Guides to Daz Studio

anikadanikad Posts: 1,919
edited December 1969 in The Commons

Does anyone know of any guides to Daz Studio other than the official guide: figures, characters and avatars? Thanks. I've got a couple of Dreamlight's videos but I really prefer reading and I'm not a fan of the unfinished wiki.

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Comments

  • Zig ZagZig Zag Posts: 96
    edited December 1969

    Your best bet are tutorials posted by users here in the forums. Daz's documentation is terrible.

    A good start is here:

    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/28138/#418498

  • Kevin RyeKevin Rye Posts: 392
    edited December 1969

    Don't forget YouTube, as terrible as the site is. There's no shortage of videos posted by users on how to do "stuff".

  • riftwitchriftwitch Posts: 1,404
    edited October 2013

    This book just came out: link removed by mod to adhere to the forum TOS I'm probably going to order it after this month is over.

    Post edited by frank0314 on
  • TaozTaoz Posts: 9,713
    edited October 2013

    Paolo Ciccone has just released "The Complete Guide to DAZ Studio 4":

    link removed by mod to adhere to the forum TOS

    I'm a bit disappointed with the sample though - pictures are in B&W and of a rather poor quality (high compression). I think a book like this (as well as the buyers) deserves better.

    Post edited by frank0314 on
  • TaozTaoz Posts: 9,713
    edited December 1969

    Hm, didn't see riftwitch's post before posting. Wonder if it's the same book?

  • riftwitchriftwitch Posts: 1,404
    edited December 1969

    Taozen said:
    Hm, didn't see riftwitch's post before posting. Wonder if it's the same book?

    Yep. I'll have to check out the sample later. I didn't think the link was a problem; guess I was wrong.

  • pcicconepciccone Posts: 661
    edited December 1969

    Hi Taozen.
    Please check the Amazon version again. I just did and the images are quite sharp in there. I notified Packt of your remarks and I will let you know.

    Thank you all for checking the book, I appreciate your attention.
    It's been a lot of fun to write this book. I focused on themes and examples that can be used "in the field," and used as much of a practical approach as it was possible. I hope you will find it useful.

    Cheers.

  • Fixme12Fixme12 Posts: 589
    edited December 1969

    Pret-A-3D said:
    Hi Taozen.
    Please check the Amazon version again. I just did and the images are quite sharp in there. I notified Packt of your remarks and I will let you know.

    Thank you all for checking the book, I appreciate your attention.
    It's been a lot of fun to write this book. I focused on themes and examples that can be used "in the field," and used as much of a practical approach as it was possible. I hope you will find it useful.

    Cheers.

    How, much is in the book about?
    Dazstudio & zbrush (new morphs, clothing), dazstudio weightpainting, dazstudio triax, dazstudio rigging, new cloth creation, daz scripting?

    these advanced concepts are the things, where i like to see books written for...

  • pcicconepciccone Posts: 661
    edited December 1969

    Hi fixme12.
    You can see the full table of contents on both the Pack Publishing website or at Amazon. The topics that you have mentioned are mostly not in the book. This is a book designed to take the DAZ Studio artist from no knowledge of the program all the way through all the steps involved in the production of images.That covers the topics of posing, morphing, lighting, rendering etc.

    There is a chapter on how to make conforming clothing with modo 601 and a chapter on the essential techniques about animation.

    Again, you can see the full series of topics from the TOC.

    All the best.

  • CybersoxCybersox Posts: 8,745
    edited December 1969

    fixme12 said:
    Pret-A-3D said:
    Hi Taozen.
    Please check the Amazon version again. I just did and the images are quite sharp in there. I notified Packt of your remarks and I will let you know.

    Thank you all for checking the book, I appreciate your attention.
    It's been a lot of fun to write this book. I focused on themes and examples that can be used "in the field," and used as much of a practical approach as it was possible. I hope you will find it useful.

    Cheers.

    How, much is in the book about?
    Dazstudio & zbrush (new morphs, clothing), dazstudio weightpainting, dazstudio triax, dazstudio rigging, new cloth creation, daz scripting?

    these advanced concepts are the things, where i like to see books written for...
    I haven't bought it as it's a bit pricey, though the kindle version is reasonable, but if you check the Amazon page, there's quite a bit of it in shown the"sample" section, including the full chapter breakdown and index. Sadly, that's enough for me to say that while it looks to be an excellent book for those new to studio, "A Complete Guide to DAZ Studio 4" may be a bit too ambitious of a title. "A Beginner's Guide to DAZ Studio 4.0" seems more correct, or perhaps "DAZ Studio 4 and Reality," as, not surprisingly, there's a huge section on that. Overall, the book seems to follow the same general format as the older DAZ book, "Figures, Characters and Avatars," with a focus on how to pose, changing characters with morphs, downloading content, etc. It also comes with a free download of HIvewire's Dawn. Unfortunately, in glancing through the chapters and the index, I don't see anything on a lot of topics that weren't covered in the older book... maybe they're in there and hidden, but the words "z-brush" and "Scripting" don't even appear in the index.

  • pcicconepciccone Posts: 661
    edited December 1969

    Hi.

    The book is addressing the needs of people who want to use DAZ Studio and need to have a guide that helps them discover the program in a practical way. At the same time I explained some more advanced concepts like color multiplication and the optimal workflow for the production of animations.

    There is a very small section about Reality. It's one chapter. The rest of the book is completely focused on the tools built inside Studio.
    The largest sections are actually about finding and installing content.

    One of the most challenging issues that face the Studio artist is how and where to install the content that is downloaded from the Net. The book addresses that part.
    Another very large section is about how to create conforming clothing using modo 601. That chapter in fact shows the reader how to download the trial version of modo and how to use it to create a dress for Dawn from scratch all the way to the final rigging and packaging of the product for distribution.

    Hope this helps.

  • Peter WadePeter Wade Posts: 1,602
    edited December 1969

    Pret-A-3D said:
    Hi.

    The book is addressing the needs of people who want to use DAZ Studio and need to have a guide that helps them discover the program in a practical way. At the same time I explained some more advanced concepts like color multiplication and the optimal workflow for the production of animations.

    There is a very small section about Reality. It's one chapter. The rest of the book is completely focused on the tools built inside Studio.
    The largest sections are actually about finding and installing content.

    One of the most challenging issues that face the Studio artist is how and where to install the content that is downloaded from the Net. The book addresses that part.
    Another very large section is about how to create conforming clothing using modo 601. That chapter in fact shows the reader how to download the trial version of modo and how to use it to create a dress for Dawn from scratch all the way to the final rigging and packaging of the product for distribution.

    Hope this helps.

    How modo specific is the clothes creation part? I have done a bit of model making with Cararra but what I don't know about is Daz Studio rigging and how to make clothes conform to a figure. Do you describe the modelling process in a general enough way to adapt the technique to other software?

    P.S. I just went online to check the price of a single user licence for modo, and I am definitely not going for that. You may need software like that as a professional but as a hobbyist I can't afford it.

  • pcicconepciccone Posts: 661
    edited December 1969

    The process can be applied to other modelers. You can download modo 701 trial, go through the steps and then adapt the procedure to Blender, for example.

    That chapter has been written with the aspiring content creator in mind, therefore the investment in effective and efficient software is justified in that framework. The cost of the software is generally easily recovered after a few sales. It's the usual price of doing business. Every business has initial costs and modo was chosen because it has an extremely efficient workflow and is one of the easiest 3D modelers in the market.
    Those features help in being productive which in turn means faster turn around and faster profit.

    I understand that it's an investment but i found, by experience, that generally those kind of investments pay off handsomely in the medium term.

    Having said so, I understand the point of view of the hobbyist and you can transpose the techniques to other modelers quite easily. I use box modeling for the chapter so you can apply that workflow to other programs.

    Hope this helps.

  • BlumBlumShubBlumBlumShub Posts: 1,108
    edited December 1969

    Pret-A-3D said:
    Another very large section is about how to create conforming clothing using modo 601. That chapter in fact shows the reader how to download the trial version of modo and how to use it to create a dress for Dawn from scratch all the way to the final rigging and packaging of the product for distribution.

    Hope this helps.


    People haven't got tons of money to lash out on Modo, For myself, and I'm sure others, I would be more interested if you'd used Hexagon or Blender to be honest, rather than a $1500 piece of kit.

    And I see you've covered making dresses for Dawn, which is all very well, but most users are still using Daz figures, I would have thought their inclusion would be a necessity for a complete flavour.

    Good luck with the book though,
    Barry.

  • pcicconepciccone Posts: 661
    edited December 1969

    @BlumBlumShub:

    writing a book is a challenge because there are many different types of readers out there and it's simply impossible address equally all of them.
    You have to make decisions and do your best to address different types of readers in a fair way. The chapter about content creation is geared toward the aspiring content creator who wants to sell on the market. As such, the expense for a modern, efficient and completer modeler is not far fetched.

    Nevertheless, I selected modo also because it has a trial version that can be downloaded for free. There is also a student version as well, at very deeply discounted price.

    Using the trial version you can follow the techniques in the chapter and easily apply them to Blender.

    Dawn was used because it uses modern weight mapping rigging, which makes it easier to create the rig for the dress. The same technique can be used for Genesis. For the Gen4 figure the procedure is the same in the modeling section with a difference in the rigging.

    Hope this helps.

  • kyoto kidkyoto kid Posts: 40,514
    edited October 2013

    ...I have to agree with BlumBlum Shub on the choice of modeller used. If this is intended to be a guide to help someone new to Daz Studio It should have referenced Hexagon (which also has a two way bridge to Daz Studio) instead of an expensive pro grade application. I have attempted to learn modelling and I can say 30 days (the length of the trial version) to start from "square one" is not enough time to get to the point where one can design clothing when there are other things in RL to deal with like a job, commuting, family, etc.

    To get the educational price on Modo, one must also be a currently enrolled student.

    Modo's UI and operation differs from Hexagon. As to Blender, unless one already has a reasonable mastery of the programme's cryptic UI, it would take a lot of doing.

    There are also many who do not intend to create content to sell but for their own purposes or possibly as freebies so for them, there is no means of recouping the cost.

    Post edited by kyoto kid on
  • pcicconepciccone Posts: 661
    edited December 1969

    Hi Kyoto Kid.

    I think that I explained the reasons for pointing to modo and the fact that you can download the trial version. Regarding Hexagon I have reviewed it and I have good reasons to not include it. I will gladly discuss them in a open forum or in private. You can contact me via email if you want.

    Cheers.

  • DZ_jaredDZ_jared Posts: 1,316
    edited December 1969

    We just finished up an 86 page user guide for DAZ Studio 4.6 that will be freely available. It is in the final stages of review and should be available by the beginning of November. This User Guide will be free of charge.

  • Peter WadePeter Wade Posts: 1,602
    edited December 1969

    I think I can see both sides of this. I was surprised to see a section on content creation in a general book on Daz Studio. I like the idea and it makes me more inclined to buy it, but I expect most users of Daz Studio are not going to create their own content. If you wrote a book specifically on content creation and said it was aimed at people who wanted to sell stuff then the readers would expect to be using professional tools. But the target audience for most of this book is the general user so you can expect some surprise when you suggest buying software that costs over $1,200. It is true you can get a free trial version, but there isn't much point learing to use something that you can only use for 30 days if you have no intention of buying the full version.

    I was interested to hear that you rejected the idea of Hexagon. I have my own problems with Hexagon but I expect they are different from everyone else's (basically parts of it don't work properly on my computer with left handed mouse setting, and I hate trying to use the mouse right handed). Did you consider Cararra at all? It is sold by Daz and I expect most Cararra users have Daz Studio as well.

  • kyoto kidkyoto kid Posts: 40,514
    edited October 2013

    DAZ_jared said:
    We just finished up an 86 page user guide for DAZ Studio 4.6 that will be freely available. It is in the final stages of review and should be available by the beginning of November. This User Guide will be free of charge.

    ...yay! :coolsmile:
    Post edited by kyoto kid on
  • pcicconepciccone Posts: 661
    edited December 1969

    Yes, I considered all candidates and I felt strongly that modo was the best program to use. I understand the reasons explained here but I wanted to go further.
    The role of a teacher is to show and present the best education values available. The definition of "best" is, of course, subjective but in evaluating all the possible approaches, it took me a year to write this book, I considered not only the obvious scenario, but also what give the best value to the reader in terms of knowledge.

    modo has concepts and workflows that are very valuable. I selected that program because it's easier to use that any other modeler that I know. At the same time it's incredibly powerful, fast and fun to use. It also works equally well on Mac OS and Windows.

    So, the goal was not only to show what is possible but also to expose the viewer to something that might not be in her field of view. In doing that I aimed to show a program that has a lot of value in the market. If you want to become a modeler then modo skills are very marketable.

    All the best.

  • DZ_jaredDZ_jared Posts: 1,316
    edited October 2013

    So here is a sneak peek from the up coming User Guide for DAZ Studio:

    Knowledge Base Article: https://helpdaz.zendesk.com/entries/22468709-DAZ-Studio-User-Guide-Sneak-Peak-Lighting

    Direct PDF Download: https://helpdaz.zendesk.com/attachments/token/c6orzkakfv9pxdn/?name=DAZ+Studio+User+Guide+Sneak+Peak.pdf

    Just so there is no confusion, the User Guide isn't a Knowledge Base article, it is an actual .pdf manual. Some of the hyperlinks in the text may not work since they refer to other chapters in the document that aren't included in the sneak peak.

    Post edited by DZ_jared on
  • HellboyHellboy Posts: 1,437
    edited December 1969

    And I see you've covered making dresses for Dawn, which is all very well, but most users are still using Daz figures, I would have thought their inclusion would be a necessity for a complete flavour.


    I completely agree.

    We just finished up an 86 page user guide for DAZ Studio 4.6 that will be freely available. It is in the final stages of review and should be available by the beginning of November. This User Guide will be free of charge.

    That's great! Thanks! :-)
    It's looking nice so far!

  • firefly43firefly43 Posts: 0
    edited October 2013

    DAZ_jared said:
    So here is a sneak peak from the up coming User Guide for DAZ Studio:

    Knowledge Base Article: https://helpdaz.zendesk.com/entries/22468709-DAZ-Studio-User-Guide-Sneak-Peak-Lighting

    Direct PDF Download: https://helpdaz.zendesk.com/attachments/token/c6orzkakfv9pxdn/?name=DAZ+Studio+User+Guide+Sneak+Peak.pdf

    Just so there is no confusion, the User Guide isn't a Knowledge Base article, it is an actual .pdf manual. Some of the hyperlinks in the text may not work since they refer to other chapters in the document that aren't included in the sneak peak.

    I just really want to say THANK YOU. I have tried to follow the Wiki pages several times with no avail. New to Daz studio really requires this as the program has evolved through the years (even though I had yet to use it I have every version downloaded to my Software folders) Always intended to install and use, just never got around to it.

    Please tell me there is a section that guides us through properly saving content we create!! That has been a big problem for me, as what I save cannot be reopened in Daz, always some kind of error message.

    Post edited by firefly43 on
  • firefly43firefly43 Posts: 0
    edited October 2013

    Pret-A-3D said:
    Yes, I considered all candidates and I felt strongly that modo was the best program to use. I understand the reasons explained here but I wanted to go further.
    The role of a teacher is to show and present the best education values available. The definition of "best" is, of course, subjective but in evaluating all the possible approaches, it took me a year to write this book, I considered not only the obvious scenario, but also what give the best value to the reader in terms of knowledge.

    modo has concepts and workflows that are very valuable. I selected that program because it's easier to use that any other modeler that I know. At the same time it's incredibly powerful, fast and fun to use. It also works equally well on Mac OS and Windows.

    So, the goal was not only to show what is possible but also to expose the viewer to something that might not be in her field of view. In doing that I aimed to show a program that has a lot of value in the market. If you want to become a modeler then modo skills are very marketable.

    All the best.

    As someone new to 3D modeling and it's programs, I will say I appreciate the effort you put in to make a book that helps.

    But I have to agree with Peter Wade. I have already dropped my dime on programs associated with Daz, (ie: Hexagon, Cararra, Poser 2014, etc.) If your going to give instruction on Studio then those are the programs most people would be using and would need to know how to integrate with Studio.

    Dropping an expensive program that is out of financial goals is just not worth it when the same things can be achieved in the programs I already have. Your like or dislike of programs, for my needs, should not be an issue if the book is geared towards the needs of the newbie trying to learn to create content in Studio.

    As such this would not be a book I would purchase, because it will only help me with half of what I want to achieve, as I can honestly say that as a newbie your suggested software is not a financial possibility. A book that is focused on Studio and all of the software common to Studio, that I might drop money on.

    Not trying to be critical here, I am sure you invested much of your time and talents to the book, and their are others that will greatly appreciate it. No doubt the book is comprehensive and explanatory for the software you chose. There may even be some newbies like me that think it is just what they need.

    My opinion only counts for my needs, and this book would just not meet my need of learning and using the associated products. I need something that covers Studio and the programs I mentioned, as well as step by step from creation to saving to packaging. As well as an overview of the many assets these programs have individually and combined with one another. How content is built going to and from each program, and how to bring it to completion as a Studio or Poser product.

    For me that would be the ultimate instruction guide.

    I have countless tutorials that only deal with this specific or that specific, and 90% of them stop short at the point of setting the created content up for proper saving and packaging. Dose not help if I make it, and can't save it right.

    Anyway, hope I did not offend, was not the intent. Just giving you a perspective from a newbie point of view.

    Post edited by firefly43 on
  • anikadanikad Posts: 1,919
    edited December 1969

    Zig Zag said:
    Your best bet are tutorials posted by users here in the forums. Daz's documentation is terrible.

    A good start is here:

    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/28138/#418498

    Thank you, I'll check those out.

    ryemac3 said:
    Don't forget YouTube, as terrible as the site is. There's no shortage of videos posted by users on how to do "stuff".


    Thanks I should have mentioned I'm looking for something I can look at off line and on the move.

    Paolo Ciccone has just released "The Complete Guide to DAZ Studio 4":

    Thanks for the info - will google this later.

    We just finished up an 86 page user guide for DAZ Studio 4.6 that will be freely available. It is in the final stages of review and should be available by the beginning of November. This User Guide will be free of charge.
    Thanks! This is really good to know.

  • Fixme12Fixme12 Posts: 589
    edited December 1969

    Well, modo is a program just like zbrush that 's worth every $$$
    so make a choice on how much content you spend or how much you can save for a good program.
    the free alternative blender is fine to, but another learning curve.
    there are alot of content creators in poser world that use modo these days.
    there have to be a reason why ;) it's very good modeler.

  • frank0314frank0314 Posts: 13,188
    edited December 1969

    An even bigger portion uses 3DSMax

  • Fixme12Fixme12 Posts: 589
    edited December 1969

    but I expect most users of Daz Studio are not going to create their own content.

    'm not sure about that kind of statement.
    in the beginning may be, but then you find out that playing with the figures could be more fun if you can ad new items you may be created.
    or manipulate content you may me bought. and then you need more information in how it all works.

  • kyoto kidkyoto kid Posts: 40,514
    edited October 2013

    ...for some of us it's not a matter of content vs. an app, it's just that those prices are far too difficult to justify when on a very limited budget while there are RL expenses to deal with. Having a "wiz bang" modelling programme does little when you are barely keeping a roof over your head and food on the table. By the time I could save up enough for Zbrush or Modo, (I won't even consider something like 3DS given it's extremely high price tag) they most likely will have been updated at least once and probably cost even more as well as require additional hardware resources to support.

    My content purchasing has decreased over the past years as RL expenses have gone up where I live (particularly rent and transit), and has gone way, way down since I lost my job this past spring. About the only 3D purchases I can afford these days is are PC items, something I've wishlisted turning up on the Fastgrab, or content that is otherwise deeply discounted and/or which qualifies for my monthly PC coupon. As of late, most of this tends to be "utility" content like special morphs, shaders and light systems unique to Daz Studio (which cannot be modelled) rather than clothing, hair, sets, or props.

    Post edited by kyoto kid on
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