May 2020 - Daz 3D New User Challenge - Using Props and Push Modifiers/Deformers

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Comments

  • watchdog79watchdog79 Posts: 1,026

    Lol sorry everybody. My picture is a little big. I'll make is smaller next month. I didn't realize how big that would be.

    You can edit your post, right click the image and change image properties. You set the image to display as smaller, such as 800 Width or even less. It will still display at full size to us upon clicking on it.

  • wmiller314wmiller314 Posts: 184

    Lol sorry everybody. My picture is a little big. I'll make is smaller next month. I didn't realize how big that would be.

    You can edit your post, right click the image and change image properties. You set the image to display as smaller, such as 800 Width or even less. It will still display at full size to us upon clicking on it.

    Thanks

  • Shinji Ikari 9thShinji Ikari 9th Posts: 1,184

    Entry one: Action/Using Props

    Version C here, changing the camera angle, and adding some more of the explosive containers that the hero is shooting at (the specific container he's aiming at is just poking in on the right side of the frame.)

    may2020c.png
    1280 x 720 - 1M
  • watchdog79watchdog79 Posts: 1,026

    Entry one: Action/Using Props

    Version C here, changing the camera angle, and adding some more of the explosive containers that the hero is shooting at (the specific container he's aiming at is just poking in on the right side of the frame.)

    I would suggest moving the character a bit to the right, towards the centre of the image, so that the gun contrasts against the background. We cannot see much with a dark gun against a dark robot.

  • Shinji Ikari 9thShinji Ikari 9th Posts: 1,184

    Entry one: Action/Using Props

    Version C here, changing the camera angle, and adding some more of the explosive containers that the hero is shooting at (the specific container he's aiming at is just poking in on the right side of the frame.)

    I would suggest moving the character a bit to the right, towards the centre of the image, so that the gun contrasts against the background. We cannot see much with a dark gun against a dark robot.

    I'll have to see what I can do, because it would also mean turning his upper body away from the camera to get the gun back on target. Too far right, and the muzzle flash could be mostly lost behind the gun, to close and the gun could still be hard to see.

  • Entry one: Action/Using Props

    Version C here, changing the camera angle, and adding some more of the explosive containers that the hero is shooting at (the specific container he's aiming at is just poking in on the right side of the frame.)

    I would suggest moving the character a bit to the right, towards the centre of the image, so that the gun contrasts against the background. We cannot see much with a dark gun against a dark robot.

    I'll have to see what I can do, because it would also mean turning his upper body away from the camera to get the gun back on target. Too far right, and the muzzle flash could be mostly lost behind the gun, to close and the gun could still be hard to see.

    you really should try something else entirely and put this render aside

    you will see

  • Shinji Ikari 9thShinji Ikari 9th Posts: 1,184

    Entry one: Action/Using Props

    Version D, having moved my character to about the thirds line on the left adjusting his aim wasn't as bad as I feared. (There's a camera on the gun to help with that and I was looking through it as I did the adjustments to be sure of his aim.) Other then that, the shooter has some hair now, and I tweeked the right robot's position so that it wasn't potitually doing the same as the other robot with the shooter's gun slim at it might have been.

    may2020d.png
    1280 x 720 - 1M
  • L'AdairL'Adair Posts: 9,479

    It is not uncommon in photography, (and I assume movie-making, as well,) to position figures slightly off from the objects or other characters they are looking at. To the camera, it looks as if the subject is looking exactly where they should, even though they might be looking slightly left or right of the prop/character they're supposed to be looking at.

    It's always about the final image. And I think your image is looking good. It wasn't bad before, my brain told me he was shooting at those bots. But I like the position of the man better with this version. And he still looks like he's shooting at those bots.
    laugh

  • 0996ps0996ps Posts: 182
    edited May 2020
    L'Adair said:

    It is not uncommon in photography, (and I assume movie-making, as well,) to position figures slightly off from the objects or other characters they are looking at. To the camera, it looks as if the subject is looking exactly where they should, even though they might be looking slightly left or right of the prop/character they're supposed to be looking at.

    It's always about the final image. And I think your image is looking good. It wasn't bad before, my brain told me he was shooting at those bots. But I like the position of the man better with this version. And he still looks like he's shooting at those bots.
    laugh

    Yep, I have also done that in my past couple of renders here. You guys didn't notice. XD Even the dragon render guy is facing way off to the left. that's because I want his eyes to be visible.

    Post edited by 0996ps on
  • ariochsnowpawariochsnowpaw Posts: 147
    edited May 2020

    Intermediate Challenge - dForms

    Such A Good Boy!

    Visiting Grandma was what first got Tobin interested in dFormers.

    I struggled a bit with inspiration here.  But sometimes going back to your roots works.

    dForm used for shaping the cheek for the pinch.
    Such A Good Boy!.jpg
    1545 x 1236 - 1M
    Post edited by ariochsnowpaw on
  • ATLPRATLPR Posts: 147
    edited May 2020

    REPLY RE: ariochsnowpaw  "Such A Good Boy!"

    Great job, LOL, made me laugh, that is good stuff!

    Reminds me of a Norman Rockwell type moment.

    Thank you

    Post edited by ATLPR on
  • ATLPRATLPR Posts: 147

    THIS IS MY IMAGE ENTRY FOR THE NEW USER CHALLENGE: INTERMEDIATE (Using Props and Push Modifiers/Deformers)

    -

    IMAGE TITLE: ORC ESCAPE

    -

    SCENE DESCRIPTION:

    The year is 2035. The planet is Mars and was colonized by the Grey aliens during the secret alien invasion of our solar system then Earth in 2020. Mars surface and atmosphere was partially terraformed and is now used by the Grey’s as a prison for various alien and humanoid species. The Orc figure is an alien, brought from a distant galaxy to perform labor, and in this scene is attempting to escape captivity. The E. Dragon is a large desert dwelling lizard, that has become an indigenous creature of terraformed Mars, and would be happy to sting and eat the Orc alien, if given a chance. The plague wolf is a large, trained, dog-like protection companion and pet of the Grey aliens. Flames appear near the door, suggesting a violent fire ignited during the prison break. The Grey’s need to project strength to ensure no others will attempt escape, and have therefore sent nearly 50% of their drones to capture or kill the Orc at all cost.

    -

    PRODUCTS USED / COMPONENT DEFORMED:

    1. TERADOME3 - Martian landscape   /   I deformed the sand where the E. Dragon is crawling out of the ground.

    2. Eastern Dragon  /   I deformed and greatly increased the spines on the back of the dragon.

    =>Note: E. Dragon’s eyes were all black, so I manually added the red iris (from “G8F Rachelle Vamp” DAZ character) using GIMP.

    3. Orc HD  /  I deformed the head to make the orc look like a more powerful special alpha.

    4. Plague wolf HD  /  I increased the size and muscle structure with morphs, then deformed the head to add a spiked crest, create peaks around the eyes, and enhance the jaw.

    5. Staging Chamber is the building  /  I deformed the right door inward, then scaled and placed the torch flames near the door.

    =>Note: The fire in the scene is the Staging Chamber torch fire (scaled in combinations of x, y, or z directions).

    6. Dominator Ship D – background prop only.

    7. Dominator element- mini-drone ships, (several manipulated instances) background prop only.

    8. Dominator crabs – red-eyed metal crabs (several manipulated instances) - chasing the Orc alien.

    9. Tech drone – Sky eye  /  nose was deformed pointy and wings enlarged - chasing the Orc alien.

    10. Tech Staves – Grey Alien weapon   /   Scaled the length and thickness of the beam only.

    11. Mesh Grabber – Main Deformer tool / face mesh manipulation. Also, scale and muscle morphs were used in combination to achieve the desired effects.

    12. Morphs – “Tone, bodybuilder details, and fitness” were all cranked up to 100% to maximize character chase intensity in the Wolf and Orc aliens. Mouth-face gestures are Angry morph dial 100%, and open mouth dial 100%.

    -

    POST-RENDER WORK:

    Used GIMP to manually add colored eyes to the Dragon (because they were black only). Also increased Saturation (+20), and used “Dodge and Burn” script (thin5/thick25) in GIMP to enhance the dynamic range and clarity a bit. I created last minute loin covers in GIMP dispite the fact that figures do not have any Gens.

    -

    LEARNING ISSUES AND QUESTIONS: 

    I have been using DAZ for ~1 month now (noob), may I please ask everyone/anyone to answer any/all of the following questions.

    1. Is there a way to change the Teradome3 atmosphere to a manual background space image (e.g. with a couple distant alien planets)?

    2. Are there any eyes available for E. Dragon, that I can apply directly within DAZ?

    3. Is there a way to change the saturation of the render colors within DAZ?

    4. Is there a way to apply a gloss layer to the Orc, such that he appears wet or shiny?

    5. Is there a way to create a spotlight shining at the escaped Orc?

    =>Was thinking of applying the spotlight from Render Studio volumetric plus.

    6. Would Bionicle/robot arms and legs work on the Plague wolf HD (he is a G8M)?

    =>I was thinking I would like to create some half-altered bio-tech beasts.

    -

    The image file is16:9, (was UltraHD range 7Kx4K and 32bit), but I had to shrink it and transform it to 24bit JPG for it to upload.

    Hope you enjoy this as much as I did,

    Thank you!

    ATLPR-CONTEST ENTRY-INTERMEDIATE DEFORM-ORC ESCAPE.jpg
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  • sueyasueya Posts: 832

    I decided to use the side view as the gymnast is reflected in the glass door. I managed to get a subtle depth of field, but I'm not sure if the image is now too dark as it is a bit difficult to distinguish the black leotard from the dark wall.  I also wondered if the speaker or chair should be removed. I am also wondering whether the gymnast's pose should be changed slightly so that her right knee is bent and foot is raised above the beam. Constructive feedback on all of these ideas is welcome.

  • Wicked WhompWicked Whomp Posts: 219

    Hopping in this one later than I'd normally would have! My entry is a little slapstick for the D-former catagory, inspired by the description of the push modifiers in the first post. I used a handful of D-formers that were largley scaled down to give a better impression of "contact". Four of the D-formers themselves were used on the characters face, and one more was used on the glove itself to soften it up a wee bit.

    dforcedknockout.png
    720 x 1280 - 988K
  • sueya said:

    I decided to use the side view as the gymnast is reflected in the glass door. I managed to get a subtle depth of field, but I'm not sure if the image is now too dark as it is a bit difficult to distinguish the black leotard from the dark wall.  I also wondered if the speaker or chair should be removed. I am also wondering whether the gymnast's pose should be changed slightly so that her right knee is bent and foot is raised above the beam. Constructive feedback on all of these ideas is welcome.

    looks very good - warmer lighting, perhaps

  • katiedelongwriterkatiedelongwriter Posts: 65
    edited May 2020

    I may enter something else, since I'm not sure to what degree the flames and plants/gate/b/g count as a prop, although they were rendered in Daz along with the rest. Postwork was tweaks to a paint-style filter and color correction (the paint filter makes contrast wonky, so I had to adjust it to make it more like the original after I got the texture I wanted). 

    Post edited by katiedelongwriter on
  • 0996ps0996ps Posts: 182

    I may enter something else, since I'm not sure to what degree the flames and plants/gate/b/g count as a prop, although they were rendered in Daz along with the rest. Postwork was tweaks to a paint-style filter and color correction (the paint filter makes contrast wonky, so I had to adjust it to make it more like the original after I got the texture I wanted). 

    Great looking artwork.

  • ATLPRATLPR Posts: 147
    edited May 2020

    REPLY TO: watchdog79

     

    Love it! I believe it to (it's like a real movie moment).

    THANK YOU!

     

    Post edited by Richard Haseltine on
  • ATLPRATLPR Posts: 147
    edited May 2020

    Entry One: Action/Using Props

     REPLY TO: Shinji Ikari 9th

    Awesome job, I like it!

     

    Post edited by Richard Haseltine on
  • ATLPRATLPR Posts: 147
    edited May 2020

    I'm entering the beginner "props"

    REPLY TO: wmiller314

    In a word, "gorgeous" scene and character, great job!

    ... as per the saying "guns and alcohol don't mix," - Perhaps this is the first time ever that Guns and Alcohol actually do mix well : )

    Thank you

     

    Post edited by Richard Haseltine on
  • ATLPRATLPR Posts: 147
    edited May 2020
    _ AL1vE _ said:

    entry one version(s) 1&2: Action / Using Props

    title: A Special Delivery

    credits: UTOPIA Modular City Kit by KITBASH3D - Heli by Edson - Vespa and Jets by The PixelLAB

    clay render reference

    -

    REPLY TOO _ AL1vE _

    Both images look amazing, great job!  I have to learn how to achieve a reflection like that.

    Thank you

     

    Post edited by Richard Haseltine on
  • katiedelongwriterkatiedelongwriter Posts: 65
    edited May 2020
    ATLPR said:

     

     

    POST-RENDER WORK:

    Used GIMP to manually add colored eyes to the Dragon (because they were black only). Also increased Saturation (+20), and used “Dodge and Burn” script (thin5/thick25) in GIMP to enhance the dynamic range and clarity a bit. I created last minute loin covers in GIMP dispite the fact that figures do not have any Gens.

    -

    LEARNING ISSUES AND QUESTIONS: 

    I have been using DAZ for ~1 month now (noob), may I please ask everyone/anyone to answer any/all of the following questions.

    1. Is there a way to change the Teradome3 atmosphere to a manual background space image (e.g. with a couple distant alien planets)?

    2. Are there any eyes available for E. Dragon, that I can apply directly within DAZ?

    3. Is there a way to change the saturation of the render colors within DAZ?

    4. Is there a way to apply a gloss layer to the Orc, such that he appears wet or shiny?

    5. Is there a way to create a spotlight shining at the escaped Orc?

    =>Was thinking of applying the spotlight from Render Studio volumetric plus.

    6. Would Bionicle/robot arms and legs work on the Plague wolf HD (he is a G8M)?

    =>I was thinking I would like to create some half-altered bio-tech beasts.

    -

    The image file is16:9, (was UltraHD range 7Kx4K and 32bit), but I had to shrink it and transform it to 24bit JPG for it to upload.

    Hope you enjoy this as much as I did,

    Thank you!

    To your question about dragon eyes, are you having the issue where eyes come up an opaque color? If so, do a forum search here- there's a specific thing you need to change in the shader for the eye that will allow the eye to be transparent, that will make the eyes appear the way they should. I've had that happen on a bunch of my daz dragons- it's not that eyes need to be purchased as a separate product, but that the top layer, the water layer that makes them bright and glossy, sometimes loads as opaque rather than transparent. 

    To your question about render color saturation- yes, you should be able to change that within Daz. If you go into your render settings in the render pane/menu before you render, there's a menu called "Tone Mapping" (If I remember- it's 2nd to last on the L side. The last one is where you apply HDRIs and environmental lighting, and the 2nd to last is where you change exposure, film grain, saturation, and overall tweak the "look" of your future render.). In the tone mapping menu, you can adjust exposure, saturation, ISO (grain), and use simulations of old-school film/darkroom techniques to fine-tune the aesthetic of the render. If you are working in the Iray preview mode, you can preview the effect, and when you've got it close enough, start your render. 

    I'm sorry I don't remember the exact settings to change- I'm away from my render computer right now, so I can't check the specific names in the menu.

    Post edited by katiedelongwriter on
  • sueyasueya Posts: 832
    edited April 2021

    I have managed to move one of the distant lights to make the wall at the back lighter so we can see the gymnast more clearly. I've also got the reflection of the speaker in the floor which is a bonus. I have bent the front leg slightly too.

    THIS IS MY FINAL ENTRY

    Post edited by sueya on
  • Wicked WhompWicked Whomp Posts: 219
    edited May 2020

    Back again! I decided to try and touch up my render a wee bit with a little post. I deepened the colors a bit, and added a very light blur to give it a sort of dizzy feel. I hope the light blur wasn't over doing it!
    Side note: I still don't know how to properly show my attachments nice and big like the others. sad

    dforcedknockouttouchup.png
    720 x 1280 - 855K
    Post edited by Wicked Whomp on
  • XtraDimensionalXtraDimensional Posts: 509
    edited May 2020

    As this is the first time I've entered but I've been at this for a lil while now, I mushed the two challenge themes together. LOTS of Mesh Grabber was used to move clothes here and there, as well as d-formers, particularly on the belt over the top of the cloak (that you can't even see) to fix pokethrough. 

    Image title: Three Moons

    DAZ Studio, Photoshop for toning

    RooftopChaseScene_MR.jpg
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    Post edited by XtraDimensional on
  • tfa1tfa1 Posts: 1

    I've been using DAZ for a while, but never entered a contest before. Seeing the deformer challenge gave me an idea I wanted to try out - not sure if it counts for the challenge, but here's my entry

    Image Title: A Twisted World

    Challenge: Using Modifiers and Deformers

    Software: DAZ Studio, GIMP to reduce speckle

    A Twisted World.jpg
    1000 x 1000 - 259K
  • Shinji Ikari 9thShinji Ikari 9th Posts: 1,184
    tfa1 said:

    I've been using DAZ for a while, but never entered a contest before. Seeing the deformer challenge gave me an idea I wanted to try out - not sure if it counts for the challenge, but here's my entry

    Image Title: A Twisted World

    Challenge: Using Modifiers and Deformers

    Software: DAZ Studio, GIMP to reduce speckle

    Made me think of M.C. Esher, and his art. Nice render.

  • SmoerebroetSmoerebroet Posts: 31
    edited May 2020

    Here is my mothly work. I stay at the beginner stuff, due my tests to get a dForm working on the dark Horse hair, well, just not worked. Anyway.
    Challenge: Beginner - Action and interact with Props
    Title: hmmm, ... Rainbowbridge attack? xD

    Used props:
    selfmade Pike with flag (around 4.5 meter long)
    selfmade fluffy colorblinding rainbow bridge
    and of course the selfmade unihorn 

    There was a background image planed, but the halo dome didn't allowed that.
    Maybe i'm wrong and it's possible to set a visible backdrop?
    So long no stars and nebula. :(

    Rainbowbridgeattack.jpg
    1747 x 1080 - 2M
    Post edited by Smoerebroet on
  • daer-thingdaer-thing Posts: 65

    Ooo Rainbow unicorn, I love it :3

    Skipped this competition, my ideas didn't want to look on my screen how I imagine them.

    I have a few super late questions about modifiers/d-formers:

    Is there a way to associate more modifications to the same slider? For example, if I used push modifiers to make horns or elf ears or something like that which would require modifying the basic model 2 places.
    I might not have watched the videos carefully enough but wasn't clear, can these modifiers be used on dForce objects? Like to change the basic shape and use dforce simulation after the modifier is applied, or the opposite: first dforce stuff and then modify it with the modifier?

  • 0996ps0996ps Posts: 182
    edited June 2020

    Beginner Challenge: "Action / Using Props"
    Title: The Vanquisher

    I tried post-work and matte painting but I am so bad at it. Still, I feel like I should share my failure. I was too busy with other things this month and couldn't do much this challenge.
    This is all post work from the last update.

    Maybe things could have been different if I had rendered a higher pixel image but it is too late or maybe constantly changing application made the image lose quality every save.

    The Vanquisher Logo.jpg
    1920 x 1080 - 1M
    Post edited by 0996ps on
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