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 Topic: DAZ Studio, 3D Cafe, etc.
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GroovyDave
Legend
Joined: 12/24/2004
Location: United States
Posts: 696
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| Posted: 02/23/2005 at 10:25am | IP Logged
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I'm starting this thread so that those of us who are learning 3D modeling
can communicate with those who are experiecned with these things. I've
picked up a lot in the last few days, and I am discovering more and more
about Wavefront objects, Templates, Poser, DAZ and all sorts of other
programs. It's really very cool the number of models for things that are
out there and free, although the usefulness of some of them is a bit
limited.
My first question is probably a stupid one: How do you take a snapshot of
a render in DAZ? Is it a Save issue? I keep looking for a pulldown
command to just take a picture of the current view, but it's not there.
What I have been doing is taking a screenshot from the system, but I'm
sure I must be losing something that way.
Groovydave
__________________
"Dead is Dead. Parts is Parts. Dead guys is parts." - Auric O'Morte, Necromancer
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slashdevnull
Djinni (Admin)
Joined: 04/15/2004
Location: United States
Posts: 2597
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| Posted: 02/23/2005 at 10:43am | IP Logged
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Moved to the Tips forum.
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Sumo
Hero
Joined: 01/24/2005
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 208
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| Posted: 02/23/2005 at 10:44am | IP Logged
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I don't know DAZ yet, but generally speaking you make sure the image you want is the camera view, presumably pointing down to plan view, and then you render to disk. Or just copy & paste sometimes. I am making weeds using that system now.
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KenSchae
Wandering Monster
Joined: 12/29/2003
Posts: 1415
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| Posted: 02/23/2005 at 11:07am | IP Logged
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Once you have completed the Render (Ctrl+R) and have the results of the render, you can save the image on the File->Save Last Render command. This will bring up a standard save dialog box where you can select the image type that you want to save to.
If you are rendering an image to use in Dundjinni, then I suggest that you render to a TIF or PNG format where you will get the alpha channel. In the most recent betas of Studio, the PNG saves with a transparent background if your scene has no background object. I find this perfect for rendering an image that I can copy into my Dundjinni folder and use imemdiately.
If you want to have the nice shadows (something I have seen in others render's posts) then open the image in Photoshop/Gimp and use a filter to create the shadow and then resave.
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tristan_twksbry
Legend
Joined: 11/18/2004
Location: United States
Posts: 396
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| Posted: 02/23/2005 at 11:42am | IP Logged
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KenSchae wrote:
| Once you have completed the Render (Ctrl+R) and have the results of the render, you can save the image on the File->Save Last Render command. |
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Drat! Someone beat me to it again 
KenSchae wrote:
If you are rendering an image to use in Dundjinni, then I suggest that you render to a TIF or PNG format where you will get the alpha channel. In the most recent betas of Studio, the PNG saves with a transparent background if your scene has no background object. I find this perfect for rendering an image that I can copy into my Dundjinni folder and use imemdiately.
If you want to have the nice shadows (something I have seen in others render's posts) then open the image in Photoshop/Gimp and use a filter to create the shadow and then resave.
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Oh! I did not realize that rendering to PNG was an option! Thanks much!
One recommendation: go to RuntimeDNA and register. That will give you access to a wealth of freebies. Another choices is Renderosity. The DAZ platinum club is also a great source for cheap stuff, but it can add up quickly! DAZ just bought out PoserPros, but take a look there as well.
I just downloaded DAZ's new troll and hope to get a first shot at rendering it tonight. As to how he looks, let me put it this way:
"They have a cave troll."
Edited by tristan_twksbry on 02/23/2005 at 11:47am
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GroovyDave
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Joined: 12/24/2004
Location: United States
Posts: 696
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| Posted: 02/23/2005 at 2:21pm | IP Logged
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thanks for straightening me out slash, and thanks for the tip Ken. I knew
about Renderosity, tristan, but not RuntimeDNA. My next question
concerns the file types. When DAZ imports Obj's they seem to lose their
posability. Any way around this? Also, I assume the Template files I see
with some objects are for designing new textures, yes?
groovydave
__________________
"Dead is Dead. Parts is Parts. Dead guys is parts." - Auric O'Morte, Necromancer
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tristan_twksbry
Legend
Joined: 11/18/2004
Location: United States
Posts: 396
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| Posted: 02/23/2005 at 2:58pm | IP Logged
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GroovyDave wrote:
When DAZ imports Obj's they seem to lose their
posability. Any way around this? |
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Oh! I had not noticed this yet... I have been doing more downloading than playing of late 
Perhaps someone else can shed some light on this?
GroovyDave wrote:
Also, I assume the Template files I see
with some objects are for designing new textures, yes? |
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AFAIK, yes. That is to allow you to create new textures. On DAZ, many of the template files are links in the catalog - only the older files seem to include the templates as part of the download. I do not know the history around why, but now need to look up the objects to get the templates.
If you search on the filename (or rather, the ps_xxnnn part) you can usually find the catalog page on DAZ for the object. Example: for file ps_ac986b_foo.exe, search DAZ's site for ps_ac986 and you will likely find the page for that download.
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KenSchae
Henchman
Joined: 02/07/2005
Location: United States
Posts: 30
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| Posted: 02/23/2005 at 5:25pm | IP Logged
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GroovyDave wrote:
When DAZ imports Obj's they seem to lose their
posability. Any way around this? Also, I assume the Template files I see
with some objects are for designing new textures, yes?
groovydave |
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UPDATE: The next two paragraphs are wrong! OBJ files do not contain the hierarchy information that allow posing. You must import the Poser files (cr2, pz3, etc.) that have the information. If you have an OBJ or create one in a program like Wings, you must import the OBJ into Poser, then use the Setup utility to create the hierarchy and bones, then save it in the appropriate Poser format. At this point, the object is posable and can be used in DAZ Studio.
I have not seen a posability problem with OBJ files. Except when I create a new model (I use Wings3D) and import it into DAZ without first setting it up in Poser. Are you downloading a model in OBJ format and then pulling it into DAZ? If this is the case, then it is probably missing the groupings and boning that is usually done in Poser or other "high-end" app.
If you have Poser and the object is posable there, then I would suggest reexporting it out of Poser into OBJ format and then import it into DAZ. That will keep its bones and groups together.
If you downloaded a file from a freebie area that you expect to be posable, look in the libraries folder rather than the geometries folder for the file to import. This is where Poser files normally store the cr2, pz3, etc. files.
In regards to the texture files: These are the materials that go with the model. For example, I purchased the DAZ Troll this morning and it came with a number of texture files that are used for the Troll's skin and eyes. That doesn't mean that you can't use the stuff for other non-commercial purposes.
YOU MUST READ THIS PART!!!!
www.poserfreebies.com has a ton of free models created by Sixus1. These are fantastic models! Especially those models listed under Sixus1's Project Human. He just released Lilin2 this week. She is a phenomenal model, can take all Victoria3 textures, clothes, and poses. You really must look at his stuff. I am a big HP Lovecraft fan and his models of Cthulhu, Nightgaunt, Mi-Go, Nyarlathotep, and Gug are great.
Edited by KenSchae on 02/24/2005 at 11:09am
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KenSchae
Henchman
Joined: 02/07/2005
Location: United States
Posts: 30
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| Posted: 02/23/2005 at 7:14pm | IP Logged
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CAMERA SELECTION WHEN CREATING DUNDJINNI OBJECTS
When it comes to creating objects for use in Dundjinni maps, DAZ Studio is a powerful and easy to use 3D graphics application at a very compelling price point. For the beginning computer artist, DAZ Studio provides the capability to quickly create object art for Dundjinni that rivals the quality of that found in the art packs and on the message boards. However, loading up the perfect object, with the perfect texture file, arranged into the perfect pose, can render into a mediocre result if the beginning artist does not fully understand two important components of 3D rendering: lighting and cameras.
This short article will briefly discuss the types of cameras that are available in DAZ Studio, how they are used, and what will produce the best result for a Dundjinni object. As I will not discuss lighting in this article, I am assuming that you have downloaded the Base Content along with DAZ Studio, and that all of your object renders are using the “General Lights 01” in your scene:
Add “General Lights 01” to your scene by double-clicking on the icon located in DAZ Studio -> Lights -> General in your Content tab.
Perspective Camera
When you create a new scene in DAZ Studio, you are looking through a perspective camera. Perspective cameras show depth in the scene and provide the 3D look that the software is designed to produce. The problem with a perspective view is that the objects suffer from distortion making it very difficult to line up objects in the scene.
Orthographic Camera
DAZ Studio contains orthographic cameras labeled Top, Bottom, Right, Left, Front, and Back. These cameras squash the scene into a 2D view that does not show perspective or suffer from distortion. These are useful for aligning objects in the scene, understanding true distances, and relationships between objects.
Comparing Cameras
The following image shows a Troll object in perspective view. This is achieved by moving the default camera above the Troll using the Orbit controls to a location directly above the Troll’s head. Notice that the shoulders and arms hide the parts of the body that lie below it.
The next image is taken using the Top orthographic camera. Notice that most of the Troll’s body is now visible because it is squashed into 2D view.
Interestingly, if you take either of these images and put them into Dundjinni as an object, neither will have quite the look that you desire.
Dundjinni Perspective
In orthographic view, you are limited to pan and zoom the camera. There is no way for you to dolly or orbit the camera to get an angle. Perspective cameras allow you to move the camera at an angle that appears to be from above the subject but slightly off to give a much better rendering.
To achieve the best result for use as an object in Dundjinni, the perspective camera should be above the subject, positioned in front of the subject, and dollyed down to an angle. Here is the same Troll rendered from the front and angled down.
As you can see, this image looks far superior to the two renders taken from directly above the Troll; it not only has depth, more of the Troll is visible, and looks realistic as well.
Hope this short tutorial helps new artists create good Dundjinni objects. If you would like to use these three images for your Dundjinni work, feel free to do so. If you would like to use them elsewhere please render your own so that there is no copyright issue to worry about.
The Troll object is available for purchase from DAZ.
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slashdevnull
Djinni (Admin)
Joined: 04/15/2004
Location: United States
Posts: 2597
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| Posted: 02/23/2005 at 7:17pm | IP Logged
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Great stuff and excellent tutorial.
Can we get some front views of the troll?
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