SKYLAB CHAT

[Terre]

Well done.

 

[skylab]

Good morning everyone I finally saw Jim Cantore on the Weather Channel...he was standing in high wind and high water at Wilmington, NC with 92 mph wind gusts...with a helmet on his head They always put that guy in the worst part of the storms, even if he's holding on to something and flapping in the breeze... haha. I guess folks know by now, if you see Jim Cantore show up at your town, it's not a good sign and it won't be pretty. It appears the storm is stalling, just as had been predicted, and is slow to give up its last toe in the warm coastal water. One guy on the team, last night while he was reporting live in the dark, had a tranformer blow behind him...sounded like a shotgun going off...and he almost jumped out of his skin...haha. What a way to make a living They deserve a lot of appreciation for being willing to broadcast in nearly impossible scenarios.

If you live in the southern coastal area, be safe...and if you're in the more northern coastal area, be thankful.

 

[skylab]

I just have to tease Miss B with this The GIMP has a new UI...guess what color it is

 

[Miss B]

Charcoal Grey? Looks pretty close to our Dark theme here on the HW forum.

 

[Terre]

Good morning.

 

[Miss B]

Good morning to you too Terre.

 

[skylab]

I saw a review on YouTube of the recent DAZ Studio "movie", and about all the creator(s) accomplished was earning even more disdain for Studio and Poser users...in short, it was like the confrontation that occurred years ago when hobbyist users wanted to post their nearly-naked Vicky renders on CG Society, were criticized to scorn, and came away feeling that their "art" had been rejected. If there is ever a demise of Poser or DAZ Studio, it won't be because of shortcomings in the software...both programs have powerful tools that are capable of far more than the average user has explored. We spend a lot of time comparing the tools, wanting more tools, and even blaming the tools for not providing us the means of producing photo realism or a professional movie...but the truth is, blaming an art brush for what goes on the canvas does not make much sense. The same is true when Poser or Studio gets blamed for a user's lack of discipline, maturity or taste...and, to some degree, we have to adjust our project goals to be appropriate to 1) software capabilities, and 2) our abilities.

Having said that...I found an excellent YouTube video on the principles of animation...the fundamentals that I'm forever tweaking in my own projects. It will be exciting and fun to try to incorporate some of these techniques in future animation work.

 

[skylab]

Here is a link to the above animation principles video, done in segments, to make each section more accessible.

12 PRINCIPLES OF ANIMATION (segments)

12 PRINCIPLES OF ANIMATION (entire video)

 

[skylab]

I'll just throw this out, in case someone may happen by who knows the answer. Is there any functional difference in the free Hexagon Beta version that can only be installed through the DAZ install manager, and the current Hexagon ver 2.5.2.109 (also free)? So far this is the info I've found, and I did see were the beta version could run alongside the standalone version that was updated in February of this year. Just wondered if anyone has tried the new beta running alongside, and if it behaves and plays nice.

 

[skylab]

Installed the current Hexagon version 2.5.2.109 , updated in Feb 2018, which is now free, in case anyone is interested. Will wait and see about the beta version at a later time.

 

[skylab]

Forum discussions concerning Hexagon updates.

Hexagon beta is testing 64-bit - discussion in June of 2018

Discussion about error opening updated standalone Hexagon when offline

Discussion about Hexagon becoming free

 

[Miss B]

About time they came out with a 64-bit version. I had it installed on my old laptop, but when I tried installing it on this 64-bit puppy, it was so wonky I uninstalled it.

I've been using Blender for about 10-12 years now, but always liked having a second modeling app, just in case. Since getting Silo a few years ago, I have no desire to play in Hexagon, because there were lots of things I never really liked about it in any case.

 

[skylab]

I couldn't remember if you had ever been a Hexagon user or not Miss B. I know most folks don't care for Carrara...I'm sort of by myself on that one...and I think I read somewhere on the forum that you used to like Bryce...and you're probably by yourself on that...haha. In the past Hexagon was never free, so it is nice to know that it is now another free option for people who want to learn basic quad modeling. From what I picked up skimming through information, the beta version is not only testing 64-bit, but also a bridge between Studio and Carrara.

 

[Terre]

Good morning.
Hexagon is free now? That explains a comment I saw over in the Complaint Thread. Kyoto Kid had made a long comment including limited finances and having Hexagon and someone I've never seen made a sarcastic comment about only having free software. KK is NOT one of the many free-free-free folks over there. S/he is mostly freebie only due to having to live on SSD. Back when employed and making enough to have a bit of disposable income KK had no problem at all making purchases and that included Hexagon.

 

[Miss B]

I think I read somewhere on the forum that you used to like Bryce...and you're probably by yourself on that...haha.

Oh I'm still a Bryce user, and the Bryce forum at DAZ is the only forum I'll even consider visiting these days, and as far as I know still an active forum, though I haven't been there for a while.

Bryce was, and still is, my favorite landscape rendering software. I just wish DAZ hadn't given up on it, as it really could use an update.

 

[Terre]

Jim has Bryce and uses it sometimes. A few other people I know do as well. I think most wish it would get an update.

 

[skylab]

For years folks have been saying that they had given up on Hexagon, but now it's getting some attention...so hang in there Miss B, you never know about Bryce. I always liked Vue for landscapes, but lately they've been doing odd things with their website(s)...Cornucopia seems to have disappeared altogether, and that's where peoples' account purchases were stored. It was bad enough that the content had to be locked to a particular version of the software, but to just dump it altogether...left a really bad impression upon me. It must have happened while I was out due to my health. So, I'm done with Vue....I'll use the old versions that I have, but no more future purchases. So I guess my only other landscaper would be Carrara...I've just never learned that side of it...yet.

And hey Terre Yeah, I think Hexagon being free must have happened while I was out for health issues. I'm not sure about the specifics, but I tried to include links for info in case anyone would be interested in following the outcome. I'd really like to see some of the buggy behavior worked out in Hexagon...I like the interface....easy to read and intuitive...but I had noticed where things would freeze or disappear mid stream. And Miss B is right I think...it had to do with the transition to 64 bit...it worked okay years ago when I was on Windows XP.

Every now and then I'll visit the DAZ forum just to see what's new from their perspective, especially if I'm troubleshooting a problem or hunting down missing freebies. They have extensive freebie lists over there, and when I have time, I visit to see what's new.

 

[skylab]

The standalone update of Hexagon installed and so far works fine, but I've not pursued it in any detailed way. However, the beta version which has to be installed through the DAZ installation manager didn't work for me...when the installation manager updated itself, it failed to work, so I was unable to try the beta version. It felt like the DAZ buggies (brought back memories...haha) so I decided to back off and not be the first kiddie to jump in that pool. I don't want to spend my play time beta testing the interaction of their software with that installation utility. But the Hexagon standalone, yeah, that's worth getting while it's free And by the way, if you load the page, it may at first show a price for Hexagon...so wait until it shows free...sometimes there's a brief delay.

 

[Miss B]

For years folks have been saying that they had given up on Hexagon, but now it's getting some attention...so hang in there Miss B, you never know about Bryce. I always liked Vue for landscapes, but lately they've been doing odd things with their website(s).

I had always wanted to get Vue, as it was always reviewed as Bryce on steroids, but I didn't like the idea of having to keep buying add-ons to get it to work. Bryce, at least, works out of the box, so you don't have to purchase all the goodies created by various PAs in the DAZ store, though I have quite a few of David Brinnen's and Horo's products.

 

[Miss B]

The standalone update of Hexagon installed and so far works fine, but I've not pursued it in any detailed way. However, the beta version which has to be installed through the DAZ installation manager didn't work for me...when the installation manager updated itself, it failed to work, so I was unable to try the beta version. It felt like the DAZ buggies (brought back memories...haha) so I decided to back off and not be the first kiddie to jump in that pool. I don't want to spend my play time beta testing the interaction of their software with that installation utility. But the Hexagon standalone, yeah, that's worth getting while it's free And by the way, if you load the page, it may at first show a price for Hexagon...so wait until it shows free...sometimes there's a brief delay.

That's the version I've had for years. I think I paid very little for it, as a PC member back in the day. I may very well have downloaded the Upgrade through DIM, but never even considered installing it.