Best Way to Learn Daz Studio?
asdf123
Posts: 167
So I'm trying to learn Poser and Daz Studio, at the same time. I would have thought doing so would complicate things, but it's actually helping as I pick up nuances here and there that compliment each other. That said, I have TONS of training videos on Poser, from Poser 5 through Poser 10, but I'm really struggling to find consistent training documentation and or video series on DAZ. I've got more than the basics under my belt, at this point, but once I start getting into magnets, dForce, etc etc, it starts to get murky.
Most of the DAZ documentation I find from DAZ, directly, is outdated with supplemental image links that are broken.
None of this is meant as a criticism, but more of a genuine ask for guidance as to the best/most straightforward way to learn DAZ beyond the basics.
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Comments
Have you gone through the tutorial lessons in DS itself?
I've used Poser since Version 3, but picked up Daz Studio 2 yrs ago. Youtube was a good source for learning DS
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=daz+studio+4.11
trial by fire. learn by doing or you can spend some time watching a whole lot of YouTube videos or another option is you can spend some money on well done tutorials, https://www.daz3d.com/digital-art-live
jump in and click everything, you can still go to youtube and find infos on the topic you then want to know more about
As others have mentioned, a few basic vids & a hands-on project is probably the best way for retention. But what hasn't been mention is that your BEST asset is actually right here on the forum.
As you noted, the docs themselves and even trying to search here is, uh, problematic to say the least. A well titled & succinctly worded question posted here will often get a knowledgable answer, frequently in just a few hours. There's probably a few centuries of person-years of experience to draw from.
All I can say is hahahahaha, I literally lol-ed when I read the title of your thread. There are basic videos and tutorials around but you have to do a LOT of googling. Some on YouTube, some you can purchase here ( I wouldn’t) some are on Deviant Art. Good luck ever figuring out some of the advanced stuff. I started with DS in 2016, and there is still so much I don’t know. Poser is MUCH easier and intuitive but you have to use older models and there is no IRay. Welcome to my hell bwahaha!
What actually got me going with DS was a contest. Until then, I only tinkered, and didn't have a clue what I was doing. Then I decided I wanted to win a specific contest, and started getting ideas of what I wanted to do, with no idea of how to actually do things. So I searched the forums using Google, (site:www.daz3d.com keywords,) and found instructions on how to do exactly what I was trying to do. Unfortunately some of the instructions included other things I didn't know how to do, so I did more searching.
Ultimately I found everything I needed here on the forums, (which included links to yt videos that were relevant to my needs.)
Trial by fire, as Ivy said. Worked like a charm for me.
Youtube has tutorials that can be a big help. Sickleyield has some great tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/user/SickleYield/videos
And there are a whole lot of other tutorials to be found on Youtube as well. :) Josh Darling has a ton of awesome tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtqhpxQyGa7fm0LPoDz4s4A/videos A lot of Josh's are more advanced than for beginners, but there are some beginner tutorials there as well. Sadly none of his videos have audio for me, but I've heard others say that the audio works just fine for them. In any case, if you're like me and there's no audio on his videos for you, there's the CC option which while not perfect is a big help.
I usually Google my questions. Sometimes there's no answer to what I think I'm asking, assuming I even know how to frame my question... mostly I learned (and still do) through trial and error. Good thing I like pushing buttons and watching things burn...
Considering how very different the UIs are between Poser and DS i am amazed you are not even more confused.
THIS! Just open it up and figure out what works, will save you a ton of time. You can always fine tune and work out specifics later on.
I suggest an animal sacrifice... but these days that’s sorta frowned upon, so maybe just behead a chocolate bunny on a sufficiently sturdy alter in front of an image of Lord Dazhulhu (Dark lord of 3D addiction)...
If you don’t have a suitable image or effigy, this will probably do...
Remember to devour the remains of the sacrifice after you’re done... also clean up any crumbs or the ants of despair will come.
The New User contests here are a huge help to get you motivated.
Work a project from start to finish per the contest requirements. It'll help you understand how to put in the work towards a finished image.
Yeah, I read a book and did some tutorials, but having a reason to do things was very helpful. Contests for new users can do that, and helps you to get hints and feedback about what you're doing right and wrong.
https://www.daz3d.com/forums/categories/new-user-contests-and-events
Try to figure out things by yourself until you have a nervous break-down and start sobbing uncontrollably. On the third day of crying the DAZ faery will appear and... take all your money and leave. Happy rendering!
LMAO
Laurie
What helped me a lot when I started with Daz Studio, was experience I had with a good non-electronic camera ('t was a Pentax MG, incase anyone wonders) in the past. A lot of stuff in DS, like ISO, focal length, and more of that stuff derives from that age of photography. So if you want to figure out Daz Studio in a practical way, I'd suggest asking around in the family for a good camera from the 70's and 80's, buy a couple of film rolls, and visit a nearby forest to play around with it.
+1 That helped me a lot too, working on a scene for a contest. It really motivated me to learn and helped push me to do things I hadn't done before.
Oh nice! Thank you for the link! That does look quite helpful!
How do you get to Carnegie Hall?
Oh, this is priceless!!
ph'nglui mglw'nafh Dazhulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn! (In his house at R'lyeh Dazhulhu lies dreaming of your cash)
Here's the best advice I can give anyone trying to learn:
Step 1:
* What I found helpful is to set up a NEUTRAL RENDER ROOM/SCENE and save it. This is a basic set-up with minimal lighting and minimal objects and a single Genesis figure, a sort of photoshoot room, that you feel gives the best, fastest most consistent results you can get at your current skill level.
* Start experimenting with every option you can find. Switch it all on and off, mix it, turn up and down values and learn with every attempt what all the options the render settings generally are, all in this same scene (dont save over it).
* Do the same with skin materials; try increasing and deceasing all the values, change the fresnels and metallics and change all the maps until you get a general sense of what it all does.
Step 2:
* Start experimenting with lighting. Try out the different spheres and lamps in your collection and options, test working with emissives, how color behaves if you change it at different strenghts, test blooms and HDRI maps.
* With all the testing you've done so far: try setting up a SECOND NEUTRAL RENDER ROOM and AIM FOR CASUAL DAYTIME ROOMLIGHT with all the things you've learned so far.
* Use this setting as a workstation for your futher experiments and modeling. Learn how camera's work. Make characters in here first, then use them in your other set-ups and renders. This is useful for finding a consistent tone to work from. Keep refining your skills until you've improved and you feel you could do even better. Look at it like leveling up.
Using these steps were my fastest skilljumps compared to the time I spend just mocking around (altough thats fun too).
https://youtu.be/DKwLPrDnAVg
There is a part 2 to this. The easiest way to see how the weight mapping tools work on hard objects.
Laurie
best way to learn...using it, don't fear, even experts will crash the software, period.
While learning 3D is fun you also usually have a limited time to do things. So before going deep learning DAZ Studio I'd suggest focusing on learning its limitations first to see if it's the tool for you. Otherwise you have options.
Just a few I can recall right know up to 4.11. IK is limited to posing and it doesn't work for animation. Iray doesn't support motion blur and does a mess with transparency if objects are far from the world cender. The 4.11 "denoiser" doesn't support displacement and albedo buffers so it can't retain details as a real denoiser would do. You can't create HD morphs or dForce hair unless you're a PA.
IK was adjusted for 4.11.0.383.
Yes but, if I don't miss something, it was adjusted for posing not for animation. What you call "parentable ik targets" that is commonly called "full time ik" is not implemented yet and that's necessary to use ik for animation. About this may be there will be something in 4.12.
That was kept quiet! Where can I find info about that please?