Novica & Forum Members Tips & Product Reviews Pt 11

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  • L'AdairL'Adair Posts: 9,479
    Novica said:

    BTW, before we get too deep into the PC+ sale, I'd like to take a moment and thank all the talented PAs for their discounts in the PA sale. I know we get spoiled with 60%, 70% etc off, but new products at 50% were much appreciated too. The quality and variety of the products was excellent.  Thank you! 

    +1

    It's pretty easy to get all caught up in the technical aspects of the sale, and complain about this and that not working as advertised, but that isn't a reflection of the PAs or their wonderful work.

    Thank you, @Novica, for reminding us of the best part of the PA Festival.

    And thank you, PAs, for submitting new products for the sale, even though you know how much the products are going to be discounted. Your dedication and generosity is greatly appreciated.

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

    There was indeed a good selection to start things off with.  I have probably 95% of it but I did go ahead and pick up the annual pc+ membership today to extend what I already have since its up in December. (I'm secretly glad that I have most of it, as I am trying to stop spending money!)

  • L'AdairL'Adair Posts: 9,479

    Just a quick heads up. Don't overlook the section "PC+ FOR THE DAY" … There are seven products at $1.99 each that aren't PC+. (I had to open in a new private window to see them all.) Along with the six DOs, older content, there is one G8F character from Lyoness, Marika HD for G8F, that was released July'18.

    The adcopy says today only, so it's very likely these won't be available for $1.99 tomorrow.

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548
    edited October 2018

    I thought I would give a quick mention, I am doing a webinar on postwork with Digital Art Live on November 4th.  I'm super excited and a wee bit terrified lol.  I will be deconstructing at least 8-10 images and showing exactly how I got from point a to point b.  The information on the webinar is on my art thread . 

    Also a quick reminder that RGcincy's webinar is on dforce is coming up quickly.

    Post edited by IceDragonArt on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited October 2018

    @icedragonart  Congrats on the webinar!  Teaching and training were my professions and it's a LOT of preparation work. I know it will go off without a hitch :) 

    @ladair   Glad you mentioned that, somehow I had skipped it. The character is the only thing I don't have. 

    Post edited by Novica on
  • LyonessLyoness Posts: 1,606

    Yep, only for one day!

  • Cris PalominoCris Palomino Posts: 11,142
    edited October 2018

    Hey, guys, we want to make all of you aware that we have created a "Platinum Club Sale - Issues Report Threadto help us monitor for problems related to PC sale problems. Please direct people to this thread so we don't miss them. Be sure to carefully read the first post for what and how to report. We want this sale to be enjoyable for everyone. Help us help you.

    Post edited by Cris Palomino on
  • RGcincyRGcincy Posts: 2,805

    I thought I would give a quick mention, I am doing a webinar on postwork with Digital Art Live on November 4th.  I'm super excited and a wee bit terrified lol.  I will be deconstructing at least 8-10 images and showing exactly how I got from point a to point b.  The information on the webinar is on my art thread . 

    Also a quick reminder that RGcincy's webinar is on dforce is coming up quickly.

    Good luck Sonja! I was working on mine today - mostly done but doing fine tuning.

  • gitika1gitika1 Posts: 948

    As a newbie, I think the first day was a great kick off.  I have no interest in the horror theme, but was content to pick-up the freebies, the anniversary package, and then run the BYOB twice.  Now if the DIM wasn't so slow downloading it all ... cheeky

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548
    RGcincy said:

    I thought I would give a quick mention, I am doing a webinar on postwork with Digital Art Live on November 4th.  I'm super excited and a wee bit terrified lol.  I will be deconstructing at least 8-10 images and showing exactly how I got from point a to point b.  The information on the webinar is on my art thread . 

    Also a quick reminder that RGcincy's webinar is on dforce is coming up quickly.

    Good luck Sonja! I was working on mine today - mostly done but doing fine tuning.

    That's awesome!  I'm hoping to be able to attend yours, depends a great deal on when my husband gets paid (he is self employed).  Ive got a good working draft at the moment, need to fine tune it and run through it a couple times yet and dig out the resource links I will be sharing. 

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548
    gitika1 said:

    As a newbie, I think the first day was a great kick off.  I have no interest in the horror theme, but was content to pick-up the freebies, the anniversary package, and then run the BYOB twice.  Now if the DIM wasn't so slow downloading it all ... cheeky

    Welcome!  I remember my first pc+ sale three years ago.  It was soooo much fun and wow, did i get a lot of stuff lol.

  • gitika1gitika1 Posts: 948
    Novica said:

    @jakiblue   I sent you a PM with some of the 80% off items, in case any of those appeal to you. I haven't checked lately to see if those are still the prices though, it was about three hours ago when I shopped. :) 

    Wow!  You shop at hours that are precious sleep for me.  If you can to share and pm, I am always open to look when I  get up.  The alarm goes off about two hours after your shopping time. =P  

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited October 2018

    My sleep pattern varies widely, depending on the animation I'm learning for my son with Mojo 12 Pro. I won't be up too late after the store turns over tonight  :)  If you want the good prices, you (most of the time) have to catch it when the store changes over as they adjust any glitches then. I did send a PM to you, but the prices may have changed. I haven't been online in the store :) 

    @crispalomino     I saw that thread, it's an excellent idea. :) 

    Post edited by Novica on
  • jakibluejakiblue Posts: 7,281

    Did anyone buy the "My Little Pond"? https://www.daz3d.com/my-little-pond

    I'm a sucker for anything with water for iray and I'm curious what thoughts are for those who have it. I'm unfamiliar with the vendor. 

  • L'AdairL'Adair Posts: 9,479

    Hey, guys, we want to make all of you aware that we have created a "Platinum Club Sale - Issues Report Threadto help us monitor for problems related to PC sale problems. Please direct people to this thread so we don't miss them. Be sure to carefully read the first post for what and how to report. We want this sale to be enjoyable for everyone. Help us help you.

    The Issues Report Thread has been merged with another, and the link has changed. Here's the new link.

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548
    jakiblue said:

    Did anyone buy the "My Little Pond"? https://www.daz3d.com/my-little-pond

    I'm a sucker for anything with water for iray and I'm curious what thoughts are for those who have it. I'm unfamiliar with the vendor. 

    I do promos for this vendor, his stuff is usually very good.  I didn't do promos for this one as I was on vacation but I've got a ton of stuff by him. 

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859

    Found a gallery render that is really fun, has very nice lighting on a diamond. Take a peek, give it some love with a Like if you do. What's not to like about a huge diamond LOL? 
    Another render with nice lighting, candlelight is always so much fun and looks so nice. 

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859

    Another image  in the gallery, which really shows the elasticity morphs (facial) by @xmasrose   and some lovely GREEN hair. Deserves more love because it's really cute and funny. 

  • barbultbarbult Posts: 23,049
    Novica said:

    Another image  in the gallery, which really shows the elasticity morphs (facial) by @xmasrose   and some lovely GREEN hair. Deserves more love because it's really cute and funny. 

    That is great!! I love it.
  • Thank you Novica and barbult. The two other images are really beautiful.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859

    So Vladamir is the next character. They accidentally released the link, it's in the commons and has a thread of its own. Look before they take him down.Releasing him tomorrow. 

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited October 2018

    The discounts are crazy. A cart that is 86% off overall. And that's using up gift card funds that were 24% off. DIM is going to be really busy, so I'm downloading now while it's 3am in the States. (And headed back to bed.) 

    Post edited by Novica on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859

    I'm getting weird translucency (or something!) with Walker on his ears. I'll render it and show you. They glow almost neon pink. Anyone else render him yet?

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited October 2018

    Walker HD for Vladamir 8         dForce Medieval Villager Outfit (Gen8M)          MRL Buzz Cut Hair/Stubble/Scars (Gen8/3M)            iRadiance- HDRI Variety Pack Three         
                               Reed Plants for Daz Studio/Iray

    If you want to add plants to an HDRI background, keep Martin J Frost in mind. He's got a nice variety, and there's quite a few which will work in woods. You may need to go into Surfaces and get them a bit rustic, aka add more rust or gray to reduce vibrant greens. (However note this woods has vibrant greens. Those are NOT Martin's plants.) 

    The tunic has beautiful detail, see the next render for a closer look at the top. 

    A gripe- vendors need to NAME THEIR PRODUCTS the same for the files, as the products. I usually don't bother showcasing those who don't because I don't waste my time searching for them. The iRadiance variety pack isn't called that in your studio. It's under Light Presets>Dimension Theory>RealWorldHDR

    There was glowing red for Walker's ears, shown out of the box and with postwork. I also lightened it a bit, sharpened, increased midtones, etc. That's just personal preference. 

    TIP: to soften where feet intersect with a background which isn't really there: if in the forest, first do a size 6-10 brush on opacity 80% or so, and lightly brush along the shoeline where it contacts the forest floor. This softens it a bit. Then use a color picker and choose some stems and leaves, and color them in to overlap the shoe. Compare the before and after feet- look close! And if I hadn't told you about it, you wouldn't have zeroed in on the feet- which is the exact thing I want you to avoid.  You can open each in a window, then click to enlarge between the feet and you'll zoom in on the feet area to easily see the leaves/clutter added for the feet and how softening their outline really helps them blend more with the floor.

    After Postwork (note the feet and ears)    Click to enlarge, click again

    Original   OMGosh THOSE EARS!  Note how "harsh" the feet are against the "ground." No overlap of the floor leaves and clutter.  Click to enlarge, click again.

    Walker MRLBuzzCut MedievalVillTunic2.png
    800 x 1000 - 2M
    Walker MRLBuzzCut MedievalVillTunic.png
    800 x 1000 - 2M
    Post edited by Novica on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited October 2018

    Walker HD for Vladamir 8         dForce Medieval Villager Outfit (Gen8M)          MRL Buzz Cut Hair/Stubble/Scars (Gen8/3M)          
    Yep, just tested Walker under different lights, the trusted Dumor Apocalyptic Outdoor Plant lights I really like, and the ears still have that pink translucency that is a bit more noticeable. (Click to enlarge and you'll see it MUCH better. The color is being taken out of the ones in the posts.)  Rendering it now and will post here in a couple minutes. (Love the Titan laptop, the renders are taking about 2-4 minutes for portraits, and 8-12 minutes for HDRI background scenes with added props.

    I'm headed to bed but wanted to share some of today's offerings before I got offline. Back later this afternoon. Anyone else rendering Walker, I'd love to see him in different lighting to see about those ears.  Happy Shopping! 

    Click to enlarge, click again. 

     

    Walker MRLBuzzCut MedievalVillTunic3.png
    800 x 1000 - 1M
    Post edited by Novica on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,859
    edited October 2018

    Okay, this is why I hate doing quickie renders before I am trying to get offline. What the heck is up with Eibhear's chest?  The man has dark bushy brows and stubble, but this chest (if that is hair) belongs to an advanced age dude. IF that is hair? No postwork- no contrast, sharpening, nada. Straight out of the box with trusted Pro-Studio lighting (number 20)   I love this vendor's males, but this is funky to me. 

    Btw, that's Osher Hair. He looks great with it.

    And I tried using the basic simulation setting for Blacksmith for the apron, and it exploded. I don't do anything with dForce other than the default, so that's probably on me, but I also got an error when I tried to do the shirt too. I'm not in a mindset to mess with it. He was in a simple sitting pose. I had just used dForce on Walker without isues, for that medieval outfit. Anyone done Blacksmith?

     

    Eibhear Osher Hair.png
    800 x 1000 - 1M
    Post edited by Novica on
  • Carola OCarola O Posts: 3,818

    Looks more like some sort of veins, but still odd. Also, not sure what it is but there is a odd line over his throat too, it could be shadows or something but don't think it is

  • SimonJMSimonJM Posts: 5,942
    Carola O said:

    Looks more like some sort of veins, but still odd. Also, not sure what it is but there is a odd line over his throat too, it could be shadows or something but don't think it is

    I can definitely see some veins, but ... around the pecs it looks very much like it has bump/normal/displacment effect of chest hairs, but set to the 'basic' skin texture instead of a separate hair colour/texture.

  • L'AdairL'Adair Posts: 9,479
    Novica said:

    Issues aside, his face in this image reminds me of Leonard Nimoy's Spock, from the series, not the movies, I'm sure the lighting helps that a lot, but his eyes and his lips… All he needs is a blue, polyester knit, uniform top!

  • nonesuch00nonesuch00 Posts: 17,890
    Novica said:

    Walker HD for Vladamir 8         dForce Medieval Villager Outfit (Gen8M)          MRL Buzz Cut Hair/Stubble/Scars (Gen8/3M)          
    Yep, just tested Walker under different lights, the trusted Dumor Apocalyptic Outdoor Plant lights I really like, and the ears still have that pink translucency that is a bit more noticeable. (Click to enlarge and you'll see it MUCH better. The color is being taken out of the ones in the posts.)  Rendering it now and will post here in a couple minutes. (Love the Titan laptop, the renders are taking about 2-4 minutes for portraits, and 8-12 minutes for HDRI background scenes with added props.

    I'm headed to bed but wanted to share some of today's offerings before I got offline. Back later this afternoon. Anyone else rendering Walker, I'd love to see him in different lighting to see about those ears.  Happy Shopping! 

    Click to enlarge, click again. 

     

    That's normal in my family & many others to have ears that are that opaque but it's dependant on lighting and is not just an artificial situation of studio portrait lighting as some might think. A neon pink / neon red glow is a good description of the result.

    I like the character and it is a good competitor to the Edward 8 Pro Bundle. I wonder if Alexandra 8 will have a competitor? However, I'm not a fan that the adding two other associated New pro bundle addons does not result in a bigger discount. Regardless, the only remaiing 'have to' in the Genesis 8 cycle for me is the Guy 8 Pro Bundle and it's looking more and more the case they aren't going to do a Guy 8 Pro Bundle.

This discussion has been closed.