Hello all. I have decided to try to break into content creation for DAZ Studio (and Poser) in the coming year. I know 3d, modeling in particular, and know both DAZ Studio and Poser from an end user's perspective.

My question is this: What modelling software is the most widely used for this purpose? Which is the best suited to the work? I know how to model in Maya, but let's face it; nobody has that kind of money, as an individual. So I am looking at Hexagon and Silo, primarily, since I am led to believe the rest of the pipeline can be accomplished in DAZ Studio itself. Well, except for texturing, but I own Photoshop CS6 for that. Are there better choices than either Hexagon or Silo? Price is a consideration (not for Hexagon, obviously), but if I need to, I'll plunk down as much as $200 to get the right tool.

TL;DR: What tool should I use for the modeling part of DS/Poser content creation?

Also, are there any particular tutorials or learning resources I should buy or get to learn this stuff? I hear Fugazi1968's stuff is good, but I don't know which of his things to buy.

I use Shade3d. The basic edition sells for around $50, the standard and pro editions are a bit more. If you're a student or educator you can get a 3-year license of Maya (or 3dsMax) for free from Autodesk. Then there are Wings and Blender (both of which are free).

wheatpenny posted at 9:17PM Wed, 02 December 2015 - #4242098

If you're a student or educator you can get a 3-year license of Maya (or 3dsMax) for free from Autodesk.

I'd honestly be too scared to go that route. The free licenses say you can't use them commercially, and I be afraid of a pack of rampaging lawyers coming my way.

I'll check into the others though.

IF you go the Hex route, there are lovely, free tutorials here.... http://www.geekatplay.com/hexagon-tutorials.php But Hex is almost totally unsupported, having many of the features of Abandonware.

donnena posted at 9:20PM Wed, 02 December 2015 - #4242101

IF you go the Hex route, there are lovely, free tutorials here.... http://www.geekatplay.com/hexagon-tutorials.php But Hex is almost totally unsupported, having many of the features of Abandonware.

Is it buggy at all? If it's not and is fairly stable, it might be just what I need.

I use Maya sometimes Max and sometimes Blender (even Wings3D or Hex) pushing and pulling polys is all the same. as far as tuts go. there's lots of free tuts all over the web on most modeling apps to get you started with the basics.

I notice nobody in this list is mentioning Carrara. Should I take that as an indication of its modeling abilities?

Of course it's buggy!! UV mapping is a horror! You cannot save it. you have to complete it all in one go!!
All of my exported objects develop a new material zone on export.
I'm pretty sure there is a memory leak.... It works better every time I upgrade my machine!!
It ignores the scale you set in the export dialog. Just pretend you don't see the option, Hex doesn't see it either!!!

On the plus side, it's cheap, it works. You can make pretty cool stuff. It will let you create greater than 4 sided polys, but it will tell ya where they are if you ask.
I've got Silo, too, but I need to spend more time with the Tutorials!! Silo doesn't like to make triangles, but it will UV map reasonably well!

I use Hex, but lean toward Wings3d to fill in gaps. Hex is more functional as a modeller than Carrara....but Carrara does more other stuff (animation, texture, posing, etc). There are a few things Hex can't do (and its development is abandoned...), and then that where Wings3d can help. Blender is awesome but a steeper learning curve, huge community! Then the full time modelers invest in ZBrush/Maya/Modo, etc...

taking a different turn, is you might check out 3d-coat, there is a free 30 day demo its a voxel sculpting, topologizng, UV, painting etc app, the description doesn't do it justice. They have a home edition that is 99 I believe. just has smaller map size on the textures I think 2K. You could use it in conjunction with other apps as part of the workflow.

Hmm used that also but just for some quick props so i would assume that is ok also if that is what you have..if all your doing is modeling and exporting as a OBJ into Daz to create a prop or create and rig a character doesnt matter then any 3D modeling program should work.

donnena posted at 9:44PM Wed, 02 December 2015 - #4242109

Of course it's buggy!! UV mapping is a horror! You cannot save it. you have to complete it all in one go!!
All of my exported objects develop a new material zone on export.
I'm pretty sure there is a memory leak.... It works better every time I upgrade my machine!!
It ignores the scale you set in the export dialog. Just pretend you don't see the option, Hex doesn't see it either!!!

Mother of God. I was looking at it specifically for the bridge to DAZ Studio, but if it can't get stuff into DS right, there's no point.

Also, I have Fugazi's Hex tutorials sold at Daz, and they are good...recommended. The Bridge to Daz is great for morphs, but for clothes, etc. any obj brought in and then rig transfer is easy in DS....so don't decide based on the bridge.

Since you mentioned in the other thread you already own Carrara...why not just see if you can do what you need with that??? Once you learn modeling its all about the interface, knowing the buttons, etc.

I use Wings 3D and Hexagon and I've even used Blender. You can use anything you want...there are quite a few free programs that will get the job done.

FWIW, Silo is an excellent modeler. No need to spend more than that.

Laurie

As for Carrara there are several people that model with it (I just picked up a nice dedicated modeling tutorial for Carrara that is making things go smoothly so far), its not got all the cool shortcuts but if you visit the Carrara forum and look at some of the stuff kixum (sp) he is listed at the top of the forums I think makes some great stuff with it. Stu uses both Carrara and 3d-coat and does some cool things with em. Lot of different modelers out there. There is NVil by digital fossils. I have it installed from the free trial but haven't had a chance to really use it but looks very nice.

I can also vouch for Nvil...it's an awesome tool and it's cheap too for as much as it does.

Laurie

Much depends on what interface you are comfortable with.

Carrara has most of the tools, but many find the interface not to their liking. (Note nobody has all the tools. :) )

I know Modo and Lightwave have a special place in the Poser/DS verse because you can do quite a few things with them without changing vert order, and destroying morphs or changing the UV's.

I have tested both Modo and Maya with DS's FBX import and that retains OpenSubDiv edge creasing when brought into DS.

But please use demos and find the interface that works for you.

bhoins posted at 2:38PM Thu, 03 December 2015 - #4242198

I know Modo and Lightwave have a special place in the Poser/DS verse because you can do quite a few things with them without changing vert order, and destroying morphs or changing the UV's.

It would be more correct to say that you can edit the mesh in many ways within modo or Lightwave without destroying the UVs or morphs that are set up as morphs inside the application - anything that changes the vertex count, such as adding or removing resolution, will break compatibility with Morph Loader etc. but it will (mostly) preserve the UV maps and morph maps assigned to the geometry are it is being edited. Tasks which don't change the vertex count, such as grouping or surfacing, will preserve the vertex order however.

RHaseltine posted at 2:16PM Thu, 03 December 2015 - #4242268

bhoins posted at 2:38PM Thu, 03 December 2015 - #4242198

I know Modo and Lightwave have a special place in the Poser/DS verse because you can do quite a few things with them without changing vert order, and destroying morphs or changing the UV's.

It would be more correct to say that you can edit the mesh in many ways within modo or Lightwave without destroying the UVs or morphs that are set up as morphs inside the application - anything that changes the vertex count, such as adding or removing resolution, will break compatibility with Morph Loader etc. but it will (mostly) preserve the UV maps and morph maps assigned to the geometry are it is being edited. Tasks which don't change the vertex count, such as grouping or surfacing, will preserve the vertex order however.

You would think. :) That is the way it is supposed to work.

Depending no what you are doing, you can maintain morph compatibility with those two programs and some polyreduction tools, and sometimes with cutting away pieces of mesh. (Shocked me to hear it and caused me to test a few things myself.) Now I wouldn't create a morph that way, but it is my understanding that is how the LOD meshes were created for V4 and M4, and they do take the standard V4 and M4 morphs.

http://another-bob.deviantart.com/ This tutorial includes extensive links to other worthwhile tutorials and tools. Two points you should note, Most paid for tutorials are bunk; there are a lot of excellent free resources. Content Creation earns less than minimum wage due to piracy. Ask me about it.

I should have mentioned from the outset that I also have and know hot to use zBrush, but I detest its zModeler polygonal modeling tools. Detest isn't even a strong enough word, really. I'm really just looking for something for that sort of modeling, and I'll do my sculpting in zBrush.

My idea for a typical work flow is to do my box modeling and base UVing of lower detail or hard surface meshes like environments in , then move the mesh over to zBrush for refining organic forms and detailing things like dents, scratches, etc. After that, I'd do some polypainting in zBrush, texture fiddling in Photoshop, and rigging in DAZ Studio or Poser Pro.

Hexagon 2.5 it will do all you are looking for and more it will also give you the Daz bridge at the same time. Carrara is great software as well and you can usually pick up the 8.5 Pro for half the price of the 8.5 standard on a regular basis I think it is discounted now I use Carrara a lot but could even be overkill for all the features you don't require. I am a bit of a Carrara fan myself I like the toolset but as mentioned above it might not be to everybody's liking.

I would just like to mention that I personally consider Carrara to be one of the best programs for people who are learning CG for the first time--especially when looking at the first few Chapters of Mike de la Flor's CARRARA 5 PRO HANDBOOK (which is still quite relevant). That and Phil Wilkes DVD Tutorials from Infinite Skills have been very helpful for me.

LOL! I'm still learning 32bit version 8 right now, and the fact that there haven't been many new editions actually gives my feeble brain time to get caught-up in.

Yes, I know that Blender is the right price and powerful. But when I look at that interface and ask myself "How many days do I have left in the rest of my life?"--well, I say "No thank you." Some will shudder at this, but I say "Where is Kai Krause when you need him?"

The next modeler I will examine will be Modo.

Blender some; Hexagon for just making morphs; the bridge is awesome.

All suggested can be used; it's as much about finding one you like. I like Blender's interface and the massive number of hot keys; I like the simplicity of creating morphs with hexagon. I don't like the hastle of getting models from Blender to Daz; others find it easy, me I find it annoying. :) I don't like the 32bit only with hex, and that it crashes periodically.

I've seen posts indicating that Hex development hasn't been abandonned. Those posts are from Daz individuals, but they have only hinted.

Thanks everyone for all the opinions and information, and just for taking the time to help me out. It's very much appreciated.

What about Substance designer(http://store.steampowered.com/app/330160/) Substance painter(http://store.steampowered.com/app/273390/?snr=1_5_9__300)? And can I also get everybody Opinion on Silo 2(http://store.steampowered.com/app/100400/)?

If you want free Wings3D or Blender. If you want to pay Silo2 is 64bit and a great modeler.

OMG! Didn't realize that the Foundry had absorbed Luxology and jacked up the cost of Modo.

Think I'll finally install that free version of Hexagon 2 that I got with Carrara a couple years back, instead. LOL!

@leeduva I have been using all the Allegorithmic products for a few years now they are a very good company Substance Designer/Painter and B2M is all top shelf stuff. I have never regretted buying it and never come across anyone who has. If you are into UE4 at all then there is a plugin available which is a game changer so to speak :-). Silo 2 is great piece of kit too.

Silo? development terminated. Unless there is a strain of necrophilia in your character, I do not see reason to consider it.

LPR001 posted at 8:56PM Mon, 07 December 2015 - #4242959

@leeduva I have been using all the Allegorithmic products for a few years now they are a very good company Substance Designer/Painter and B2M is all top shelf stuff. I have never regretted buying it and never come across anyone who has. If you are into UE4 at all then there is a plugin available which is a game changer so to speak :-). Silo 2 is great piece of kit too.

Oh thanks. I Just brought Substance painter last week. An I don't know if it would be any good for creating Daz/Poser figures. By the way Can substance Designer sculpt?

leeduva posted at 8:10AM Tue, 08 December 2015 - #4243094

LPR001 posted at 8:56PM Mon, 07 December 2015 - #4242959

@leeduva I have been using all the Allegorithmic products for a few years now they are a very good company Substance Designer/Painter and B2M is all top shelf stuff. I have never regretted buying it and never come across anyone who has. If you are into UE4 at all then there is a plugin available which is a game changer so to speak :-). Silo 2 is great piece of kit too.

Oh thanks. I Just brought Substance painter last week. An I don't know if it would be any good for creating Daz/Poser figures. By the way Can substance Designer sculpt?

Substance Painter is supposed to be exporting MDL directly. I haven't tried it with the latest version, but if that is true, you can just drop it into DS as a shader and everything will come across. Otherwise it produces all the maps you need for a PBR render engine, regardless of which one you use, so if you have a grasp of shaders in your PBR of choice, building shaders should be fairly easy.

Note one modeling/sculpting/UV Mapping/3D Painting tool that hasn't been mentioned is 3D Coat. The modeling tools are a bit rudimentary, but the retopo tools, the sculpting tools, the 3D Paint tools (Yes it does output PBR maps) and the UV mapping are all first rate. IMHO it is almost worth the price just for the UV tools. There are bridges to most of the major 3D tools as well, so it is a good supplement to your primary modeling tool.