Novica & Forum Members Tips & Product Reviews Pt 12
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Hi,
I can only answer for MML (MultiMap Loader) as I wrote it. I didn't know MIke was working Map Master Pro when I wrote mine.
MML targets the need to when you have loads of maps to add to prop and you have several matzones, you can load those quickly with just a few clicks instead of loading one map at a time.
Unfortunately, even with the very limited stable of base figures I’ve purchased I won’t be able to get all the appropriate HD addons this way. It looks like Mr. Woo is too new to qualify.
Just tried WhiteMagus HDRI Clean skies (currently in the $1.99 category) - I rather think they should be named "Dirty Skies" for that's how they look. You really need a top quality camera to make good HDRIs, it looks like some PAs don't realize that. For a comparison take a look at one of Dimension Theory's "Outdoor Environments" HDRIs - a totally clean sky, uses a lot less memory and the file size is a lot smaller (5 HDRIs, = about 500 MB while "Clean Skies" contains 12 HDRIs = 4.5 GB). WhiteMagus usually makes high quality stuff so I'm surprised by the low quality of these HDRIs.
@ladair Okay, and you're probably the expert- do you remember when a bunch of us bought the HDs and I showcased them, and couldn't tell the difference? What was the solution for that- was it the subD level or something? I never fiddle with that as I usually try to show things out of the box, but aren't these all pretty worthless unless you mess with some of the settings? Thanks for the input in advance
@taoz Thanks for pointing that out. I can really see the difference.
@totte Thanks for helping
Any time you're using HD morphs, it can help to increase the SubD of the Mesh Resolution, (in the Parameters tab.) The higher the SubD, though, the more impact on the render time. So it's a trade off. I tend to use the HD addons for figures close to the camera, otherwise not use it. But I'd rather have the option than not, so I get the HD Addons whenever I can. Sometimes even before owning the figure! (I bought the Zelara HD today, but I haven't purchased Zelara yet!)
When I did Aftermath, I used base figures and let the textures indicate age. I did dial in some head morphs, and the man standing in the water, stabilizing the boat had some added muscle, (though I don't recall which morphs.) It's taken me too long to learn that lesson, that I only really need those details if a figure is close to the camera. I can't help but wonder how many of my older renders took twice as long because of an HD addon used on a figure "a block away" from the camera!
I think I'm getting better at "choosing my battles…"
Totally Off Topic: @Novica, I just finished assembling my Gazelle Supreme. I'd have bought one sooner, but I didn't catch the name of the equipment first time it was mentioned. Turns out it's exactly like the equipment hubby's therapist had him using during rehab for an ankle with a hairline fracture. Looks like we're both going to get a lot of use out of it. Now you're helping me spend money on sites other than Daz. I should be appalled, but for some silly reason, I'm just grateful!
Gee, just grabbed some sets of those today due to the usual quality of WhiteMagus's stuff. Now I'm sorry. :(
@firewarden, Don't forget about the 30-Day return policy. Take some time to test the HDRIs. Return any that you're not happy with, and let CS know you're returning them due to the unacceptable quality of the image. Daz will never know, if you don't tell them.
Description
I've been attempting to use the backgrounds in many different types of renders. This being one called Island Girl.
Made with...
@cismic That's lovely! I like the glow on the left side (our left) of her face and arm.
@ladair Ooooh, so happy for you. You'll love the glider. I just watched two hours of television tonight gliding happily away. (Love Seal Team!) You'll get so used to it, you'll be ancy if you don't glide. It's nice to find exercise equipment that is also a stress reliever/ relaxer. I do find after I've come in from walking, that if I glide, my legs are a bit wobbly after I get off it due to the difference in the way I stride on the glider. And sometimes when I'm on it for more than 15 minutes, my legs take a minute to adjust when I step off. So be careful with that until you get used to it :)
My hip is still hurting from my jog/stiff leg into a hole last Feb 23rd, and the glider is something I can do when my hip starts hurting from walking. So anyone with ankle, knee, or hip injuries/stiffness really should take a look at this. I also have Achilles Insertional Tendonitis in BOTH ankles from that injury three or four years ago. They burn like crazy when I first get out of bed. :( I'm the walking wounded LOL.
Have you all noticed how slow the Daz site has been the past week? Actually the end of last week too.
Anyway, I'm on a good schedule and getting to sleep before midnight, so off I go.
I had a look at those Clean Sky HDRI and they look as if they are compressed going by the artifacts. I wouldn't expect to see that on clean 16K HDRI. You can see the artifacts on the promotional renders too.
Well around where I live they are called the Smokey Mountains for a reason.
Considering the file sizes which are close to 400 MB I doubt it's post-compression, but rather a camera that uses interpolation for high resolutions or something. Dimension Theory's HDRI is only 89 MB and 8K and yet looks a lot better.
I did see the artifacts on the promos as well, but I thought it might be because the promos were compressed, so I bought it to see how they actually looked.
If you load them into Photoshop are they coming in as 32 bit images at the correct size?
Yes.
@novica, thank you! I used both rim and key lights our right. Next I need to learn out to render in layers for use in photoshop.
True! Thank you. :)
You're welcome.
Take a peek at Jepe's Cinematic 5 Props and Poses (M8) in Fast Grab. Look at the thumbs to get an idea of what you can do. There's a lot of props for 70% off.
So did the rest of you load up during these sales on the 1.99? Want to thank the vendors SO MUCH for their generous pricing. Amazing!
I agree, very generous - some put their whole store or most of it on sale at $1.99, unbelievable. Just got another 45 or so today. But considering DAZ has over 2 million users it may still be a good deal for the vendors, as a lot of people will probably buy stuff they'd never have bought otherwise because of the prices.
Just saw some textures for Gabriel hair in BYOB and decided to check out how that hair looked in Iray. Here it is on M5 with UHT2 shaders, looks pretty good IMO.
Yep. It was a no-brainer. It was also Store-Credit draining. (But oh so worth it!)
I love being able to get things I would never otherwise buy. Between last year's sale and this one, I've gotten to know some new-to-my-runtime vendors.
I really hate to see it come to an end, but I don't think I could afford for it to go on any longer. I just counted how many products I bought for $1.99, (including several bundles,) and I think I'll go so far as to admit it might have been "too many!"
A great big Thank you from me, too, to all the great vendors who were so very generous this year. Hugz, too.
That's pretty much all I've been buying, the deals are so good. Some were on my wish list but most weren't and I certainly wouldn't have gotten them at their full price, much less the normal discount. Thanks to the vendors! Now the question is how many do I actually use?
BTW, my new GPU is awesome (RTX 2080 Ti). I've gone from almost no Iray renders to many. Even the Aux Viewport is useful now. Probably will be using DS more as a result.
If anyone got Old London Town note that everything is Iray except the water. I ran iray Water Shader on it as a quick fix.
2019-11-08 23:18:09.719 Total Rendering Time: 11 minutes 19.2 seconds
Click on image for full size.
The Fast Grab items seem to be going up in price on average.
I agree. Looks natural. Thanks for showing.
@fishtales I passed on this item. Don't know why but I did. Perhaps I should have picked it up after seeing this render. :-)
@cismic
I wasn't sure either but I like the old style buildings.
Yes. Prices have been going up in general. Newer items in Fast Grab will cost more than older items. But they are all at 70% off. Daz has been including DOs the past several months, but as a PC+ member, I can do better than 70% off on those if I wait for DO sale. Still a good deal for non-members, though.
Thank you for the information, and what a beautfiul render!
The description states "Optimized for Iray." The dead horse on the topic is that "Optimized for Iray" doesn't have to mean Iray materials, only that the materials will work in Iray, even if they are 3DL materials. (I shall refrain from beating the horse, again.)
