DAZ Studio
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- The correct title of this article is DAZ|Studio. The substitution or omission of a | is due to technical restrictions.
| DAZ|Studio | |
 User interface of DAZ Studio Version 1.0 |
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| Developer: | DAZ Productions |
|---|---|
| Latest release: | 1.4.16.0 / December 2006 |
| OS: | Mac OS X, Windows |
| Use: | 3D computer graphics |
| License: | Proprietary |
| Website: | http://www.daz3d.com |
DAZ|Studio is a software application released by DAZ Productions. It is compatible with most files intended for use in the Poser human animation application. Version 1.0 was released in fall 2005 and is available free of charge (registration required). Version 1.4.16.0 was the current release as of December 2006.
Contents |
[edit] DAZ|Studio and Poser
The release of DAZ|Studio expanded the field of hobby rendering, which was previously monopolised by Poser. DAZ|Studio was designed as an alternative to Poser, and serves as a means to increase the number of people participating in the hobby - and in consequence to increase sales of figures, clothing and props by DAZ Productions.
Opinion on DAZ|Studio's merits is split among old-school Poser users; some find the new interface faster and enjoy the rendering options; others prefer the fuller Poser features. The debate is not, for the most part, heated. Images created in DAZ|Studio are welcome on community sites and forums originally dedicated to Poser art; the newsgroup alt.binaries.3D.poser being a prime example.
DAZ|Studio is capable of importing most Poser content, with the notable exceptions of dynamic clothing and dynamic hair. As a result of the different lighting models, lights sometimes need to be tweaked or replaced.
[edit] Features
DAZ|Studio supports raytracing, which allows creation of reflective surfaces. Faster renders may be achieved through OpenGL support and non-raytraced images.
DAZ|Studio also has an intuitive user interface, but does not yet support inverse kinematics (see below), dynamic hair or clothing, tapering of body parts, or (in the Mac OS X version) texture maps in the PICT format. Several plugin files have been created for DAZ|Studio, including Align Ace, D-Form, Hand Grip, Morph Loader, Power Pose and Primitives Plus.
An interesting fact is that DAZ is bundled with a hard-linked version (not standalone) of the 3Delight renderer. This is a RenderMan-compliant high-end renderer, commonly used in production of blockbuster visual effects. The renderer is perfectly capable of rendering higher order surfaces like true subdivision surfaces and supports true 3D motion blur and depth of field. Unfortunately DAZ|Studio currently exports most data as polygon meshes to 3Delight, thus not taking advantage of the superior silhouette and shading quality this renderer is able to deliver.
With the addition of a for-purchase plugin, DAZ Studio now supports Inverse Kinematics.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] Official
[edit] Community
- 4blueyes: Free 3D content for DAZ|Studio and Poser
- Ladyfyre-graphics: Tutorials and loads of free downloads for Poser (compatible with DAZ|Studio), and Vue, also a free gallery for members to show off their artwork
- Morphography: Virtual photography and sculpture
- Renderosity: 3D downloads, galleries, tutorials and store
- SHAR3D: Free content made by members of the newsgroup alt.binaries.3d.poser
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