I'm sensing a long thread string to this one, but hopefully quite informative. :) And here's the deal: I'm interested in buying some Poser items from the RO/Daz store. There are some excellent stuff in the freebee world, but I've been trying to step up my work lately, and what I have isn't completely meeting my needs. And let me just say beforehand that I'm not out to get all Home Shopping Networked and buy everything. :) So this is what I ask of all of you: what do you think is the best of whats around? Now, it doesn't matter whether its a texture, a prop, a hair piece, a character, a pose, etc. It doesn't matter what my artist creative medium is. Nothing matters in this little inquiry but your opinion. But in your opinion, they have to be the absolute best. So go ahead, reply with your faves from across the spectrum of items. It's okay, you can have more than one for each category. I'd be startled if you didnt have more than one. Again, it doesn't matter what it is, just spit em all out. Now don't say it, "one man's trash is another man's prize". I know. But I'm not interested in your trash, just your opinion of the prize. I'd simply take everything everyone says and check it out for myself, to make my own judgements, and maybe getting a little (more) inspiration as I go. Though to get the ball rolling some, I will say that hair pieces and Vicky/Micheal body textures are at the top of the list; but please (pretty please?) dont focus on just that. A nude character with hair doesnt always make up the whole image. IMHO, there has to be a purpose, a strength in it. Besides, my boss would get pissed. :) Okay quick segue: I have a great love (and I suppose a gift) for photography. My cubicle is literally filled with photos that I've taken. I have a 10'x12' space that is 5' high (3 of that 5 has been "taken over"). Doing the math that means that 56 feet of space is being used. It's gotten to the point where co-workers stop in to see if I've added anything recently, not to see me. :) I know, I know, "why the hell is he telling us this?" Simply stated, I'm reaching a low spot in photographical inspiration. But not in Poser. I have many ideas just waiting to be done. In photography, all you need is your trusty camera and the occasional tripod. But Poser requires something a little more. So there it is. The challenge and the reason why. So.... anybody got any ideas? ;D PS- does anyone like the new name logo or prefer the old one? Thanks.

Just a few quickies off the top of my head Industrial models and tons of great props... Baument For monsters and high tech terror... Beyondbent is the only place to go. For "americana" props... FunkyBob! for Michael and Victoria textures... Syyd Raven For lots of cool misc stuff... George Deep, 3d Wizard and Ken Sisemore For Pinup girlie shots... WyrmMaster and You can't go wrong with Daz3d!

I'll give you my top 3 favorite purchases. 1) The 3D world Kit. Don't know if you have Bryce or Vue, even if you do it is great. Definetly the best thing I've ever bought for Poser. 2)The Dreadworks CD from Beyond bent. 3)Sharkey's Angelina Wings.

Attached Link: http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/iishadowcatii/website/index.htm

My favorite Daz puschases? ***** Vicky 2 (the P4 version is very handy) ***** Micheal **** Mike's wedge haircut *** Mike's clothing pack one *** Vic's clothing pack I don't care to much for the vicky/mike clothing packs as they seem to be more difficult to texture than the P4 clothes, but they have their uses. (my opinion anyway) a poserworld subscripton is a very wise move. stuff I am considering buying later Double delight textures from Byte me ok (renderosity store) Dragon factory Daz's Dragon Anton's changing pony tail pack If you're interested, I have free stuff must haves listed on my web page (under beginner's guide)

Wow..
i have no idea..

my opinion, is that..
hmm..
Actually, i bought only the basic stuff in Daz, character, clothe and hair. That's it.

For the texture, i tried to do my own, and at the beginning, i used the ones in the free stuff.

for the props, i force myself to try to create what i need.. hard work, and i sometimes go insane!!!

i'm not sure this answer can really help you.. ;o))

 

Cecile

www.cakeone.com
Computer and Brain Generated Stuff

top favorite purchases: -NoSleeves Cloak by Dacort (avail here and at his site) -Period Dress by Catherine Prezack (sp sorry ) avail at Daz -Costume CD avail at daz -Creature Creation pak (even if they DID forget to include the template for the dragon wings grrr) avail at Daz -Anton's Untamed Blond Hair avail at bbay (or used to be...) -Michael Allan Lane's Bangs Cut hair avail at Daz -Slick Mod hair (looks great on males) avail at Daz -PhilC's Female Knight w/armor(you get a TON! of really neat high quality stuff for a great price!) Free stuff- anything by Bushi, Masa, Rubio, Two-Swords, ISO, Kozaburo, (please forgive me if i left any one out, or spelled your names wrong..) those guys just flat out ROCK! ;) i better stop now ;)

ps i like your new logo ;)

Attached Link: http://www.planet-3d.com

The Creature Creation Pac, Dragon and J. Burton's Hollywood Hair all at DAZ3D are excellent. I have not bought from Baument but from his free stuff everything looks to be top notch. So if you are looking for general props look at his CD. Xurge's STEEL PROPortions is excellent if you are into armour. You are not stuck with just one look, almost endless combinations possible. Hey, Doug thanks for the plug :)

well I would say: Jkeller's rogue outfits for vic and mike George Deep has some of the best habbitats virus makes the bset cars ive seen. Im not talking about just for stills I say for animations too. Of course Daz

Hair by VAIRESH, and UltraSalon Hair by Mhendi. Mazak

No specific "best-buy" list, but someone (Melanie?) once posted this very sage advice : buy those tex's, models, etc. that look good IN NEUTRAL/DEFAULT LIGHTING. You can easily "dress up" things with colored light and strategically-placed shadows, but those tex's/objects that look good "au naturel" are often the best. Good hunting.

If you want Michael textures... well, either Adam or Kane by Syyd is the best you can get, really. Vicki2 is a must. She's almost perfect in every way :)

My "must have's" so far... 1) Daz Vicky 2 2) Daz Michael 3) Daz "Wonder Wedge" hair 4) Daz Vicky/Mick clothing packs 5) "Asia" character (here) 6) "Kane" character (at Daz) I use Daz's "Updo" a lot, but I want Antons changing hair kit from Daz.

a Poserworld subscription (lots of quality stuff) Victoriy 2 (daz3d) Michael (daz3d) Kane tex for Michael (Syyd) Asia tex for Vicky (StefyZZ) Toni tex for Vicky (SkoolDaze) hair from VAIRESH Leather Jeans from billy-t Angelyna Wings from Sharkey Best course of action: Rob a bank and buy everything. ;)

I believe in quality work, Not that anyone's work is better then anyone else's That is a problem in many forums, When someone thinks thier work is better and so good that they snub other people because they think they are better then everyone else. I think the best of the best idea will only add more fule to exsiting balloon headed egoes.

I like the new logo ;) And for my opinions. For textures for Vicky and Mike, Definately Sydd's, although I just got Samil...(sorry, don't have that spelling,lol) Lil pack and it is quite fun. Definately Anton's Changing Hair. You can get almost any style imaginable out of it with the expansion pack, and Mehndi's hair if you are looking for braids. Also Vairesh's Lulu hair. They are about all I am using, and I have most of them. For clothing, get the3dwizards morph kits. If you don't have V2p4, you can fit Posettes clothing to Vicky, and even if you do, you can use posettes clothing on V2 WITH the morphs. The morphs for Vicky's clothing pack he has are great too. My other favs are of course Anton's Changing Fantasy suit and my trusty poserworld subscription. I have bought way more than I should have, just because even though I can make my own, if I see something I think I like my pockets get warm, and these are the ones that I use consistantly and aren't sitting on a back burner waiting till I find something worthwhile to do with them. Angela

These are great people... really good stuff. Keep em comin... Even better, the thread list is starting to look like a conga line. :) Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeettt. And to clarify, if you think this exercise is about ego, or who's better, or anything besides its face value, you completely missed the point. If I wanted to spark an ego war, I'd be a lot more creative about it. :) And now, we bring you back to your regularly scheduled program already in progress.... ;)

Textures for Michael... Syyd and Catharina. Vicky textures... depends. Realistic... SteffyZ. DebbieM and Destiny for painted. Hair... Jim Burton's Hollywood hair and Anton's changing ponytail. (Free... no one can beat Kozaburo) Clothes... If you have a use for them, Anton makes great clothing (love the historical dresses) Clothes textures... Dmentia To many good prop makers to pick, and it very much depends on what you need. Just my 2 cents :o)

What a great thread! I think it'd be kinda cool to have a forum just to review store stuff. I still consider myself a newbie, but I've bought a number of items here and at Daz. Here's my picks. Textures... Destiny (great morphs too) Kane (nuff said) Asia (requires some extra effort with lights, but the results are amazing) Michael's Face Morphs and Textures at Daz (I haven't seen these used a lot in the gallery, but they are top notch) Shelby (my favorite painted texture. The package is loaded with extras including lots of Jen's awesome poses) Hair... Anton's Changing Ponytail (pricey, but well worth it. I use it a lot. Get the expansion too) Wonder Wedge (the best hair for Michael IMO. Also works with Vicky and P4 peeps) Ultrasalon (My current favorite. Lots of looks) Other stuff I use a lot... VCFS and textures MCFS and textures (I'm so glad to get this! More great work from Anton and Dmentia) Craftsman Room Kit (great value. Many ways to customize the look of your room) Daz dragon Anton's Furniture at Daz Anton's Bonsai (I use it for trees and foreground plants. Works well in 3D worlds too) Sharky's Angelina Wings My current addictions... 3D World kit (I got Bryce 5 the same day, but I've spent more time with this kit. It's like a whole new Poser!) Ogre Textures at Daz (I don't know of any texture that renders better than these. Amazing work by Doug Sturk) Stuff I bought and seldom use... Vickie's Clothing Pack (For regular dress, I usually use V2P4 in Posette's stuff) Flip Hair V2 Light texture at Daz (ugh) Honorable mention... Dangerous Curves (Wow! I've never see a retail product as loaded as this free package! Thanks Ironbear) With incredible products like these, even a casual user like me can create stunning images. Keep em coming!

I've learned that my opinion is not very valid, especially since people rarely even give a thanks when you try to help them. Or ironically, people ask for help and then they think you are trying to show them up by helping them. But I do want to give praise to some certain products and also talk about things that make me avoid buying certain products. I recommend Caleb68's Dark Ages Construction Kit and also his Container pack, because of the great value. Regardless of the dispute over the licensing agreement, I don't care. They are great products and as a licenseholder, I'm going to use them. I also recommend Jim Burton's Night Life Shoes. Most of Jim Burton's stuff appears high quality. He is definitely makes the most form fitting clothing in the industry. As a rule, I recommend staying away from the products of any artist who comes off with too big of an ego. I have at times e-mailed questions concerning products to certain retailers and received no reply. This tells me that they think so higly of themselves that I am either beneath them or my money is not good enough for them. They act like they don't need the money. I have found that many artists are good artists, but they are terrible businesspeople. They are artists because they have trained in art, but good conduct of business requires training in business. I recommend staying away from these people. If their practices are not suitable for good customer satisfaction, then they should not be in business. An untrained business mentality often will try to prosper by screwing someone over for 1 dollar today to lose 1000 dollars in future business.

While I'll agree with you Botticelli, there really is no way for anyone to know about the seller's personality until after they have purchased a product and had a problem with it. Amp-three - it seems you are really asking for what things to start off with buying. What are the most improtant must-haves. Most will agree with Vicky & Mike as well as their clothes. Get a PoserWorld subscription. Bbay also has a monthly item deal for a very reasonable price. After that start collecting free items here & there, play with that for a while to see what types of items you want and need.

Botticelli, your (along with everyone elses) opinion matters to me greatly. I wouldnt be asking everyone about this if it didnt. All of you are not showing me up, youre showing me help. And for that, I am, and always have been, very appreciative. We're up to 20 posts on this... i didnt think id get past ten. Shows you what you get for pesimism. ;) So roll the dice, and let this one keep riding... :)

For me, the BBay membership ($15) has been the absolute best, most incredible value. New props or gown or creature EVERY week... and sometimes Traveler has gone way beyond generosity with the weekly offerings. As separate purchases? The Costume Shop CD and Creature Pack from DAZ are basic must-haves. The Dragon, Eagle, and Leopard are very, very nice, especially because of the morphs and textures available in freestuff. The Fairy was needed for her bun hairstyle, but she is a lovely character. I have purchased various items from Anton (18th century suit and gown) and from PhilC (Arabian Dancer and Lady Knight w/horse) and Traveler (Garb Pack) and Symphony (textures) and everybody has been helpful with support and answers where requested. Cal at FunkyBob is wonderfully helpful, too, and I bought his first CD (great value) even though I found most of what I wanted from his site. The quality has been top-notch. (I've made other purchases, but haven't worked with them yet, so shouldn't comment.) I don't have enough money to buy everything I want, and so shop carefully. Future purchases will include hair, since there are some lovely styles with lots of morphs, and Cal's 2nd CD. Carolly

I'm finding this thread very helpful, as a newbie who is saving her pennies for some of the goodies out there that you artist's have listed. Thank you

Hells yeah! Someone is actually backing me and isnt bent on being politically correct! Whoo hoo!