Why Daz? Why?
lryhall_17d185bd0d
Posts: 127
I have spent the last three days doing battle with the Latest version of Daz Studio and have not been able to create one usable render. The user Interface is one of the most non-intuitive nightmares I have ever worked with. I have previously used Poser, Vue, and Carrara with ease. However... Daz, I have to admit you have flummoxed me this time. I can't get ANYTHING to work. I suppose with a few years of college grade classes, I might could manage. I really like your Genesis characters, but am afraid to buy any because I can't even get your free base to render decently. It's a shame you couldn't have made them usable in Poser. In not making Poser friendly Genesis models available, it seems to me you are cutting yourself off from a considerable amount of revenue. Well, I guess I'll shuffle back to Poser in shame. Those who have figured DAZ Studio out? I salute you.
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I, like alot of others I think, Have had the opposite experience with Daz3d. I found the interface very simple and easy to use. Within just a few days I was producing very nice and clean IRay renders. There are plenty of introductory videos and tutorials available. I'll admit I have a few years of college, but none of that education had anything to do with the ease of ability I have found Daz3d to work with. Good Luck with Poser, while I enjoy all these beautiful Genesis characters!
There are many people here that would be willing to help you figure out your issues witth Studio if you post questions.
As for "making genesis work in poser" - this would be like using a very big hammer to fit a square peg into a triangular hole -- you lose all the essence of genesis. The real (and only) fis is for Smith Micro to update poser to support genesis natively. DAZ offered them the technology back when the first genesis version came out, and Smith Micro declined.
Genesis and Genesis 2 can be used in Poser if you use the DSON importer
I have sat through numerous U-Tube tutorials and downloaded DSON. (Which for whatever reason didn't work) In Poser, as well as the other programs I mentioned, I was rendering images easily within the period of a few hours to a day. I have read through hours of forum questions regarding exporting pz3's and my Poser runtime to Daz, and everyone had a different answer. The few I tried didn't work, and the others were so involved and techy I didn't even try. Frustration does have it's limits. Vue has the best render quality, but it has become so pricey as to defeat most non-pros. So by all means, enjoy your Genesis characters. There are still many good V4 characters being developed. Human nature always wants what one can't have. I'll probably just pony up the money for Vue (my old version doesn't play well with the newer versions of windows) Then I'll find all new manner of things to waste my money with in Vue. Thanks for the replies, Daz just isn't for me. :)
To make you Poser content available in DS just add the folders that hold the Runtimes (the same folders you select to ad a new library in Poser) to the list of Poser Format content directories - a quick way to do this is to go to the Content Library pane, right-click on the Poser Formats heading, and select Add Runtime Directory
Thanks Richard. You provided a clear and concise explanation and it worked! Funny how that happens. Now I've got to get to work on figuring out how to add textures to an object. (like a background pane) Again, many thanks!
To add a backdrop image, Window>Panes(Tabs)>Environment (it used to be a command on the Edit menu, which will not help make the tutorials clear).
I agree with davegv. This is the only software like this I ever used though, I've never tried Poser so I guess I was a clean slate when I got here. Daz may not behave like poser and probably does use a different use interface but once you get the vocabulary down and get used to the system flow it's pretty easy.Like anything, there is a learning curve. You just have to want to figure it out. Hang in there and I hope you give it a chance.
Well, I had seen Poser years ago but I never really rendered much until I got a free copy of Daz Studio. I love playing with textures in Daz Studio. I use the surface tab where you can edit shaders and make things glow like irises really easily. I do remember the nightmare that was the materials room in Poser years ago. To me the surface tab where you are looking right at the shader and can change so much stuff and see what happens right in the veiwer is really a great way to work. At first I got into complicated shader stuff by mistake, but once I found where the used materials showed up and how edit them rather than build something it worked great.
It’s certainly a steep learning curve and you’re definitely in it for the long run once you get going so I do hear you.
Thanks, Richard. However, I tried your Window>Panes (tabs)>Environment and that's as far as I got. There were no viable options beyond that. I opened the shaders tab and there were no background images nor anyway to 'grab' an image from elsewhere for use as a background. I have spent the last few hours trying this and that with the same outcome.
Thanks DDCreate. You are correct in Daz not working exactly like Poser. It's like different planets or Dimensions. I tried Daz years ago on one of their earlier platforms, and wasn't impressed. The posing process seemed somewhat clunky to me. Now I notice they've adopted parts of Poser posing. That's a good thing. I've been at 3d art since 1998 and have found this Daz version to be most alien to me. Like you said. 'learning curve'.
Rita? The shader tab is one with which I've had absolutely "0" luck. I'm still trying to figure out a way to apply an image to a plane. Or something as simple as adding a background image. Glad it came naturally for you. Some of us just don't pick it up as quickly.
Set the Type to Backdrop, then click the ttriangle button next to the colour picker under Background, select Browse.., and pick your image. That's how you load images for properties if there isn't a preset.
Finally managed one, using all Poser Runtime stuff. Thanks to all for your helpful comments and your time.
Richard? I hate to bother you again, but is it possible to import a Poser Scene, (pz3.) into Daz 4.10?
Long time Poser user and now a "convert" to DAZ Studio. It took me a few weeks to get comfortable with the different interface, but it's second nature now and very easy to use, so keep trying!
I've opened pZ3 files in DS 4.10 ( Windows 10) by going up to the FILE menu then selecting IMPORT. Then look at the little box at the lower right.. the one that says "ALL FORMATS" with a bunch of file types. Click on that & scroll down to POSER FILES. Select your file and off you go!
Hope that helps!
DS will also see the PZ3 files in the libraries under Poser Formats in the Content Library pane. However, if the scene uses .pmd morphs (rather than saving morphs in the scene) it may well fail.
Thanks, semperequstri and Richard, I'll try those methods. Another issue I have encountered is the morph pac (such as breat controls) appears not to load in Daz4.10 for V4. Makes it a little tougher to manage clothing. Side to side and similar options are there, but nothing in detail. Anyone else experienced this? I've checked out a tut. or two, but they all talk about Genesis figures. Makes it hard on a hard core V4 guy. Until I feel completely comfortable in DS 4.10, I'm reluctant to invest in any Genesis bundles.
If you go to my Art Studio thread, there is a page full of tips and tutorials that were done with newbies in mind. I started in 2013 f rom Day One and did a thread on what I was trying, and other contributors chipped in and so the tips have a lot of basics. They're done alphabetically by topic too. This is the first page One of the step by step Iray lighting tutorials that is popular is Wanna Render? I also covered depth of field.
Hope the references help :) Hang in there!
Are these Daz morph packs or add-ons? Did they require running the update tool for the figure for use in Poser?
Thanks Novica! I'll check them out.
Hi Richard, and thanks again. The morph figures are standard V4.2 morphs that came with the bundle. I do have one additional breast control tool, but neither shows up in my renders, or are unusable. My attempts at importing a pz3. were unsuccessful as well. It would be nice to pose afigure in Poser, with which I am more comfortable and then export it to DS in order to make use of the IRL lighting.
Try resaving the scene from Poser, making sure that Edit>General Preferecnes>Miscellaneoous>Use External Binary Morph Targets is off (if it was on to start with, if it wasn't then soemthing else is the issue).
Hi Richard. I turned the morph targets check off, and it did export to DS, but the figure was distorted. I zeroed the figure and it exported well. The problem is, I could have done that in Daz (from a zero position) but that's what I tried to avoid. C'est la vie. Thanks for all your help!
Which figure was it? The weight-mapped Poser figures, or the Poser figures using the additional fall-off types in Poser 8, won't load correctly in DS. Other figures, including of course the Daz figures in Poser format, should load correctly (though I'm not sure what effect having IK on in Poser would have).
It was V4.2. As I said, I imported it posed in a pz3. file. That didn't work. Distorted the figure, the arms (stretching off the screen) mostly. When I tried zeroing the figure, it imported fine. It's all above my pay grade, Richard. (Makes my head hurt) :)
Hmm, well I don't know why that would happen - sorry.
Thanks for all your help, Richard. And the support from all others. I think I'll give DS a rest for awhile and let the frustration subside. The two companies have to learn to work with each other in what I believe would be of mutual benefit. Instead of creating two opposing forces.
Well, I bought a tutorial or two from dreamlight to learn a bit about setting up backgrounds and dealing with the sun and such in the environment. That part stumped me too. I was great with taking my old texture files and turning them into cloth shaders. I used Photoshop elements to turn them into black and whites so I could make custom colors in Daz by changing the color settings. After I made a hundred or so, I had to do other things like try making a few leather textures and actually rendering something. I intend to go back and make more shaders but I confess it gets boring to be in the middle of a too big project.