I'm a songwriter (retired teacher) and would like to create a 'Curiosity Shop' to offer teacher's my unique music products to use in the classroom.  Over the last year I've bought backgrounds from artists on this site.  I would like to purchase Wizard's Shop, which has backgrounds and objects perfect for my shop motif. However, I'm not familiar with Daz at all!

My question is, how easy would it be to arrange these backgrounds using Daz studio, I know this is an rookie question, but at present I'm not interested in taking a lot of time to learn 3-D programs.

Second, I have products with illustrative covers, is it possible for me to render these covers (I'm quite proficient in photoshop) into objects that I can place on the shelves of my 'wizard's shop'.

I would appreciate any suggestions on tutorials that are specific to this need.  I notice most Daz tutorials are centered around figures in poses, which I'm not interested in at all.

Can anyone help?

Rubicon 

Start here

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/index.php?ViewProduct=69931

And moving props around is easy as pie. You can render individual props and open them in photoshop too.

When you render them save them as a .png and you will get a transparent background in PhotoShop.  I still  render individual pieces and then put the image together in PhotoShop.  If you are proficient at PS that is the way I would go. 

Thanks, I really would like to learn a 3d program, but you're right, bring them into photoshop as .png files.  I haven't used Daz yet and have not purchased Wizard's Shop, so I think what you're saying is to take a prop into Daz, like a set of shelves, then render it in Daz as a .png file and begin in photoshop to arrange my shop. 

Tell me one other thing, I have Bryce 6, can I bring in the same kind of prop and object files into Bryce and render as .png files as well?

I really appreciate this help

Rubicon

I just reviewed the Read Me for the Wizard's Shop and discovered that all the props and in .png format.  So, I guess what you're saying is I just take the .png files into photoshop and work up my inside shop from there, and not use Daz.

Rubicon

No, the png files are just 91 pixel thumbnails for the library - and in any event, you aren't allowed to just take an image from the zip and work on that, you have to render in a scene.

Thanks for the information.   Is it possible to create my own object, in lets say photoshop, and render it into an .obj so I can manipulate it in Daz?

Not with Photoshop - that creates 2d bit map images, not 3d mesh. There are plenty of tools that will let you create new models, such as Blender (which is free), but I didn't mean you couldn't use the Wizard Shoppe, just that you had to load the items, set up your camera angle (pretty similar to adjusting the viewpoint in a game), add lights and hit render - you can't just take a supplied image file and work directly on that.