FirstBastion's Upcoming Lineup [commercial]

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  • FirstBastionFirstBastion Posts: 7,760

    memcneil70 said:

    In the past two days, I was lucky enough, through your generosity, to pick-up 13 of your wonderful sets. There were a few I never thought I would be able to buy. 

    Sir, I thank you so much. 

    Mary

    You're very welcome Mary.   

  • FirstBastionFirstBastion Posts: 7,760

    currently on sale. 

     

  • Worlds_EdgeWorlds_Edge Posts: 2,152

    Hi 1st Bastion, can you explain how to pose the characters so the cameras are in the right location in you camera coverage product? I clicked on the two main characters then loaded the cameras, and that did not work. Then I used the "pose" character a and b twoshot icons, for each of the two. It did pose the characters, but it moved them so they were back to back rather than facing. When I turned them around to face each other, the cameras were not aimed right.

    I know it is just me, not understanding exactly how to set up. Would mind explaining that part a bit more. 

    Thanks a bunch, and I love your products.

  • FirstBastionFirstBastion Posts: 7,760
    edited August 2021

    Worlds_Edge said:

    Hi 1st Bastion, can you explain how to pose the characters so the cameras are in the right location in you camera coverage product? I clicked on the two main characters then loaded the cameras, and that did not work. Then I used the "pose" character a and b twoshot icons, for each of the two. It did pose the characters, but it moved them so they were back to back rather than facing. When I turned them around to face each other, the cameras were not aimed right.

    I know it is just me, not understanding exactly how to set up. Would mind explaining that part a bit more. 

    Thanks a bunch, and I love your products.

     I just tried with a fresh install of Camera Coverage that I downladed this morning and the Gen8Male and Female both moved into the corrct positions.  I'll go through the steps I did. My computer is still running DS 4.10. 

    Opened a New Scene.

    Double clicked on The camera Coverage icon in the Camera presets folder.  This loads all the cameras in the drop down,

    I make sure the actual scene has "Show aspect ratio"  set to active.  And set render setting dimensions to 16:9 wideangle.

    Load G8Male at zero position,  and dress him in underbelly outfit.  Load G8Female, dress her in Cocktail dress.

    Since G8F is still selected,  I double click the CharB pose preset in the poses folder and she move to the right side of frame facing left.

    I select G8M,  and double click the twoshot CharA preset,  he moves to the left side of frame looking right. 

    I check each of the camera angles from the drop down. 

    Everything is working as expected. 

    Can you tell me which version of DS you are working with,  and I can test it out with that version.

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  • FirstBastionFirstBastion Posts: 7,760

    I will add... there are four pose presets,  two for Gen3M&F   and two for Gen8M&F.  No idea if it could cause an issue,  but please use the correct pose preset for the Genesis figure you are using in the scene.

  • Worlds_EdgeWorlds_Edge Posts: 2,152

    I loaded fresh characters and everything worked the way you said.  Thank you.

    My problem may have been that I had posed the characters in a scene and not at world center when I used the cameras/poses. Your instructions helped me. 

  • FirstBastionFirstBastion Posts: 7,760
    edited August 2021

    If I may I'm going to suggest one other setup option that can be helpful. 

    For many user the basic configuration at zero position works well especially for those using just a HDRI as the scene background.  It also works for most out of the box lighting setups that generally use zero zero as their focus point.  Many users simply reposition the enviroment props/scene to accomodate the already established light setup. 

    But you can also use the Camera Coverage  anywhere in any scene by adding two quick  additional steps to the instructions above.

    Do all the steps above...  and then

    Create a new primitive plave from the DS create menu,  2 meters in size should work.  The defualt creates it as 0,0,0  which is perfect for our needs.  (I then renamed it CameraSetup but that is optionall)

    Now parent the two characters and the CameraCoverage preset to the plane.

    You can now move the plane anywhere in a scene,  and the parented characters and cameras will move along with it,  and the cameras will all still provide the various shots relative to that new location.

    I tested it earlier in this lane/fence scene moving the plane a few hundred units closer to the fence and the wall and the over shoulder cameras still worked as expected. 

    Hopefully that can be useful  on the street of urban sprawl or infront of a hospital, or the rooftop of some bustling metropolis.

     

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  • Worlds_EdgeWorlds_Edge Posts: 2,152

    That is EXTREMELY helpful. I'm saving the instructions and will try it later today.

    Many thanks.

  • FirstBastionFirstBastion Posts: 7,760
    edited February 2022

    I recieved a question in private massage (PM) regarding Secluded Shoreline  and I'll share the response here.  The information may be helpful to others.

    Hello,  that particular product is older (SKU:21889 ),  and was specifically designed for the 3Delight renderer in DazStudio  and will not work without significant tweaks in Iray.  If you select the Render Settings tab,  and change the render engine from Nvidia Iray to 3Delight,  you will get the promo images.

    If you wish to render exclusively in iray,  you need to delete the included physical skydome which is basically blocking all the light in the scene (hence the reason the preview is black)  and use one of the many HDR skies products available in the store. Unfortunately the textures are optimized for 3Delight and will need to be tweaked for use in Iray.  It is certainly something experienced user can adjust but it is an involved process.

    It may be best to return the product and get a refund. 

    Generally products earlier than 25000 are pre iray,  and generally designed for 3Delight rendering.  If a product description does not specifically say iray materials settings/presets,  assume the product does not have iray compatibility.

    It is still usable in DazStudio 3Delight and with a bit of tweaking of the based materials can be used in  iray as well. 

    Hope this helps.

     

    Daz3D should make this compatibility information more clear and specific on the product pages.

     

     

    While I'm here,  Wishing everybody a very Happy and Safe New Year in 2022

     

     

    Post edited by FirstBastion on
  • I just stumbled across this thread while looking for promo images for a few FirstBastion products I own as well as a few I wanted to purchase, and I'm SO BUMMED to see that so many products have been pulled!! Maybe they don't work "out of the box" for Iray renders, but not everyone buying content uses DS. I use Poser and still prefer Firefly, and I've made some lovely fantasy images with FB's Rural Crossroads and High Cliff Crossing. Products here are also now packaged for various other applications as well, so there are still many ways these products can be useful. Heck, you can still get content for figures released around 2005, and figures get "dated" much faster than scenery props! Anyway, just wanted to chime in with the voice of a Poser user who has been a big fan of your older stuff. Obviously I can't use the new stuff that's DS only.

  • PerpetualRevision said:

    I just stumbled across this thread while looking for promo images for a few FirstBastion products I own as well as a few I wanted to purchase, and I'm SO BUMMED to see that so many products have been pulled!! Maybe they don't work "out of the box" for Iray renders, but not everyone buying content uses DS. I use Poser and still prefer Firefly, and I've made some lovely fantasy images with FB's Rural Crossroads and High Cliff Crossing. Products here are also now packaged for various other applications as well, so there are still many ways these products can be useful. Heck, you can still get content for figures released around 2005, and figures get "dated" much faster than scenery props! Anyway, just wanted to chime in with the voice of a Poser user who has been a big fan of your older stuff. Obviously I can't use the new stuff that's DS only.

     I hear what you're saying.  And it is unfortunate. If the store page would have made the compatibility of the products more clear,  then I might have been able to keep some of the older ccontent. Poser user would have been able to use the poser products that were made with them in mind.  But what was happening was new user with no understanding of the differences between Poser 3Delight and Iray were buying the products,  and expecting it to just render in Iray  and they were disappointed and disgruntled. That lack of compability information led to confusion.  Retiring those older products was the prudent move to make the newer content more appealing to the largest segment of the market. But you have brought up a good point,  there are Poser user still looking for content,  I will find a way to make it available for them. 

     

  • There are other places aimed at Poser to a significant degree. If the goods have already been pulled here, could they become available to Poser users elsewhere?

    I don't have Poser, so it's not something that would affect me greatly. I do use some Poser items but tend to re-work a little to get to work in Iray. Anyway, it's a suggestion that may keep high quality items available to those who can/would still use them.

    Regards,

    Richard.

     

     

  • FirstBastion said:

     I hear what you're saying.  And it is unfortunate. If the store page would have made the compatibility of the products more clear,  then I might have been able to keep some of the older ccontent. Poser user would have been able to use the poser products that were made with them in mind.  But what was happening was new user with no understanding of the differences between Poser 3Delight and Iray were buying the products,  and expecting it to just render in Iray  and they were disappointed and disgruntled. That lack of compability information led to confusion.  Retiring those older products was the prudent move to make the newer content more appealing to the largest segment of the market. But you have brought up a good point,  there are Poser user still looking for content,  I will find a way to make it available for them. 

    Thanks so much for your response, FirstBastion! That makes sense to a degree, but if people are confused about using the product in DS, then one option would be to keep it in the store but list it as being for Poser only. Most experienced DS users would know that a Poser product can also be used in DS (but isn't likely to be optimized for Iray), and newbie DS users wouldn't purchase it (which they can't do now, so nothing's lost there). I still buy a lot of "older" content. Heck, I just bought Kit and Kiki as well as some clothing for Koshini, and they're ancient, but they look pretty cute with more modern materials and the higher render settings now possible. I realize that those who buy older content are a much smaller segment of the buying population, but if a product is already "ready to go" for Poser, it doesn't cost you anything to leave it up for sale (or does it?) 

    I don't know if Renderosity would be interested in older content, but Fantasies Realm Market might be. Your stuff is of such good quality and of timeless design that it really should continue to be available indefinitely!

  • nabob21nabob21 Posts: 993

    Hi FirstBastion. I picked up your Downtown Condo Apartment several months ago and I am now just getting around to using it. What a fantastic set it is! However, there is one thing that doesn't seem to be working as expected and that is the lighting. When I do a render the scene is very dimly lit. As I understand from your product description the lighting should be much brighter and closer to what is shown in the promo images, but my renders are very dimly lit and in fact the hallway is close to being completely dark. Do you have any ideas why that may be the case? Would it have something to do with the newer version of Daz Studio? I thought that I would ask before I went ahead and manually adjusted the lighting.

  • nabob21 said:

    Hi FirstBastion. I picked up your Downtown Condo Apartment several months ago and I am now just getting around to using it. What a fantastic set it is! However, there is one thing that doesn't seem to be working as expected and that is the lighting. When I do a render the scene is very dimly lit. As I understand from your product description the lighting should be much brighter and closer to what is shown in the promo images, but my renders are very dimly lit and in fact the hallway is close to being completely dark. Do you have any ideas why that may be the case? Would it have something to do with the newer version of Daz Studio? I thought that I would ask before I went ahead and manually adjusted the lighting.

     The problem is that set was built a couple years back using DAZ Studio 4.12   . Your deduction is exactly right.  Lighting in Daz Studio using nvidia drivers changed significantly this year with DS 4.20  You will have to make adjustment to the lighting as you see fit. Increasing the intensity should work.

     

  • One suggestion before you change the lighting,  is try a render with a different film speed like ISO 400  and see  if it is acceptable for your needs.

  • nabob21nabob21 Posts: 993

    Thanks FirstBastion. I will try your film speed suggestion and see how that works. 

  • lou_harperlou_harper Posts: 1,163

    You could also light it up with Ghost Lights.

  • nabob21nabob21 Posts: 993

    Thanks lou_harper. I will check into that.

  • That set has ambient light panel emitters at the ceiling already that work without issue from DS4.16 and older. Select and adjust emmission illumination as desired to bask the scene in more ambient light.

  • xyer0xyer0 Posts: 5,929

    xyer0 said:

    Another set in the pipeline as part of the 1stBastion Buildings line:   Fire Station

    I wonder why it is not released in the DAZ Shop yet?

    I submitted it in Feb 2017, Daz said they didn't want it, not realistic enough for them.

    Have you ever considered uploading it to Renderosity?

    I'm so glad you finally got this sorted. 

  • FirstBastionFirstBastion Posts: 7,760

    I got a question about the Secluded Shoreline today.  This is a pre Iray product and it was made for the 3Delight render engine in Daz Studio.  as a general rule,  any product with a number below SKU 24000 or less is pre iray.  Not always but as a ballpark.

    The question is how to use it in Iray? 

    How do we turn the original Daz Delight scene,

    into an Iray compatible scene files like this?

    I had done it a year back,  but unfortunately it got deleted in a crash.  So I'll redo it today.

    give me a few hours. 

     

  • sazzyazzcasazzyazzca Posts: 495

    xyer0 said:

    xyer0 said:

    Another set in the pipeline as part of the 1stBastion Buildings line:   Fire Station

    I wonder why it is not released in the DAZ Shop yet?

    I submitted it in Feb 2017, Daz said they didn't want it, not realistic enough for them.

    Have you ever considered uploading it to Renderosity?

    I'm so glad you finally got this sorted. 

     And yet I still can't find a fire station in the DAZ store ...

    I needed one. I like it and I picked it up as soon as it showed up at Rendo. 

  • FirstBastionFirstBastion Posts: 7,760
    edited June 2023

    FirstBastion said:

    I got a question about the Secluded Shoreline today.  This is a pre Iray product and it was made for the 3Delight render engine in Daz Studio.  as a general rule,  any product with a number below SKU 24000 or less is pre iray.  Not always but as a ballpark.

    The question is how to use it in Iray? 

    How do we turn the original Daz Delight scene,

    into an Iray compatible scene files?

     Okay lets load the secluded shoreline scene for 3DL. 

    Open the scene tab and find the Bastion Skydome.  This is an actual 3D model skydome included with the scene,  not to be confused with the environmental dome that Iray uses with HDRI lighting files and surrounds.

     

    Select the Bastion dome and delete it.

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  • FirstBastionFirstBastion Posts: 7,760
    edited June 2023

    The 3Delight skydome  is what blocks the light ad causes the entire scene to render black in DazStusio iray.

    With the physical dome removed,  the 3Delight scene renders out of the box looking like this, using Iray rendering.

     

    the results are not terrible using just the default iray  lighting in DazStudio,  but the water will need some work and the sand as well.

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  • FirstBastionFirstBastion Posts: 7,760
    edited June 2023

    Now these outdoor HDRI environments are a free download with DazStudio,  I think  and if you install them  and Maui beach sky scene is bright and well placed for this particular camera angle.

    https://www.daz3d.com/daz-studio-iray-hdr-outdoor-environments

    Out of the box the HDRI will draw both the environment dome and draw the ground. which is why we see sand under the water and a bit of waves rush along the water. But the sky is nice bright blue and it casts decent shadows against the rock cliffs.  The other thing these outdoor HDR set is the Dome Mode to Finite. You want to change the dome mode to Infinite Dome. 

     

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  • FirstBastionFirstBastion Posts: 7,760
    edited June 2023

    Now the water  surface looks a little flat and we can remedy that by changing the Bump value. 

    In the DazStudio 3DL version the ripples are done using actual displacement.

    But for Iray we will use the Bump channel, because displacement requires an extremely dense subdivided mesh.  Click that triangle on the BUMP channel and select the file indicated in the displacement channel ( fb ___ WaterPlane-D.jpg) and change that value strength to 22.  The 11 was insufficient.

     

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  • FirstBastionFirstBastion Posts: 7,760
    edited June 2023

    I also rotated the dome slightly to 222 degrees and rendered. So now we have some ripples. Not perfect but adequate.

     

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  • FirstBastionFirstBastion Posts: 7,760
    edited June 2023

    Next we need to tweak the surfaces on the rock cliffs and sand.

    Remember to save this newly developed  scene file with a _IrayScene.duf  at some point and place it in the secluded folder if you can.

    Post edited by FirstBastion on
  • memcneil70memcneil70 Posts: 4,114

    Thank you @FirstBastion for this Iray Tutorial for Secluded Shoreline. I put it on my wishlist and today I was able to buy it. When we get past our batch of extreme weather I want to try this out. 

    Mary

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