I honestly can't tell if these figures have caught on at all in the DS community or the user base is more on the Poser end. But I feel like they could use the same sort of Iray TLC people offer for the Genesis figures.
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Any interest in universal Iray settings for Dawn and Dusk?
- Thread starter agentunawares
- Start date
They would be one-click presets to apply Iray settings to any Dawn or Dusk-based character. Something similar to Anagenessis or EcVh0's Iray skin shader settings for Genesis figures.
What does something like this offer over existing character settings? Often materials settings that come with characters are not optimized to use Iray to the full extent that it could be as a physically-based renderer. These would contain and take advantage of things like translucency maps, potentially vein maps, and microsurface bumps to try to get the majority of skins to render as close to realism as I can push them.
Other advantages include getting characters that come with very different materials settings to fit in the same scene and react to light the same way, and simplicity for people who want skin and eyes to render at the next level but do not like fiddling with shader settings.
What does something like this offer over existing character settings? Often materials settings that come with characters are not optimized to use Iray to the full extent that it could be as a physically-based renderer. These would contain and take advantage of things like translucency maps, potentially vein maps, and microsurface bumps to try to get the majority of skins to render as close to realism as I can push them.
Other advantages include getting characters that come with very different materials settings to fit in the same scene and react to light the same way, and simplicity for people who want skin and eyes to render at the next level but do not like fiddling with shader settings.
Not at all, see my above post. Though, Dual Lobe specularity would definitely be a feature. While it basically mimics the effects of "normal specularity" plus "top coat", using it allows the Top Coat channels to be freed and used for unique effects, for example shiny makeup. Chromatic SSS unfortunately has huge bugs right now, so despite that when it works, it works very very well, including that couldn't be counted on.
I'm looking at Dawn's current Iray mats and her lashes are set up to glow. They're emitters. Just wow.
Lotta work to do here.
Lotta work to do here.
wow, I've never noticed that! But then again I do go and change her lashes to black (and they're not emissive, even if you change the back to brown in the Mat settings so its just the default load).
I really love the "JM HumanShader" I have (meant for one of the later Genesis I think but I use it on everything, even the animals for the eyes/mouth bits). But I can't remember what Dawn looks like "out of the box" so I really need to do a render with both of these and a couple of other shaders I haven't used yet
But a dedicated one for the HW figures would be neat. (And while I love EziSkins3 for Firefly and Superfly, a different one for that would be cool too).
I really love the "JM HumanShader" I have (meant for one of the later Genesis I think but I use it on everything, even the animals for the eyes/mouth bits). But I can't remember what Dawn looks like "out of the box" so I really need to do a render with both of these and a couple of other shaders I haven't used yet
But a dedicated one for the HW figures would be neat. (And while I love EziSkins3 for Firefly and Superfly, a different one for that would be cool too).
They're very weakly emissive by default, like the settings were auto-converted from 3DL and there was ambient on. I turned the EV down to 1 to get that render.
I'm pretty pleased with what I've come up with using iRAY but I'm always looking to improve things so if you make them, I'll buy them. These would be a merchant resource I hope? One of the set up's for Genesis that I like is the one made by N.G.S. Anagenessis 2, there is a freebie he provided called "Manual". I like that he set things up to have the main Diffuse map used in most of the channels except for transparency maps and the Normal maps. This way it keeps the overhead down for rendering. Tina and Tommy make use of allot of what I discovered using his set up but then turned around and made it my own. Same thing I'm doing with Bruno and Bruna. BUT if there are any improvements you can offer with a product for Dusk, Dawn, Luna and Diva I'm there!
For sure.
I like Anagenessis but I don't like that aspect of it, so I won't be following a similar path. I think there's too much lack of control.
About done with the very base of the skin settings. I still have to do detail maps, veins, eye settings, etcetera, but I want to make sure I've moved in the right direction here. Thoughts?
Also, what are your favorite Dawn and Dusk skins?
Also, what are your favorite Dawn and Dusk skins?
Hornet3d
Wise
I don't use iRAY as I don't use DS but I have recently upgraded to Poser 11 and started using Superfly which appears to have some parallels. Basic firefly renders for skin maps do not work in Superfly as they render as a very black figure with some gloss. Using Eziskin3 solves a lot of that but in some cases needs a few tweaks but, while it works, that is not the full story. Looking at the converts I have done there are a number of nodes that Superfly just does not understand. Now being a simple person I like to keep things simple and having nodes in a shader that performs no function sort of irks me.
I have tried to read up on Superfly but I struggle, mind you I am the sort that likes to take the new gadget out of the box and play, only referring to the manual much later, if at all. For this reason I have purchased a set of Superfly shaders in the hope I can tweak them to my needs and learn along the way. I would have thought there would be some using iRAY that might learn in a similar manner also, irrespective of the genre, figures are evident in the majority of renders so if the surroundings look great I can't see why the figures shouldn't as well.
Just my thoughts, as I don't use iRAY but I can see how some basic iRAY settings for Dawn and Dusk might be useful, if only as a starting point.
I have tried to read up on Superfly but I struggle, mind you I am the sort that likes to take the new gadget out of the box and play, only referring to the manual much later, if at all. For this reason I have purchased a set of Superfly shaders in the hope I can tweak them to my needs and learn along the way. I would have thought there would be some using iRAY that might learn in a similar manner also, irrespective of the genre, figures are evident in the majority of renders so if the surroundings look great I can't see why the figures shouldn't as well.
Just my thoughts, as I don't use iRAY but I can see how some basic iRAY settings for Dawn and Dusk might be useful, if only as a starting point.
Looks fantastic!
Thanks!
This is exactly my thought for this project. Dawn and Dusk do have basic Iray skin settings but they have some minor conversion problems like the emissive eyelashes which wouldn't be good practice for someone to learn from. And they came out too early to hit one of the major improvements in the Iray shader, which was dual lobe specular for skin. It essentially combines both a "normal" specular layer and a "top coat" specular layer into one channel so you can then use those other channels for useful things like lip gloss, wet look makeup, war paint, easier wet skin effects that don't need geometry shells, etcetera.
I didn't answer this straight away as I wanted to think about my answer. I have many characters which were created for Poser that I have converted across which would benefit from this but I also have a number of characters created for DS that would also.
I would appreciate some general settings for a really white skin(red head with freckles type), an asian skin for VW's wonderful Asian character and also an african american type skin. Having said that I realise only too well that there are many shades between these that would require adjustment.
That said, some of my favourite characters for Dawn, anything by Virtual World, Elisa, Sora would be the other main ones. Anything by Tempesta 3D poser or otherwise. She has done a couple of things for DS also like Vanessa.
I would appreciate some general settings for a really white skin(red head with freckles type), an asian skin for VW's wonderful Asian character and also an african american type skin. Having said that I realise only too well that there are many shades between these that would require adjustment.
That said, some of my favourite characters for Dawn, anything by Virtual World, Elisa, Sora would be the other main ones. Anything by Tempesta 3D poser or otherwise. She has done a couple of things for DS also like Vanessa.
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Hornet3d
Wise
That sounds a very useful feature with many possibilities, if features like this are available it would be a shame not to see them used.
Ported to Dusk. Now comes the fun part, drawing on stuff and cursing at ZBrush.
I had to make eyebrowless maps and an entire set of specular maps for this as for some reason Dusk is lacking them. He doesn't have bumps either, only normals, so I'm seriously considering creating those to match Dawn's as well. I thought I could get away with SSS maps only, but nope. Hopefully Hivewire is fine with massive texture updates as an addon product as there really need to be matching map sets between both sexes for a universal skin to work properly, and hairless maps are an absolute must. (I have to edit his sclera textures too, because see how they're pseudo-glowing and Dawn's aren't? That's all in the diffuse, baby.)
I had to make eyebrowless maps and an entire set of specular maps for this as for some reason Dusk is lacking them. He doesn't have bumps either, only normals, so I'm seriously considering creating those to match Dawn's as well. I thought I could get away with SSS maps only, but nope. Hopefully Hivewire is fine with massive texture updates as an addon product as there really need to be matching map sets between both sexes for a universal skin to work properly, and hairless maps are an absolute must. (I have to edit his sclera textures too, because see how they're pseudo-glowing and Dawn's aren't? That's all in the diffuse, baby.)