store.  :)  I would be very surprised to find that I had missed one, at least for the new figures.  I don't think I have any for the pre M4 figures as I don't use them often.  I do have the base figures, but not a lot of the extras for them.  

    I have a thing for body hair.  I think men just look more natural with it than without. I think a good beard and some chest hair is especially sexy.  :)

  • Oso3DOso3D Posts: 14,886

    I like giving women hairy armpits because no, Sheeda the Barbarian Princess isn't going to be in the upper northlands carefully shaving her pits, dang it.

     

  • LinwellyLinwelly Posts: 5,795

    I like giving women hairy armpits because no, Sheeda the Barbarian Princess isn't going to be in the upper northlands carefully shaving her pits, dang it.

     

    I comletely agree Will, as well she might have left out the makeup...

    I have see the offer as well, still thinking about which new product I'll add to reduce costs... My budget for October is alread dwindling fast

  • I still have some store credit for the PC sale that starts soon, tomorrow, maybe?  So, I'm done with spending on this sale.  I was shocked to discover that I actually bought so little this sale.  I concentrated on the products I wanted the most this year and tried to keep up with the vendor threads so I knew what was coming up and when.  

    As for hairy pits, yeah, nothing says fake like shaved pits on a girl who is supposed to be living in the stone age.  :)  

  • I came up with what I thought was a cool idea for Zev0's Aging Morphs Contest.  Unfortunately, I came up with the idea for this on the last day of the contest.  Of course, if you read this thread, you know it takes my computer forever to render in Iray at times.  This piece has lots of reflective surfaces and stuff going on so, it was NOT done.  That's okay, though, as I did manage to upload two entries to the contest.  I've had a lot of fun using the aging morphs.  @RawArt's Lekkulions look very good aged up.  After two days of rendering, this is what I came up with:

    I thought it was kind of cool.  I love all of the reflections in the glass.  This set, Sci Fi Lab by petipet, is really very nice to work with.  Here are some postworked images with a little magic via NIKColorEffects.  I was trying to see if I could get a more vintage Sci Fi feel to the images.  I really like the second image as it reminds me of old Sci Fi movies I watched when I was younger:

    And, one done in Filter Forge to bump up the vibrance a little in the original image:

    Filter Used: Vibrance

    I'd be interested in anyone's thoughts as to favorites.  Right now, I really like the look of the second NIKColorEffect image and the Filter Forge Vibrance Image.  I'm trying to decide which one I want to put in my gallery.  Right now I'm leaning toward the more unusual and Sci Fi image done with the NIKColorEffects.  Please do look at them in full size as they really look much better blown up.  :)  Tell me what you think.

     

  • algovincianalgovincian Posts: 2,575

    I like the 2nd one best, too, I think - it's the colors, as well as the HDR enhancements. Your original render came out super clean for an indoor scene, too.

    I've got both of those products in my wishlist and you're making me want to pick them up now even though I don't need them!

    - Greg

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