Overwhelmed
Am i the only one who feels overwhelmed and lost when it comes to the technical and tutorial info? What ive learned so far with Daz has been by trial and error and i feel like im stumbling in the dark and there seems to be limited options for what my render models can wear..im looking for something where i can have the pieces all ready and then modify them to my liking..mostly armour i want to design..or have i just lost the plot? :roll:
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If it is for your own use you can modify models any way you want. That said you would need to take them into a modeling program if the changes are more than textural. And depending on how the armor works you may have to conform it again in studio.
One easier option is to mix and match bits from different set and then use a shader or re-texture them yourself so that they all match properly.
Thankyou for the reply....so my next questions would be what modelling program would i use? And how do i re-texture and shade? :)
For modeling you can get Hexagon 2 here. And it is free and pretty easy to use. http://www.daz3d.com/shop/software/hexagon
For texturing you can use photoshop or paintshop pro if you already have them. If not you can pick up GIMP free and its a very good program. http://www.gimp.org/
You need a copy of the UV map to bring into the graphics program. Most DAZ products have them down-loadable but not all. And other brokerages don't always have them. Rather than depending on someone else doing it you can get a copy of UV mapper classic for free. It is perfect for starting out with. http://www.uvmapper.com/
Texturing in some ways is learn and do because you need to see what sort of work flow works best for you. That said you might want to take a peek at Stonemason's tutorial. http://stefan-morrell.com/
I have Photoshop and i will take a look at the other things you suggested, many thanks! :cheese:
Good luck.. And don't get frustrated. When you first start its like learning anything new and can be well..overwhelming. But one day when you least expect it that light bulb comes on and you go "ohhhh" that isn't so hard.
Don't get discouraged, we all start out disoriented and confused. I even had some working experience with Maya about 7 years ago and even I found myself completely befuddled at first.
That's what this forum is for. There's a really awesome community here of people who just love to help and share their experience. Some people have trouble even forming the questions for what they want to do so trying to find the right tutorial to help them along can be a challenge in and of itself, so don't be afraid to ask any questions.
I'd recommend getting hexagon and just working on really simple projects at first. Don't worry about creating a finished product just keep everything simple until you figure out all the tricks that will help you creating what it is you will want in the future.
Try making a simple shirt. Nothing fancy just something that covers the top of the figure and looks more or less shirt like. Then try pants. Then try footwear, and then when you're feeling more confident try gloves. For now don't worry about creating texture maps just concentrate on learning the modelling software.
Next step you want might to take a stab at making your own hair. Once again don't worry about making a final product, just experiment with technique. Don't worry about making mistakes.
When you've done that then you can try making different simple props and after that simple architecture.
Hexagon actually comes with some very simple models which can be helpful for studying to see what needs to be done with the polygons to attain different shapes.
There are a lot of great Hexagon tutorials on YouTube (some, unfortunately are only available in French) which will help you learn the interface.
Don't expect to be cranking out finished products over night. Realize people take two and three year college courses in this sort of stuff so it's going to take you some time to master the software. Even the experienced users in this forum still learn new things from one another. Stick with it and don't get discouraged. It does get easier with time. The important thing is to give yourself the time to learn.
Also realize the world of computer graphics is nothing like they show on television. You don't just enter a couple of commands and click the mouse a couple of times and then have a completely rendered high polygon model. Modelling is very time consuming and can often be tedious. But the end result of having a unique model that you created completely from scratch is very rewarding.
The most important thing is to relax and have fun. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to post things you are working on to get feedback from other users.
Thanks guys im feeling much better now, I will let you know how i get on :coolsmile:
I always tend to suggest the opposite. Instill you understand where your going to end up it is hard to think correctly about modeling. As an example, if you don't understand what you can do with displacement, bump and even transparency people tend to over model. It is also helpful to understand how UV maps are going to texture up before you spend to much time modeling because most things have to have a UV map to put a texture on it. It may seem like starting at the end but it helps to know where you need to end up.
Oh there's no doubt about the importance of UV and texture maps but for me in terms of just learning the software's interface and the functions it was much more useful to just start building incredible simple models.
Like the first shirt I built was literally nothing but a modified cylinder for the torso and two for the arms. No cuffs, no collars. But it taught me how to manipulate the polygons to make a shape I wanted as well as how to rig clothing in the end. It's certainly not something I'd ever use as a final product but it was a great learning experience for discovering the basics of Hexagon and Daz. After that I made another similar shirt and on that one I set up shading zones and materials and a UV map, still keeping everything extremely simple. Just a plain, basic shirt shape. The shirt itself wasn't the objective, just learning the functions of the software was.
Sometimes too I find it valuable to just "doodle" a model in Hexagon. Start with a simple primitive and pull and shape and add with no real destination in mind until something inspiring starts to take shape and then go from there.
For me it's often easier to learn a new piece of software if I work with only a vague destination in mind rather than wish to make something specific. It keeps me from getting frustrated when I don't end up with what I wanted. Instead the entire things is just a learning experience and I will later be able to take the things I learned and apply them to projects where I have a final destination in mind.
Of course different people learn in different ways so there's really no right or wrong just what works and doesn't work for you.
I'm a hands on learn by doing type. It also helps if I have a printable tutorial, then I can go at my own pace. I love when my rattled old brain gets one of those Ah ha now I see moments.
for what it's worth,.,
I agree with Khory.
Displacement maps can be used to "deform" the structure of an object without modelling it,. and for something like armour (sorry I'm in Scotland (UK)) " armor " (US) ... :)
then the shape and details could be changed easily using Displacement maps, and Normal maps or conventional Bump maps.
and it won't change the original Model. so by using the same model on different figures ith different textures and Displacement or Bump maps, you can have a different look to each figure.
Learning how to make a texture map can be much easier than learning how to make a model :)
If you look at some products in the store, and the texture sets available for them,..then you'll see how much an item can be changed just by applying a different texture map to it. or by making some shading domains invisible (EG : the Morphing Fantasy Dress)
Depending on what you want to do, and what you want to spend time learning, and what you're prepared to purchase off the shelf,...
then modelling skills are obviously a big plus, to have in your tool-kit,.. but,, by jumping straight into modelling, and just sticking things together, you may not necessarily be learning "Good modelling techniques",. and unfortunately that usually ends up creating issues later, when it comes to rigging, and weight-mapping.
Some software will "overlook" some modelling issues, and some may even Fix errors in the model for you, but that's different for each program,.
A well made model will work well in any 3D program.
Have a look at some basic "Box modelling" tutorials,.. (it doesn't matter which program the tutorials are for) these techniques apply equally to any vertex modelling program. and they'll give you the fundamentals of good modelling practices.
Hope it helps :)
If I see you apologise for that again I'm going to find you and slap you!
I agree with BlumBlum. I don't care what colour your Favourite armour is so don't apologise.
(and firefox says I have spelled 4 words wrong in that one little sentence.)
LOL :)
No apologies necessary, Andy. Most Americans will know what you mean. In fact, my daughter consistently uses the British spelling. Our Toneys have only been in America since 1632.
I'm Canadian so I can really see u in my armour.