Welcome to the Downstairs Theater

Purpose

In this project, we'll create a background image from a 3D rendered image that we'll create ourselves. To create the image, we'll utilize DAZ Studio, a free, easy to use, and yet powerful rendering system. The follow up to this video is available, and is titled: "Part 2 - Finding and using other content".

About Daz Studio

Daz Studio is "Tellware". Essentially tell your friends about it, and it's yours to use. It allows you to create pretty amazing artwork in a few simple steps...mainly:

1 - Add a figure(s) to a scene. Note that this is typically a person, but can also be an animal.
2 - Add props to the figure(s). This can be clothing, weapons, environments, etc.
3 - Pose the figure, place the camera, add lighting if you wish
4 - Render your scene

This first project will go over these steps to create the image. Future segments regarding this project will demonstrate how to animate the figures, import more props from other sites, and more advanced techniques.

Requirements for this project

To do this project, you'll need Daz Studio. To acquire it:

Navigate to www.daz3d.com
Find the link for Daz Studio, follow it
Follow the "Download for free" link. This will probably lead you to a sign up page.
Once you've downloaded Daz Studio, find the Content pack that should be available with it
Download the content pack, and if you wish while your at it, find Victoria and Michael Models, and download these as well.
Install all downloaded content

Note: Signing up on their site gives you access to their download area. They have both free and premium content on their site. By signing up, it gives you access to both simultaneously through the same system. You actually go through their site and "purchase" Daz Studio...for free. It shows up in the download cart, and then allows you to download it.

Once you've completed grabbing the software, head over to watch the video and see how easy it is to use!

Credits

This was a fairly straight forward tutorial. I would like to think TiffT785 for providing some great artwork at the intro. This artwork shows what can be done when someone spends time, has alot of skill, and adds in other art tools such as Photoshop to do post work. For a look at what the potential of this software is, or for just some really great artwork, View her site, and while there check out the other galleries on Renderosity.

Poser 6, a much more powerful tool than DAZ Studio, is available for sale, however it costs from 100 to 250 dollars to purchase.

Narrator - Joe Farro
Victoria Model - Daz Studios
Hair for Victoria Intro - Digitalbabes2.com
Images for intro - TiffT785 ( View her site! )

(Actual final result rending from this tutorial)

Episode Notes

If you have problems posing your figures, make sure you hit "undo" and then go to the scene tab. Select the figure itself in the tree, then go back to the content tab and select your pose.
Starting out the program may look slightly different. It retains any view port customizations that you perform, of which I did several before I realized I'd be doing a tutorial with it.
The hair and figure from the intro are something I'll cover later. For now, its fair to know that the hair is available on www.digitalbabes2.com and the clothing/figure are available for free off of the Daz website.
Victoria and Michael are the names of free models that DAZ is famous for. The Victoria model used in this demo is an LE version, the full is currently up on their site for free. These models have a very high polygon count and are extremely customizable.
If you get lost in the video, or want a webpage that has step by step to follow along with, please check out the excellent tutorial at: http://www.tuitzone.com/DazTut.html. It is along the same lines as my video tutorial, and even goes into deeper details on a few items such as texture colors.
Please feel free to send feedback to me, of what you'd like to see more of, less of, etc. Even requests, as this was done to help the community.
Nothing in this tutorial requires a purchase of any type. The main thing was to keep the entire thing free.
Part 2 of this video is available and is titled: "Part 2 - Finding and using other content".

(Work in progress picture from this tutorial)