what was the worst DAZ product of 2004 in terms of being embraced by the user base???? and what was the best??

The worst I would say is the Big MilCats. The best would probably be David.

Hell, let's pick at everyone :) -------------------------- Best: DAZ|Studio. Yep, it's buggy, prone to crashing on a moment's notice, and tends to come up with some really weird problems, but:

1. it's free, and
2. it has some serious potential if DAZ is willing to put some work into it, and
3. I can make it run on a PC w/o Windows.

Also best: Migal's Stephanie Max morph and joint package. Also free, but did a damned fine job of breathing new life into the original Aiko (took a bit of jockeying w/ MorphManager to get that to happen...) Also Best Too: CL finally got their sh!t together with a service pack that makes it run fairly decently (at least on a Mac.) This time last year still saw a whole lot of people wondering WTF they bought into w/ P5... Gotta give 'em props for getting their code working halfway decently. Middling: Aiko 3. Glad to see that she's evolved n' all, but $99 for a basic morph package? Ugh... that's gonna cost. Also Middling: The GIRL. Sorry, but that one flamed out awful quick, and while it is nice, it tends to be tough to morph past the basic look. Worst: Just bein' honest here, so don't nobody get all wanky about it... - HER. Sixus, you're a damned fine modeller, don't get me wrong, but ye gawds... that face is enough to scare the charge out of a battery.

• DAZ|Studio. (yes, I know it's up there too...) 3Delight needs replaced, badly.
• Lack of Mac compatibility for 3rd-party utilities. Yup - I can run most of 'em in Linux, believe it or not. However, FTP gets old even with both boxes next to each other, and it would be much nicer to run 'em right there in OSX.
• I'll have to give it some serious thought before annotating a full-on list. BTW... Best Ind. Merchant: Toss-up between As-Shanim and Wusamah. Call it a close tie for first place. Worst Ind. Merchant: ByteMe0k (a rip-off artist who is now thankfully gone, gone, gone.) /P

Thats funny...I thought HER was one of the best models this year. Finally a chick that isn't cute or just another supermodel...and plenty of accessories for HER too. And can you beat free? BTW Sixus1 didn't model it, it was poserized by them but the original model was made by someone else. Bigcats were bad. Too bad, because I really could have used them but as they are, I couldn't be persuaded to whip out the CC. Hopefully (if) they get an update they will be usable and maybe then I'll buy them.

HER, MayaDoll, Lalala, and MDP were all FREE alternatives to the GIRL and her variants. I thought HER was a really fun figure. I'll admit I do prefer HIM, Behemoth, Britta, Lilin, and Adam be in terms of their appearance though. Sixus1 was really generous this year in terms of all their free figures. I can hardly wait for Lilin 2.

Finally a chick that isn't cute or just another supermodel...

That's a major part of the reason why she won't be much of a hit.

The worst DAZ model? I don't know.....I never bought the Big Cats.

David is fine, I suppose.....but, like 85% or so of the "Poser base"........I'll probably never own him.

The GIRL is fading away? I certainly hope so....... Message edited on: 01/03/2005 14:28

Attached Link: http://www.poserfreebies.com/

2004 Hits...All of RNDA's building sets and Plants and Stonemasons models. 2004 Misses - The Girl(MHO),MIL Cats(didn't buy, because they look Jumanji like), and Aiko.

Well define "hit." I think HER has been a big hit with the Sixus1 user base. Some people like it, others don't...but that's like any model. Personally I think the Daz GIRL model is ugly...I mean...look at those arms! She's got arms that can swing a battle axe! And then a fashion model waist/abdomen? But...some people like that look...I guess... Anyway, try finding a user that has something good to say about the mil cats...or the mil horse for that matter...

Although I do admit to buying , her the GIRL is a bit of a one trick pony. especially her "toon town" accessories a case of "having being not so pleasing a thing as wanting" (to quote Mr spock) sorry to say her erstwhile pretender to the throne "neftoon gal" was not a hit nor was her older sibling "Elle". the mil cats and the mil horse disappointed alot of people. Oh and i guess i should have clarified that freebies (like from SIXUS1)dont count. David will never get any real content support as the poser world just did not need another male figure.

David will never get any real content support as the poser world just did not need another male figure. Yep.

I think Aiko3 was a big hit, for me personally. I love her versatility, and the amount of stuff I got with the $99 package. Plus she can swap clothes with SP3 and skins with just about anybody. I use her more than Vicki now. A miss? I haven't been around long enough to judge really. Though I agree that the Girl is just not attractive.

I like HER. And judging from the number of products available for HER, she has been a hit. There are lots of cute girls, even free cute girls. It's nice to have something different.

My vote for biggest hit is David. This is what M3 should have been.

Biggest miss: tie between the BigCats and "Bryce 5.5." I get the feeling the BigCats were rushed out because they needed to recoup the money they spent on Bryce. Since the reaction to their Bryce 5.5 "deal" was...skeptical, shall we say.

I consider this a HUGE miss....all these new characters & with little or no support...no clothes/no textures/no morph packages etc. Instead all the attention is paid to fad/fly by night characters....massive "media" attention/a lot of stuff out at 1st, then they die out, as quickly as bell bottom pants came & went. Meantime the "normal" characters, just sit & rot and then a year or so later WOW..Vicky 4/5/6/7....Mike 4/5/6/7.....

~yawn~ Wake me when Vicky/Mike/kids reach version 10...oh, but wait....nevermind...I doubt I'll get much sleep...could be in the next year ROFLAMO!!!!! I am doing what Sean Martin is doing, buying normal type clothes meant for other characters & making them fit other people, takes me 10x as long & might add to the postwork process, but in the long run will save the wallet. Getting sick n tired of having to buy all new textures/clothes/morphs...it's a real drag. I know David can take M3 textures, but not the facial morphs(citical IMHO)etc. for the other charachters as well.

Message edited on: 01/03/2005 15:18

Message edited on: 01/03/2005 15:23

dlk30341 I don't think what you're saying is accurate. Look at the new morph packages released for V3 the other week - and there are new clothing items released constantly. Now, I agree that I would like to see more support for David from DAZ, especially as far as hair goes, but in general I think they are supporting their characters pretty well. Aiko is loaded down with merch, as well as being able to wear SP3 stuff. I don't own SP3, but I have recently bought a heck of a lot of her clothes for Aiko, as well as being able to take advantage of things that came bundled with V3 packs. I think it's awesome that DAZ included that ability with Aiko - it's a bonus for me, and a bonus (sales-wise) for them too.

sflayer....these types of "arguements" always go round in in circles with no accomplishment really in the end...IMHO just a reason/way to air ones grievences so to speak ;). It's all a matter of personal opinion anyway...the above is just mine :)

It's all a matter of personal opinion anyway...the above is just mine :)

This is true.

And as "they" say -- everyone out there is entitled to my opinion.

;-)

True enough - if someone has a favorite model with no support, it doesn't matter if every other model is dripping with options I guess. :) I am very new to this, and to me everything is shiny and wonderful. I just love the things I am able to do with Studio & the DAZ models. I haven't really tried models from other places yet, have to get my feet wet soon.

Bottom line...no one is going to happy all the time, some people like toons/some don't...some like fantasty/some don't/some like sci-fi/some dont...etc. I usually never complain when too of much of something I don't like comes out....Because I know, in a matter of weeks, it will all be back to normal, the fad/thrill is gone. So it's all rather pointless. Well...I see this thread has taken a turn, I believe it's my fault....Sorry....back to the scheduled best & worse of 2004 :)

Hits and misses? I can't really judge it. But, neat stuff? Mock's The Gun. All Kozaburo's hair. Little_Dragon's Furrette 2

David, few(no)clothes and like no hair. My fave model with no support.

hmm..for those without able credit cards, HER's just fine by me..though IRL, I'd give her all the sidewalk she wanted, she looks like a tough cookie..;)
I don't think Mayadoll was introduced last year, possibly before, but for all the stuff they make for her, she's right handy
Worst?- nothing specific, but I do have a minor bone to pick with folks who don't map out the files in their zips (directories, etc)..I have all sorts of stuff that doesn't work, but it's balanced by the stuff that does..;)

Xeno and wolf, the poser world didn't need another male figure based on the unimesh. There was a chance after the negative reaction to M3 for 3rd parties to jump into the market and produce a competitive figure. While most buyers may not want more than one male figure, they certainly want one which is put together well. Personally, I won't render M3 without a shirt. The Freak to me is too unrealistic. David came across as being simply derivative of M3. Maximus created a lot of buzz and then was never released, partly because it was thought David might steal his thunder. I haven't seen any renders of Senya. So I won't say the male market is dead, but I think it doesn't move at the same pace and buyers are pickier. Sixus1, in my opinion, has greatly sparked interest in the male market not by selling male figures, but by giving them away free. Behemoth, Adam and HIM may not have the morphs of the higher end figures, but they are interesting characters and I think products such as real skin shader will better give them the effect of realism. I am trying to use Adam as much as I do M3 now. In addition, I think Les and Rebekah do a great job in gauging imput from the poser community for their character creation :)

Best from Daz David Worst from Daz the Big Cat The MM Horse Not over impressed with Luke/Luara The hands are off scale(too big) and not enough Morphs Have you noticed DAZ does not post here? ...(only on thier on site)

As for HER being "different"....V3 can easily be morphed to look un-supermodel-like, if that's your desire. V3 can be fat, skinny, tall, short, beautiful, ugly, monsterous....your choice.

From what I've seen, HER looks like HER. Period. But I have to admit that I have no personal experience with that model.

Sixus1 makes superior monsters. They would go great in a scene with V3. Stark contrasts provide interest.

The most interesting use I've seen of HER is Den Tracy's renderings (at poser pros). I think in his renderings she kinda looks like a coffee-house bookworm type. She certainly looks nothing like a monster... Yeah you can morph the #$%* out of V3 but is she free? The base for her alone is $40...

another worst for that Mil Big Cat set...I bought it and used it for a week...back it went...first thing I have ever requested a refund for. Best...faveral..some fine modeling and texturing.. stonemason...awesome work going on here. pretty much everything at RDNA...they just put out some fabulous products...Syyd Raven's textures are some of the best going for sure.... and textures...I would have to go for Syyd, Morris, orion, stefyzz,

Well now that we're mentioning merchants.. :) I've been impressed with Stonemason, Kaol, and Winnston1984 here at rendo. They make NICE stuff. Also Kurokuma made some awesome models last year, despite the mess up at Daz... Sixus1 has made a lot of cool stuff. I also bought a lot from Vanishing Point. Seems last year was the year of the indy merchant, but 2004 was also my first poser year so I could be off on that. Just seems every time you turn around someone is opening a new store.

"Sixus1 makes superior monsters. They would go great in a scene with V3" Ahhh....the NVIATWAM image ???? That is a classic isn't it ? And no hard feeling against anyone that doesn't like HER...really. :) --Rebekah--

I don't think Vicky can be compared to HER. HER is kind of toony, and is more properly compared to the Girl, Sara, etc. Call her the Girl's evil twin.

Faveral's work is stunning. And she's given so much of it away (as freebies in PoserPros' "buy one get one free" sales).

Stonemason has done some amazing stuff. When you look at some of his early products, and compare them to what he does now...it's incredible how much he's improved, in such a short time.

But my vote for merchant who's made the biggest splash is 3Dream. His hair is amazing. Looks as good as Koz's, and it's more morphable. And the price he charges is a fraction of what is charged for far inferior hairs. Not to mention all the other stuff he's done, such as EJ.

Ahhh....the NVIATWAM image ???? That is a classic isn't it ?

Ever since Frankenstein/Dracula/the mummy (your choice) made off with an unconcious starlet in a filmy nightgown....it's been a very popular theme.

In fact, the basic idea pre-dates the classic horror film by several thousand years. Greek mythology is filled with similar themes.....

......and it's still as popular as it ever was.

Anime, anyone?

Yes, the creatures of Sixus1 are some of the best on the market.

But my vote for merchant who's made the biggest splash is 3Dream. Ah! A point of agreement! Mark the date down.

Yes, I just bought Egypt Hair and that's one of the best things I've purchased so far.

For Hair, 3Dream, and Vairesh For Free Sixus and Sams 3d Fav Merchant by far, Capsces! And then Toshiyo, Neftis I also like Daz's Aiko, Steph and lots of others. And 3D Communes Alexa Worst, hmmm I haven't found a worst, I think anyone who trys to model texture etc. Deserves a thanks ;o) Hell I like everything! lol

I am cautiously optimistic about Mil-cat (seeing as it is still being reworked). I do think it looks kinda toony/crappy now, but it seems to be better than any other big cat (tiger) i have seen. DAZ specific Hits: (in no particular order) David (under-appreciated in my opinion) Young Teens. I don't have lots and lots of uses for them but i like them. All things from Davorama Stonemason's stuff All things Dystopia Disappointments: My biggest disappointment was the UH-60 Blackhawk (the new one) at DAZ. I use quotes because they call it a Blackhawk but it isn't. My other disappointment is that I was not able to get M3 or V3 because the only two times I know of that they went on sale were when I didn't have money (i.e. Around the time David came out and approaching Christmas) I've pretty much given up on M3 and V3 and will stick with what I have (M2, V2, D3, SP3, Yt, Mil-boys and Mil-girls. They may not have as much as M3 and V3 but that sure saves me money :-D ) Other stuff: Hits: Real Skin Shader Shade 7. I know it's not Poser but damn it's cool. Disappointments: Sixus1 made a werewolf I like the look of, unfortunately I use David, not M3, so I can't use him. :-(

Biggest hitS: IMO, the reduced resolution versions of M3 and V3. One reason I never useed M3 and V3 is becauise they were too much of a resource hog, but the RR versions took care of that problem. They don't work for nudes, but I do only a few of those, so most of the time they're fine. EJ - Fixed everything that was wrong with Judy. Misses: MilCat (I don't have it, because the negative reviews and complaints kept me from getting it) Money's kind of tight for me and I never shell out unless I'm sure of what I'm getting... Daz Studio: I have Poser. so someone remind me why I need this again...?

Where can one find Lalala and MDP?

If EJ could accept V3 textures I would have snapped that up ASAP...I have very little V2 stuff :(. Martian Manhunter...ditto Daz Studio.....

Every thing below is my opinion. DAZ Hits: Aiko3, she's a hot little number. Anything by Davo, ElorOnceDark and StoneMason. Other Hits: Sixus1 Monsters, Mock's The Gun I and II, Placebo's Backgrounds and Andi3d's stuff. DAZ Misses: The Blackhawk, DAZ Studio (can't even get it to open a PZ3 right) The Big Cats, the small Cat and the Dog. DAZ should have offered reasonably priced 'breed' packs with one or two morphs and textures comprising a breed. Not some goofy over priced bundles schemes that made you buy morphs for a hundred breeds and only get one texture... ? Other Misses: 2/3 of the Rendo Store and all of Turbosquid.

My observations of 2004 in review: BIGGEST HIT: EJ for Judy. Finally, someone steps up and makes something out of Judy that is truly a great product and very usable. A real affordable competitor to the "vicki mania" that holds this community by the jugular. HONORABLE MENTION: Poser 5 SR 4. P5 managed to climb out of the mess it created in it's early release, and with the help of a stable service release, made a good comeback in 2004. P5 helped introduce Poser users to some more advanced 3D technology (like physics dynamics and procedural materials), and brought renewed interest in character animation to a community consisting largely of still-image artists. BIGGEST MISS: The Girl. The final release never really lived up to the hype (of course), and it seemed like lots of people were disappointed in the end. The pre-release hype spawned some of the ugliest and most controversial debates I've ever seen on any 3D message boards regarding such topics as the "age" of a virtual model, and the morality of artists using such figures in their works.

Oh almost forgot Ladylittle fox! Her Characters are some of the best to! And lots of people from Dna!

Hits? Davo, definettly, stonemason and sanctum art... Misses: The mil cats...gawd, what is that?...

I just love this thread because I agree with so many of you. I avoided most of the hype, and so many of the new figures, especially the Toon characters and the cats. I've learned to wait and see just how much support they have later, and to listen to other people's reviews.

I was initially excited about DAZ|Studio, since it is "new," but in the end, I prefer a finished product that will remain the same from day to day. Right now, the learning process is just too chaotic. Also, I'm waiting to see just how much of DAZ|Studio's essential functionality remains free.

In my own opinion, another consistent negative on DAZ's part is the failure to totally support Poser 5. Yes, DAZ says they're moving in that direction, but I don't see the evidence of that support. I still need to fix far too many bad bump maps, and fiddle about with hair in a desperate effort to make it look right in Firefly.

Message edited on: 01/04/2005 02:04

Hits: Animedoll, Mayadoll, Furrette 2, Koz's hair. Misses: Almost nobody supports Khrys's male animedoll. That makes me mad.

The worst DAZ products of 2004 in no particular order: The Girl --- what is she anyway? The dream of every teenage boy? MilCats --- even my daughter of nine draws better Big Cats then these. DAZ Studio --- what a waste of time, DAZ could have finished Bryce 6 by now, if they wouldn't spent so much time on this toy. The best DAZ products of 2004 in no particular order: Are there any? (just kidding) The 3D Starter Bundle --- the best value I've ever seen at DAZ. Most of the non pc club stuff at DAZ I will never buy since I do find their prizes just outrages, but this one I bought for sure. Since everyone is naming other stuff besides DAZ products too, I think I mention the best poser product around this year for me was the lifetime subscription at PoserWorld. that one rocks! Best thing I've purchased this year for sure.

For fans of sci fi the BEST product of the year is without a doubt Sanctum art's RDL7 Set peices!!! followed closely by the great peices from Stonemason and honrable mention to Faceoff for his skin shader :-)

Biggest hits: Rosy Cheeks Lina by Toshiyo and Aiko 3.
Daz Studio- despite the negative feelings from
many people, this program loads soooo much
faster than Poser and runs extremely well
with my Nvidia graphics card.
Shade 7 Standard- if you haven't tried this
one, you are really missing out.
Biggest miss: This one is easy- "The Girl", not much use for
her.

Ohhhhhh aeilkema you reminded me! I love poserworld, I have the liftime sub too!

hmm why specifically DAZ? I would like to know what people liked and disliked this year from Rendo products myself. There are so many to chose from the replies might help me make some decisions. :) But for this thread.. BEST : The 3D starter sets.. can't beat the price for the content. BEST(Underrated) : Toonimal Lamb.. I like cute and fluffy! okay? :D David.. I agree with a previous post, he is what M3 should have been. (I've made it a point to never sell my work, but I'm sorely tempted to start putting out content for him.) WORST : MilBigCats has to take my vote here. While an improvement over previous big cat figures, it was so obviously rushed to release that IMO it should be pulled until it is finished. WORST(overrated): The Girl. Yes, she is an awesome figure, and artfully modeled, but all of that support for a figure with so few uses? She just doesn't have the adaptability many of us have come to expect for retail figures. Niles, DAZ reps do post here on occasion. But it wouldn't look good if they were posting here more than at their own site. ;)

Hey, I like the small MilCat. It's one of my favorite models ever. I think I use it more than I use Mike or Vicky. But didn't that come out before 2004?

Looniper, please do support David! [waves credit card]

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=850492&Start=1&Artist=PapaBlueMarlin