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IamUman — Realistic lights in Daz Studio
Published: 2010-02-09 13:45:18 +0000 UTC; Views: 53568; Favourites: 467; Downloads: 2074
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Description
This tutorial is a bit outdated. You're better of following my new tutorial:Interesting links:
Skin textures:
Elite: www.daz3d.com/shop/v4-elite-bu…
Danae's Milan: www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/in…
Moonbunny/Callad’s Charlie and Neve: www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/in…
edit: the Indira textures: www.daz3d.com/shop/indira/ are very good and also have very good eye textures!
and the Rio textures by Danae are just superb: www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/in…
Eye textures:
Briana: www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/-/br…
Tabitta: www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/in…
Violet/Trish/Lorelei: www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/-/vi…
Interesting links:
Wikipedia on backlighting: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backligh…
Portrait lighting: www.professionalphotography101…
UberEnvironment wiki: www.omnifreaker.com/index.php?…
UberSurface wiki: www.omnifreaker.com/index.php?…
Having sex for the first time? Here's what to expect: www.askstudent.com/tips/having…
My tutorial on combining rendered layers in Photoshop: iamuman.deviantart.com/art/Pho…
Files:
the light-setup used in this tutorial (not sure if this will work): www.x-factory.be/temp/light-se…
the photoshop-file with the postwork layers (you need PS CS3 or up): www.x-factory.be/temp/light-tu…
Some renders done with this ligthing:
Related content
Comments: 186
Thank you so much. I really appreciate your tutorial. It's very direct and clear. If you would please, could you look at the promo pics for this product and tell me how such a high level of realism was achieved, it would be a huge help: www.daz3d.com/elianeck-hdri-li… . Is it really just about the lighting product and the techniques you're describing here, or is there something I'm not understanding? The quality of the pictures is unreal. I'm trying to learn how to do the same thing.
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yes, well... my tutorial is six years old and is actually out of date because it still uses the technique of 3Delight to render but Daz Studio has a new more realistic renderer called iRay.
Not only the renderer is different but also the lights (distant lights don't exist anymore in iRay).
So actually, if you are going to use the iRay renderer (which you should) than this tutorial is useless
Here are a few things to keep in mind if you're going for realistic renders:
- indeed the lighting is very important. iRay is better than 3Delight. Hdri is great but adding more lights (not only 1 hdri but add several spotlights) will give an even more realistic result
- textures are really very important if you're looking for realism (I'm now mainly talking about skin textures). There are a lot of bad textures out there so look very carefully at promo-images and choose one that is already looking realistic. If a texture is bad than even with the best lighting in the world you will not achieve realism.
- If you are going for realism than everything has to be realistic. The skin, the eyes, the hair, the pose, the expression,... If 1 or 2 of these elements are not realistic, than the overall result will not be realistic. Or in other words: if you have unrealistic looking hair than it will ruin the entire realism of the picture. Even if the skin and lights are perfect.
- It takes a lot of practise to get good realism. There is not 1 magic plugin that automatically makes everything realistic. It took me several years to get a decent realism effect (Elianeck also is already doing renders for years!). It's easier since iRay exists but it is still quite hard.
- Also it takes lots of testrenders to get lighting right. I usually have something like 200 testrenders whilst I'm making a render. I testrender all of the time. Doing lot's of testsrenders is one of the secrets to getting good results.
- Another little secret is that Daz3D tends to only have perfect models and that in real life people are not 100% symmetric (the left side of your face is different from the right side of your face) so deliberatly add imperfections will give more realism.
- Another little tip: look for good eye-textures (hard to find!). The eyes are incredibly important in getting realism. People always look at eyes so bad eye textures will immediatly ruin any realistic effect.
- the same goes for hair
- another tip for light (especially true when using iRay): when you set up lights: think as a photographer. Study about studio lighting. People who know about lighting (like photographers) have a hugh advantage when setting up lighting in 3D programs.
That's about it.
Practice a lot.
Succes!
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Hey, thank you so much. Sometimes asking people how to do certain things is met only with silence--so, thanks again. It means a lot to me that you were willing to answer. I will consider carefully your advice--each and every tip, and I will study them as I practice my art. Take care for now. I love your work!
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Thanks for the tutorial. I would like to text file to translate to Spanish . I do not know english
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I'm sorry, I don't have the text file anymore.
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hey!!1 awesome work, must have taken ton of your time to wait for the rendering and then add to this amazing tutorial....do you have a tutorial on dick chicks..... not joking....if you can help me out..pls and thank you
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Thanks for your comment. The rendering did not take much time. Making the tutorial did.
My tutorial is about rendering not modelling. Rendering dick chicks is not diferent from rendering chicks without dicks.
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Hey Dude, your tutorial helped me improve my lighting techniques. I still have a lot to learn but I've got a better idea how to position the lights now. Thank you very much for this
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Te mando un saludo, ya te he comentado en alguna ocasión sobre las bondades de tu trabajo pero hoy solo te quiero agradecer los links que son muy importantes para quienes empezamos en estos asuntos de oluminación virual T.V.O pronto para comentar la experiencia gracias
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Always looking for good tutorials, especially on lighting. Very much appreciate your taking the time to explain in such detail.
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Great tips and tricks, thanks very much for taking the time to make this!
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Thank you for this great tuto, your tips helped me a lot.
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thx for another good tutorial! and interesting links ^^
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where can i download daz i have install manager but i dont know how?
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All files and documentation can be found at www.daz3d.com/
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greetings and hello! ^^ working with this tutorial, as well as of your other tutorial on photorealistic skin, I managed to bring this out into life: firstdarkangel2001.deviantart.…
I had to modify a few of the things that you had mentioned within the realistic skin tut, but overall I loved how it came out. 
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very nice!
Glad you're finding some use in my tutorials.
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definitely!
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thank you, great tutorial
oh and that "having sex for the 1st time", I thought it was lightning method too, which isn't sadly
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no problem, good luck with it!
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Hi thanks for a great tutorial, now I can finally put some shadows on by renders in daz
It worked great with brown and blue spotlights and UberEnvironment
Check out my render "Walk-In-Closet".. now with shadows 
[link]
Keep on the great work
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Looking great!
Nice to know you found some use in my tutorial.
Thanks for letting me know!
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Hey man, this tutorial is great!
Here is a render I made following your advice; it is head and shoulders above what I had done previously.
Cheers!
[link]
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Looking really good. I'm glad you foud some use in my tutorial.
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Thank you for such a clear explanation of lighting. This was the easiest to follow and most informative tutorial I have come across on the subject. I still have a lot to learn, but at least this gives me a solid starting point. Cheers!
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Thanks for commenting.
Good luck with the renders!
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little late to the party but great tutorial. Been looking everywhere for a good DS lighting tutorial.
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hey,
first of all, thanks for putting such a light setup tutorial public. I tested it right now.
the only problem it caused: fine eyebrows disappear by the blue and brown light.
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Thank you, i've been searching this for a long time...
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Thanks for the tutorial. I'm a Poser Pro 2010 user, but am trying to learn Daz Studio due to Genesis. I agree with all you said about Genesis. I find the whole thing frustrating!
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daz made a port so poser users can use genesis as well! welcome to the party
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Your welcome.
Yes, it sucks for Poser users also...
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I read this ages ago and never used it...I'd sort of given up recently on Daz rendering to use Reality/Luxrender instead but I had to do a scene I just couldn't get right in Reality but couldn't get it right with my crappy knowledge of lights in Daz...(I'm not good with moody, dark scenes) until I read your tutorial again today! I love you! Even with just those first two lights - I had the look I wanted!! And then I dicked around with more of the lights in your tut, changing various things - I'm happy!! Thank you very much!!! [link] (Obviously with post-processing colours and what-not have changed, but your advice still helped me 
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Always nice to hear my tutorial is helpful.
The mood came out very well in your render. And thanks a lot for taking the effort to comment!
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That's cool result!
I wanted to ask question.
I use Poser for my work. Mostly rendering characters for games. Poser render has built in indirect lighting option and renders pretty fast giving mooth lighting even on middle settings.
UberEnvironment is cool on max settings but look rough on any lower.
Is there built in indirrect light in Daz studio 4.5 (its new version i guess)? I found only some kind of option - Scripted delight3d > point-based occlusion. But it's not actually IL.
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Except for Uberenvironment, I don't think there is IL in DS4. But I'm not sure, because I'm still using DAZ Studio 3.
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Thanks. Try daz studio 4.5 . I's really raised in features.
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I own Daz 4 and I tried it.
I think Genesis is really good. I just don't like the idea that I have to buy half of my library again to make it work with the new figure.
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True. Actually I still use M4 and V4 just because there's much more stuff for those has been made.
But it seems that all clothes and etc for M4/V4 can be converted for genesis inside daz studio easily. Same with old character morphs (even for M3/V3) using plugin called "generation x for genesis" or genx shortly.
Well just sharing of what I found out searching universal solution for our pipeline. Still not sure about using it.
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I see it like this:
I spend hundreds of dollars to build a library for V4.
Now comes a new product called Genesis, which is basically exactly the same as V4 (a model of a pretty lady). The only difference is that she morphs more easily into different characters.
I have to pay 120$ for this Genesis figure (Michael + Victoria)
Then I have to re-buy the following stuff (which I already own for V4):
- Stephanie: 39$
- David: 14$
- Creature Creator: 29$
- Ethnicity: 39$
- ...
Just to be able to do exactly the same as what I was already doing before!
And if I want to keep on using clothes (which I already paid hard bucks for!) I have to buy a plugin (Generation X) for 31$.
Sounds like one big ripoff to me.
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