July Freebie Contest - Summer Gardens

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Comments

  • J GugliuzzaJ Gugliuzza Posts: 131
    edited December 1969

    Dollygirl said:
    Summer Sanctuary

    jgugliuzza
    Thank you for entering the contest. I hope to see many more from you in the future. This is a fun way to build up your run time, collect some awesome models and hopefully learn some cool things about DAZ Studio. Since Rob is away I will do the analysis of the image. Your first entry is always nerve racking. Did I do it right and such. I want you to be assured that what you have begun is not terrible or worthless. We just have some things that need some work.

    Technical
    Your links check out except for the following.

    I know that you linked to the rendo page where the freebie was available when you obtained your links. Unfortunately page links are dynamic in that as people add a freebie to the repository individual items will move from one page to another. So it is better to link to the item directly. Below I have provided you with the appropriate links for the items you have listed as being at Renderosity.

    Wrought Iron Bench http://www.renderosity.com/mod/freestuff/details.php?item_id=70611
    Pergola Paradise http://www.renderosity.com/mod/freestuff/details.php?item_id=65018
    Jakarandabaume http://www.renderosity.com/mod/freestuff/details.php?item_id=70887
    Rattan Table http://www.renderosity.com/mod/freestuff/details.php?item_id=68883
    Rattan Chair http://www.renderosity.com/mod/freestuff/details.php?item_id=68875

    To accept your render can you please change the links to the above listed items. Our rules can be confusing sometime, what is a legal link or not, so not knowing just how things work is perfectly acceptable. Now if you were one of the old timers then I would be sending you a PM with WHAT????!!! to you.

    Composition and Artistic
    The scene has the appropriate level of lighting. We can see everything in the scene. We have focusing techniques being applied with the angling of props towards the focus of the scene and of light and dark textures being used. We also see framing of the focal point (table and chairs) by the pergola, which is a good technique. You have added depth by having the wall in the background and then the mountains behind the wall. You do have a large empty area in front of your focal point that if I were working with this picture I would add some more plants to. Another way I could address the empty spot is to move the wrought iron bench and the statue behind the pergola and move the camera towards the focal point (chairs and table) catching the statue, bench, Oak tree and bird house.

    Just one last thing to consider and that is the use of shadows. As humans we respond to shadows. Using shadows captures our interest by making our brains focus on the image. It takes our brains just a little longer to process an image if we have to deal with light and dark areas, thus we look at the picture longer and see more of what is going on. Shadows also tell us other information like depth of the scene we are looking at and what time of day and the weather. To not have shadows in your image is like cutting the story short and not telling us the end of the story. I highly recommend playing around with the shadow option on your lights and see what happens. You find shadows on the Parameter tab when the light is selected in the scene.

    So jgugliuzza, if you make the link changes to your entry I will accept your entry and you will receive the Diamond Necklace for V4. Again thank you for entering the contest. I see a seed of greatness in your render and I am looking forward to your next composition.

    Thank you Dollygirl, I can use all the help anyone has to offered! I will fix the links and look for a few more flowers for the empty spot, again thank you!

  • DollyGirlDollyGirl Posts: 2,656
    edited December 1969

    Cuisle said:
    Title: Mercy Glade

    Cuisle,
    What a wonderful scene. Definitly a summer afternoon garden and thank you for entering. I keep saying this but it is nice to have new blood in the contest.

    Techincal
    All your links check out and you have the required number. A really nice variety of sites too. That will make Music happy. I am book marking a couple myself. You have annotated those sites that require registration. Thank you.

    Composition and Artistic

    I love critters. Being a farm girl I always like seeing animals being used in a render. Most people just forget them but they do provide a connection that people recognize even if subconsciously. Your scene has good lighting. Things can be seen. You have a focal point and you use your plants and animals to make the fountain the center point. I like how you buried the rock and flowers into the grass. Overall this is a very pretty scene.

    The following comments are things to try. This is just not for you but anyone I provide critique to. There is no need unless you like what you have done when you played to change the render. Up in the Cascades where I grew up we had a hill that was just covered with daffodils in the spring. One of the things I noticed was that they clumped together. There would be a bunch then a space between it and the next bunch. I would think that the amaryllis would do the same since it is a flowering bulb. The placement of your little flowers in the grass look natural. The other thing I would do is deepen the shadows. One way to do this is to up the light level, I know you are trying to get that seriously diffuse light that comes about when a storm is brewing but maybe a low angled distant light would work. The second is to leave the light level alone and see if you can sharpen the shadows. I think a little more contrast under the bench and some shadowing occurring on the different surfaces of the elk and rabbits might be interesting to see. I would sign the piece as well.

    So my dear ENTRY IS ACCEPTED. I will be PMing you the link to the necklace. That shader was for Dorseyland. I wonder if he ever used it.

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  • DollyGirlDollyGirl Posts: 2,656
    edited December 1969

    Hello all, the entries are cool! Thanks for your kind replies. Mine is finished too, but I'd like to ask a few questions.
    - Adam Thwaites has limited time freebies - can we use them?

    Yes you can use them. If they become paid for items in his store then they will need to be counted as a paid-for item otherwise they become a no count.

    quote author="cecilia.robinson" date="1373478887"]- Do you know where is the link to a tree pack please? It was unnamed and contained a Weeping Willow, an Eastern Cottonwood and a Black Tupelo saved as pp2 files. I cannot locate it via the compilation list :(.

    That does not ring a bell. Can you give more information about the file?

    quote author="cecilia.robinson" date="1373478887"]- I used a barrel from "Wood Stuff" set from Teknology3D. When I got it, it was free, but as I searched now, it's priced $5.00 - should I count it as a purchasable?

    Yes

    quote author="cecilia.robinson" date="1373478887"]- Can I use Dreamlight's club freebies? These are available for newsletter subscribers and are featured in limited time freebie alert thread.

    I think you can. He offers his freebies over and over again and I don't think what he offers is the full package that he sells.

    quote author="cecilia.robinson" date="1373478887"]- Adam Thwaites' MostDigitalCreations site's a great freebie provider, but the links fly over it and often change place when he updates them. Can I simply link to the main freestuff area please?

    What Dana said.

    quote author="cecilia.robinson" date="1373478887"]- Mapps and RichardPhotos released an addon set for "The Bull King's Throne". It's divided into two parts: one requires the set from Rendo, but the other - which I use - is a standalone. Can it still count as a freebie or should I count it as a purchasable item?


    What Dana said.
  • music2u4umusic2u4u Posts: 2,822
    edited December 1969

    chohole said:
    music2u4u said:
    A .pp2 file has the geometry inside the file. You can actually take a .pp2 file, change the extension to .obj and it will import into any app that supports .obj format.

    That is not neccesarily true nowadays Music, in fact, as regards Daz Props it is definitely not true of any props after a certain date

    Most content makers externalize the geometry -- DAZ 3D requires PA's to do so, and ( b ) even if the geometry is internal, you still have to strip out the excess stuff for it to work as .obj

    Darn...progress!...sheeesh!

    :-)

  • Sky77Sky77 Posts: 820
    edited December 1969

    whoa! You guys have been busy! I pop out for a few days and now I have 8 pages to rummage through! : P
    I'm interested in the dynamics thing myself. I am not even sure if you have to do something special to get it to load much less drape.
    I tried the dynamic flag once (ok a long time ago...) and it didn't even show up in my scene.

  • DollyGirlDollyGirl Posts: 2,656
    edited December 1969

    Dollygirl said:
    You do have the basic plug-in. It comes with DAZ. You don't have all of the bells and whistle like the wind factor and a few other things. You can drape if you want to. You just have to remember to freeze it when you get it the way you want to. That makes a prop and it can then be imported into Bryce.

    I do? *blush* I really haven't poked around a whole lot in Studio 4.6 yet, just using it for set-ups for Bryce. This adds a whole new dimension to things, but...how do I access it? Is there a good tutorial about it somewhere? If it works sort of like it does in Poser, that I should be pretty easy to learn. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

    Sorry it took so long. My only excuse is my company did it.

    Yes you do. Go to Window -> Panes (Tabs) -> Dynamic Clothing.
    Here are some links that you might find helpful
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZbAE2Hy168
    http://www.optitex-dynamiccloth.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=3
    and here is the thread if you have problems and want some help.
    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/7143/

  • Carola OCarola O Posts: 3,823
    edited December 1969

    Music and Dolly, thanks for the pool and the diamonds *smiles warmly* I've been so busy with other projects I haven't even been able to try them out yet *frowns*

    If I get time, I wil lsee what I can do regarding Music's suggestion, if nothing else to see how it looks atleast *smiles*

  • DollyGirlDollyGirl Posts: 2,656
    edited December 1969

    Summer Sanctuary
    Thank you Dollygirl, I can use all the help anyone has to offered! I will fix the links and look for a few more flowers for the empty spot, again thank you!

    Oh your welcome. I was getting worried that I had scared you away. I do not want to do that. Better to let you find your path then to disrupt your joy.

  • DanaTADanaTA Posts: 13,207
    edited December 1969

    whoa! You guys have been busy! I pop out for a few days and now I have 8 pages to rummage through! : P
    I'm interested in the dynamics thing myself. I am not even sure if you have to do something special to get it to load much less drape.
    I tried the dynamic flag once (ok a long time ago...) and it didn't even show up in my scene.

    I haven't done a lot with dynamics...just loaded the free thing once, the sheet. I didn't have the advanced control plug-in at the time, so I tilted V4 and the scene so it would cling to her. It worked out nice. I did one scene in Poser Pro 2010 with dynamics on Miki 3, and that worked out well, too. Of course, DS and Poser dynamics are different animals, but I think the process is mostly the same. For the flag, didn't it come with a flagpole? I think you have to have something to put a dynamic item onto. I'm not sure about that one. In fact, now I'm more unsure, because they have dynamic confetti! That doesn't go on anything, it falls through the "air". Hmm.....

    Dana

  • Tramp GraphicsTramp Graphics Posts: 2,411
    edited July 2013

    Here's my (possibly first of a few similar) entry.

    In the Garden

    Tommie and Kageto enjoying the view in his family's garden.

    Both figures Genesis.

    Freebies:
    Oriental Bridge (Bridge and walkway)*
    Fairy Pond with plants (pond and plants)*
    Streamlet with plants (stream and plants)*
    Fairy Cave with 5 plants (cave and plants)*
    Fairy Waterfall with plants (Waterfall cliff and plants)*
    Liquid (waterfall)*
    Asian Wall Kit (Wall and gate)*
    [urlhttp://www.sharecg.com/v/36518/browse/11/Poser/FreeZone-Morphing-Terrain]FreeZone Morphing Terrain (plateau landing)*
    Distant Lands pt 1
    Distant Lands pt 2
    Distant Lands pt 3
    Distant Lands pt 4
    Distant Lands pt 5
    Distant Lands pt 6 (primary terrain and mountains)*
    Mossy Rocks (assorted rocks)*
    Stone Stairs (stairs)*
    Fuseling's Spacedome (sky)*
    V4 Yukata converted to Genesis with custom weight maps and additional bones in sleeve drapes. (Tommie)
    Genesis female underwear (Tommie)*
    Bossy]Bossy Boots for Genesis (Tommie)*
    M3]M3 Baseball Cap (Tommie)*
    V4]V4 Wrist Watch (Tommie*)
    Die Trying's 182 V4 Morphs for Genesis (both figures)*
    Pin-up Girl Pack (Tommie)*
    Elena V4 (Tommie's skin)*
    Erato Hair styles texture set (Tommie)*
    Windwalkler Accessories (Headband) (Kageto)*
    Genesis bodysuit by Adam Thwaites (Kageto)
    Cosplay Costume 8 (Kageto’s Cyberarms)*
    MM Ninja suit pt 1 & 2 (second row, third and fourth column) (Kagato's Cyber arms)
    Fiberglass Bow
    Fiberglass Bow Expansion Set 1 (Kageto's Bow and quiver of arrows)*
    Katana Set for M3 Kageto's Daisho)*
    AMV_Hair54 V4 V3 (Kageto)*
    Satin shaders (Kageto’s headband, Kataginu, tabi, obi, and hilt wrappings, Tommie's yukata, obi, and panties)*
    Ultimate Shader pack: (Chrome on Kageto’s Cyber arms, belt, and weapons, Tommie's watch, Spandex on Kageto's bodysuit, finish on Kageto's bow)*
    Super Shine Shader pack (Kageto's Saya, harness buckles,)*
    R72]R72 Leather Shaders (Kageto's belt, boot soles, harness, )*
    Assorted Textures 3 (Kageto's Harness straps)*

    Paid For Items:
    Erato Hair (Tommie)
    Ryuu International (Kageto)
    Genesis Starter Bundle for Genesis Evolution morphs (both figures)

    No Count Items:

    Genesis Base
    Shadowblade Hooded Kataginu (Kageto)
    Shadowblade Obi (Kageto)
    Shadowblade Belt (Kageto)
    Shadowblade Harness (Kageto)
    Shadowblade Tabi (Kageto)

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    Post edited by Tramp Graphics on
  • Lord GanthorLord Ganthor Posts: 592
    edited December 1969

    Dollygirl said:

    Sorry it took so long. My only excuse is my company did it.

    You mean the people visiting or the people you work for? Never mind, in either case I can understand (especially the second one...)

    Thanks for the pointers and tips. I'll have to look into this and see what I can make of it...or out of it...whatever....

  • DanaTADanaTA Posts: 13,207
    edited December 1969

    Here's my (possibly first of a few similar) entry.

    In the Garden

    Tommie and Kageto enjoying the view in his family's garden.

    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/index.php?&ACT=50&fid=41&aid=81529_CHlljvKf3DbaXrqNtJHZ&thumb=1&board_id=1

    That's some family garden! The mountains look like those in many Asian works of art I've seen. Too bad they didn't have better textures, though. The reds really stand out! I've always loved Asian architecture.

    Dana

  • DollyGirlDollyGirl Posts: 2,656
    edited December 1969

    Dollygirl said:

    Sorry it took so long. My only excuse is my company did it.

    You mean the people visiting or the people you work for? Never mind, in either case I can understand (especially the second one...)

    Thanks for the pointers and tips. I'll have to look into this and see what I can make of it...or out of it...whatever....

    That will be the visiting type. Been retired now nigh on to 4 years. The company don't own my soul anymore.

  • music2u4umusic2u4u Posts: 2,822
    edited July 2013

    Here's my (possibly first of a few similar) entry.

    In the Garden

    Tommie and Kageto enjoying the view in his family's garden.

    Both figures Genesis.

    Freebies:
    Oriental Bridge (Bridge and walkway)*
    Fairy Pond with plants (pond and plants)*
    Streamlet with plants (stream and plants)*
    Fairy Cave with 5 plants (cave and plants)*
    Fairy Waterfall with plants (Waterfall cliff and plants)*
    Liquid (waterfall)*
    Asian Wall Kit (Wall and gate)*
    [urlhttp://www.sharecg.com/v/36518/browse/11/Poser/FreeZone-Morphing-Terrain]FreeZone Morphing Terrain (plateau landing)*
    Distant Lands pt 1
    Distant Lands pt 2
    Distant Lands pt 3
    Distant Lands pt 4
    Distant Lands pt 5
    Distant Lands pt 6 (primary terrain and mountains)*
    Mossy Rocks (assorted rocks)*
    Stone Stairs (stairs)*
    Fuseling's Spacedome (sky)*
    V4 Yukata converted to Genesis with custom weight maps and additional bones in sleeve drapes. (Tommie)
    Genesis female underwear (Tommie)*
    Bossy]Bossy Boots for Genesis (Tommie)*
    M3]M3 Baseball Cap (Tommie)*
    V4]V4 Wrist Watch (Tommie*)
    Die Trying's 182 V4 Morphs for Genesis (both figures)*
    Pin-up Girl Pack (Tommie)*
    Elena V4 (Tommie's skin)*
    Erato Hair styles texture set (Tommie)*
    Windwalkler Accessories (Headband) (Kageto)*
    Genesis bodysuit by Adam Thwaites (Kageto)
    Cosplay Costume 8 (Kageto’s Cyberarms)*
    MM Ninja suit pt 1 & 2 (second row, third and fourth column) (Kagato's Cyber arms)
    Fiberglass Bow
    Fiberglass Bow Expansion Set 1 (Kageto's Bow and quiver of arrows)*
    Katana Set for M3 Kageto's Daisho)*
    AMV_Hair54 V4 V3 (Kageto)*
    Satin shaders (Kageto’s headband, Kataginu, tabi, obi, and hilt wrappings, Tommie's yukata, obi, and panties)*
    Ultimate Shader pack: (Chrome on Kageto’s Cyber arms, belt, and weapons, Tommie's watch, Spandex on Kageto's bodysuit, finish on Kageto's bow)*
    Super Shine Shader pack (Kageto's Saya, harness buckles,)*
    R72]R72 Leather Shaders (Kageto's belt, boot soles, harness, )*
    Assorted Textures 3 (Kageto's Harness straps)*

    Paid For Items:
    Erato Hair (Tommie)
    Ryuu International (Kageto)
    Genesis Starter Bundle for Genesis Evolution morphs (both figures)

    No Count Items:

    Genesis Base
    Shadowblade Hooded Kataginu (Kageto)
    Shadowblade Obi (Kageto)
    Shadowblade Belt (Kageto)
    Shadowblade Harness (Kageto)
    Shadowblade Tabi (Kageto)

    TG...I am not sure about this entry. Though you have a lot of freebie links, over half of them I can not see because the characters are so small. The rule states "You must be able to CLEARLY see the item". You have the distant lands set listed as 6 seperate freebies, though it is all a set, and I am sure you did not use all of them. You must claim this as one freebie. You have the streamlet with plants but I can not find it. I see the waterfall and the stairs, but not the streamlet. You have three seperate morph packs listed...the paid for Genesis Evolution pack, pinup girl pack and Die Tryings 184 v4 morphs for Genesis, yet I don't see too much difference in these character shapes and the standard Genesis shape. Not very clearly seen faces or bodies to see the morphs. I can barely see the bow, but not the quiver of arrows and not the katana. I can not see the underwear, the cloth belt nor the wrist watch. You have two sets of cyberarms listed, so which is it, the cosplay costume 8 or mamomamos. I stopped checking links at that point, just way to confusing and can't see anything. I would say, zoom your camera in closer to the characters and don't claim so many freebies on the terrain stuff. I can't even tell if your characters are who you say they are or their skins.

    Also, you have 27 sharecg links here and 7 Renderosity links here. You have 5 other site links.

    I will have to let Dollygirl decide on this one. I can't give a judgement on something I can't see.

    Also, why are the shadowblade items no count? Did they come with Daz? Are they extra paid fors (only allowed three)?

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  • Tramp GraphicsTramp Graphics Posts: 2,411
    edited July 2013

    Kageto's Cyberarms are made from both in combination. The Mamomamo set is fit to the Raven gloves. As for the Belt, are you referring to Kageto's yellow belt, the straps of his harness, or the Obi around Tommie's waist? Kageto's belt is yellow leather with the shiney gold buckle on top of the black obi. That, and the soles of his tabi, use the R72 Leather Shaders. You should be able to see the left strap of Kageto's harness pretty easily against the white of his kataginu. The Streamlet is at the top of the waterfall. It's the grassy terrain, rock, trees, flower bush, and cat-tails at the top, along with the water that flows into the waterfall props, as seen in this image. The watch is on Tommie's left wrist, and the panties are the blue between Tommie's butt cheeks. The Distant Lands set does count as one freebie, but it's made up of six parts which need to be downloaded separately. You need all six parts for the set to work.

    The Shadowblade set are No Count because they're an outfit I created myself in Hexagon, and do not distribute. It was designed solely for this character as a proprietary item and is not available as either a freebie or for sale.

    Post edited by Tramp Graphics on
  • Tramp GraphicsTramp Graphics Posts: 2,411
    edited December 1969

    DanaTA said:
    Here's my (possibly first of a few similar) entry.

    In the Garden

    Tommie and Kageto enjoying the view in his family's garden.

    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/index.php?&ACT=50&fid=41&aid=81529_CHlljvKf3DbaXrqNtJHZ&thumb=1&board_id=1

    That's some family garden! The mountains look like those in many Asian works of art I've seen. Too bad they didn't have better textures, though. The reds really stand out! I've always loved Asian architecture.

    DanaThanks. Kageto is from Japan, and that is where his family still resides. They're not exactly "poor".

  • DollyGirlDollyGirl Posts: 2,656
    edited December 1969

    Here's my (possibly first of a few similar) entry.

    In the Garden

    Tramp,
    Thank you for submitting an entry into the contest. Like Dana, I like the red of the bridge and gate and the green of the mountains.

    Techincal
    You have the required number of links. You have annotated those sites that require registration. Thank you. The Stone Bridge is no longer available. Shame it looked like an interesting prop. Putting all of the links for the render in your entry is very kind of you. For us judges and hosts, it can be a little more work. I don't mind as long as the "rules" have been met but I am retired and have the time to go through the list. I have been guilty of doing the same thing myself. Our beloved BWSman could attest to that if he was still among us. So Music has a point about what to count and what can not. For this time your list is accepted. Maybe next time make two lists. One that contains what you want to be considered for eligibility and then another that shows us where you got all the other freebies from. I have done this in the past and the host did not mind. Oh and the streamlet is at the very top of the water fall. You can see the funny looking flowers.

    Composition and Artistic

    I think you have captured the zen of a Japanese Garden. You have the water, the mountains, the plains. You have developed your focal point. I find it interesting you took so many different props and came up with a very interesting terrain. A very creative way of giving your render depth. I like the composition of the piece as well. The bridge dividing the render and the use of the red to pull your eyes through the image.

    Tramp, I want you try something for me. I want you to see if you can introduce bump into your scene. You are a very good artist and I see from your other art that you use techniques to introduce texture to your drawings. So I would like you to experiment with DAZ to see if you can bring out these type details. I would try and do it on the bridge. From the promo image I noticed that the stone work on the steps should be more uneven. The cracks should be deeper, the light areas more raised. It is unfortunate that DAZ does not read Poser files as well as they should. I find that most model textures have to be tweeked to make them look as good as what Poser does with them. If you select the BridgeSpilt_1 object and then on the surfaces tab click on the steps you will notice that the bump strength is set to 120 percent but the amount of bump applied is only at -.01 and .01. That is not a very big difference. The high places will not be very high and the low places will not be very low. So what we end up with is a flat affect on the steps. It is this way because DAZ can not interpret the Poser file correctly. I have learned through trial and error that I must change the default values for Negative Bump and Positive Bump to higher values on all of the textures when I use a pp2 file. So below I give you an example of what I did and the resulting renders. These settings are not hard and fast. They depend on lots of things, like lighting and the amount of contrast (ie black, white and grey) you have in your bump map. This link is to some links that describe bump maps. As always this suggestion is only a suggestion. If you are happy with where you are in your use of DAZ then that is okay.

    So my dear ENTRY IS ACCEPTED. I will be PMing you the link to the necklace.

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  • Tramp GraphicsTramp Graphics Posts: 2,411
    edited July 2013

    Thanks. I'm not sure what "Stone Bridge" you're referring to though. I know that the Oriental Bridge is still available however. I may try adjusting the bump maps when I try my next composition with this scene (as I said, I may enter another similar entry with different poses and camera angles). This image took two days to render using the free 3Delight render engine (rendering in Daz proper crashed the program, even spot rendering). My goal here was to really focus on the garden, rather than the characters, in an "establishing shot" or sorts, and really show off as many of the elements that make up the garden as possible (there are still other parts which are hidden, such as the other side of the waterfall).

    On a side note, I will say that it is getting harder and harder to include my characters though, as getting them closer to how I originally designed them is requiring more and more paid for items. I just picked up the M4 Cyberpunk sets for the Cyberarms (not used here) because the "jury-rigged" arms I've been using really aren't adequate, and there re no freebie cyberarms to be found (I've looked). Even without them, I had to change out Tommie's normal outfit for the Yukata because the shorts she normally wears would have put the picture over the limit. If I were to use the M4 arms in future entries with them together, I'd need to change out her hair too, and could never use her normal outfit again. In their "standard" forms, they each use three paid for items, only one of which (the Genesis Starter Bundle) they share. Tommie uses Erato Hair and JeanZ for V4 (for her shorts), and Kageto uses Ryuu International and (as of last night) Cyberpunk M4 (which I'm also now going to be using for my character Mirandez' left arm too). Trying to get the entire team together for future pics is going to be next to impossible. I really wish the Freebie Contest rules could go back to a Five paid for item limit as the standard for future contests (like many of the old contest did back on the old forums when I first started).
    But that's neither here nor there.

    I still can't find a full kataginu kamishimo costume set (for M4 or Genesis, Daz 4.0 compatible or otherwise), either free or paid for, and something like that would have been perfect for this scene.

    One thing of interesting note about the Oriental Bridge, I just discovered looking through the Texture folder. It not only includes a bump pap for the bridge itself, but also displacement and Normal maps for the cobblestones in the walk way. I'm not sure what the proper settings for those would be.

    Post edited by Tramp Graphics on
  • Sky77Sky77 Posts: 820
    edited December 1969

    Here's my (possibly first of a few similar) entry.

    In the Garden

    You beat me to the Japanese garden idea, red bridge and all... : P
    I knew I should have started working on mine sooner! Oh well, serves me right. Back to the "drawing board"....

    I agree with Dana, a little more texture on the mountains might have been nice. And the texture of the rocks on the left side look kind of stretched. You can fix this on the surfaces tab by increasing the horizontal tiling of textures.

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  • Tramp GraphicsTramp Graphics Posts: 2,411
    edited July 2013

    Here's my (possibly first of a few similar) entry.

    In the Garden

    You beat me to the Japanese garden idea, red bridge and all... : P
    I knew I should have started working on mine sooner! Oh well, serves me right. Back to the "drawing board"....

    I agree with Dana, a little more texture on the mountains might have been nice. And the texture of the rocks on the left side look kind of stretched. You can fix this on the surfaces tab by increasing the horizontal tiling of textures.Actually, the texture on the stairs cannot be fixed. I tried. that prop doesn't have separate material zones for the different parts. The same with the mountains. They're part of the one huge morphing ground plane, not separate props (I used three such ground planes, overlapping each other). Thus, whatever texture the main ground plane has, that's the texture on the mountains made from it.

    You can still do a Japanese garden. Just because I did one, doesn't mean another with a different layout can't be done, even using the same bridge. Did you expect me to not do a Japanese garden? One of my main characters is a traditionally trained, Japanese Shinobi. Of course I was going to go the Japanese Garden route. =D

    Post edited by Tramp Graphics on
  • DollyGirlDollyGirl Posts: 2,656
    edited December 1969

    Thanks. I'm not sure what "Stone Bridge" you're referring to though. I know that the Oriental Bridge is still available however. I may try adjusting the bump maps when I try my next composition with this scene (as I said, I may enter another similar entry with different poses and camera angles). This image took two days to render using the free 3Delight render engine (rendering in Daz proper crashed the program, even spot rendering). My goal here was to really focus on the garden, rather than the characters, in an "establishing shot" or sorts, and really show off as many of the elements that make up the garden as possible (there are still other parts which are hidden, such as the other side of the waterfall).

    On a side note, I will say that it is getting harder and harder to include my characters though, as getting them closer to how I originally designed them is requiring more and more paid for items. I just picked up the M4 Cyberpunk sets for the Cyberarms (not used here) because the "jury-rigged" arms I've been using really aren't adequate, and there re no freebie cyberarms to be found (I've looked). Even without them, I had to change out Tommie's normal outfit for the Yukata because the shorts she normally wears would have put the picture over the limit. If I were to use the M4 arms in future entries with them together, I'd need to change out her hair too, and could never use her normal outfit again. In their "standard" forms, they each use three paid for items, only one of which (the Genesis Starter Bundle) they share. Tommie uses Erato Hair and JeanZ for V4 (for her shorts), and Kageto uses Ryuu International and (as of last night) Cyberpunk M4 (which I'm also now going to be using for my character Mirandez' left arm too). Trying to get the entire team together for future pics is going to be next to impossible. I really wish the Freebie Contest rules could go back to a Five paid for item limit as the standard for future contests (like many of the old contest did back on the old forums when I first started).
    But that's neither here nor there.

    I still can't find a full kataginu kamishimo costume set (for M4 or Genesis, Daz 4.0 compatible or otherwise), either free or paid for, and something like that would have been perfect for this scene.

    One thing of interesting note about the Oriental Bridge, I just discovered looking through the Texture folder. It not only includes a bump pap for the bridge itself, but also displacement and Normal maps for the cobblestones in the walk way. I'm not sure what the proper settings for those would be.

    Woops I meant the Stone Steps! Sorry.

  • Tramp GraphicsTramp Graphics Posts: 2,411
    edited December 1969

    Dollygirl said:
    Thanks. I'm not sure what "Stone Bridge" you're referring to though. I know that the Oriental Bridge is still available however. I may try adjusting the bump maps when I try my next composition with this scene (as I said, I may enter another similar entry with different poses and camera angles). This image took two days to render using the free 3Delight render engine (rendering in Daz proper crashed the program, even spot rendering). My goal here was to really focus on the garden, rather than the characters, in an "establishing shot" or sorts, and really show off as many of the elements that make up the garden as possible (there are still other parts which are hidden, such as the other side of the waterfall).

    On a side note, I will say that it is getting harder and harder to include my characters though, as getting them closer to how I originally designed them is requiring more and more paid for items. I just picked up the M4 Cyberpunk sets for the Cyberarms (not used here) because the "jury-rigged" arms I've been using really aren't adequate, and there re no freebie cyberarms to be found (I've looked). Even without them, I had to change out Tommie's normal outfit for the Yukata because the shorts she normally wears would have put the picture over the limit. If I were to use the M4 arms in future entries with them together, I'd need to change out her hair too, and could never use her normal outfit again. In their "standard" forms, they each use three paid for items, only one of which (the Genesis Starter Bundle) they share. Tommie uses Erato Hair and JeanZ for V4 (for her shorts), and Kageto uses Ryuu International and (as of last night) Cyberpunk M4 (which I'm also now going to be using for my character Mirandez' left arm too). Trying to get the entire team together for future pics is going to be next to impossible. I really wish the Freebie Contest rules could go back to a Five paid for item limit as the standard for future contests (like many of the old contest did back on the old forums when I first started).
    But that's neither here nor there.

    I still can't find a full kataginu kamishimo costume set (for M4 or Genesis, Daz 4.0 compatible or otherwise), either free or paid for, and something like that would have been perfect for this scene.

    One thing of interesting note about the Oriental Bridge, I just discovered looking through the Texture folder. It not only includes a bump pap for the bridge itself, but also displacement and Normal maps for the cobblestones in the walk way. I'm not sure what the proper settings for those would be.

    Woops I meant the Stone Steps! Sorry. They're still available too, over at Renderocity. The link is in the list, and does work.

  • DollyGirlDollyGirl Posts: 2,656
    edited December 1969

    They're still available too, over at Renderocity. The link is in the list, and does work.

    Nope still no joy. The link at Rendo sends you to a dead link at ShareCG and I went over there and looked for hoover and step and came up with nothing. So sad.
  • Tramp GraphicsTramp Graphics Posts: 2,411
    edited December 1969

    Dollygirl said:
    They're still available too, over at Renderocity. The link is in the list, and does work.

    Nope still no joy. The link at Rendo sends you to a dead link at ShareCG and I went over there and looked for hoover and step and came up with nothing. So sad.I just sent a PM to the artist over at Rendo about the issue.
  • LimneryLimnery Posts: 126
    edited December 1969

    Dollygirl said:
    Cuisle said:
    Title: Mercy Glade
    The following comments are things to try. This is just not for you but anyone I provide critique to. There is no need unless you like what you have done when you played to change the render. Up in the Cascades where I grew up we had a hill that was just covered with daffodils in the spring. One of the things I noticed was that they clumped together. There would be a bunch then a space between it and the next bunch. I would think that the amaryllis would do the same since it is a flowering bulb. The placement of your little flowers in the grass look natural. The other thing I would do is deepen the shadows. One way to do this is to up the light level, I know you are trying to get that seriously diffuse light that comes about when a storm is brewing but maybe a low angled distant light would work. The second is to leave the light level alone and see if you can sharpen the shadows. I think a little more contrast under the bench and some shadowing occurring on the different surfaces of the elk and rabbits might be interesting to see. I would sign the piece as well.

    So my dear ENTRY IS ACCEPTED. I will be PMing you the link to the necklace. That shader was for Dorseyland. I wonder if he ever used it.

    Yay! Thank you so much for checking everything and for your lovely comments. You're so right about flowering bulbs clumping--I'm going to revisit the scene today with that, and deeper shadows, in mind. I kept trying and failing to cast some leaf shadow onto the elks by moving an out-of-frame tree between them and the distant-light sun; maybe turning the sun up will help with that too. I'll keep playing, anyway, and see what I can do. I really appreciate all the tips!

  • music2u4umusic2u4u Posts: 2,822
    edited July 2013

    TG...Since Dollygirl will accept this entry, I will send you the entry gift from me. She is the host and she can accept it if she likes. But please next time you enter have the freebies where everyone can see them very clear without having to zoom in or blow up the render to see just the edge of this or that, and try to have the characters facing where we can see their faces and/or bodies if you are going to use that many morph packs. Also please don't blend two items together into one as it states in the rule it is not allowed. We don't want to start a rampage of folks doing this, it happened once before and it took months to straighten it out. That is when this rule was written and added to the rules. It was a nightmare. Very nice render BTW.

    Thanks for entering, and check your pm box for my gift.

    Rule #8 - All links to freebies must work, and all freebies must be clearly and completely seen, not obstructed or hidden in any way from clear total viewing, no water reflections, or reflections that bend the freebie or distort it from it’s original form allowed without the freebie being seen above or outside the reflection itself as a stand alone, the freebie must be seen without having to enlarge the render to see it in any way, no items put against something the same color or texture making it blend into the other item. You may not link to items that specifically ask you not to link to them.

    I also could not get the stone stairs...gave me an error that it had been removed.

    :-)

    Post edited by music2u4u on
  • music2u4umusic2u4u Posts: 2,822
    edited December 1969

    Cuisle said:
    Dollygirl said:
    Cuisle said:
    Title: Mercy Glade
    The following comments are things to try. This is just not for you but anyone I provide critique to. There is no need unless you like what you have done when you played to change the render. Up in the Cascades where I grew up we had a hill that was just covered with daffodils in the spring. One of the things I noticed was that they clumped together. There would be a bunch then a space between it and the next bunch. I would think that the amaryllis would do the same since it is a flowering bulb. The placement of your little flowers in the grass look natural. The other thing I would do is deepen the shadows. One way to do this is to up the light level, I know you are trying to get that seriously diffuse light that comes about when a storm is brewing but maybe a low angled distant light would work. The second is to leave the light level alone and see if you can sharpen the shadows. I think a little more contrast under the bench and some shadowing occurring on the different surfaces of the elk and rabbits might be interesting to see. I would sign the piece as well.

    So my dear ENTRY IS ACCEPTED. I will be PMing you the link to the necklace. That shader was for Dorseyland. I wonder if he ever used it.

    Yay! Thank you so much for checking everything and for your lovely comments. You're so right about flowering bulbs clumping--I'm going to revisit the scene today with that, and deeper shadows, in mind. I kept trying and failing to cast some leaf shadow onto the elks by moving an out-of-frame tree between them and the distant-light sun; maybe turning the sun up will help with that too. I'll keep playing, anyway, and see what I can do. I really appreciate all the tips!

    Try placeing a spotlight, not a distant light, above the leaves angled down at the elks. It tends to bring a shadow right where you want it. The distant light covers too big an area. You can narrow the beam on a spotlight down to a specific area. This might help.

    :-)

  • mmalbertmmalbert Posts: 412
    edited December 1969

    I have a feeling this one might be a problem because its theme involves some miniature stuff and may be too small, even if the full-sized image is 1300 x 1600. If so, that's fine -- I'll change it to a NAE. I had fun putting it together no matter what.

    Asterisks (*) denote registration required (I remembered this time...)

    FAIRY GARDEN:

    Snow Globe * (retextured) - http://forum.runtimedna.com/content.php?199-RDNA-s-2011-13-Days-of-Christmas-Day-11
    Sun & Moon (retextured) - http://sanzisannzi.blog83.fc2.com/blog-entry-157.html#cm (bottom)
    Trees & Flowers - http://www.freewebs.com/mapps/downloads6.htm
    Morphing Mushrooms - http://www.freewebs.com/mapps/downloads5.htm
    Fae Flower Brolly * - http://forum.runtimedna.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=443
    Fairy Furniture * - http://www.faeriewylde.com/FW4/index.php?board=52.0 (table, chairs, stools, place setting all in different topic posts)
    Purple Flowers, from The Hills * - http://www.ShareCG.com/v/39996/view/11/Poser/The-Hills-environment-for-DAZ-Studio-Poser
    Leaf Boat * - http://www.renderosity.com/mod/freestuff/details.php?item_id=25010
    Fish & Fishing Pole, from Toon Fishing * - http://www.sharecg.com/v/26422/gallery/11/Poser/Toon-fishing
    TransPonds Rock Pack * - http://forum.runtimedna.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=466
    Pot House * - http://www.ShareCG.com/v/49819/view/5/3D-Model/Pot-House
    Bed Tree (retextured) - http://www.ranquist.net/goods/BedTree.htm
    Winter Wonderland Terrain * (retextured) - http://www.renderosity.com/mod/freestuff/details.php?item_id=66803
    Seat Bench (retextured) * - http://www.ShareCG.com/v/57157/view/11/Poser/Seat-Bench
    Wild Violets * - http://www.renderosity.com/mod/freestuff/details.php?item_id=59211
    Teacup + Saucer - http://www.nessrepros.co.uk/ (click on page three, download toward bottom)
    Toon Cake, from "Food" - http://trumarcar.francemi.net/foodprops_tc.htm (toward bottom)
    Universal Wings 2 * - http://www.faeriewylde.com/FW4/index.php?topic=499.0
    Toon Crown - http://trekkiegrrrl.dk/prp6.htm
    N-Hat Prop - http://www.mortemvetus.com/free_downloads.php?type=1&page=8 (bottom row)
    Kali Underwear - http://www.renderosity.com/mod/freestuff/details.php?item_id=55445

    GARDEN:

    Ivy Wall * - http://www.renderosity.com/mod/freestuff/details.php?item_id=71795
    Spring Shrubs * - http://www.runtimedna.com/newsletter/2013_03_08/index.html
    GE Sky Dome * - http://www.ShareCG.com/v/45996/view/11/Poser/SkyDome

    CHILD:

    Jill, from Jack and Jill - http://www.most-digital-creations.com/free_poser_poses_textures_morphs_props_40.htm (3rd from top)
    Sammie K4 * - http://www.ShareCG.com/v/54924/view/21/DAZ-Studio/Sammie-Complete-for-K4-*REVISED*
    Nene Hair - http://redviper.spirit5.com/download/
    Flowers Head Band (retextured) - http://www.lmdesign.co.uk/headband.htm
    Sun Play K4 - http://www.pfddelights.com/index.php?topic=36.msg53#msg53
    Just Cute for Sun Play * - http://www.renderosity.com/mod/freestuff/details.php?item_id=60313

    FREEBIES, NO COUNT:

    Kelm Shirt - made by Karth; I think it's been removed from distribution
    Log House - Can't find the download link

    Purchased, NO COUNT

    Kids 4 Base

    PURCHASED:

    Weird Fantasy Vines (Renderosity)
    Kali & Kelm (Renderosity)
    Kids 4 Morphs ++ (DAZ)

    The verdi gris and other metallic materials are my own, but I have the grass and tree bark tiles available for download here: http://redeyecat.wordpress.com/seamless-tiles/

    I also used displacement on the grass in both the fairy garden and regular garden.

    The Fairy Garden

    The-Garden-Faeries.jpg
    1340 x 1600 - 2M
  • DanaTADanaTA Posts: 13,207
    edited December 1969

    mmalbert said:
    I have a feeling this one might be a problem because its theme involves some miniature stuff and may be too small, even if the full-sized image is 1300 x 1600. If so, that's fine -- I'll change it to a NAE. I had fun putting it together no matter what.

    The Fairy Garden

    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/index.php?&ACT=50&fid=41&aid=81967_ZQUxhlzBUBpQqYnePvjb&thumb=1&board_id=1

    This is excellent! I love all the miniature stuff. And great pose and expression on K4, too!

    Dana

  • LimneryLimnery Posts: 126
    edited December 1969

    mmalbert said:
    FAIRY GARDEN

    That is just wonderful!

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