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I do post work in Photoshop, a need-to-have are many of the brushes offered here, you can do many things you can't do with renders.
I agree with some of the items but not all and think maybe it's a bit subjective for a guide on exactly which artists stores to buy form...like which artists figure charaters to buy. Variety is a good thing. I think the problem is your guide along the way turned into a product review thread.
Edit: To be clear, there is nothing wrong with a product review thread. Those are very helpful which is what I think your a genuinely trying to be. I think the mixing of guide and product review is where some are having some negative reactions.
So that I'm not just being negative I'll include one utility I find very useful that you do not mention. I think is pretty awesome product is the Cross-Figure Resource kit. https://www.daz3d.com/genesis-8-cross-figure-resource-kit Yes, I know there is a way to do this without the kit but I like the simplicity of just using the script.
When I started, I would have liked a list of what not to buy.
A general tip is to read the list of what's included. If it's not listed as being included, it's not included. You can't go by promo images.
Oh, and even if you don't get email notifications, it's worth getting the Daz Deals browser add-on just to see price history and links to related images and forum threads. Some vendors aren't good with promos and the images can give ideas of alternate uses. Forum threads provide additional information, both positive and negative about products.
https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/106296/announcing-daz-deals-browser-add-on/p1
Newbies always want to know about Anatomical Elements. So they will need to buy one pro bundle of each to get them.
I'd second that with stars and exclamation points.
When one buys clothing, especially if you are going to use shaders it is also to your benefit to purchase items with lots of good material zones. Sure, you can set up your own material zones if you know what you are doing but it kind of complicates the whole process if you are a new user.
LOL. Isn't that the truth. The next issue is not all characters come with textures for those additonal elements so they need to carefully read character product descriptions to see if a texture is included for those extra elements.
Wow!
As I've turned on my PC this morning, my first thoughts were "come on, let's check the forum, are you ready to fight?"; "I regret doing that guide, I should have spent that time elsewhere" and "should I really delete it? What about the people who need it?"
But I see a lot of positive feedback today, so thank you all! :D
Thank you very much evacyn! :D
Thank you Mark!
I didn't know Content Wizard, thanks for sharing!
I see Melanie, thanks for your explanation!
Thank you very much for your kind words Mary, I'm happy that my guide is helping you! :D
Thank you very much Lyoness! :D
I like Neikdian's expressions set!
I do basic post-work all the time, but nothing major!
This is an interesting take: what can you do with those brushes? And why do you choose the Daz Store to purchase Photoshop products?
Pixel8ted thanks for sharing, that is a great product and I'm gonna add it to the guide!
I see your point! The first part is more a guide, the 2nd part describes the mentioned products, to let the readers decide if they have a use for those products.
I love the Cross-Figure Resource kit, it's very useful to me, but I haven't added it because I don't think most people have my same needs in that regard!
Thank you Sevrin, I had forgotten about that feature of Daz Deals, but I use it all the time as well, so I'm gonna add that to the guide! :D
Thank you for the list and the trouble you took to make it. I too was surprised at the tone of negativity in the responses. Whilst I have my own thoughts on what people would find useful to buy on the store, I’m not likely to be sharing them here because the old timers on the forum would probably rip into me!
Thank you very much Five13! :D
I would say to you "don't worry, and say what you think", but I also know that feeling, and I know it's not pleasant.
This is a great jumping off point for a discussion!
Here's some of my opinions. Needless to say, very subjective!
XTransfer: Easy to use, reliable, and very accurate in almost all cases. Expands your G8 library to include all G3 characters, which is huge.
Advanced: GenX, Legacy UVs, IRAY Converter
When combined with XTransfer, these products will allow you to use pre-G3 characters on G8. They're harder to use and less accurate, and taken together they're quite the investment. I would not recommend them for beginners. It also really depends how much you're invested in using older content, obviously. Personally, I'm having a lot of fun with them, so at least for me they're essential.
Gen4 clones for G8: There's so much free Gen4 content out there, I find that these clones are worth it, even if they don't always produce good results.
Ultimate Freckles: Great product if you like freckles, the promos don't really do it justice. Using this product may result in large file sizes if you're not careful but there are ways around it.
Advanced: dForce Magnet
Not for beginners and a little tricky to use, but I think it's a good tool to have.
Jepe's Bodyhair Project: Looks great, renders quick, fits underneath clothing, is compatible with a certain 3rd party anatomical geograft product. What's not to love? Only the armpits are a little iffy.
My personal opinion is that you shouldn't buy too many shader packs. A set with 50 rusty metal surfaces (or whatever) may look great, but just how many different rusty metal surfaces do you really need? Aren't two or three enough? These large sets tend to take up a lot of disk space and clutter up your library. That being said:
Grungy Threads: Hugely versatile shader set that you can use to dirty up skin, clothes, and environments. Can also be used to tear up clothes.
Here's some free high-quality texture resources:
https://texturehaven.com/
https://cc0textures.com
SY 200 Morphs for G8: I find these morphs to be less sophisticated than the packs mentioned above, but they're free, so nothing to complain about. Perhaps not necessary if you own Rarestone and Zevo's packs, but ideal if you're just starting out
SWOLE for G8: If you like them beefy boys dial in a little (or a lot of) SWOLE for instant beefcake goodness!
ETA: Fantasy Amazon: SWOLE for the ladies, and it's free to boot!
100 Ultimate Superhero Poses: You already mentioned Fight Lab by the same creator. This set is worth mentioning if you like Superheroes because of its incredible value for money.
https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/109961/pose-and-animation-conversion-for-multiple-generations-of-daz-figures/p1
https://www.sharecg.com/v/89846/view/8/Script/Daz3d-Pose-Converter-Standalone
https://www.deviantart.com/agentunawares/art/G3M-to-G8M-World-s-Greatest-Pose-Converter-709731867
https://www.deviantart.com/agentunawares/art/G3F-to-G8F-World-s-Greatest-Pose-Converter-709591348
With these free pose converters you will be able to use almost all Gen4-G3 poses on G8. With a little bit of patience you can convert all those old random pose packs that keep showing up amongst the bi-weekly freebies and get a huge pose library.
ETA: Wrestling Poses
If you like wrestling, this pose set is huge.
Some free HDRI resources that I use all the time:
https://www.deviantart.com/agentunawares/gallery/64098035/freebies
https://www.deviantart.com/zbyg/gallery/6278123/resources
https://gumroad.com/l/DXEPj
https://hdrihaven.com/
https://www.deviantart.com/laticis/art/Laticis-FREE-Images-Lighting-Accessories-497411807
Ultra Genesis Studio: This set shows up for free every now and then and it's worth grabbing. The promo pictures don't do it justice.
Genesis Supersuit: This is an old product and be warned, it doesn't play nice with the Smoothing Modifier. Definitely don't pay anything close to the full price for this one. However, once in a blue moon you will find it discounted by 90% or something like that. If you like toony Superheroes and SciFi this product is a lot of fun!
http://www.sharecg.com/v/85745/gallery/5/3D-Model/Glasses
http://www.sharecg.com/v/85662/gallery/5/3D-Model/Nerd-glasses-reloaded
Not only some of the best glasses avilable but also a freebie!
No one is ''carping'' honestly that is simple an insulting response to a difference of opinion. Why do you want to silence more opinions of other experienced users.
I don't understand this use of the word "insulting". Why do you feel insulted? I don't understand that, I see no one insulting anyone, especially Jamie, who is such a kind, respectful and polite user.
I think he is right: there has been carping responded with negative and repetitive feedback to my guide, even if all of that had already been addressed.
And yes, in some case it has bothered me, up until the point I have considered deleting everything, because I've already spent way too much time on this guide, and now I have to read and to answer all of those comments, while I would very rather to spend that time on my work.
My impression is that Jamie was not trying to silence anyone, but they have just noticed that some people have focus on very few negative aspects, without acknowledging the good that this guide has brought.
And that once the first "experienced user" has said something, and it has been already addressed to the point that the actual guide has been already edited based on that feedback, I don't find it useful to have to say the same things again.
I have broad shoulders, because, as a public creator, I've met all kind of people on the web. But, as Five said, and that really saddens me, this aggressive climate pushes people away from this kind of discussion, making it so that the community doesn't receive their positive feedback.
In particular, I was very sad about reading Michael's comments: he has commented without reading my guide, without even waiting for me to complete writing it (and it was clear that it was not completed), pointing at me like some evil fake news spreader that would make people go away from Daz. In all honesty, his reaction hurt me, and I don't feel like I deserved it at all. Then, after I have carefully answered, with a respect that I had not received, all of his concerns, he has just repeated the same things.
Luckily, I have broad shoulders, and I will not let that kind of aggressive feedback prevent me from helping people who might find my help useful.
That said, as you know, I have no problem at all with your comments in specific, and I think I have answered you in the most respectful and polite way possible!
Thank you Hylas, I'm sure your contribution is precious! :D
The first products you've mentioned are very useful for people who have many Genesis 3 characters!
I haven't tested dForce Magnet yet.
I like freckles, and I make them with Skin Builder 8.
But the fact that they are LIE, and so that they don't create custom textures (I assume), is great, and I want to check it out!
So you're telling me that Jepe's Bodyhair don't penetrate the clothing? That sounds awesome!
Especially with leg hair and shorts: with the product I use, either I have to fix the pokethrough on the shorts with Photoshop, or I have to remove the hair from the bare part of the legs as well.
And thanks for sharing the other resources as well!
Jepe's Bodyhair Project uses displacement. Normally it doesn't penetrate clothes. But in the rare case it does just switch off displacement (it still looks very good without) and the hair disappears underneath the clothes. You may have to apply a Smoothing Modifier to the clothes and have them collide with the Bodyhair Geoshell.
It's a really good product!
Thank you Hylas, I'll try it out!
Dismissing negative feedback as "carping" can actually be considered rather insulting. Just because some people don't agree with you on everything and several people agree with some negative points enough to comment on it when it's been mentioned already doesn't mean their feedback qualifies as "carping".
And yes, telling people that their feedback is "carping" actually amounts to telling them politely to shut up unless they only have positive things to say.
There are good things in your guide, the recommended products section is actually quite useful. There are other things that IMO are still very oriented, no matter how much you think you have addressed them. We will simply have to agree to disagree on those.
I see, I didn't know the word "carping".
Googling it, I read "complain or find fault continually about trivial matter". I still think that Jamie was right, because that's how I've felt about some comments.
I understand that the only one interested in reading all the comments it's me. For example, do you think the comment "I was emphasizing it for Lenio's benefit, not disagreeing with you." is in any way adding value to the discussion, or it's like telling me that I'm kinda stupid and that I need someone to explain other people's comments to me?
Now, if someone is feeling insulted here, that's me. Jamie was giving emotional support to me, and I think it's right to not let they being eaten by the chat.
One thing is to politely say "I think textures have value because they have displacement maps included" or stuff like that, and I'd answer "I agree, but I still would prefer to buy a shader presets products instead, because I can use it multiple times, without the extra work of having to create textures and geometries myself.
Another thing is to say "This is completely subjective and new users should be aware of that". Because I find that comment subjective as well, because I wasn't even half-done in writing the guide (and I had written in 5 different parts that I was still doing that), and because not in a single occasion practical and useful arguments were provided by Michael to support that thesis, neither my answer has been taking into consideration before answering the exact same things, still without having read a single line of the guide, but just assuming everything because of the title.
And, even if all of that was true, there are different words to say the same things, and they express different emotions. Words are important.
You are a great example of politely, but firmly, expressing your concerns in a respectful way. But not everyone gives the same importance we do to mutual respect and, in general, to empathy. We may agree or disagree on a particular issue, but in the end we're all human beings. Let's not forget that.
I still think that feedback as yours were useful and welcome, as I've said multiple times, but I don't think that all negative feedback has been constructive.
I recall you helping me on several occasions, so I'm very thankful to active forum members as you. I respect you and your opinion, and I try to learn from it. For example, I had forgotten about the CTRL+click pose thing, but as soon as it was pointed out, I have added it to the guide, and I was very happy to do that!
But other people come here just to criticize, to have fun that way, thinking they have the right to state what's right and what's wrong on a universal level. Some people have accused me to do that, even if I've specified what I do, if what I do is public and transparent, and that everything was based on my personal experience, before even starting the guide, and even if the relative chapters are now called "What I Would Buy".
You have all the rights to tell me that people should learn some things instead of buying the relative products, but where were they when I asked for help to learn that stuff? Do they come just to criticize? I've just learned the word carping, and that seems suitable to me for some of these occasions.
As I've explained above, there were some comments that hurt me and that I felt inappropriate.
If a similar guide had already existed, I wouldn't have made mine.
It's cool to me if it's still slightly oriented: I'm very transparent in what I do. People can look at it, and decide if they want to learn from me or not.
Really, now that's what I feel: "If I could go back, I would have worked those two evenings instead of writing this", also because it's still occupying my thoughts and time to read and answer to comments.
Of course I'm not going to delete it, but that just saddens me, because it proves the atmosphere that has been created by some people, that I repeat are neither you or scorpio or many others, is damaging us all, stopping people from giving useful feedback because of the fear to having to spend days afterwards still explaining their points of view.
That's the impression I had, based on my experience, and I was truly sad to see other people confirm that.
Please, let's keep the discussion on actual products and Daz Studio-related useful tips :(
I enhance textures a lot, too many products come out looking plastic or clean. There are brushes for lights, steam, and fog, and they provide all kinds of lighting techniques. Some brushes are various objects you can drop into a background. As for using Daz products, the licensing agreement is key. Many "free" brushes on the internet are for personal use only and I can't sell artwork unless I have the proper licensing.
I had not thought about the licensing!
I always look at DeviantArt artists that use brushes and their work looks great!
It doesn't suit my workflow now, but maybe one day I'll learn! :D
I think two of my favorite things in the store are Zev's products and ManFriday's Meshgrabber. It's really handy for simple pokethrough. Meshgrabber has been the quickest way I've ever seen to fix pokethrough in seconds.
https://www.daz3d.com/mesh-grabber
Zev's Pose Fushion Plus is really a fantastic tool which I keep up all the time because it's really intuitive to use and doesn't get in the way since it has a little button to collapse it and then bring it back up. Buried in there is a great full expression remover so you don't have to go looking for one in your pose packs, plus the "fuse" option so you can choose any pose and then apply just the arm or just the leg, etc. with one click to any current pose you might be working on. I do put some mirrors in my pose packs, but I think of them as an added bonus for quick use, not necessarily as filler.
https://www.daz3d.com/pose-fusion-plus-for-genesis-to-genesis-8
On the subject of "why buy Photoshop brushes here?", I think its because most of them sold here lean more toward making "people" art or full scenes with humans. There's not a lot of say, flower brushes or fancy swirlies, etc., like you might use for scrapbooking. Most are more like...fog, explosions, rain, sci-fi, water effects, cobwebs, etc. In that regard they are more targeted to the type of art that is usually made with Daz Studio.
If you are looking to learn a lot about DS, then I can very highly recommend any tutorials by Esha. She is a fantastic, well-paced and thoughtful teacher with a comprehensive array of tutorials. Not to mention she makes some pretty nifty clothing and jewelry.
Iray Shaders: https://www.daz3d.com/the-complete-guide-to-creating-iray-shaders
DS Foundations: https://www.daz3d.com/daz-studio-foundations-and-essentials-course
Texturing: https://www.daz3d.com/the-complete-guide-to-texturing-clothing-bundle
For material zones and lots of thoughtful morphs built into clothing you can never go wrong with a Mada product. If you find yourself thinking "Oh...I need X to fix this...." on some bit of clothing, chances are if its from Mada, she's already thought of that and put it in there :)
Nothing to do with original poster. It is his or her opinion and I respect it. However for you
1) It is not a symptoms of fully grown if someone easily surprised by anything.
2) It is rude to insult experienced members just for assumption.
3) Old timers are experienced people, they might discourage to help you, me or other people and ultimately it will hurt whole community.
4) Negitivity and positivity both are parts of life, and a yes-man environment is actually harmful most of the times.
And etc. etc.
Wow Zai, if Pose Fusion has an expression remover, it goes straight into my wishlist!
Each user buys what they need, based on what they are trying to achieve. Different for each user and entirely subjective. There are lots of products that have a zero price tag, that can help you gain experience and knowledge how the software works. Learning to use the software is the most important foundation to understanding what you need to buy going forward.
Reading the multiple thousands of posts in Novica tips and product reviews will certainly help in the knowledge department https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/394586/new-novica-forum-members-tips-product-reviews-pt-13/p1
one of the biggest traps new users fall into, I did 11 years ago,
is buying texture sets thinking they are the outfit
the next one is thinking a character includes the hair and sometimes clothing
You've been here long enough to spend time thinking about it. That's presuming that you thought would be the source of such critcism.
Again IMO, you would write such a guide from a different persective to someone who had been here longer. It is arguable that your perspective would have more validity, but like I said: arguable.
I hope this doesn't come accross as patronising, it certainly isn't my intent.
We're all here offereing our opinions, with the exception of those offering evidence to back up claims, or Daz and PA's offering particular advice with regards to products, services, methods and processes.
... And then, I don't see why any one forum user's opinions should have greater validity than anothers. Note: I said opinions. :)
Haha
I like pose fusion, and hadn't noticed the expression remover. Forum threads are often a great source of information or entertainment - and both too.
You may not notice it unless you open up the gizmo thingy...if you look on the promo on the PFP palette down near the feet where it says PLUS it will be right under that foot. It says "Clear Expression", plus there's a reset too for the whole figure so...body zero as well! But you won't see that whole little bottom section unless you click it open using the black triangle to the right, below the close button. It's yellow when it's not open and the palette is shorter. SUPER handy.
I have actually bought it, and I was almost asking for a refund :(
It zeroes the face, but it's slower than the default "reset pose" function, and it does that leaving the sliders on, so...I've never used it after testing it.
Thanks for the link anyway, I couldn't recall the product name! :D
Yes, that used to confuse me as well! :D
Thanks again!
To reset the body, or parts of it, I use this amazing freebie: https://www.deviantart.com/spyrorue/art/G8F-Reset-Poses-700458001
But it doesn't come with a zero expressions feature!
I use that too! Or did...