Is Daz studio useful in any way?

CASINC

Two questions. The main question being, is there any useful purpose for using Daz in the real world? As I reflect back on the years and 10's of thousands of dollars spent, I'm thinking all that time would have been better spent on other programs. As I look around the job market, Daz doesn't seem to hold any value. It's always things like Unreal/Unity, Maya, 3dsmax, Supstance Painter, ZBrush, Blender, ect...ect. So is there any good reason outside of a pure hobby prospective that anyone should spend there time and money on Daz?

Question 2, is there anyway to sell a (my) Daz account without Daz going all ape sh@t over terms and conditions?

Richard Haseltine

Question 1: if you are looking at paid positions within existing pipelines, probably not - it is used, in concept art and for illustration, but those are generally freelance/sole trader activities, or in indie game development, likewise. Big companies want to have sole control of their assets, to make sure they have no hidden liabilites from infringing content and that they have full and exclusive ownership for licensing purposes.

Question 2 is a question for Sales support.

frank0314

A lot of people sell their artwork made from it. Some do book covers or album covers. There are ways of making money out of Daz Studio. To sell the renders, you don't need any special license's to do so, except for the products marked as Editorial License. 

Oso3D

At one point I did freelance art commissions for RPGs and I used Daz Studio. The pay wasn't fantastic, but that's the norm for art stuff. (I also did personal commissions, but those were lots of work for next to no money or reliability, so I gave up on that fast)

 

lou_harper

I design book covers and use my DAZ renders combined with stock photos.

ainm.sloinneadh

There are some indie/single-seat game developers who have made a comfortable living using Daz Renders in visual novels. You need to be very talented at story-telling and writing to do that and, like any discipline, there are many more people who haven't set the world on fire with their work. Do it for the love - anything else is a bonus.

If you're doing it for a career - and I think you're talking about creating assets that sit within a larger production pipeline? - then there are other applications in which experience and skill is more marketable and more valuable to businesses. Daz is probably at the bottom of the pile, to be honest. But I do think if you're super talented, that using Daz to create visual novels is a perfect match. If you're doing concept art, Daz can be a good tool too, but the industry standard demands a greater artistic input than posing, lighting or rendering and, when productionised, that extra skill will usually forgo utilising rendering engines at all.

Ate the skills you develop in Daz transferable, though? Absolutely. I've been around the video game industry for a couple decades, at all levels including hobbyist, modder and professional. Among other things, I code, I model (badly), design levels and, more recently, I compose and render. Daz exercises each of those skills and is built around many of the concepts that professionals in the industry use daily.

Daz is actually a fairly decent, serviceable piece of software backed by a massive content library. What it lacks most is in viewport and interface performance and a quick, industry-standard realtime rendering engine. But it is a terribly capable piece of software that can be used to create high-quality rendered images. That seems more than useful to me, if a niche interest. 

benniewoodell

I was using Daz to animate freelance for a couple of companies, they wanted me to use Daz too because they liked how it looked. I was making good money, more than I'd ever made in my life. I actually felt like I had a viable career because I knew they always had more stuff coming up. But then AI came about, Synthesia in particular, and I haven't worked since December and am now in the process of figuring out my fourth career change due to circumstances beyond my control in each instance since '08. I'm tired. I spent all these years in Daz, and to be fair the first couple of years I was having fun and playing around as a hobby until I landed that first job. I still use it for my own animated films on my own time, but I should have been focusing more on the programs that studios actually use like Maya or UnReal to try and get a job that way, or tried to really learn how to sculpt in ZBrush. I just don't trust jobs will be readily available anymore because of AI at this point to even bother trying to focus on UnReal or Maya to get a job in this industry anymore. But yes, there are some of us who have made a living using Daz. 

CASINC

Oso3D said:

At one point I did freelance art commissions for RPGs and I used Daz Studio. The pay wasn't fantastic, but that's the norm for art stuff. (I also did personal commissions, but those were lots of work for next to no money or reliability, so I gave up on that fast)

ya that's the problem i've ran into. Everyone wants it for free and even asking a minimum wage equivalent gets me ghosted.

CASINC

ainm.sloinneadh said:

There are some indie/single-seat game developers who have made a comfortable living using Daz Renders in visual novels. You need to be very talented at story-telling and writing to do that and, like any discipline, there are many more people who haven't set the world on fire with their work. Do it for the love - anything else is a bonus.

If you're doing it for a career - and I think you're talking about creating assets that sit within a larger production pipeline? - then there are other applications in which experience and skill is more marketable and more valuable to businesses. Daz is probably at the bottom of the pile, to be honest. But I do think if you're super talented, that using Daz to create visual novels is a perfect match. If you're doing concept art, Daz can be a good tool too, but the industry standard demands a greater artistic input than posing, lighting or rendering and, when productionised, that extra skill will usually forgo utilising rendering engines at all.

Ate the skills you develop in Daz transferable, though? Absolutely. I've been around the video game industry for a couple decades, at all levels including hobbyist, modder and professional. Among other things, I code, I model (badly), design levels and, more recently, I compose and render. Daz exercises each of those skills and is built around many of the concepts that professionals in the industry use daily.

Daz is actually a fairly decent, serviceable piece of software backed by a massive content library. What it lacks most is in viewport and interface performance and a quick, industry-standard realtime rendering engine. But it is a terribly capable piece of software that can be used to create high-quality rendered images. That seems more than useful to me, if a niche interest. 

I've thought about graphic novels but based on render times, scene creation, and my standard of quality it would take years to produce one copy. Lol. I have used g8 to Unreal very successfully but Unreal... well that's a different story.

wolf359

You can make some passive income as Daz content  creator

here( as a  Daz PA), or at the two "other" major Daz content outlets.
 

 I actually felt like I had a viable career because I knew they always had more stuff coming up. But then AI came about, Synthesia in particular, and I haven't worked since December and am now in the process of figuring out my fourth career change due to circumstances beyond my control in each instance since '08. I'm tired. I spent all these years in Daz, and to be fair the first couple of years I was having fun and playing around as a hobby until I landed that first job. I still use it for my own animated films on my own time, but I should have been focusing more on the programs that studios actually use like Maya or UnReal to try and get a job that way, or tried to really learn how to sculpt in ZBrush. I just don't trust jobs will be readily available anymore because of AI at this point to even bother trying to focus on UnReal or Maya to get a job in this industry anymore.

Check the job listings over at Artstation
there are still many companies looking for people create content for games and films as AI is still limited in that area (so far)
but as far as finished animations/talking heads for corporate traing etc yeah AI has taken over nearly completely.

so it does not matter if you are using DAZ Genesis ,UE metahuman, Iclone /CC4 or some Maya Advanced rig.
Unless you are an EMPLOYEE of a Game or film studio there is no money to be had just offering to “make animations” for someone
( outside of the NSFW stuff)

 

I have basically migrated over to 2D animation and am working on a new graphic novel that I will sell directly from my Patreon
I m also looking at platforms like the storiaverse app.
and planning to start an animated series using MOHO and or Cartoon animator.
I was a graphic designer for 19 years before getting into 3D/CG
I am leveraging AI as an addition tool to my existing suite of skills
wether it is a voiceover or a character style sheets and Art files that I will use to build my 2D Puppets and background scenes in MOHO & Cartoon animator .

Here are some of my Character styles I will be using in the Graphic novel and the animates series.

Plant

What was your purpose for getting into Daz in the first place?

FSMCDesigns

Plant said:

What was your purpose for getting into Daz in the first place?

Exactly. Was the initial purpose of using DAZ to make money, or did you just realize how much you have spent on a hobby like most of us and now want to find a way to get some of it back? LOL

DAZ is useful IMO for those that have never used 3D and to get them started. If a user wants to be a serious skilled artist or have a portfolio worthy of a top teir design studio, then yeah, you need to be using the expensive toys like Maya, Zbrush, etc. Over the past 3 years I have made about 10K doing commisions and digital imagery for two publishers. It's hit or miss work, but it helps justify what I have spent here. Sad thing is, with AI now, anyone can produce quality images, so that work has all but dried up..

CASINC

FSMCDesigns said:

Plant said:

What was your purpose for getting into Daz in the first place?

Exactly. Was the initial purpose of using DAZ to make money, or did you just realize how much you have spent on a hobby like most of us and now want to find a way to get some of it back? LOL

DAZ is useful IMO for those that have never used 3D and to get them started. If a user wants to be a serious skilled artist or have a portfolio worthy of a top teir design studio, then yeah, you need to be using the expensive toys like Maya, Zbrush, etc. Over the past 3 years I have made about 10K doing commisions and digital imagery for two publishers. It's hit or miss work, but it helps justify what I have spent here. Sad thing is, with AI now, anyone can produce quality images, so that work has all but dried up..

To be fair, I find the "why" irrelevant. Exploring options and bringing it to attention so new comers don't possible start down the same path without a heads up. Kinda wanted to create a little awareness here too. But ya'll are some what right, don't get me wrong. I started using it as a character creator for stories. And it is a decent digital art (digital world) starting place... ... but ten years and 40k later it feels like a trap, to much invested to give up, and no where to go. Know what I mean? And I know they're trying to protect the business and creators but there should still be some sort of out, like anything else in life. Whether it's refunds, resell, trade/exchange, something.

Hylas

If your hobby is, say, snowboarding... you will also spend $$$ every winter on gear, travel, lodging, ski lifts, etc. If you don't enjoy snowboarding anymore, or you realise you've been spending too much on your hobby and you need to stop... I guess you can sell your gear (at a loss) but you won't get the rest of the money back you've spent over the years. The enjoyment you got at the time is what that money was for.

lilweep

Certainly anyone in industry would be expected to be something of a generalist and have a portfolio showcasing their general ability along with their specialist area (whether that is animation, environment design, texturing, sculpting, lookdev, mocap, coding etc) in order to be hired.

 

CASINC said:

FSMCDesigns said:

Plant said:

What was your purpose for getting into Daz in the first place?

Exactly. Was the initial purpose of using DAZ to make money, or did you just realize how much you have spent on a hobby like most of us and now want to find a way to get some of it back? LOL

DAZ is useful IMO for those that have never used 3D and to get them started. If a user wants to be a serious skilled artist or have a portfolio worthy of a top teir design studio, then yeah, you need to be using the expensive toys like Maya, Zbrush, etc. Over the past 3 years I have made about 10K doing commisions and digital imagery for two publishers. It's hit or miss work, but it helps justify what I have spent here. Sad thing is, with AI now, anyone can produce quality images, so that work has all but dried up..

To be fair, I find the "why" irrelevant. Exploring options and bringing it to attention so new comers don't possible start down the same path without a heads up. Kinda wanted to create a little awareness here too. But ya'll are some what right, don't get me wrong. I started using it as a character creator for stories. And it is a decent digital art (digital world) starting place... ... but ten years and 40k later it feels like a trap, to much invested to give up, and no where to go. Know what I mean? And I know they're trying to protect the business and creators but there should still be some sort of out, like anything else in life. Whether it's refunds, resell, trade/exchange, something.

I think people should really think about long term prospects before they commit 10 years and 40k to something, rather than doing this after buyer's remorse sets in.  It's a hobby so as with any hobby and costs associated with all the accoutrement that comes with them, let's hope the process itself was enjoyable.

But even if you had learned Blender, Substance Painter, Marvelous Designer etc as I have, there's no guarantee you wouldnt feel that to be a waste too.  Even with those "skills" I still dont feel like I "have anywhere to go" as they are pretty standard skills and people with such knowledge are a dime a dozen.  Daz is a popular character creator, but it's hard to imagine a daz user or dabbler in other softwares being taken seriously in a marketplace when AI can do many things Daz users would be able to do and where there are very talented specialists.  Anyway, there is still a market for 3D assets, but to enter industry you probably would need to be attractive as a specialist in some domain that is valuable to the indsutry.

CASINC

Hylas said:

If your hobby is, say, snowboarding... you will also spend $$$ every winter on gear, travel, lodging, ski lifts, etc. If you don't enjoy snowboarding anymore, or you realise you've been spending too much on your hobby and you need to stop... I guess you can sell your gear (at a loss) but you won't get the rest of the money back you've spent over the years. The enjoyment you got at the time is what that money was for.

Well the only thing that's really comparable here would be the gear. Which as you stated can be sold, or loaned to family and friends, passed down, even donated. But this is like buying a car and the dealership I bought it from telling me I can't resell it because the manufacturer wouldn't make money on it again.

CASINC

lilweep said:

Certainly anyone in industry would be expected to be something of a generalist and have a portfolio showcasing their general ability along with their specialist area (whether that is animation, environment design, texturing, sculpting, lookdev, mocap, coding etc) in order to be hired.

 

CASINC said:

FSMCDesigns said:

Plant said:

What was your purpose for getting into Daz in the first place?

Exactly. Was the initial purpose of using DAZ to make money, or did you just realize how much you have spent on a hobby like most of us and now want to find a way to get some of it back? LOL

DAZ is useful IMO for those that have never used 3D and to get them started. If a user wants to be a serious skilled artist or have a portfolio worthy of a top teir design studio, then yeah, you need to be using the expensive toys like Maya, Zbrush, etc. Over the past 3 years I have made about 10K doing commisions and digital imagery for two publishers. It's hit or miss work, but it helps justify what I have spent here. Sad thing is, with AI now, anyone can produce quality images, so that work has all but dried up..

To be fair, I find the "why" irrelevant. Exploring options and bringing it to attention so new comers don't possible start down the same path without a heads up. Kinda wanted to create a little awareness here too. But ya'll are some what right, don't get me wrong. I started using it as a character creator for stories. And it is a decent digital art (digital world) starting place... ... but ten years and 40k later it feels like a trap, to much invested to give up, and no where to go. Know what I mean? And I know they're trying to protect the business and creators but there should still be some sort of out, like anything else in life. Whether it's refunds, resell, trade/exchange, something.

I think people should really think about long term prospects before they commit 10 years and 40k to something, rather than doing this after buyer's remorse sets in.  It's a hobby so as with any hobby and costs associated with all the accoutrement that comes with them, let's hope the process itself was enjoyable.

But even if you had learned Blender, Substance Painter, Marvelous Designer etc as I have, there's no guarantee you wouldnt feel that to be a waste too.  Even with those "skills" I still dont feel like I "have anywhere to go" as they are pretty standard skills and people with such knowledge are a dime a dozen.  Daz is a popular character creator, but it's hard to imagine a daz user or dabbler in other softwares being taken seriously in a marketplace when AI can do many things Daz users would be able to do and where there are very talented specialists.  Anyway, there is still a market for 3D assets, but to enter industry you probably would need to be attractive as a specialist in some domain that is valuable to the indsutry.

Sure, that concept applies to any type of debt or even things like addiction. But people are people. And it's only a hobby if it's a hobby, so here's a question. Would your response be any different if I told you I made a successful living using daz to create and sell pictures but I've decided to go another direction in life and want to sell the assets I paid for and own? What if I die? Does thousands of dollars in assets just vanish in the digital graveyard? Nobody in my family can do anything with them, that seems to be the situation. Again, not here for some odd Judgement about my situation but overall advice, suggestions, brainstorming solutions for everyone. I might laugh when AI takes down companies like this and they stuck in the same situation but companies like Daz, Renderhub, Renderosity, ect, should make billions off of AI.

Gordig

CASINC said:

Hylas said:

If your hobby is, say, snowboarding... you will also spend $$$ every winter on gear, travel, lodging, ski lifts, etc. If you don't enjoy snowboarding anymore, or you realise you've been spending too much on your hobby and you need to stop... I guess you can sell your gear (at a loss) but you won't get the rest of the money back you've spent over the years. The enjoyment you got at the time is what that money was for.

Well the only thing that's really comparable here would be the gear. Which as you stated can be sold, or loaned to family and friends, passed down, even donated. But this is like buying a car and the dealership I bought it from telling me I can't resell it because the manufacturer wouldn't make money on it again.

Comparisons between physical and digital products are specious. When you buy a physical product like a snowboard (just to stick with the example already given), you own the object itself, of which there are a limited number and only one person can use a given snowboard at any one time; when you buy a digital product, you're not buying the product, you're buying the RIGHT to use that product. It is legal, despite the best efforts of the record industry, to sell a piece of physical media you own, like a vinyl record or a CD, but it is not legal for you to sell an MP3 over which you don't hold the copyright. Scarcity naturally applies to physical goods, but only exists for digital products if deliberately imposed.

lilweep

CASINC said:

lilweep said:

Certainly anyone in industry would be expected to be something of a generalist and have a portfolio showcasing their general ability along with their specialist area (whether that is animation, environment design, texturing, sculpting, lookdev, mocap, coding etc) in order to be hired.

 

CASINC said:

FSMCDesigns said:

Plant said:

What was your purpose for getting into Daz in the first place?

Exactly. Was the initial purpose of using DAZ to make money, or did you just realize how much you have spent on a hobby like most of us and now want to find a way to get some of it back? LOL

DAZ is useful IMO for those that have never used 3D and to get them started. If a user wants to be a serious skilled artist or have a portfolio worthy of a top teir design studio, then yeah, you need to be using the expensive toys like Maya, Zbrush, etc. Over the past 3 years I have made about 10K doing commisions and digital imagery for two publishers. It's hit or miss work, but it helps justify what I have spent here. Sad thing is, with AI now, anyone can produce quality images, so that work has all but dried up..

To be fair, I find the "why" irrelevant. Exploring options and bringing it to attention so new comers don't possible start down the same path without a heads up. Kinda wanted to create a little awareness here too. But ya'll are some what right, don't get me wrong. I started using it as a character creator for stories. And it is a decent digital art (digital world) starting place... ... but ten years and 40k later it feels like a trap, to much invested to give up, and no where to go. Know what I mean? And I know they're trying to protect the business and creators but there should still be some sort of out, like anything else in life. Whether it's refunds, resell, trade/exchange, something.

I think people should really think about long term prospects before they commit 10 years and 40k to something, rather than doing this after buyer's remorse sets in.  It's a hobby so as with any hobby and costs associated with all the accoutrement that comes with them, let's hope the process itself was enjoyable.

But even if you had learned Blender, Substance Painter, Marvelous Designer etc as I have, there's no guarantee you wouldnt feel that to be a waste too.  Even with those "skills" I still dont feel like I "have anywhere to go" as they are pretty standard skills and people with such knowledge are a dime a dozen.  Daz is a popular character creator, but it's hard to imagine a daz user or dabbler in other softwares being taken seriously in a marketplace when AI can do many things Daz users would be able to do and where there are very talented specialists.  Anyway, there is still a market for 3D assets, but to enter industry you probably would need to be attractive as a specialist in some domain that is valuable to the indsutry.

 and want to sell the assets I paid for and own? 

Not sure you own them

There are many products I purchased from cgtrader, artstation etc for a specific or non-specific purspose.

Dont think id have the gall to contact the seller and ask for money back now that Ive finished using them. 

Hylas

Gordig said:

CASINC said:

Hylas said:

If your hobby is, say, snowboarding... you will also spend $$$ every winter on gear, travel, lodging, ski lifts, etc. If you don't enjoy snowboarding anymore, or you realise you've been spending too much on your hobby and you need to stop... I guess you can sell your gear (at a loss) but you won't get the rest of the money back you've spent over the years. The enjoyment you got at the time is what that money was for.

Well the only thing that's really comparable here would be the gear. Which as you stated can be sold, or loaned to family and friends, passed down, even donated. But this is like buying a car and the dealership I bought it from telling me I can't resell it because the manufacturer wouldn't make money on it again.

Comparisons between physical and digital products are specious. When you buy a physical product like a snowboard (just to stick with the example already given), you own the object itself, of which there are a limited number and only one person can use a given snowboard at any one time; when you buy a digital product, you're not buying the product, you're buying the RIGHT to use that product. It is legal, despite the best efforts of the record industry, to sell a piece of physical media you own, like a vinyl record or a CD, but it is not legal for you to sell an MP3 over which you don't hold the copyright. Scarcity naturally applies to physical goods, but only exists for digital products if deliberately imposed.

My point was that hobbies are money sinks. We pour money into them, they give us pleasure. It's not deeper than that.

CASINC

Gordig said:

CASINC said:

Hylas said:

If your hobby is, say, snowboarding... you will also spend $$$ every winter on gear, travel, lodging, ski lifts, etc. If you don't enjoy snowboarding anymore, or you realise you've been spending too much on your hobby and you need to stop... I guess you can sell your gear (at a loss) but you won't get the rest of the money back you've spent over the years. The enjoyment you got at the time is what that money was for.

Well the only thing that's really comparable here would be the gear. Which as you stated can be sold, or loaned to family and friends, passed down, even donated. But this is like buying a car and the dealership I bought it from telling me I can't resell it because the manufacturer wouldn't make money on it again.

Comparisons between physical and digital products are specious. When you buy a physical product like a snowboard (just to stick with the example already given), you own the object itself, of which there are a limited number and only one person can use a given snowboard at any one time; when you buy a digital product, you're not buying the product, you're buying the RIGHT to use that product. It is legal, despite the best efforts of the record industry, to sell a piece of physical media you own, like a vinyl record or a CD, but it is not legal for you to sell an MP3 over which you don't hold the copyright. Scarcity naturally applies to physical goods, but only exists for digital products if deliberately imposed.

I'm with you, I get the problem. Any of us could duplicate our product files endlessly and resell them or If I sell my account I still have the files on my computer. It's a concern, and I definitely don't want to see the creators get screwed over. But that raises the question, can't I only do that because I did buy the literal physical product? I bought the record, the CD, I own the files, they're on my computer. Daz having us think we "only own rights to the use" seems like legal semantics that may not be so legal. But I'm no lawyer. It's such a grey area is tough. I'm not trying to sell off individual files or anything like that though.

Richard Haseltine

As I said, contact sales. Daz is the only entity which can set up a license transfer, though that doesn't mean they will agree to do so.

CASINC

Hylas said:

Gordig said:

CASINC said:

Hylas said:

If your hobby is, say, snowboarding... you will also spend $$$ every winter on gear, travel, lodging, ski lifts, etc. If you don't enjoy snowboarding anymore, or you realise you've been spending too much on your hobby and you need to stop... I guess you can sell your gear (at a loss) but you won't get the rest of the money back you've spent over the years. The enjoyment you got at the time is what that money was for.

Well the only thing that's really comparable here would be the gear. Which as you stated can be sold, or loaned to family and friends, passed down, even donated. But this is like buying a car and the dealership I bought it from telling me I can't resell it because the manufacturer wouldn't make money on it again.

Comparisons between physical and digital products are specious. When you buy a physical product like a snowboard (just to stick with the example already given), you own the object itself, of which there are a limited number and only one person can use a given snowboard at any one time; when you buy a digital product, you're not buying the product, you're buying the RIGHT to use that product. It is legal, despite the best efforts of the record industry, to sell a piece of physical media you own, like a vinyl record or a CD, but it is not legal for you to sell an MP3 over which you don't hold the copyright. Scarcity naturally applies to physical goods, but only exists for digital products if deliberately imposed.

My point was that hobbies are money sinks. We pour money into them, they give us pleasure. It's not deeper than that.

I think your concern with what should or shouldn't be labeled a hobby, and how it's defined is detracting from the point here. And just because something is a "hobby" doesn't mean it can have no financial return just because it's not considered someone's 9-5 job.

CASINC

Richard Haseltine said:

As I said, contact sales. Daz is the only entity which can set up a license transfer, though that doesn't mean they will agree to do so.

Ya I will of it comes to that, I just want to get the gossip first. Lol

Gordig

Hylas said:

My point was that hobbies are money sinks. We pour money into them, they give us pleasure. It's not deeper than that.

I was responding to the OP, not you.

Solar Dreamer

From my perspective, DAZ is primarily useful for solo indies and freelancers, although they do have Enterprise licenses for big teams.

Learning industry standard software is important to making art, but I'm not sure you'd be guaranteed any more ROI on that vs. DAZ at this point.

Maybe if you show that you're able to leverage both and do good work as a generalist, but if you pay attention to the news, the big companies are having huge layoffs and replacing employees with AI tools. The main benefit to knowing how to use other software tools is that as you learn them, it enables you improve the art you can make.

You have to be somewhat driven and know that you want to create something, or else there's really not much point in investing in creative software / tools, whether DAZ or otherwise. 

NylonGirl

When it comes to regretting something done in the past, one cannot change what they did. One can only change what they do from now on. Instead of thinking about how much was spent, just don't buy anymore.

WendyLuvsCatz

According to DAZ-DEALS for me

Current Value: $99,328.67

Total Spent: $28,571.55

I haven't made a cent from it plus I started with iClone3 and spent plenty at Reallusion, at Renderosity, at Epic Unreal Engine Markketplace, CGAxis to name a few...

over 14 years

I still spend far less than I would doing other stuff

 

dtrscbrutal

   Daz Studio and accompanying 3d assets are just tools to help you achieve your goals. You use the right tools for the job. If your artistc vision or financial goals have changed then your tools may need to change as well.
 Daz Studio meets my needs and helps me to create my art, its a great tool, and it is free. For me the answer for your first question is an unequivocal yes.

edit: worlds worst typist

Hylas

CASINC said:

Hylas said:

My point was that hobbies are money sinks. We pour money into them, they give us pleasure. It's not deeper than that.

I think your concern with what should or shouldn't be labeled a hobby, and how it's defined is detracting from the point here. And just because something is a "hobby" doesn't mean it can have no financial return just because it's not considered someone's 9-5 job.

I thought earlier you wrote that the "why" doesn't matter? I think it matters very much. As in, it matters whether one considers DAZ Studio a hobby or not. I see that you seem to be in a tricky mind space ("feels like a trap, nowhere to go") and I think getting clarity on what DAZ Studio is to you is going to be helpful.

If it's a hobby then forget about making money. All you need to consider is whether the amount you're spending is worth the joy your're getting out of it. If the answer is no, I agree with NylonGirl that the way to go is to focus on the future, not the past.

If it's a business and you're losing money you need to revise your business plan.

If it's a hobby that you want to monetise (but not necessarily make profitable) you can try to sell renders, although it's probably a pretty tough market.

If you're truly done you can sell your GPU. Richard seems to think you may be able to sell your digital assets, too... but I would look at spending money on digital assets as an equivalent to a snowboarder spending money on travel and lodging. Money you spent to facilitate an activity you enjoy, with no expectation of monetary return.

Maybe I'm coming off as too adversarial. I actually really empathise with having the realisation that you spent more than you intended to, and maybe feeling tricked by DAZ' sales tactics. Honestly, on some level, same.

background

If you could get permission to transfer your DAZ assets, which you say are about 40K, do you know anyone who would be willing to pay a significant amount for them? Some of them must be 10 year old assets. Someone new to DAZ is unlikely to want to commit to hundreds of dollars of content. Someone who is heavily 'into' DAZ may already have a lot of the same assets.