Off Topic Thread #2

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  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 37,712

    thanks heart

     

    some memories

  • Steve KSteve K Posts: 3,179

    My condolences, my wife & I have been through a number of similar events over the years, always tough.  Fortunately, they all lived long and happy lives, so the Irish part of me says to celebrate that.

  • mindsongmindsong Posts: 1,693
    edited March 2022

    WendyLuvsCatz said:

    my beautiful Lynx has crossed the rainbow bridge broken heart

    my Avatar

    on left in above photo

    a recent one below

    just waiting for my brother to drive up here with a shovel as mine all too crappy to dig my heavy clay soil, I found a lovely cardboard storage box with roses on it

    oh Wendy,

    my heart sinks - he was one of the most beautiful creatures I've ever seen. the eyes told all.

    i tear up when I picture you scritching his seemingly living presence in his rosy box for that last time. been there, done that - the memory floods in without restraint. so sorry. (the only thing worse is having to 'make the call')

    Thank the gods it was quick and apparently not-so-painful as they sometimes go.

    as SteveK notes, a celebration of both his good fortune in bumping into you in this wide and fickle river of life, and your chance to appreciate and make the best of that fleeting time. As my mom once said, "I wanna come back next time as one of my cats...". He scored.

    I saved this from a post of yours a few years back - simply beautiful:

    strength to you, and may the appreciation of his time with you help heal your good heart.

    hugs and a big box of kleenex,

    --ms

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  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 37,712

    thank you heart

  • SileneUKSileneUK Posts: 1,969
    edited March 2022

    My heart goes out to you.  broken heartThe sad fact is that we humans outlive our pets as a general rule. crying Well, unless you have a tortoise? frown

    I had a lovely pair of kitties rescued from a vet who had a box of two litters left on his doorstep in 1986!  They would come in droves from the air base as people were transferred, they often abandoned their pregnant cats before neutering, so they grew up semi-feral and the people on the base would round them and the kitties up and take them to the vet's. We didn't have a nearby SPCA back then.​

    My two were from different litters and the last of the ones not yet adopted. That was good, I didn't have to choose. Tigger was like yours... but he had white paws (can't see in old scanned photo from 1990) and extra toes all round. Talie was all black and she looked like part Siamese from her shape and was the runt and needed lots of special food and vitamins to build up her strength.  We had them in our family for just about 20 years. They were living with my brother when they passed away, not long between each other. 

    I am now a doggy grandma, but nothing cuddles like a cat!  I still miss Tigger and Talie. 

    Sending you big hugs and hope your memories comfort you that this special little one was in your life and loved you to the moon and back. heart

    kiss Silene

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  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 37,712

    your kitties were lovely heart

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 37,712

    friend was asking about best gaming desktop for her son, it is hard convincing her right now he is better off getting a Playstation 5 or a laptop because cryptominers are grabbing all the cards that desktops use

    a laptop with an RTX3070 is cheaper than a desktop with a GTX1070! it's disgusting 

    of course she doesn't even know what a graphics card is blush

  • Bunyip02Bunyip02 Posts: 7,527

    WendyLuvsCatz said:

    friend was asking about best gaming desktop for her son, it is hard convincing her right now he is better off getting a Playstation 5 or a laptop because cryptominers are grabbing all the cards that desktops use

    a laptop with an RTX3070 is cheaper than a desktop with a GTX1070! it's disgusting 

    of course she doesn't even know what a graphics card is blush

    Wendy check your PMs

  • Steve KSteve K Posts: 3,179

    WendyLuvsCatz said:

     ...  it is hard convincing her right now he is better off getting a Playstation 5 or a laptop ...

    I've got several big desktops including an AMD machine with 12cores/24 threads, but those are for animation.  For gaming I tend to agree.  I would add that a Playstation 4 might be worth a look, about half the price of a PS5 (new) and maybe 1/3 the price refurbished.  I like mine for gaming e.g. Rockstar games, and also for streaming TV to my big flat screen TV in the living room.

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,026

    I've had a string of bad luck with computers which I have already posted about.  Am probably seeking a laptop replacement for travel.  @WendyLuvsCatz is correct; the laptops world is comfortable offering RTX 3050-3070 cards.  Still not sure what I am going to do.  The quality of the replacement will depend in part on how much I can get when I unload my lemon.  angry

  • Bunyip02Bunyip02 Posts: 7,527

    Diomede said:

    I've had a string of bad luck with computers which I have already posted about.  Am probably seeking a laptop replacement for travel.  @WendyLuvsCatz is correct; the laptops world is comfortable offering RTX 3050-3070 cards.  Still not sure what I am going to do.  The quality of the replacement will depend in part on how much I can get when I unload my lemon.  angry

    Hope you get it sorted !!!

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 37,712

    Bloody package got delivered to number 20, I am number 15

    fortunately a neighbour helped by carrying it for me as was very heavy

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,026

    WendyLuvsCatz said:

    Bloody package got delivered to number 20, I am number 15

    fortunately a neighbour helped by carrying it for me as was very heavy

    That sucks, but I am glad you got help.

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,026

    Happy Saint Patrick's Day.

    this site has a .com address so treat 'facts' with a grain of salt.

    http://www.stpatricksday.com/spdc_content/history/50-facts/

     

     

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 37,712

    struth, looking at that thread on the new Ultrascenery XT expansion, I would have thought it was Carrara and Bryce not DAZ studio if shown the renders. cheeky

    I reckon ours would render faster with cheaper hardware though, but really don't knowwink

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 37,712

    Ultrascenery its self is in the grab bag today

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,026

    Howie has produced a real winner with his series of Ultrascenery products.  There is a thread on working with it that includes how to make your own presets.  The advantage of Ultrascenery is that Howie has baked in his knowledge of ecology so that you get appropriate undergrowth, etc, that I am never good at.  Having said that, his UltraScatter Pro system gives more direct control.  I can't help but imagine what Carrara would be like if Howie had been able to devote this development time to Carrara's replicators.  He has essentially built an entire replication system from scratch with presets for plausible biosystems that can be customized, or can be based on his presets. 

    Amazing.

    See Art Forum thread here, started by barbult - https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/408551/ultrascenery-experiments-and-experiences/p1

    See Commercial thread for his latest add-on (Ultrascenery XT) here - https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/523766/ultrasceneryxt-large-terrain-landscape-generator/p1

    See Commercial thread for Ultrascenery (split from first thread) here - https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/466351/ultrascenery-new-territory-commercial/p1

    And this specific post by Daventaki has very helpful tips for anyone using Ultrascenery - https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/5775426/#Comment_5775426

    Note - TangoAlpha has created several Ultrascenery sets based on the assets he used for prior sets.  For example, the trees, etc from TangyOrchard.  Barbult's thread has instructions on how to substitute in your own assets in a similar way.  Barbult even substituted large rocks for trees along a path to create a makeshift canyon.

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 37,712

    yes I often look at that thread and wish we still had Howie and a few others who moved on but understand why they would.

    Their work is brilliant but DAZ Studio  and my hardware are not a great match and it doesn't work with Filament.

    I mostly use Filament now in studio.

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,026

    Do you think the trend overall will be toward Filament?  I have one friend who is an amateur game developer for iphones.  He is making his own augmented reality game.  Basic humans versus zombies stuff.  I noticed that in order to use on phones, the augmented reality folks are taking a big step backwards from hyper-realism.  Lower poly counts.  Smaller texture maps.  Etc.  Is filament more resource-efficient and therefore more compatible for the moment?  

    https://developer.apple.com/augmented-reality/quick-look/

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 37,712

    Diomede said:

    Do you think the trend overall will be toward Filament?  I have one friend who is an amateur game developer for iphones.  He is making his own augmented reality game.  Basic humans versus zombies stuff.  I noticed that in order to use on phones, the augmented reality folks are taking a big step backwards from hyper-realism.  Lower poly counts.  Smaller texture maps.  Etc.  Is filament more resource-efficient and therefore more compatible for the moment?  

    https://developer.apple.com/augmented-reality/quick-look/

    well it doesn't need a Nvidia Graphics card which is the biggest advantage for me laugh 

    and yes realism is overrated IMO, I prefer your and Stezza's original models to hyperrealistic DAZ G8.1 HD figures with vellus hairs any day wink

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,026

    Thanks.  You also animate in one of the game engines, don't you?  Which one?  Are the shaders designed for Filament more compatible with whichever game engine that you use?  If not, what is?  My friend sends me samples of his progress and asks me questions about where various texture maps go and I don't always know how things match up.  For example, AORM maps were completely new to me (three color channels in a map, so the ambient occlusion is measured in one, roughness in a second, and metalicity in a third).

    I did a couple of experiments of taking some of my silly puppet models and animating them in mixamo.  What format for the rigging would I need to send them to unity or unreal or whatever you have been using? What about textures?

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 37,712

    no Filament hasn't even got compatible shaders in DAZ studio except for some glass ones I bought, not shader bricks for them, DAZ needs to do something about that if they want to keep depriving users of Nvidia cards by supporting the cryptobros with their (3 letter word).

    I use Unreal Engine which has its own dedicated material system and usually need to manually import maps other than diffuse.

    Likewise with Twinmotion which was built using Unreal Engine, is like a game for Achitects to do Archvis!

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 37,712

    Mixamo should work for Unreal, I don't know much about Unity

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,026

    Grrrrr.  angry

    Well, if you have been following my problems with the new laptop, you are aware that, well..., I got problems.  sad

    I decided to just ditch that laptop (will be selling it when all the issues finally get resolved) and buy a new one.  Cut my losses, so to speak. 

    Ouch, not in my budget.  My replacement laptop is not as fancy as the one it is replacing (except, actually working counts as fancy, grrrrr....).

    Setting financial and fanciness pain aside, there is another source of annoyance.  I was trying to load some of my Daz3D company assets on the replacement.  Argh.  Daz Central just lists Hexagon and Studio as programs, not either Carrara or Bryce.  I had to uninstall what I had started installing through Daz Central, then uninstall Daz Central, then look up a product in my product library that requires DIM, then download and install DIM, then install Carrara.  

    Grrrr... angry

  • SileneUKSileneUK Posts: 1,969

    Dio, you are using DAZ Central? Storage reasons?  surprise Silene

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,026
    edited March 2022

    I used (past tense) Daz Central just long enough to waste a bunch of time.  Grrr...angry

    Talk about a giant step backwards!

    I ended up deleting everything I had installed with Daz Central and starting over with DIM.  Grrr.... angry

    .

    I am usually a happy person.  Usually.

    Post edited by Diomede on
  • SileneUKSileneUK Posts: 1,969

    Diomede said:

    I am usually a happy person.  Usually.

    Being a happy person is completely different from being unbelievably unhappy when Murphy's Law kicks in. Oh, dear, poor choice of words there...well... you know what I mean.  I have had the DAZ content crazies kick me in the bum several times over the last few years. I think I have done 4 complete reloads of all stock items for one reason or another.  

    Sending healing hugs! heart Silene

  • Bunyip02Bunyip02 Posts: 7,527

    Diomede said:

    I used (past tense) Daz Central just long enough to waste a bunch of time.  Grrr...angry

    Talk about a giant step backwards!

    I ended up deleting everything I had installed with Daz Central and starting over with DIM.  Grrr.... angry

    .

    I am usually a happy person.  Usually.

    Hope your PITA moments come to an end and are followed by happy days !!!

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 37,712

    I too hope all your issues are solved and you can get back to rendering heart

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,026

    Thanks for the support, Carrarians! 

    But I don't deserve too much pity.  The problem is my laptop.  I can still use my desktop, when I am home.  The problem was my laptop died on day 1 of an extended trip to take my turn with elderly parents.

    Timing.  Grrrr... angry

    I am back in Arkansas now.  I can doodle with Carrara once again.  Yay.  heart

    Just frustrated trying to get a fix, replacement, or refund from the manufacturer who STILL has not let speak to an actual customer service person.  Grrr... angry  Oh, I can try to internet chat in the chat box, unless of course I can't get on the frakin' internet because I am out of town and my laptop has gone belly up!!!!!  Grrr... angry

    Have been making headway since I got home.  yes

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