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
© 2025 Daz Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Comments
I see DAZ figures as posing models/actors, not souless mannequins, but something on the lines of "Westworld" for artists :)
When I started two years ago, I had a crush on G2F base. It sort of faded away with the tons of characters I own now (evident dazoholic here), but it was very important to get me hooked on Iray, seeing how artistically valid her glances seemed on "camera", even for the total noob I was then.
Almost always characters, and often recurring ones. Sometimes I do one-offs, but the process of composition and naming the file means a character gets attached. I DO use stock morphs quite a bit but that doesn't stop me from making up stories about them.
When I'm first testing out a new character to see how they render, they are just models. Once I have an idea in my head of how they'll look, I start making up stories and before you know it, they are full-fledged characters with backgrounds and backstories and I can see them as unique characters. That moment between when they are models and when they turn into characters for me is different with each one depending on if I already have an idea for the model or not, what outfits I'm trying on them, what hair I think fits them as they develop into real characters.
With some, I can play around for a few weeks before I know who they are. With others, I can see them immediately and I know exactly who and what they are to me. That recently happened with one of @DarwinsMishap's characters. The first time I saw him, I knew what I wanted to do with him and it was totally different than any of his promos but that model just clicked with me and I knew before I even bought him who he was to me and I had a glimmer of what his backstory was going to be. I didn't even change anything about him. He was perfect as is. Which is rare for me because I really can't resist tweaking morphs and making the models my own.
It depends on the render. Sometimes the scene starts from a story idea, so the figure becomes a character in that story. Sometimes the scene starts from "hey I feel like doing a render with that set / that item / a certain type of character / ..." so the character is more like a model, but a story may develop as the scene is built.
I mostly do one-shot renders, though, not groups of renders which would belong to the same story.
This is... pretty close to what I expected. I will say, to the character vendors, I'd love to hear some of the stories behind your favorite and/or best selling characters sometime.
I started in 3D art as a means of making RPG character art too, so I'm sure that informs why I think of them as I do. I'm not at all surprised to see that most (non-character) vendors tend to see the figures as models. :)
3D asset in the planning stage.
Once things come together, they become characters, I find that when that happens the renders turn out better. I get better results from the story being told - when the story exists.
I think of them as characters, that exist in the story I want to tell.
Mine are characters, they got their own ideas of what goes, though some of them went into modelling ;)
I've used the same characters from V4 through to G8, some for over 7 years. They have their stories, personalities, relationships and moral compass.
Mostly characters. Generally, if the main subject is a person, they are a character with at least a rudimentary background. I have at least some idea of a backstory (why are they there, what is their motivation, etc.). For some, I have detailed backgrounds, although those are usually characters from stories/games I have written. With a couple of exceptions, all my characters are heavily customized using the various morph packages until I get the look I want that fits with the backstory.
Supporting cast, as it were, is less defined and could be seen as models. Like if I need a store clerk, or random police officer I'll just grab a M7, or V6 or whatever, dress them, and drop them in the background.
Mine are characters without story yet.
I still discover and test the Daz Studio possibilities and my computer is not able to render a scene with more than 2 characters at a time.
I think of them as characters during creation, and sometimes I remember that they are only empty envelopes.
That pretty much nails it. I am close to talk to my Roxy character. Havn't done it yet, but it's not that far. I have a clear idea of her character. She is some kind of an adult kinky Pippi Longstocking, just blond.
All my images; at least those that I release to be viewed, start with a story first. Usually it's just a paragraph in my head. The longer I work on that image, the more fleshed-out the storyline becomes. I will usually choose my characters from my dazaholic vaults based on how they contribute to my tale. So, yeah, characters, though some are "hired" simply as extras in the production. Since that seems to be the general consensus (at least with those who commented) I can imagine that D|S has become somewhat of a story-telling tool rather than simply a digital drawing mannequin.
Most of the time, characters, definitely; actually, I generally use Daz to visualize people and scenes from the stories I create, so nearly each of them has his/her personality and background story, to me. A couple of times, I created character for my friends RPGs. That's also why I invest in stock morphs packages: to be able to tweek the models to make them as nearest as possibile to the character in my mind. When I buy a new model, it's often already thinking of the specific kind of character I need it for - well, it can also happen that I just like his look and think it would be pleasing having some his image hanging around
.
Each render, other than tests or demos, begins with a story of some sort in my head. The story might be simple or more complex, but the story dictates what elements go into the scene, including characters. Once I have everything more or less fleshed out in my mind, I begin assembling the required pieces and placing them into the scene. The characters do not necessarily have names or complicated back stories, but they are not generic or random either. For example, "I want this character to be the timid, shy character who trys to be an unobtrusive observer". What they actually look like is what happens to come to mind: short, tall, thin, stocky, attractive, plain, hair colour, etc.