Desert Island DAZ - what are the Essentials
Granville
Posts: 698
What are the 5-8 essential lights, tools, shader etc that you find yourself going back to every time. For me it is Orestes HDRIs.

Comments
Orestes HDRIs are definitely up there (there aren't too many alien planet and sci-fi HDRIs out there, I'd love to see even more of those with really extravagant sky colors)
Another one I really like is Sickleyields' Ripples and Wakes Iray, it really adds some nice detail when placing figures and stuff in water. All her other water and liquid props are awesome too, by the way. Still have a few more of those in my wishlist that will definitely be useful. But Ripples and Wakes is the most basic one to start with, and combine with all the others.
Zev0’s suite of morphs: Body Mixer, Shape Shift, 200+, Fit Control, the list goes on.
for me, it's easy. these are the essentials I use in nearly every scene and i could render for years on an island with just these items
DAZ default genesis 8 Female head and body morphs of course
nails https://www.daz3d.com/nail-system-for-genesis-3-and-8-female-s
hair one https://www.daz3d.com/classic-long-curly-hair-with-dforce-for-genesis-8-females
hair two https://www.daz3d.com/classic-long-hair-with-dforce-for-genesis-8-females
Mec4D iray shaders https://www.daz3d.com/mec4d-pbs-shaders-vol-2-for-iray
Freebie Iray base lights http://www.valzheimer.info/2016/11/va2016-rgb-hdri-soft-lights-for-daz.html
Hellboy breast morphs https://www.daz3d.com/breast-utilities-for-genesis-8-female-s
Golden Palace gens from meipe at renderotica
3DSMax to make whatever else I need.
GIMP
and the entire heels collection from Arryn at rendo
https://www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/vendor/Arryn?username=Arryn&sub_category=3D+Figure+Assets;Footwear
Pinups for years till I die, LOL