ds creative 04

2amazing free giftsfor you to downloadFrom two of the DAZ community'smost talented content creators

Making your own caves with some basic modelling and a rock shader

Going UndergroundWe asked for detectives anddames, and you did not disappoint, but who won?

FILM NOIR

The magazine for DAZ Studio usersDS creative

Issue 04 OCTOBER 2014

Lovely In LaceDebbie Gorecke

CONTENTS

Page 6Vendor SpotlightIn our first vendor feature this month we turn the spot-light onto EmmaAndJordi better known as Emma Alvarez and Jordi Cardona.

Page 26Artist SpotlightArtist SpotlightEach month we choose an artist from the world of Daz Studio and go inside their world They are also our Cover artist of the month, Introducing Mario Heyer 6Image ArmadaIn part two of our look at the virtual Gallery exhibition In part two of our look at the virtual Gallery exhibition software Image Armada, I delve into some of the more interesting features. Page 50Vendor SpotlightIn our second vendor feature this month we turn the spot-In our second vendor feature this month we turn the spot-light onto content creator Lunchlady, the creator of some of the most amazing pose sets.

Spotlights

Page 30Lighting RealityJodie Griffith’s shows us how to set up the lighting for portrait shots in Reality. Page 38Dim Vs ZipDim Vs ZipIn our sponsored tutorial Design Anvil looks at the differ-ences between Dims and Zips.

Page 44RecoloringCamilla Drakenborg shows us a quick way to recolor texture files, saving us money.

Page 61 Page 61HDRI First StepsPhil Thompson shows how to create a sky for your scene and light it using a free HDRI file.

Page 66CavesTotte Alm takes us underground to make our own caves Totte Alm takes us underground to make our own caves with some basic modelling and a rock shader.

Tutorials Page 22Film Noir WinnersThis month we turn the clock back to a time of Sex, Corup-tion and Murder

Page 46Competition TimeOur reader contibuted spot where they choose five peices of content that they just can't live without. Page 64Favourite Fivewe pay tribute to all those people who have helped to make this magazine possible.

Page 78 Page 78Contributors we pay tribute to all those people who have helped to make this magazine possible.

ReGULARS

Page 10 & Page 67General GalleryEvery month we feature artwork from the huge Daz community covering a wide range of genres and skill levels.

Page 40Kings and QueensKings and QueensOur monthly non nude pinup competition brings us our new King and Queen, Just who has the honour of wearing the crown this month.

Page 54 Film Noir GalleryOur monthly non nude pinup competition brings us our Our monthly non nude pinup competition brings us our new King and Queen, Just who has the honour of wearing the crown this month.

Galleries

Page 3

Sanyel Jackson Senior Proofreader

WOW! I am still in shock at the overwhelming shows of love and support we are receiving from the community! We are dedicated to bringing you the latest in DAZ, awesome freebies and even more fantastic contests! I am proud to be a part of this team and even more excited to be a part of such a generous and talented community. Has anyone told YOU that you rock today?No?Well poo on them!YOU ROCK!Thanks for making DS Creative the success that it is! It is truly an honor to be a part of something so big, which reach so Thanks for making DS Creative the success that it is! It is truly an honor to be a part of something so big, which reach so many people on so different many levels. We all have a united medium to share our story. DAZ3D just helps us express ourselves in many diverse and unique ways.

Phil Thompson Senior Production Designer

During the middle of September I noticed that we had received very few images for the general image gallery so I turned to our reserve images, this was when I realized that if the number of Image submissions did not pick up then our future could be in doubt so I wrote down my fears and posted it to the DAZ Community on Facebook. Time to sit back and watch, it’s out of my hands now. Two days later and still in a state of shock, our general image archive has swelled dramati-cally. The DAZ community has shown its support for DS Creative in the best way possible, so to everyone who sent us images I want to say a very big Thank You.

We will always need submissions month on month so please do keep submitting. If this issue seems to have a few more We will always need submissions month on month so please do keep submitting. If this issue seems to have a few more images than usual it's down to this, If you take the trouble to send us some images then I will make sure you have at least one in this issue.

The team at DS Creative were saddened to learn of the recent resignation of Todd Hupe from Elite Models 3D. Todd was a good friend to DS Creative and sponsored several of our competitions and our Kings and Queens feature. So all of the team here at DS Creative want to wish Todd well in all his future endeavours.

DS CreativeIssue Four of

ToWELCOME

So for in-depth details of the ways you can be a part of the DS Creative family, visit us on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/dazcreative/

Every Month there are Competitions, Galleries, Fave Five, Tutorials, Artist Spotlights and Quick Tips.

We want to encourage every DAZ user regardless of skill level to join the DS Creative familyDS Creative family

BEING PART OF DS CREATIVE IS SO EASY, THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS TO BE A PART OF IT.

How did you both get into 3D modelling and how long have you been doing it?As you know, we are a Spanish married couple: Emma Alvarez and Jordi R Cardona. How did we As you know, we are a Spanish married couple: Emma Alvarez and Jordi R Cardona. How did we start on 3D? Well, we started in 1998 building models for virtual chat worlds in VRML (virtual reality modelling language). We did the models with Art of Illusion, which was our first modelling application. We also learned to use a lot of applications in that time. All that work also had a pro-gramming part; it was not only modelling, texturing, or creating the concept. You had also to code the full scene. And the applications of that time were not as today LOL! It was a pain, really com-plicated! Being all these years with 3D helped us to grow, and to see how all this has actually evolved. The first time we heard about a Poser model was during those years. Who had guessed evolved. The first time we heard about a Poser model was during those years. Who had guessed that we finally could become content creators for Poser and DAZ Studio! The graphics have really improved as applications improved. This is a fascinating world in continuous movement. That also requires you, as a professional, to be continuously learning new technologies, and grow with them. For years we were very focused on a project: Hiperia3D. We wanted to create a series of virtual For years we were very focused on a project: Hiperia3D. We wanted to create a series of virtual worlds. We created 17 virtual worlds on a Java server, and when we were going to launch it, Second Life appeared with a massive worldwide publicity. We started to see how other virtual world companies were closing down all around, so we didn't do the last step. For some time we worked on other things. Emma was doing illustration and Jordi from time to time did documenta-tion for software. Until Emma opened a shop in a 3D broker, and after 1 year Jordi joined too as a vendor. Years later we joined our stores with the name we have today: EmmaAndJordi. We have been 7 years in that broker, and 3 of them as top sellers, and now you all can find us at DAZ3D.been 7 years in that broker, and 3 of them as top sellers, and now you all can find us at DAZ3D.All the time we were used to do characters, poses, sceneries, props, everything. As we started doing in VRML worlds in 1998, when we changed to do content for Poser and DAZ Studio (which we supported from the beginning) we also wanted to do every kind of product. It's some-thing that is just natural in us. We have a vision of building a harmony between all our products in

EmmaAndJordi

VENDOR SPOTLIGHT

Visit their store at:http://www.daz3d.com/emmaandjordi

What one piece of advice would you give to someone starting out creating for Daz Studio?The most important advice for a new The most important advice for a new content creator is to have respect and love for what you do. There are many families who live of this, including our-selves, and is a way of life. The people that begin have to give the best of themselves; be original and don't try to be like anyone else. Search your own way, and be honest else. Search your own way, and be honest with what you do. Be centered in what you do and remember it’s not an aggressive competition. At the end, the real adversary is inside of you, your limitations and your skills, not the people you have in front of you. It's the capacity for work, effort and the good that is in you. You should try to the good that is in you. You should try to get the good from yourself and give the best of yourself. When you do it, you give something real, and that is appreciated by the public.

a world of our imagination, in which you can find the characters, the hair, the jewellery, clothing, sceneries as full archetypes of a fully developed artistic background. Thanks to 3D our own inner world can be shared with other people, and at the same time they create theirs, making it almost real. And this is something really special for us.

Where do you get your inspiration from?We search for inspiration in everything all the time. Music, books, movies, fashion. Everything We search for inspiration in everything all the time. Music, books, movies, fashion. Everything around is a source of inspiration. Inspiration is a state of mood. When you really open the channels of your mind to create things. We are very imaginative and creative. Sometimes it's just a way of looking at things. We take a lot of notes for future projects. We have lots and lots of notebooks of the ideas that come to our mind.

Which program(s) do you create your models in? We use tons of applications to make our products in order to increase our productivity. We We use tons of applications to make our products in order to increase our productivity. We produce a lot and need speed. So everything is good to help us and save even a minute of work. Between the most important: ZBrush, Photoshop, Hexagon, Blacksmith3D, Freehand, Poser Pro, DAZ Studio, Genetica Studio and a million of other applications that do specific small tasks. Even some scripts and small programs we have done ourselves for our work.

Typically how long does it take from initial idea to finished model?It depends on the product. We really work a very crazy quantity of hours. From Monday to It depends on the product. We really work a very crazy quantity of hours. From Monday to Sunday, something we don't recommend to anyone LOL! Don't do it at home! LOL! Being our job full time, we work on them every day a high number of hours, until it is finished, with the aim to finish the products in time. This means putting dozens or hundreds of working hours from us both, to get the deadline. But we know that customers appreciate the detail and care we put on them.

How does it make you feel when you see peoples artwork made with your products?It is a very special feeling. We love to see the It is a very special feeling. We love to see the renders of the customers. We are always sur-prised, and they inspire us. It is like seeing the product come to life. Like sharing our fantasy world, and see that world full of other people who see and feel it. It is one of the most satisfy-ing things of this job. Everything we do is done for them. We have the highest love and respect for them. We have the highest love and respect for the render artists, that are who create a living world with the content, and make stories and fantasies, give personality to the characters. We give them the letters and they write the stories. Can you give us a hint of what is to come? Can you give us a hint of what is to come? WOW! The best is yet to come! We have a lot WOW! The best is yet to come! We have a lot of ideas for the next year! We want to do scen-eries again, and we have stunning ideas for new outfits, hair, jewellery, characters, and we want to do poses again, and there will be many sur-prises. We are full of ideas and we are really encouraged to make them real and we will give the best of us as we have done till now!the best of us as we have done till now!

Which three are your personal favourites of your own products?Oona Hair. It's a tribal fusion hair, created inspired in the dancer Rachel Brice. We listen to music while we work, and once by chance Jordi found a YouTube video of Rachel. She is a really magical dancer, and it gave us the idea to make this hair, something that she may wear.

EJ Lluvia.EJ Lluvia. She was created inspired in a song of Doro Pesch called "Let Love Rain on Me". Emma is from the north of Spain, a region in which rains a lot, and she loves rain. Lluvia means "rain" in Spanish. Rain is something that Emma likes very much and it was a very inspired character.

Shiloh Fantasy Outfit. We wanted to make a warrioress outfit that was a mix of jewellery and clothing, as we are also known because of making jewellery. Something that may be inspired in our favourite illustrators. We did lots of concepts, but suddenly when we did the last one we said "This is great!"

Which are your three personal favourite vendors?Which are your three personal favourite vendors?We don't buy too much because we use our own products. What we buy mostly is resources. So one of our favourite vendors is Dimension3D. Thanks to his applications we saved lots of work time, so we are eternally thankful. Another of our favorites is Ron Deviney. We bought his brushes from the beginning. He is a great artist. And the third one is Blondie9999. Her tutorials are great, they helped us a lot.

If you could add one new feature to Daz studio, what would it be?We love Daz Studio. Every day we discover a new feature that we like and love and helps a lot. We love Daz Studio. Every day we discover a new feature that we like and love and helps a lot. If we had to say something to improve we have to think a long time because it's not easy to find a feature that is not there already. Maybe just do the render a bit faster.

What is the biggest challenge for you when creating a new product?The biggest challenge is that sometimes you have a really great idea. Then you say yourself "Why The biggest challenge is that sometimes you have a really great idea. Then you say yourself "Why hasn’t any done this before?” And you start. And then, at some point, you realize that the reason why nobody did it because it is terribly complex technically. And then a hell begins. You can drop the idea or you can be stubborn and do it anyway, and fight with the millions of problems that arise. But as you feel bad about changing the idea, you continue with it until it is finished, and you want to pull all your hair out! LOL! That is when you say yourself "Nobody did this because they were not masochist" LOL! But at the end it's worth!

http://4eyes.code66.se/dsc/EARogerAndCoForM4.zipGrab your copy of EA Roger & Co For M4 here:

EA Roger & Co For M4Presents

EmmaAndJordi

Alien Play

Alien PlayLucinda AtmanUSA

Gamma worldMichael O’RellUSA

Dancing QueenDancing QueenDebbie GoreckeUSA

Gallery

Dancing Queen

Gamma World

Boredom

Sky Watch

Museum

BoredomTheresa HerlockerUSA

Sky WatchSandra BauserUSA

MuseumMuseumMarkus BaGermany

Ritual

RitualSergio GarciaSpain

Kitten AnimeWilliam FarrarUSA

So Red the RoseSo Red the RoseBowskiUK

So Red the Rose

Kitten Anime

Amazing Morining in Hell

Amazing Morning in HellAstuce ManFrance

Maja PaintingRod KokCanada

BikesBikesHenry PolisUSA

Gallery

Maja Painting

Bikes

Waiting for the Bus 2014

Ambush!

Waiting for the Bus 2014Kevin StamperUSA

Ambush!WD SmithUSA

BLACK PAUL Promo -SILENT LIFEBLACK PAUL Promo -SILENT LIFEPatrick ReynoldsUSA

After rain

Replicant

Ice Princess

ReplicantDavid El' EllaNigeria

After rainJefferson FerreiraBrazil

Ice PrincessIce PrincessR.p.CallahanUSA

I work as an electrician in a combined heat and power plant and live with my girlfriend and our three cats in south western Germany (Pforzheim).

To cut a long story short: I am indeed a pixel junky.I got into 3D in 2010 with Blender 2.4. But the GUI was not so intuitive. So I searched for a solution to make my artwork. I tried VUE as well and then took my first steps with DAZ 3D version 3. Now I work with DAZ 3D version 4.6 to render my scenes. For modelling, Hexagon and Blender 2.6 are my tools. Out of the different 3D programs DAZ Studio fits my needs as an artist the best. It's easy for me to use, play with and mix the different content.

aka "MtP of Exploding Art"/"MtP Art"Age: 39From: South-Western GermanyHomepage: http://www.MtP-Art.deFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/MtPArt

Mario Heyer

Artist SPOTLIGHT

http://4eyes.code66.se/dsc/DSC_MH_SF.zip

A collection of 90 pre-rendered Sci-Fi elements allowing you to build deep space images quickly and easily.png &.jpg files

One thing I really miss in DAZ Studio is a particle system or a physics engine just like in Blender.

The 3 pieces I work frequently most with are Genesis 1, Advanced Spotlight and Render To Batch. My 3 favourite vendors are Ron Deviney, Stonemason and DM(R).Ron Deviney is also one of the artists which inspire me the Ron Deviney is also one of the artists which inspire me the most because for me he is one of the best brush makers in the world. To work with his brushes and PSD layers I feel gives my artwork the final kick.vI start my various artwork often with an idea - I get inspired I start my various artwork often with an idea - I get inspired by music, things happening through the day and by watching movies - which I implement in DAZ Studio. After rendering I compose and finish the art in Photoshop Elements. So I use 3D as a tool to generate parts for my 2D artworks. I also use the art I create as a basis for book and CD cover I also use the art I create as a basis for book and CD cover designs, but I also create my own series like my S.O.D.-Skulls Of Death or Pseudocinematic (fictitious movie posters), as well as loving to work on homepage templates for Joomla.Some of my artwork are available as books and calendars, which often have a dull ambience. My main realms are Dark Art, Gothic, Fantasy and Sci-Fi.

Greetings from the dark side, MtP ArtGreetings from the dark side, MtP ArtStay creative!

Phil ThompsonBurlesque

ITEMS USED1. Hameleon’s back drop from the “Posing Stuff” pack. (Rendo)2. Danae’s DUBLIN skintone (Rendo)3. “Look At Me” eyes by Raiya (DAZ3D)4. Marica style by tentman (DAZ3D)5. Chic hair (DAZ3D)

Step 1Once your back drop is in place and your Once your back drop is in place and your model is posed, we can begin adding cameras and lighting! I chose to show my model from the waist up, which allows for more flexible posing. I wanted to give off a ‘fun’ vibe for this image.Once you have positioned your camera, Once you have positioned your camera, and you are happy with its placement, we can move onto Lighting!

Many Reality users find themselves stranded when it comes to the best lighting to use:What gives off the best light?Will too many lights slow down my rendering time?This tutorial aims to give you a basic set up that is perfect for portraits and simple scenes that use a studio back drop.

I absolutely love the items from Hameleon’s posing stuff pack; each item has multiple I absolutely love the items from Hameleon’s posing stuff pack; each item has multiple colour options and do not take much material adjustment to look good in Reality! Do not worry about getting your scene identical to mine, just pose your model in a way that would be suitable for a portrait.

By Jodie Griffiths

A New Reality

Step 2Lighting time! We’ll start with our mesh Lighting time! We’ll start with our mesh light. An important thing I discovered was that the more mesh lights I used, the longer my render times were. This is why I began experimenting with various different lighting set ups, and out of all the set ups I have used, this one has proven to be the most useful.most useful.Take your mesh light and place it just Take your mesh light and place it just behind the camera. If your model is facing the camera, this mesh light will illuminate the face nicely. Alternatively, if your model is turned to the side, you might want to put the mesh light in the direction your model is looking at. Portraits give you the opportunity to show off your model’s the opportunity to show off your model’s face, so proper lighting is a must!Once your mesh light is placed, we will move onto the 2nd part of our lighting set up.

Step 5Once you have rendered your image until it is clear, save your render! I prefer to save my images as a TIF file, as I find any other format leaves artifacts.You might notice that the image saves in You might notice that the image saves in two parts; one for the IBL lighting and the other for the mesh light. To put these images together, I will be using Photoshop. I load up my IBL image, then drag and drop my mesh light image on top of it. I decided to set my mesh light image layer to “lighten” but it’s completely up to you! It “lighten” but it’s completely up to you! It really depends on the mood of your image.

And we’re done! Your image is complete. I hope you have found this tutorial useful.

Step 4Your image is now ready to render! Set up your materials in Reality; do not worry about adjusting the lighting for now as we can edit that during rendering.Once Lux Render opens up, and your image Once Lux Render opens up, and your image is clear, we can adjust the lighting! Now that we are in Lux Render, you can see how this lighting set up works. Depending on the lighting you’d like, adjust Depending on the lighting you’d like, adjust the mesh light and IBL to how you see fit. I wanted the entire image to be lit quite brightly, as if it was studio lighting. But as you can see, you can also create a darker image with shadows that highlight your models features!

Step 3The main body of the image will be using The main body of the image will be using Image Based Lighting, otherwise known as IBL’s. Reality comes with IBL, so we’ll be using one of these. From experience, IBL renders the quickest, and really helps illumi-nate where our mesh light won’t reach. With just the mesh light alone, the space behind the model would be dark, and the behind the model would be dark, and the model would look out of place. Place your image based lighting in your scene and the lighting set up is finished!

Groups & InstancesIssue 3 Page 66

DS Creative tutorials help you to create

DS Creative HELPS Make the Scene



Outrun 2014©2014 Phil Thompson

Motion BlurIssue 3 Page 50

HDRI First StepsIssue 4 Page 60

Surfaces, also known as TexturesThe galleries with Image Armada can be The galleries with Image Armada can be easily re-surfaced to give your exhibition space a completely different look and feel. In the surfaces tab on the left edge you will find a wide variety of textures, plain colours as well as texture overlays. These can easily be dragged onto any gallery surface to quickly change the look. You can surface to quickly change the look. You can also easily add your own patterns and textures to further customise the look.

Audio & NarrationNow music and narration can be either Now music and narration can be either global, (which starts playing the moment you open the gallery) or image specific where it is only triggered by looking at a particular image. You can also have a global piece of background music and the images have individual narration.The global options are accessed from the The global options are accessed from the gallery tab on the main toolbar as is the image specific options, but you must have your image selected.Narration can be recorded from within Image Armada.

In my second look at Image Armada, (of which there are more copies to be won in this issue) I will look at some of the more advanced features which will allow you to custom-ize your exhibition and help make it really unique:

Surfaces, also known as TexturesAudio & NarrationDistributionModelling

ExandingExhibitionsOn Your Virtual

ModellingEarlier I mentioned creating your Earlier I mentioned creating your own patterns and textures and importing them into Image Armada. Well how about your own galleries? Image Armada can import .fbx files so with some simple modelling (Let the textures do the detail work) in your program of choice you can your program of choice you can make your own galleries and furni-ture.

Web BrowserWeb Browser packs the entire gallery into a folder, ready for ftp upload (which it can do for you as well) to your web server so you can embed your exhibition in your web page.

Guided Tour MovieGuided Tour MovieWe can record a guided tour around our We can record a guided tour around our gallery very simply, just click record and go for a walk around. Click stop when you are done, and give it a file name to save it. This tour can then be turned into a movie by clicking the Movie button, which brings up the options for size and frame rate as well as format. I usually I go 1920 x 1080 30fps as format. I usually I go 1920 x 1080 30fps and MP4. By clicking OK the program will prompt you for a file name and then it will render out your movie. You can then head over to Youtube and upload it for all the world to see.

DistributionSo you have worked hard and created your exhibition full to the brim with your artwork, so how can you get people to see it.

There are 4 options: Autoplay CD, There are 4 options: Autoplay CD, Compact Exhibition, Web Browser or we can make a guided tour movie.

The CD AutoplayThe CD Autoplay option puts all the files The CD Autoplay option puts all the files required for viewing into a folder so that you can burn to disc or even place in the root of a flash drive.

Compact exhibitionCompact exhibition is the simplest option; Compact exhibition is the simplest option; it creates one file that you can make avail-able while the viewer just needs the small player app which is available from the Image Armada website.

Name: Vermey.Age: 178 years old.Location: Dawarda.Occupation: Bodyguard, fighter, servant.Personal motto: „To serve the House honors me.“Dating style: Dating style: He does not have any dates. He is a slave.My sweet spot: Unknown.Fave Music: Being in the position that he is in, he does not have anyinterests of his own.Fave Film: ---3Personal Faves: 3Personal Faves: „Food, sleep and blood.“

King

Name: Jordana Tuckwilla, a.k.a “Copper”Age: 30 (born in 2485)Location: Marawayne (U.N. Mandated Planet)Occupation: Private Security OfficerPersonal motto: Don’t tell me, “No”Dating style: Dating style: hit and missMy sweet spot: Isn’t that a little personal?Fave Music: 20th Century Earth Classic RockFave Film: Magnificent 7 / Raiders of the Lost Ark3Personal Faves: 3Personal Faves: horses / a good mystery / martial arts

Queen

For the time being we have decided

to remove the Kings and Quens

feature that is not to say that it

will not return to DS Creative in

the new year, all previously

un-featured images wil be featured un-featured images wil be featured

in Issues 5 and 6 along with their

bio’s in full

During the nights of the deep fog an evil

queen came unto this land and abducted the

the king & queen and took them into the

world of the undead, bringing chaos and

permanent darkness to the world of men.

DS CREATIVE STOPS THE KINGS AND QUEENS

RecolouringContentBy Camilla Drakenborg

First, select the object with the Surface Selection Tool and in the Surfaces panel we want to make a note of the file name and path in the Diffuse channel

Second, we open up Photoshop and load up the texture we got the details for in step 1.

Now, so that I don’t overwrite the original file I will go to Image/Duplicate so that I have a copy of the file

Fourth, we need to go to Fourth, we need to go to Image/Adjustments/Variations. Here we can choose to add more colour to our texture in the Shadows, Midtones and Highlights as well as adjust the saturation.So we adjust the colours as we require and then click OK

Fifth, now we need to save our texture so Fifth, now we need to save our texture so File/Save As; we can save it in the same folder as the original file, just with an updated name.

If the object we are re-colouring uses more than one If the object we are re-colouring uses more than one texture file, for example hair, provided we do not do anything else in Photoshop in between when we go to do the variations adjustment on the next texture, our chosen variations from your previous conversion have been remem-bered, making our life easier.

Finally, back in DAZ we go to the Finally, back in DAZ we go to the Diffuse channel, then to the surfaces tab and using the browse option on the diffuse texture map we load up our new textures.

So you have finally gotten just the right outfit or hairstyle for your character but you wish the colour was slightly different. Since you don’t really want to buy that expansion texture set for it, there is a low cost way to fix this issue.

*Note*Part of this guide could be done by using Part of this guide could be done by using 3D Bridge to get the textures from DAZ Studio to Photoshop and back, but I am having issues using 3D Bridge, so I will do it the manual way.So, to re-colour a hairstyle or garment:

$ DAZ MONEY SAVER

Gimme a HugMarcius Hess

All competition submissions are to be sent to:[email protected] submissions must be new artwork and must not have been displayed online beforeImages can be either portrait or landscapeDeadline is 23:59 UTC on the 22nd of October-14For full term’s and conditions and prize details For full term’s and conditions and prize details visit our Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/dazcreative/

The Weirder or Creepier the better

For the month of October we want you to bring out the circus freaks, those sideshow Oddities. the bearded ladies, Fire breathers, Swordswallowers, conjoined twins and mysticsOh and lets not forget the evil clowns.

Rebecca Lennard

The merits of monkshood vs wolfsbane

123?

Choose this arrow to change to your spotlights or Distant lights

Do you have a quick tip to share with the world

A little gem of advice to share is something that can be explained quickly and easily!

If you do, email it to us so we can spread the If you do, email it to us so we can spread the word about the cool features of DAZ Studio!

[email protected]

An Aspect of Size By Phil Thompson

Rendering to set sizes can sometimes cause us Rendering to set sizes can sometimes cause us a headache, especially if your final render needs to be large say 4000 pixels but our test renders for speed are 1500 pixels. Well, one way this can be tackled is by setting the aspect ratio, so we can set this in the aspect boxes on the render settings tab and as long as we have as we have constrain proportions checked when we enter one of the pixel sizes DAZ Studio will automatically calculate the other pixel size according to our aspect ratio.

A DS Creative page has an aspect ratio of 620:877

So could be rendered at So could be rendered at 1240 x 1754 Or 2474 x 3500

Both of these create images with the correct proportions

Pre-injected and ready to go.. By Mary VanAssche

If you use Generation 4 figures a lot (I'm still If you use Generation 4 figures a lot (I'm still not all that sure about Genesis and Genesis 2), my quick tip is to create pre-loaded morph versions of my Gen 4 characters. I load up Victoria 4 and then I inject the most used morphs (base, ++, and elite).

Then I save my pre-injected version as a Then I save my pre-injected version as a scene file.

Now when I am going to create a Victoria 4 scene I just load up this Victoria 4 scene file and V4 is pre-injected ready to go.

This can also be done for the other Genera-tion 4 Characters such as M4 and K4 .

So just fire them up and add whatever else So just fire them up and add whatever else (clothes, character, etc.) and go!

*Note* if you need a secondary character in your scene use File/Merge instead of Load.

A Light View By Totte Alm

An often overlooked feature of DAZ studio is the ability to "look through" spotlights and distant lights.

Why look through a light? Well firstly we will be able to see exactly Well firstly we will be able to see exactly where our light is aimed and secondly and most importantly we can adjust the lights position by using the standard Move, Zoom and Orbit tools in the corner of the viewport.

*Important note: Before hitting render you must change back to a normal you must change back to a normal view or a camera view as DAZ Studio will not let you render through a light.*

creativeds

creative

interested me. Then I was in a car accident and had to look at what kind of work I could do that didn’t' require standing for long periods of time, and my hobby became my living. I learned how to make poses, and with TONS of help, model simple objects...maybe help, model simple objects...maybe someday I will learn more ;)

Where do you get your inspiration from?Anywhere....kids playing at the park, conversations, music, TV, random reference images.

How did you get into 3D modelling and how long have you been doing it?It started as a hobby shown to me by my good friend Roland West back in 2005. I thought Daz was so much fun right from the start! A short while later, Godin created a character that was for Poser only, so I figured why not give that a try! From those early days, it has

Lunchlady

VENDOR SPOTLIGHT

What one piece of advice would you give to someone starting out creating for DAZ Studio?PAITENCE. Take your time, it will happen!! We learn from mistakes, so they are part of building the final product.

Which 3 are your personal favourites of your own products? Pose Me Precious is a favourite. I love The Kids 4! Another is Viral...it was a super fun pack, Pose Me Precious is a favourite. I love The Kids 4! Another is Viral...it was a super fun pack, spawned from a nasty cold ;). Serpentess for V4 & G2F, not to mention EVERY pack I have collaborated on! Working with fellow vendors is a great learning experience and a great way to get to know people!!

Which are your 3 personal favourite vendors?Humm....wow...that is a tough question!! So many to choose from...For me it really comes down to ease of use in products....there are really too many to name!!!

If you could add one new feature to Daz Studio, what would it be?If you could add one new feature to Daz Studio, what would it be?To make it more compatible with Poser. I think if the two programs could be integrated more, so many door for users would open from both sides!!

What is the biggest challenge for you when creating a new product?Being original...there are only so many poses people can make, and some days it feels like you are looking at the same thing over and over. Finding fresh and original ideas is always exciting.

Which program(s) do you create your models in?Mainly Silo and Hexagon, and almost all of my poses are made in Poser...and now Daz for Genesis 2 support.

Which stores can we find you at?You can find me at Renderosity and You can find me at Renderosity and Daz3D

In your stores there are mostly poses; is this your preference and do you plan to do things other than poses?Yes, I love to create poses! Realistic and Yes, I love to create poses! Realistic and soft is my goal in each pack. I have so many packs on my to-do list, and some would rely on props, so as for model-ling, it would be mostly to make props to support the pose packs.

Typically how long does it take from Typically how long does it take from initial idea to finished model?Anywhere from 48 hours to a week...all depending on how smoothly things go and how fast I can catch on to my mistakes ;)

Lunchlady freebie pose

Can you give us a hint of what is to come? Currently I am working on some adorable Currently I am working on some adorable poses for a little non-human figure at Ren-derosity....some elegant lady poses for one collab, and some tough gal poses for another collab....not to mention the hundreds of ideas randomly scribbled in my scrap notebook ;)

How does it make you feel when you see peoples artwork made with your products?I LOVE seeing the art created with my I LOVE seeing the art created with my products!! I don't always have time to stop and comment on all of the images, but it always pleases me to see them! (And a special shout out to EM3D for always beau-tifully showcasing every pack!!)

http://4eyes.code66.se/dsc/ll_TheBestOfLL.zipFree this month a set of 24 of the best poses from Lunchlady

Visit Lunchlady’s stores at: http://www.daz3d.com/lunchladyhttp://www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/?vendor=527939

Standing TallChristopher Haigood

Since DAZ cannot open a HDR file we need to convert it to a TIF file, which we can do from within DAZ. In the UberEnviron-ment2 Group there is an icon labelled “HDRConverter”. Click it and select the Mono_Lake_B_Env.hdr file; this will create the Tif file we need.

So now we select the UberEnvironment2 So now we select the UberEnvironment2 and the “Light” section of the Parameters Tab. Let’s load our new Tif to the colour channel (when you see the thumbnail of the Tif it may well appear blurred, that’s normal.)

To begin, go into DAZ and load up Provence. The set comes with a skydome so I will load that as well. Now if I hit render, as you can see I acquire a flat and unrealistic image, as there are no lights and the scene is just being lit with the default light.

So let’s try it with a HDRI instead, which is So let’s try it with a HDRI instead, which is also going to provide us with a visible back-ground. I want one without anything tall in the image, so at HDRlabs I will download both Mono Lake B and Malibu Overlook. Since both these look promising, I then download and extract both these files.

Back in DAZ I will delete the Provence Back in DAZ I will delete the Provence skydome from the scene, then I go to Light Presets/Omnifreaker/UberEnviron-ment2 and load the Uberenvironment2 Base. Next stop is the scene tab. If we expand the Uberenvironment2 Base you will see that it also contains an Environ-ment sphere. This is what will hold the ment sphere. This is what will hold the background Image.

One of the most frequently used terms in the world of DAZ Studio is HDRI. But, what exactly is an HDRI?

HDRI, also known as HDRI, also known as High Dynamic Range Image, is a photograph but unlike a normal pho-tograph that only covers part of the tonal range from light to dark, HDRI images are created by using several exposures and specific software to maximise the detail across the full tonal range. The HDRI’s we will be using are also spherical images that will cover the full 360 degree range.

There are several HDRI products available for DAZ studio, such as this amazing set, the HDR Pro Sets Monterey. http://www.daz3d.com/hdr-prosets-montereyBut let’s do our own. To get started, you will need: DAZ Studio, Uberenvironment2 and a But let’s do our own. To get started, you will need: DAZ Studio, Uberenvironment2 and a free HDRI.

For the HDRI there are several sites on-line where you can download them. My personal favourites to select from are from Hdrlabs. http://www.hdrlabs.com/sibl/archive.html For this tutorial I am going to light one of my much-loved environments, Provence by Faveral. http://www.daz3d.com/provence

Even in space HDR is possible

Now, here are some render settings. I’m not going into intricate detail here I just want to get you started.

Intensity: around 65% it will depend on the HDRI fileOcclusion Samples: 64Shading Rate: 128 the MaxShading Rate: 128 the MaxMax Error: 0.10

Now to create an actual visible sky.Expand the UberEnvironment so that we Expand the UberEnvironment so that we can select the Environment Sphere .Once it is selected go to your surfaces tab and in the “Diffuse channel” choose the down arrow and select the “Mono_Lake_B_HiRes_TMap.jpg”.Do not select the preview image

Do the same for the “Do the same for the “Ambient channel” tab.

If we were to render now we would still If we were to render now we would still have no sky, as by default the Environment Sphere is not set to visible. We fix this by going in the parameters tab and switching “Visible in Render” from off to on. Keep in mind that If you save and quit when you load it back up you will have to switch it to visible again.to visible again.

Now we can hit render and see our scene with real world lighting.

Provence HDRI style

I love to shop.I also love the challenge of finding a suitable outfit for my “finicky” main male character.In this outfit I have found everything I need in a dashing adventurer’s ensemble. From the details to the realis-tic textures, every time I use this outfit in my renders they come out beautifully!

http://www.daz3d.com/bobbie25/sherwood-hunter-outfit-for-genesis-2-male-sSherwood Hunter Outfit for Genesis 2 Male05

I LOVE tattoos.I LOVE detailed tattoos even more.When I discovered Shana’s Inked series, I was blown away!And when I discovered Vol 4 of the Inked series, I was over the moon!They are made to be used from head to two, just like with the rest, with various styles to choose from. This is no They are made to be used from head to two, just like with the rest, with various styles to choose from. This is no themed set; the tattoos vary from a beautiful mendi design for the characters hands, to a more detailed and splendid tribal shoulder piece that pops! Sorry fellas, but this set is for the ladies as of now! This is a set that is a must for the tattoo loving lady, and a staple in my art.

http://www.daz3d.com/inked-vol-4-for-genesis-2Inked 04

I love pictures that can take me away to a faraway land, where time slows and beauty surrounds, in everywhere that you look.The moment I set eyes on this particular set from Sveva, I fell in love.Aimed for more fantasy type renders, the set ranges from a beautiful patio scene to a dark throne piece. Her work is AMAZING in this piece and you can really set off a fantasy Her work is AMAZING in this piece and you can really set off a fantasy render with “Realm of Kings.” They all (to me) depict a place where I would gladly let my fantasy kings live.

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/?vendor=SvevaRealm of Kings 03

When I first got started in Daz, I remember looking at the Genesis 2 figure and wondering, what I could do with such a simple figure. Perhaps it is because I got started with Genesis 2, but I seem have an affinity for this figure. With the many morphs and dial ups, mats and textures, Genesis 2 has a special place in my art.

http://www.daz3d.comGenesis 2 (Daz3D) 02

Let’s face it. Lighting can make or break a picture. How can you really enjoy a gleeful picture or a gloomy picture without How can you really enjoy a gleeful picture or a gloomy picture without the right lighting? Lantios has done this beautifully in this set which comes with different settings. They can vary from daylight to various night lights and mood lights. As a beginner in Daz, I feel these are essen-tial to me to help get the right results in my renders, until I have further my knowledge on lighting. This helps me achieve those results in a conve-nient package.

www.daz3d.com/lantiosCore Lighting 1 by Lantios01 Sanyel Jackson

I’m the happily married mother of two AWESOME little girls named Liana and Brielle, and a veteran of the US Army. I am relatively new in the 3D world; I was intro-duced to DAZ by my uncle, Patrick Reynolds back in 2012. I was intrigued by all different programs. But the one program I got very interested in was DAZ3D, which he very interested in was DAZ3D, which he very graciously showed me. I had been commis-sioning people to create art for me of some characters I had created. It started getting pretty pricey “So why don’t I just learn the trade and use all the money I was going to spend on commissions on content?”Epiphany!Epiphany!It was soon after that I joined DAZ Studio Artists, then the amazingly talented DS Creative team.And now here I am. I am still learning the And now here I am. I am still learning the trade, although I haven’t quite found my niche in the 3D world, I let inspiration strike me at any time. I’m glad to be a part of such a wonderful team and such an endlessly talented commu-nity of artists.

Five Runtime must havesMY FAVOURITE FIVE

Jelani Sefu

Jelani SefuNancy SchultzUSA

GMO Don VanAusdollUSA

The EyesThe EyesKalinaj SindwellerRomania

Gallery

The Eyes

GMO

Space SpaceEdwing MuñozNicaragua

Daz - mike and vicki Vicki LeversedgeCanada

Dragon Lady Miko TenakaDragon Lady Miko TenakaRichard GastonUSA

Dragon Lady Miko Tenaka

daz - mike and vicki

Untitled

Walk in the Woods

Russie 02

Walk in the WoodsAstro GalUSA

No more warLeandro HannaArgentina

Russie 02Russie 02Julien PiatFrance

Ella

An urban fantasy

EllaSanyel JacksonUSA

An urban fantasyKat TheriaultUSA

Super-trainingSuper-trainingSamantha BurrowsAustralia

Gallery

An urban fantasy

Super-training

hot n black

Warptunnel

Xerr's got a new coat

WarptunnelClaudia WGermany

hot n blackBellatryx NoirItaly

Xerr's got a new coatXerr's got a new coatSzark BWCUK

Now we use simple polygon extrusion. Select a 2 by 8 or 3 by 8 set of polygons on a side, extrude in a few steps to form a tunnel. I made two. I also pulled up the roof, which can be done with soft selec-tion or not, and added some bumps here and there.

Now I just selected all polygons and did a Now I just selected all polygons and did a CatmulClarke subdivision but every program have their implementation of this; some call it smoothing, but the idea is to smooth the cave. I then did some more small changes by pushing or pulling polygons and smoothed once more.

We jump right into the modelling program. This will require that you have at least a little knowledge on modelling, but just very basic. We begin by creating a box with 10x10x10 divisions, size to 10x10 with height of three, which when imported to DS will be (of the correct scaling is set) 10 by 10m meter and 3 scaling is set) 10 by 10m meter and 3 meters high.

This month I’m going to show you how you can, with the help of any 3D modelling program and the Age of Armour Rock shader, create realistic looking caves.http://www.daz3d.com/rock-shader-for-daz-studioYou can use any 3D modelling program like Hexagon, Carrara, Wings or in my case, Chee-tah3D, as I’m most comfortable with that program to do this. The program is used to create a very basic cave structure.

By Totte AlmCavesCavesCavesyour ownyour own

CavesCavesCavesyour ownMakeMakeyour ownyour ownyour ownMake

So, you have a cave, now fill it with cool stuff, enjoy!

I add a linear point light to the scene and set up with ray traced shadows and the falloff so it almost touches the wall, and end a bit further away. The cave now looks

Now select the cave and go to the Surface tab and locate the rock shader in your content.First apply the shader. [image-08.jpg].First apply the shader. [image-08.jpg].Go to the sub folder utilities and set the basic shader. I changed the displacement to 80 but again this is more trial and error to find something that works. [image-09.jpg] & [image-10.jpg]

Now it’s time to make a test render and Now it’s time to make a test render and see what it looks like.

Now, it’s time to export the cave as an .obj file from the modelling software, and then import it into DAZ Studio. It is a good idea to turn off Preview Light, or you won’t see anything.

Import the model, and here is the tricky Import the model, and here is the tricky part, to know what the scale is. If you don’t know, this can be trial and error, but I know that to get 10 meters from 10 units the scale factor is 10,000 between Cheetah3D and DAZ Studio.

Prize Donors

DAZ3DTodd HupeGeorge Kilibarda

The Team

Camilla DrakenborgPhil ThompsonMatt AllgoodSanyel JacksonTotte AlmBobbie Brundon JeffreyBobbie Brundon Jeffrey

Tutorial Contributors

Camilla DrakenborgDesign AnvilJodie GriffithsMary VanAsschePhil ThompsonTotte AlmTotte Alm

Free Gift Contributors

EmmaAndJordiLunchladyMario Heyer

CONTRIBUTORS

Here they are all the wonderful people who have helped to make DS Creative Issue 4.

Take a bow everyone.

Image contributors

Annie AltherrAstro GalAstuce ManBellatryx NoirBowskiChristopher HaigoodChristopher HaigoodClaudia WDavid El EllaDebbie GoreckeDon VanAusdollEdwing MunizEstroyerHenry PolisHenry PolisJames LynchJefferson FerrieraJulian PiatKalinaj SindwellerKat TheriaultKevin StamperLeandro HannaLeandro HannaLucinda AltmanMarcius HessMario HeyerMarkos DK PrietoMarkus BaMichael O'RellMike LeonardMike LeonardNancy Schultz

Image contributors

Patrick ReynoldsPhil ThompsonR.p. CallahanRichard GastonRod KokSamantha BurrowsSamantha BurrowsSandra BauserSanyel JacksonSergio GarciaShaelia EzraSzark BWCTheresa HerlockerTina LouiseTina LouiseTotte AlmVicki LeversedgeWD SmithWilliam FarrarTotte Alm

Artwork by Tina Louise

Issue 5, November 1st

DS Creativeto get hold of Depthsto anywill goPeopleSome

ds creative 04

Documents

murder page

spotlights page

regulars page

tutorials page

mario heyer page

film noir winnersthis

general galleryevery

vendor spotlightin