Ok ... just getting back into this. As I said I've decided to be dual platform as it were. I have a few questions.

1. What are your favorite characters of G3 and G8 ... and why?
2. What is the file structure in DS so I can make sure my old files are nested properly to show up.
3. How does one read and build Iray shaders?
4. Just to get me started, what are the best freebies for DS?

I appreciate all the help I can get!!

For freebies, check DAZ every other week on late Mondays or Tuesdays for juicy offerings. If you are lucky, you could snag a bundle or two. There are usually various content, ranging from clothing/character textures through poses to props. Well-worth the check.

If you open the DS Library folder, it will give you some idea about how the files are in structured hierarchies. It really doesn't take much to understand it once you reverse engineer it. And you can simply link your Poser runtimes which will show up exactly how those are structured.

DS has a script that will convert 3Delight shaders to Iray. Of course, you can build your own, but since I haven't tried yet, you may get instructions through their forum or youtube.

Thank you so much!

When it comes to female characters, Paisley for Teen Josie 8(from over at Daz3D) has been one of the easiest for me to work with in regards to lighting and rendering. The base skin that comes with the character is phenomenal and works well on other G8 characters that need a mid-tanned complexion. Not sure if I have a particular favorite, since it depends on the theme and type of character(s) I want in the scene.

If you want to build your own shaders from scratch this link may help https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/25448/list-of-shader-mixer-tutorials-and-recipes-wip-please-be-patient-as-i-update-the-list-thanks#latest