So, what's DAZ3D actually used for?

nonfatmatt

From time to time I try to check out other 3D software to see how the market is going. This morning I stumbled on DAZ3D, and because of Google's magic tracking cookies...now my Facebook feeds are festooned with ads for.."3D models."

So, what the hell, huh? Who actually uses this stuff. What's it for? How do they make money? Right now I'm just assuming it's used to 3D print sex dolls...or something more creepy than I can come up with.

LMP

to my understanding, it's used for stuff... also from my experience at GDC and the Art Direction bootcamp, Concept Art more specifically speeding up the creation of it by quickly and easily blocking out scenes with lots of humans.

AtticusMars

Porn mostly

leslievdb

deviantart

Brian "Panda" Choi

deviantart

Pretty sure they have nice meshes, but it's rendering of the people meshespales in comparison to good texture work and current game engines.

unit187

To flood deviantart with fetish stuff.
Once I tried to search DA for "dungeon" references, you know, like Diablo catacombs and alike. Never again, thanks daz3d.

ghaztehschmexeh

What, no mention of wendy?


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qllXwbrKgXc"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qllXwbrKgXc[/ame]

Kwramm

i've seen people use poser for paint-overs and illustrations - i.e. a shortcut to get basic anatomy and perspective right. Maybe you can do the same with DAZ3D

Laughing_Bun

Ive seen people do some interesting illustration stuff with it. One guy I know syncs it up with zbrush to create costume bits and other details, then poses the characters with it for quick illustration/comic layouts. Its super convoluted but it works for him.

But yeah its mostly used for trash deviant art.

plastix

3D porn

Muzzoid

Porn.

Cibo

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpdCJKPHzh8&playnext=1&list=PL3E4A8A1E12866EB4&feature=results_video[/ame]

Muzzoid

To be serious.

Marek okon uses it .

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/under-control

skankerzero

They have a good, medically scanned skeleton.
They also have some interesting muscle maps that are great reference on the cheap.

Its a great way for non-creatives and creatives to block out a character idea really quick too.

throttlekitty

It gets a fair bit of use with writers making their own book covers. There's a few people doing web comics using it, but yeah, lots of adult stuff out there. I know several people who sell models at DAZ as their primary income. Their Tri-Ax rigging system is pretty badass.

Another way of looking at the app is comparing it to all those fancy Skyrim screenshots, or people who take photos of their miniatures/trainsets/dolls/whatever. It's aimed mostly at people who don't really "do" 3d a way to do 3d. (or even those dj/musician folk who just mix premade loops)

ambershee

If I recall correctly, they're user license actually prevented people using it for games related stuff. Not sure if that's still the case.

kanga

The initial purpose was to replace or augment the use of drawing dummies as a reference for artists. I read somewhere that that was the intention of the inventor of Poser. Their first logo was a drawing dummy. People immediately started to use the program to produce images and the software grew in that direction. I first used poser as an illustrator when we couldn't get photo models in for a quick commission. I also started making images with Poser and they were awful. These monstrosities were not the fault of the software but were a result of my inability to make a convincing illustration with it. Before abandoning the pipeline in favor of making my own stuff I did manage to sell an image made with Poser and Bryce that won an award for the Dutch police, go figure.

I use DAZ these days as an art reference in combination with photo references when sculpting in zbrush. I have the app on a separate screen and rotating a figure around to study it is a real help. The figures are scanned models so they are pretty accurate in an idealized sort of way.

The market has been flooded with pretty bad poser and daz stuff but if you look at the headline illustrations made with the software that accompany the successive versions a really good illustrator can make something brilliant with it.

Steve Schulze

We've used it a few times when we need a quick prototype model of a dinosaur or person to 3d print where the quality doesn't matter

tahakitan

it's good to use for certain things but it can't replace a good character artist obviously.

Makkon

I onced worked for a now deceased studio that would actually use DAZ models for production. I'm not talking blocking in, but as final assets.
Don't use DAZ in production. Everyone can tell. The models look rather uncanny in an unsettling way. For 3d block-ins for concept art, that's totally fine and probably a huge time saver. Otherwise it's really just a tool for hobbyists.

Iwazaruk7

I had a 2.5D project i was doing - for GZDoom as engine. In which i used DAZ Studio to create sprites for characters.  Something like this: 




Yeah, i was doing NPR stylisation. So, instead of 2d spritework, i did certains poses and then made transparent renders with 0/30/45/60/90 degree rotation as it's needed for Doom engine. Hope you get the idea.

As for more... classic use of DAZ. I'm perfectly ok with idea of "virtual photography". Just like whatever people do in Garry's Mod or Source Film Maker.  Though from what i seen, usually best results come from people who were doing IRL photography for years so they know how to make good composition, lighting, etc.
 

Ruz

i used it a quite a bit for stuff I did for the fashion industry ie posing characters then zbrushing over them/adding block out clothes

poopipe

I use it when i need a character model and I don't want to spend a month making one - which is pretty much every time I need a character model.

It would be really good for porn though

sacboi

Porn notwithstanding, quite a nifty piece of kit and their library is constantly expanding to include hard surface content, (...a tad basic but getting there) at a price point of about 2.2 Starbucks coffees alongside sys specs for entry are extremely minimal.

Jeez, I could even render polished looking output on my 10yo clapped out desktop without it BSOD'ing all over the place but the real kicker is recent introduction of new Blender und Maya bridges.

Now if only they start making train / locomotive stuff then I'll be fully onboard tinkering around.