Streamlining Production

[Dakorillon (IMArts)]

I don't know where to put this, so it's here for now.

I was wondering if I could collect people's hints and tips in one place for streamlining Content Production.
I know we have the CA submission list and that does help. But, I mean things that people have worked out for themselves ways to make the process from creation to packaging go easier.

I can make textures very quickly, and while details take a little longer, that isn't what eats up my time. I end up bouncing back and forth between desktop and a buried Project Runtime, so I often end up losing files, or saving over new files with older ones. And then there is the checking for extra files that may have crept in! All of this especially during the creation and fiddling/tweaking time. I am usually a very organized person, so this is driving me crazy! I can't seem to find my ducks, much less get them in a row! lol.

So, hints, tips, suggestions, what works for you, since everyone works different, having various ideas to choose from lets everyone customize. And it might help not only new people, but more experienced creators who see a tip they never thought of before. I know there is Creator's Toybox out there for Poser, but there doesn't seem to be anything like that for DS.

Ideally, I would like to put together a streamlined process that lets me go from idea to packaged product, ready to submit to Beta testers in about a week. (I know, creation times vary, but basically time starting after the creation of the textures/poses/etc). Thank you for sharing!

 

[Art_of_Mind]

On my phone atm but in the morning when I go to the computer I'll post my workflow.

 

[Dakorillon (IMArts)]

Thank you, that would be awesome! The more examples we have, the more I think it would help folks!

 

[Art_of_Mind]

Okay, I just came to the computer, I'll have you some stuff here in a few..

 

[Art_of_Mind]

Project, lets say you are making a simple thing like a nose ring. I always start in the scene files folder structure of DS, this way I can save a scene file from time to time and see the thumbnail.. To each is own though.. So in the scene files I start a new Folder called,
! Nose Ring
The ! makes the folder float to the top.
Inside that folder I start with the models, the first model is called,
A 1
after a few modifications and I'm ready to save the new geometry, but don't want to overwirte the original, I save the new file with the name,
A 2
rinse, repeat, several times over and the files start getting named,
A 3
A 4
A 5
A 6
and then I need to go do life things and have to shut down.. several days or a week later I come back to work on the project and I know that A 6 was were I left off, so I load it; rework add/remove etc. new name for this new day,
B 1
rinse, repeat, several times over and the files start getting named,
B 2
B 3
Okay, now I like what I see, time to UV it, new name..
C 1
Done. At least I think, so I now create a new folder inside the (! Nose Ring) folder and call it
Round 1
All files, A 1, A 2, A 3, A 4, A 5, A 6, B 1, B 2, B 3, and C 1 get moved into that folder.
I now clear the scene, reload C 1 and export it out with the name Nose Ring. This lets me see the master file, and all the backups are safe and close; and just in case I screw up, I know that C 1 was the original and can go get it if I screw up.
Now with the Nose Ring, I add the material zones and resave and overwrite the Nose Ring. We are done with the model, time for textures.

-

Create a folder, I do this on the desktop, call the folder Nose Ring. Inside that, create several new folders, named, bump, displacement, specular, normals, etc.
So I start with the bump, I name the first file A 1, the next A 2 - sound familiar? and keep working until I'm happy, I then copy that file over into the single texture folder that goes into the main product folder structure.

Folder structure -

There is an important folder in here, download it. Guidelines for Submitting Content for Sale at Hivewire 3D
I usually go in and delete all the folders I know I am not going to use first; then start packing the ones I know I will use.
To pack things up, I just use a flashdrive. When I'm done it's already packed up.
Link a a new Runtime folder (using the folder structure you download from the link I gave) - my flashdrive is F:
How to link the Runtime - Go to the Content Library tab - Right Click on (DAZ Studio formats) then Left Click on (Add Base Directory)

Old example from when I made an addon texture set for one of my products. So this is how it looked inside D|S

Be sure your Nose ring is now in the \Runtime\Geometries\Product Folder and your textures are in the proper folder, load all that up, save out the product to the correct location in that file structure.

This will help you make your readme file. DirLister — DukeLupus' scripts and programs
Run that and in less than one second it creates a .txt that list all folders and files that are in your dummy runtime.

When you get finished go look in all the folders and delete any empty folders. Zip up what you did use.

Follow my advice at your own risk, not responsible for any work you lose or destroy attempting my workflow, what works for me might not work for you.
Best of luck, hope this helps.

PS, when you are doing the packing and creating a product, only do one at a time. If it is the same product, as in if the nose ring is a small part of a complete set of jewelery then it is okay; but do not attempt to do two different products at the same time. You will most likely make a mess of things.

 

[Dakorillon (IMArts)]

Thank you for taking the time to do this! I'm sure it's going to help a lot of people.

I think the Script thing is something I've never heard of, and will definitely be a time saver.

So far, some of the things I'm doing the same, some, not so much. Doesn't doing the textures on the desktop give you the wrong folder structure in the .duf? It was suggested to me, to always start your new project folder in the root of C:. Do you have to go in and use notepad to fix that? Or does transferring to the thumb drive fix that?

And say that you are making textures for an existing mesh/model, is there a faster way to make 10 dufs other than what I do, which is create one material .duf, then replace the diffuse texture and any bumps and then save under a new name?

Do you do your icons at the same time you do your textures or do them after?

Anyone can jump in here. The more options for folks, the better, I think.

 

[HaiGan]

I'm so new to this that everything is a learning process, and I am making myself a checklist of 'I wish I'd done this the first time' things. One of those things is to create a standard scene file for thumbnail renders, set to the right output dimensions, which I store in a document folder created specifically for that set. I create a render for each thumbnail as soon as that element is complete, with a transparent background, which goes in the same folder. I also create a standard Paintshop file with one layer for each thumbnail image, plus a background layer, that I can save out the thumbnails from, which also lives in the same place. That way I don't end up with a backlog of thumbnails to create, and it's not a huge problem to redo any single thumbnail. I know there are tools out there to help with thumbnails, though, so other people may do things differently and find it just as convenient.

On a less serious note, I suggest never trying to do delicate mousework/penwork with a dog trying to look under your elbow...

 

[Art_of_Mind]

So far, some of the things I'm doing the same, some, not so much. Doesn't doing the textures on the desktop give you the wrong folder structure in the .duf? It was suggested to me, to always start your new project folder in the root of C:. Do you have to go in and use notepad to fix that? Or does transferring to the thumb drive fix that?

"Create a folder, I do this on the desktop, call the folder Nose Ring. Inside that, create several new folders, named, bump, displacement, specular, normals, etc.
So I start with the bump, I name the first file A 1, the next A 2 - sound familiar? and keep working until I'm happy, I then copy that file over into the single texture folder that goes into the main product folder structure."
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I'll expand on that. This folder on your desktop will get filled with junk you dont want and will need to be deleted later, do not put this junk in your main product folder or you will end up with a junky mess that you will have a hard time cleaning up. Desktop folder, named Nose Ring. Inside that create new folders, Diffuse, Bump, Displacement, Gloss, etc, only putting in the folders named with the types of files you are creating. Go into the Bump folder, start your first image, call it A 1, save it as a PNG. Rework the file, add things, remove things, etc. Resave as A 2, and so on and so forth; in the end you could have several files where you have been editing your work, each time saving as a PNG as you go, until at last you are happy. This happy file is going to be your Product file. This finial file will be saved as a jpg. Put a copy of this jpg in your product folder. Inside the product Folder all these files can be together, bump does not go in a bump folder. The only reason it is in the bump folder on the desktop is so you can find it when your working on it, this desktop folder is going to be deleted when you are finished with your project. After you get all your jpg files inside your product folder. Do not work with jpg's because when you resave them they get distorted. jpg is only your last save, for the product. After your finished texture files are in the product folder then you can load up the product, and start plugging in the finished files in the surfaces tab, and saving out the material presets. Saving those materials presets directly into the Product folder.

And say that you are making textures for an existing mesh/model, is there a faster way to make 10 dufs other than what I do, which is create one material .duf, then replace the diffuse texture and any bumps and then save under a new name?.

I'm not sure if I understand this question so the answer I'm about to give may not be on track. If all you are doing is switching out a few textures, this should only take seconds; and resaving out the new file should only take a few seconds, I don't see how to speed that up. With DS, in the surfaces tab you will see a mini square image showing your diffuse, bump, etc. Left Click on that image, a window pops up, left click on the word Browse, navigate to the file you want to replace it with and click on it. Took me longer to type out all of that then it would to do it. So if you had a Nose Ring, and were going to resave out 10 different material prestes each with different modifications to the surfaces tab, yes you need to rinse repeat this 10 times.

Do you do your icons at the same time you do your textures or do them after?

This is always the last ting I do but it only takes a few minutes. You need to change your render settings to Pixel Size (Global) W: 91 H: 91 with an Aspect Ratio (Global) W: 1.0 H: 1.0 and when you save out the files, save them directly into your product folder and let them overwrite the original thumbnails. These thumbnails render fast because they are so small, usually for me around two minutes each.

 

[Dakorillon (IMArts)]

Art of Mind:
I'll expand on that. This folder on your desktop will get filled with junk you dont want and will need to be deleted later, do not put this junk in your main product folder or you will end up with a junky mess that you will have a hard time cleaning up. Desktop folder, named Nose Ring.
___________

Yes, I do this during creation. But, maybe I'm not doing it LONG enough, ie. far enough into the creation process. I usually end up having files on the desktop AND files in the runtime as I'm doing the final tweaks, and not remembering which one I saved them in and overwriting the newer files with older ones when I try to combine them. So, I think using the desktop version right up until I'm ready to do final dufs would be a better idea. And then if/when I have to go in and tweak later, to erase the runtime versions (put in a storage folder), and use the desktop versions fresh again.
________________
Art of Mind:
I'm not sure if I understand this question so the answer I'm about to give may not be on track
________________
Yes, that was the question, I was wondering if there was a faster/bulk way to do it. I use Notepad++ for lots of things and I can open 12 files at the same time and replace something in all the files at the same time. But that doesn't work if you are replacing different things. So, it looks like the answer to that question is, no, there isn't a faster way.

I never thought of saving them directly to the product folder, that would be a time saver.
Do you ever make them bigger (say double sized) and then shrink them to get better renders? I've been rendering at 590x590, shrinking to half size to make .tips icons, and then resizing to 125x125 for the icons. Am I wasting more time doing this? (I batch rezise and rename using irfanview, so it doesn't take too long to do overall.)

Thanks for your suggestions and clarifications!

 

[Dakorillon (IMArts)]

I'm so new to this that everything is a learning process, and I am making myself a checklist of 'I wish I'd done this the first time' things. One of those things is to create a standard scene file for thumbnail renders, set to the right output dimensions, which I store in a document folder created specifically for that set. I create a render for each thumbnail as soon as that element is complete, with a transparent background, which goes in the same folder. I also create a standard Paintshop file with one layer for each thumbnail image, plus a background layer, that I can save out the thumbnails from, which also lives in the same place. That way I don't end up with a backlog of thumbnails to create, and it's not a huge problem to redo any single thumbnail. I know there are tools out there to help with thumbnails, though, so other people may do things differently and find it just as convenient.

On a less serious note, I suggest never trying to do delicate mousework/penwork with a dog trying to look under your elbow...

Checklist is a good idea, and that's what I"m hoping to develop here in this thread, a combination of hints and tips that can be turned into a checklist to streamline work without forgetting stuff and back-tracking so much.

I agree with the scene file. I have several set and saved, one for thumbnails, one for promo portrait, one for promo widescreen, one for ads, etc. then I can click and have it ready. I have found that it doesn't save Iray settings, so I have found that you can make a render setting (just like saving materials, etc) that will be ready without forgetting some perfect setting.

I like the idea of the PS file and rendering with transparent background for icons. But, doesn't that add more time/effort, rather than having a drop-in background and rendering with that for icons? Just asking.

Yes, dog or cats trying to be artists are definitely something to keep of the checklist! lol.

Thank you for your input!

 

[HaiGan]

But, doesn't that add more time/effort, rather than having a drop-in background and rendering with that for icons?

It might suit some people's workflow better to render straight to thumbnail, rather than having a two-step process, yes. I have various reasons for not doing so:

I am working mainly on poses, and simply mirror the render for the reverse pose thumbs instead of rendering twice. I use the renders in icon view as a visual reference when Poser/DS is closed. I can save out to either DS or Poser with the corresponding file name, instead of rendering in each or copying and renaming. In theory, although I haven't needed it yet, I could use the same renders with a different background colour if that element was part of more than one set (I'm distinguishing my different sets with different background colours for the thumbs).

What else have I learned. Hmm. Create a new appropriately-named folder in my chosen file location right at the start to keep all my associated files together, such as reference photographs and website links. Remember to keep the associated files in it (and not, for example, in the default image download folder). Also a good place to put any other notes and reminders such as a progress checklist, except that I keep my progress checklist on physical paper.

You already mentioned incrementally numbering filenames for revisions.

I make jpgs of any promo image files that would not display in Explorer in icon view (native-format photoshop or paintshop files, for example), so I have a visual reference of what exactly that file is when the other programs are closed. Saves a bit of rummaging around.

Just a note on storing files on the desktop (or in your My Documents if you still have that), in Windows. Depending on your exact setup, these may only be available to that specific user login, which is fine unless that login becomes corrupted, and then accessing the files may be difficult depending on whether-or-not you kept the admin account separate and can use it. That may be a non-issue with the latest version of Windows or your own setup, but it's tripped up some of the users I've supported back in my IT-support days. Maybe someone more current can chip in on that.

 

[Dakorillon (IMArts)]

Thank you! That's some good alternatives to help customize work flow for various people.
Hope more folks join in.
But, I have already garnered some new tidbits and helped to solidify some of the things I was already thinking.

 

[Art_of_Mind]

I think, my opinion, the best way to make tumbnails is the way I told you, I would not do it any other way. Otheres may disagree though.
Regarding textures, I only work with PNG files, all the way up to the point I can call it finished, then save that out as a jpg and put the jpg in the product folder.

 

[HaiGan]

jpgs for final images, yes, but they're also a nice small file size if you want a visual reference for self only, rather than being something intended for public display.

 

[Dakorillon (IMArts)]

Good advice from both of you!
I do tend to use jpg too much, as they take up less space, I always just set my default to 100%, so that I don't do any compression, I haven't had a problem with degredation, myself.

Great to see different ideas.

 

[Pendraia]

I'm still working on developing correct workflow...so thanks for all the tips. I would add that I normally set up a file in onenote for an item when I start a project and use that to keep any notes. I find that works better than a real notebook or scraps of paper. This way if I use a particular colour in the surface tab for something I can keep a note of the RGB for it and so on...

 

[Dakorillon (IMArts)]

Good tip! I haven't been doing anything like that.

 

[Dakorillon (IMArts)]

Is there a way to copy ONLY a color from Poser material nodes? So that you can copy one box and then use the exact color in another box? It isn't showing me RGB colors or anything except the box color picker. Copy and paste changes ALL the settings, unless I'm somehow doing it wrong.

I have also found the program called Dir Listr, it prints out the names of all your files/folders as a text file, so then it's easy to edit for the READMES.

 

[Miss B]

Do you have a screenshot of what you're trying to do Dak? That would help figuring out exactly what you're trying to do.

 

[Dakorillon (IMArts)]

This is an example of what I mean. I don't need this one exactly. When you click on the color box, you just get the sliders and color picker box, not Hex numbers or anything that you can copy that I can find to get exact matches. Thanks!