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I think at six weeks in, your number is a little on the high side.
Like almost any hobby, DAZ costs money (unless you have truly impressive self-control). And in my personal experience, spending some money does lead to stronger renders. I say that as someone who collects and uses a lot of freebies. A lot is possible with freebies but some purchased products can really take your renders to the next level.
That being said, you're only just starting with this. And if you're anything like I was six weeks into this hobby, then you don't really know yet what products make sense for you. And you probably also haven't quite figured out the store yet. There is always some sale going on and it took me quite a while until I could tell a good deal from a so-so one.
Which is why my advice would be: stop spending money for a while - there is always another sale! - and get some rendering experience under your belt. Soon you will figure out what kind of items you're not really using and what kind of items your library is missing. Start spending money again when you have a clearer idea of what products you need to take the next step, creatively; and what kind of products to avoid.
(Also, do you know about the 30 days return policy? Just FYI.)
Awww Your DeskToppers are awesome! Those are so cute! That's very generous of you to share your art with others like that - very cool! :D
D'awww, thanks @3Diva. The Joy is in The Work.
Unless you're rich, I think $44 per week is too much to be spending on this hobby. I think you should spend some time trying to figure out what you want to do with the software and how to get there before you spend any more.
If you spent a lot of money for DLC and loot boxes, Daz is as much expensive hobby as video games.
It depends on several factors. If you brouse and bings it can be a lot. I used to buy anything that I liked the look of. Now adays I tend to look for staples I can use more often and am more picky on my character and hair purchases.
I would start with Daz's free tutorials and learn the basics then target products that support your projects and needs.
The individual products might be more expensive than if you get them on sale, but you can save money in the long run by not buying products you might never use. I have hundreds of characters and 80% of them I use once and will never use again.
When you will be ready the next level is $6000 at TurboSquid and Unreal Engine Marketplace
At least Daz Studio ($0) is cheaper than Poser ($199) and 3ds Max ($1,620 /year).
This, right here.
High-end CG can get hella pricey, but usually only two types of people go that route - professional artists who work for a CG/Movie house somewhere, and aspiring prosumers who hope to make a living off their work. Much better price-wise nowadays, though... It used to be you would have to spend $25k for a Maya license (but it came with a free SGI workstation!), or $5k (not counting plugins) for 3DS Max. Nowadays you can get either software by paying a $1600/yr subscription fee to Autodesk (though you supply your own computer this time).
DS is a great entry-level way to feel around and see if CG is what you want to do. Coupled with a lot of very decent free software out there to make content (e.g. Blender), and a megaton of free content (DS can read DS-specific, most Poser-specific, and can import a metric buttload of .obj, .fbx, and similar files)? It's a great way to get things started for very little cost.
The 30 day return policy is a life saver sometimes, when you buy a wrong product (incompatible, not what you expected, etc.)
As long as you don't abuse that privilege.
Although, I have trouble getting the bits to dump out of my computer into an envelope so that I can send them back.
But I have a bag of bits from punch cards that I saved from the '70s. I just stuff a bunch of them into an envelope and DAZ hasn't caught on yet.
https://poserdazfreebies.miraheze.org/wiki/Main_Page
is a good place to start
learn using freebies and only buy stuff if you are going to render it
it took me 3 years before I joined Platinum Club the first time, it was downhill from there budget wise
now I could buy a nice small new car with what I have spent over 11 years
When I started I spent very little initially, I got every freebie I could lay my hands on and exhausted possibilities with those and my limited skill set before buying anything. I think that helped me learn more to be honest, but I had more time than disposeable income back then.
I'm a big fan of starting with freebies too. I first started with Daz Studio in January 2010 and spent nothing until October that year - it was the PC Aniversary Sale that sucked me in - but I have certainly spent a small fortune since then. When you start buying, try to really think about each item and how much use you'll get out of it. I have a library full of stuff I bought because "ooh shiney" and have barely (sometimes never) used. If I could turn back time... well I'd have more cash and an emptier hard-drive.
Daz would have gone out of business!
When I first started out with DAZ I spent nothing because I was pretty sure DAZ was scam... I picked up Bryce 5.5 which was free at the time (2007?) but it took me a year to try DAZ because I didn't think it could be a real thing with so much free content.
Also I didn't spend much because we had two brand new babies and I had like zero free time...
Did you know babies eat a lot and require huge amounts of diapers?...
They really should tell you these things in advance... and NO manual either... makes DAZ Studio seem damn intuitive it does...
Anyway...
Back then and for a long time, I always thought that when people started out with DAZ Studio, they tended to spend cautiously... they used the free stuff that comes with DS and a few sale items, but mostly freebies until they figured out if this was something they liked or could use...
But based on questions I've seen in various threads and posts over the years, I'm thinking maybe that's not a big a thing anymore... Sometimes it seems like folks just dive in before they've fully gotten the hang of stuff.
Who knows for sure... my understanding is, if this is your thing and you enjoy it... make a budget, figure out what you need to make the images you want, then completely and egregiously violate that budget and take two or three extra jobs to support your content habit.
I'm not saying this is addictive or you'll go nuts buying stuff, just that you might want to consider which kidney you are willing to part with first if things go badly... Pro tip: In the right market bone marrow can fetch a pretty penny too.
Naaa... it's not that bad.
(it is)
This is about art and being creative... and when has art ever made anyone go crazy?
Okay, ignore that... what I mean is most people here are doing just fine and very few are eating dollar store dog food because they blew their paychecks on whatever sale came along.
In fact I'd probably bet nobody reading this thread has done that yet or is actually sitting there eating out of a can of Scrappy Boy - Savory Horse Chunks (now with more rat meat!)... mostly because they stopped importing it because it contained no horse and the rat chunks were a little radioactive, but that's besides the point...
You shouldn't worry about that sort of thing... I'm not sure why, but don't... in fact ignore this entire post because it could be misconstrued as negatively portraying content addiction and acceptable levels of radiation in processed rat meat.
A little radioactive rat meat never killed anyone... usually it's the bubonic plague or botulism you get from eating it.
But seriously, make a budget, pick a kidney and you are good to go.
Trust me, I'd never mislead you on this... I'd never mislead anyone... except for that tour group who got lost in the mountains... who could have known they'd turn into a bunch of cannibals... sheesh... such babies about it too...
Anyway, ignore all that... Have fun and don't worry about anything.
I don't think you've been a sucker and $266 is probably not that bad (though that 7¢ makes me question your inner fortitude a bit)...
If you still have most of your bone marrow and at least one kidney by next week, you have nothing to fear.
Well except fear itself and maybe werewolves... depending on where you live, they can be a real nuisance.
Anyway... hope this was helpful.
Cheers!
They might be unable to mention it until they pay the past due portion of their internet bill. I think when people are lured by exciting promo pictures, they should think about the previous items they bought because of exciting promo pictures, and how well that went. And they might want to ask themselves why they can't afford to eat the good dog food while their DAZ people are eating Turbosquid dog food.
I got started with DAZ back in 1999. I was newly married, and money was tight. I spent very little money at DAZ for 5 years. I got a divorce in 2005, but didn't have any disposable income for almost 3 years. In 2007, I got Social Security Disability, and my DAZ spending increased dramatically. Over the last few years, my spending varies.
Yes and no. Yes, the software itself is for free. But there is sooooo much more in the store. Quite a lot of PA's are doing an incredible job producing new content. I could not resist the AM Mouse and today's Moshi The Kitten. And some of the DAZ originals are also irresistable. I now consider Daz Studio as "Freemium". It's free, but if you want to have fun, you may have to spend some money.
Rule of thumb: as long as you avoid your credit card you are fine, it doesn't matter how much you spend.
Suggestion: if rendering is your hobby only, try to get benefit from various sales etc.
What I do: I save and then spend.
What I used to do: credit card and still paying those bills. Fortunately I do not have any other debt thus I hope this year (99.99%) or within this financial year (100%) I am going to become one of the rarest debt free people of this century.
N.B. Please note that I am not messed up badly, my experian credit score is almost 100%. Also I am not indicating Daz but everything in general such as chocolate, govt. tax and fees, pen and peper, hardware etc.
There is no normal. It depend person to person. There are those deep poketers who even do not care $266 or without any second thought they can spend this tiny or atomic size $ .
Requirement is also a factor how much anyone will spend. What kind of render he want to achieve etc.
For a starter I will recommend.
For Iray users: Select Genesis 8 and their morph, expression and few characters stylize and realistic and you are ready to go.
For 3delight users: Select Genesis 1 or 2 or 3 with morph and expression.
If you're starting out, you can get the best, most economical start by joining the Platinum Club. You get 30% discounts on DAZ Originals. Sometimes DAZ has sales that drastically reduce the price of a Pro Pack. At times, I've paid less than $50 for a Pro Pack that normally costs closer to $100. You also get Platinum Club+ items at very inexpensive prices. Again, you can really increase your product library by taking advantages of sales, and PC Club coupon discounts, etc.d
One bit of strategy: look at what you buy, and see if other items are required to get the best use of the items. For instance, you might have head and body morphs, but you still need to get an expression package. Many or most products list the requirements to make them work. However, some packages assume you already know the facts. For instance, expressions morphs.
...into a box made of six primitive plane objects.
I started out spending pretty much nothing for years
I think there's something to be said for it. It forces you to learn how to modify stuff (or at least it did me)
That said, I didn't do it for reasons of noble virtue. I was in highschool and didn't have money to buy stuff. If you have the discretionary income to spend on stuff feel free to go for it. As long was you're not spending more than you can afford and having fun, you are spending a fine amount.
At least the render times will be fantastic!
I agree on the PC membership, but you might want to wait a few days as PC anniversary sale month should start next week and membership will most probably be discounted.
Leana, of course it's always good to be aware of sales. Awhile ago, I got an entire year of PC Club membership for about half price. It was great timing because my quarterly membership had just ended. (The special price was only available for non PC club members!)
DAZ content addiction is insidious. However, I've found that the itch can be scratched by going "ooh, and ahh" for 5 minutes while you examine all the pictures and bragging points of the latest new shiny thing in the catalog or the current price of something on sale. Then with deliberate, though thoughtful caution, put it on your wishlist for at least a day. If you're lucky the instant gratification urge will be abated the next time you look at your wishlist, or the sale will be over in a day and the full price would scare away all but the most pitiful addicts. Then you can watch your wishlist grow and grow, and grow and ... until months later when that new item comes up on sale for 70% off and you can start the whole oohing and ahhing all over again.
Moral of the story: You don't need to buy to get some of the pleasure.
I think spending goes down the longer you're at it. I've been at it for just shy of 10 years and the spending in general has gone down overall. Partially because you have a larger back catalog of stuff to go through and partially because you usually have some skills at that point to do your own building or at least kitbashing. I tend to only buy something now if I have a specific need and don't have something in my back catalog that I can't repurpose. I'm also more likely now to go to Turbosquid or CG Trader and buy small bits and pieces for a few bucks to kitbash something than spend $20 at Daz for something.
To add on what the others have said, sign up for PC+, especially next month when they'll drop the price. Besides the discounts, you also get 64 free products over the course of the year's subscription. 52 weekly products and 12 monthly products for free. Also watch the Flash Sales section, that's gonna probably be the cheapest your going to get the product for outside of some weird sales month promo. Shaders are also great because you can take old products, give them a new "coat of paint" and turn them into something.
Good luck and enjoy your hobby, it's here for your fun!
Well, I am probably a big exception, but I have been here 15 years and probably have not spent as much as you have already. I rely on freebies or make things myself, only occasionally buying something I think I really need.
Except they make you buy a pro bundle for each sex just so you got their anatomical parts....unless you are going for renders of bald manniquins.