Scott Livingston's Render Thread

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  • ZarconDeeGrissomZarconDeeGrissom Posts: 5,412
    edited July 2014

    Nice, I like it. Depth of field is good, the expression is thought provoking. Leaving out the what is she looking at adds to it. Lighting looks excellent. I only have questions, not advice. Hair? Outfit? Necklace included with the outfit?

    Post edited by ZarconDeeGrissom on
  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited July 2014

    Thanks, zarcondeegrissom! Hair is Udane Hair by AprilYSH, outfit is the Fairytale Dress for Genesis, and the necklace comes from Elven Dress, with a texture from Night Guardians I think.

    I'll post a new render in the next day or so...I've improved the look of her skin (decided it was too blue/gray in tone) and hair (highlights looked like gray hairs). On the skin, I increased the Diffuse Strength and changed the Specular Color from a bluish gray to a bluish white, and the Velvet Color from bluish white to a pinkish white. On the hair, I changed the specular color from light gray-tan to a more golden color. Still not completely happy with the eyes...might add another Advanced Spotlight, set it to specular only, and flag it to illuminate the eyes only, and see how that looks!

    The character is Sansa from "A Song of Ice and Fire." Her appearance was influenced somewhat by the actress who plays the character in the TV show Game of Thrones, but I was aiming more for the book character. The skin is Deborah for Genesis and the morph is a mix of a number of things, including Deborah, Julie, Tweens, Growing Up, S5, V5, and S4 among others. Why did I choose Sansa (who certainly isn't my favorite character?) Well, for one reason, it gave me an excuse to try out the Fairytale Dress, which was a recent purchase.

    This was my primary reference, though again I'm not aiming for an exact match.

    Post edited by Scott Livingston on
  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited December 1969

    Latest version. Maybe final render? Not sure yet.

    In addition to the changes mentioned in the previous post, I rendered this one with "Progressive Rendering" turned on. Until recently the advice was always to leave this off, but it seems like it's been fixed. Progressive Rendering is nice because you can watch the render develop as a whole instead of bit by bit, and the quality will gradually improve as you wait (kind of like using LuxRender, except in this case it will eventually be done rather than just rendering until you tell it to stop). Using Progressive Rendering, it seems, can also increase quality in a similar way to using a lower shading rate (compare the details of the hair with the previous render).

    sansa3d.jpg
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  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited December 1969

    A quick postworked version...

    sansa3d-pw1.jpg
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  • ZarconDeeGrissomZarconDeeGrissom Posts: 5,412
    edited July 2014

    pleas don't take this the wrong way (you may have been looking for the effect).
    Sansa3d looks good, you got some of the color back into the hair (or were you trying to tone down that redness). I would have called it Good there, even tho some doubts about the necklace shadows.

    Sansa3d-pw1, I can see how difficult it is to get the correct balance of skin-tone color (saturation). to much 'Blush' color, and not enough transition on the edges of. The brown splotches (nose and around mouth), where did they come from. I'll stop there as Post-work is not my thing, I just go back to the lights and surface settings.

    Sansa3d-pw1, Reminds me of the sad ending of that 'interview with a vampire' movie character? (after a web-search) Claudia. Well just have to keep her and Madeleine away from the other ones (Cant remember, been to long) and that sunrise chamber.


    I've almost given up on gray hairs, lol. I find that the light color is usually to blame, if not a bad gloss-color preset. Under certain lights hair turns gray, it's a fact of life sometimes.
    (edit)
    I just noticed the link to Sansa_Stark hidden in the text (coffee hasn't gotten to brain yet). yes redder hair, much redder hair, and ditch the post-work pail-skin effect (Not a Vampire). Original Pic from 'Wiki', Others are Scott's.

    Sanaa_Montosh101.png
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    Post edited by ZarconDeeGrissom on
  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited July 2014

    Thanks for the input. The postwork one was just a quick experiment and while I do like some things about it, I think you've correctly identified its flaws. :)

    Regarding the hair: the initial drafts were redder than I wanted (and yes, I'm looking for a slightly less red hue than in the reference image). The most recent, non-postworked one has a color that I'm happy with.

    Skin: To me the postworked one looks more striking, but certainly less realistic (and it does have kind of an undead look...). I don't like the stronger spots and freckles so much. I'll keep playing with it...postwork isn't my forte either...so I really do appreciate hearing others' opinions, both positive and negative.

    Post edited by Scott Livingston on
  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited July 2014

    It's interesting to look at the render side-by-side with the photo like that. It's such a common practice to give 3D characters young or even childlike features that I think it can skew our impressions of how old characters appear to be. Sophie Turner (the actress) is 18 now, though I'm not sure exactly when that photo was taken...more than a year ago, anyway. My character is supposed to look about 13 but somewhat mature for her age. I could have made her features a bit more childlike but I was aiming at a realistic young teen, beautiful but with the appropriate amount of teenage awkwardness.

    Compare the noses, too. Looking at the render alone, I think the nose looks a bit large on her (and in fact, I dialed up the size intentionally). Maybe I'm used to seeing renders of characters with smaller noses. But the actress's nose is more prominent and yet I wouldn't say "she has a big nose."

    Post edited by Scott Livingston on
  • ZarconDeeGrissomZarconDeeGrissom Posts: 5,412
    edited July 2014

    yea, I like the actresses nose, reminds me of Maggie's nose (no dials, just on/off).
    http://www.daz3d.com/maggie-for-genesis-2-female
    Looking for figures as a noob with nothing (a month ago), I noticed that bit about the noses. It seams like the features are exaggerated on most of them, yet fine with the sliders at lower levels (assuming there is a slider).
    (edit; and allot of over-sized eyes)

    For a redhead the freckles are fine, it was the splotches that came out of nowhere, lol.

    Post edited by ZarconDeeGrissom on
  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited December 1969

    The forum just isn't the same without Jaderail. I hope you would have liked this one, Jeff.

    jaderail6d-pw2.jpg
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  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited December 1969

    Thought I'd play around in Bryce a little bit...first time in a while. This is just a single terrain with a preset material applied. I mostly concentrated on getting the sky and lighting to look good.

    winterlandscape1.jpg
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  • ChoholeChohole Posts: 33,604
    edited December 1969

    Nice Bryce landscape Scott.

  • ZarconDeeGrissomZarconDeeGrissom Posts: 5,412
    edited December 1969

    I'll second that chohole. I inadvertently put a 'Cloud City' in my stuff a while back, and I don't have Bryce, lol. At least it was free.

    Agreed on the other matter, been pooled many directions, and I lack the experience he had. Someday I'll be ably to pool up screen-caps on speed-dial, and have a clue, this is not that day.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited December 1969

    I like her! The main differences I see in the first and the second one, that make the difference to me are:
    1. The shadow on our (note, OUR, not HER) left side of the nose really adds nice depth.
    2. The harsher shadow under her hair/right by the ear on the right is a bit kinder- with this character being a soft and demure one, the softer shadow works better.
    3. I do like that although the dark area immediately under her lip is still there, it too is muted and softer.
    4. The hair has more depth and I like the color.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited December 1969

    The forum just isn't the same without Jaderail. I hope you would have liked this one, Jeff.

    He would have, Scott. Very, very much.
    I miss him too- so many do.

  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited December 1969

    Thanks everyone!

    Here's something new I'm working on...definitely not finished but I'm still trying to decide how to improve it/what direction I want to go in. Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated. :)

    I was inspired by the excellent work people are doing for the current New User Contest and decided to try something along the same theme.

    The shader on the glass bottle is a custom one based on one of the shaders in Sculptural Genesis. The glass shader I used on the table is just one of the basic DAZ Studio shaders, I think.

    alice1b.jpg
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  • Kismet2012Kismet2012 Posts: 4,252
    edited December 1969

    Thanks everyone!

    Here's something new I'm working on...definitely not finished but I'm still trying to decide how to improve it/what direction I want to go in. Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated. :)

    I was inspired by the excellent work people are doing for the current New User Contest and decided to try something along the same theme.

    The shader on the glass bottle is a custom one based on one of the shaders in Sculptural Genesis. The glass shader I used on the table is just one of the basic DAZ Studio shaders, I think.

    The one thing that strikes me right away is that the room she is in seems a little stark. I realize it is a limited view but I get the distinct impression that the only pieces of furniture are the table and chair she is sitting at/on and the bookcase against the wall. No art, mirrors or pictures on the wall, no rugs on the floor, additional chairs for seating ( or shadows to indicate they might be present ).

    Just my 2 cents.

  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited August 2014

    Thank you - I think you're exactly right. The challenge will be to make the room seem cluttered (or at least furnished) without making the image cluttered.

    I added a couple images to my gallery, including one that won't appear in this thread, and a different version of the Jaderail image. Link to gallery below.

    Post edited by Scott Livingston on
  • AJ2112AJ2112 Posts: 1,416
    edited December 1969

    Hi Scott, lovely render. Hmm, maybe it's just me, but reflection of hand on the bottle appears incorrect. Should be able to see through clear liquid to her palm, opposed to hand/fingers reflection in opposite direction. Otherwise fascinating render :)


    Thanks everyone!

    Here's something new I'm working on...definitely not finished but I'm still trying to decide how to improve it/what direction I want to go in. Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated. :)

    I was inspired by the excellent work people are doing for the current New User Contest and decided to try something along the same theme.

    The shader on the glass bottle is a custom one based on one of the shaders in Sculptural Genesis. The glass shader I used on the table is just one of the basic DAZ Studio shaders, I think.

  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited December 1969

    Thanks. What's happening there is more refraction than reflection, but I think you're right that it's not accurate for a bottle filled with liquid. It seems more similar to how a solid glass bottle might look...I haven't examined the prop to see if it has an inner surface. I'll try a few things to see what looks good...

  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited December 1969

    Another WIP...can you guess who? :)

    Not quite there yet, but I'm happy with how it's looking so far. The lighting was built from scratch and the skin settings were very heavily customized.

    mysterycharacter.jpg
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  • FirstBastionFirstBastion Posts: 7,762
    edited December 1969

    Another WIP...can you guess who? :)

    Not quite there yet, but I'm happy with how it's looking so far. The lighting was built from scratch and the skin settings were very heavily customized.


    I see hints of Ellen Page.

  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited December 1969

    Another WIP...can you guess who? :)

    Not quite there yet, but I'm happy with how it's looking so far. The lighting was built from scratch and the skin settings were very heavily customized.


    I see hints of Ellen Page.
    Well, that's not who I intended, but now that you mention it, aside from the nose there is a pretty strong resemblance...

    This probably gives it away... ;-)

    arya1d.jpg
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    arya1c.jpg
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  • FirstBastionFirstBastion Posts: 7,762
    edited December 1969

    Another WIP...can you guess who? :)

    Not quite there yet, but I'm happy with how it's looking so far. The lighting was built from scratch and the skin settings were very heavily customized.


    I see hints of Ellen Page.


    Well, that's not who I intended, but now that you mention it, aside from the nose there is a pretty strong resemblance...

    This probably gives it away... ;-)

    With the medieval garb, I'm thinking GoT, so If the sword is Needle, then that may be Arya Stark!

  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited August 2014

    Yes, that's it! She's rather a challenging character...supposed to be either pretty or "horse-faced," depending on who you ask. Often mistaken for a boy, though part of that must be because her way of dressing and acting is more masculine, culturally speaking. And I wanted her to have a family resemblance to her sister (who I rendered on the previous page of this thread), but not too strong of one, as it is often remarked that they don't look very much alike. I also wanted her to resemble the actress Maisie Williams a little (because that's how people expect Arya to look), but not too closely (because this is my own envisioning of the character). Can't recall if she's supposed to have freckles or not...if not, I may need to use a different skin texture. I rather like how this one (Abigail) looks on her, though I think I should probably tone down the bump and maybe spec a bit, because I think her skin looks a bit too mature right now.

    For Needle I used the Wolf King sword, but shrunk it down a bit. :)

    Post edited by Scott Livingston on
  • AJ2112AJ2112 Posts: 1,416
    edited December 1969

    Hi Scott, just something I noticed while gazing at the bottle, we all view art differently. Wonderful concept/lighting. Character does look quite like Ellen Page, awesome job on the render, very realistic, skin looks fabulous to me. Well, she could pass for Joan of Arc :) .

  • mori_mannmori_mann Posts: 1,152
    edited August 2014

    Yes, that's it! She's rather a challenging character...supposed to be either pretty or "horse-faced," depending on who you ask. Often mistaken for a boy, though part of that must be because her way of dressing and acting is more masculine, culturally speaking. And I wanted her to have a family resemblance to her sister (who I rendered on the previous page of this thread), but not too strong of one, as it is often remarked that they don't look very much alike. I also wanted her to resemble the actress Maisie Williams a little (because that's how people expect Arya to look), but not too closely (because this is my own envisioning of the character). Can't recall if she's supposed to have freckles or not...if not, I may need to use a different skin texture. I rather like how this one (Abigail) looks on her, though I think I should probably tone down the bump and maybe spec a bit, because I think her skin looks a bit too mature right now.

    For Needle I used the Wolf King sword, but shrunk it down a bit. :)

    I like how she turned out :) I don't watch teh series, but I have read the books. I believe Arya is left handed in the books at least. Perhaps a detail to keep in mind. If she's not left handed in the series and you're basing her on that, please ignore me :)

    Post edited by mori_mann on
  • IvyIvy Posts: 7,165
    edited December 1969

    <~ Lurker<br /> Great bunch of renders Scott. : )
    goes back to lurking~>

  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited December 1969

    Thanks everyone! :) More updates coming, but probably not for a few days...

  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited December 1969

    Latest Arya and a first draft of another GoT character: Queen Cersei.

    cersei1a.jpg
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    arya1g.jpg
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  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited September 2014

    Not done with the GoT project, but despite that...

    Finally I'm getting back to creating and rendering my own characters (characters from my own fictional world). Here's a first stab at a new version of an old favorite. Custom character, but heavily based on Raiya's beautiful Elene HD.

    elivia6-1a.jpg
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    Post edited by Scott Livingston on
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