Hi, How do you turn off the activate surface selection tool? And what is it for? Can you get sun, skies, water, terrains, into studio? Are there any tutorials on working with anything EXCEPT figures in Studio? How can you get colour into Studio (everything renders in shades of grey at the moment!) Help? Fran

The Surface Selection tool is a tool to use to select the surface of an object with your mouse without having to search for it in the surfaces palette. You can choose another tool in the top row of buttons. You cannot create an environment in Studio, but you can use environment props to "fake" an environment. If you have Bryce, you can take what you've put together in DAZ|Studio and import it into Bryce. What sort of things are you looking for? Basically, DAZ|Studio is a Posing/Rendering/Basic Animation program, which is quite a lot for a free program. You can use primitives to create using the free Primitives plugin from DAZ. As for your colour problem, first I'm going to assume that you've got the latest version of studio (1.0.1.0), and you've updated your video card drivers. After that, Go into your Surfaces palette (if it is not on your desktop, go to Windows>Surfaces) and see what colours are set up for your object. ;) Not all of us use Studio for just human figures. I love using Lisa's Botanicals Collection for different images, and importing it into Bryce 5.5 for volumetric environments. I hope that helps, and, if not, let us know ;) MS

"The Surface Selection tool is a tool to use to select the surface of an object with your mouse without having to search for it in the surfaces palette. You can choose another tool in the top row of buttons." 1) I cannot find the right selection button in Daz Studio, I just want to revert to normal selection of objects. And that's just what I cant find! "You cannot create an environment in Studio, but you can use environment props to "fake" an environment. If you have Bryce, you can take what you've put together in DAZ|Studio and import it into Bryce. What sort of things are you looking for?" I just wanted to try creating an image using Daz Studio, preferably before the end of November so that I can take advantage of the current Daz Studio offer. But as I can't do people I thought I'd try using my Wings created models, but they dont show up with the colours I applied in Wings. And now I cant even select the objects themselves, and I cant figure out how to select individual surfaces to try changing their colour in Daz... (sigh) "You can use primitives to create using the free Primitives plugin from DAZ." I dont see that that will help me in this instance... "As for your colour problem, first I'm going to assume that you've got the latest version of studio (1.0.1.0), and you've updated your video card drivers." It's dangerous to assume. I havent downloaded that for 1 original reason and since your reply to me 2 reasons, One is: Last time I downloaded a new version of Daz just after the anouncement of its arrival, I had to uninstall it as it kept on crashing and taking Bryce with it. (Later on I got the version I now have) 2nd reason is that no way am I messing with my video card drivers, they've worked perfectly well up to now and whenever I try doing something fancy like that I crash the entire computer, and I'm way too dependant on it to risk that, especially as my computer guy is not available until half way through December. "After that, Go into your Surfaces palette (if it is not on your desktop, go to Windows>Surfaces) and see what colours are set up for your object." That much I could do, but is that option not available in the previous version of Studio then? (I have version 1.0.0.0 of Studio and Bryce5.5c) ";) Not all of us use Studio for just human figures. I love using Lisa's Botanicals Collection for different images, and importing it into Bryce 5.5 for volumetric environments." Oh good, that's extremely good news, not that I can afford to buy anything like that just now, (especially with Xmas looming) It would be so nice to get a proper handle on how Studio works apart from just using it to get a nekkid figure into Bryce to test shadows, or to aquire a building I've bought. I've done everything in Bryce up to now, but I felt I ought to at least attempt to figure out Studio. Okay, here's all I can find of buttons in the top bar, after the "What's this" tool: 'activate the rotate tool' 'activate the translate tool' 'activate the scale tool' 'activate the power pose tool' 'activate the spot render tool' then it's render, camera and lights but no select object tool help? I just want all those adjustment tools back that used to be over on the right of the screen...

If I ever get clever enough, what I'd really like to be able to do is; hair and clothe a person, pose the person and plonk them carefully down into one of my scenery objects - i.e. my sci-fi corridor and render! I do realise this is currently impossible, but I can dream can't I?

Ok, in order to select an object, you have to go to "Scene" and see if your object is in the listing. It should be, if you exported it from Wings3D without a lot of extra jazz. I'm not 100% sure on why your material isn't importing, because I know next to nothing about Wings 3D (I can open it and that's it, LOL. I don't have enough hours in the day to learn how to model just yet). But, once you've done that, you should be able to go into your surface palette and see the surfaces. And, from there, you can edit the surface(es) to your heart's content. The options I listed have been available for some time in the beta versions, but, for complete compatibility, I do suggest updating both your graphics card drivers and Studio. It sounds like you've had lots of problems, but, just because something bad happened once, doesn't mean it will always happen. I've got Bryce 5.5c and D|S 1.0.1.0 installed, and I've had minimal problems, and usually they have to do with me trying to do too much for my computer. It also may be that your computer is out of date. And, I can understand being a bit apprehensive about upgrading your computer for a free program. I wouldn't have before, but, now, I'd do it in a heartbeat, if I could afford it. It's a matter of doing with what you have most of the time, if you can't afford it. In any case, what you're wanting to do is actually quite possible. you can't make dynamic hair, but you can make hair in wings, texture them (usually in photoshop, PSP, or The Gimp), and apply that to your figure..and create clothes in wings, texture them and apply that to your figure. However, DAZ|Studio does not have the proper rigging capabilities to make figures poseable. Right now, Poser can do that. If you don't have Poser, but you know someone you trust that has Poser, why not let them have a bash at rigging your props so you can have them in DAZ|Studio? It could make them more useful to you in the long run. I hope I haven't confused you too much.

I assume you're exporting the items from Wings3D as OBJ files? Although there may well be an MTL file with the OBJ which specifies the colour and texture settings, DAZ|Studio doesn't (yet - in this case we know there is an internal version that will do the trick, since one of the developers told us, though we don't know when or how it will be relased) read it so you have to redo the settings in the Surfaces palette. Rotate, Translate and Scale are all "selection" tools - they let you click on an object to select it and at the same time bring up the controls for their function. PowerPose is also a seelction tool, and by default it doesn't display any control gizmo which may make it easier to see what you are doing.

"However, DAZ|Studio does not have the proper rigging capabilities to make figures poseable." It has quite a bit of rigging ik and pose ability. Animation etc... Very easy to use. Not perfect, of course. No dynamic stuff tho. Maybe I misunderstood. Seems very stable and not resource hoggy.

I suppose if you mean creating your own bone rigs and characters then putting them together...then no D|S doesn't do this...at least not to my knowledge.No wizards or designers either. But poser has some problems w/ ik also. But, for posing I certainly don't think you should have problems.

"Ok, in order to select an object, you have to go to "Scene" and see if your object is in the listing. " I see, and that will bring up all the functions that WERE visible in the right-hand menu before clicking on surface selection, will it? (BTW, I can get all that back if I close the program down, but as I dont understand the complexity of Daz's "save" options as yet, I can't save what I've already done... I suppose you couldn't explain all those "Save" options could you?) "But, once you've done that, you should be able to go into your surface palette and see the surfaces. And, from there, you can edit the surface(es) to your heart's content." "The options I listed have been available for some time in the beta versions, but, for complete compatibility, I do suggest updating both your graphics card drivers and Studio." Graphics card updating will have to wait for mid-december, (what I dont get is WHY a new computer would even need updating, I haven't had it long you know, it's only a few months old) "It sounds like you've had lots of problems, but, just because something bad happened once, doesn't mean it will always happen." The only crashes I've had lately were when I installed a new version of Daz... (but that was on the PC, not this desktop replacement laptop) The only crashes I've had on this have been occassionally when attempting to use a 2d image, once on a 2D plane (and that crash disolved Daz AND Bryce5.5c, and did it everytime I tried it, this was the third 2D image in that scene I gave up on that, scene is still unfinished and of course Daz don't listen when you report such bugs they just say "resolved" (when it isn't) and then before you can say anything they say "closed") And the second was on an almost empty scene where I attempted to use a 2D image on something for a material..... Oh yes, it was to use that 2D image as a texture for a panel on my corridor, I can't remember if I gave up on that particular image or if I wewnt back to an untextured version of the corridor and added the 2D image to that, and thus saved the texture and then went back to the almost completely textured corridor and added the texture from the mat lab that way... I think. Now I dunno whether that tells you anything about my graphics drivers or not, but if it does I promise I'll do something about it, in Mid-December. "I've got Bryce 5.5c and D|S 1.0.1.0 installed, and I've had minimal problems, and usually they have to do with me trying to do too much for my computer. It also may be that your computer is out of date." Er, no. Not possible. It's a very new desktop replacement laptop, a pentium (R) 4 CPU 3.60GHz 2.00GB of Ram WinXP Professional service pack 2 NVIDIA GeForce Go 6800 "And, I can understand being a bit apprehensive about upgrading your computer for a free program." Yes, well considering that my husband still won't tell me how much he paid for this computer and the fact that there's no way we'd be able to replace such a cost again (this time was a fluke) You might have underestimated my reluctance! gg "I wouldn't have before, but, now, I'd do it in a heartbeat, if I could afford it." Afford? Dont use that word! g "It's a matter of doing with what you have most of the time, if you can't afford it." Uhu, yes, absolutely! (nodding head vigorously) "In any case, what you're wanting to do is actually quite possible. you can't make dynamic hair, but you can make hair in wings, texture them (usually in photoshop, PSP, or The Gimp), and apply that to your figure..and create clothes in wings, texture them and apply that to your figure." Um... no I dont think so. I understand that figures and therefore clothes are one of the most difficult things to model, and I'm nowhere near clever enough to do that in Wings, I just do... things... I mean I'm still having enourmous trouble with the membrane of a bat's wing I've been back to my teachers (I consider the entire Wings Forum here on Rosity to be my teachers, they are all so much above me in talent and abilities gg kind of nice to have a whole forum of teachers isnt it?) but still can't figure out the bat's wing, something to do with connecting verts and not being sure which of 4 are the right two... anyway I'll be going back to that to try stuff out later. What was I saying? No Idea, never mind. What were YOU saying... "However, DAZ|Studio does not have the proper rigging capabilities to make figures poseable. Right now, Poser can do that." I don't have these new Posers cos I cant afford it, and I won't be able to afford anything new until maybe the middle of next year, if I'm lucky. I do have Poser4, knocking about somewhere, but I didnt install it on this computer since I've had so much trouble with it, not with posing, (version 4 was easier for that than Poser 3, which frankly was crap at moving anything, very clunky and jerky) but with getting hair and clothes onto figures and getting them to stay there! Getting clothes on with no gaps in the clothes is almost impossible, If I then try to pose a figure it all falls off or the clothes stay where they are while the figure moves... anyway I dont want to even think about clothes, gets me too frustrated and angry. " If you don't have Poser, but you know someone you trust that has Poser, why not let them have a bash at rigging your props so you can have them in DAZ|Studio?" Don't know anyone like that. I don't usually talk about Poser anyway, just Wings and modelling and some Bryce. "It could make them more useful to you in the long run. I hope I haven't confused you too much." I wouldn't say confused, no. RHaseltine, "I assume you're exporting the items from Wings3D as OBJ files?" I always say it's dangerous to assume, but in this case you're right. "Although there may well be an MTL file with the OBJ which specifies the colour and texture settings, DAZ|Studio doesn't (yet - in this case we know there is an internal version that will do the trick, since one of the developers told us, though we don't know when or how it will be relased) read it so you have to redo the settings in the Surfaces palette." Yes, I dont actually much like the materials from Wings, I'm not very good at that sort of thing so I usually just use them as placeholders, until I can get the obj into Byrce for proper texturing do Bryce textures show up in Studio? Would that be the way to get a decent looking model into Studio? Texture it in Bryce first? Suddenly I recall that you can export terrains from Bryce... would that also be a way to get scenery into Studio? Or can you only get one thing into Studio? That wouldn't help if you cant get the terrain's textures in too... "Rotate, Translate and Scale are all "selection" tools - they let you click on an object to select it and at the same time bring up the controls for their function." I got all the tool thingies back on the right hand menu just by closing and reopening Studio, but as I said above - since I can't save in Studio, that doesnt help much. I'll give all those tools a poke in a mo, when I get studio opened this morning. "PowerPose is also a seelction tool, and by default it doesn't display any control gizmo which may make it easier to see what you are doing." PowerPose is just for people, isnt it? Fran

Ok, let's start with the basics. I'm a little confused with things going missing, save options, stuff like that, mostly because I just woke up, lol, but I'm attaching a screenshot of my DAZ|Studio setup, It's diffrent probably from a lot of people, but 1. I prefer to work in portrait view, and 2. I like everything to be right in front of me. I've made an inset of the tab setup, mostly for my benefit, lol, because making the image small made it unreadable to me. I think, in this instance, perhaps a screenshot of your D|S setup would help me explain what does what and why/how. :D Oh, and Power Pose is so much more than just for people. I use it on darn near everything. I've used it to pose hair, clothes, even plants and trees ;). It's just a tool to move a model, or parts of a model, in a scene ;).

Okay, here's a screen shot before I click on that surfaces thingie... (Gosh, I hope it's not too big) Took me quite a while getting this positioned right, so I keep on wondering how I should save this - since at the moment everytime I use Daz I just have to start all over again from scratch. I wondered if that odd drawer you have was something from the new version of Studio, until I saw what you'd said. ggg So what does PowerPose do? I mean I can already move my corridor in Studio, or else you'd be looking at it's roof, what does PowerPose do that's different to what I already use to move stuff in Studio? I'll post a screen shot of what I see when that surfaces thing is clicked... in a mo...

Um... no I won't. I just don't believe this.... I was all set to show you the way the selection tool thingies on the righthand side of the screen disappear... so I clicked on that surfaces thing... and they didn't disappear. Okay, so lets forget about that - until I manage to reproduce it. In the meantime can we talk about saving? If we can... can you explain which is the correct option to pick from the above list in order to save what I now have inside DazStudio?

Save the scene.

Yes - the Scene saves everything, the various presets save some kind of settings so that you can reapply them later. Say you have that corridor in your screenshot set up with textures and other surfaces settings just the way you want it. You can save it as a Scene file, and load it in future by double-clicking the saved file in the Content palette (that will add it to whatever you have loaded already, it's the same as File>Merge) or you can go to File>Open and load just the corridor as a new scene. However, if you make several different versions of the corridor that have their own surface settings that can get tiresome; if instead you select the corridor and save a Material preset you can then apply it to the corridor to set the surfaces the way you had them. Presets let you try different combinations without having to delete the object and load a fresh version in its place.

"if instead you select the corridor and save a Material preset you can then apply it to the corridor to set the surfaces the way you had them." OooOOooH! (impressed expression) Sounds handy, thanks. Great... now if I can just remember what it was I was doing before the problems hit me...

Powerpose is very handy. As far as I know using a modeler you are going to need to do uv mapping w/ another program(s). You can apply colors, but there are no real material creators, 3d paint etc...

Is it possible to get the textures applied in Bryce to show in Studio?

Only image textures from bryce can work in studio.

And DAZ|Studio doesn't read .mtl files, which go with OBJ files to specifiy the material colours and textures applied, so you would have to reapply them by hand. I'm not sure if Bryce even exports texture maps - it doesn't keep a reference to the file on the disc once the texture is applied, but contains it in the scene file. If the maps are saved from Bruce then we fo know that D|S is going to gain the ability to read .mtl files, but not when.

It'll all come true with Bryce6 and I won't be able to afford it... (sob) That's Fate.

The metal fixer program can fix the mtl files to work in bryce but you need poser to make that program work (it uses pz3 files).

the mtl files already work in Bryce, it's in Daz I need them or even just the areas to work...