Daz 3D is part of 
Connect
DAZ Productions, Inc.
7533 S Center View Ct #4664
West Jordan, UT 84084
Licensing Agreement | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | EULA
© 2026 Daz Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Comments
I will point out that changing things in that render pane, if you are using canvasses, restarts the render.
So if that's important, don't do that.
Only if you are using canvasses? As far as I'm aware I don't use canvasses (wouldn't know how).
If you're doing a straight render, it doesn't restart, at least for me. It may hesitate a bit but keeps going from where you intervened. >> Full disclosure, i don't often use that option, but it has not caused me any distress.
Yes, specific to canvas. Regular render, it corrects the image and keeps going and you don't lose any progress.
No clue why, but hey.
But hey...worth mentioning ;). LOL
Laurie
By the way, canvasses are awesome if you are dealing with renders with a huge variation in illumination, like naturally lit outdoor scenes or dim indoor scenes.
Go to render settings, Advanced tab, click Canvasses radio box, then hit + button. It'll add a beauty canvas. You can add more canvasses and change them to reflect distance from camera (awesome for post work), and a wide variety of other things.
The canvasses are saved to a folder in Render Library with the name of whatever you named the image.
So in Render Library, if you save Frobozz, you will see Frobozz.png, Frobozz_icon.png, and then a Frobozz folder that has canvasses in it.
Note that canvasses are 32 bit EXR, so if you don't have Photoshop or some other editor capable of handling 32 bit images, no joy.
Also note that once opening the image you'll want to convert it to 16 or 8 bit images, and then you have some options on how to do that; in Photoshop there's an adaptive approach that can sometimes be good, but personally I prefer to switch it (click on thing at top when converting) to Exposure-based, set it to about -13.39 or whatever it is until nothing is blown out, then adjust gamma to bring up detail or use Detail Extractor (NIK filter) to, well... extract details.
I find canvasses enormously useful for bright sunlight, dim candlelight, or playing around with distance effects. Otherwise I don't bother.
On my system, turning "Burn Highlights Per Component" On/Off will cause the render to start over, as will changing any of the settings under it. Turning the "Noise Filter" On/Off will also cause the render to start over too. I think there are a couple other settings that will restart the render as well, but IIRC everything in Tone Mapping above "Burn Highlights Per Component" does not cause the render to restart. Of course I may have something set differently than everyone else that is causing this?
Darn, it was so quiet I thought I was going to get off without doing it
I've got a couple of things to complete, then I'll start working on it. It's actually something I've thought about doing for quite a while because it seems like there is a need for a simple written tutorial to get people over the hump of the basics of lighting/surfaces. This won't make anyone a "photo real" artist, but it should result in a better understanding of how to make everything look 3D, and give the user better knowledge on how to improve the 3d-ness of their renders (hopefully in general terms with out all the technical garbledy gook).
Changing those does NOT make my render start over. Are you sure you're not using a canvas as Will has suggested?
Laurie
Thanks Laurie!
I kind of had a feeling that it was on my end. I also can't open the log in DS without DS crashing. I think DS crashing when opening the log file has something to do with some instability in Windows Explorer (from a failed windows update). The Iray issue may be related .... or not. Another interesting thing is I don't have the Canvasas tab in the render editor in either the beta of the most recent production version. Maybe I need to contact support, I know I had the canvasas tab was in the beta when it first came out.
Oh wow, you may have bigger problems then ;)
Laurie
Hmm, I don't have tha Canvases Tab under RenderSettings> Advanced either.
Hold on, found it, but "invisible until you click. Wonder what's going on? Hope someone can explain. See the two screen caps. First one is what i usually see. Second is what i get when I click in the "blank" space to the right of Hardware.
Thanks Fastbike, that is my problem as well. When I move the mouse over the are where the tab should be I see the tab text, then clicking on the text makes if visible like in your image.
It may be something related to the individual style of interface. I use the dark gray one. The tab is always there under the render settings tab.
Laurie
More than anything, it's down to lighting.
Get the lighting right and you're well on the way.
After that, you'll notice other things, pose is an obvious one, but so is textures/shaders and dynamics; with dynamics it's about how the clothes look and the hair look for the position and pose
Hair should fall straight down unless something is action on it; motion for instance, or wind; indoor scene are short on wind or even strong enough drafts to cause noticeable movement.
http://www.daz3d.com/gallery/#images/84140
I really like this image that Dustrider posted, but an image is a story; and I look at that and think: why is she wandering around in her underwear, drinking coffee without fastening her bra. That breaks the story for me.
... Then i noticed that the bra doesn't look like it fastens; so ok, I can accept that then, but it pays to think about what viewers of your image will notice.
As a general comment:
The only issue I have with a lot of images posted, is they are all too perpendicular. Twist the camera a little.
I myself rarely post as I'm not happy with most of what I create, but I do keep trying. And it's fun to do.
Looks like you were right. I switched the style from Highway to Darkside and the Canvases and Bridge (BETA) tabs show up.
There was a version in which the tab text and tab colour were almost the same in Highway - though I thought that was fixed in the current version.
Don't know Richard. In 4.9.3.166 for me, the tab and text are exactly the background color of Highway. Sounds like the same issues for Dustrider. Darkside works well enough that I don't want to spend time with custom colors. Not productive use of time.
EDIT: Given Laurie's helpful hint, I may give a modified Higway a go.
That is my problem as well. Changed to the darkside and tabs/text are visible, so the fix must have gotten unfixed. I don't really like the darkside because the darker text (non-active text) is a bit too dark (old eyes), but can live with it for now. I poked around a bit, but couldn't find the how to brighten it, is it possible?
It is possible in the style editor. Windows/Style/Customize Style, where it says "1.Base" I believe the brightest text color is "02. Foreground Color" and the darker text is "04. Light Color".
Laurie
...the latest version of Gimp (2.9.2) supports 32 bit colour and EXR
Don't get me started on stupid canvases. Here's a better tip than spending hours mucking with them (for lighting control at least). Render your image (manually) once for each light source, put all images into Photoshop file as layers, set a black bottom layer and set all the rest to blend mode screen. Voila. Adjust each layer as desired, no crying over horrible exposures.
Only complexity is you may want to turn off render quality-based completion on very small/dim light sources and eyeball it.
(I yet again spent a full day recently trying to make canvases function satisfactorily before giving up and going back to the png-screen method. Automation/speed of canvas renders does not make up for horrible HDR toning/exposure experiences. I have said Photoshop file if anybody wants to see the magic for themselves.)
Yes please. :)
Thanks for the critique Niscstt! Good constructive critisizm is always a plus. It never even crossed my mind that someone might not recognize that her top isn't a bra (see the promos for the top here: http://www.daz3d.com/hot-mess-outfit-for-genesis-2-female-s). The take away for me is that I need to make sure it's as obvious to the viewer what things are as it is to me.
This brings up another issue we face when trying to put together a good composition, and I clearly remember the struggles I had with this image. Finding the perfect item that matches the scene, the mood, and doesn't look a bit off, can be quite difficult, and sometimes not possible without making your own or spending even more hours/dollars cruising the stores to get the perfect item. For this image, I spent quite a bit of time looking for the "perfect" top in my content. Many items what I thought would be perfect just seemed a bit "off" in the scene. The top I ended up using was the best, but not exactly what I was looking for, and now it's obvious that it can be easily misinterpreted from the back
As for the images all being too perpendicular - guilty as charged! I'm pretty much a left brainer (hence why I say I'm not an artist .... ummmm .... because I'm not, I just try to fake it), so having the camera anything but level is just simply wrong
. I've noticed this myself too, and have tried to tilt the camera a few times, usually with "unacceptable" results. I will keep it in mind though, as this is something else I do need to improve on. Thanks!
If I might, could I suggest you post more renders? For years I would work on something until it got difficult or didn't look right, put it away, and start on something else. Then, when DAZ used to give vouchers if your image was selected for the monthly gallery (back on the old site - years ago) I started posting to help afford more stuff. I made a goal for myself to try to complete and post one render a month. I noticed that I got a bit better and/or learned something new with each completed render. I feel like it has made a huge difference, and gave me a sense of accomplishment. Anyway, even though your gallery is small, you have some great images. Posting more might be a plus, I know for me it forced me to identify why I wasn't happy with something, and figure out how to address it.
Now for a general observation.
From other comments in the thread, I realized something I have been doing subconsciously. I do few renders with "everyday" clothing. One reason is that I prefer doing fantasy and sci-fi scenes, the other is the difficulty in pulling off a convincing everyday scene. Many of the clothing items come very close to what I'm looking for, but always look just a bit off. For example too much cling, a bit of deformation in the wrong place, no wrinkles, or wrinkles that are too smooth, sleeves that don't lay right on the arm, straps that are bent where they should be straight, parts that defy gravity, etc. Some of these issues aren't so easily identified in fantasy and sci-fi scenes, especially when the subject is wearing the much maligned "skimp wear"
Anyway, I just thought it was interesting that I was "filtering" the content I use some what subconsciously, as I have tried many more contemporary scenes than I have posted, and often give up because it just doesn't look right, and can't find something like I want that dooesn't look a bit off. That is another advantage to using toonish and anime type characters - the little details that don't quite look right are easily accepted in our subconscious filters.
You may think he's joking, but one of the biggest things that destroys the realism of a lot of renders is the face, and especially the eyes. There are a few artists that manage to pull it off, but yeah I've found that I can achieve extremely realistic renders, by simply obscuring the face. Doesn't mean you have to completely hide it, 3/4 views and profiles can be extremely effective.
Also if you can't get away from showing a face, then Imho stay away from expression sets, or at least the ones that don't let you separate the top half of the face from the lower half. I've found that most expression sets are simply too exaggerated, and the effects differ widely across models so that you never know what to expect. Dial in your emotions manually.
The other thing I've noticed that diminishes the realism of a render is hair. Getting hair to look good is really one of those things that could be a chapter in a book on Daz3d. Make sure the hair you choose has the ability to come close to matching what your character is doing. Lots of renders look great, but the hair of the character is defying the phyics of the scene (that or the character is using a lot of mousse). A lot of hairs in the Daz store look great if your character is just standing around posing, but if they are doing actions, or even lying down for that matter, you have to choose an appropriate hair that can morph to suit that position.
This is why I've really started to use the shorter hair styles even more in my work.
All right. I'm going to actually post it in my Art Studio thread as a better future reference when I go off on a tear again.
Woohoo! Found it!
I had actually given up after trying all the options except for the one I thought it obviously wouldn't be in the "Base" settings .... 02. Foreground Color. Then while sitting waiting on a render I thought "Dummy, you really should try the foreground color, even if the text I want to change isn't what I'd consider foreground, I didn't program it, so who knows what it is really referring to." Well, it worked. It made all the text brighter, not just the "inactive" categories, but all the text. Evidentially the apparent difference in color (gray), it's how "bold" the text is, not an actual difference in the color.
Yep, learn something new every day, whether you want to or not.
to TS 3 years later ;)
you can start by adjusting the tranlucency weight for the skin on your models.
90% of the models i see in the renderers are way too dark and looks pasted into the enviroment.
and to make them less cartoonish looking reduce the glossiness alot.
you need to adjust tranlucency weight so the carcter blends into the enviroment better.
usually you want an low setting around 0.1 compared to 0.5 or higher that is default for most skins.
the first renderer is not from an canvas but use canvases as they give richer colors with higher dynamic range (32bit vs 8bit for an normal renderer) and you also have totalt control over the lights in the scene.
As for rendering settings allways use spectral rendering natural or faitful.
bump up texture compression to 4096 both for min and max if you have an GPU with atleast 8gb ram.
increase resolution for all objects in the scene if you have enough Ram. (32gb as min)
subdivision level at min 3
for base resolution objects you need to turn on "show hidden properties" so you can change it
for high resolution objects you can just change it right away.
the G8F on the second renderer here have subdivision level at 4.
someone mentioned that eyes doesnt look alive.
they sure dont with the default settings
it takes some adjustments to the eye surfaces and also a special light that gives them that realistic depth and reflection. (renderer two here)