More Non-photorealisitic Renders (NPR II)
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Thanks. Yes. This will be either a comic or VN.
How much time does it take you to make such render? It is so lame that I can't achieve glowing lighting effect in 3Delight. Rendering with iRay is a pain int the ass comparing to 3Delight, except for glowing and color bleeding.
Thanks @Artini for supports and nice words , like always !
@pavsikakyj
Render in Eevee without freestyle really fast . My render time usually about 1 minute 19 seconds or 2 minutes 30 seconds with Freestyle passes ( for 2048px wide )
I dont using fast machine right now , only 7(years) old laptop with 12GB RAM and 4GB GTX 860M .
If you low in GPU , you can check Edit>preference> viewport and set limit texture size to whatever your machine can handle .
Mine set to 512 and sometimes 1024. That`s useful when you have large scene and lot of textures
Actually I have no problem with IRAY slow render time in my machine , I just ike Eeevee Emission shader and bloom better , because its realtime and I can have quick creative decision than when working with IRAY .. Using Diffeo addon for Blender also means we can get same camera view , so nothing can stop you to blending render from both apps if you want .
About Glow and bloom , you can cheat it in 3delight with these steps
While an image editor is part of my workflow. I keep all of the stuff on the 3D side of it, in one program. So a solution like this one is too unruley for me.
Gausian blur for a layers made bloom effect works really well. For the 3Denvironments this is a excellent post effect. Can you add a few characters into these scenes?
Thanks. I use the trick with blurred layers for the hole image usually. It makes picture look better.
Your multipass approach gives awesome results. But it has sence for single image production. Wnen you have to do a lot of pics, it takes too much time and efforts.
When I asked about time it takes to make an image, I meant how much times it to exoprt DAZ scene to Blender and fixing the shaders. If it is ever possible of course.
And I want to thank you for you devotion, shared experience and awesome art.
yeah I agree with @vrba79 and @pavsikakyj about time consuming when doing this technique for multiple or image sequences . Thats why I`m trying move to Blender so I can get every multipass in one go . And let my custom Photoshop action do automatic job for me .
In theory , Blender Compositor should be possible to replacing my Photoshop editing stacks, because in this style I dont use any filters , just Layer Stacks with Blending mode - Opacity and LUT Profile ( which can easily replace with combination between Curve and Color Balance) , so I can get the same results , but without using Photoshop .
Right now i`m still have litte experience with it so photoshop still my way to doing this style .
As we know , Photoshop actually offers Batch Action processing . WIth it, you can use one customized ACTION applied to hundred or thousand images with just one click . As long you have same or consistent light setup - tone and proper file name between images , the batch processing should be doing fine .
Several years ago I`ve used this technique to convert standard video ads to Toon look , Or processing hundreds of photo when work in Model Agency just in one click
You just need to test your action against one image or frame until you find output you like . Again if your images or render have consistent lighting style and tone , the batch processing should help you to do nothing LOL . I do believe thats the reason machines created at first place right? Doing boring and repetitive task for us !
My next goal will be doing short animation , so I need to learn about Blender Compositor first so I can get output same or at least close with what Ive done with photoshop but in One Click Render /GO.
@firstBAstion
I`ll trying add character in next render . Honestly I`m still not found the right setup for DAZ character in Blender in term NPR purposes . Thats why my Blender render mostly focus on 3D props or environments . I`ve been trying several paid Toon Shader but the setup process and output still bothering me than using PwToon and DAZ Studio . Something which makes me wonder because when use those shader in Low Poly or simple character from Maximo or Ripped Game , the setup is so easy and the output seem nice .
@pavsikakyj
The only time consuming when doing this style in Blender is setup the correct lights for scene or find good angle to frame it in Camera view . Changing every surface to Emission is easy . So its depends how much surface you want to convert to Emmision shaders . But its only few seconds to change each one . I dont touch other material or surfaces , since I do believe DIFFEO addon help me with that .
These sample of my step so you can have rough estimate about time you need
Those step will be double or multiplied if I`m working with image sequences/animation in these stages
Yeah its still need lot times , but having output like that, for guy who cant draw lke me , feels worth the time
Recipe time!
I've been playing with the DazDefault Toon shader for the last couple of weeks, and came up with a pretty good Photoshop action to compliment it.
Here's before and after. General rule of thumb on this is render lighter than you want the finished image to look, as the postwork will darken things.
Now for the recipe itself.
Duplicate your layer.
Set the duplicate layer's blend mode to Overlay.
Apply a Gaussian blur of 2.0 to that layer.
Merge down your layer.
That's it. Its fast, easy and gives pretty nice looking results!
Looks really nice and I like such an easy recipe.
Hi, Folks!
I've been following this thread and I'm very impressed with everyone's contribution. Seeing that there's not much work done with (iray) Sketchy Toon Shader, I wanted to share my latest renders. I used the shader largely for the skin and the wardrobe.
These character studies are for a cop story set in the 22nd century. So far I'm at the conceptualization stage; it's cyberpunkish and slightly noir. At least that's the direction I want to take it to.
For a list of products I used, please see my gallery entries: first; second. In the second image, I used Photoshop to add bloom and text.
Cheers!
Thanks! My workflow calls for doing finished renders quickly, so I came up with this with speed in mind.
Yeah, I bought Sketchy a while back and honestly there's not a lot you can do with it, in terms of versatility. Then again, you're asking a render engine made expressly for photorealism, to do the exact opposite of it's design. 3DL is where its at for toon and comic stuff.
@vrba79,
Thanks for sharing your views. Clearly, if Sketchy is my first go-to tool for toon rendering then there must be something I'm missing out on. And considering the amazing work you and others on this forum have done with other shaders, perhaps I should reconsider my options.
It's just that a while back I asked someone on the forums, "If I wanted to create comic art in the style of Mike Mignola's HELLBOY, which toon shader should I use?" The reply -- Sketchy. Now if you're familiar with Mignola's art style you know that he communicates his ideas visually using simple elements. Truly, minimalist illustration. So given that goal, it's easy to appreciate a basic, no frills toolkit such as Sketchy to get the job done.
But since I've never used PW Toon or any other toon shader, please help me out here: What are the top 5 reasons/features that non-Sketchy toon shaders have that you've come to rely on?
Cheers!
Very cool render and simple trick !!
Thats nice style , I would love to see another render examples. .
@juvesatriani,
Here are more IRay renders using the Sketchy Toon Shader. In these scenes I used the two Sketchy-derived skin shaders of the models I showed earlier (I was approximating caucasian and north asian skin tones), as well as for the furniture and surfaces of the house. Same with the drone. There is a greenish-blue cast because I added that to the environment lighting. The only Photoshop work here involved the text, a glow set to the highlights, and edits to remove the clothing peek-throughs. Everything else is straight out of the IRay renderer.
As I explained earlier, these are concept art for a near-future cop story I'm planning. The story is set in South East Asia, so the cast is multi-ethnic; I have my work cut out producing the correct skin shaders. Then I'll test them under different lighting conditions.
I'm still learning as I go along. For now I like the Sketchy Toon Shader because of the shades and tones it retains, plus the clean aesthetic it brings. It's hard to desribe what I'm aiming for -- in my mind, I envision a blend of anime and art style 'ala Mike Mignola's HELLBOY comics, if that make any sense! So far I believe I'm heading in the right direction. :-)
Let me know what you think.
Cheers!
A bit more PWToon with tuning
I just got a crazy idea. What if I render blooming lights in iRay in separate pass? Maybe even in separate layer. What shader is the best for mesh lights in iRay?
@juvesatriani what do you think?
I like your style. its mixed up 3D with cel shading . I would suggesting you to try using sharper/Hard shadows to make dramatic contrast between dark and light area and enhancing your cel shading FX, or maybe give them bolder outlines to make it emphasis the Noir styles
But overall , I think your style is cool . And about which kind tools you`ve used ,I do believe everyone have preference , As long it makes you satisfied with end results thats will be enough
I would love to see your comic someday, especially after knowing that your story has taken place in region where I came from , South East Asia !
Yeah its possible , In This image I`ve used IRAY to get Emission pass - PwToon for Smooth Shading and DAZ 3delight Outline sctipt for outline pass.
I havent try by myself but @mjCasual create some script about Emmision pass from IRAY ( I cant find the link right now but I`ll updated later )
All of the recent post looks very interesting for me.
In Unity, I can create all such passes, combine them and display results in the real time.
I just need to have more time to experiment.
Please continue to post your ideas, especially about different passes and the lights needed to achieve such awesome images.
@Artini I really want to know about Unity or Unreal for still images rendering . Would you point me to right direction what I should learn first ? And how easy their compositors compare to Blender`s compositor tools ?
@juvesatriani, @Artini:
I've been looking at NPR in other renderers, particularly Blender, Unreal and Unity, and I must say they are very impressive. I think they provide more post-processing features for shaders, camera and lighting, and for these reasons alone I may be tempted to switch to them. But I do have some concerns.
I know it's easy to import Daz assets, but as far as figures are concerned, how easy is it to pose them there? Also I've read in the forums that hair dForce doesn't work outside of Daz; is this the same case for clothing? The lack of dForce may not be a problem for tight-fitting clothes and close cropped hair, but it does represent a loss of functionality.
Cheers!
From three apps you`ve asked , my experience only limited in Blender . But general rule is , as long those applications have proper/Robust IK , posing character should be easy .
Diffeo addon have feature which helping you to setup proper IK for DAZ figure in Blender .
Autorig Pro addon + Quick Rig also have DAZ Figure preset , so in theory, creating pose and Animation should be easy
About Dynamic stuff , Im not sure since I never export it in Blender
If someday I really need it , I think I`ll learn using Blender`s Native or other dynamic Add on rather than find a way to make it Dforce items works properly in there
For Still images , I think you can setup everything in DAZ ( including DForce Simulations) then exporting them in FBX or OBJ format just for rendering and post processing .
Hi,
I have created a new thread in Daz Unity forum to discuss different aspects of creating NPR in Unity.
https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/491026/npr-and-daz-post-your-renders-experiences-and-recipes
I will be demonstrating different techniques and items, I have bought in Daz 3D shop and Unity Asset store.
There are ongoing sales going there and there are also a lot of free items available, as well.
Welcome to see and post your experiences, renders and questions related to NPR in Unity.
For creating dForce like simulations in Unity, you could use:
Dynamic Bone or Magica Cloth
There is no problem with transferring posed Daz characters in Daz Studio to Unity,
while using a bridge: https://www.daz3d.com/daz-to-unity-bridge
See example in https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/491026/npr-and-daz-post-your-renders-experiences-and-recipes#latest
I know only a little about Unreal, but I am using Unity for many years, but still as a hobby.
I will try to help you as much as I can, but need a time to explain everything.
Please take a look at the following items to see, what can be done in Unity:
RealToon or Flat Kit.
I will be using these packages with Daz items pretty soon in my thread:
https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/491026/npr-and-daz-post-your-renders-experiences-and-recipes#latest
I can imagine, that not everyone is interested in using Unity,
that's why I have created a separate thread in Unity related forum:
https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/491026/npr-and-daz-post-your-renders-experiences-and-recipes#latest
I do not want to steal this thread for Unity related matters.
Please also keep in mind, that you can create items for Daz Studio all by yourself
and the same is valid for Unity.
You could create all shaders, post effects and any assets required by NPR, in Unity by yourself.
I just do not have enough time and skills, to create all by myself.
That is why I buy ready made packages both in Daz 3D Shop and Unity Asset Store.
Unity has many ready made packages for using IK.
The most famous, but a bit hard to use for me is Final IK.
@artini thanks for your efforts to giving us highlight about what we can do using DAZ assets in Unity . Especially for gettting another NPR FX and styles.
I will DL Unity and see how far I can grasp the basic of it . Thanks again for your time to write those step by step tutorial