NEW! Novica & Invited Guest Contributors Tips & Product Reviews Pt 6
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Wow! I envy you your warmth. It is supposed to freeze tonight here in California. Ugh. Temperatures will drop to below 30. If anyone wants to see something from the Leo pro pack, I'll be happy to render it for you.
Serenenight, could you do some renders of that Sophisticate Outfit? Specifically the shirt/tie/vest. I'm interested to see what the shirt looks like - the only other suit I have is for Gen2M, the Grantham suit, and boy the shirt sleeves on that look dreadful...like two cylinders that were textured.
Sure. Yes, I'll do that tonight. Check back later. =-)
Invited Guest Contributor
Here is
Sophisticate Outfit by
Daz Originals Nikisatez Arien
http://www.daz3d.com/sophisticate-outfit-for-genesis-3-male-s
I think this outfit looks really nice here on Leo. Nice lines. Like the details and the back of the vest. Although this isn't Sci-fi, I really think it looks good. clearly some effort went into making a realistic and nice bargain-priced outfit for Leo 7.
Nice! thank you. You're happy with the sleeves on the shirt? They dont' look like cyclinders?
What's that background, btw?
The sleeves did not trigger any instant reaction in me. What I really like are the pants. Some nice seam lines and wrinkles on the seat. Indeed I quite like the set.
The backdrop is from morguefile. If you do a search for the word blur you will find many promo-worthy backdrops commercial use friendly
https://www.morguefile.com/archive/#/?q=Blur
Not a major gripe, really, but why does a major DAZ character release (I bought the Pro Bundle) have only one eye color? That seems like a first to me.
Leo 7 does only have one eye color. dark eyes. It is the same as Scott 6 which looks somewhat similar to this character
i do think this character, especially the base is well done. But different eye colors and a hairy option should be included. Female characters get eye colors makeup and sometime nail colors.
I was curious as to what we covered a year ago (the very beginning of the year, 1-1-2015) so I went back to thread 5 and posted links to renders. Interesting- Lee 6 was the first main character of the new year!
So here's the render summary from me and other contributors, you'll see a *(name) denoting those. Some excellent renders! I'm shortening the titles to eliminate all that "For Genesis 2 Female(s)" wordiness. Helps you scan the products faster.
*IndigoJanson SG HeadDresses for Genesis
Ginger
*Sasje Roll and Ball / Growing Up for Genesis2 Female(s) and V6 / Thian Hair (Genesis/G2F)
FWSA Riva / Danah Braid (G2F) / Dazzle (G2F)
Cara HD (V6 ) / Cyra Hair (Gen2F) / Fayre (Genesis F) / Road To Drengallen
*Melanie L Aelflaed's Fancy Shaders/Gemologica/Corvidae/FW Monie /Riva Updo Hair
*Melanie L Elemental jewelry/FWSA Riva/Superdress and Leggings (G2F)/ Photo Studio
*Tjohn Hedvig / Allure Dress (G2F) / Cici Hair (G2F) / Pump It Up / Boudoir Photo Studio & Lights / Be Pacific / Micah Hair / and more!
*Tarina Kivi Elven Grove Outfit (Gen2F) / Faetara (Gen2F) / Fayre (Genesis) / Evening Gown (Gen2F) / Ballet Bun / Rons Vintage Collection/Ron's Bokeh
Adrianna (V6)/ Kita Hair (G2F) / Manga Anime Battlesuit (G2F)
Tomoe For Manga Anime Battlesuit / Filippa Hair / Crazy Locks Female Hair(Genesis /V6)
*Tjohn Gianni / Muscularity Morphs (Gen2M) / Real Short Hair (G2M) / MMA Shorts and Gloves (and Textures) (G2M)
Predatron Cherry Trees Predatron Common Ash Trees Predatron Fir Trees Predatron Horse Chestnut Trees
Predatron Silver Birch Predatron Stone Pines Predatron Cypress Trees Pred Pack Alder Trees
Pred Pack Bay Bushes (FAVORITE BUSH) Pred Pack Grass One Pred Pack- Hazel Coppice
Pred Pack: Olive Trees Pred Pack Palm Trees Pred Pack Rose Bushes Tall Weeds
Pred Pack Tree Saplings Pred Pack Bushes Pred Pack Bushes II
Pred Pack- Ornamental Trees (Poser users: for Predatron products, be sure and scroll down from there 5 posts, to Kerya's post)
Doing the first 20 pages from the beginning of the thread. I am marking my favorites from these pages, then I'll surf through my entire thread and pick my top ten.
Also, if you haven't used GenX2, here's where my post was, and keep scrolling. I provided links on how to use it.
Clair For Belle 6 / Aubree Hair / Early Spring Outfit (Gen2F) / Subtle Poses (V6)
Kalini For Mei Lin 6 / Melinda Hair
Ambie / Grace Dress (Gen2F) / Hikari Hair
FW Neomi / Yu Hair (Gen2F/V4) / Gothic Hair (Genesis/Gen2F) / Kazumi (Gen2F) / What A Cutie Expressions (Steph 6) / Cute and Playful Poses (Mei Lin 6)
FW Kenzi Character And Accessories / Jena Hair (Gen2F/V4)
Naoki (V4 /V5) / Elements Hair (Genesis) / Tears Hair (Genesis) / Moonsong Hair / Journeyer Scout (M4) / Galactic Corps Defender / Workboots (V4) / Medieval Sewer
Naoki (V4 / V5) / Orianne Hair
*Tarina Kivi Predatron Genista Hispanica
*Tjohn LY Anita / Cici Hair (Gen2F) / Evening Gown (Gen2F) / Dreamy Gowns / InaneGlory's Photo Studio - Point and Shoot / Core Lighting 1 / Baroness Jewels
Asobi / Hitomi Anime Girl (Genesis) / Toon Amy (Genesis) / Lantios Lights
Pai Mei Character and Clothing For Hitomi / K4 Basic Wear / Fair and Beautiful for Hitomi Rings/ Hitomi 3D Anime Girl (Genesis) / Lantios Lights
*Sasje Pirate (Genesis/ Gen2M) / Treasure Chests / Wither HD (Gen2M)
Monique 6 / Vidal Braids (Gen2F) / Aether Outfit (Gen2F)
Shaneka HD (Monique 6) / Tribal Dancer (Gen2F) / Omri Hair (Gen2F)
Shaneka HD (Monique 6) / Tribal Dancer (Gen2F) / Omri Hair (Gen2F) Second Render
*Melanie L Darius 6 / Omri Hair (Gen2M) / Yakuza Outfit (Gen2M) / Phoebe's Fancy / Monique 6 / Cinnia Hair (Gen2F and V4)
Darius Darius Second Render
FWSA Stacia (V6 Freebie) / Girl's Night Outfit (Gen2F)
Fangtastic (on regular teeth)
Build A Street: English Country Village Second Render
*Melanie L Voodoo Queen Outfit / Capsces Madame Mojo Monique 6 / DAZ Morphing Python
*Melanie L Chandrani Outfit / Nidale / Fishbraid Tails / Exotic Dance Poses / Jewels of the Orient / A Thousand and Two Nights
Mindy (V4/Genesis) / Harlow Hair 2 / Classy Casual Outfit (Genesis) / Gossip Outfit (Genesis) /
Cuban Diabolo (Genesis, no longer in store)
Sci-Fi Circular Skywalk / Mystics (Gen2F) / Galaxy (Gen2F) (Favorite) /Fairy Fae Hair / Weekend Wear Second Render
Hydrangea
FW Roisin HD (V6) / Arleya Dress (Gen2F) / Char Hair
*SereneNight Infiltrator / NJA Ponytail / Cassia for Olympia / Medea Hair (Gen2 F)
FW Cayman HD for Darius 6 / SASE Elize for Belle 6 / Xandria Hair / Aether Outfit (Gen2 F) / DarkStarBurning /Dishy Delight Poses (Gen2 F)
That's through page 11.
LYFW Sherri HD (V6) / Ciao Bella Outfit (Gen2F) / i13 Getting Ready - Room and Makeup / Unicorn Princess Hair / Relax and Fun (Gen2 F) / More Expressions (Gen2F)
Izarra (Gen2 F) / Toby Hair (Gen2 F / V4) / Playful Flirt Dress (Gen2 F) / Saint Tropez Outfit and Accessories /
Mountain Villa
SASE Kennedy (V6) / Phoebe Hair (Valea) *(note, this one has her name in the part of her hair!)
Manga Student (Gen2 F) / DM's Sensual Aiko 6 - II/ Make Her Smile Expressions (Gen2 F)
Manga Student (Render 2)
Zahara for Belle 6 / Ella Ella Hair PLUS (V4/Gen2 F) / Day At The Mall (Gen2 F) / 'Perfect 10' Laying Poses (Gen2 F)
*SereneNight Sewer Model Pack
Zahara / Nidale (Comparison)
La Llorona / Ranger Hair / Dark Passion
Tamara for Monique / Crazy Locks Female Hair (Genesis / V6) / Grace Dress (Gen2 F)
*Tjohn Zahara for Belle 6 / Omri Hair (Gen2 F) / Autumn Soft (Gen2 F)
Kendra (Monique 6) / Druidic Princess Outfit (Gen2 F) / Niaby Hair (Gen2 F / V4) / Ballet Poses (Teen Josie 6/Gen2 F) / Make Her Smile Expressions (Gen2 F)
Sweetheart Expressions for Belle 6 Second Render
FW Julianna / Casual Friday For Genesis / Pyrit Hair
Casual Friday / Fabricator / Totally Bazaar
*Melanie L Mongolian Beauty HD Faces and Morphs / Mongolian Beauty Clothes / Mongolian Beauty Clothes Expansion / Cinnia Hair /
*SereneNight Pyrit Hair M5 Elite Texture Dave
*barbult Neo for David 5 Skin / Pyrit Hair
LY Nicolette / Macro Skin (Genesis / Gen2 F)
Fiora Hair (Gen2 F / V4) / Delight Outfit (Gen2 F)
LYFW Sherri HD (V6) / Honey Hair (Gen2 F) / Young Shirt (Gen2F) FAVORITE / City Chic (Gen2 F) / Noodle The Toon Cat / Gentlemen's Game Room / The Library
CS ButtleBot 3000
Codename: KlanK / Enchanted Glade
*Sasje Shinjuku Outfit (Gen2 F) / Mei Lin 6 / Pookie Hair / Capsces Poses Mei Lin 6
FWSA Tiami (Callie 6) Fantasia (Gen2 F) / Gothic Hair (Genesis/ Gen2)
Rick For Cory 6 / Drifter Hair (Gen2 M) / Cutting Loose (Gen2M)
Cory 6
FWSA Kresh (Cory 6)
Coral (Callie 6)
FWSA Kirk (Cory 6) / Jake Hair (Gen2 M) / Brodie Casual (Gen2 M)
FWSA Effie (Keiko 6) / Elegance Hair / Gardens of Poseidon / Eclypse (Gen2 F)
*Melanie L Red Fox / Arctic Fox 2nd Render
Nidale / Felicity (Gen2 F) / Fantasia (Gen2 F) / Viking Hair (Genesis / Gen2 F) / Leather Body (Gen2F) Rendo) / Make Her Mad Expressions (Gen2 F) / Aiko Ninja Poses (Aiko 6) / Feathered Phoenix (Gen2F)
*SereneNIght Gareth (M6)
Hadley V4 / Jena Hair (Gen2 F / V4) /Seasons For Genesis / Genesis Generation X2 / V4 and M4 Shapes for Genesis/ Rocks N Drops Fantasy Scene Kit / Corrected V4 UV for Genesis (FAVORITE)
Arinae (V4) / Kameez for Genesis / End of Summer Hair (Genesis / Gen2F)
Liz Character and Hair / VH Bo-Ann (V4) NO LONGER IN STORE)
VH Lucia for Victoria 4 (No Longer Available) / Innocent Hair (Genesis)
Orianne (V4) / Augusta Hair (Genesis / Gen2 F)
Erika (V4) / Radiant Jaguar Hair
Eliza for V4 / Portia Hair 2
Lianne for V4 /Micah Hair
Western Town (Favorite Set)
Single Office Home Office
Izarra (And Super Shader)
Done, did through page 20.
Well, me being me, and a former webmaster, I looked at the URL for the sale pages and simply substituted in n-s then t-z to see what was coming up in the sale. (Since the first ones had 6 products, it was easy to figure out.) That actually made it easy for me to decide if I wanted to buy two new products or three new ones, or space them out into separate orders. And yep, I got FirstBastions hotel! (He was a great supporter of the Because I Said So! contest, and that hotel is delicious. I like that the road comes with it too!)
I was re-testing some of the IRAY lights, and still really like the Iray HDRI: Apocalyptic Plant Indoors Set 2. For new IRAY users or those who are interested in getting similar results. I had not used the IRender Materials: Architectural product, so I took the vase from Props>Ablaze>Corporate Lounge (Content Library) and turned it into more of an outdoor plant container by using the "tan paving stones" shader. I changed the tiling (which to be honest, I hadn't explored in quite awhile.) and I'll give the settings here. The vase is only one piece so the tiling on the base is bigger than what I'd like.
I didn't lighten/contrast/ no postwork, so this is the exact lighting you'll get with this lightset. Add lights for dramatic contrast, this is a good even overall effect. This is the Francesca Dress (Gen2F) on SASE Kennedy (V6) with Sparkle Hair (Gen2F) The Pinup Heels (Gen2 F) (under FUNtasi in Clothing (Content Library) shoes are versatile due to a white material, you can change them to match any clothing. (Always look for/buy the ones that offer that!) The color of that green (to match the Francesca Dress) is 86/80/56 in Diffuse (Newbies, select your item in Scene, then go to Surfaces.)
Speaking of which, to get any yellow/ruddy out, to get this skin tone I changed Kennedy's translucency to 255/224/179 which is a very pale, coral peach. It works well on many of the G2F figures. I had first applied the People>Genesis 2 Female >Materials>Iray>Optimized Genesis 2 Female MAT. That, by the way, has a super peachy, darker 255/150/131 translucency, so you folks may want to try the paler one on other G2Fs and see what you think. Or do you have any suggestions on translucency? (yes, there are entire threads full of skin, I'm saying as a translucency starting point. The one I gave works very nicely for most the ones I tested.)
Here's the other settings, using the lightset mentioned:
I used the Corridor-01, I have a question- is there a difference in using Dome and Scene with Dome Off, vs choosing Scene only? I read that whether you had draw dome on or off, it lights the scene, and scene only is only lights I place- is that correct?
Anyway, I had Dome and Scene so I used the HDRI, Finite Sphere, Draw Dome off, Environment Intensity 1.33 (I like increasing that instead of racheting up the ISO too high) and left Dome Orientation Y alone this time. (Move it to 180 or 270 to play with the orientation of the sunlight) Then in Tone Mapping, Exposure Value 13.54, Shutter Speed 39.74 / F Stop 7.89 /Film ISO 241.46. I left White Point alone, Burn Highlights upped to .40, Crush Blacks .41, didn't bother Saturation this time. Hope that helps new folks who want to tweak and explore. It's nice subtle lighting and adding a few spotlights should get you really dramatic results.
BTW, I am still adding links to the render post of all the 2015 renders, so while it looks like I am not posting, be sure to keep checking those. I am sorting to go through to pick my top 10 of 2015 and have identified some of the favorites. When I get more than 10, I'll go back through and select ten. I will not get through all of these pages, I am on page 15, but will do as many as I can. I still have holiday guests so not doing this full time.
So, using the Iray HDRI: Apocalyptic Plant Indoors Set 2 this is still SASE Kennedy with the ISO reduced and three spotlights added. That set works well with additional lights and is a good workhorse for those starting out with IRAY who want to twiddle with spotlights, point lights, etc (and for those who are more advanced, too.)
Two spotlights are behind Kennedy and from above, the other is from OUR left and slightly above. She is rotated slightly around from World Center. I posted on a black background as I want to see exactly where the light setup is affecting the hair and character outline.
I will use that same setup for awhile to showcase some of the characters from Gen2 and Gen3 (and there will be repeats of folks I've done before, but I'm testing these for me and not necesssarily new ones. I like seeing the characters in different lights anyway) I know I've done Gillian before, here she is in Selena Hair (Gen3F) (gorgeous with the veil) and Ghost Bride Dress (Gen3 F)
I positioned her in the exact same position as Kennedy.
Still testing my G2Fs. SASE Carling (Ysabeau 6) has Alyssa Hair (Genesis 2 Females) and wearing Jazzy Ruffles. Alyssa Hair has a morph for Volume so you can slim down the poofiness. The teeth were Pepsodent White so I grayed/blued the Diffuse and glossy properties.
Quite the collection of characters you have Novica. That's what I need more of - I have lots of morphs but not much in the way of different skins.
Trying out Odelle with SimTenero Randomizer. I changed the face with the randomizer, clicking until I got something I liked. I did three different figures, adjusting body style manually. Iray lights are from Painter's Lights. I would say the left two are a bit more like caricatures - I would probably tweak those by hand for more realism - but the randomizer gives a good starting point. You can select what morphs get randomized, so if you want to only change the nose, you can focus on that. Overall I think this could be a useful tool once I learn how to use it more.
One other observation I made while doing this was how big a difference the skin makes in creating the effect of Odelle. After only applying the body and head morphs, it looked more like a young woman. Added the skin material and suddenly, she looked old.
Oh wow, those are interesting!!!
I put a background behind Jas For Mei Lin 6 because I wanted to use Jazmin Hair (Gen2 F) black hair. Although they plopped that on Keiko, don't let the toony character throw you off- this hair looks GREAT on regular folks. It is a lot less crinkly than a lot of the hair that has been released this past year, no smoothing required. It has a lot of nice morphs, including swinging the tails, the piece in front, shortening it, etc. Many nice colors too!
Although my original plan was to use a modified bodysuit under the outfit (I pick up a lot of kitbashed opportunities, obviously can't use that outfit in a children's book) the Ninja Keiko (Gen2 F) shirt is perfect to put under the sexy tops/ Nocturnal (Gen2 F) I used Melissa Lynch stockings but didn't care for the boot shape so went with Mary Jane and Socks (Gen2 F) without the socks. Still using the Apocalyptic light set with 4 spotlights. Drop the ISO and other settings that let in more light for this character, she's very light.
Set is Classic Deco. I didn't add Uber settings (for Iray) as I only wanted a light background and not picky about the details for this one.
FWI- Product Library is acting up. When I typed in Jas all I got was Jason! (Things are so irregular on this site- this morning discovered if you own Little Ones Bundle, the individual product pages won't show each product as being purchased. Not sure about the other bundle released at the same time, the playtime stuff.)
1200 high image, click to enlarge for details.
Happy New Year to all! hope you have a terrific 2016.
I tried another experiment with SimTenero Randomizer. I started with base G2M and only randomized Zev0's Aging Morphs 2 Bundle HD. I manually turned on Aging Face Base HD, Aging Face Details 1 HD, and Aging Face Details 2 HD to 100%; the randomizer was then set to work on all the various aging morphs. The Iray lights are from DA Pro Light Portrait Set.
I like the results. With a few clicks, I find some combination that looks good. These three could be brothers of different ages as they share the same base G2M shape. I could change that by randomizing some additional facial morphs or randomizing in different character heads. The one thing I wish the randomizer had was an undo/redo feature. As far as I can tell, once you click the randomizer button, the previous shape is gone. You can partially get around this by exiting the script every time you see a figure you like and then restarting it with Zero Before Randomizing checked off. You'll then be starting from the same figure but can use Daz Studio's undo if you want to go back.
Price was very reasonable, especially if you have punches. Well worth it for me.
They do look like brothers. I was reading in the product thread about people trying to save, trying to change things, and something about character presets. I'll have to install and play with it to get a better feel of how this thing works. I did read that it is important to leave the limits ON if you want the character to be the same when you load it back up (I think from a character preset, but I don't really remember.)
FW Ellie Jane HD (V6) wearing Mech Gear (Gen2 F) with Metal Abounds Iray Shaders. Compare to the original Mech Gear. Have fun with shaders! I also used the hologram shader for the glass on top her head. The glass visor is one of the Uber ones (I used "thin.") I used Iray Fashion Leathers by Knory for the body/arms. This is still the same light setup but with 6 spots and hours of testing, lol. Wanted to start this year off with a bang.
Large render, click to enlarge.
Okay, wading through my Top Ten for 2015 based only on what I rendered (not bought) which will eliminate some great products. However, I think it's more valid to recommend things that I have actually used, so here goes: (and not in order of greatness, it's random.) I am linking to my renders, not the promos, but the links to those are in my posts. That way you can see both. Below that, are some of the notable contenders (could only pick 10 for the year) and some of the beautiful renders by contributors that will show you more awesome products.
1.) I said a "must have" is 200 Plus Head and Face Morphs for Genesis 3. It will give you tweaks you've dreamed of! Very nit-picky! I like the expanding the nostrils horizontally without causing other parts of the nostrils to change. Neat! (Scroll down for more posts) Here's another one, by Barbult. (Many people are liking the new randomizer, try this one too: Naturally Real for Victoria 7 )
2.) Western Town Polish came on the scene this year, and rapidly became one of my go-to vendors for sets. Wonderful details, large sets.
3.) Pred Pack Bushes Think it 's funny that a bush made the top ten? Take a look, and take notice! For you 3DL folks, this looks wonderful, even in closeups. No flat leaves for you! (I also recommend the Sunflower and Dandelions, not sure of the vendors.)
4.) Genesis 2 Legacies for Genesis 3 Female: Classics Use your Gen2 on Gen 3, I have a LOT of Genesis 2. They remain my favorite.
5.) Melinda Hair has extremely good flowing morphs- lets you curve hair sections so the strands go over the shoulder and chest superbly. As I said, after buying one of these vendors' hairs, I now buy them regularly. The morphs are always excellent.
6.) Wear Them All - Autofitting Clones and Clothing Smoothers for Genesis 3 Female(s) This vendor provided a wonderful PDF with instructions and it works great! Scroll as there are several posts. NOTE IT DID WELL WITH V4 SHOES TOO! I'm going to cheat and put two products here as one, I'd also get SY Ultra Templates for Genesis 3 Female(s) to work with it. Awecome combination to use clothing on your Genesis 3 females!
7.) Streets of Old London Massive set, scroll for several posts.
8.) Super Shader Bundle (continue to the next page to see all the examples and screenshots) You can really change up outfits with this!
9.) The Pool House (I had started with Iray that week, experimenting. Check out The Pool House the original. Great set!
10.) DAZ Studio Iray HDR Outdoor Environments is my go-to for beach lighting and it has a nice assortment of outdoor settings. I used Tjohns render.
(So what are your top ten/ some of your favorites?)
OTHER NOTABLES (things I noted when going back through this thread)
The Last Chance Gas Station has fun details . Here's RGcincys and another one. Can you tell we like it? The 1950's Motel goes well with it.
V4 Pose Converter for Genesis and Genesis 2 Females SereneNight shows you excellent examples. Have fun with your V4 poses!
For easy Iray lighting that does really well- Longitude & Latitude Lighting and Render Presets for DS Iray
Corrected V4 UV for Genesis If you use Genesis and want the correct mouth, nose, and eyebrows, this is a must have.
Khory was nice enough to do renders using G3D-DA Grass and Plant Pack (not identified in that post, but several posts below it.) My goodness there is a lot in that product! If you want grass and plants, check it out!
A long hair with a lot of morphs- and for Genesis 2, 3, and V4- Dragonfly Hair.
Druidic Princess Outfit for Genesis 2 Female(s) Set the bar high for movement morphs- incredible!
jakiblue showcased Odessa Hair on Olympia 7, a must see for hair.
Fisty & Darc's /Fred Winkler Art FW Ellie-Jane HD for Victoria 6 was used in my New Years render.
Also note SereneNight's Urban Survivors by Luthbel. Nice casual outfit! (See also War Dog for Genesis)
For a cute short hairstyle, Rieval 2 was a real looker and Elegance Hair is nice and full for a longer hairstyle.
A fun adult that I think would do well morphed to a child- FWSA Bonnie for Victoria 7 Ordella HD for Ysabeau 6 would make a wonderful child- eyebrows are more natural looking.
Did you know: Even if you don't use Fiends (I don't) that FWSA Tomsy makes a very nice teenager when applied to Genesis 2 Male? (and Sai Fon Hair looks good too. See the render.)
Wilmap continues to provide, quite generously, freebies for you. Link is in the post.
Milonga Shoes are classy for Genesis 3 and marked Indigo's entry into Vendor-world. Congrats, we're happy to see your recent Snuggle Up Knits!
Bethany 7 A very realistic figure that is full sized. Wish there were more characters for her.
Omri Hair My goodness, the amount of detail!
With 3DL, turning Progressive ON makes a huge difference in Faeveral's water (and perhaps other water!) (Direct tip from the vendor who was nice enough to hop in and help when I couldn't figure it out.)
Tips on doing Pose Presets When you tweak poses, save them! This is tips for the viewport setup and where to make the folder.
Tips on background- Use your textures from products for backgrounds.
I really like Backyard Retreat and Macleans Everyday Drinks. That glass looks awesome, you don't have to be a pro in Iray for them to look stellar! (It's the correct link, don't know why it's going up two. Scroll down. It's doing that periodically with the next one too. Stupid forums, it's the correct link and works off and on!)
Barbult excelled in showing you the Comfort Living Room and Green Backyard Garden combination. She also did a wonderful render of FWSA Kimmy, we were all discussing the more natural makeups and skin, and Kimmy is a good example. See both posts. Love that gal! (Barbult too, who is always so generous to share great renders.)
The Fae Folks detailing is amazing. For fairies/natural outfits, use this one for kitbashing or as originally made.
Luci45 showcased Selena Hair, keep it in mind for a shorter messy style.
Stephanie 6 (Iray) Stephanie 6 Desert Dancer Outfit (Gen2 F)
Stephanie 6 is a very nice, petite figure with realistic eyebrows. I used the UHT Hair Shaders as I was rendering in IRAY. The hair was Thian Hair.
I didn't particularly want the cream trimming, so I changed the Diffuse color in the shoe trim, waistband, and shoulder straps and used a clothing shader to remove the pattern. (Don't remember which one I used, but I used the metal shader again on the stones.) This render took 9 hours. My new computer will be here next week so it will be a lot faster. (Hubby said it's for Christmas, birthday, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day...you get the gist lol)
Thanks Novica for your list! very timely as I used it to pick up a couple of items before the sale ended yesterday.
Here's my top ten in no particular order:
1. Gurumarra, the Australian Aboriginal (link to my review). I like the added diversity for G2 males and the product is well-modeled.
2. Iray Worlds SkyDome (link to my review here and here). I use this one a lot for its dramatic skies. The sky is mirrored 180 degrees, so you have to be a bit careful when positioning.
3. Castle Turret (link to my review). Great interior and exterior views. Has a lot of places to set medieval scenes.
4. Steel Town Refinery Bundle (link to my review here and here). A great set for either night or daylight industrial scenes. Has a set of electrical towers and wires that can be used elsewhere.
5. 1stBastion's Wilderness: Two Creeks (link to my review here and here). Well-done set with creek, rocks, waterfall, vegetation and a varied hilly terrain. Good for broad views or up-close scenes.
6. Hemlock Folly (link to my review. Another set with lots of spots for scenes inside the tower and around the grounds. A bit tricky to use because of the large amount ot vegetation (which is its great asset) but the review gives tips on how to manage it.
7. Loft Dance Studio (link to my review here and here). Great for dance scenes. Renders well in 3DL and Iray.
8. SimTenero Randomizer (link to my review). Although I just got this, I already see lots of potential for character tweaking.
9. Merlin's Oak, Plants and Props Set. A well-modeled tree and campfire scene.
10. Lorenzo Lorez, Loretta Lorez, LoREZ Police US1, LoRez Casual Man 1, and Delivery Driver Bundle. These are all low resolution figures by Predatron. They are older sets (but new to me this year) and I got them to make crowd scenes. Here's an example.
I also really like FirstBastion's Last Chance Gas Station and 1950's Era Motel and they would have been in my top ten but since Novica already posted links to them, I picked a couple of others for my list.
I really appreciate Novica opening up her thread to other people's contributions. The reviews here have had a big influence on my purchase (or not to purchase) decisions so I've tried to return the favor.
LOL, you hit several that I would have put top ten but I hadn't rendered them yet. I, too, like the castle and the loft dance studio. There's also some dance gear that was nice. I didn't put Gareth or any of the males because when it came down to it, I went with what I would use the most (or other people would use frequently) so the conversions/scripts got top billing.
This new year, I will mention the products used, but if they're not the main focus, or if they've been linked before/reviewed, I'm not repeating them. This is Stephanie 6 again using Fiora Hair (and Slosh's UHT hair shader again) and City Chic outfit, I tested the Snuggle Up Knits for Iray and 3Delight- Shader Presets. There's a lot of fun choices, with stripes going horizontal or vertical, or plain knits. The City Chic outfit is a good one for shaders, as the top's collar and the large hem are separate zones, and the jacket collar and pocket flaps also have separate material zones. For the jacket I used Aged Leathers for Iray and picked a light color (M17) then changed the color in Surfaces>Diffuse. The Snuggle Up knits are a lot of fun!
Reminder for newbies- there are several free bundles available- Sci-Fi Warrior Bundle, Inside the Asylum Bundle, Slaying the Dragon Bundle, Day At The Beach Bundle. SO TIRED OF THIS. Every time I click Hide What I Own, it becomes undone when I go to a product page and then go back. I click Hide What I Own again and BAMM, I get sent back to the first page. I'm pretty sure I reported it, but I'll do it again.
Middle mouse click the product to open it in a new tab, then just close it to go back.. easiest way i've found to deal with that particular store annoyance.
Thanks Fisty! I reported it to the Technical folks, but seeing as I've reported the Gift Card repetitions (as have others) for over six months and nothing has changed...well, I won't hold out hope. I was going through the Shaders/Resource section because I've got so much stuff that I need to test, and it was frustrating to get my purchased stuff disappearing over and over again. The My Products script erases itself when going back and forth too, so that's why I resorted to unchecking Hide My Products.
Right now I'm looking at Texture Tools that has fun images, as I've never used them! EDIT: OOOOOOH, I likeeeee! I substituted in one of the cloth images and it looks really nice with the City Chic product. Rendering now. For PC members, $1.99 and loaded with variety.
They look good! I added to my wishlist as my wallet is moth-eaten right now. The leather doesn't quite look like leather to me though.