If I have stuck this in the wrong place....sorry.

I would very much appreciate someone guiding me which programs to use (and how to do it!) in order to be able to create human form images.

Although I am essentially a traditional artist / illustrator (water colour and airbrush,mainly for architectural illustration and cd covers) I have learned how to use Photoshop for several illustrations....I haven't had the time to find out much about PaintShopPro, and I think it is more awkward to use than Photoshop anyway.

Unfortunately I don't have a clue where to start with producing images such as Fantasy Females and Male forms.

Anyone willing to give me a list of what to get? I am guessing that Poser must be one of them?

Thanks Al.

yes, poser artist (e-frontier).

for poser figures(poser6=excellent app) and for creating a landscape for them and or rendering better quality( Vue5 infinate= awesome app!!) photoshop is best for postwork but i am getting into Corel painter aswell recently!! welcome to Rendo'.

hi al and welcome!

it will really depend on what you want to do and/or how much you want to create or just use what's out there. i too am a traditional artist (though music sidetracked me for 20 years, silly guitar players) i got back into about a year ago...and am loving it again.

this is just my opinion, okay? photoshop is essential (though most imaging programs do the same thing) for "many" things, painting, textures, effects, postwork, ect.

i literally stumbled upon poser but have found it very resourceful and addicting. being able to set a scene and get the killer camera views/renders is perfect. there is a great deal of content out there already for poser characters...both free and for sale. but poser is a must. you will have a small learning curve in regards to rendering and textures and such...but there is such a wealth of information/tutorials out there that makes this easier for you.

next would be a 3d modeling program. you can search the archives for threads in regards to this...there are free and for sale programs. the modeling will allow you to create what you need and/or see in your head. the modeling will be somewhat of a learning curve for you but it is obtainable. i use 3d modeling all the time now. yes there is a lot of 3d stuff out there for free but there's nothing like getting exactly what you want and making it yourself.

and finally the landscape...vue would be my choice. bryce and terragen are other choices to consider. i am amazed at what peps do with terragen...amazing.

or...you can just use poser as a template and paint right over the top of your render and go for it with your imaging program. i would definately encourage you to purchase a tablet too...best thing i have done.

i hope this helps and good luck!

use some of the free 3d mod progs. then if you think you like it try out some of the trial progs...then if you still like it get the best prog you can afford.  depending of course on what you wanna do. if you just want to produce fantasy art work...(leave the fairies alone) your best bet would be to get the free version of daz studio and the free models that come with it....you can gets lots of other free stuff for it as well......use it a bit then see about getting poser.....it's not the route i took (even though i did buy it lmao) cos i realized to my cost i wanted to learn modelling. just make sure of what it is you want from the program before you make a choice. jmo

billy

1.) You just missed out on E-Frontier's offer to give away Poser 5.  That would have been awsome for you, a new user.  Allthou8gh currently it is on sale for $19.95!  Poser 5 was a huge step over poser 4.  Much more than 6 was ro 5.

2.)  Go ove to Daz3D and download the Free version of V3(Victoria 3) allthough she need's her Head/Body morphs, with them she has the Hotest Body around, hands down no questions asked!  Her head morphs, are also really great in that there is tons, and tons, of Artists' content available for them.  Mor so than any other figure.  The drawback to her is that she deos'nt work in the Face room yet though.

3.)  WHile you're there pick up the Free M3(Michael 3) also.  He's not as muscular as his predessesor M2(Michael 2,)  and still kinda needs his morphs pak, but is worth it for for free!

3.)  You also just missed out on Daz3D's give awat of Bryce 5!  It is very similar to Vue 5 Infinite, and is for making sceneery vackgrounds, but is still 10 times cheaper, at $59.99 than Vue 5.  The catch with Vue 5 being that it will Import whole Poser scene file.  Allthough the last version of  Vue did also, soy ou may fin a deal, if you wo'nt ever want to switch/learn a new Environment program.

4.)  A Modeler is something very nice to have, becasue Poser is'nt one.Allthough Poser does have Magnet Deformers, wich one would argue, that for Poser,could do anything a modler can do...(Exept select very specifice Vertices, edges, and Lines.)  So, beware, a basic Modeler is a very simple thing!  There are several free modelers out there to get the job done Free!  There's Blender, and Wings 3D, wichare both supported here.  Conversly you may pay through the nose($1,000 - $4,000) for a High end Modeler like 3D Studio Max, Maya, or Lightwave, etc. that is used frequently in Hollywood. The modller formerly most closely related to Poser is Carrara(They were previously owned by the same company, around the time Poser first hit the big scene.)  But I think the new owners of Poser have a program called Shade....

5.)  Photoshop.

6.)  Premiere - If you'd like to do animated movie files.  Premeire s really cool, becasue Ithin you can share plugins with Photoshop!

7.)  Dreamweaver - Again there are free HTML modelers, but this one is widely used.

Attached Link: DAZ|Studio

am i allowed to sell my poser 5 for 10 bucks to someone..it isn't warez is it lol...and that was a joke for those who have no sense of humour...

seriously. ...if someone wants a poser, am i allowed to give them mine if i haven't used the license.

billy

Thanks everyone......

At least you have confirmed more or less what I was thinking I needed (as to what they do and how they work is another thing!)

What I was hoping to do is to produce images similar to the (say) 'Blood Fang' examples I guess you have all seen......But honestly, I don't know if this is 2D or 3D. Because I produce architectural illustrations, I consider these are 3D views of 2D information.

The trouble is when it is on my screen, it is 2D......But then, so is everything else!

Thanks again. Al.

Mind you Poser or DAZ Studio is only a start...... I would recommend Poser 5, it's only $20 and much better then D/S. The best is Poser 6, but that will be a bit more expensive $129 for the upgrade from Poser 5.

Next you need figures, clothes, hair, textures and more......

Just to give you an example........

Let's assume we're going to create a king and queen. For this you'll need a lot of stuff.

Figures, we go with mike 3 and vicky 3 since they're free at www.daz3d.com.

But to turn them into the figures you like, you need textures and morphs:

http://www.daz3d.com/shop.php?op=itemdetails&item=3008&spmeta=rl

http://www.daz3d.com/shop.php?op=itemdetails&item=1102&spmeta=rl

http://www.daz3d.com/shop.php?op=itemdetails&item=1562&spmeta=rl

http://www.daz3d.com/shop.php?op=itemdetails&item=3009&spmeta=rl

That's $110, but by becoming a platinum member at DAZ you can save a lot, so you pay $30 (membership) and $77 ( $110 - $33 savings) equals $107. Not much savings yet, but they will come.

Now we need clothing and hair for the queen:

http://www.daz3d.com/shop.php?op=itemdetails&item=2088

http://www.daz3d.com/shop.php?op=itemdetails&item=1295&spmeta=rq

http://www.daz3d.com/shop.php?op=itemdetails&item=1849

This is $15, due to the pc membership you pay $15 instead of $61

Now we need stuff for the king:

http://www.daz3d.com/shop.php?op=itemdetails&item=2086

http://www.daz3d.com/shop.php?op=itemdetails&item=1733&spmeta=rq

http://www.daz3d.com/shop.php?op=itemdetails&item=1641&spmeta=rq

That's another $16 (but you 'saved' a lot again.

You've now paid $138 and that's only the start. For each figure you want, you may end up buying other clothes, hair and so on. Also you've got no backgrounds and so on, you all need to buy it seperately.

Before you get into all of this, consider the cost that you projects may run into. Some may argue you can get a lot of Poser content for free, that is true, but often it lacks the quality needed. Before you know you've spent 100's or 1000's of dollars on all you want.

If you can draw/paint figures by hand, it may be better to stick to that :-)

Thanks for this as well.

This sounds a bit bigheaded, but as my PC has just cost me close to $4000 (at the current exchange rate...UK £) it looks as though the 'stuff' I will need is somewhat lower, although I bet I will find it soon mounts up! 

I have no problem with traditional methods but I have to admit I am getting fed up with time and potential mess....I got like this with cars when I used to maintain them myself...now I can't be bothered to get in a mess.

Al.

Poser is a time saver for sure. I'm into creating comics. Used to do it the traditional way, takes ages. With Poser and a Photopaint & DTP application the time it takes for me to complete a comic is less then 20% of what is uded to be.

But, the cost for creating the comic has gone up up at least 500%, depending on the project. In the end it all levels out I guess. But for me, time has been the biggest issue and my workflow has improved greatly.

Poser6 is an awesome application. For outdoor scenes, I prefer Carrara5Pro which is a better companion to Poser than Vue5 IMHO. This may change with Vue6. Modeling is done with Cinema 4D 6 CE and Hexagon. I also used Wings3D for some objects. Postwork is mostly done with Photoshop or PSP.

Other apps I use are Xfrog, UVMapper Pro and Morphmaster.

Additions as Terraformers and Microcosm 2, turn Poser into somewhat of a landscape creation application also. Now if E-Frontier could only add some kind of Modeling Room, I would be set.

I've attached a image from my latest project, the creation, it's all done with Poser 6.

Quote - am i allowed to sell my poser 5 for 10 bucks to someone..it isn't warez is it lol...and that was a joke for those who have no sense of humour...

seriously. ...if someone wants a poser, am i allowed to give them mine if i haven't used the license.

Yep, the only thing you can't do according to the EULA is sell it on ebay.  Whether you've used it or not, you can give away or sell your copy of Poser. EF even has a downloadable transfer of ownership form which you print out to enable the new owner to re-register it in his name (not necessary if the copy of Poser has never been registered)

thanks for the info. manhunter

i don't thnk i'll be using it so i may give it to a deserving case

billy

I have downloaded Daz Studio and Vicky....I got four downloads for these...what the hell is ps_pe036_V3.sit?......it wouldn't open whatever it was.

Anyway, I have partly sussed how to manipulate the woman but she is being a little non-compliant......(all the women out there immediately shout that it's my fault!).....Haven't figured out how to delete the environment from the main image yet, neither have I figured out what/how all the options work down the left side....

However, as I haven't acquired Poser yet, I had better carry on with what I have got until I understand more.

Excuse thickery, but what is Postwork?.....never had a cause to use the expression.

Thanks all again, Al.

Quote - Excuse thickery, but what is Postwork?.....never had a cause to use the expression.

Thanks all again, Al.

postwork is when you take your render into a 2d application such as paint shop  and make some advantageous changes. things like smoothing out joint creases. tarting up the eyes or lases etc.

you can also do a render in stages and put them together or manipulate then in a 2d prog as well

billy

Quote - what the hell is ps_pe036_V3.sit?

All DAZ downloads come in versions for both Windows and Mac: .SIT is the Mac version, which (assuming you're on a PC) you can ignore in future. Just take the .EXEs.

I found a load of free stuff, half of which doesn't work....something to do with file names or where I filed them. The program itself  doesn't work that well....several things don't respond or aren't installed....but it works and I got a half decent result for first attempt.

Unfortunately, the images don't save well as anything other than a Daz type file.....the jpeg and tiff versions are sh.te.

Still, I guess I had better transfer my questions to a Daz topic or buy Poser...if it is better.

Thanks for all the advice. Al.

Al.

If you want Poser, Content Paradise is selling Poser5 for 19.99 USD. You can do almost everything with it that Poser6 does.

http://www.contentparadise.com/us/user/poser_5_english_full_version_product_22249

I use Poser and I always save as a TIFF and convert to a JPEG in my 2D program. I think it makes for a cleaner render.

What are your render settings at? That could be part of your problem.She does look a bit rough.

I'm still trying to get the idea of a $4,000 PC..it should be able to do anything..

"If it is better...?

:scared:

$20 for Poser 5 Cripples any hope for DAZ Studio, and then leaves the door open to Mercy Slaying.

:ohmy:  You're kinda looking into the sun at this;  where Poser 5 was, unbelievably :woot: given away last week, and now e-frontier does'nt need anybody going into Withfrawals, so are only Partially Eclipsing the situation

:crying: A pity you hav'nt the experience to see you'd better jump all over it!  I remember first seeing an add for Poser 5, and quickly noting it's $449 price tag, like yesturday :rolleyes:!

al, to think that you can just "whip something out" is unrealistic...there is a learning curve.

do you think if i download auto cad i'm going to be able to whip out a fully detailed high rise building in a day?

take small steps and post your questions with pictures...peps here will help as much as they can.

Surely you don't think I'm stupid enough to think there isn't a learning curve?

But....the only way I learned enough about Photoshop, was to be put under pressure to get some projects done....it took about a month of evenings to learn what I actually needed....but I know there is still more to pick up.

I learned by making errors and found out how to correct them, largely on my own, but also by picking up the odd tip from other people. The same applies with watercolour, airbrush, oils or carpentry....you never stop learning, but if needs must, you sometimes have to do things in a hurry, regardless.

The same applies here....so I'm sorry if I am picking your brains.

As a matter of interest, how do we all stand on the subject of copyright?.....If the software is available freely and legitimately, plus the image is something newly created using the material avavailable, is there any likelihood that I would infringe copyright?

Regarding the PC ....it is in all truth nearer to $3400.....But you try living in the UK! Mind you it is a purpose built  AMD 64 X2 4600 with 2G DDR2 memory and two monitors, plus a huge black case which if they can't bury me in it, they can keep rabbits in it.

Thanks, Al.....off to figure out render settings and what that all means, plus catch up on urgent 'manual' work.

Attached Link: Bryce 5 Free!

I was just over in the Bryce forum, and noticed a Sticky that AgentSmith posted.  Apparently Daz3D has extended thier Free Bryce 5 offer to Sept 20th!

:thumbupboth:

 I couldn't find it just now.....got a link, please?

Seen it...thanks.

Al.

As to copyright, if you use daz studio, bryce, etc to create an image, that image is automatically copyright to you. It's yours to do whatever you want with.

You only run into copyright issues if you start out by using someone else's image. No matter how much you modify it, it's still a derivative nad as such is owned by the creator od the original image.

Thanks Jeff.....It seems it is as much as I have always believed.

For example, if I use say, an article of clothing (Freebie) that someone else produced for use with Daz V3,.....as long as I check the terms of that Freebie, ie whether for private and or commercial use, and use it in accord with theose terms, I will not infringe anything?

I also guess that it would be a good gesture to give credits to those persons when the final document gets 'released' ie: Designed by AlLewis, using XXXX,YYYY, and FFFF?

Thanks again...Al.

The link was in my last post, where it says "Free Bryce 5?"

If you get stuck it's:

http://www.daz3d.com/program/bryce/bryce5free.php , anyhow.

It's actually at Download.com.  I did a search there and found it.

AlLewis there's one thing people recommending 'forgot'to mention about DAZ Studio. While it is free, you pay a price for using it, if you like it or not.

If you ever decide to use Poser instead (and eventually you will, since D/S is like Poser used to be 6 years ago) you will have one major problem..... integration with Poser. You will need to redo all of your work, since your work CANNOT be opened or imported into Poser at all. DAZ prevents users from doing that. You can open your Poser work in D/S, but DAZ doesn't allow you to go the other way around.

Second major problem with D/S is integration with other applications. Due to DAZ not giving the file format free to others, D/S does not integrate well with other applications, besides Bryce. so if you ever are going to use a different application for rendering (for example Vue or Lightwave), you're in for some trouble.

Poser on the other hand works well with other applications and a lot of them around can open Poser files directly (included animation).

So before you go and do lot's of work with D/S consider these matters. DAZ wants to bind you to them as a customer, while E-Frontier (makers of Poser) give you freedom of what you do wih your final work.

Also just keep in mind that all the free stuff people are directing you to, are free for sure, but are either lacking all of the modern features or are simply outdated. Bryce 5 is over 5yrs old and D/S can be compared to Poser 4 which is more then 6yrs old.

I recommend you look around to different applications before you make a final choice.

Bryce is at Daz 3d (handy that..and if you upgrade to 5.5, it can hand off things more easily to  Daz Studio, and vicey versy..;)

Mistakes will take you places that manuals won't..;) Don't be afraid to pick our brains, it's what we're here for.

Credits are always appreciated, it's the polite thing to do..;)

Thank you all again....It seems I have a lot of options over which way to go and which need some careful consideration....I'm gonna copy all your replies and advice and sit down and read them carefully.

Unfortunately right now, I have four architectural illustrations on the go at the same time (like a production line....four skies, four sets of roofs, millions of trees etc etc).....none with digital input!....so you can imagine I am under pressure.

My need for the Poser/Daz route is for something completely different.....I have 8 audio CD covers to do, all with the same woman, in different poses, in different clothes in different environments, all verging on fantasy...If I use the usual route (airbrush) I run the risk of a cock-up, or  a bad likeness or more.....Poser or Daz seems logical, clean, easily corrected errors, probably quicker and less dangerous....I can't tell you how many times my scalpels have slid off my board!....one stuck in my leg....luckily my leg and not my lap. 

The ideas are in my head so all I have to do is get them onto PC....Unfortunately I don't have the time to 'make' clothes and hair, so they will have to be purchased....although I would like to know how to 'make'  them.

I am on an extra fast learning curve here, so I am probably going to miss certain things you tell me, so sorry if I repeat a question already answered.....when it comes to PCs etc, I am a bit on the slow side....if they ran on petrol it would be brilliant....race tuning motorcycle engines is a doddle.

Thanks to all again.

Al.