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DAZ 3D |
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You've just stumbled onto one of the easiest ways to
get your feet wet with making 3D computer graphics
that feature realistic human figures.
DAZ products have a beautiful modular approach: you can
start with just the bare necessities, and add more bells and whistles later.
Next, you will want some human figures. DAZ's most popular figures are the very versatile Michael 3.0 and Victoria 3.0:
These figures bend at all the joints, allowing you to pose each one into any position your heart desires. There are also many "morphs" that allow you to change the expressions on their faces by arching eyebrows, smiling or frowning, opening eyes and mouth wide or shutting them tight. Try it out! As of this writing, the Michael 3.0 and Victoria 3.0 base products are also free. This great deal may very well not last forever, so check it out while you still can....
...All this free stuff... so where's the catch? Well, if you've enjoyed DAZ so far, you'll probably want some of the following add-ons, which allow you to begin to show your support for DAZ financially $$$:
The head & body morphs allow you to change the ethnicity, weight, and overall look of Michael 3.0 and Victoria 3.0, creating a wide variety of characters out of the same basic figure. You could then stick three Michaels in one scene, and have them all look like completely different people interacting with one another. It's even possible to turn Micheal and Victoria into aliens or other creatures with these... lots of fun.
Clothing is one category of add-on that is very worthwhile.
Conforming vs. DynamicThese two words do not mean the same thing. If you're a beginning DAZ Studio user like me, you may find "conforming" clothes a LOT easier to work with. Once an item of conforming clothing is "fitted" to a character figure like Michael 3.0 or Victoria 3.0 (which is as easy as selecting the item and clicking a button), the clothing will bend and move along with the character wearing it. Also, if you have used the Head and Body morphs to change the shape or size of your character, the clothing will automatically adjust as well.Additional texturesA lot of the free stuff that may catch your eye isn't really a complete item in and of itself either. For example, if the fine print mentions "for the V3 MCD", this is short-hand meaning that you first need "Victoria 3.0's Morphing Cocktail Dress" from DAZ, after which you can apply the free texture to change the look of that dress.So keep in mind, when you buy an add-on from DAZ, like the MCD, you will in many cases also find lots of free extras to download that allow you to change the look of it in ways you may not have imagined.
And here is the MCD after several of my favourite free MCD textures have been applied:
Hair and skin textures are other elements you will probably want to look for to give your figures as realistic a look as possible.
You can check out a whole additional page of hair options here. Need inspiration for posing your figures and getting the expressions on their faces just right? Poses and expressions can be independently saved as "pose" files, and shared, traded and sold over the internet. Have a look around, and you may find some cool stuff.
What would the finished result be without props and scenery? There's plenty of stuff out there. There are many other basic figures from DAZ and other places that work in DAZ Studio, from humanoids of all types and ages, to animals and fantasy creatures. It's so easy to dive into all this stuff. Check out DAZ Studio, and begin to realize your own artistic vision....
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