Best animation software to work with Daz

ber_pc7_9b5e08e686

I been using Daz for a few years but recently I started doing animations and Daz just doesn't have the tools to do more complex animations I want to do, so I been looking into other softwares that are more focused on animation like Maya and Blender but I was wondering how compatible they are with Daz characters? I assume when you export to other software the rig and textures have no problem, but morphs and properties I'm not sure how they translate, also render properties in materials, is there some render engine in those software that is compatible with iray materials?

I plan to do some testing with several software but if someone could share some experience of pros and cons for each software so I know what to look for, I would really apreciate it.

margrave

Blender is free, which is already a big plus, and it has very capable animation tools, to the point it's been used in feature films, as well as advanced simulations beyond just a cloth sim.

On the downside, the bridge is still woefully incomplete. The rig doesn't have the proper bone orientations, and only the diffuse materials transfer over. You can export morphs, but I haven't bothered to test that since the other issues make it a moot point.

That said, the devs frequently post updates in the Blender forum, so I'm confident these issues will get ironed out sooner or later.

tsarist

I use Carrara. It can handle Daz characters and props natively (Vicky & Mike 1-6). It can also handle Poser people (Poser 3-7). Props, buildings, cars, etc work fine in Carrara. This includes many new buildings & props.

It has a powerful animation system built in and you can also use aniblocks.

It has a batch render function that allows you to set up a series of renders at one time. Set it & forget it.

I have been using it for years and will keep using it. It's available here in the Daz marketplace.

benniewoodell

Blender is the way! Use either the bridge or the diffeomorphic tool, they each have their own strengths and weaknesses. The blender part of the forum is super helpful too if you have questions! 

ber_pc7_9b5e08e686

tsarist said:

I use Carrara. It can handle Daz characters and props natively (Vicky & Mike 1-6). It can also handle Poser people (Poser 3-7). Props, buildings, cars, etc work fine in Carrara. This includes many new buildings & props.

 

It has a powerful animation system built in and you can also use aniblocks.

 

It has a batch render function that allows you to set up a series of renders at one time. Set it & forget it.

 

I have been using it for years and will keep using it. It's available here in the Daz marketplace.

Thanks I'll also do some tests in Carrara, but you mean you can only use natively the older versions of victoria and michael but not 7 and 8? that's a shame

tsarist

ber_pc7_9b5e08e686 said:

tsarist said:

I use Carrara. It can handle Daz characters and props natively (Vicky & Mike 1-6). It can also handle Poser people (Poser 3-7). Props, buildings, cars, etc work fine in Carrara. This includes many new buildings & props.

 

It has a powerful animation system built in and you can also use aniblocks.

 

It has a batch render function that allows you to set up a series of renders at one time. Set it & forget it.

 

I have been using it for years and will keep using it. It's available here in the Daz marketplace.

Thanks I'll also do some tests in Carrara, but you mean you can only use natively the older versions of victoria and michael but not 7 and 8? that's a shame

There IS a way to use Gen 7 characters, but it isn't terribly easy... https://tinyurl.com/3pa6zr4y

gsil247

I might the only one, but I enjoy Unreal Engine. Its very easy to use and there are a ton of tutorials out there. I have no background in movie development and I'm an idiot. If I can figure it out, anyone can. Plus its free and more assets exist to use Unreal Engine than Daz, given the popularity. Also, thank you Daz for the Unreal bridge. Its making my life much easier. 

 

Edit: I also forgot to mention Unreal Engine is free. So if you have a free weekend, download it, do a tutorial or two, and try it. You never know. 

JakeEdward

gsil247 said:

I might the only one, but I enjoy Unreal Engine. Its very easy to use and there are a ton of tutorials out there. I have no background in movie development and I'm an idiot. If I can figure it out, anyone can. Plus its free and more assets exist to use Unreal Engine than Daz, given the popularity. Also, thank you Daz for the Unreal bridge. Its making my life much easier. 

 

Edit: I also forgot to mention Unreal Engine is free. So if you have a free weekend, download it, do a tutorial or two, and try it. You never know. 

thank you. heard only good things about unreal.  time to try more than the graphs on daz to get some cute animations going 

WendyLuvsCatz

ber_pc7_9b5e08e686 said:

tsarist said:

I use Carrara. It can handle Daz characters and props natively (Vicky & Mike 1-6). It can also handle Poser people (Poser 3-7). Props, buildings, cars, etc work fine in Carrara. This includes many new buildings & props.

 

It has a powerful animation system built in and you can also use aniblocks.

 

It has a batch render function that allows you to set up a series of renders at one time. Set it & forget it.

 

I have been using it for years and will keep using it. It's available here in the Daz marketplace.

Thanks I'll also do some tests in Carrara, but you mean you can only use natively the older versions of victoria and michael but not 7 and 8? that's a shame

with a few tweaks in DAZ studio you can use genesis 9 in Carrara https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/597316/genesis-9-we-are-back-in-the-game-carrara-users 

you can load the fixed duf characters shared in that thread too if you don't want to open DAZ studio but you will need to repeat the process (Blended weights saved as character or clothing preset) if you want it dressed not nude

Deke

Depends on what your final output is for. I animate in Daz with Keymate, export PNG files, combine layers in After Effects. Edit in Premiere Pro.