eclark1894
Visionary
I won't promise anything, but maybe I can create a V4/M4 page for the directory. If I'm still around in a month.
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Welcome to the Community Forums at HiveWire 3D! Please note that the user name you choose for our forum will be displayed to the public. Our store was closed as January 4, 2021. You can find HiveWire 3D and Lisa's Botanicals products, as well as many of our Contributing Artists, at Renderosity. This thread lists where many are now selling their products. Renderosity is generously putting products which were purchased at HiveWire 3D and are now sold at their store into customer accounts by gifting them. This is not an overnight process so please be patient, if you have already emailed them about this. If you have NOT emailed them, please see the 2nd post in this thread for instructions on what you need to do
Refining Our Direction at HiveWire 3D
- Thread starter LisaB
- Start date
Hornet3d
Wise
I doubt you are the only one here who likes working with old programs and figures, I certainly use still use M4 a great deal mainly because I cannot get enough content for Dusk at the moment. I also hate having to change or to lose the use of programs that work just because of change, but I accept it is going to happen. As a Poser user I have seen a number of vendors walk away from the hobby entirely or from supporting Poser so I get it that changes like this can look like it is limiting options. Truly, I get it, for instance in the past I have lost a number of scripts I enjoyed using as I upgraded to the new version of Poser, Poser 11 was not exception. Many no longer work and the vendor has long since walked away from the hobby so they are unlikely to ever be updated. Despite this I support what Hivewire is doing here, after all the Hivewire figures are in competition with other figures and, while I love the high morals they keep while doing business, they do also have to make enough profit to survive.
What Hivewire is doing here is unique in that they are actively looking to support both DS and Poser and no one else appears to be doing that to the same degree elsewhere. Yes there are vendors in other market places still supporting both programs but they are few and far between and the number has dropped in the last few years and the trend continues. Hivewire is putting a lot of effort into building their brand and providing 3D artists with the best figures around and what they are doing here is trying to strengthen their brand. After all you would not expect Honda to support an number Ford cars, or any other make you wish to choose, old and new. They are also saying that they will sell products from vendor for the likes of V4, M4, Pauline and the like but that the product must also support the one of the Hivewire family. The number of products available will therefore be down to vendors but in recent years they have already have to acquire the skills to deal with weight mapping, Superfly, iRay, Dforce along with many other aspects enforced by program updates in both programs. This at a time when the financial returns are poor and increasingly less in relation to the work involved in developing content.
Bryce is another story, I loved using Bryce particularly for building landscapes but I have long since moved on to Vue, using Vue 8, Vue 2014, Vue 2015 and more recently the new Creative version of Vue that includes Plant factory. In the same time Bryce is the same Bryce that was around when I was using Vue 8. Sadly the program, great as it once was, has been dying a long lingering death for many years. I accept that many will still use it to very good effect but there has to be a point commercially where it is not worth the effort to support it when that effort can be put to a far more productive use.
At least there is plenty of V4 and M4 content not only available but still being created elsewhere. The same can be said for the Poser figures so I see the Hivewire concentration on their own family of high quality figures as nothing but great. It gives me access to figures that are, in my view, second to none, while still playing with figures of the past. In the wider view of 3D art I see nothing but positives in that.
What HW is doing does not mean vendors will stop supporting other figures. Personally, I have supported many other figures with contents for years - just not here. I did it at other sites. Nonetheless, HW is still allowing products for other figures, as long as there is a version for the HW figures included. I think this is fair, since for example, some other figure makers do not allow contents meant for any other figures but their own at their store, and it has been like that from the very beginning, and nobody complains. I have seen plenty of V4 contents at Rendo that include a version for Dawn, and those can be sold here according to the new rules. In comparison, HW is being considerably more inclusive.
Hornet3d
Wise
When I started using Dawn SE I was quite surprised at how much I had purchased at Rendo for use with V4 that also had support for Dawn, not just clothes but hair and jewellery as well.
The focus sounds good to me. It's what I come here for anyway. I may not use Dawn and Dusk, but I've purchased stuff for them with the intention of one of these days now. But honestly my desires gravitate to the animals and other nature stuff and I'm so happy your energy, love, and efforts will be concentrated on the offerings I love so much.
Thank you.
Actually, this is not correct. There are a few things currently in our store that are for both V4 and Dawn that will be staying, but perhaps packaged in a different way.
We will not be accepting any new V4/M4 items even if they are packaged with Dawn/Dusk items.
Oh thanks for the heads up - I've definitely got the wrong idea. So EXISTING store products that are for other figures that include a version for HW figures may stay, but NOT NEW ones. What about my universal heads that work with any figure? And will future products that are not for any particular figure be accepted?
This SPECIFICALLY refers to no longer accepting products for V4 and M4, not newer figures. To quote the first post - bold emphasis mine
- We will no longer be accepting products for Victoria 4 or Michael 4 and will be retiring the products in our store that are for V4 and M4.
- We will be retiring products for Daz/Poser figures unless the product also has a version for our HiveWire figures such as Dawn or Dusk. Note: There will be a few exceptions to this that will be staying in the store.
- We will no longer accept products that are made exclusively for Daz/Poser figures, however we will accept products that include versions for both the Daz/Poser figure AND one of our HiveWire figures.
Universal Heads? Does it work with Dawn Dusk, Luna, Sora, Ruckus? Yes, so yes they would be accepted.
Not for any particular figure meaning what? Props?
Oh, I thought it would be for any non-HW figures. So products that are for figures other than V4/M4 would be accepted? What does "products that are made exclusively for Daz/Poser figures" mean? Figures created by SMS or DAZ? Does that exclude figures created by other people, like Nearme? I am confused.
My "universal" products will work with ANY figure, so that's why I ask. This includes some other "universal" products that were sold at CP that now have no home. I cannot restrict this to Props, because even the universal heads are Figures, not Props, but they are not limited to any particular figure. Someone here in the forums has used one of them with the HW dog, so the figure doesn't even have to be human.
I ask because I am getting a LOT of requests to sell these "universal" products here, such as the "Animal Anime Pack" and the "Anime Xpression Props". Those used to be my bestsellers at Rendo, before I moved to CP, and now they have no home. Those are ancient products (from the times of RSR thumbnails), but I still use them regularly in my renders, and people are still asking for them.
Sound okay to me, I mainly work with HiveWire 3D products now.
I will, as health permits, be working on GF8 figure for other stores and the newer DAZ sets that I have.
not buying more as I do not produce or sell enough of them to justify the expense.
I am looking forward to working with the new Dawn.
I will, as health permits, be working on GF8 figure for other stores and the newer DAZ sets that I have.
not buying more as I do not produce or sell enough of them to justify the expense.
I am looking forward to working with the new Dawn.
eclark1894
Visionary
What about products that are made for Dawn, but include a fit for V4? I ask because I like to be difficult.
Right guys, thank you for all your posts, much appreciated and I mostly agree with what you say
I, too, think that the requirement of supporting also the HW3D figures is fair (I only doubt that it could discourage some vendors from submitting products here, but I wish to HW3D that this is going to be a good move).
The other points are of course unquestionable too, but are not my cup of tea.
You know what? It would be nice if there were some site selling all the good old models that are valid but a bit obsolete for the big, polished stores. Something like gog for the good old games.
Anyway, when I say "to me it's bad news", I mean it is just my personal problem with this direction. But not because I have a shortage of old content. It's because I thought HW3D to be the right place for me in 3D. Instead, it looks like there will be less and less for me here:
I sometimes disagree with what happens around here (It's normal, of course. Like with anyone)
I am not much of a customer because the content here does not match my programs/needs.
As a potential future vendor (ah ha, I wish) I think the new requirements would be too high to reach and cut me out.
Thus, maybe there's not much for me at HW3D, yet I like most of what happens here, so I am not planning to stop hanging around here any time soon
I, too, think that the requirement of supporting also the HW3D figures is fair (I only doubt that it could discourage some vendors from submitting products here, but I wish to HW3D that this is going to be a good move).
The other points are of course unquestionable too, but are not my cup of tea.
You know what? It would be nice if there were some site selling all the good old models that are valid but a bit obsolete for the big, polished stores. Something like gog for the good old games.
Anyway, when I say "to me it's bad news", I mean it is just my personal problem with this direction. But not because I have a shortage of old content. It's because I thought HW3D to be the right place for me in 3D. Instead, it looks like there will be less and less for me here:
I sometimes disagree with what happens around here (It's normal, of course. Like with anyone)
I am not much of a customer because the content here does not match my programs/needs.
As a potential future vendor (ah ha, I wish) I think the new requirements would be too high to reach and cut me out.
Thus, maybe there's not much for me at HW3D, yet I like most of what happens here, so I am not planning to stop hanging around here any time soon
Renderosity does still sell a lot of DAZ products, depends on how old.
Not many places sell any of the older sets below M4 or V4 though.
Not many places sell any of the older sets below M4 or V4 though.
Hornet3d
Wise
Right guys, thank you for all your posts, much appreciated and I mostly agree with what you say
I, too, think that the requirement of supporting also the HW3D figures is fair (I only doubt that it could discourage some vendors from submitting products here, but I wish to HW3D that this is going to be a good move).
The other points are of course unquestionable too, but are not my cup of tea.
You know what? It would be nice if there were some site selling all the good old models that are valid but a bit obsolete for the big, polished stores. Something like gog for the good old games.
Anyway, when I say "to me it's bad news", I mean it is just my personal problem with this direction. But not because I have a shortage of old content. It's because I thought HW3D to be the right place for me in 3D. Instead, it looks like there will be less and less for me here:
I sometimes disagree with what happens around here (It's normal, of course. Like with anyone)
I am not much of a customer because the content here does not match my programs/needs.
As a potential future vendor (ah ha, I wish) I think the new requirements would be too high to reach and cut me out.
Thus, maybe there's not much for me at HW3D, yet I like most of what happens here, so I am not planning to stop hanging around here any time soon
Great to hear that you will be sticking around even though you think there may not be much here for you personally and I hope that something will pop up that does interest you to make your stay worthwhile.
I think your idea on a site selling old models is a good one. It is interesting how many people have threads, here and elsewhere, asking what a particular model is only to find out that when it is identified that is no longer available. I have a database program that I use to list and track all my 3D purchases which I have used for years, it would be equally useful today and I think would sell in small numbers but would continue to sell but it disappeared many years ago. With the Poser fitting room there are so many outfits that have long since left the market that could be used on modern figures. I am not sure what complications or restrictions there might be, like would it breach exclusivity agreements even though it is no longer sold at the original store, but such problems need not be a showstopper.
I do have Nataani in the store right now. He's crafted more towards Indigenous. I also am working on an African character for Dawn, and I still have Sukka (meant to go with Nataani) in progress also.
I can't give a "when," but I can tell you that I do much of my own artwork in POC characters, so I do plan to focus on them with any skins I do for the HW figures. I just can't give you a date or a schedule because my content creation has to fit in around my RL and we are extremely busy much of the time there. I work very slowly.
Anyway. Just saying - I work slowly, but I promise you I am working on some of these already.
@LisaB or @Alisa - Getting back to the first post in the thread, I have a couple of questions.
1. Do I need to be packaging Iray materials with any upcoming products? I'm asking this, because I'm only just beginning to figure out Iray, and my laptop is NOT Nvidia, and CANNOT do more than basic test renders, so up to this juncture, I've pretty much not touched Iray at all. Iray is VERY hard on my machine's hardware, though.
Superfly I can do just fine - it's just a matter of learning what all the nodes do.
So, do my products need to include Superfly/Iray materials?
2. I am very confused on the V4/M4 thing. The store will NOT be accepting any products that include V4/M4, even if Dawn/Dusk are included in it? Do I understand that correctly? (It's not a huge issue for me as I don't think I've got anything for them in my small catalogue anyway, but I just want to make sure I understand correctly.)
3. I think this is a wise move for Hivewire to make in terms of the brand succeeding. I'm not surprised that this change is being made, and it does make good business sense.
4. What about LaFemme? She is not a Daz product, and Rendo does seem to be more than willing to have HW figure products in their store. Will LaFemme items be allowed here, or will that also be a no? (I understand if it is a no, I'm just asking in advance for clarity's sake.)
1. Do I need to be packaging Iray materials with any upcoming products? I'm asking this, because I'm only just beginning to figure out Iray, and my laptop is NOT Nvidia, and CANNOT do more than basic test renders, so up to this juncture, I've pretty much not touched Iray at all. Iray is VERY hard on my machine's hardware, though.
Superfly I can do just fine - it's just a matter of learning what all the nodes do.
So, do my products need to include Superfly/Iray materials?
2. I am very confused on the V4/M4 thing. The store will NOT be accepting any products that include V4/M4, even if Dawn/Dusk are included in it? Do I understand that correctly? (It's not a huge issue for me as I don't think I've got anything for them in my small catalogue anyway, but I just want to make sure I understand correctly.)
3. I think this is a wise move for Hivewire to make in terms of the brand succeeding. I'm not surprised that this change is being made, and it does make good business sense.
4. What about LaFemme? She is not a Daz product, and Rendo does seem to be more than willing to have HW figure products in their store. Will LaFemme items be allowed here, or will that also be a no? (I understand if it is a no, I'm just asking in advance for clarity's sake.)