DTHUREGRIF opened this issue on Sep 22, 2001 ยท 111 posts
DTHUREGRIF posted Sat, 22 September 2001 at 11:39 PM
Attached Link: http://www.thegrc.com
The events of Sept. 11 delayed the posting of this press release a bit, but Dina is available and getting rave reviews from Poser users that have purchased her. The included image shows a comparison of Posette (model and standard texture included with Poser), DSI's Dina V ($30 with texture included) and DAZ3D's Vicki 2 ($114.85: Vicki 1, $39.95; Vicki 2 upgrade, $39.95; hi res texture, $34.95) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Detroit, Michigan, September 08, 2001 -- DSI: Digital Media, inc., formerly known as Dark Soul Images: Internet Media, inc., announced today that the long awaited 3D Poser Character, known as Dina V., will be released for sale today. Dina V. has become the flagship for the numerous future product lines that DSI plans to release to the 3D Graphic Community and promises to be like nothing youve ever seen before. Unlike other conventional figures that have been available in the past, Dina V. offers to users the kind of quality detail that can be found in such Hollywood movies as Final Fantasy. Much of this is attributed to the fact that Dina is an ultra-hi-res figure sporting over 110,000 polygons, which is around four times as many as the current typical figure for Poser. says Dan Cortopassi, DSIs Product Manager. [Dina] is based on a 3D scan of a real person. Her face and body is real, not some average [figure] designed by a committee of artists and modelers. None of this wouldve been possible, had it not been for Dick Cavdek [President of Cyber F/X] and his 3D Scanning Service Bureau out in Glendale, California. admitted Jack D. Kammerer, President of DSI. Dina has become a major launching pad for a very solid relationship between Cyber F/X and DSI: Digital Media, inc. When asked about the extent of their relationship with Dick Cavdek and Cyber F/X, Everyone is going to have to wait and see, Jack replied smiling, we [DSI & Cyber F/X] are exploring several options at the moment. Both Jack D. Kammerer and Diane Griffith, DSIs Online Store Manager and DSI Partner, stated: We felt that it would be really important to offer a product that would be more advanced than any Poser figure currently on the market and to do so at a price that would be affordable to the common users of Poser Dinas features include built in Joint Controlled Morphs (JCM) for realistic knee and elbow movement and a greater range of motion without [the] breaking the mesh as is typical for most Poser figures. Dan Cortopassi explained. Dina is also fully anatomically correct and comes standard with a photo-realistic, hi-res texture by renowned Paul Hafeli. When combined with Dinas ultra-hi-res mesh, the realism is astounding! I am confident that Dina will not only prove to be a benefit to DSI, but also for the entire 3D Graphic Community that use her. Jack added. By constantly creating affordable advances in 3D products, it will help to enhance both of Curious Labs programs [Poser 4 & Poser Pro Pack] and the artwork created from the use of their programs. The 3D Graphic Community will also be able to benefit from the use of our products as Brokered Artists will be able to add more of an income potential for themselves and for the 3D Community, as well as, the many Web Sites out there that help to house that Community. In observing their promise of keeping their product affordable, DSI will be releasing Dina for the retail price of $30 US. Sale of the figure includes -- The ultra-hi-res figure. A photo-realistic hi-res texture [done by Paul Hafeli], MAT poses and a standard low-res version of Dina which will be shipped to Dina buyers upon completion. Dina will have extra content available and sold separately when she is released, which will include -- two other hi-res textures [done by Pam Cresswell and Diane Griffith], a basic clothing pack [done by Dan Cortopassi], Amythest Mermaid figure using Dinas mesh [done by Dan Cortopassi], a Valkyrie Costume and props [done by Dan Cortopassi] Face poses and Hand poses [done by Diane Griffith], Dina Pose Set [done by Fyrdrak] and Hot Pants [done by Pam Cresswell]. DSIs Dina V. figure can be purchased through both of their Online Stores which can be found at http://www.thegrc.com and http://www.renderotica.com #### About DSI: Digital Media, Inc. DSI: Digital Media, inc., is a privately owned company, dedicated to providing valuable product and services to the 2D & 3D Graphic Community, which includes hosting an Adult Web Site and a Family Web Site both which focus on providing forums, galleries, free downloads and online stores geared towards Graphic Artists from all over the world. Their company is located in Royal Oak, Michigan. For more information, visit their Web Sites at www.thegrc.com or www.renderotica.com [Renderotica is for adults only] About Cyber F/X, Inc. Cyber F/X, inc. is the only service bureau of its kind in Southern California, and is committed to providing affordable, world-class, imaging technology. They proudly use the world-renowned Cyberware digitizing process to service a wide variety of clients in the entertainment and design industries, such as: Animators, Film and Prop makers, Designers and Sculptors. They are located in Glendale, California. For more information, please visit their Web Site at www.cyberfx.com About Curious Labs, Inc. Curious Labs, Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of egi.sys AG, designs, develops, and publishes software tools such as Poser, which focus on 3D human and character visualization for artists, designers, and web developers. Their company is located in Santa Cruz, California. For more information, please visit their Web Site at www.curiouslabs.com. Dina V. 2001 DSI: Digital Media, Inc. Poser 2001 is a registered trademark of Curious Labs, Inc. and egi.sys AG.Mosca posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 12:14 AM
Dina looks a little like she ought to try out for rugby. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
CalgCowboy posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 12:33 AM
So when can we expect a male character as well? Frankly, I can put that to more immediate use than yet another female model.
ookami posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 12:41 AM
Let me guess... she doesn't have any clothes and can't wear P4Fem or Vicki Clothes, right?
DTHUREGRIF posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:02 AM
No, she can't wear Vicki or P4 fem clothes, but she does have a pretty good compliment of clothes already. Dacort has done his extremely versatile basic pack (2 morphable tops, morphable pants, skirt and shoes) for her which is availlable now. There will be a corset pack that comes with garters and stockings, lace up boots and long skirt and separate overskirt out in a few days. This pack offers several lingerie options as well as ball and fantasy gown looks. There is also a Valkyrie "costume" by Dacort available now, as well as Pam's "hotpants" which is actually a pack of 6 shorts and panty styles for her. Catsuit and other items to come soon. BTW, all of Dacort's clothes come standard with the same body morphs included in Dina. A male model is next on our list. No estimated release date at this time, though.
hauksdottir posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:14 AM
The nice thing about "average" figures is that they are morphable into a lot of other figure and facial types. The closer you get to a certain specific human being, the less useful a character becomes. Like Mosca, I do wonder what happened to her upper body, though? Carolly
BillTheFishFishyBill posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:24 AM
rtamesis posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:24 AM
She has a very masculine (aside from her breasts) body shape with her shoulders wider than her hips. While undoubtably there are women shaped like that in real life, unless you want to do artwork with Xena-like warrior types, you're probably better off with P4 or Vicki IMHO.
BillTheFishFishyBill posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:25 AM
BillTheFishFishyBill posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:26 AM
BillTheFishFishyBill posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:26 AM
BillTheFishFishyBill posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:27 AM
BillTheFishFishyBill posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:32 AM
I'm not usually one to talk bad about other people's work but this has to be the ugliest most un-realistic model of a woman I've ever seen. And as far as being movie quality, well that appears to be a lie as well. I say stick with your, Posette or Vicki, atleast you won't have nightmares from looking at them. BTW: All pictures I've posted are completely default, the pictures were sent to me by a friend, who bought it after reading how "great" it was. My friend is too afraid to post about it for fear that they will be hated by the "named" people here.
Dendras posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 2:16 AM
If these are "the pictures were sent to me by a friend"... Man, that's childish. It strikes me that you have an agenda by posting this in the manner you did. In addition, I see no other posts in any other forum by you, nor do I see artwork posted by you. The only reasonable conclusion is that you've gotten yourself a new identity and that you're the same person who's been bashing this character on other forums and at other sites because of a personal agenda with the creators of this mesh.
dcort posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 2:22 AM
Stormrage posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 2:31 AM
DTHUREGRIF posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 2:33 AM
Stormrage posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 2:33 AM
by the way.. the above image.. was done with no postwork on Dina.. just on the hair, and special effects added.. One of Schlabbers poses for posette.. slightly tweaked *VERY * Slightly tweaked
DTHUREGRIF posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 2:36 AM
DTHUREGRIF posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 2:37 AM
DTHUREGRIF posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 2:43 AM
Cin- posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 2:44 AM
I don't have Dina, but I have to comment on the picture with the "bad texturing"... if she were wearing a hairprop you'd never even notice that was there... and I guess someone could argue (well what if I wanted to do a bald chick), well... the make a texture that has stubble on it, or just don't make pictures from the top like that... I dunno, that to me seems like a non-issue, especially since the texture comes free with Dina (I think it does anyway, please correct me if I'm wrong).
DTHUREGRIF posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 3:06 AM
DTHUREGRIF posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 3:18 AM
Cin- Yes, that texture is included with Dina and we pretty much thought the top of the head was not much of an issue for the very reasons you stated.
Jaager posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 3:29 AM
One comment on the this new model: the increase in mesh density looks to be a bit indescriminant - a lot where it is not really needed. This is not a problem if the computer using it has the CPU and RAM to handle it. I mainly wish to comment on the two of the "tests". The seam at the top of the head: Vic has a problem here. The head is mapped with the front and back separated. The problem is that the area devoted to the back of the head is about half that of the front. This is the same Material, so the same texture must be used. This fixes the number of pixels per head area as at least twice as high on the front as the back. The resolutions do not match,indead, cannot match, so there will be a seam, even if identical skin is painted on both areas. The alternative is to devote valuable texture space to an area that does not rate the highter resolution. I have not seen the texture template, but I am guessing that this model is mapped in a similar way. The shoulder joint: bend up, & front-back - the collar and the shoulder groups should track 1:1 for the first part. up - should go to ~40 +/-5 and the collar go on up from there alone. front - same range, but the shoulder should go it alone beyond. buttock/thigh the same 1:1 except the buttock stops at ~ 40 (for it, 80 total) and the thigh takes it to 150-160 total. To have done the pose by bending only the shoulder - the person doing it is either a hopeless amateur or is purposely trying to blow the test.
Photopium posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 4:19 AM
I had a thread going below where I was looking for this sort of discussion. Some of the fish's points seem to be valid, but most are not. When I bought Vicky I didn't by her for what she could do in default, but what would eventually come. When you buy a model, you're really buying potential. IT is very nice to hear that clothing models for Dina will include her available body morphs! DAZ always drops the ball on that. Certainly with all those polygons the limits are nonexistant to what can be done with this model, and rather then just being made by one individual, this seems to be a true team effort and can be trusted to be maintained, supported, and continued if met with much success. Such a model will certainly prove itself to be useful in time. I will definately be getting this model on the basis of having seen the wire mesh alone. Nice work, DSI! -WTB
dcort posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 4:43 AM
Jaager, since you mentioned mapping, Dina's head is basically cylinder mapped, which is why the scalp is mapped separately, otherwise there would be strange distortions at the top of the head. The alternative is front-back mapping, but as you pointed out that has its drawbacks as well. The general feeling was that the scalp is usually under hair anyway, and having the head cylinder mapped pretty well eliminates any seams otherwise. The polygon density may seem a bit high in some non-critical areas, but this was done to avoid any abrupt changes in polygon density. I have found in making morphs for Natalia and other models (and maybe this is just a Lightwave issue, since that's what I use), trying to use the Smooth command over an area where the polygon density is very different tends to have poor results. Also, we have been getting feedback from users, and the high poly count hasn't really proven to be an issue. One user reported that she could use Dina on her PC with only 64 megs of RAM. She said it was a little slow, but still workable. More is better, of course, but this hasn't been as big of a problem as even we thought it might be. We will also soon be releasing a lower-res version of Dina which has the identical head, but a lower-res body mesh. This will be made available at no charge to everyone who has purchased Dina. I am working on a new area of my website which will have more qualitative information regarding Dina, in a format similar to the illustration above. I hope to get this online within a few days.
Mazak posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 4:52 AM
MUUUUUUAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAH !! Flame War in renderosity !!!! Which I can say, I have Vicky AND Dina and I am happy. Mazak
BillTheFishFishyBill posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 8:22 AM
I was actually refering to the fact that her upper half isn't propotionate to her waist, she looks like an ugly barbie doll. The waist is to small and her chest is too large, the only morphs she has only make her rediculously size upper body even bigger.
BillTheFishFishyBill posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 8:29 AM
I'd really like to see the REAL woman DinaV was modeled after, because I think it's a big fat lie. As far as her being ugly, and comparing her to vicki, Vicki has alot of morphs to make her very beautiful, DinaV's morphs all make her even more ugly. Her nose is wider than mine, and I'm a guy with a pretty large nose.
Jim Burton posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 8:38 AM
thgeisel posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 8:39 AM
go to " will the really D please stand up" there you can see her.
BillTheFishFishyBill posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 8:50 AM
I agree Jim, I'd take SMV over DinaV any day!
BillTheFishFishyBill posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 8:54 AM
Well, the real DinaV looks at least human. I think the 3d scanner stuff they used has some serious problems. LOL Or maybe they just thought it would be a good idea to turn up the "wide nose", "large breast", and "tiny waist" dials way too much and then made it irreversible.
Jim Burton posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 9:22 AM
My post above was maybe a little too self-serving, forgive me Dcort... I also have the Natlina (or whatever she is called) and find she is a good value for the money, and her joints work better than Vickie's. But you get me started with "most advanced". Howeve, I will freely admit that SMV's joints creak, just like Vickie's!
thorntoa posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 10:16 AM
Allan Thornton
Dendras posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 10:21 AM
I note the way "BillTheFishFishyBill" completely ignores previous comments about suspicions that he is someone with a chip on his shoulder, well known to the Poser community, who has taken on a new ID for the purposes of Dina/DSI bashing. I repeat: No posts in the gallery I repeat: No posts in any other forum I repeat: No freestuff uploads By ignoring these points you've confirmed them.
dwilmes posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 10:23 AM
"Me too": to set the record straight, a careful reading of the two sentences of my post will reveal that I neither endorsed nor panned the model, I simply stated that I thought dcort had turned a very nice phrase, and that I feel that the more alternative crayons an artist has, the better. If one truly believes that Vicki represents the complete box, then a lot of hard drive space could be saved by dumping Posette, Eve, etc etc. Dan http://www.zenwareonline.com/cr2edit/cr2edit.html Sorry Win only for software http://www.zenwareonline.com for ZenPaint, ZenTile, ZenGrid and VueMaster
Blackhearted posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 10:39 AM
shadowcat posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 10:43 AM
Blackhearted posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 11:04 AM
Dendras posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 11:07 AM
I think what DSI and DCort were striving for with Dina was to get away from the "idealized" or "perfect" woman: thus the approach was taken of scanning a model, a real woman: This is not a (::chuckle::) "big fat lie". I'd also like to add that when gifted artists like Jim Burton and DCort introduce their characters to market, they do not lessen each other, it is we who are collectively enriched by their efforts. However, when others skulk about by assuming a new identity to product bash, we ALL become... how can I say this...amused. Displaying any avatar without hair, for example, does not enhance their "beauty". It is for this very reason that wigs are made and sold, because the same holds true for women the real world (at least in our culture). These derogatory efforts are simply childish and transparent. I freely admit that dCort is a friend and an artist I respect, and the value of this model is superb. The work on the joint params and the overall modelling is absolutely superb. If she doesn't appeal to a user, my advice to the user would be simply not to buy her. However, purchasing and using a 3D product is really the only way to see if that product performs correctly and as advertised.There have been times I've been dissapointed with purchases, and far more times where I thought I'd paid too little. As one of the beta testers, I've seen this character's development, and the amount of work and refinement that went into her is absolutely staggering. No character, no avatar, is going to be perfect; no model will be "one size fits all". It is the sheer variety of characters available that makes Poser so appealing. This is truly a case, I think, where beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.
Dendras posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 11:09 AM
And...how can I repeat this? The poly count has NOT proven to be a problem, but does indeed add detail and morphing abilities to Dina.
Blackhearted posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 11:15 AM
Attached Link: http://www.dinarotica.com
im sorry, but look as hard as i may, i dont even see a passing resemblance to the dina on dinarotica. it seems to me that this "approach [that] was taken of scanning a model, a real woman" is simply an afterthought, a gimmick. besides, in less than an hour i could make vicky look more like the real dina. again, im not bashing, just trying to counter the arrogance and overwhelming bias of these posts with some reality. i agree that if one can afford it, then by all means buy every model because its good to have a wide variety of body types and styles - but to say that this model is much better than vicky2 or even eve.v4 is rediculous, i dont even know if its on par with posette.Mazak posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 11:23 AM
Blackhearted posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 11:30 AM
ok. mazak, now look at the two pics you provided - even though she has an insanely high poly count, much higher than vicky's, she doesnt even have half the detail that vicky does. and when you are comparing models, its not right to post images with postwork. the image of SMV i posted above is a direct poser render without a smudge of postwork - yet i see postwork clearly on your image. i expect those 'lucky' ones who have beta-tested dina to bleat nothing but praise for her - of course youre biased, and so you should be. but respect the opinions of those who disagree, for this is a discussion forum. those such as 'billythefish' have just as much right to post their opinions and thoughts as you do, and shouldnt be attacked for it.
Grey-Matter posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 11:32 AM
A agree with Blackhearted insofar as the mesh density is ridiculously high. Vicky has easliy enough polys for most shots, and only does she start showing edges in extreme closeups. Smoothing the mesh to this degree is completely wasteful and uses up valuable system resources needlessly. I myself cannot see much of a resemblance at all to the "real" Dina, at least in the face ;-) However, I must admit that the JCMs do looks very interesting, as the joint deformations on vicky and posette are awful.
Dendras posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 11:32 AM
//besides, in less than an hour i could make vicky look more like the real dina. // It's 12:38 EST by my reckoning. You're on! I'll check back in an hour.
Mesh_Magick posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 11:38 AM
OK the one in the middle is ugly, What's up with her shoulders, She look like Bette milder on chunky beef.
Mazak posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 11:46 AM
There is no postwork on the Image. I use a special light set yes. The High Polycount save a lot time for me (no post on kneels and elbow). I am not a Betatester. I bought Dina a week ago. sorry my english is not well. Mazak
Blackhearted posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 11:46 AM
lol dendras. id take up your challenge if i had any interest whatsoever in making vicky look that nasty. i have pretty limited time, which is also a reason i wont pick up dina. i want a model that i can load and get looking more or less like i want it in as short a time as possible. sure, maybe dina has mysterious, untapped potential, but it seems that getting her there is a very long process. i just disagree with the whole 'dina is the best model ever made' approach, and i also think that this 'scanned in from a real person' approach is a crock. and as for her being more 'realistic' than vicky? she sure doesnt look realistic - and if that was the purpose all along, why choose a silicone-stuffed broad who looks like she could have starred in a sleazy low-budget porn flick 10 years ago. if you want realism, model mary jane from down the street. and this 'scanned from a real person' mystifies me. just how exactly do you do that? please explain the process in detail. im sorry that i dont buy into the hype. im sure id make a lot more friends here if i did, or if i just shut my mouth. but i believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion, and noone has the right to censor others opinions or to impose their own upon them. think about that before you post another thread like this, bashing other models openly, then bash those that disagree. cheers, gabriel
Dendras posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 11:49 AM
I was neither "bleating", noe was I attacking anyone. By stating that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" I was clearly implying that everyone is indeed entitled to their opinions. However, your use of the word "bleating" would imply that I am a sheep or other herd animal who is supporting this character for reasons that are as insipid as those who are bashing her...and I never accused you of bashing her, now, did I? I was not attacking "billythefish" for stating his opinion, I was stating that I suspected him of assuming a new identity to bash Dina. My posts are in no way ambiguous in that regard. And I am genuinely interested to see your efforst regarding the creation of a Dina figure. Genuinely. 12:54PM.
Blackhearted posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 11:54 AM
heh, perhaps i went overboard with bleating. it angers me when people arent given the right to voice their opinion without taking flak for it, however, so im not being my usual diplomatic self :)
Dendras posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 11:54 AM
Oh, sorry...guess we posted simultaneously. The challenge of creating a Dina from MWV in less than an hour wasn't mine, Gabriel, it was yours. ///think about that before you post another thread like this, bashing other models openly, then bash those that disagree. /// Please point out where I bashed or censored anyone.
Dendras posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 11:57 AM
/// it angers me when people arent given the right to voice their opinion without taking flak for it/// As it does me. ///and this 'scanned from a real person' mystifies me. just how exactly do you do that? please explain the process in detail. //// From the press release (first post, this thread: ///Dick Cavdek [President of Cyber F/X] and his 3D Scanning Service Bureau out in Glendale, California///. <--- This would be the facility to contact to get more info.
Photopium posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 12:00 PM
The People who say Dina's default face is ugly are correct. Dendras, surely you can concede on that point! Unless you find the likes of Bea Arthur or Other Transexuals to be attractive. Lots of people trumping up Supermodel Vicky. To be fair, SMV's got an Ugly, Man-like Default face too. So does Victoria (Not manly but clown-like) It's not what you get out of the box but the potential offered, IMO. -WTB
Blackhearted posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 12:16 PM
praxis22 posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 12:23 PM
Hi, I think the problem here is the first image, which IMO makes Dina look deformed. The breasts are too big, but then who's to say that the "real" Dina doesn't have implants? :) Mazak's images above are good, but I think that the shoulders look odd in the first image, which, aided by her short neck, makes her look like she's suffering from nervous tension, (something I know about as it happened to my mother...) as a consequence it makes her arms look too short. Is there a morph to relax her shoulders? I'm on record as stating that I think both Vicky and SMV are not exactly "supermodels" :) and I too have replaced the head of SMV, but as for her body, Jeez... to quote ZZTop, "She's got legs!" :P That said, I quite like the second of Mazak's two images, it manages to be both masculine and "Rubenesque" at the same time. Now if only Daz would let me buy the damn hair I'd be happy! :) I guess it all comes down to whether people want a "real" woman to populate thier fantasies or not, right? Good luck to you all in any event, anyone got any idea who, "Billy the Fish" is? The name comes from a British comic/magazine (the fish in question is a goalie (goalkeeper in a soccer team :) in a "Northern" town) the comic is called "Viz" published by John Brown publishing in the UK later jb
Blackhearted posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 12:24 PM
will - supermodel vicky's face isnt exactly 'ugly' out of the box, just limited. it takes minutes to apply vicky or vicky2 morphs to her, and all the vicky characters will work with her (like destiny). dendras - are you trying to convince me that the modeller hired dina, used this mysterious scanning hardware/software at this scanning bureau....spent untold amounts of money to have her scanned in? and she still turned out looking NOTHING like the real dina? please. i believe 'scanned in' in this case means that he loaded an image of her as a background in his modelling program and morphed the model to match, but id like to hear a clarification by the modeller, in his own words, and a description of how this mysterious scanning process works. the propaganda is unbelievable "Dina V. offers to users the kind of quality detail that can be found in such Hollywood movies as Final Fantasy" -- ummm...sure. im not even going to comment.
otaku posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 12:25 PM
I'm not going to add to this thread by expressing my personal opinion about Dinas looks or the technical quality of the model. What I will say is that if you are going to make claims like "best model ever made", "like nothing youve ever seen before" and comparing it to the Final Fantasy models, be ready to be attacked and challenged. Also consumers have varied opinions of what "best" and "most advanced" mean. High polycounts and photo realistic textures are only part of the equation, memory use, easy usability, versatility, rendering time, customizing and support also play into a models quality. One thing the creators may want to checkout is there is a making of Final Fantasy book out now, and if you look at the meshes of the characters you'll see that they have even less mesh detail than Vicki or Dina. All the hype and attacks here remind me of the American Godzilla movie. The movie is viewed as a failure even though it didn't do that bad at the box office, but it didn't live up to the hype. The effects were higher quality the monster was more realistic, but it failed to capture the hearts of Godzilla fans. I don't own Dina so I'm not qualified to comment on her. I'm just expressing my opinion about the hype and the attacks on the model.
pam posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 12:35 PM
please, please do tell me what settings did you use to save these two jpgs? 5% with a heavy blur for one and 90-100% with no blur on the right? LOL, you are so funny :-) thanks for making my morning!
Blackhearted posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 12:41 PM
otaku -- thats what ive been trying to say. i have never in my life commented on someone's artwork negatively. it is, after all, art - and something that someone has put a lot of time, effort, emotion and thought into producing, and to try to take away their pride in their work by brutally criticising it is desecration of art. but when someone posts something like 'this is the best _____", criticises other people's work, and posts tons of BS propaganda, they are inviting criticism. its equivalent to a person walking down the street wearing a t-shirt that says 'im the hottest person in the world, everyone else is dogshit'. regardless of wether they are really as beautiful as they claim, they will take flak for the t-shirt from everyone. if instead of this pompous, arrogant superior approach, the dina marketer would have taken a neutral approach, and respected the works of other artists and the opinions of consumers then this thread wouldnt exist.
Blackhearted posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 12:50 PM
pam - im glad i made your morning, but youre dead wrong. the comparison is ONE jpeg image compressed at 50%. right click on the image and look at properties - youll see its one .jpg. next time try thinking before you post a moronic attack like that. the dina image looks like that because i had to enlarge it by about 30% to match the other, and the skin texture lacks detail so the compression affects it more. stop trying to draw attention to the 'blurriness' and away from the real point. if itll make you happy ill blur the hell out of the right side of the image. the fact is that im not comparing skin textures - im comparing models. the texture is irrelevant. look at the geometry on the right compared to the one on the left. dina diesnt even have a fully modelled hip area, the thigh crease hardly exists, and thats PLAINLY visible in the image. as for her abdomen? its a cylinder with a hole in it for her belly button. now theres nothing wrong with that, but to say that dina is a perfect 3d replication of a human, incredibly realistic and high-quality, is stretching the truth quite a bit.
lalverson posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 12:55 PM
As many of you know, I tend to buy just about everything. I have just about all the models available, except for one. And those of you that even remotely follow my work know which ones i have. If it works, and can be adjusted I'll use it.With that said, here's my thoughts. The models that are currently available, are IMHO worth having. Each has a quailty about then and each is able to do one thing the others cannot. Each also has things that don't work so well or look all that great. And that's fine, it makes me learn more about poser, wavefront objects, 3ds files. Granted, I have only posted one image of Dina, or in my case (Erin) but that is because i do my best to get a particular model to look non-stock, that way I can say i did more than arrange flowers. but that's the challenge. Anyone can run poser and anyone can use the models as they arrive. That's why there are MT to change that, and thanks to TRAVLER for making the secrects of making them less formitable. IMHO what makes a great model is the level of support, from the vendor, to other users. The more people that try to do something with a model, the better chance for more and continued improvement. That's why there is EVE, PWFG. And as I see it, DAZ gives great support,Dcort gives great support,Jim Burton gives great support. Then there is all the users who experiment and tweak, and then share what they did. So, my point ultimatley is this. If you are a poser/bryce/LW/MAX that like to tinker and tweak and work and making a model look as good looking as you me her to be. Then Dina is a model you should seriously consider getting. for she is a sturdy model with as much potential as all the other model available. But if you are the user that will not attempt to alter a character, and expect perfection right out of the zip file or exe, thne wait for the big boss up above to get into digital rendering applications, for as far as i know only the great maker can do perfection.
otaku posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 12:58 PM
Blackhearted using words like "pompous, arrogant superior" isn't a neutral approach either. Whether intentional or not, it sounds like a personal attack,it causes the person to put up there defenses and often leads to an attack back. Keeping comments to a respectful constructive critisism go a lot further and shows respect to the other artists.
Mazak posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:02 PM
pam posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:04 PM
sorry Blackhearted, if you thought my comment was an attack, I assure it it was not meant that way, I just find it very funny (ok, maybe I need more coffee), that you are comparing a very lossy jpg to a sharp one in order to make a point. In glancing up the thread, it looks like you copied a pic from another artist, cropped and blew it up, then set it beside another picture that is in sharp focus. Believe me or not, as you will, but Dina was scanned from a real person, and is anatomically correct. Very much so. :-) I am not going to get drawn into an argument, but do allow me a chuckle or two :-) Have a good one! pam
Blackhearted posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:08 PM
yeah, i guess it is. like i said, things like this upset me, and i may not be my usual easygoing, diplomatic self. if an admin is reading this, perhaps this should be moved to the C&D forum. this thread has the potential for seriously hurting sales of dina, so lets not let it spread further. if moved to C&D then those currently involved can continue discussing it without people just reading the poser forums becoming influenced. i have nothing against the makers of dina, my response is simply an instinctive counter to the rediculous claims made. im trying to be as unbiased as possible, but so far not a single image (post-worked or not) made with dina has impressed me at all. the problem with hype is that when its overdone, and the product inevitably fails to live up to it, then it hurts its image terribly. lets move this to C&D - i know that many people rely on the marketplace here as their livelihood, and i have no desire to fuck with that.
otaku posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:10 PM
Blackhearted using words like "pompous, arrogant superior" isn't a neutral approach either. Whether intentional or not, it sounds like a personal attack,it causes the person to put up there defenses and often leads to an attack back. Keeping comments to a respectful constructive critisism go a lot further and shows respect to the other artists.
Dendras posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:14 PM
Blackhearted: It's not my intention to convince you of anything: You are free to contact CyberFX or not, and staying in this thread and arguing with me about how this model was made is absoluetly pointless. I'll repeat this just one more time, since the message seems to be eascaping your notice: I was not attacking BillytheFish for his opinions. I was accusing him as posting under an assumed ID, just as I said above. ///has a right to post his opinion/// By his own words his posts are NOT his opinion: (post 13: ///he pictures were sent to me by a friend, who bought it after reading how "great" it was./// Yet entitling a post "A warning to others" is NOT stating an opinion, it IS product bashing. If I had titled a post regarding a product sold at this site with the same heading I have absolutely no doubt that I'd be banned. -You've challenged the scanning issue; I've provided you with the info (that was already posted). -You've accused the modeller and DSI of lying regarding the techniques used to create Dina, and yet make no effort to get to the facts on your own. -You've accused me of censorship, yet fail to point out where I've censored anyone. -You've stated that you could create a Victoria-based Dina character in less than an hour, then declined to substatiate that claim, stating that you did not have the time, and yet have spent more than an hour participating in this thread. -You've accused Mazak of postwork which he/she has denied, and yet have not responded. -You've now accused me of trying "to discredit him [Billythefish] by bringing irrelevant crap into it." Please note that he's [Billythefish] discredited himself, and that had be been simply stating his opinion I would NOT have responded as I did. What I WILL say is this: Some of the attacks here, and I re-iterate my position regarding "Billythefish", are in all probabilty based on past animosities between individuals and issues which have nothing -- and I mean NOTHING -- to do with this model's attributes. Thus, assuming a new identity to product bash based on this IS completely hypocritical, hence my accusations. Note, however, that you attacked me for stating MY opinon. I have no stake in Dina, no invlovement with the development of the product save for being one of the original beta-testers, and derive no share of income from sales. Nonew. And yet you, like so many others, have chosen to lump me in with whatever issues you may have with DSI. Those who proffer their opinions based on fact and observation of the model are welcome to do so, because it is only through criticism that one's work is improved and that one's efforts are increased. However, accusing others of the behavior you yourself engage in serves no purpose but to piss people off. Otaku, in his/her (again, apologies, I don't now) is completely correct by stating "Keeping comments to a respectful constructive critisism go a lot further and shows respect to the other artists. " Well said, indeed. It is currently my impression that you intend on re-orienting this thread into an argument based on personal attack. Had you participated in this thread in an apparently less hostile and antagonistic manner something might actually have been debated constructively. IIt appears that you are becoming increasingly agitated, and that was not my intent either. I'm sorry that others expressing opinions which oppose yours and expressing fact-based observation upsets you to such an extrodinarily profound degree. I, myself, am now exceedingly pissed off (as being attacked is apt to make me feel) , and subsequently I am removing myself from this thread. I do not feel that fair debate is possible, given the current atmosphere. Try to enjoy the rest of day, and be well. --Dendras
otaku posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:16 PM
sorry posted twice trying to do 2 things at once
Blackhearted posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:32 PM
pam - your assumption that i used someone else's image of dina, blew it up, and put it next to an image of my own is correct. but you're still avoiding the point of my post - which is lack of realism and detail. it doesnt look anatomically correct to me. but ill be happy to re-post a comparison of the same area if you would be so kind as to provide me with a larger image. and as for the 'scanning in of dina' issue - i STILL have yet to see some proof or description of this process. perhaps i should email the real dina and ask her myself :) mazak - your image showing the fix for dina's shoulder is also undoubtedly meant to show the difference between high and moderate resolution models. however, when a texture is applied that difference becomes even more minimal. what doesnt become minimal, however, is the fact that dina is unrealistic and highly stylized. look at her collarbone, and her neck area, and compare them to vicky's (which i assume is on the right). vicky's are far more realistic. dina's breasts are also unnaturally shaped, and i doubt that she posesses the almost infinite morph possibilities that vicky's breasts do. THATS the point ive been trying to make - that high-resolution is insignificant when the model lacks the detail to justify it. dendras - way to try and deflect attention from the facts at hand by trying to discredit me, just like you did with billythefish. i have no stake whatsoever in dina or the people in this community - i am simply posting responses to the claims made that dina is such a perfect model, so much better than any other. i have not proved that dina was 'scanned in' like it is claimed, however nor have i seen proof that she is. the 'proof' of my arguments rests on the images. dina bears little or no resemblance to the real dina, not in the face nor in the body - other than the fact that they both have large breasts. dina is high-poly, yet even eve.v4, with a fraction of the poly count and resource demands, has more detail. and eve is free. i have supported my arguments with images, now i ask that you support yours as well, and refrain from attemting to defame or discredit me by making personal accusations or hypothesis about my intent here.
otaku posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:34 PM
Oops did it agian. Any way while I'm here I will make one more comment. I was watching the BBC special called the Human Face and a comment stuck with me about how people interact. If you bump into someone in the street you appologize and the other people sees your face and is able to see if your sincer or not. Usually you both go about your business. Now lets take to the road and someone cuts you off, you can't see there face and and there is a higher anger level. Hence all the road rage we've either encountered or read about. With the internet there is no visual contact at all and flaming is a common occurance. When communicating in this medium be very aware of the words you are expressing and how they could be taken. Without the ability to see a cracked smile or downward glance to help communicate the meaning the words can and are often taken the wrong way. I find it very hard to communicate effectively via email or voice mail, and try to talk to a person face to face whenever possible.
Jim Burton posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:41 PM
Vicky, I remember, was also stated to be modeled from a real woman. SMV surely wasn't, 99% of "real" women aren't built like that, I worked from "ideal" proportions, and actual supermodel measurements, then fudged in another 5% or so because as everybody knows, the camera makes you look fatter than you really are. Of course, if I could have afforded Gisele Bundchen, and the equipment, I would have used her! Gisele's face does have a passing resemblence to SMV, I think, I wonder why? ;-}
Jack D. Kammerer posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:47 PM
Attached Link: http://www.thegrc.com
Reposted from the Big-I site to keep me from retyping everything... ------------------------------------------------------------ Hi Everyone!! Okay, someone asked what are the advantages to Dina over Victoria, so here is my answer... 1.) Yes, polygon count plays a major roll in it. Because of this, her mesh doesn't explode in areas like the knees and elbows, thus requiring less touch up than other standard figures. With the count in her head alone, you can create facial morphs based on facial muscles with more realism than with Vicky. Not just the Orbicularis Oculi, Procerus, Nasalis or the Orbicularis Oris muscles that Vicky's morphs focus on, but with Dina you can focus on creating added morphs for the frontal part of the epicranius muscle, the Masseter and Mandibula muscles and more... enabling tighter muscular ribbons that fan from the jaw to the shoulders and creating wrinkles below the jaw which would obscure the Sternomastiod muscles... so yes, these polygons are needed for better range of morphing, not just for character creation, but for actual facial and body musculature. Such morphs are not included, since including them would be useless to some and would drive up the cost of Dina. 2.) More realistic in natural appearance. Granted she isn't what I, personally, would've chosen, since my defination of "beautiful" may be different that what someone else may consider beautiful. However, we worked with the model that was chosen and have done a very decent job in keeping that model's true likeness (image of the real model is included with this post so that you can compare). Yes, she is busty (I like small breasts), but if you look at her mesh and compare it to Vicky's you will notice that Vicky's is too cylindrical (sort of like tupperware bowls strapped to the chest) and there is always that line under Vicky's breast that can only be corrected in post work, no amount of morphs can change that. Also, Dina's breasts have a more natural curve to them than Vicky, so it is easier to scale them down or, god forbid, up and still keep the natural curve of her pectoralis and serratus muscles. 3.) Genitals. Gives a more realistic look to a nude figure when she doesn't look like she has "Barbie's" hips.... or "Ken's" for that matter. Despite how prudish some people can be about "Poser Porn", doesn't negate the fact that there are many people out there that would like to see realistic genitals with their characters that isn't an added morph or geometry piece that needs different mapping. If there wasn't a need for it, Eve and Millie wouldn't do as well as they do. ) 4.) JCM's and realistic range of motion limits . For example, try turning your wrist... what, it didn't turn, but your forearm did? Imagine that...!! Guess posing is a little more realistic this way then ) 5.) Texture and multiple transmap areas... better depth to your renders. 6.) Value and price. $30 includes both Hi-Rez figure (mostly used for nudes) and Low-Res figure w/hi-rez head (for clothing shots), a hi-rez photo realistic texture map and MAT Poses. Considerably less than Vicky... which can cost upwards of $84.95!! Which means that those who can only afford Poser as a Hobby will be able to purchase Dina and be able to create a more professional model character (like in Final Fantasy) at a cheaper cost. Granted, there are many out there that are DAZ loyalists and see Dina as a threat to their Poser Community views. I understand that, I myself am very loyal to DAZ and Dan Farr and I are very good friends, even though I have a competitive product. However, don't let that loyality get in the way of trying something different, or find a reason to "Bash" the value of Dina simply because it was produced by DSI. Yes, DSI feels that Dina is MORE ADVANCED than DAZ's Victoria. She, like Victoria may suit some of everyone's needs and may not for some. Some might even come to agree with us, some may not... but at $30 rather than $85, it is far cheaper to make up your own mind about whether or not she is. Thank you, Jackshadowcat posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:54 PM
I figured she would be able to be morphed for better results. I was commenting on the remark (fishy's remark btw)made about the sizing only for a bigger chest. As for the ongoing debate of what model is better, I can't really comment on Dina as I do not have her (I might at a later date though) But what really attracted me to Vicky and what conviced me to buy was the sheer number of morphs. I think that would be a better marketing ploy, not the high poly count, but rather show off her versatility. My last remark will be on the prices listed in the first post, they added the price of vicky 2 into the mix but vicky 2 is really an expansion pack for vicky 1. Vicky 2 also includes a additional model, the P4 vicky. I do applaud the inclussion of a starter texture for Dina though, they got Daz beat on that. No one should consider any of my comments as a "flame", I try to be as impartial as possible, and should be viewed as constructive as I intend them to be.
Jack D. Kammerer posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 1:56 PM
Yes, to answer someone's question, Dina has breast implants. Unfortunately, Dina wouldn't have been my first choice... but we took what we could get from CyberFX as a test to see the viability of continuing... we are pleased with the results and will be doing more in the future. As for SMV, Mr. Burton, I have her. I like her. But to have her cost's a lot more than the 30 bucks that we are asking for Dina... the actual cost to owning SMV is around $144.95 and that is with Vicky 1, the very first texture for Vicky and then your product... No offense, like I said I have Super Model Vicky myself and enjoy her, but you are expecting allot of people to have that kind of money to purchase her. Despite DSI's claims of "most advanced figure", which we firmly believe she is, I think the price makes it possible for people to make up their own minds on whether or not she is. Jack
Jack D. Kammerer posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 2:02 PM
Shadowcat, that was a very constructive post, thank you! Just so you know we will be having more morphs released for Dina in the future our first goal was to finish and release her, we included the base morphs with her, but additional morphs will be made :o) Jack
Jack D. Kammerer posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 2:03 PM
I will look into the Vue problem for you and see if I can't figure that out for ya :o) Jack
Blackhearted posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 2:06 PM
Mazak posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 2:10 PM
Jack, Condemned, now I must delete all Dina pictures with blond hair g Dinas breast are nice, but that is my opinion. Mazak
Blackhearted posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 2:30 PM
jack, your price calculations are way off. $144.95? supermodel vicky and vicky 1.0 would cost less than $99 together. and for that you get 2 great figures, clothing and props, and the texture that comes with SMV as well as characters and textures downloadable at jim's website. as for these comparisons of vicky2 costing $114 as well (first post), who the hell did that math? vicky2 is 59.95 and that comes with p4vicky as well as hundreds of morphs. add the texture to that and its another 19.95, bringing it to 79.99. and both of these are also backed by daz3d's and other poser communities' industrious output of clothing, textures, morphs and characters, a large number of them being free. and that 'line under vicky's breast' you mentioned is easily corrected by her 'smooth crease' morph (not sure thats exactly what its called - working from memory). she has dozens of morphs not just for customising her face and figure, but also for correcting the notorious joint deformations that people are mentioning here.
Dendras posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 2:35 PM
Mazak, Just downloaded your poses... thank you! Nice job on those. --Dendras
Jack D. Kammerer posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 2:55 PM
Blackhearted, I did the math based on what I paid total. I got vicky when she first came out, bought the texture map when vicky first came out and then bought SMV when she came out... $144.95 As for products from the Community for Vicky, she's been out for a little over a year and if anyone remembers correctly, there was a very slow ramp up period before the Community even started releasing products for her, either in free stuff or the online stores. Equating that against Dina is a little unfair since it took a little bit of time to get those "extras" from the Community area. Jack
Jaager posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 3:09 PM
Jack, I have to disagree about the wrist movement. If you twist the forearm, all of the action occurs at the elbow and the forearm itself rotates like a pipe. If the twist occurs at the wrist and the end point of the twist is pulled back to the elbow, the rotation occurs over the forearm with the max at the wrist and decreasing as it approaches the elbow. Doing it at the elbow makes the joint act like a ball and socket joint. This also holds for the foot. The only rotation for the forearm and the shin should be a bend.
Jaager posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 3:20 PM
One other thing. If you have gotten JCM to work correctly at the elbow and knee, you have my congratulations. With Millie, I did not want any adjustment for the first 90-120 degrees of bend and then have the repair come in fast to the max bend. I could not find a way to keep the morph from starting with the first degree of bend. So, I bailed. DAZ then came out with a morph which must be set by hand, they could not get it to work as a JCM either.
Jack D. Kammerer posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 3:45 PM
Crap forgot to answer you in the scanning part, sorry about that Blackhearted. There are two seperate scans used to create Dina, first there is the full body scanner. In this case, the model first stood nude inside of the scanner which scans a cylindrical volume 2 meters high with a diameter of 1.2 meters. The scanner does scans of the model in a little over 17 seconds and can scan in color, however the output of the color texturing doesn't provide a neutral light texture map and usually ends up placing shadows on parts of the body... such as under the breasts, eye orbits... etc. Also it textures the full scan, which still needs to be cut up to use in poser and assign property names to it. Therefore a different texture map needs to be made once the .obj is cut up and reUVMapped. Then you have the model sit in the Head and Face scanner. This scanner is much better for the face and head, because you can get a crisper scan that in the Body scanner (which doesn't do a good job scanning hands, feet and heads). Like the body scanner, the head and face scanner shines a low intensity laser around the surface of the object, or in this case, the model's face and head. And since the scanner has 360 degree servo-driven capabilty, the model need only sit still for the process. After the scans are fed into either a SGI or NT computer, you can preview the output of the mesh and then decide on the output format that you desire to use. In this case, we choose .OBJ for obvious reasons. Then you take both the body .OBJ and the head .OBJ scale it, then weld it... a complete scan of a normal person can take around one hour for best results. The rest of the process is the same as normal, however, we've managed to shave off allot of sculpting time by creating a scan of a person. Also, the fact that you can get a realism of a real person in your model. Dina's porportions are her real porportions, her breasts and body structure is exactly the way that you see them in real life. That is the way God (if there is such a being) designed her... not DSI... don't like her shape, blame him :o) There are allot of ideas that we are going to be attempting in the near future, some of them some people aren't going to like because it will mean a change to what they've normally viewed as normal for the Community. One of them being not neccessarily creating a character that can be morphed to look like a thousand different people, though as morphs are released her looks and body structure can indeed change dramatically to suit your tastes, but a model that people that don't want to spend a few hours with morphs to make a base model look real can use fairly easily and quickly at an affordable cost to them, while also providing a denser mesh for those that wish to utilize her to a potential that Hollywood does with their models. Jack
Jack D. Kammerer posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 4:10 PM
Jaager, you are right about the forearm and elbow, that is what I tried to say, but am not much when it comes to that area :o) I know Dina's JPs and JCM's was the hardest part of finishing her as a model. Dan (DaCort) would be better at explaining how he got it to work :o) Jack
Blackhearted posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 4:11 PM
ok. i see your point, and maybe i overreacted. if it catches on, maybe itll shift the balance from a do-it-all model like vicky2 to a market for complete characters modelled from humans. as for my gripes on the body and face, as you stated theyre from dina herself and she isnt exactly everyones definition of sex appeal :) it has the potential to be a good product if you guys are willing to support it with clothing, morphs and textures, and i admit that my reaction was mainly to the arrogance of DTHUREGRIFs post insinuating that this is the greatest model of all time. i hope it does well, and i hope that my opinions and those of others in here neither discourage nor encourage readers to buy dina - everyone should evaluate the product for themselves, based upon the info available from the creator and the images posted in the galleries, and come to their own decisions as to wether the product will meet their expectations, needs and budget. cheers, gabriel
dcort posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 4:30 PM
Jaager, to answer your question about the JCM, there are actually several JCM morphs on the knees and elbows, all applied at different rates. I know exactly what you mean about not getting a single JCM morph to work. It would be so nice if Poser could do exponential rates instead of linear for JCM. Using 2 or 3 JCM morphs in combination proved to be the best solution.
dcort posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 4:37 PM
I should also maybe add that all of Dina's body-shaping morphs, including the JCMs, were done in such a way as to be reproduceable. By that I mean that I have written down very specifically each operation that was done to create each morph. I plan to compile this data into a spec sheet which would be of interest to anyone who wants to develop clothing for Dina, so that clothing developers can include the standard body morphs and JCM.
Photopium posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 4:53 PM
Blackhearted - When you say that High Poly is bad and in this case because it provides no additonal detail, you are missing the point. The additional polygons allow for futher detail to be added via morphs as yet uncrafted. That is the glory of high poly count. I might suggest that any computer this model would choke on needs, very seriously, to be upgraded to the times. -WTB
Blackhearted posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 5:11 PM
i dont believe there are many computers that a single model would 'choke'. but try 2-3 high poly models, with clothing, textures, props, hair, transmaps, bumpmaps, lights, backgrounds and youve got a serious problem on even high end machines. anyways, i thought we were done with these circular arguments?
khorne posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 5:30 PM
well, hem, considering all this (gosh!) Am i right to say that DINA is like a "young" bottle of bordeaux, she may become better when she will be older and when people will make as much stuff as vicky or posette have(remind me the beginning of vicky) ? first look ugly (i am sorry, but it is), but will she change as you promised ? it seems to me that she was built for advanced users (professionnal animations ?), because of the high resolution and the so precise morphs and joints she allows. i am a hobby user (hem...) and i wonder if i am qualified to use it... Vicky and posette have her defaults, obviously, but it is easy to have personnaly-satisfying results when you use them, because of the huge range of morphs, clothes, text, etc... no need of precision or polygons, when you are not building morphs or realistic clothes or so ! The advanced jp are valuable when you want realistic poses, but it is the same, is so much precision necessary for beginners or low-skilled hobbyists like your humble servitor (average translation from french !) ? My conclusion is that i will wait and see, maybe dina is a bet on the future, maybe every day users can take the best of her, but i think that now you need to be experienced to use DINA and that i will continue to have fun with Vick 1,2 SMMV and P4 female for the moment. this is not argumentation in the debate, just opinion
DTHUREGRIF posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 5:59 PM
Jaager, I think what Jack was trying to illustrate with the realistic limits comment, was that the limits set for most Poser characters are totally unrealistic. That leads the user who is not aware of anatomy into all kinds of odd poses. For instance, in regard to the wrist, Poser lets you twist the hand, which if you hold your forearm so it can't move and try to do, does not happen more than 1 or 2 degrees. You are right about the forearm not twisting equally along its length and Dina's parameters are set up to mimic that as closely as possible. It's not the elbow that twists, but the forearm itself. Also, the limits on most Poser figures allow you to move the forearms and shins side to side. That also does not occur naturally in the human body. It may happen a degree or so under external pressure, but cannot be done on its own (except possibly by contortionists whose ligaments are not the norm). It isn't possible (yet anyway) to get a mesh to totally acurately follow normal movements, but realistic limits go a long way toward making poses look more natural. Diane
Jack D. Kammerer posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 7:23 PM
Hi Cookie, DSI didn't hire Dina to be our model of choice, even though she is attractive, the company that DSI partnered with, Cyber F/X, choose and paid for her to model for this endeavor. The main reason for that is because DSI is located out here in rainy Michigan, whereas Cyber F/X is in California (which is the kingdom of breast implants LOL). Though Dina isn't exactly the model that we would've chosen, we feel that we did a fantastic job in keeping her likeness and making her a viable addition to the Community. Jack
Jaager posted Sun, 23 September 2001 at 10:03 PM
Diane, We are probably saying the same thing about the twist of the wrist. But with Vic, it is necessary to use the hand Xrot to get the correct effect. It is just necessary to pull the end of the JP stick back to the elbow joint. Fortunately, now with the use of JNT pose files, I will never have to do it by hand again. Yes, the stock joint limits are ridiculous. There is even a twist allowed on finger joints. I have my own setup. And, as I have said before, I am now using JCJ for 4 joints. Being able to move the abdomen in one direction and the chest in the opposite, may work for a cat, but not humans. When I move the abdomen, the chest automatically duplicates the movement. The same for the neck-upneck-head. I find far too many poses with the thigh bent and the buttock at zero. And, as we see above, a shoulder bend up without the collar equalling it - looks like a RR crossing gate. If what you mean is that Dina is set up from the beginning more anatomically, what seems to be a fruitless educational effort is not even necessary. But I would expect that those used to posing stock P4 or Vic to be confused by what they cannot do with a more realistic model. You can get the same final pose, it just must be done a different way. I am not saying that this is not the correct way to set up the figure, but I am saying do not expect to be widely thanked for it; at least not at first.
Mehndi posted Mon, 24 September 2001 at 1:41 AM
Hrm... I wonder. If Dina had what most here consider a "pretty" and "feminine" form, would she be more readily accepted? If her facial features were more delicate, instead of perhaps hardened by one of her apparent lines of work perhaps, female wrestling/fighting? If she were a bit less muscular? Again, probably the product of wrestling/fighting. I can definately tell that the model is actually the woman shown in the photographs. The reason the real living breathing woman appears "pretty" is that she has had an excellent photographer work to catch her from just the right angle, has a glamourous pose and her hair is blowing in the wind in a very fetching way, has her makeup done just so, etc. But they are the same woman. So I guess what I am trying to determine is this. If there were beautiful characters made for Dina, such as characters of great beauty have been made for Vicki, such as SMV, Saluda, and others, would Dina then be considered to be a worthwhile purchase? From what I have been able to tell, without having the real model to work with at all, she whoops all over Vicki on realism of the joints, and ability to pose her without breakage there. Must be Dina's fighting spirit and those shoulders ;p The high polygon count, though it is somewhat wasted in certain areas, such as for instance perhaps the little toe (I mean how many little toe morphs does one ever see or need), and in the flat areas of the body such as the broad flat muscle areas of the calf perhaps, these places, they could have used a lower polygon count too. Ok, granted, she is high polygon, but you know, she is a morph artists dream girl come true. What could you not do with her in time, and with extreme skill and patience? :) There are those of us out here who have this level of skill and patience, you know.
Nance posted Mon, 24 September 2001 at 4:13 AM
Stepping back and looking at the "big pictue", congratulations to DSI on the new product line launch. While we are all indebted to good'ol DAZ for continuing to support and develop products for Poser through tough times, it's also great to now see another company enter the market. Hey, McDonalds does what they do very well, but I'm still glad there's also Wendy's. And while this is a bold step forward both commercially and technologically, I would suggest a little PR & Marketing assistance. Though it is easy to understand your pride & enthusiasm for your inital release, the way this was presented, IMHO, you really set yourself up for generating replies that primarily take issue with your claims. Anyway, I wish you guys much success.
Mazak posted Mon, 24 September 2001 at 8:53 AM
It is unbelievable, my free Dina poses became 1118 downloads in 3 days. Mazak
Questor posted Mon, 24 September 2001 at 9:17 AM
Not trying to be rude, but that will partly be because people in freestuff don't come here, won't know who Dina is but will want the poses anyway. Some of those downloads will be people who are thinking of buying Dina and a few will be from people who have Dina. 1118 downloads is good, but don't think it's just because of Dina, I shouldn't think DSI have sold over a thousand copies of Dina yet. They will, I have no doubt of that, but not yet. :) Mehndi. Toe morphs? I like toe morphs. I would like to see more toe morphs. What's the point in creating a monster character from something like Vickie if the toes don't morph accordingly into claws, or whatever. Toe morphs are good, toe morphs help make things that can reflect life. For instance the one or two medical illustrators who frequent this forum might find that useful to display afflictions or deformities of the feet and toes. Very very useful I'd say. I like toes to be independant of each other. I hate the default Poser toe groups - dunno if Dina has that as well. Because there are occassions, especially for bare footed shots when the position of the toes and feet relevant to the scenery and pose are very important. Having them grouped as one lump is most annoying, at least for me it is. :)
Mehndi posted Mon, 24 September 2001 at 10:06 PM
LOL Questor! Yeah, I like toes too, and you are right, for monsters and various aliens, a good set of decent vertices down there make all the difference in being able to morph you up some fine clawfeet ;) But no one answered my question. Would the purchase of Dina be more appealing if cool characters for Dina were created?
Cin- posted Mon, 24 September 2001 at 10:28 PM
I've got Dina on my "think about it" list... for one, I like how cheap she is... I mean come on, she's only 30 bucks. I'm glad people are starting to put more images up using her, it's helping me decide... http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=89381 Picture by Daffy34, that image alone bumped Dina up a bit higher on my list. I think Mehndi is right though... If Dina (the figure, not the woman) didn't look quite so "horsey" in the face, and weren't quite so broad in the shoulders, more people would probably be singing her praises... she's by no means a perfect figure, but like people have said before, the potential is there... I agree too that claiming she's the "most advanced" figure in existence is, in a way, asking to be bombarded with these types of questions/complaints... but maybe she will prove herself worthy of the praise. :)
RadArt posted Mon, 24 September 2001 at 10:30 PM
......hoo boy......sigh
Chailynne posted Tue, 25 September 2001 at 12:00 AM
Mehndi... yup. Or lots of morphs. Vicki comes with tons of them. From what I've seen, every Dina looks pretty much the same.
HandspanStudios posted Tue, 25 September 2001 at 5:44 AM
I for one plan to attempt it :-).
"Your work is to keep cranking the flywheel that turns the gears
that spin the belt in the engine of belief that keeps you and your
desk in midair."
Annie Dillard
RealitysPoison posted Tue, 25 September 2001 at 11:02 AM
Geez...Here we go again. Haven't been around much after the 11th for personal losses, and probalby won't post much for awhile, but I have to throw my 2 cents in. I have Dina, and personally I like her. Does she have the most beautiful figure of all time, well maybe no. But she is an incredibly easy to pose figure for dirt cheap in my opinion. Yes, I have both Vickis. Did I like them straight out of the box? You can be sure that is a no. But they took work and additional morphs. Ya, Vicki 2 has tons more morphs than Dina, but then look what you paid for them. And just like with the original Vicki, there will be some to come around for Dina. And yes, You can make Dina's breast smaller, as I have done for the work I was using her for. As far as not being realistic. How realistic are any of the models we use? No offense, Jim, but how many "real" women look like SMV? (Not that I wouldn't mind, mind you ;) I still like to see SMV all the same. It is a variety thing. And yes, some of us "real" women have breasts like Dina's. I might not have the linebacker shoulders as someone called them, but I am one of the few that are blessed/cursed with a rack like that. And as far as whoever commented that Vicki's breasts were more realistic, maybe you ought to have a set of your own. (That's a joke, mind you, I just don't see the realism in Vicki's default breasts without additional morphs.) Will I use Dina for everything I do. Of course not. But for the price of her I have been EXTREMELY pleased with her potential. And as for the polygon count. It hasn't seemed to be a problem. I have three computers. One is a 64, one a 128, and I tried her on all three and haven't had a problem on the faster two. And only a small hang up on the 64. As far as the seam on the texture included. Geez. You all complain that Vicki doesn't come with a texture, and then tear apart one. Ya, maybe they should have shown that shot. But for the price fo the model with a texture included, I personally don't care. I don't much care for bald women anyway. Have to get back to work now. But all I have to say is that if you don't care for her, just don't buy her. Why try to trash her? If you don't know, check out some of the renders scattering the galleries and talk to people who own her. If you like her, wonderful. I am with you. DSI, I personally think you did a great job, and am more than happy that you didn't inflate the price of her. She is worth more than the money I paid. Angela
Mehndi posted Tue, 25 September 2001 at 11:22 AM
I recall when Vicki first was released, how there was this same howling and gnashing of the teeth that she was dog ugly. Can probably find old posts doing it if I do a search, ironically posted by the same folks who now praise Vicki to high heavens and howl and gnash over Dina. This place never changes, and the howlers and gnashers howl and gnash over anything ;) I recall when till some really drop dead gorgeous Vicki characters were made and put up for sale, there was alot of doubt in Vicki too. Times will change. Give the morph artists time to work their magic, and soon there will be beautiful versions of Dina out there, then she will be "acceptable" as well. All things in their time.
thgeisel posted Tue, 25 September 2001 at 12:13 PM
I agree to the two last replies.I dont think i buy her now .Ill wait how she will develope in future. I see the posibilities in her , but i want to see what support she will get by others,with morphs, clothes,textures.. And her look, a matter of taste.....!!!
Jim Burton posted Tue, 25 September 2001 at 1:23 PM
"but how many "real" women look like SMV?" Gee, very few, the thing is, how many average women parade down the catwalk, or become Miss America? SMV is supposed to be a 1 in a 1000 figure, not an all around type (I think Vickie II is still the best for that). Anyway, I don't know if anybody will see this, as the thread is getting hard to open (to many big pics, I think), but I don't know about this whole "scan a real women in and you will have a real digital model" thought. To me, any digital model must have things emphised and others minimised to look correct in a render, it is the whole "the camera makes you look fatter" thing, and it is the skill of the modeler that creates the best model, not the one closest to being "real".
RadArt posted Wed, 26 September 2001 at 12:53 PM
Before this thread is completely GONE in lala land, if it isn't already...I best post my own opinion....I should have long ago but to be honest I hesitated. [The most advanced Poser figure in existence is a reality].....this statement really bothers me, and I know it also bothers others, cause it's arrogant in it's very suggestion. A poser character is only as good as what one can and will be able to create with it and people's opinions are subject to vary all around, many folks still do not like Victoria and yet she is "supposed" to be better....I think it would have gone MUCH, much better had Dina been introduced as "one of the best things to come around for a while"....even that, although a "confident" statement...is far more realistic in expectations and just sounds far less intrusive and less cocky than what has been "hailed" here. I have a feeling that THIS alone "may" be one reason why this whole Dina thing is being blown way out of proportion and is getting so much flack....was it really necessary to advertise her as a suggestion of being the "best there is anywhere", because THIS is what I read from this. I will not dwell on that though, cause there has already been enough shit on this thread already to last a while. I will now turn towards this razzing by fishbilly whatever.....um....is that necessary??? First off, why the phony username? Second....why such an arrogant bunch of posts at all....to me, fishbilly's additions to this thread are just blatant obvious dissentions upon the people that created the model and therefore hold no water! If you had an honest opinion about this character all around there would be no reason to go alias and take cheap shots like this....it could be up front and honest....and believe me I know all about alias, this is not the time when your trying to make a point. You know, I will say one thing here, there are a lot of things sold in poserland all over, many characters and models are only variations and morph alterations of already existing meshes....at least with this character/model, she is an "original" which is something we really can never get "enough" of for our softwares. For that, no matter who created her or designed her or markets her....she should be 'welcomed" and not spit on with dissentions. It is one thing to have past greivances with various folks for whatever reasons, if that is the case, like say with this fishbilly....but that should have NO bearing on their creativity whatsoever, that's just wrong. If something is a lucrative and "reasonable" offering then bias should be left out of it. There is a lot of worse things we can buy for thirty dollars and Dina is actually something that has much potential in that she is a "unique". As for "looks"....since this has been brought up....I will suggest also that she is NOT my cup of tea...but again, nor was Victoria , by any stretch...not until some very wonderful enhancements were accomplished all around. Besides....what I may not find my cup of tea, someone else may find extremely exiting and lovely....and why, oh why must every poser gal be some stereotype woman that looks like or resembles Barbie....we have more than enough of those. Personally, I think we need MORE variety all around, and this is a good attempt at something way different....for that Dina should be commended and not put down. Now many may question my motive for being here....I am trying to give my "honest" opinion all around....that is my right....like I said, I do not like the arrogant AD this post starts out as and for that it asks for a debate at the onset as far as I am concerned.....but on the other hand....I think some are being a might way too harsh too....this character should be given a chance if just for its' individual uniqueness alone, but also for the sake of "creativity and talent" that has obviously gone into her....regardless of the bad/poor choice of words to present her. Dina does deserve better than what I have read in this thread.....that just from what I SEE and nothing more.... On that note....have a pleasant day all around.....and good luck....