NEW USER Contest January 2014 "WIP Thread"
frank0314
Posts: 14,137
New User's Contest - January 2014
Sponsored by DAZ 3D
Are you new to the 3D World? Are you at the beginning stages of learning 3D rendering? Have you been around for a little bit but feel you could benefit from some feedback or instruction? Have you been around awhile and would like to help other members start their creative journey? Well then come and join the fun as we host our newest contest...
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"Party Time"
This month’s contest is about how you celebrate the new year. Did you hit the streets with friends? Did you stay at home with the family and watch the ball drop? Or just render your best fictional scenario of how you'd like to spend it.
Objective: Recreate a new years celebration.
We will be looking at creativity, composition and the over all theme as presented.
For a list of the current contest rules, please see this thread: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/3440/
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Closing Date: January 31th 2014
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Comments
Some useful tips, especially for those with older/slower computers...
In case you are thinking, "A party scene? My computer doesn't have enough memory to render a whole crowd of figures!" Here are a few suggestions:
- Two is company
Simplest workaround is not to render a crowd at all. You can show a character celebrating alone, or with a single companion.
- Instances
In DAZ Studio and some other programs, you can create a new Node Instance of a figure in your scene. To the viewer, the instance is an exact copy of the figure. However, to the computer, the instance takes up very little memory since all the information about it (aside from its location) is the same as the original. The main limitation to instances is that the pose and materials of the instance are the same as the original. How to do it in DS: select the thing you want to copy, then click the Create menu and choose "New Node Instances."
- Geometry shells
Like instances in some respects. One key difference is that with geometry shells you can change the materials. Geometry shells take up more memory than instances, but less than using unique figures. How to do it in DS: select the thing you want to copy, then click the Create menu and choose "New Geometry Shell." The geometry shell loads in the same location as the original, but then you can move it around.
- Reducing the resolution
If you're using Genesis or Genesis 2 figures, switch to Base resolution. If you're using V4 or M4, you can add a level of detail (which, contrary to how it sounds, reduces the resolution of the figure). Or, if you own them, use low-resolution figures (Lorenzo and Loretta Lorez, for instance) instead of high resolution ones. The Decimator plug-in may be another option, if you own that. See this thread for some more details on these things.
- Minimalism
This character may not need hair...just use his painted hair texture option. Apply a second-skin to that one instead of adding clothing (something like V4's default purple bikini texture, or the "wetsuit" texture options of Genesis Basic Male, Basic Female, and Basic Child that come with DS). And a third character doesn't need pants or shoes because only the top half of her body will be visible in the render.
- Use props as stand-ins
Props are easier on the computer than figures. If memory is an issue, look around for props you can use instead of figures. Think of it like a static mannequin. You can even use 2D billboards (similar to posing for a photo with a cardboard cutout of a celebrity).
- Compositing
Make a couple of renders of different people, and put them together using the image editing program of your choice. Or render a scene with some people, then load that image as a backdrop (or apply it to a plane primitive) in a new scene--no postwork required.
- Camera tricks
Frame your scene in order to convey the impression of a crowd without having to show a lot of people. For instance, you can zoom in to show just a corner of a room...then you don't need to worry about how to fill up the space in the rest of the room.
- Tips for efficient scene setup
If you are going to put a lot of figures in your scene, load them untextured (or load them and then remove the textures), then do all the repositioning, posing, and morphing BEFORE adding textures, clothing, or hair. In DAZ Studio, when you do load clothing and hair, you may wish to turn Smoothing off until you're ready to render. This will probably cut down significantly on lag while working with your scene.
The above post is intended simply as a list of ideas. The contest doesn't require that you do any of those things...just thought they might come in handy for some.
Let me know if you have questions or need more information on any of those things. :)
You must have been reading my mind Scott regarding a party scene and computer memory.
Those are great ideas.
Thanks.
Moire and her friend are out on the town to have some fun!
I am still not entirely happy with their expressions, and the background, but its getting there.
Amy
They must be someplace warm. :-)
Expressions are tricky to get right. Sometimes a really subtle change can make a big difference.
Good Times
The lighting doesn't fit the backdrop exactly, I might have to fiddle with it some more. Or not.
What do you think?
Edit: Added a version with improved lighting (I think), and a modified pose
I think it might come together even better if the girls were looking at each other a bit more directly, that would link them somewhat. Just a thought! :)
I like the lighting in the 2nd one. Changing the angle on the head of the redhead gives a better view of her face.
I am very new to Poser and would like to do images like I see here in the gallery and on other sites.
This is what I have achieved today, any comments or tips are welcome.
I think it's a pretty good start. You could think about putting some sort of night sky, or dark clouds in the background - that would perhaps look more plausible than an entirely black backdrop. You could also experiment with a tad stronger DoF, and look whether that improves the focus, and the believability of the firework.
But the render is already pretty nice, I think - the above are just improvements, nothing dramatic.
A work in progress...especially the lighting. Not even close to being done there.
Tried using some of Scott's suggestions by adding figures and posing before applying clothes and hair.
WOW!! Good stuff in here so far folks. I'll not pick a favorite. LOVE were each has and or is going so far.
I think it's a pretty good start. You could think about putting some sort of night sky, or dark clouds in the background - that would perhaps look more plausible than an entirely black backdrop. You could also experiment with a tad stronger DoF, and look whether that improves the focus, and the believability of the firework.
But the render is already pretty nice, I think - the above are just improvements, nothing dramatic.
Thank you for the ideas. ;-)
I am going to make a sky for the background in Photoshop. The biggest problem I am having at the moment is getting the lights to point where I want them.
Great start, everyone!
@Star Books: Looking good so far. As far as the expressions go, don't forget the eyes (direction of gaze). And a little subtle assymetry in the expression can boost realism too.
@TobiasG: I agree; second version is better, both with respect to the lighting, and the pose of the girl on the left.
@bobfisher: The woman and set look very good and the lighting is pretty good too. Looking forward to seeing what you can do with the background.
@Kismet2012: very natural-looking scene, especially the poses. I like that wisp of smoke, too! Glad you are finding my previous post useful. :)
My good friend proposed to hid girlfriend at exactly midnight New Year 2014. I thought this would be a good idea for the January Contest, so I recreated the scene to the best of my ability. I posted here for ideas and critiques. I highly appreciate any and all feedback. :)
I was thinking about creating a ring for him to present to her using the Taurus primitive for the band and a couple cubes for the stone and then apply a gold MAT on the band and a glass MAT for the stones. Do you guys think that is possible?? Is that a good addition or just unnecessary? THANK YOU to ALL!
I did a render in LuxRender using the Luxus plug-in, but I dont know if that is allowed for the contest. Does it need to be rendered in DAZ or can I submit a LuxRender?
A few thoughts:
I like the broad format, but keep in mind that for the contest, you can only use up to 800 pix - you're render is too large right now.
The eyes of the suited, sitting guy in the background are a bit creepy. Either they point somewhere weird so that only the white shows, or they're too light. That can happen with some eye colors (try out a darker color?). Or maybe I'm watching too much Supernatural :)
Composition-wise, I like the lines going through the scene, and the off-center position of the girl in the front (who is really the focus). Maybe she could look a bit more pleased? :)
A few of the poses might need tweaking - the sitting guy has a somewhat uncomfortable position for his feet, not quite flat at the floor, and not quite on his heels. The sitting blonde bombshell in the background also seems to sit a bit tense, leaning slightly forward/sideways and her foot not on the floor. The guy holding the glass could perhaps have his hand pose tweaked a bit.
Though I'd take care not to change the dynamic too much - the three people in the right corner, as such, look pretty good to me.
Personally, I think the balloon's colors clash a bit with the palette of the rest of the render, but that's likely a matter of taste.Maybe not.
Overall, I think this is a pretty good start!
@TobiasG - Thank you so much for your suggestions. I will take them and run with it. I will also change the render size to 800 - thank you for pointing that out to me. I cannot wait to begin tweaking etc. Thx again!
Yes, that's fine...you can use any software, just be sure to list the software you used, in your entry post. This includes: the software you used to set up the scene, the software you rendered it in, and any software used during postwork (if applicable).
Ok I made several pose tweaks, colored the balloons to match the decor better, changed the camera angle a tiny bit, created a ring for him to present to her and she appears more "pleased" about the situation.
At this point I think it's complete.
I think the theme is obvious "New Years Celebration".
Anybody have any thoughts??
I like the improved poses and the ring. I think I like the camera angle, except how his left hand gets cut off at the bottom. Maybe either zoom out a bit or change the aspect ratio of the image such that a little more of his body is in-frame. The guy in the foreground and the guy on the right side of the image look like twins...is this intentional? If not, you could change the skin texture and/or morphs of one of them (if you don't have a lot of male textures in your library, the Basic Male texture that comes with Genesis would work quite well for a background character).
Suggestions: make sure the man is looking directly at his girlfriend's eyes...he probably should have his head turned directly toward her, and maybe his entire body also. This an important moment for him and he should appear to be completely emotionally invested in what he's doing.
Aside from that I think the main thing that could be improved is the lighting. Add a point light or UberArea light in order to "turn on" the pole lamp. I'd recommend adding some more ambient light too, either with something like UberEnvironment2, or by using a bunch of low-intensity spotlights at various angles. Feel free to ask if you have any questions about how to do it (and also check for tips in threads devoted to previous new user contests that focused on lighting).
Overall this is coming together nicely!
I was just going to say the same thing about him, at the moment he is playing to the camera, when his attention should be on the girl friend.
The texture/colour change on the balloons is a big improvement. They were a little distracting before taking your eye away from the main focus.
I agree with Scott that the guy with the ring should be looking at his girlfriend/fiance.
A really nice render.
Thx to all. I will take all of your suggestions to heart.
I totally agree on the lighting issue. Seems very hard to get the right light feel in this scene. I used Linear point light on the right side floor lamp, but I am having trouble adjusting it. Maybe low level spots would be better? I will research previous lighting posts/ contest threads, but any help with lighting would be HIGHLY appreciated.
Not sure where to place spots in the scene - and then I have a multiple shadow issue going on as well. Should I place spots and turn off shadows on all but key lights??
Still working on the lighting. Not sure I've improved it any.
The light is a bit cool, perhaps. For a comfy indoor scene, a slight warm tint might possibly improve things.
Thanks Tobias. I will give that a try.
I have been working very hard on the lighting. I focused the main male character on his girlfriend's face.
I hope you guys like the lights. Let me know please.
Your lighting highlights the couple and makes them the focal point (for me at least). I also like the way you have reframed your image.
Very nice! :coolsmile: The lighting makes the scene more realistic and also more visually appealing. Nice job with the man's pose, too.
So, are you satisfied with it now, or do you want to keep working on it?
Scott - Since there is still time for tweaking before the contest - if you have any further suggestions I would love to hear them.
One thing that bothers myself about the render is the fact that all the wine glasses are empty. I am not sure exactly how to make them look like there is liquid in them, but I am trying to do that now - I don't give up easily so...