Novica & Serene Night's Renders, Tips, Tutorials & Product Reviews Part 1

Serene Night · August 2013

I am a sucker for cute furry critters especially if they are dog-like since I'm a dog person.

Here's one that I really like:

WARHOUND

http://www.daz3d.com/warhound

by Predatron

Yeah, it is true he's intended to be an orc/goblin mount, but he has lots of sci-fi application as a cool sci-fi pet, especially if you reduce his scale. I think his hair is particularly nice and he has a really great tongue. Of course he looks darn good as well in a fantasy application for which he is intended, but as folks know, I tend to skew sci-fi. =-)

He comes with a few eye color options and hair colors, a harness, 6 poses. I wish there were more poses or a pose set, for him and a 'baby morph, because, you could really make him really cute then.

Oh, and I just discovered his snarl, and that is really cool.

Renders 1 and 2 are just done using Junyard Daytime lights. Render number 3 is Predatron's DS lights number 7

Serene Night · August 2013

Stonemason has a nice new set out:

http://www.daz3d.com/desert-outpost

Desert Outpost looks great.

Also Hot Cabana Wear

http://www.daz3d.com/hot-cabana-wear

Is in the 50% off sale. (Rendered Gorgeously by Novica earlier in the thread.

One thing I'm concerned about- is usually the pa sale means a store goes on sale at 50%. Now it looks like you have to buy multiple items to trigger this. I am wondering if this is the new pa sale or something different. It isn't quite Sept 1.

raindrop_1ff71f4538 · August 2013

Yep, that warhound is kinda cute and cuddly. I think it's the tongue that does it!

Novica · August 2013

SereneNight said:

One thing I'm concerned about- is usually the pa sale means a store goes on sale at 50%. Now it looks like you have to buy multiple items to trigger this. I am wondering if this is the new pa sale or something different. It isn't quite Sept 1.

That does seem to be their new marketing trend, doesn't it? I had six or seven of Stonemason's in my cart, took out three for a couple reasons-
1. they usually offer all stores again at the end "in case you missed it" with these type of sales. No guarantee though.
2. this is only the first set of PA's, I am going to spread out what I spend, and also because....
3. ...don't forget about the big sales in Nov and Dec where things are 50-70% off. If I'm not going to use a set right away, I'll wait.

I am only buying now at 50% because I need to spread out my spending. I can't spend it ALL Nov-Dec because I don't "save up" well, lol.

Right now I know I"m purchasing
Worlds Of Fantasy : Island Castle
CamBot THIS IS YOUR FAULT SERENE NIGHT!!!!
Winter Terrains For DAZ Studio (to use as outside a window, or for distance. You don't have to do winter shots!)
Sky Deck
and my big wishlist item- Streets Of The Mediterranean (so you know some previews of THAT are coming!)

Sector 15, Utopia Deck C are wishlisted.

I'm getting this, and I want you to take a look at http://www.daz3d.com/skydeck You know it's fun to think outside the box? I'm eventually doing this for you to see, so I'll share now what you can do with this in case you want to try this too and get it on sale now.

I T CAN DOUBLE AS A FUTURISTIC HOME. Bring up a plane or simply change the surfaces of the "landing area" and you have a great outdoors balcony of a futuristic apartment building. Add potted plants and deck chairs, voila. For some camera angles, you don't even need to change the floor! Go look at the thumbnails- love that door area!

Novica · August 2013

Raindrop Drinkwater said:
Yep, that warhound is kinda cute and cuddly. I think it's the tongue that does it!

That was the first thing I noticed too! SereneNight, you are rapidly increasing my wishlist.That last render did me in. I agree- the hair really fits the crittter- very unique too.

Novica · August 2013

The forum is turning the order around again so no guarantee you'll get the "pan around" effect. If you put your mouse over the image, you'll see they are numbered though. Coming up- I think one of my favorite areas is that dining set under the tiki type roof, I'll be showing you the table top.

Novica · August 2013

Okay, that tiki hut thing and the table top. First, look at the previous pictures. I'm going to go INSIDE that room that has the stairs leading up to it in the third picture. The rooms are a nice size, (lengthwise, this one is narrow) the floors would make nice backdrops, lots of windows so far.

Serene Night · August 2013

Raindrop Drinkwater said:
Yep, that warhound is kinda cute and cuddly. I think it's the tongue that does it!

He really is. Doesn't look vicious to me at all. =) Do wish there were a couple more poses since he only has six, but he's awesome.

Serene Night · August 2013

Novica said:
Atmopsheric Effects Cameras For DAZ Studio
http://www.daz3d.com/atmospheric-effects-cameras-for-daz-studio
When I was doing BRC Empathy I had tested fog from this product and was considering using it on the woods, then decided to just keep it simple to showcase the dappled tree effects from Easy Shadows. But while this is loaded up, decided to show you the "Colorize" option from the Atmospheric Effects product. Again, you use the Parameters tab just like you would other lights to adjust the brightness, etc, and just be sure you are looking through the Color Camera or your render won't change color.

A very fast way to get that sepia, monochrome vintage look or set the tone fast. Remember you can also colorize the fog option, but this keeps all the crispness of detail without hazing anything out. I found the Saturation should be really low if you're using medium or dark colors, it doesn't take much. And boy do I mean LOW. I am finding that to do the richer colors, I'm at 3% saturation, and that is with lightening the colors up so much I am losing the gray/brown input. I'm having to take the slider bar in the color chart WAAAAY up to almost the top, and in the color square, going way down to the bottom. So less is more.

So this is 209 / 198 / 154. It's with 3% saturation. One side of her was a lot darker, too- so with evenly lit scenes you'll be able to use more saturation. I tested about 10 colors for you to get a good sepia-type, and this one got the results that I found most pleasing.

I've included another sample (more mauve/rose) at 2% and want you to take a look at the eye that was on the shadowed side. You can barely see it. So just be aware you'll really get darker renders (which can be a neat tool) with anything in shadow.

If you have any colorized renders (from this product or others) feel free to share :)

I wanted to comment on this render. It looks really professionally done. I've seen book covers with artwork like this. Good show. I may end up getting Ariadne afterall. =-) I really like the different tones and the sepia shading.

Novica · August 2013

Going to wrap up the Hacienda Hermosa with these renders.
And no I haven't forgotten about the art studio transformation- the forums have bee scrambling the images and I can NOT do a tutorial that is out of order. We'll see how the images do tomorrow- it's worse at night :) I haven't forgotten.

One major thing about Hacienda Hermosa- you will be AMAZED at how fast the sets render. So if you need some backgrounds/a set that loads fast, consider this gem. Each and every one of these took no more than eight to ten minutes- at that's the large sizes of 1900 x 2000 or so. And the light presets are okay, I would add some off to the side lighting to create a bit more drama but that's just my style.

Okay, below is backing the camera out more, and exiting to the REAR of that room. In other words, everything you've see previously is in front of this section.

Novica · August 2013

Ariadne was quite a surprise to me. The makeup options can make her quite a force to be reckoned with, she has wonderful bone structure and penetrating eyes. Morphing her would get you quite the variety. I would definitely say you'd be pleased with her in your morph pool or as the character "as is." I'll do a renders and turn her around so you can get a better feel.

Novica · August 2013

Of course, today's artist sales have some more of my favs. One thing I have learned is to get the hair colors even if I dont have the hair, because sure enough, the hair will go on sale the next day or within a few days. That has happened to me so often that I started grabbing the colors from hair on my wishlist, and it paid off. I don't have Forest Princess Hair Or Moonsong, but got the ToXic anyway. I can wait it out. The ToXics are in Countess store.

The AntFarm Store
BTW, Shantytown Prop set- that flying debris would be good for explosions, and that clothesline good for if you need a strung rope. (Just hide the posts out of the camera view.) http://www.daz3d.com/shanty-town-prop-set

http://www.daz3d.com/killzones-the-apartment When working on the list of unusual items for the Prop Stop, these gained my attention. Take out food cartons and shell casings- unusual finds. And the price? Well!

I LOVE all the "Never" series from AntFarm. I have them all. Nice props, nice detail :)

Hey SereneNight!!! http://www.daz3d.com/with-the-fishes Heads up if you want a sandy bottom for your ocean renders, barnacles, and kelp!

Novica · August 2013

http://www.daz3d.com/scuttlebot is another bot to consider. I'm getting it- has 3 joints in the leg for easy posing.

http://www.daz3d.com/bog-flea Remember the Bog Flea I rendered with the ninja riding him? He make a really easy transport, it's easy to pose people on him.

http://www.daz3d.com/rt-invaders Cheap. And think playing around with lights, Atmospheric Effects cameras, fog....

http://www.daz3d.com/seabee Just because. It's a plump little plane and I like the cockpit. It's CUTE! You can pose the throttle, etc.

http://www.daz3d.com/point-of-impact $2.73, 66% off (Hmmmm? See below!

http://www.daz3d.com/sci-fi-sets-and-vehicles-bundle $14.73 66% off (add up the ones you don't have though, may be cheaper to just get individually)

http://www.daz3d.com/pd-cruiser 66% off. What's going on? Okay, at 2:30am there are quite a few items now showing 66% in AntFarm's store. There is nothing in the Hot Promotions, or on the website, or in my email stating there is a 66% off. It's supposed to be up to 50%, So, be sure and check out AntFarms as there are other 66% as well.

Novica · August 2013

Ariadne

It's very hard sometimes when you look at promos to see all the potential of morphing the figures. I look at the noses and imagine them shorter, the eyes bigger if they are squinty (like Ariadne), the eyes at a different angle, and everything resized. This is Ariadne from the promos, and my Ariadne (for SereneNight to see different angles.) I really was surprised, I had not looked at the original since the night I bought it, so I wasn't remembering that Ariadne at all.

This is my light setup from scratch. I'm pleased, it showcases her nicely. So keep in mind what you can do with Ariadne.

Novica · August 2013

I've also given my Ariadne a name, I can't keep calling her Ariadne- she's totally different. I wanted something with a no-nonsense flavor, and a name that could have a short nickname (used by only her best of friends of course.) Meet "Pax." This is my favorite shot of the three.

Novica · August 2013

I sure hope you're shopping because there are several stores that have quite a few of the 66% off. These are a few of them. I can't find this as advertised anywhere. The bundles seem to be on sale too, so you might want to head to that section. You'll see bundles in these groups (and more.)
http://www.daz3d.com/shop-by-vendor Is the vendor page- you should just start through them, that's how I found these.

http://www.daz3d.com/val3dart
http://www.daz3d.com/bobbie25
http://www.daz3d.com/sarsa

EDIT: ALSO- these have a few
http://www.daz3d.com/propschick
http://www.daz3d.com/lourdes

starionwolf · August 2013

i'm almost broke because i spent most of my allowance on the Dream Home items. lol Thanks for posting the news though. Did the Published Artist sale start early? Maybe I didn't see the email about the 66% off sale.

edit: I think the sale is part of the Artist Festival. Maybe?

anikad · August 2013

The 66% off sale is likely a glitch and it seems to be working more for pc members from what I can tell.

starionwolf · August 2013

Yeah, I just noticed that Val3dart's items are not 66% off any more.

Novica · August 2013

starionwolf said:
i'm almost broke because i spent most of my allowance on the Dream Home items. lol Thanks for posting the news though. Did the Published Artist sale start early? Maybe I didn't see the email about the 66% off sale.
edit: I think the sale is part of the Artist Festival. Maybe?

Hi, sorry it took so long to reply, I'm "off schedule" at the moment- went to bed at 9am so been sleeping during the day. This sale hasn't been announced that I can find. I'm surfing now and will just post things that I find to be a good deal :) I have to post this NOW even though I'm not done- look at the ones in bold/color!!!
EDIT: I AM A PC MEMBER SO THESE MAY OR MAY NOT BE PC ONLY

I've checked LANDSCAPES category. Here's from that section:
http://www.daz3d.com/landscapes/cyngen-epic-dragon-s-tower 80%
http://www.daz3d.com/landscapes/warzone 50%

CITYSCAPES AND BUILDINGS EDIT: Category Done
http://www.daz3d.com/cityscapes-buildings/aslan-court-2 82%
http://www.daz3d.com/cityscapes-buildings/vignettes-for-poolside 73%
http://www.daz3d.com/cityscapes-buildings/dubious-pub 82%
http://www.daz3d.com/cityscapes-buildings/moonshine-s-diner 82%
http://www.daz3d.com/cityscapes-buildings/the-central-district-subway 65%
http://www.daz3d.com/cityscapes-buildings/fantasy-castle-2011-castle-keep-2 70%

http://www.daz3d.com/cityscapes-buildings/dark-places-back-alley-2k9 51%

Serene Night · August 2013

SCIFI INTERIOR. by Souless Empathy
http://www.daz3d.com/scifi-interior

This is a stunning environment I picked up recently by Souless Empathy. It has a number of nice areas suitable for posing your alien characters and some pretty interesting built in lights, for daz and poser.

The alien tech looks really mysterious, it comes with a bed (which raises and lowers), a chair, two corridors and a number of interesting wall props including an ocular scanner (I haven't rendered that, maybe later) I feel the panels and environment are particularly realistic and don't look blocky or toony. You can easily use different sections of this large environment to make multiple scenes for your sci-fi characters.

The built in light sets are also fun. There are two. One orange. One purple. Adding a point light above the head of the alien abductee gives the illusion that there is a light shining in his face. Both lights are quite interesting and produce a number of cool looks.

My only negative, was I found it really hard to load on my rig. Oddly, once I loaded it and saved it, I loaded the saved the saves file just fine. Let me know if anyone else has this problem, it might warrant a work request.

This is a nice addition to your runtime, and a great place to show off your sci-fi aliens and bots.

1. What I call the 'tank room' Lights are built in Orange
2. The corridor Orange Lights
3. Alien abductee in the 'sickbay' Purple lights with one extra point over the face.

Serene Night · August 2013

Novica said:
Of course, today's artist sales have some more of my favs. One thing I have learned is to get the hair colors even if I dont have the hair, because sure enough, the hair will go on sale the next day or within a few days. That has happened to me so often that I started grabbing the colors from hair on my wishlist, and it paid off. I don't have Forest Princess Hair Or Moonsong, but got the ToXic anyway. I can wait it out. The ToXics are in Countess store.
The AntFarm Store
BTW, Shantytown Prop set- that flying debris would be good for explosions, and that clothesline good for if you need a strung rope. (Just hide the posts out of the camera view.) http://www.daz3d.com/shanty-town-prop-set

http://www.daz3d.com/killzones-the-apartment When working on the list of unusual items for the Prop Stop, these gained my attention. Take out food cartons and shell casings- unusual finds. And the price? Well!

I LOVE all the "Never" series from AntFarm. I have them all. Nice props, nice detail :)

Hey SereneNight!!! http://www.daz3d.com/with-the-fishes Heads up if you want a sandy bottom for your ocean renders, barnacles, and kelp!

Thank for the recs and a look at ariadne. Very cool. You do nice things with that character. I have wislisted with the fishes. You are right some nice ocean effects can be achieved with that prop set. you can never have enough ground props especially nice ones. Glad you picked cambot. He's cool I also am curious to see your sci fi bungalow you make out of the stonemason set.

Novica · August 2013

SciFi Interior seems to give you some unique options, aka the examining table with a lot of space around it. I mean, if you're going to have someone on the table, give them room to congregate and do what they need to do! (Not sure I'd want THAT group "doing their thing" though.) I like the blue circle thingie in the hallway too. I did notice the occular scanner in the promos, that looks interesting.

I'm working on Village Courtyard.

Novica · September 2013

Well, I learned something new. Which is good, considering I have a lot of Flipmode's sets with skyboxes. Great stuff in the sale today! Read here and see what skyboxes look like, and each of Flipmodes are discussed. I found it very interesting. Added The Rock to my cart, now I have to find 2 more things, lol.

http://flipmode3d.com/easy-environments/

Novica · September 2013

Oh boy, some really great stuff on sale. Flipmode's Roman Bath and Alien Cave, both have been featured here (remember the ninja testing the dark figure scene, that was moved to a bright scene? That was Roman Bath.) Roman Bath set is big and you get nice benches, pots, and LOTS of wall hangings. Alien Cave is the one I did with Amun-Raw (the mummy)

http://www.daz3d.com/planetarium is one I never noticed before- look at the promos and what you can do with it. Good backdrops for other scenes.

And of course, Caitlyn and Sofia are on sale with Artemis3D. Caitlyn is my Cassini base. Gorgeous- renders well in all types of lighting.

I did double check the math on the cart, and it is performing properly.
Village Courtyard is STILL rendering.

Novica · September 2013

I have activated Thread 2 as we can not go past 100 pages with the thread. Any new renders will be on that thread, I have posted the first Village Courtyard there. With 28,100 views, I'd like to thank everyone for surfing in, and in particular, helping out when I got stuck on a product. I still giggle at the V5 ponytail without any hair. Will never select smooth edges again for interpolation- that got me a skull cap and nothing else! We'll continue to have fun on thread 2 and as you can already tell, we have a SciFi artist bringing a wealth of information to the thread with Serene Night, and I really appreciate her sharing her lighting information with you too.

We'll continue to post about the PA sales events here, if there's anything either of us have that we've experimented with and can recommend- but otherwise, hop over to the new thread (same title, just says part 2.
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/28138/

It was a good time to open the thread, September 1st. First day of a new month. See you on the other thread- if you see a post here, check it out too as we will go the full 100 pages. This PA sale has some good items- but finding 3 things to buy all at once may get challenging. Post any good deals you find :)

Jaderail · September 2013

This tread would have been closed at the proper time for you and any posts that rolled over would have created a new thread for you. It's sort of my job to do those things.

Novica · September 2013

I know :) I needed to get it setup anyway as Serene Night and I are doing renders and didn't want them at the end of a soon to be inactive thread so far as posting. This one will go the full 100 pages but just not with renders.

Jaderail · September 2013

Ah got it.

Serene Night · September 2013

The nice swimming suit Novica reviewed earlier with the lovely textures she customized herself: Hot Cabana wear is on sale now for 66% off

http://www.daz3d.com/hot-cabana-wear

So is Clown, if you subscribe to the other thread, I reviewed it there. =-)

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Novica & Serene Night's Renders, Tips, Tutorials & Product Reviews Part 1

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