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I liked this underwater render so much, than rather than separating it from my planned photoset, I re-rendered it but with him as a human. DAZ Galleries link [x] finally.
This is sort of how the character I turned into a shark is supposed to look...though his hair was not meant to be white. I decided to leave it white since that is a natural hair color. His eyes weren't supposed to be blue either, but they look normal too. Although I do like this character's look, I know I have failed to capture his essence. He's supposed to have some sort of regal, but feral aura, while failing to convince you that he is a forest-dweller because he's clearly some sort of upper-class person who has never touched dirt in his life. (I am aware that subtle body language and facial expressions would help.)
My thread looks bad with this new font. (But I have never been fond of "sans serif" fonts.) Anyway, I'm still doing the shark merman renders, but I've also been drawing again thanks to Medibang Paint Pro. Now I can doodle at work and then work at home from my laptop if I wish because the app saves your drawings onto a cloud. Because I'm drawing, I need to make my own references using DS.
This isn't exactly DS, but I'm trying to recreate Leon from Pokemon Sword and Shield (or at least my vision of him) in a more "realistic"/DAZ style with FaceGen. I usually like to get the face down with this, and then recreate it from dial-spinning, after matching it up with another figure. My plan is to make Leon's head shape, and then use that with the Growing Up morphs to make his younger brother named Hop. I would even try make their mother too, just to see how that would work.
Obviously, since I'm using FaceGen, this means I used an actual person's photo as a base, and then did all sorts of tweaking to the point that my result looks like someone totally different. ;3
Also, there is no way I will make a "finished" render with Leon, simply because I cannot find his long hair. I have no confidence in my own painting skills, so not even going to bother. But, if you know a long bushy hair that would work, I'm more than happy to look for suggestions. Obviously, the color doesn't matter because I can either use hair shaders or color the maps myself with GIMP.
More fan art...sort of? Once again, been doing other things because I can't be bothered to log into my laptop. DAZ Galleries link [x].
I have been wanting to render this cosplay/conversion for a while now. Originally, I was going to do the character with normal...not undead skin. But then, I decided to be narcissistic and render "myself." I had to do some postwork in GIMP. There was clipping since this outfit wasn't exactly meant to be worn by other characters. Plus, I threw in one of my favorite GIMP filters (Video Degradation) to blend it all in further and give it a bit of a "retro" feel to it.
I haven't forgotten about the shark merman, been busy doing other things. In fact, just to mess around, I decided to save him out as a scene subset and make a whole new scene with him that I plan to update the previous "Self Portrait" render. Unfortunately, I have to figure out what to do with the backdrop, lighting and even the HDRI. I want this to be more brightly lit and for the background to compliment both of them, in terms of color palette.
I used the Osuine Scale morph from Osuine G8F, because that's close to my IRL height. (I am 5'1".) The shark merman scares me, his hand is as big as my head. X_x; And yes, the dress clipped like that on my other render and that's why I did postwork with GIMP. I also forgot the earrings, but it's too late for me to keep working on this.
Regarding my last post, that's the thing I don't understand with several users here; the lack of "creativity". But, I often forget that many DS users "can't draw" or are actually computer nerds who think they can be artists by telling the computer what to do. The compulsion to create an aesthetically pleasing image is something that transcends medium. You don't have to be able to draw to create nice images, I mean photgraphy is a thing. Not just any snapshot counts as "proper photography," because for it to be artistic, great care is taken to ensure that the image looks good. DS is essentially digital photography. As the artist, it's your "duty" to make sure that whatever assets you chuck into your scene look good, even if what's happening makes no freakin' sense.
I would also emphasize something that was told to me when coloring 2D art - avoid using white for highlights or use it sparcingly. In DS's case, don't use too many pure white lights because like 2D coloring, you're gonna wash out your illustration and it won't look as good as it should. Please use some off-white color in the mix that compliment everything, or blends everything together.
@MimicMolly Maybe it's because of the new schooling. Arts and Music have been chopped from budgets, cut to the bone. I also think the lack of creativity is a lack of Arts and Music in the education system. I want to address this "I often forget that many DS users"can't draw" or actually computer nerds." Hi, my name is AgitatedRiot An official computer nerd extraordinaire. Unlike most, I do know how to draw. Architectural design, Landscape Design, hell even building cars have gone from clay as an art form that turned into computer nerd territory. I also want to point out Cursive is no longer be taught let alone calligraphy. Which I was taught in grade school along with the Violin into high. If people aren't exposed to the arts and music where's that leave "creativity"? I would actually phrase people who take time to apply themself to learn something new.
First of all, I apologize if my reply doesn't translate too well. I'm tired right now and I feel my English has worsened.
I don't quite agree with "creativity needing to be taught". Simply because my own personal interest in the arts literally came from wanting to make my own versions of cartoons I watched as a kid (by drawing them on the back/white parts of discarded bills with No. 2 pencil) and appreciating the beauty of illustration, from both these pre-recorded media and simple $1 picture books. Even current gutted school education is finer than what compelled me to improve my illustrations or any other art medium I have attempted to do. My creativity was already there. It just got further refined by my own practice and mental maturity.
For this reason, I'm both of the attitude that someone genuinely interested in refining their craft (in this case creating illustrations) can draw inspiration from the smallest scraps and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve this goal. (In this case, if they cannot draw by hand, they can learn 3D with this extremely accessible free app, for example. The internet is wonderful for exploring this, isn't it?) And that if anyone ever asks me how I created a render or what products I used, I must not withhold such information. Because make they can learn from my own experiences, to improve their craft or find ways to better illustrate their stories/scenarios.
So to me, having to rely on public education for The Arts™ either helps people like me experiment in other media, or nudges others into this direction if they never considered it before. I strongly feel many people fall into the latter category. Especially, if the art they've seen day to day never inspired them, but formal education did. One's creativity is unrelated to this. Especially, since creativity can be cunning and strategic, which goes beyond art.
Don't even get me started on creativity vs. motivation, because that's just a whole other struggle that people face. And makes it hard to create art on your own terms. Sorry for the rambling.
I know in my School district. Students will need to supply their own instruments. For music class. I was given a Flute in elementary and change to the violin in middle and high school. I also have a keyboard. all inspired by schools that no longer want to support the arts Nowadays. Don't forget the art supplies which you now have to buy for your children which a lot of my neighbors can't afford.
Ask a newly graduated high schooler to do long division and show your work they can't do it without a calculator, One of the requirements for my son was to bring a calculator. I must also admit it's the parent's fault in aiding the new standards. Then again you really can't because of the time difference I grow up in. I went to school back in the late 60s and got out late 70. Different era and ever-changing Curriculum. Hell, we have lost a whole planet since then.
@AgitatedRiot Don't like to admit my own age here, but my mom was the one who went to school around the same time as you, late 60s - late 70s. However, what she was taught in school in El Salvador were way more varied things than I was taught in the US in the late 90s and late 2000s. (To be fair, I was forced to spend the 1990s learning English because this language has so many illogical rules that it was just hard to grasp.)
Even so, my mom is into sewing and had a passion for softball. Whereas I am very artistically-inclined and the only sports that have ever interested me are martial arts (immediately took Fencing in high school, because wrestling wasn't available for girls.) School education and the era one grows up in doesn't dictate an individual's passion for art.
As for kids with calculators, the biggest excuse I've heard was that calculators are all widely available now since they often come pre-installed on your smartphone. But then, like I said I went to school during the 2000s, where there was the big shift between doing things by hand to doing things with a device. I learned cursive and very basic rules for long division, but somehow I was never taught how to use Microsoft Excel. I had to learn Excel on my own at work, something that young people are supposed to know after graduation. But then, that's no different than me trying MS Paint and eventually learning how to texture with 3DCoat and GIMP. (Obviously, DAZ Studio is somewhere in the middle here.)
Nothing wrong with that. I started building computers around the early to the late 90s. Got my A+ cert by watching videos on youtube in 2010. I still have a student copy of Microsoft office 2007 learned that by reading tutorials.
My dad used to say he walked a mile to school barefooted uphill in the snow both ways. All I can say about that is at least I had shoes
Earlier this week, I finally picked up DisparateDreamer's MingYue for Tika 8. I had seen this character featured in some Esha product promo renders and she reminded me of an OC I made with Genesis 1, named Niqui (stylized spelling of "Nicky") who I couldn't recreate because she was a mix of Aiko 3 shape and Stephanie 5 shape. So picking up a character that looked like a good starting point for Niqui was great. However, I don't have Tika 8 (or feel the need to get her, since Teen Josie 8 fills my "Thorne Doll" needs.)
Here are two quick renders of MingYue with no Tika 8 morph and one with Teen Josie 8 at 75%. (I like the Teen Josie 8 mix I did, since I feel that is true to Niqui.) The hair is Kent Hair, which I managed to get in some lucky sale for a bigger discount.
The outfit is called COD BO CW Park Glam for G8F. It is also available at Render Hub (not sure if I should name the other place I actually got it from.) I wanted the 70s hair that came with it, since DAZ doesn't seem to sell anything that has that look. I also need to track down that Dial-Them-Out thread and post Tika-less MingYue, since I think she adds something to the G8F genepool.
Darn. I missed out EJ Anders Deluxe Pack for Genesis 8 Male. I was sorting my wishlist and the EmmaAndJordi products I had in it are coming up full price but as "Lowest" and when you click on them, the page says "Oops!"
Safe to say that they probably closed shop too. I liked them as vendors and their face shaping morphs for G8 were some of my most used ones. RIP
**Good news, I found them on Gumroad. Good thing too because I don't particularly like many of these other alternative sites for 3D content. I have already bought stuff from Gumroad before (some of the DMC characters by InTheFlesh.) Might pick up Anders and the other ones I wanted.
Update: I have acquired EJ Anders and a bunch of other E&J goodies from Gumroad. Unfortunately, Gumroad won't let me follow them and seems to have made me unfollow InTheFlesh, as well, even though I sort of have them "bookmarked" because I have their purchased products in my library over there.
No idea when I'll render them, because I'm busy trying to draw something.
I have revisited my Harley Quinn cosplay Fan Ling. DAZ Galleries link [x]
The only difference here is that this is the Fan Ling character applied to G8.1F and that I used Mee HD's (RIP) lights instead of the BOSS lights.
Forgot to say that this is my first proper render with DAZ Studio 4.15.0.30 (latest version as of this post). Seems to run more smoothly than the previous version. At least based on this Fan Ling render.
Fan Ling is back and now has made her way into this other silly render which exists because it wants to.
This one is also in the DAZ Galleries as part of a "photoset" here [x].
Thanks to Hurricane Nicholas, I had the day off earlier this week, decided to work on a drawing that was sketched from a DS render I made. This is the render in question. I kitbashed random stuff and specifically made it as a reference for this particular illustration.
This is a crop of my pinup illustration based on the render. As you can see, I shaped G8.1M to have similar facial features and expression as the character I have in mind. I didn't trace the render, I eyeballed it. In fact, I'm working on this drawing that I'm not rendering much.
Anyway, my main problem is that the long hair, ram horn headset, bell collar, and woolly fluff don't exist as 3D assets specifically for G8M. The illustration, as I wish, can never be created in DAZ Studio. (Cannot model anything. I've tried and failed, my laptop doesn't cooperate, etc.) However, I can draw it on paper, colorize it with GIMP (which I'm currently doing) and be happy with the unique end result.
With art thieves everywhere, it's best to post a crop of a WIP anyway. That way they won't trace it all entirely and beat me to it.
Although I'm severely out of practice with my actual drawings, (work drains me) I'm still adept at it to a degree; my drawings are what they are. Almost seems pointless for me to have gotten into DS since I create my own illustrations by hand.
But as I said on my previous post, I use it for reference. Even the skimpy outfit the rendered figure has is kitbashed, so I could get a gist of what I wanted. Literally, using this app as how Poser was originally intended to be used. This is why clay renders and material zones shown in product promos is important to me. I need to see how usable it is for kitbashing, even though I would never create a 3D illustration render with my mixing and matching.
I actually want long fluffy hair... practically a long mane, like that for G8M. Too bad my interests are extremely niche and people in this hobby also seem to like prudish, drab, potato sack cloth wearing men. Whereas my literal bird brain wants the peacock. So I know that no such hair would exist because "it doesn't sell" and I cannot model it.
Thank you @Velldune I have Xell Hair, but that's not what I'm after. Do you know how well Eliza Hair holds up with Iray? I haven't had much luck with a lot of V4 hairs. (If it looks good, I can throw it in my cart right now.)
EDIT: You know what? Scratch that. I just put it in my cart and it went down to $1.99! O_O; I'll give it a shot.
Don't want to bump my thread with random chatter that's not art-related, but now I gotta figure out gift card math. Was planning to use my PC coupon for DO's today, but I can save it for later. It's the 4th of the month. Usually, mid-month is when the no-stack discounts that are similar savings to the coupons come in. So it seems like it's good to use them up early. (But keep in mind, this is just my personal opinion and how I do things.)
Been busy doing other stuff, but then DS is just a self-indulgent hobby for me, and I don't feel like I need to render anything to post. Anyway, I finally posted my Shark Boy photoset. [x]
This is my favorite one. I like it because it reminds me of a 3Delight render (my laptop renders Iray faster, so I've been sticking to that.)
My second favorite was the one where he's lying on his back in the water. Mostly because it's at an odd angle and just has a generally hostile tone, compared to the other pics. Not sure if I'll do any more any time soon. But if I do, I'll just add it to the photoset.
Between gaming and writing, I actually managed to finish the drawing I was working on here. Took me about three months to complete. (Cannot link to my illustration and photography dA because the drawing itself has nudity.) I hate that it took three months, but it was a very complex drawing, compared to what I usually do.
Anyway, what kept me motivated with that drawing was trying to outsmart DeviantArt's algorithm. Due to the subject matter, I wanted it to be posted yet private (but it somehow got 200+ views as of this post). I discovered that the algorithm tries to identify pics based on the image itself and the title. So if you do what attention/more views make sure you give your submission a good title and depict your subject in recognizable colors. (In my drawing, I did the opposite. The title had a string of numbers and my "unique" coloring style and color selection was uncommon.)
The only reason it is relevant is because I used a DAZ model as a drawing reference. I have plans to do something similar again, but I haven't decided on what exactly. Probably another male pinup since I don't usually see guys drawn how I drew the character in my pic. (I often get discouraged in trying to draw something that feels "common.")
This is very cool.
Your comments about creativity really made me give it some thought. For me, while I can draw, this Daz Studio and Photoshop have allowed me to take my art to a whole new level. But I've also spent hundreds of hours learning to use both to make what I want to make and studying things like color theory and all that.. The interenet is a wonderful tool lol I guess it just depends on what motivates people. And some people really want to make art but just don't seem to have the "eye". But I figure as long as they are enjoying themselves and it makes them happy, that's all that really matters. Theres always been a debate about what's more important, talent or hard work. People can make beautiful art without a great deal of talent if they work really hard it. People who have talent can make beautiful art without having to work as hard. The really stunning art happens when hard work and talent combine. Sadly,in todays world, a lot of people are used to instant gratification and just don't want to do the time. Sorry I'm jsut kind of rambling with this
@IceDragonArt Understandable, if you're passionate about art it's hard not to ramble on about it.
I agree about the time, anything that takes a while to render, whether it be in 3D or coloring it "by hand," always looks better. And for me, the most important thing isn't the exact steps, but the end results. (Seen so many beautiful illustrations that are a nice mix of 3D renders and hand painting.)
I think my own personal bias is that I often associate art with "artistry," so I see it more as a technical skill, something that requires time and effort. And it took me a long to realize that my own skill matters if the creation and the end results are both satisfying.
Still need to figure out how to make my renders distinctly "mine," stylistically similar to my drawings, without having to paint over the renders.
Did some 3D shopping here and on other sites, and this render was intended to be a test of a recent purchase (FF7 Scarlet for G8F). But also because I used FF7 Scarlet's skin texture to complete the Oleana character, I had worked on previously. Although I didn't use her morph, I used Ellthia 8's eyebrows, normals, and HD add-on for her. Unfortunately, the HD made a strange crease on the left corner of her mouth. I know it was that because it disappeared whenever I removed the HD morph. It sucks because the HD was otherwise perfect for my "realistic" vision of the character.
DAZ Galleries link, for full uncropped and full-body renders [x]
The game she's from is set in the Galar region, which is basically the Pokémon world's version of the UK. So I used that as inspiration for this shaping preset, even though I'm pretty sure I failed to make her look British. She looks "American" to me, whoops.
Decided to redo another render that was up before the DAZ Galleries got overhauled. DAZ Galleries link [x]
I have no idea how to feel about the original and the redo. The redo looks so much better, but somehow more "boring," while the original one looked awkward but the colors stood out more. I don't remember if I had done any post work on it, but the new render is as is.
I'll try to see what other renders I can do today or in the coming days. Feel motivated in DS again.
I gotta redo this one. I guess it's just a reminder for me not to use HD morphs unless I'm doing clay renders as drawing references because this is not good. (It was an otherwise pretty render. I don't remember if I gave him that Eye Moisture attachment.)
EDIT: I did give him an Eye Moisture attachment. And swapped HD.
This is the finalized one. DAZ Galleries link [x] for both pics that are separate pieces in a photoset.
The background is literally an HDRI, and the water is actually a really big plane primitive with the default "Water" shader (not "Thin" or "Dispersive," the regular one). To create the ripple effect, I actually borrowed a Leather normals from one of the MEC4D PBR shaders. I think what I did is simple-enough and looks like a convincing body of water.
I made a black and white version, which I might use as a drawing ref, but IDK yet.
(I'm tempted to redo these particular renders because I've learned something new that might fix a problem I was having.)
As always, I get sucked into other hobbies. I still haven't updated to DAZ Studio 4.16, and I worry that it may be unusable for me, even though many people have noted no difference between 4.15 and 4.16.
Anyway, I've run out of time today to do a proper render, but this is what I'm working on. Vicey3D's "Nikita" but with a Growing Up preset to make her be around "5 - 6 years old." Between her and Armine, these two make the most realistic looking children, though their materials need work. And yes, the couch and blanket are meant to be the inverted colors of her red and yellow outfit. I would've done other colors, but I couldn't figure out how to properly color FF7 Aerith's jacket within DS.
Since this thread also doubles as a diary of sorts, I'm still on the fence about getting an external hard drive for certain heavier downloads that I don't use often. My problem is that I'm unsure if I need this to be connected to my laptop whenever I start DS and DIM. So far, I just install and uninstall content as I need it, so it won't take up much space on my laptop.
*EDIT: I asked over on the NFP Discord, and they said it can be done. I just have to manually add and remove the directory. This is good news for me, since I can just keep the bare essentials on my laptop. (Though I will back up certain freebies or third-party assets there too.)
Been spending more at other stores, which is related to the first point. These other sites list download sizes and that's ultimately what makes me decide to check out. I'm glad a small handful of others have similar concerns. (Mine is a mix of limited storage and DS performance, due to unoptimized products.) There's one site which has been surprisingly good in what products it offers. Perhaps I got lucky, but these assets I bought are quickly becoming some of my used ones. (Even though, I don't use them "out of the box." And yes, it's that one cosplay site that we're seemingly discouraged from mentioning.)
As for my Nikita render, I might do something on Saturday, as I have the day off. I plan on finishing the render in the screenshot, as well as another bonus "studio" one. I just love these PBR Nikita materials. They render quite fast that I'm honestly impressed. Need to study the material preset, so I could replicate it on other characters. Hopefully, I can figure out how to word my thoughts, because I wanna leave Vicey3D a thoughtful and positive review.