Loading...
> >

Design Tool Box

McKinnanMcKinnan Posts: 0
edited December 1969 in New Users

I downloaded this awesome looking add on but for the life of me cannot figure out how to use it. I'm SURE the problem is mine, since I am a new user.
Does anyone use this and, if so, do you know if there is a tutorial somewhere that can get me up and running?

Thanks in advance!

Comments

  • JimmyC_2009JimmyC_2009 Posts: 8,891
    edited December 2013

    These are sets of 'shaders' and textures for DAZ Studio.

    Select the item in the Scene pane that you want to apply them to, then select the surface to apply the shader to in the Surfaces pane, then double click on the shader, and that is all there is to it.

    There are no props in the bundle, just shaders to apply a material to an existing prop. You can use a cube primitive, stretch it out a bit using the scale tool in the Parameters pane, then do as stated above, and apply the shader to the surface.

    A handy way of selecting surfaces is by using the Surface Selection Tool, Alt+Shift+M

    If you need any more help, please ask. just make sure to select the Object in the Scene pane, AND the Surface in the Surfaces pane at the same time before applying the shader.

    Post edited by JimmyC_2009 on
  • JimmyC_2009JimmyC_2009 Posts: 8,891
    edited December 1969

    I forgot to mention:

    Since these are shaders, you wont notice any change in the viewport on most occasions, these effects only show when rendered. This is particularly noticeable when using the tiling options (and the rough plaster), you must render to see the changes.

  • McKinnanMcKinnan Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    JimmyC - THANK YOU!

    I will try this when I get home from work tonight!!

    I knew it had to be something on my end.

  • KhoryKhory Posts: 3,854
    edited December 1969

    There is some help on the product readme pages:

    http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/read_me/index/14784/start

    The flooring is super easy to work with. All you do is select the surface with the surface selection tool (looks like 3 little rectangles overlapping each other and an arrow). Because everything is mapped differently you will need to do a check render or spot render a small portion of the floor to check that the scale is correct. If it needs to be larger or smaller you can use the included utility files to change it. Actually you need to do a tiling check on any shader preset that has a pattern to be sure you like the scale. Also remember that if your looking for reflection on the floor it needs something to reflect. That may mean adding extra bits to the scene so that the floor has more to reflect back up.

    With the wall stuff you need to apply the "primer coat" to set the surface up to accept all the information from the paints or tone on tone wall papers. Also, the wall textures will not really show up properly till you render them because they primarily affect the texture of the wall. So if you want to paint a wall (by the way a primitive planes make easy "rooms" if you apply the presets to them) you apply the base coat then select a texturing for the wall (unless you want it perfectly smooth), and then a paint color. Do a spot render and make sure that your scale is right and then you should be good to go.

    If you have any more questions or need any other help let me know!

  • McKinnanMcKinnan Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Khory thank you so much! Wow, so cool to get feedback from the actual artist! Heading to the readme now.

  • McKinnanMcKinnan Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    I think I will ask this question now as well. SHOULD I be seeing 6 spheres of the same color in my Content Library or is my database messed up. I only use the DAZ installer and I let it put things where it defaults. Very vanilla setup on my end... nothing fancy. Defaults, defaults, defaults :-)

    DT_Content.PNG
    417 x 916 - 126K
  • McKinnanMcKinnan Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Now that I'm looking closer, I see that light reflections might be different on each sphere. Probably everything is fine on this end for the Newbie :-)

  • JimmyC_2009JimmyC_2009 Posts: 8,891
    edited December 1969

    Looking in the Products section does not give you the best idea of how things are laid out.

    Go to the Content Library pane, DAZ Studio Formats > My DAZ 3D Library > Shader Presets > Design Toolbox.

    You should find entries for 'Flooring' and 'Paint and Paper'. See how you get on with that.

  • McKinnanMcKinnan Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    will do and thank you JimmyC

  • KhoryKhory Posts: 3,854
    edited December 1969

    I guess there are that many of the same color over and over.. I never looked at it like that. I feel like a wildly productive person now! That said Jimmy is right about looking at it so that they fall in the proper places.

    McKinnan, There are two "types" of paints (matte and semi gloss), colors for the carpeting and for the two tone wall paper. Every color is broken down into a color group. One example would be the blues and then inside that there are "groups" that are variations of each other. One group of blues is 01A deep sea to 01G calm day. If you want a blue wall that is 01D azure then you know that you an use any of the other 01 colors as trim and it will match properly. Think of them like the swatches you see at a paint store.

    Because each of the colors is represented for all the surfaces you know that you can carry over with carpet or an accent wall of the two tone wall paper. So you could use 01B nautical blue for carpet and know it would match. Not to say that everything has to be matchy matchy but at least you know it is there if you need it.

    And that is a very wordy explanation for why there are so many repetitions of the same colors!

  • McKinnanMcKinnan Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Whoa!! What a completely different "view" of Design Tool Box is had when I go via the path Jimmy C suggested! Another small step in learning how DAZ "thinks". The Readme was very helpful too Khory. Thank you both. Excellent forum community here.

    DT_Content_2.PNG
    403 x 939 - 219K
  • JimmyC_2009JimmyC_2009 Posts: 8,891
    edited December 1969

    I'm glad you are getting to grips with DS and the Content Library.

    The other views of the content can be useful at times as well, and you can also set up your own Categories too. There is usually help to be found here, and as you say, we do have a friendly community.

  • KhoryKhory Posts: 3,854
    edited December 1969

    mckinnan, if you ever need more help just let me know. I really want you to have a good experience with this product because it is one of my favorite time savers.

  • McKinnanMcKinnan Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    So generous of you Khory TY!! I'm quite sure I'll have questions. I am thrilled with DTB! My current system bogs down with pre-made scenes so DTB has opened up a WORLD of creativity with very simple backdrops. So cool!!

    Thought I would uplift what I played around with last night. Mind I would not really design a room this way, lol. Just started to play around and one thing led to another.

    I learned the shaders stack, right? Put some carpet down in the corner but then could not figure out how to get it off :-)

    Practice_-_Walls_and_Floor_4.jpg
    1006 x 935 - 587K
  • KhoryKhory Posts: 3,854
    edited December 1969

    I'll be honest.. I don't really know what is going on in that corner. The simplest way to get a clean start is to use the paint primer. I know it seems very odd to think of putting primer on a floor but its the best way to get a "clean slate".

    I am thrilled your having fun with the product by the way!

Sign In or Register to comment.