3DIO said:

@Wendy
It's jaw dropping to think you don't have it.  It's a 'Wendy Toolkit Essential' for sure is that one  :-D
Out of curiosity, are the videos attached to my post not showing in your browser?  If they are and you've not seen them, at least watch the second video which is less than a minute and shows a couple walking and holding hands among other examples.  

 

videos show, no hadn't clicked 

I haven't used it because I didn't really render many videos in DAZ studio  until Filament and then when I was given a decent video card by TheMysteryIsThePoint

before that, nearly every thing I did was Carrara, Unreal, iClone, Poser and everything else except DAZ studio 

it was just too slow

even now I mostly use Twinmotion backgrounds and png series rendered in DAZ studio added in post

I have asked a lot about Limbstick and other plugins, scripts etc but the answers I get are very vague and unhelpful 

I even asked specifically if it could do stuff like hold hands only to be told by people who own it I don't think so

so yeah

its quite amazing how many people buy stuff and don't actually use it

and I can't afford to buy stuff I can't use so pick and chose carefully 

it's a lot more difficult in DAZ studio than other softwares 

Carrara and iClone one can at least track and pin bones from 2 figures to each other so one only needs to sort out the posing of the fingers

D|S has never had a good solution for this

the only way you could download the standalone apps I use would be to use a different PC then copy them over

but things get written and verified so not sure how you would go

a Dlink or other WiFi USB dongle isn't that dear

you could even use your phone to hot spot if you have enough data

or buy a prepaid sim card with lots of data

I actually was on mobile internet in 2009 when I first used iClone, then Carrara  DAZ and Poser,

first a dongle with a sim card then my Samsung Galaxy tablet as a hotspot

used it for years because my landline wasn't connected to the internet, then naked ADSL eventually came here

now I am on 5G, so on mobile again

as an aside

you know those 40K posts I have...

35K of them were reached 10 years ago because I was continuously chatting to about 5 people all day on my tablet in a handful of threads!

I was on it all day, on social media too

I actually stopped using a phone or tablet outside of my house, am the only person without a phone on me now

I've cubed a few Carrara Cats!

eeeeew! 

not a Twinmotion render but a gripe

Why the heck does one Genesis 9 FBX import animated but another one doesn't 

in any version 

I am so baffled and frustrated by this

they are even wearing identical clothing just different characters 

yes, are both animated, import into Carrara as FBX animated even and that's fussy

ChatGPT and I are creating an Alice In Wonderland Scene!

Over a week ago, ChatGPT created a scene after I gave instructions for.

I have been rounding up all of my Daz Products and Kit-Bashing everything.

I sometimes have ChatGPT look for things that maybe I have missed...even though I use a LOT of searches for items.

You would NOT believe the things I have come up with.

For this wonderful tree in the foreground with twines, I asked ChatGPT to make me a texture map, displacement map and normal map for my tree.

After looking at my many products, I decided to use a LB Creepy Tree.  I cut the roots and the twigs off in Carrara to use as my main tree.

Then, I textured the LB Beanstalk like the tree!!!  I used 3 of the beanstalks to go around the tree.  The wonderful vines are ok as is.  

Changing everthing to Iray, as best as I can.

RDNA has Topiaries in a heart shape.  That is just precious for my scene.

I have taken Kings Cottage and Iray Worlds | Daz 3D to use for my 2 hills and checked stairs and paths.  I cut up the terrain in Carrara to just have those parts.

I cannot make anything, but I can put things together and take apart stuff LOL

I have a long ways to go and have thought about quitting so many times.

Anyway, I have asked ChatGPT many things...even camera angles and such.  Today, I told her...yes,  now ChatGPT is a her...I told her to that I was trying to create this scene in Daz Studio.  So, she gave me a very detailed outline that I thought you guys might get a giggle from:

***************************************************************************************************************************************

Yes — this scene can be recreated in Daz Studio, but the easiest way is to build it in layers, almost like a theater set.

Scene setup

Use a 4:3 landscape render. A good high-resolution setting would be:

2048 × 1536 px or 3000 × 2250 px

Camera style:

Eye-level, straight-on camera angle with a centered one-point perspective.

Suggested Daz camera settings:

• Focal length: 28mm–35mm

• Camera height: about human eye level

• Depth of field: light or moderate

• Focus point: the open iron gate / center path

• Composition: path starts large in foreground and narrows toward the castle

Build the scene in layers

1. Background layer

This is the distant fantasy world.

Use:

• A pastel fantasy sky HDRI or painted backdrop

• Distant castle or fairy-tale palace

• Rolling green hills

• Large oversized mushrooms placed far back

• Small cypress/topiary trees

• Atmospheric haze or fog plane for softness

The castle does not need to be fully 3D unless the camera will move. For a still render, a background image plane works very well.

2. Middle layer

This is the garden path and main gate area.

Use:

• Winding stone path

• Grass terrain

• Iron garden gate

• Ornate arch or arbor

• Stone pillars

• Small tunnel / hobbit-style doorway under the arch

• Rose bushes around the gate

• Hanging lanterns

• Playing-card signs: heart and spade

The arch and gate are the most important pieces because they frame the whole scene.

3. Foreground layer

This gives the image its Wonderland tea-party look.

Use:

• Large red-and-white mushroom on the left

• Teapot and sugar bowl/tea urn on the left

• Teapot, teacup, saucer, and small table/stool on the right

• Large roses in pink, cream, and red

• Purple flower spikes

• Checkered black-and-white garden tiles

• Large antique wall clock on the right

• Twisted tree trunk and vines on the left

This foreground should feel oversized and close to the camera.

Assets to look for

For Daz Studio or Renderosity, search for these types of assets:

Architecture / props

• ornate iron garden gate

• rose arch / garden arbor

• wrought iron fence

• fantasy castle

• fairy-tale castle

• hobbit door / round door

• garden lantern

• vintage clock / antique wall clock

• playing cards / Alice props

• tea set / porcelain teapot / teacup

• chessboard or checker tile floor

Nature

• fantasy mushrooms

• oversized mushrooms

• toadstools

• rose bushes

• climbing roses

• ivy vines

• topiary trees

• cypress trees

• flower beds

• foxglove / lupine flowers

• fantasy garden plants

Terrain

• curved stone path

• garden path

• mossy stones

• rolling hills

• grass props

• flower meadow

• garden steps

Materials and colors

Use a soft pastel palette:

• Blush pink roses

• Cream roses

• Deep red accent roses

• Mint green leaves

• Soft lavender flowers

• Pale blue sky

• Aqua and pink mushroom caps

• Warm antique brass for lanterns and gate details

• Blue-and-white porcelain for the teapot

• Black-and-white checker tiles

For the mushrooms, you can recolor the diffuse/base color maps in Daz Studio or apply new Iray shaders. The scene in your image uses fantasy colors, so even realistic mushroom models can be made pastel.

Lighting setup

Use warm, magical lighting:

• Sun/Sky or HDRI: soft late-afternoon light

• Key light: warm light from upper left

• Lanterns: point lights or emissive Iray shaders inside the lamps

• Fill light: soft cool fill from the sky

• Bloom: subtle, especially around lanterns

In Iray, make the lantern glass slightly warm and glowing. Add a small point light inside each lantern.

Best Daz workflow

1. Set the camera first.

2. Add the path, gate, and arch.

3. Place the castle and hills in the background.

4. Add large mushrooms at different scales.

5. Add trees, topiary, roses, and vines.

6. Add tea props, clock, lanterns, and playing-card signs.

7. Apply pastel shaders and floral textures.

8. Add haze, bloom, and depth of field.

9. Render in 4:3.

Most important pieces to recreate the look

The scene will read correctly as long as you include:

Ornate iron rose gate + winding stone path + oversized mushrooms + castle in distance + tea-party props + roses/vines + antique clock + warm glowing lanterns.

Those elements will immediately give it the same Wonderland fantasy garden feeling.

there are issues with Carrara and the later version of Mac

I am not a Mac user so cannot tell you what they are, just that there are some

I know there is something to do with reading files from the Carrara browser

My old backup does not open and the download link fails. The windows link works but I'm using OSX

Gordig said:

Are Princess' dForce hairs strand-based?

I wishlisted one and personally hope it isn't  

I currently use the SciFi Pop hair By ChevyBabe as a disturbingly high poly obj export in Carrara, iClone, Twinmotion and gotta stop falling in love with the strandbased styles

Stezza said:

wsterdan said:

Stezza said:

but it's Monday arvo! 

 

I forgot to ask, was this toon-shaded in Carrara or was AI used as a toon shader? Either way, it's excellent! 

I uploaded my image and then prompted to toon it in a 1960's style ... that was about it.  

I like to ask it fir a 1960s Chinese propaganda style ;)

Lots of good advice, thanks all!  I confess I tend to avoid non-DAZ purchases of DAZ Studio content since the DIM works well for me.  I have successfully installed a few, but it seems kind of confusing. Also, I mostly do animations in Carrara using DS iRay renders as backgrounds, and DAZ offers lots of great large scenes for such projects, e.g. Stonemason alone from whom I've purchased dozens of products, mostly at deep discounts on sale.

Hopefully with experience with the Forum headline product I'll get less concerned about non DAZ products for DS.

The truth is a true statement about reality, said with the intent to be honest with the other person; a lie is a false statement said with the intent to intentionally deceive the other person. This general definition clashes with everyday reality: how often do we say false things, believing in good faith that they are true? How often do we lie to avoid trouble or for what is considered a good thing? How often do we lie for profit? Have you ever lied to your boss, your mom or dad, your wife or husband or your friends? Have you ever told your teacher that the dog ate your homework? Have you ever told the shopkeeper that the ball that broke his window wasn't yours? Have you ever said you're 25 and not 40? Have you ever told your friend that her ugly dress is beautiful? Share your opinions and/or experiences with truth and lies. I look forward to receiving your many beautiful renderings.

Some useful links for the Contest

The KindredArts Free Resource Repo Here are the KindredsArt freebies and a rich list of sites that host freebies

Free 3D Models Link to DAZ's bi-weekly freebies

Limited Time Freebies Discussion Thread A thread under the Commons section of the forum, where DAZ's biweekly freebies are announced and, recently, even listed. It's useful for remembering which freebies were added and when.

The rules of the contest are:

• Your entry must be a new render, especially made for this challenge.

• Your entry must follow the DAZ TOS.

• You may enter a maximum of 4 entries.

• A minimum of five (5) Freebies must be included in your image

• All Daz Bi-Weekly Freebies are allowed throughout the entire month in which they are free, as well as the following month (for a total of 2 months).

• You may use a maximum of 5 paid items.

• Base figures (Genesis 9, Genesis 8, etc.) as well as their basic morph packs may be used as needed. They do not count as either paid items or freebies.

• DAZ Studio, Poser, Bryce, Carrara, Hexagon, and Blender are allowed.

• DAZ AI Studio is not allowed. The use of image generating AI technology (midjourney, stable diffusion, etc.) is not allowed in any form.

• Postwork is allowed. You must also include the raw render (before postwork) of your entry.

• For a more detailed version of the rules see the PDF attached to this post; or ask your question in this thread, we're always happy to clarify!

• Let's have fun and be creative with all the amazing resources that are available for free!

This contest ends on May 31st 2026.

Post your images and freebie links in this thread for link verification.
Once the links are verified, you can post your image and links in Entries Thread for judging.

First Place: $15 store credit from KindredArts
Second Place: $10 store credit from KindredArts
Third Place: $5 store credit from KindredArts

Past Freebie Contests:

January 2022 - Around and around and around...

February 2022 - Mysteries of the heart

March 2022- Luck Of The Draw

April 2022 - New Beginnings

May 2022 - Cozy Corner

June/July 2022 - The Secret Life Of...

August 2022- Sniff, sniff... what's that smell?

September 2022-Cars Cars and More Cars

October 2022 - Horror Movies

November 2022 - Thieves, Robbers, and Fraudsters all around!

December 2022 - The Night is Darkest...

January 2023 Speed Demons and Slowpokes

February 2023- I See Red

March / April 2023 Magical

May 2023 - Sweet Music

June/July 2023  Holes, Gaps, Caves, Tunnels

August 2023 Fabulous Pink

September 2023 Gardening

October 2023 Hallowed Night

November 2023 Wobble, jiggle, sway, and shake

December 2023 / January 2024 Driving Home For...

February 2024 The Glow Up

March 2024 Power Source

April/Mai 2024 Soft as Plush, Smooth as Silk

June 2024 An Octopus' Garden

July/August 2024 Take A Break

September 2024 Fake Smiles and Real Joy

October 2024 "Monster Mash '24!" 

November 2024 - Dreams

December 2024 - A Curious Christmas

January 2025 - Thank you, Saphirewild!

February 2025 - My Hallowed Valentine

March 2025 - Pride, Prejudice and other Shenanigans

April 2025 - The Little Ball of Calm

May 2025 - To Be Beautiful

June 2025 - Summer and Piracy

July 2025 - Design a Book Cover

August 2025 - Pure Cinema

September 2025 - Holiday Memories

October 2025 - Monster Mash!

November 2025 - The Winter Witch

December 2025 - Christmas!

January 2026 - When One Door Closes, Another Opens

February 2026 - Stronger Than You Think

March 2026 - The big blue

April 2026 - Free for All

wsterdan said:

Stezza said:

but it's Monday arvo! 

 

I forgot to ask, was this toon-shaded in Carrara or was AI used as a toon shader? Either way, it's excellent! 

I uploaded my image and then prompted to toon it in a 1960's style ... that was about it.  

Stezza said:

but it's Monday arvo! 

 

I forgot to ask, was this toon-shaded in Carrara or was AI used as a toon shader? Either way, it's excellent! 

Nothing to do with Carrara but some fins i made , wanted to show them to a friend , made this  video in obs software , so if you want to make a quick video using screen capture software,  this works fine, took about 11 mins from woe to go 

WendyLuvsCatz said:

 

I will post this here because while it does contain a lot of Twinmotion, Ai and some DAZ studio 

it also has a considerable amout of Carrara rendering too using Octane

at least half of the video

...

Interesting, thanks.

I will post this here because while it does contain a lot of Twinmotion, Ai and some DAZ studio 

it also has a considerable amout of Carrara rendering too using Octane

at least half of the video

the nature/forest scenes and additional foreground of some interior shots 

was in fact Howie Farkes Country road with a lot of the foliage replaced 

also the replication object was a plane instead of his terrain but because the UV mapping is the same, it worls

this is a handy thing more should know if one wants a flat less resource hogging scene

most of his sets use terrains and they can be replaced with simple planes with one polygon

and if needed the shader texture baked with inagoni baker from the terrain too (I didn't, just replaced it)

just sharing a video that cane up in my feed today

good points but I personally have never found Blender as easy and intuitive to model in like Carrara, in fact Carrara is the only thing I can really model in, in spite of owning Zbrush and other 3D modelling software, yes I do fiddle in them, but invariably end up finishing anything off in Carrara anyway 

just got the idea from a post I saw today that Steve K made.. 

Carrara & DS Animation In The 48 Hour Animation Contest 2025 - Gangs Of Rome - Daz 3D Forums

SilverGirl said:

barbult said:

SilverGirl said:

Don't forget the quality of the weekly free-if-you-pay-for-membership items. Ohhh... random sci-fi coridor or dark waiting/club room #836... so tempting...

Yes, they are not free. They are prepaid pig-in-a-poke items. They are no longer an incentive to pay for membership, because of the extremely repetitive nature of those items you mentioned. And they just keep coming!

Yeah. It's annoying enough on the old heavily discounted subscription I got pre-premier. Now that they took away the ability to get deals like that on membership I can't see myself re-subbing for a year at a crack once this one runs out in January. The benefits just aren't going to outweigh the cost for me at that point. Kinda sad that I've hit the disillusioned point after only being here 2.5 years, but I'm not a big spender and clearly not the target market, so I doubt Daz will miss my business. And I can focus more on renders than cart jenga.

and why i talk like I do...I've been here before DAZ was DAZ. I've seen all the changes through the years. All of them. Through the Poser years, and then DAZ Studio, then no more Poser support, etc etc ... yeah  Buyout of Bryce, Hexagon, Carrara, etc..and then basically dropping them all. Still here but not developed for what seems like eternity.