Daz Store: Are tutorials worth the purchase?
Hello All,
In lieu of today's special sale (8-27-19), tutorials are the main topic of discussion. While I have known that they exist, many have a rather high price tag attached to them. But now with the current sale, some can be had for 75% off. This does put it in at a more affordable level and there are a few I am interested in. Now the main question I have is are these tutorials worth the purchase from the get go? Is there anything very different about these tutorials that I can't find free just by asking here in the forums or going on You Tube to find a video?
Three that I am mainly after are these:
https://www.daz3d.com/iray-turbo-x2-10-speed-tutorial
I find this one intriging since I am currently rendering on a CPU only. (I don't have a GPU...Yet). While I have seen some videos and read some articles about speeding up renders, I have not come across anything to the degree this tutorial says. So is this a 'Holy Grail' tutorial that is a must buy?
https://www.daz3d.com/mastering-the-fundamentals-of-iray-lighting-and-rendering
I have had this one in my wish list for a while, and while it is the most expensive of the three, it does offer a lot of content. The author does extensively outline the tutorial and mentions in detail what is covered within. However, looking at the details, many of the topics of discussion I already asked for help here in the forums early on in regards to lighting. So I am unsure if this would be a wise purchase or not. So as above, I am asking this as well: Would it be another 'Holy Grail' must buy?
https://www.daz3d.com/hexagon-revisited-create-models-money
Lastly, I have not delved with Hexagon at all yet, but it did come with Daz Studio. All I know it is a 3D creation program, but that is the extent of it. I don't know the details behind it and looking on You Tube, I just watched a fellow make a mug with it. That is it. When I looked over products to buy in the store, very rarely have I seen a product creator tout "MADE WITH HEXAGON!!! YEAH! WHOO HOO!" Mostly I see that many items are created with Z-Brush. While I looked into this program, it costs $900. A bit steep a price to pay. So I am curious that if you can create in Hexagon, how does it compare? Would this tutorial be a good buy? Or should I just forget about Hexagon entirely and go Z-Brush right off the bat?
I mentioned a couple times as to the feasibility of buying these tutorials when much information can be had for free. BUT if there are these "Holy Grail" tutorials out there that no new user of Daz Studio should be without, then by all means please let me know. Also I would like to know of those that are a complete waste of time and not to bother with.
Thank you,
Geo
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Comments
I only have one of the above tutorials, but have not figured out how to watch it on anything but my computer. That is not saying it is not good. If you know how to watch the tutorials and implement them that would be better than just buying them and not viewing them at all.
LOL! That is a funny situation. If you go into the Download Manager and go all the way to the right where the items have been installed, there is a small down arrow to the right. Click on that and a list box appears. Click on "Show Installed Files". It will show the path to files. More than likely it is standard video files. Once you see the full path, you can use Windows Explorer to get to it. Then you should be able to copy the files over to a memory stick to transfer to anther device.
BTW, which tutorial did you get?
The hexagon revisited one. I will try that once my computer finishes rebooting.
Like most things, I think the overall answer to whether the tutorials are worth it will be "it depends".
For instance the Iray Turbo and Fundementals of Iray Lighting probably have some really good information in them. That said, without viewing the tutorials myself, I'd guess that you could probably find the same information available from other sources (like these forums, Deviant Art blogs, and YouTube videos). However, if you've really struggled with lighting, and the video at 75% off feels like a good price to you, then it definitely would be a good way to learn that information without having to search for it and piece it together yourself.
Personally, I've found the tutorials to be a bit "hit or miss" for me. Sometimes I learn a lot, sometimes the advice given is counter to what I've learned other places and I disagree with. But for the most part people are doing their best to provide knowledge they think isn't readily available to the average artist.
That leads me to the Hexagon video. That video is actually really good for a beginner. He walks through several good topics on the basics of modeling and helps show some techniques for getting things done. I've watched it a couple of times because every time I watch someone working in Hexagon, I learn something new it can do that I didn't know about. That said, I have to also give a shoutout to Max Hancock's YouTube channel. His videos are great for not only teaching the "how" of modeling, but the "why" you want to do certain things to avoid problems down the road.
As for whether Hexagon is a "profession" level tool, I'd also point out that both DzFire and Protozoon use Hexagon to create their products. So it is certainly capable of creating quality results. Other modeling tools may have built-in features that make modeling easier, but Hexagon does have all the basics you need to create your own 3D objects for rendering.
As far as I know, the refund policy applies to tutorials as much as other products. I not returning some I have bought but did not check out quickly enough. Quality varies widely, returning the under par ones makes a point. So if you buy any, take a look at them pretty quickly.
Well, I bought all three tutorials and I will see how they go. I found out very quickly they take up a chunk of space on my hard drive too, so this is something I am not going to do on a regular basis. As it is, the tutorials just are regularly too expensive. But having to pick up some for the price I did, I just figured I would give it a shot. Of the three, the "Turbo Rendering" one and the Hexagon one I am mostly intrigued with as those are areas of discussion that I don't have much experience with. The one on lighting, I have been learning some techniques that I picked up here by asking and also on You Tube. So I am HOPING I can still garner something from that one as that was the most expensive of the three. Thanks for the tip off on Maz Hancock. I will take a look at that when I get a shot.
Thank you.
An interesting thought. I didn't think about that one myself. Even though I have returned items in the past, I don't make a habit of it. But I guess I could see how these tutorials are and then make a judgement call if what I bought was useful or not. Obviously, if it is the latter, I am not going to use it again so why not get my money back on it and get something else.
Thanks!