Official Announcement: HiveWire 3D to publish Animals through DAZ 3D

[Miss B]

From what I understand, everything you've already purchased here will remain in your accounts here, so if you need to redownload for any reason, such as a computer crash, you can come back here to get new copies.

 

[Ken1171]

Oh I forgot. My wife TsunaDraken and I have accounts, but we usually buy with hers. How will it work for that? Are our products going to remain in our accounts here?

Nothing will change with the customer accounts. This is just related to where the HW animals will be sold at.

 

[JOdel]

Stonemason made a comment in the thread on his newest release (Streets of Morocco) to the effect that DAZ had made it very easy to include the same lights, cameras, and settings with the product and that effectively, he's bundled the setups for his promos into the package.

But, yeah, trying to match the promos, or to have you own renders look anything like as good as the promos is the main challenge for any newbie. In both programs, I expect.

 

[TaishoBee]

From what I understand, everything you've already purchased here will remain in your accounts here, so if you need to redownload for any reason, such as a computer crash, you can come back here to get new copies.

Nothing will change with the customer accounts. This is just related to where the HW animals will be sold at.

Okay thanks.

 

[Aelin]

Yes, I'm sure that the polarization is the main reason why fewer and fewer vendors at the DAZ market continue to produce Poser content.

I am uncertain about this, but I also suspect that the fact that DAZ uses the loss-leader model of marketing and gives the program away means that a lot more people getting into 3D at the hobbyist end, now enter from the Studio side than did prior to Studio 4.0.?, back when both programs had to be purchased. Poser had *far* wider name recognition in, oh, say 2010 than Studio. But I wouldn't count on that still being the case now. Quite a few people who started with Studio may have moved to Poser (probably to get access to the dynamics that let them clothify something). But I suspect that very few of them invest in Poser and then deinstall their copy of Studio.

I don't know the percentage of Poser as opposed to Studio users across the whole market. But I would be willing to bet that the newbie end of the market may be heavily stalked toward Studio.

I started with Daz Studio (DS3) because it was free.
Then they came to DS4 but it asks many many memory for computers, in more of memory for renders.
Between beginning of DS4 and now, I finally started to work with Poser.
Today, I work with Poser and always DS3 lol
For me, Poser format is the best, easier to understand and modify. When I have a set with Poser and Daz versions possibles, I go always toward Poser version.

Good luck with animals on Daz guys! I wish you the best.

Wow.... I really liked buying here I don't trust Daz. Daz is so anti Poser too. Heartbroken over this. Does this mean no more Poser animals??

Chris said they will continue with Poser and Daz versions, you know

 

[Ken1171]

Way back when I changed there was a lot of free, well informed and balanced advice, unfortunately the polerisation has meant that such advice is pretty rare these days.

Unfortunately, this is the unfair part newbies are subjected to these days - brainwashing. SMSI has kept neutral on this, which automatically puts Poser on the loosing side. One can't win a battle by forfeiting, but this is how things played out. SMSI have extracted themselves completely from this context (and everything involved), as if DAZ didn't exist. Maybe this explains their inability to situate themselves in this market. DAZ forums started to claim that "Poser is dead", and you know, when something is repeated enough times over time, it becomes "truth". In the meanwhile, SMSI has been playing dead (don't react).

Personally, I think Poser Pro is utterly overpriced since it's not a 3D modeling application, but it's being sold at the same price range as others that are. This trend started when SMSI acquired Poser from eFrontier, and I think it has been hurting Poser ever since. It's yet another sign that SMSI doesn't quite understand that Poser is made of hobbyist users with low budgets. There are many other signs that demonstrate how SMSI doesn't seem to know who the Poser market is made of. They seem to think of people from the Poser market as the same as any other people who buy their many other software products. It's a company strategy issue right there.

 

[daywalker03]

Stonemason made a comment in the thread on his newest release (Streets of Morocco) to the effect that DAZ had made it very easy to include the same lights, cameras, and settings with the product and that effectively, he's bundled the setups for his promos into the package.

But, yeah, trying to match the promos, or to have you own renders look anything like as good as the promos is the main challenge for any newbie. In both programs, I expect.

Honestly, I don't see the point of trying to duplicate the promo renders, whether you're new to the art or an old hand at it. I'll be ther first to abmit that my early stuff doesn't look good, but I didn't go into doing this with the expectation of getting the same results content artists got.

 

[Alisa]

Ah so you will have the final word on what gets bundled and what doesn't. Good.

I don't know that - just saying I would suspect it'll be something decided by Chris & Lisa, but I"m not familiar with how much (if any) input DAZ has on bundles there.

I will support you wherever you sell. Good luck, I hope it means more sales, your animals are simply fabulous! Now... what about a dog!

Aww, thanks! And welcome! Dog is in the works:
HiveWire Dog Is Underway

Wow.... I really liked buying here I don't trust Daz. Daz is so anti Poser too. Heartbroken over this. Does this mean no more Poser animals??

No, it doesn't mean that - HiveWire's animals still include stand alone DAZ Studio and Poser versions.

Oh I forgot. My wife TsunaDraken and I have accounts, but we usually buy with hers. How will it work for that? Are our products going to remain in our accounts here?

Yes, anything you bought here will be in your account. After I get the DAZ files, I'll make sure all is in them (like templates which they don't usually include in the zip. The DIM file and whatever else will be re-zipped into the same file name you originally downloaded (this is something we can't change in the store at this time), and I'll announce in the update thread that it's been updated. You'll want to get this, as Laurie is tweaking mats and textures of some of the items, and there will be Iray & Superfly mats included for older products that don't have them now.

Any questions already posted that are still unanswered?

 

[Willowisp]

Personally, I think Poser Pro is utterly overpriced since it's not a 3D modeling application, but it's being sold at the same price range as others that are. This trend started when SMSI acquired Poser from eFrontier, and I think it has been hurting Poser ever since. It's yet another sign that SMSI doesn't quite understand that Poser is made of hobbyist users with low budgets. There are many other signs that demonstrate how SMSI doesn't seem to know who the Poser market is made of. They seem to think of people from the Poser market as the same as any other people who buy their many other software products. It's a company strategy issue right there.

I couldn't agree more. Add to that the strengthened value of the American dollar over the past couple of years, and the price of Poser has gone through the roof for me. I really WANT to upgrade to PP11, but I can't. If the US$ was still at the level it was about 4 years ago, I might have been able to, but today, not a chance.

 

[tparo]

Honestly, I don't see the point of trying to duplicate the promo renders, whether you're new to the art or an old hand at it. I'll be ther first to abmit that my early stuff doesn't look good, but I didn't go into doing this with the expectation of getting the same results content artists got.

I have to agree I don't really understand why you want to copy someone and get the same result, one of the reasons I don't always buy Stonemasons stuff anymore is that it's so easily recognised and used often by all. I have the new set in my cart at the moment but am undecided mainly because every render in the next few weeks will feature it.

 

[Satira Capriccio]

I hate to use the word boycott to describe my stance on purchasing products at DAZ. That implies one is trying to organize a resistance toward a company and hope for others to follow suit. I honestly don't care if other people think the sun rises and sets on DAZ. Or if they feel the DAZ forum is filled with like minded people that make them feel at home. Or if they believe there are no differences between DAZ, HiveWire, Renderosity, or any other brokerage of 3D content. If shopping at DAZ works for them ... fantastic. If they won't be impacted by the HiveWire 3D animals and addons ... especially Laurie's products ... being sold exclusively at DAZ rather than HiveWire ... even better.

Just when I think I can deal with the deal between DAZ and HiveWire ... I start panicking this is just the beginning of changes I won't be able to live with. More than any other site online, HiveWire has made me feel part of something ... bigger. Something that encourages and values its members rather than seeing them just as an open wallet that should be stripped of all content. Something that kinda ... resembles ... family. Even if I might not agree with everything that everyone here posts. Even if I get as frustrated with some people and their opinions as they probably get with me and mine.

I can see where some people don't think this is a big deal. Especially, if they have no issues with DAZ or with their business practices or past and present decisions. I can even understand why some people can't understand it really and truly is rather difficult to find current quality Poser content at DAZ. After all, if you use DS, virtually everything in the DAZ store is content you can use.

But ... this is a big deal to some of us. And while many of you may not be impacted by this, some people will no longer be able to purchase HiveWire animals and any other products that are moved to DAZ.

And ... it's very, very hard to believe DAZ has any intentions to actually play fair with HiveWire.

But, Chris has had first hand experience with DAZ ... given he kinda like ... was a co founder of DAZ and worked under the new (now oldish) management. And he's experienced how ... unhelpful they have been toward HiveWire since the launch of Dawn. He's been the recipient of some rather twisted posts from DAZ PAs. So, I know he's not going into this blind. Neither is Lisa, Alisa, Paul, Laurie. They've all had plenty of experiences with DAZ and know far more about DAZ's business practices than we do.

But ... they are also really, really nice people who might kinda ... a wee bit ... expect others to be ... nice? fair? open minded? open hearted? Well, perhaps what I'm looking for is that they are willing to give people a second, third, multiple chances to be decent. But ... yeah. I do trust them. And I want this to work out for HiveWire. And certainly, I hope it will bring people to HiveWire who never knew about HiveWire or who have believed all the negative BS that has been spread about HiveWire and HiveWire products by people who don't like HiveWire or Chris.

This is just not something I ever would have imagined happening, and I'm (as must be rather obvious by now) totally not comfortable with it.

Granted ... it's a fairly small thing in comparison to so many other things that are changing in the world. But like ... no one who makes decisions about ACA, the Environment/Global Warming, the Economy, the "Wall" cares about my opinions or concerns.

While, Chris, Lisa, Alisa, et. al., do.

 

[Ken1171]

Honestly, I don't see the point of trying to duplicate the promo renders, whether you're new to the art or an old hand at it. I'll be ther first to abmit that my early stuff doesn't look good, but I didn't go into doing this with the expectation of getting the same results content artists got.

Sorry, that's not what I meant. It's the comments from DS users claiming the products they buy from DAZ never looks as good in their renders as they do in the DAZ promos. I didn't mean to say they were trying to duplicate the promo images.

 

[Miss B]

Well said Satira.

 

[Ken1171]

I hope it will bring people to HiveWire who never knew about HiveWire or who have believed all the negative BS that has been spread about HiveWire and HiveWire products by people who don't like HiveWire or Chris.

That's the main reason why I am giving this the benefit of the doubt. Some bads may come for a bigger good.

 

[tparo]

Sorry, that's not what I meant. It's the comments from DS users claiming the products they buy from DAZ never looks as good in their renders as they do in the DAZ promos. I didn't mean to say they were trying to duplicate the promo images.

The vendors at Daz are very talented as are the promo artists Daz use, if people can't get good results it's not due to the products but a lack of experience, there is no one click Make Art button.

 

[Willowisp]

I gotta say tho, now that the first animals are in the Daz shop, I'm rather disappointed with their promotion. Other than being mentioned in the newsletter (which frankly made it look like the cats were daz originals), there is nothing that I can see. The banners on the main site is filled with unrelated flash sales, not a single ad about the cats. I dunno, I guess I just expected something more? At least from the company that supposedly is the best in the market for advertising

 

[daywalker03]

Sorry, that's not what I meant. It's the comments from DS users claiming the products they buy from DAZ never looks as good in their renders as they do in the DAZ promos. I didn't mean to say they were trying to duplicate the promo images.

Undersstood; I was mainly saying that it doesn't make sense to try, even though I've seen enough threads over there where folks seem to be doing exactly that that I've lost count.

 

[daywalker03]

I gotta say tho, now that the first animals are in the Daz shop, I'm rather disappointed with their promotion. Other than being mentioned in the newsletter (which frankly made it look like the cats were daz originals), there is nothing that I can see. The banners on the main site is filled with unrelated flash sales, not a single ad about the cats. I dunno, I guess I just expected something more? At least from the company that supposedly is the best in the market for advertising

That's normal for DAZ; they don't make a big deal of things in the store banner, but they usually do have a page dedicated to each sale linked in the scrolling banner.

 

[Faery_Light]

Whew!
I was worried that my horse textures would not be here anymore and I prefer them here.
Good to know add ons will stay here.

 

[Freyfaxi]

With the animals going to DAZ, will we have to jump through their convoluted downloading system..( eg file encryption) or can we simply download and install manually into Poser as we can here ?
I realise that as a business, in order to prosper and grow, one has to reach out to the largest market. But I must admit I prefer the store here at Hivewire over that of DAZ's. I was a regular purchaser of Poser stuff from them for years, once I started playing with Poser 4 all those year's ago. But since they decided to favour DAZ's products and drop compatability with Poser formats I've not purchased anything from DAZ for a few years. I just hope everything runs smoothly for you.