Difficulty with Daz is no instructions !
Daz is a fantastic 3D software, but no instructions on anything. Other software I purchased came with a book or instructions in the help menu, such as I can type in various filters for definition, what they do etc..... Some have illustrations. At the moment, I am learning surface, I have no idea what any of the functions do, other then experiment by changing levels. No descriptions on any functions.
Ok, for example wanted to purchase Lucrezia from the Daz store, to create a vampire character. This is what comes with Lucrezia, these parts confuse me, so far I have evolution body & head morph.
1 Character Preset (.DSA)
1 Full Mat
6 Texture and Bump Maps (1000x1000)
1 Transparency Map (1500x1500)
2 Texture and Bump Maps (2000x2000)
18 Texture, Bump and Specular Maps (4000x4000)
DAZ Studio Material Presets (.DSA)
What are character preset? What are full mat? Texture? bump maps? Specular maps ? No definition of these terms.
Lucrezia is a beautiful vampire morph Okay cool, I know what morph does. Lucrezia is available for V5 and Genesis evolution morphs. I have evolution morph, but not V5,.
Compatible 3D Figures: Genesis Cool, I have Genesis, now can I create Lucrezia ? Can I change color of face, to white like in illustration ?
Would love to purchase products from store, but half the time don't know what is compatible, or what products do, etc..... For example, Lucrezia states vampire morph. Does not say anything about skin surface, can I change appearance of her skin, Do I need Victoria 5 to do this, etc..... In the illustration she has fangs, which comes with evolution head morph, but doesn't state that. So many people probably purchase products assuming, they will get exactly what is in the illustration. Make a purchase, then find out, Oh I need this, oh I need that.
Tamesis Bundle: Required Victoria 4.2 Morphs++ have no idea what this is, V4 Elite Body Shapes, Stephanie 4 Elite Base,.
So basically, nothing in the store is compatible with Genesis, without purchasing a ton of other products. Without V4 or V5 base, one is basically stuck, am I correct ??
So, what exactly do I need to create Lucrezia in the illustration? Youtube does not have any in depth instructions on content or software use. Thanx.
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Comments
DS comes with no instructions since it's free software. Yes it's got a terrible learning curve. The shop is still terribly designed with no information on anything. The installers STILL come in the format of "ds_23592379sadghasdgiaosgd.exe" whatever the hell that means. It still doesn't have information on what packages include this already, what's excluded, and explicit info on required products.
Bottom line? Don't buy from daz shop. Buy from renderosity instead. Much better layout on that site. All the content on that site comes in a folder instead of a installer so you know exactly what you get. It says very clearly what you need to get the product to work, and whether or not it works in daz (keep in mind most stuff are made for poser, not daz studio).
Thanx friend, you got that right, learning curve is terrible ! Have a membership to Renderosity, will check out thier site. Daz is fantastic free software, no complaints on my part, I've learned alot from Daz 3D, it's been alot of fun. Just can't stand the content store, to confusing. I've read through many threads, most people have problems with content compatibility, discovering I bought this, why isn't it working. So far Daz software has work'd flawlessly for me. I'm anxious to purchase content, explore more in depth using software, but unless I purchase all content in Daz store, can't bring my idea's to creativity. Content is constantly changing. Soon, V4 & V5 will be useless, when V6 comes out. Oh well, thanx for your input.
Actually I find Daz stuff easier to work with, if only because the majority of it comes with metadata so it shows up automatically in the Smart content pane. For a complete beginner, it can also be a lot more difficult since you have to navigate their unusual method of making download products available. Rather than having a simple "Your Download stuff here" you have to browse your order history and click on the code. Very unintuitive, especially if you need to download an older file you bought and don't remember which order number it was. Lastly, items from Renderosity rarely have any more information than from the Daz store, so the OP would still have difficulties.
Now, onto the main reason for this thread, to answer some questions and point you in the right direction:
1) A character preset is a morph and material set for a specific character model. There are a LOT of different character models out there, so be sure to get ones which you can use. By default, Daz Studio comes with the Genesis figure, which is arguably one of the more flexible in terms of what you can do with it.
Other figures include Victoria 4, Michael 4, The Kids 4 and so on. If you don't have the necessary character model, then you can't fully use the product. However, skins for the Generation 4 characters will still function on Genesis. You just have to change the UV set under the "Surfaces" tab to the appropriate model.
2) The different material types represent what they do to a surface. This is pretty basic 3D stuff, which is why it's not explained in any detail on the site. It's assumed that if you're downloading this stuff you at least have a grasp of the basics. To get you up to speed, here's what they do:
- Texture maps are the colour for the surfaces. Whether its skin colours, a cardboard box or the marble in a monument.
- Bump maps do exactly what they say on the tin. They map little bumps and dips in the surface, giving the illusion of depth
- Specular maps are for the 'sheen' of an object. It adds those more subtle details when figures or objects catch the light.
- Displacement maps are for 'real' bumps. When these are used, instead of the system faking bumps, like with bump maps, it alters the actual geometry of the surface.
- Normal maps are similar to bump maps, but are far more advanced. Used in combination with displacement maps, they can give amazing results.
3) There are countless items in the store which are Genesis specific. It's Daz's new baby, and it's come out kicking and screaming. Look for anything with 'Genesis' in the title, and chances are that it's compatible. Some do require pre-requisites like Victoria 5 or Stephanie 5, so look out for the requirements in the product information.
4) Given that Lucrezia is a new character, there should be a character preset for her in the 'Figures' tab in Smart Content. Failing that, you can load the basic Genesis figure and apply Lucrezia's materials and morphs from there. If the morphs are not listed in Smart Content then chances are they'll be found in the Shaping tab under Actor -> Female.
Any further questions feel free to ask.
DS4 used to be paid and Daz still couldn't be bothered to provide a manual. Some people on this forum don't see a problem with that and will point to the abandoned unfinished wiki or DS3 manual or saying you can ask on the forums.
By saying that Lucrezia is a V5 character, that does tell you that yes, in this instance you do need V5 as well as Genesis in order to be able to create the exact character that is shown.
Tamesis need the V4 morphs++ if you are using V4. If you are using Genesis then it needs the V4 shapes, which make Gensis look almost the same as V4.
If you do have any doubts about a character pack then you can be sure that you will get the advice that you need in this forum. Almost everyone who pulls in to answer queries is here to help you. The CVs and Admins in particular will go out of their way to advise you. When I first started with 3D (quite a while ago now) I learned far more from helpful people in the forums than I ever did from the manuals. I have a poser 4 manual that is in almost mint condition, that's how often I used it.
The main purpose if this set of forums is to give you a place where you can ask all your questions and get good answers, without anyone telling you that the question has been asked before, or that you should shop elsewhere.
HoF has given you some good answers, do feel free to keep asking questions.
It is possible to work with only Genesis, which is the default figure which comes with DS4+ and is thus a free figure, but you will need to buy some other packs if you want to really use the figure to it's fullest extent, in the same was as those of us who use the gen 4 figures (V4 M4 etc) have bought add ons like morphs++ for them.
Hi Admin, thanx for info. What I am reading Lucrezia is available for V5 and Genesis evolution morphs. Which tells me, Lucrezia character is available for V5 or Genesis evolution morphs. Two different entities. I have Genesis evolution morphs. So, if I don't have V5, I can use Genesis evolution morph to create Lucrezia, well that's the way I comprehend. Bummer, not enough characters for V5,. V4 has a ton.
Hi Herald, thanx for all the fabulous info. Definetly place your info into my learning journal.
You just have to change the UV set under the "Surfaces" tab to the appropriate model. Do not understand how this works ?
Genesis figure and apply Lucrezia's materials and morphs from there. Thanx, what I needed to know.
Texture maps are the colour for the surfaces. Whether its skin colours, a cardboard box or the marble in a monument. Lucrezia has quite a few texture maps. So, I can create white face skin surface. Thanx for clearing up confusion, thought make up option did this. Now, I need to learn how to use surface functions. Thanx for all your help.
Forum is fantastic for Q/A, but sometimes a person may be stuck on a project waiting for answers, reason manuals/instructions are precious. Most users with tremendous knowledge are not on 24/7. Hopefully someday, a manual is developed.
DS4 used to be paid and Daz still couldn't be bothered to provide a manual. Some people on this forum don't see a problem with that and will point to the abandoned unfinished wiki or DS3 manual or saying you can ask on the forums.
The UV settings are listed in the surfaces tab. If you don't already have one, you can get it by right-clicking any of the existing sidebars and going to 'add pane' -> Surfaces. Alternatively, you can find it under Window -> Panes and then drag it into position (pics supplied).
Thanx Herald, what is UV tab and all the other surfaces tab do ?? What is most important one's ? Guess, I can learn by experimenting. Is UV tab X-ray, Lol !!! Only if I knew what each tab function does. I'm sure other newbies do to :)
Read my above post for information on things like diffuse, specular, displacement and bump. As for UVs, U and V refer to a coordinate system which is how the computer knows where to place textures on objects. Each object generally has a different set of UVs it uses to display the textures, but Genesis is different in that it can switch between different UV mappings, allowing it to use older Generation 4 textures instead of just the new Gen 5s.
Note though, that some UV's won't be available to you until you buy the corresponding character. Examples include Victoria 5, Aiko 5, and Stephanie 5, and also their male equivalents.
You need to go to YouTube to Daz3d's channel and watch those- that is their "manual" so to speak. Thanks for those DAZ!
Thanx friend, viewed them all :)
It's been shared many times throughout the threads as it's a good one:
http://homepage.eircom.net/~neilvpose/ds-settings.htm
Awesome Novica, thanx a million :-)
Daz3D YouTube page http://www.youtube.com/user/WWWDAZ3DCOM
Even Dreamlight has got in on the act with 3DUniversity http://www.daz3d.com/help/help-daz-3d-video-tutorials/
Then there is a wealth of info in the New Users Help Forum - Start Here! section http://www.daz3d.com/forums/categories/97/ which include a number of very heplful threads even a glossary of terms http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/46/
So today's lesson is that yes there is no manual as such but that doesn't mean there isn't the info out there is one just looks hard enough. And that above is just the tip. :)