Dazaholic at work

[Giara]

<p>13-Jul-2009 - Newest at the top</p><p>All shots have been created using models & textures purchased from DAZ.</p> <p><a href="http://personalportfolio.iwarp.com/Web%20Pictures/Industrial.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://personalportfolio.iwarp.com/Web%20Pictures/Industrial.jpg" width="600" /></a></p> <hr /><p><a href="http://personalportfolio.iwarp.com/Web%20Pictures/Frost.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://personalportfolio.iwarp.com/Web%20Pictures/Frost.jpg" width="600" /></a></p> <hr /><p><a href="http://personalportfolio.iwarp.com/Web%20Pictures/Giara.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://personalportfolio.iwarp.com/Web%20Pictures/Giara.jpg" width="600" /></a></p> <hr /><p><a href="http://personalportfolio.iwarp.com/Web%20Pictures/Hellsing.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://personalportfolio.iwarp.com/Web%20Pictures/Hellsing.jpg" width="600" /></a></p>

[Naiyenea]

<p>That's really good!</p><p>Her eyes are very piercing.</p>

[Sephineial]

<p>its is very very beautiful, the eyes and face look so captivating and beautiful. I love the background, how did you do that? I'm also trying to get started learning daz ((hi my name is ramie and im a dazaholic)) & believeable backgrounds are the most troubling for me at the moment.</p>

[Giara]

<p>Thanks for the reply.  For the background I used an environment and steam I purchased from Daz.  I can already tell this is going to be one of those expensive hobbies I tend to get myself into. <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" /></p>

[Elfendragon]

<p>!!! This is your first attempt?!  Omg this is really good!  Proportions, lighting, fabrics...they all are pretty dead on <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  You have an incredible talent.  I hope to see more soon!</p>

[Paladin776]

<p>Bravo for a first time out!  I've been DAZing it for about a year now, and I don't think any of my images come out nearly that well.  But, I'm working on it.  <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>

[Brook]

<p>Impressive work, maybe you could get a job with SOE designing armor for EQ2, I would welcome designs like this vs the new stuff thats been introduced the past couple of years.</p>

[Giara]

<p>Thanks for all of the kind replies, they have me motivated to start working on another piece.  <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" /></p>

[Paladin776]

<p><cite>Brook wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>Impressive work, maybe you could get a job with SOE designing armor for EQ2, I would welcome designs like this vs the new stuff thats been introduced the past couple of years.</p></blockquote><p>Two things to note:</p><p>1 - The clothing that was used in that image are actually created by someone else (in the case of Giara's image, Orion1167...It's his Hellsing outfit.)  The outfit is placed on the model and adjusted and textured to the artist's vision of what he or she want's to create, then additional work is done to fix any imperfections that may exist.  Not discounting Giara's image, but she does what I and a few thousand digital artists do...translate the image in our mind to actual visible form using the tools we're given.</p><p>2 - That particular outfit (and many others created by 3D model creators) would render any 3D game they'd be placed into down to a crawl.  I'm not exactly sure how many Hellsing has, but most of the armor outfits I have on my drive easily run into 50-100K polygons, and my system, which runs EQ2 relatively well, almost grinds to a halt when I get more than 2 or 3 figures in a (static) scene. </p><p>As an example, I have an image on my <a href="http://knight776.deviantart.com" target="_blank">DA site</a> titled Compatriots.  In creating that particular image (mainly due to the intricate scroll ornamentation on one of the figures), took 3 renders: first, render the 2 models; second, render the backdrop and other small items in the scene; third, render just the shadows that the lights are creating (Poser is amazing in its ability to do this.)  Then, those three renders are layered together and merged. Total time of creation was around 3-4 hours (most of that render time).  If I had been able to get Poser to cooperate and not crash while trying to load the textures, I think that the actual render of that full scene would have been somewhere in the neighborhood of 12-18 hours.</p><p>Just imagine what it would be like to render that scene in motion (which is basically what a 3D game like EQ2 is doing).  Most people don't give MMO artists a lot of credit for what they actually accomplish. They have to create a look that is as good as they can possibly get it while staying within a very strict set of guidelines for how large the object can actually be, in terms of memory. FPS/RPG game artists can be a lot more detailed when it comes to their game's art assets, as the computer will only be rendering only a few objects, not the hundreds that a typical MMO needs to render.</p><p>Again, Giara's image above is an excellent image, made more amazing by the artist's admission that it's a first time out. If that's a first time, I can conceivably see the artist going on to do texturing or actual 3D model creation, because both require that level of attention to detail.  Giara deserves a lot of credit for doing such a great job with very limited experience. </p>

[Giara]

<p><cite>Dylara@Crushbone wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>Brook wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>Impressive work, maybe you could get a job with SOE designing armor for EQ2, I would welcome designs like this vs the new stuff thats been introduced the past couple of years.</p></blockquote><p>Two things to note:</p><p>1 - The clothing that was used in that image are actually created by someone else (in the case of Giara's image, Orion1167...It's his Hellsing outfit.)  The outfit is placed on the model and adjusted and textured to the artist's vision of what he or she want's to create, then additional work is done to fix any imperfections that may exist.  Not discounting Giara's image, but she does what I and a few thousand digital artists do...translate the image in our mind to actual visible form using the tools we're given.</p><p>2 - That particular outfit (and many others created by 3D model creators) would render any 3D game they'd be placed into down to a crawl.  I'm not exactly sure how many Hellsing has, but most of the armor outfits I have on my drive easily run into 50-100K polygons, and my system, which runs EQ2 relatively well, almost grinds to a halt when I get more than 2 or 3 figures in a (static) scene. </p><p>As an example, I have an image on my <a href="http://knight776.deviantart.com" target="_blank">DA site</a> titled Compatriots.  In creating that particular image (mainly due to the intricate scroll ornamentation on one of the figures), took 3 renders: first, render the 2 models; second, render the backdrop and other small items in the scene; third, render just the shadows that the lights are creating (Poser is amazing in its ability to do this.)  Then, those three renders are layered together and merged. Total time of creation was around 3-4 hours (most of that render time).  If I had been able to get Poser to cooperate and not crash while trying to load the textures, I think that the actual render of that full scene would have been somewhere in the neighborhood of 12-18 hours.</p><p>Just imagine what it would be like to render that scene in motion (which is basically what a 3D game like EQ2 is doing).  Most people don't give MMO artists a lot of credit for what they actually accomplish. They have to create a look that is as good as they can possibly get it while staying within a very strict set of guidelines for how large the object can actually be, in terms of memory. FPS/RPG game artists can be a lot more detailed when it comes to their game's art assets, as the computer will only be rendering only a few objects, not the hundreds that a typical MMO needs to render.</p><p>Again, Giara's image above is an excellent image, made more amazing by the artist's admission that it's a first time out. If that's a first time, I can conceivably see the artist going on to do texturing or actual 3D model creation, because both require that level of attention to detail.  Giara deserves a lot of credit for doing such a great job with very limited experience. </p></blockquote><p>Thanks for the reply and the kind comments.  You are correct, everything in the shot, with the exception of some post rendering touch ups, were created with items purchased from Daz.  The "true" artists are those who created the 3d models, I am just the poser (insert rim shot), manipulating their work into a scene that I like.  In that scene, I used the Helling Armor & Weapons, Winter Hair, Hunter Moon set, Jepser Steam, and I am sure I am missing one or two other items.</p><p>I have always respected the work of the developers, I have ever more respect for what they have done in this game.  The amount of tedium and frustration I experienced trying to tweak the items in the shot has reinforced just how talented the developers are and gracious for the product they produce.</p><p>Question to the other 3d artists here:  do you think it is necessary to list the models/textures used in your shot when posting on the boards?</p>

[Paladin776]

<p>It's never a bad idea to credit the people who's items you use on a more art-centric site (like Renderosity or DeviantArt).  It's gives credit where it's due and people who might want an item to can learn the name and figure out where to get it.</p><p>My post wasn't directed at you, Giara.  <a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/vg/posts/list.m?topic_id=38110" target="_blank">I've had an image of mine been showcased </a>and received generally the same comment I quoted.  After I got over the initial embarassment, I felt the need then to point out I only used the stuff, I sure as heck didn't create it.  <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  That's all I was trying to do here.  <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  And you're quite correct.....getting a clothing item to fit a specific morph is tedious as anything but nothing near what a MMO artist has to do to shoehorn an asset into a game.</p>

[Giara]

<p>08-Apr-2009</p><p>Updated with new piece.</p>

[Seidhkona]

<p><cite>Giara@Unrest wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>08-Apr-2009</p><p>Updated with new piece.</p></blockquote><p>The new one is dark, but wow, her eyes POP out of that dimness. I like it a lot.  You have a lot of neat drama.</p><p>Don't despair on getting models, scenes, and the like. Google for "Poser freebies" or "DAZ-3D freebies". You will be amazed at just how much free stuff is out there.</p><p>I have two suggestions for you. </p><p>One is to make the images smaller in the post but allow people to click on them to see them full-sized. That keeps us from having to scroll sideways in the thread.</p><p>To do this, click the HTML button in the editing panel and find where you have inserted your image, then make it look like this in the HTML:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong><span style="font-size: small; font-family: courier new,courier; color: #00ff00;"><a href="http://i574.photobucket.com/albums/ss187/chaispice/Giara.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i574.photobucket.com/albums/ss187/chaispice/Giara.jpg" alt="" width="600" /></a></span></strong></p><p>The whole <strong><span style="font-size: small; font-family: courier new,courier; color: #00ff00;"><a... ></a></span></strong> is the link. The <strong><span style="font-size: small; font-family: courier new,courier; color: #00ff00;">target="_blank"</span></strong> part makes the link open in a new window. Inside the <strong><span style="font-size: small; font-family: courier new,courier; color: #00ff00;">img</span></strong> tag I've added <strong><span style="font-size: small; font-family: courier new,courier; color: #00ff00;">width="600"</span></strong> to let it be smaller in the thread.</p><p>The second suggestion is that the sword in the new pic has a kind of rifle-like handle. I'd go in and individually position her fingers so her index finger is curled through the "trigger loop" and the other fingers are grasping inside the curve of the handguard.</p>

[Paladin776]

<p>I'll have to agree that the new image is a touch on the dark side, but the face and eyes really stand out and add to the image immensely!  The weapon hand does appear a bit on the loose side, but that's something easily corrected. Tighten the grasp a bit (select the left hand, down in Morphforms > Morphs++, the first item is Grasp.)  Just adjust that until the grip tightens, and if you need to adjust, you can select the individual finger bones (1) to shift them side to side.  You don't have to worry too much about bones 2 and 3, as they're not visible. (Just remember, if it can't be seen, you don't have to deal with it.  <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" /> )</p><p>Overall, great looking image!</p><p>And to adress your comments:  Yep, everyone tends to develop a style after while, and you can eventually figure out an artist by the way the image looks before even seeing their name. And as for the posing and lighting and all the rest of the stuff that goes into a scene, yes, after a while it does become easier and more sure.  For me, lighting seems to be the thing that gives me the most trouble, but I'm slowly getting it down. </p><p>There is a tutorial that has been a sort of guide book for me.  It's <a href="http://www.sharecg.com/v/25244/PDF-Tutorial/How-to-Create-Your-Own-Beauty-3.5" target="_blank">"Creating Your Own Beauty" by Webtigress</a>. Just a warning, it's Poser-centric, but the basic concepts apply to DAZ Studio as well.  She's also got a thing against Victoria 4, but what she does with V3 can easily be adapted to V4. </p>

[Giara]

<p>Thanks for the replies and tips/hints!</p>

[Giara]

<p>New image added. </p>

[Paladin776]

<p>The new one looks great! Your choice of colors and keeping a constant theme throughout the image really makes the image.</p><p>One thing I just noticed, and while it's present in the three images you've done, it's not really noticeable except in your current (new?) sig (which, judging by your style, you did yourself?)  It's the eyes. The three images it's not really noticeable, because in two of them, the subject is looking to the side and the other is getting ready to engage a target and physiologically, your eyes will open wide and pupils will dilate, so it tends to be a natural look. (As an aside, this is an effect of adrenalin, and pupil dilation allows more light to be recevied, so we can see better in the fight response.) However, in your sig panel, it gives the subject a sort of "deer in the headlights" look, and for me, kinda detracts from the image, as it gives an uptight appearance.  One thing I do that makes the subject look more relaxed is to slightly close the eyes.  This dial is found by selecting the head, and down in Morphs++, Base, Eyes Open/Close. The best effect I've found is closing the eyes down to the point where the bottom of the upper lid is just touching or about to touch the top of the pupil.  Going lower than that tends to give a disinterested or sleepy look.</p><p>Aside from that, the new image looks fantastic as does your new sig panel!</p>

[Giara]

<p>Thanks for the great feedback!  I did make the sig and wasn't quite happy with the eyes, so I adjusted it based off of your suggestions and I think it is not as "deer in the headlights" looking.</p>

[Paladin776]

<p><cite>Giara@Unrest wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>Thanks for the great feedback!  I did make the sig and wasn't quite happy with the eyes, so I adjusted it based off of your suggestions and I think it is not as "deer in the headlights" looking.</p></blockquote><p>Yep...and it gained a bit of a look of intensity as well. </p>

[littleman17]

<p>I'm not an art junkie or anything like that, but those are very nice. Just one thought though, the woman (dark elf..?) in the first picture has to be freezing her...but off. Yeah, her butt. >_>;</p>

[Paladin776]

<p><cite>littleman17 wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>I'm not an art junkie or anything like that, but those are very nice. Just one thought though, the woman (dark elf..?) in the first picture has to be freezing her...but off. Yeah, her butt. >_>;</p></blockquote><p>Interesting observation from someone on the Everfrost server.  <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>

[littleman17]

<p><cite>Dylara@Crushbone wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>littleman17 wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>I'm not an art junkie or anything like that, but those are very nice. Just one thought though, the woman (dark elf..?) in the first picture has to be freezing her...but off. Yeah, her butt. >_>;</p></blockquote><p>Interesting observation from someone on the Everfrost server.  <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" /></p></blockquote><p>Indeed. It is also why I always carry a pocket thermacoil at all times! Patent pending of course. XD</p>

[Giara]

<p>Latest shot posted.  I tried something a tad bit differently, although with mixed results, still not quite loving the eyes.  Still trying to get a more detail to make the shots more interesting.  Any feedback is appreciated, retouching is minimal as my photoshop skills are...ahem...lacking.</p>