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The Complete Guide to DAZ Studio 4
The Complete Guide to DAZ Studio 4

The Complete Guide to DAZ Studio 4: Bring your 3D characters to life with DAZ Studio

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The Complete Guide to DAZ Studio 4

Chapter 2. Customizing Studio

Studio is designed to be fully customizable and to adapt to the user's preferences. While this is a very good thing, this aspect of the program can be a "time-sucking" device. It's easy to get lost in all the customization options only to find out later that a couple of hours have passed since we started poking around. In this chapter we will see a few essential customizations designed to make our work with Studio easier, faster, and more fun. Specifically, we will see the following topics:

  • Selecting a style that maximizes screen real estate
  • Simplifying the UI and getting rid of redundant panels
  • Using keyboard shortcuts to access Studio features quickly
  • Changing the background color

    Note

    All the tips in this chapter are meant to give you a better, easier way of working with Studio. Strictly speaking, they are not required in order to use the lessons in this book, but they are of great help in speeding up the creative process. If you...

Getting more screen space

Studio makes extensive use of tabs. This is because the Studio UI is quite rich and it provides different sections that are dedicated to specific tasks. For example, in the previous chapter we used the Smart Content tab to add 3D assets to the scene. The Smart Content pane is activated by clicking on the tab labeled with the same name.

While the tab metaphor makes it easy to locate useful areas of the program, the default size and placement of those tabs can take a lot of screen space. The way Studio tries to solve this issue is, by default, to rotate the tabs 90 degrees to display them vertically. Screens are usually wider rather than taller, so this arrangement seems to make sense, at least on paper. In reality, reading tabs sideways is quite impractical. If the text was shown vertically, like the typical Hotel sign that we can see on the side of buildings, it would be OK, but with letters rotated 90 degrees this solution leaves a lot to be desired.

In the previous...

Removing screen clutter

When we opened the pane on the left, we saw a few tabs preloaded there. Among them is one titled Render Library. You can probably also see a couple of horizontal arrows used to scroll the tabs when there is not enough space in the panel to show them all. While working in Studio, we spend a lot of time adding objects to the scene and moving them around. In proportion, we spend much less time rendering and managing the rendered images. It makes much more sense to dedicate screen space to often-used tools than to panes that are rarely, if ever, utilized.

While rendering the images, the filesystem of the computer is what we want to use to manage the files; after all, that is the reason for having a filesystem. The Render Library pane is an attempt to manage the rendered images inside Studio, but in reality, it doesn't do much and it gets in the way of proper file management. Therefore, the Render Library tab is of very limited use, and we can instead use that space...

Simpler, faster keyboard shortcuts

The most efficient, fast, and fun way of using Studio is to use a few keyboard shortcuts in combination with the mouse. This workflow avoids interruptions in the creative process caused by searching for specific tools in the UI. For example, it's much faster and less distracting to press Cmd + S (on Mac)/Ctrl + S (on Windows) to save a scene, instead of taking your eyes away from the scene, looking up for the File menu, and then searching for the Save option.

Note

As Studio works on both Mac OS and Windows, it's necessary to find a notation to refer to keyboard combinations that work for both OSs. Macintosh uses the Cmd key to trigger special key combinations. Windows uses the Ctrl key. So, when you see something like Cmd/Ctrl + S, it means that you need to press a key combination that on Mac OS is Cmd + S and on Windows is Ctrl + S. Similarly, Opt/Alt + S indicates Opt + S for Mac OS and Alt + S for Windows.

If we look at the toolbar that has been...

Changing the background color

Studio's background color is set by default to be a light shade of blue. We can change that to any color of our liking. The background color will not affect the rendered image, but it can help our work by presenting the objects against a background that provides good contrast. This makes it easier to find objects and spot possible issues.

Changing the background color is easy. Click on the Viewport Options button at the top-right of the 3D Viewport.

Changing the background color

A menu shows up. Select the Change Background color… option. The standard Color Picker window shows up and from there we can select a color of our choice. Once confirmed, the scene background assumes the new color.

Summary

In this chapter we have seen how to adapt Studio to our needs. The customizations that can be applied to the program don't stop here. We will see more customizations as we learn more about Studio.

In this chapter you have learned the following topics:

  • Switching to a different layout
  • Removing unnecessary tabs
  • Hiding redundant sidebars
  • Saving a layout
  • Customizing keyboard shortcuts
  • Changing the background color

Controlling the tools offered by DAZ Studio is one of the crucial aspects of making art with this program. Now that we have a simpler and faster way of accessing those tools we can focus on the artistic exploration instead of having to break the creative flow. This will have a deep, positive impact in our artistic work.

In the next chapter, we will use our newly acquired knowledge and start putting together a scene in which we will pose a character from start to finish. It's time to get our hands dirty and it will be fun!

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Key benefits

  • Learn to pose characters in a natural way with ease
  • Apply morphs to create new characters with endless variations and discover how to use lighting effectively
  • Covers DAWN: The new 3D figure on the block by Hivewire3D, as well as a free download code for DAWN buried inside
  • Learn how to use DAZ Studio with practical examples and step-by-step instructions

Description

„While 3D technology can be intimidating, DAZ Studio provides a perfect entry point for anybody interested in it. DAZ Studio is designed to empower the readers with tools to manipulate "ready to use" models and figures. With DAZ Studio, you can use thousands of pre-made 3D models and create fantastic scenes without any hassle. Embark on a journey through the amazing world of 3Ddesigning and create great 3D art with DAZ Studio. This book will show you the way!The Complete Guide to DAZ Studio 4 shows you how to effectively use DAZ Studio 4 from start to finish. This guide takes you on a fun journey into the world of 3D art with DAZ Studio. Using everyday situations and practical examples, this book leads you from understanding the basics of 3D to the exploration of all the relevant topics, including posing, lighting, rendering, and content installation. You will follow step-by-step examples that will show you how to create great 3D art with fun and ease.With a free download code for Dawn: the brand new and hugely anticipated 3D figure by Hivewire3D and two free environments by renowned 3D artist Jack Tomalin, this book is a must-read for all aspiring 3D artists.

Who is this book for?

This book can be used by anybody who has DAZ Studio 4, regardless of their level of familiarity with the program or the concepts of 3D art.

What you will learn

  • Pose human figures in a natural and believable way
  • Use morphs to create new characters and install new content in DAZ Studio
  • Understand the building blocks of a 3D model and modify the DAZ Studio materials
  • Build a complete scene, with a character in a full environment
  • Frame your shot and use the camera effectively
  • Understand the basic principles and approach for lighting a scene
  • Create geometrically accurate images with photo-realistic rendering
  • Achieve photo-realism in DAZ Studio with the Reality plugin
  • Create your own content in DAZ Studio and sell it online
  • Animate your characters and create movies with DAZ Studio

Product Details

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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Oct 14, 2013
Length: 348 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781849694087
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Product Details

Publication date : Oct 14, 2013
Length: 348 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781849694087
Languages :
Concepts :
Tools :

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Table of Contents

14 Chapters
1. Quick Start – Our First 3D Scene Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Customizing Studio Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Posing Figures Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Creating New Characters with Morphs Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Rendering Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Finding and Installing New Content Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Navigating the Studio Environment Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. Building a Full Scene Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. Lighting Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
10. Hyper-realism – the Reality Plugin Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
11. Creating Content Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
12. Animation Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
A. Installing DAZ Studio Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

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Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon Empty star icon 3.7
(29 Ratings)
5 star 31%
4 star 34.5%
3 star 17.2%
2 star 10.3%
1 star 6.9%
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Glenn Fout Nov 14, 2013
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Very good and informative. Just what I have been looking for. Very helpful well written and easy to follow will refer to it a lot
Amazon Verified review Amazon
R. Duly Mar 22, 2016
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
A great book for new users of DAZ Studio 4! It was very helpful in getting me started.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
K A Frick Jan 19, 2014
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This is a great book for anyone just starting out using Daz Studios, as well as experienced used. I've been using Daz since 2007 and found things I didn't know about and it's helped me streamline my workflow. [...]
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Madness Mar 08, 2018
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Thank you
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Mrs. Alice S. Franceschini Jan 25, 2014
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
I have had DAZ Studio 4 for a long time but I use Poser for my 3d modeling. But more and more is going to DAZ Studio 4 so Ibought this book to help me learn DAZ Studio 4. I think it is a very good book.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
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