Documentation Center artzone:pub:software:dazstudio:reference

Adding Content to the Scene

2011-11-01T17:35:36+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Adding Content to the Scene

When adding content to your scene, there are multiple ways of doing so:

Double-clicking on a thumbnail in the Content tab.
Selecting a thumbnail and dragging into the viewport.
Merging content into the scene.
Using Content Drag-and-Drop.

The first three you're probably quite familiar with but the last item, Content Drag-and-Drop, is new in DAZ Studio 2.0 and provides the ability to drag content into the scene and select whether to conform, parent, or apply the content to the figure, or to place the content in a specific location in the scene using a targeting system.

Content Drag-and-Drop

The Content Drag-and-Drop feature provides the ability to drag content into the scene and select whether to conform, parent, or apply the content to the figure, or to place the content in a specific location in the scene. With this new feature, you no longer get an error message when no figure is selected and you drag a conforming or smart prop onto the figure.

Content can include scene files, figures, clothing, props, light sets, cameras, hair, poses, and MAT pose files in both Poser and DAZ Studio format, mesh objects, and BVH files.

There are three methods of using Content Drag-and-Drop:

Adding or Replacing Content

By default, DAZ Studio adds new content to the scene, however, you can choose whether to replace content automatically, ask every time, or always add content to the scene. However, in order for this to work, two things must be true:

The content must be categorized in the content database. See “Searching for New Content” for more on this option.
The content being used must be mapped so DAZ Studio knows what kind of content it is. For example, so it can replace a hair prop with another hair prop and not a shoe prop instead. See “Mapping Content” for more on mapping content for using to add/replace content. If a .map file is added after the item itself was added to the Content Manager, then a re-scan is required before the replace function will work. See “Searching for New Content” for scanning instructions.

Select a Replacement Option

To select a replacement option:

Make sure you are on the Content tab and bring up the Options menu.
Select Edit Preferences from the menu. The Preferences dialog comes up.
Click on the Content Manager tab and select an option from the Remove & Replace section:
- Always Replace Items - When selected, will always replace items without asking first.
- Ask to Replace Items - When selected, will ask if you want to replace an item and what you want to replace in the scene or on the figure.
- Never Replace Items - When selected, will always add items to the scene (default DAZ Studio action).
Click on Accept to save your changes.

Using the Replace Options

If Always Replace Items was selected

Load the new content by double-clicking on it or dragging it into the scene.
If the figure or item being replaced was not selected, the Select an Item dialog will come up with a listing of all items in the scene. Left-click on the item to be replaced and click on Accept to replace it or on Cancel to not load the new item into the scene.
If the figure or item being replaced was selected, the new item will replace the previous item, i.e., Bombshell hair will replace the Glamour hair.

If Ask to Replace Items was selected:

Load the new content by double-clicking on it or dragging it into the scene.
If the figure or item being replaced was not selected, the Select an Item dialog will come up with a listing of all items in the scene. Left-click on the item to be replaced and click on Accept to replace it or on Cancel to not load the new item into the scene.
If the figure or item being replaced was selected, the Choose Content to Replace dialog will come up. The dialog will list all items of the same type on the figure. For example, the Bombshell hair is categorized as a conforming hair item, so only items of the same type, i.e., Glamour hair, will show in the list. Select None to add the new item to the scene or select the item to replace in the scene.
If you would like to change which replace option to use (always or never), click in the checkbox next to that option.
Click on Accept to accept the changes and replace or add the hair (if None was chosen), or on Skip Replace to add the new item and leave the current item in the scene.

TIP! Selecting None and clicking on Accept is the same as selecting Skip Replace.

If Never Replace Items was selected:

Load the new content by double-clicking on it or dragging it into the scene.
If the figure or an item on the figure was not selected, the Select an Item dialog will come up with a listing of all items in the scene. Left-click on the item to be replaced and click on Accept to replace it or on Cancel to not load the new item into the scene.
If the figure or item on the figure was selected, the new item will be added to the scene.

Align Ace

2011-11-01T17:35:36+00:00

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Align Ace

This section has been moved to Align Ace.

Auto Magnetizing Clothing

2011-11-01T17:35:36+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Auto Magnetizing Clothing

When clothing is fit to a figure, it automatically follows the figure as it is posed, however, if the figure contains deformers, the clothing may have figure poke through or be too large for the figure, depending on the current morphs. One way around this is to provide magnetize poses that apply the deformers on the figure to the clothing. While this method works, there are several issues with it:

For each item of clothing, a separate pose file is required for DAZ Studio and Poser.
The creator must include instructions on how to use the file and the user must read that documentation.
Use of a pose file for a non-posing purpose.
The pose file has to be reapplied when the figure pose is modified or different morphs applied.

To get around these issues, DAZ Studio provides an Auto Magnetize function that checks a figure's deformers and, if the clothing has a matching morph, automatically applies the morphs needed to the clothing to match the figure. When the figure pose or morphs are modified, the clothing is automatically updated to match the changes. There is nothing extra for the user to apply once the clothing is fit to the figure or when changes are made to the figure itself.

Of course, there are limits to the clothing items following the figure morphs depending on the clothing item so you may still get poke through when using extreme morph settings!

The Auto Magnetize function is enabled by default in the Preferences:

Auto Magnetize can be turned off by clicking on the toggle button then selecting to Apply the change:

To use the auto magnetize function:

Make sure that Auto Magnetize is turned On in the preferences.
Load the figure into the scene.
Add/fit clothing to the figure, check the clothing to see if it has the required morphs.
Apply the appropriate morphs to the figure. The clothing should automatically adjust if the clothing morphs match the morphs being applied to the figure.

Bones

2011-11-01T17:35:36+00:00

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Bones

Other bones will have various default parameters depending on their degrees of freedom and parameter names assigned by the content creator. DAZ uses a standard convention for naming parameters based on their function. Some of the possible parameters are:

Bend: The Bend parameter rotates the selected bone about its own lateral axis, that is, the local axis that passes through the parent joint from left to right.
Side-Side: The Side-Side parameter rotates the selected bone toward or away from the figure’s centerline. In other words, the rotation occurs along the bone’s own transverse axis, that is, the local axis that passes through the parent joint from front to back.
Front-Back: The Front-Back parameter rotates the selected bone toward the figure’s anterior (front) or posterior (back) sides. For an example, hold your arm straight out and rotate your shoulder forward and back.
Twist: The Twist parameter rotates the selected bone about its own longitudinal axis, that is, the local axis that extends from parent joint to child joint.

NOTE! The terms transverse, lateral, longitudinal, anterior, and posterior refer only to common medical terminology, which is the basis for naming the above-listed types of rotation. They do not relate to the Cartesian axes (X,Y,Z) or global & local coordinates.

NOTE! In the above image, notice that a human elbow cannot bend along its transverse axis. If you select the forearm on a DAZ figure, you will see that you cannot bend the arm in this manner.

Hip Type

Some DAZ and third-party content supports geometry swapping, where you can substitute one type of geometry for another. If you have content that supports this feature (such as DAZ’s Michael 2 figure), a Hip Type drop-down menu appears in the Parameters tab when you select an object or bone that contains this feature. Geometry swapping is typically used with nude male figures to enable or disable displaying the male genitalia. This menu lists all of your available options (such as Hip and Genitals Off for a nude male hip bone). Click the menu and make your selection to enable your desired option.

Multiple Bones

DAZ Studio lets you work with more than one bone at a time. Once you have made your selection, you can modify any parameter shared by all selected bones using the Parameters tab. Here is one example that shows you how to make a fist using multiple selected bones. The figure below shows the selected bones and initial Bend setting. (Notice that it will likely say <Multiple> at first, but you can change this to 0.00 without affecting joint movement.)

We applied 30 degrees of bend to all of the selected bones in the hand. The figure below shows the results of that action. In just a few seconds, we created a hand pose that can be refined into a grasp or fist depending on your needs. The results are approximate, but positioning multiple bones can save you quite a bit of time as opposed to setting each bone’s joint into place.

Applying Clothing Figures

2011-11-01T17:35:36+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Applying Clothing Figures

As you will soon notice, most figures are nude when they first load into the Scene. This allows you the greatest possible flexibility to add clothing (or not…) Creating a dressed figure would require that the model and clothing be the same actual mesh object, thus limiting you to only one outfit for that figure.

From a technical standpoint, clothing items are figures with body parts and bones of their own. In other words, they are functionally identical to figures, such as Michael and Victoria. Select an appropriate clothing item in the Content tab and add it to your scene. You will see its root node and bones listed in the Scene tab.

Each figure has a unique bone structure tailored to the specific mesh object. In addition, each joint between bones is specifically designed to work with that figure’s mesh. In order to fit properly, clothing items must have both a bone structure and joint settings that are similar to those of the underlying figure (just as your own clothes must be sized and tailored to fit your body). Therefore, each item of clothing is specifically designed to fit a certain figure.

There are three ways to apply clothing to a figure (if the clothing item was originally created with the ability to fit itself to a figure):

Automatic Mode

To fit clothing to your figure automatically:

Select the figure to apply the clothing item to.
In the Content tab, navigate to the folder containing the clothing item that you wish to fit to the figure.
Double-click the clothing item. The selected item is added to your scene and automatically fitted to your figure’s current pose (if the clothing was made for the figure).

Manual Mode

To fit clothing to your figure manually:

Add the clothing to your scene.
Select the clothing item by either clicking its root object or by using the Scene tab.
In the Parameters tab, use the Fit To drop-down menu to select the figure to fit the clothing item to. The selected clothing item will fit to your selected figure.

Items designed for a different figure may work but will probably require additional adjustments.

Content Drag-and-Drop

New in DAZ Studio 2.0 is the ability to drag content from the Content tab or directories and have it apply to the figure or added to the scene.

See “Content Drag-and-Drop” for more details on using this feature.

Clothing Tips and Tricks

Fitting clothing to figures involves many complex behind-the-scenes calculations and may not be 100% perfect since there are too many variables beyond DAZ Studio’s control. Keeping the following items in mind will help eliminate problems:

It is usually best to pose and deform the figure before fitting clothing to it. It is easier to see your figure’s exact position when nude, and fitting clothes after posing usually results in a more precise fit.
You may get some poke-through. where one or more portions of the figure poke through the clothing. If this occurs, you have several choices:
- Hide the body part(s) poking through the clothing.
- Hide the surface(s) poking through the clothing (by turning their visibility off.)
- Scale down the underlying body part a little.
- Scale up the clothing item a little.
By applying one or more of these methods, you can quickly eliminate any poke-through that might occur.
If you are using clothing designed for a different figure, you should try a combination of the above methods.

Content Manager

2011-11-01T17:35:36+00:00

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Content Manager

This section has been moved to Content Manager.

Adding Content to DAZ Studio

2011-11-01T17:35:36+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Adding Content to DAZ Studio

Before you can view the content in your Content folder, it seems logical that you need to install content that you can view. When you download DAZ Studio from the DAZ web site, you are also provided with a separate download file that contains a wealth of content.

Refer to “Setting Directory Preferences” for instructions on setting your directory preferences in order to locate your installed content.

Installing DAZ Content

When you purchase content from DAZ 3D, it is distributed in Windows executable files (EXE extension) or in SIT format for Macintosh users. The setup process is self-explanatory, as the setup wizard guides you through the process of choosing the folders that will store your content. You can install your content in the default DAZ Studio content folder, or into an external Content directory in any folder that lies outside the DAZ Studio installation folder. If you install your content into a folder that DAZ Studio does not yet recognize as a content folder, you may need to use the Edit > Preferences command as described earlier to add the new content folder to your directory lists.

Another important thing to mention is that DAZ content is compatible with DAZ Studio and Poser. Products that are more recent may include a separate file that contains the DAZ Studio-specific files such as material settings. When you order a product from DAZ, check to see if there are separate files included with the product that have the letters DS toward the end of the file name. Install the files along with the base product if you plan on using the product in DAZ Studio.

Installing Third-Party Content

When you purchase content from third party developers that sell their products at stores other than DAZ, they are typically distributed in ZIP files. Most often, they are configured to be compatible with the Poser® library structure, meaning that all files are placed beneath a folder that begins with a Runtime folder. Many users of DAZ Studio extract these files into external folders so that they can use the same content in both DAZ Studio and Poser. Even if you intend on using this content in DAZ Studio, it may be beneficial to install them to an external folder of your choosing. Afterward, you will have to use the Edit > Preferences command to add the new Poser content folder to your directory lists.

Adding & Removing Content

2011-11-01T17:35:36+00:00

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Adding & Removing Content

Two buttons appear at the bottom of the Content tab. The plus button is the Add to Library button, which adds content to your folders. The minus button is the Remove from Library button, which deletes content from your content folders.

You can save an entire scene or you can save specific elements of your scene as a DAZ Studio preset script file. The steps are as follows:

You may want to configure your desired Save Filter preferences set in Edit > Preferences.
Click the Add to Library button to open a menu with the following options:
- Scene: Saves your entire scene and all objects and settings therein (figures, poses, lights, materials, cameras, props, etc.).
- D-Form Preset: Saves the current D-Former to your content folder.
- Puppeteer Preset: Saves the current Puppeteer pose animation to your content folder.
- Pose Preset: Saves the currently selected figure’s pose information (transformation and/or morph settings, depending on your previously selected preferences).
- Shader Preset: Saves the current shader to your content folder.
- Materials Preset: Saves all material settings (maps, colors, etc.) from the currently selected figure or prop.
- Light(s) Preset: Saves either the currently selected light(s) or all lights in your scene, depending on your previously selected preferences.
- Camera(s) Preset: Saves either the currently selected light(s) or all lights in your scene, depending on your previously selected preferences.
You are then asked where you wish to save the scene or preset, and what name you wish to give it. Then, the Filtered Save dialog box appears. This box is functionally identical to its corresponding dialog in the Preferences window. You may navigate folders, create a new folder, name your preset, etc. Make your selections and click OK to finish saving the preset.

Your saved preset will now appear in the Content tab in the folder you had selected during the save. You can navigate up or down the folder levels to find your new preset in the folders contained in the Content tab.

NOTE! Additional save options may be available based on installed plug-ins. Consult the user guide for that plug-in for information on saving presets.

Content Tab Options

2011-11-01T17:35:37+00:00

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Content Tab Options

The Content tab allows you to view your content in List View or Tree View, with or without the Content Manager capabilities. These options appear in the Content tab Options menu.

The Content tab Options menu appears in the upper-right corner of the Content tab. Click the Content tab Options button to open the Content tab Options menu.

The commands are as follows:

View Folders as List: Displays your content folders in a list of columns, commonly seen in Macintosh-based systems.
View Folders as Tree: Displays your content folders as a hierarchical tree. This is the default view.
View Categories - QuickStart: Displays your content folders using the Content Manager categories and QuickStart buttons. See “Content Manager” for more on this option.
View Categories As List: Displays your content folders using the Content Manager categories. See “Content Manager” for more on this option.
Delete: Removes the selected content from your DAZ Studio Library.
Search for Content: Searches for directories containing Poser/DAZ Studio content when viewing as a list or tree, or searches for new content when viewing as categories.
Edit Preferences: Displays the Content Manager tab of the Preferences dialog where icon size is set, selection of replacement options is made, file tool tips enabled, and database reset. See “” for more on setting these options.
Close: Closes the Content tab.

Content Sub-Tabs

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Content Sub-Tabs

Two sub-tabs appear beneath the content icon area: Info and Author. You’ll also see a Save As button that allows you to save your own custom presets as DAZ Scripts.

Info Tab

The Info sub-tab displays basic information about the item you have selected in the Content tab. This information includes the name of the file, what type of file it is (depending on how it was saved), what version of DAZ Studio was used to create the file, when it was created and last modified, and the file size.

Author Tab

The Author sub-tab displays information about the company or individual that created the file you are using. If the content creator created their content within DAZ Studio and entered his or her authorship information, you will see the author’s name, email address, and website URL here. Additional comments may also appear here.

Adding or Editing Authorship Information

The Preferences dialog allows you to enter your authorship information. Choose Edit > Preferences and click the General tab shown below.

Currently, DAZ Studio has two options within the General tab: The ability to edit authorship information (who you are and how you can be contacted) and at what frequency DAZ Studio checks for updates (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Never), or you can check for updates immediately by clicking the Check for updates now button.

Using & Maintaining Content

2011-11-01T17:35:37+00:00

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Using & Maintaining Content

When a folder contains content that you can add to your scene, icons appear in the bottom portion of the Content tab as shown below. These icons are primarily used to add content to your scene. At the same time, they also provide a visual reference of the items contained within the selected folder.

There are several options hidden beneath the surface of this content area. You’ll learn more about them in the sections that follow.

Content Menu Options

When you right-click over any content icon, a context menu displays the menu shown below.

The commands in this menu provide the following functions:

Open: Clears the current scene and opens the selected item into a clean viewport.
Merge: Merges the selected item into the current scene.
Cut: Allows you to move content from one folder to another. Right-click over the selected item and choose Cut to place it in your clipboard.
Copy: Allows you to create a copy of the selected item and places it in your clipboard.
Paste: After you cut or copy an object into your clipboard, select a new folder from the List View or Tree View. Right-click on the new folder name and choose Paste. The selected item then appears in the new folder.
Delete: Deletes the selected item from the current location. This is not undoable so you are asked to confirm the deletion before the item is removed from the folder.
Rename: Allows you to rename the selected object. Enter a new name for the object and press Enter to assign it.
Create Custom Action: Choose this option to add a menu item to the Scripts menu. This is a very handy feature that provides quick access to figures and other content that you frequently use.

TIP! Content can be moved using Cut/Copy & Paste or by using Drag-and-Drop to drag the content to new folders. See below for more on using this feature.

Moving Content via Drag-and-Drop

Besides using cut and paste operations to move content between folders, DAZ Studio provides the option to select items and drag them to new folders.

Make sure the folder where you want to move the content to is available either because the folder already exists or because you just created it.
Navigate to the folder where the content is located and select the content thumbnail(s). Select multiple items using the following methods:
- Select first item then press Shift and click on the last item.
- Select first item, then press Ctrl and click on non-contiguous items.
- Drag a marquee around the items to be selected.
Drag the content to the new folder by moving the mouse over the folders. When viewing as tree or category, as you move over the folders in the listing, they'll expand and can be navigated more easily. When you get to the correct folder, move the mouse over the folder and let up on the mouse button.

When viewing as list, the sub-categories do not yet expand so content must be moved in several operations or you can just make sure that the sub-folder is visible before moving the content.
A Confirm File Move dialog will come up asking you to confirm that you want to move the file(s) to the selected folder. Click on Yes to move the file or No to cancel the move.

If you select Yes, the selected content will no longer show in the current folder. If you select No, the content will remain in the original folder.
Select the folder where the content was moved to and it will now show in that folder.

Maintaining Folders

When you right-click the folder that is currently selected in List View or Tree View, you see the menu shown in the figure below.

Use these commands as follows:

Create New Subfolder: Allows you to create a new folder beneath the currently selected folder. Enter a name for the new folder in the New Folder dialog and choose OK to create the folder.
Paste: Allows you to paste an object from your clipboard into the currently selected folder.
Rename: Allows you to assign a new name to the folder. Enter a new name then press Enter to assign it.
Delete: Deletes the currently selected folder. This is not undoable and deletes any files or subfolders beneath the selected folder. DAZ Studio prompts you to confirm the deletion before the folder is removed.
Create Category From Folder: Creates a category in the content database based on the current folder and/or sub-folders. See “Content Manager” for more on this option.
Browse to folder location: Opens the directory folder where the selected content is stored.

Adding Content to Your Scene

You can use any of the following methods to add the content to your scene:

Double-click a content icon. The object automatically appears in the center of your scene.
Click and drag the content icon from the Content tab and drop it into the viewport. See “Content Drag-and-Drop” for more on this feature.
Right-click on a content icon, and choose Merge from the context menu.
To add the selected object to a completely new scene, right-click the content icon and choose Open from the context menu. Note that this option completely clears your current scene and replaces all its contents with the item you selected. Make sure you save any existing work before you choose this menu option.

NOTE! If the content being loaded is ExP-enabled, the PowerLoader dialog will come up giving you options for injecting morphs and loading presets. See “PowerLoader” for more on using this tool.

Navigating & Viewing Content Folders

2011-11-01T17:35:37+00:00

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Navigating & Viewing Content Folders

Navigating Content Folders

The DAZ Studio Library consists of a series of folders and sub-folders that contain the figures, props, lights, etc. you use in your scenes.

From left to right, the top portion of the Content tab contains three items as shown below:

Use the navigation buttons as follows:

Back: The Back button functions like the Back button in your Web browser by taking you back to previously selected content folders. Each successive click takes you back one previous folder level. This button appears grayed out until you have navigated to at least two content folders.
Forward: The Forward button functions like the Forward button in your Web browser by taking you forward to select content folders. Each successive click takes you forward to the next selected folder. This button appears grayed out until you have used the Back button at least once.
Up One Level: If you navigate to at least one sub-directory level, the Up One Level button is enabled. Each successive click moves you up one level along your current content directory/sub-directory path.

Using List View

Selecting View Folders as List in the tab Options menu for the Content tab displays your content directories as icons, as shown below (this option operates the same way as a list view does in Macintosh OS X.)

By default, a single column appears at the top of the Content tab. You can use the Back and Forward buttons to navigate through the content list. When a folder contains items that you can add to your scene, an icon for each item appears. To work your way through the List View, single-click a folder name to view folders or items contained within it. You can also use the Back and Forward buttons and the Up One Level button to navigate through the List View.

For convenience, you can widen the Content tab to see two folder columns, as shown below. The left column displays the current folder level while the right column displays any folder(s) underneath the folder currently selected in the left column. For example, if you have the default Victoria folder selected in the left column, the right column will display the Clothing, Hair, and Poses sub-folders.

Using Tree View

You can also view your folders in a tree view. To do so, choose View Folders as Tree from the Content tab Options menu. This view displays your content folders as a hierarchical tree as shown below. This view allows you to jump quickly to any content folder on any level of your Library. Content within the currently selected folder appears in the bottom portion of the Content tab as described above.

To navigate through the Tree View:

Click the + sign next to a collapsed tree to expand the branch.
Click the - sign next to an expanded tree to collapse the branch.
Use the Back, Forward, and Up One Level buttons to move upward and downward through the tree.

TIP! You can also use the Up, Dn, Right Arrow, Left Arrow, PgUp and PgDown keys on your keyboard to move through the list.

Creating a Custom Action

2011-11-01T17:35:37+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Creating a Custom Action

Any DAZ Studio script can be used to create a custom action to allow you to automate tasks and place them in the toolbars. For example, if you use Victoria 4.2 a lot, you can create a custom action that will allow you to click on a button to load her into the scene without having to search for her.

To create and use a custom action:

Locate the item you want to make an action for. This can be a figure, material file, pose file, etc., as long as it is in the DAZ Studio script file format.
Right-click on the thumbnail and choose Create Custom Action from the menu. You will not get any messages indicating that the action has been created.

If you choose the same menu item again, you will get two error messages, one that indicates the file already has a custom action and the second that indicates the action already exists as a menu entry in the Customize dialog.
Choose Edit > Customize from the menu to open the Customize DAZ Studio dialog.
Click on the plus sign (+) next to the Custom label and the custom action just created will be listed.
Right-click on the action and choose Edit Custom Action from the menu.
The Edit Custom Action dialog will come up. The Menu Text will show the same file name as the thumbnail and along with a generic Description.

If needed, edit the Menu Text and Description.
Click on Accept to accept the changes to the action or on Cancel to abort the operation.
Right-click on the action again and choose Change Icon from the menu.
A default load dialog will come up. Locate the JPEG or PNG file to use as the icon and click on Open. This can be an image you create or the same graphic used for the thumbnail in the Content tab.
In the Activities tab in the right hand pane, select which toolbar to add the action to, for example to the Load, Pose / Animate, or Render tab.
Click on the plus sign (+) next to the selected toolbar and then on the one next to the Actions label.
Select the action in the left hand pane and drag it to where you want it to be on the toolbar.

Result:
Click on Accept to accept the changes or on Cancel to abort the operation.
Activate the toolbar where you added the action and there will be a small icon with the image you selected as the graphic in the location you placed it. If you did not add an graphic icon, the space will be blank. Hover over the icon and the Menu Text and Description you entered will be visible.
Click on the button and the figure will load into the scene. If the action was a preset that applies a material, pose, etc., make sure the figure is loaded and selected.

Customizing Activity tabs

2011-11-01T17:35:37+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Customizing Activity tabs

When you first open the Customize DAZ Studio dialog, the Activities sub-tab displays the names of the three default Activity tabs: Load, Pose, and Render. The Actions icons and Toolbars that are displayed in each tab appear in a hierarchical list beneath each Activity tab header. When you expand an Activity tab heading, you see sub-trees that display a list of actions and toolbars that are configured for the selected Activity tab.

The Actions sub-tree displays the icons that appear in the upper-left corner of each Activity tab. For example, the Actions icons that appear in the Load Activity tab are icons for the File > New, File > Open, File > Import, Create > New Primitive, and What’s This help commands.
The Toolbars sub-tree allows you to enable or disable the display of the Help, Create, Tools, and Main toolbars in each of the Activity tabs.

NOTE! Display of all toolbars is off by default, but you can toggle them on by right-clicking the toolbar you want to display and choosing Enable Toolbar from the menu that appears.

To add an Actions icon to any Activity tab:

Choose Edit > Customize to open the Customize DAZ Studio dialog.
Select the Activities tab in the right side of the dialog. Select the Activity tab (Load, Pose, Render, or custom Activity tabs) that will contain the new icon, and expand its list. Examples of the Actions and Toolbars lists for the Load Activity tab are shown below. Other Activity tabs will have similar options.
Look through the Actions list on the left side of the Customize DAZ Studio dialog. Select any command or action that has an icon associated with it.
Drag the associated command from the left side and drag it to the tabs on the right side of the dialog. Drop the selected command over or beneath the desired Actions tree.

To show or hide a toolbar in any Activity tab:

Choose Edit > Customize to open the Customize DAZ Studio dialog.
Right-click the toolbar that you want to show or hide.

Choose Enable Toolbar to display a hidden toolbar. The status will turn from Off to On.
Choose Disable Toolbar to hide a displayed toolbar. The status will turn from On to Off.

Customizing DAZ Studio

2011-11-01T17:35:37+00:00

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Customizing DAZ Studio

The Edit > Customize command opens the Customize DAZ Studio dialog, which allows you to customize virtually any element in DAZ Studio so that you can arrange things exactly the way you want them to be. If you are new to DAZ Studio, you might want to wait a bit before jumping in and customizing your interface … otherwise tutorials and such will seem a bit confusing because you may not remember where you placed your panes, commands, and toolbars.

You’ll probably find as you learn more about DAZ Studio that you want to locate panes or toolbars in a different place. You may need an Activity tab that displays all of the items you need when you modify materials on an object, or when you create an animation. With the Edit > Customize command you can do all this and more.

To open the Customize DAZ Studio dialog, choose Edit > Customize. You’ll see the dialog shown below.

Customize DAZ Studio Dialog

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Customize DAZ Studio Dialog

The left portion of the Customize DAZ Studio dialog displays an Actions List that includes all of the commands in the DAZ Studio menus and submenus. This also includes custom actions that you have created yourself when you save your own presets. Where shortcuts apply to a command, the shortcut is listed to the right side of the command menu.

Notice that some of the commands have their associated icons next to them. While you can add commands that do not have icons, it will be difficult to see them in the Activity tab or in toolbars until you hover over them. For this reason, you will primarily want to work with commands that have icons associated with them. For example, the figure below shows commands that appear beneath the File menu of DAZ Studio. All of the commands have icons associated with them, with the exception of the Scene and Exit commands. If you try to add these two commands to a toolbar, you won’t see any icon representation for them.

You can add any of these commands to an Activity tab, Menu, or Toolbar. Simply select an item from the Actions list and drag it to the appropriate tab on the right side of the Customize DAZ Studio dialog.

The Item list displays a list of the commands that appear in each toolbar. A couple of things should be mentioned when you look at the items in the list:

Not all commands have icons associated with them. Where icons appear, you can add these items to any toolbar, including toolbars you create yourself.
When you see an ampersand (&) immediately before a character, that means that you can use the key that follows to invoke the command when the menu is open. This is different from shortcuts, which do not need to have the menu open to use them. For example, you can use the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+O at any time to invoke the File > Merge command. However, when the File menu is open you can either click Merge or press the letter “m” to use the command. Menu hotkeys are always underlined in menus.

The right portion of the Customize DAZ Studio dialog is shown below. It contains three sub-tabs, the purpose of which will be discussed in the sections that follow.

Use the Activities sub-tab to customize the icons and toolbars that appear in any Activity tab, or to create your own Activity tabs.
Use the Menus sub-tab to customize the commands that appear in each of the menus in DAZ Studio, or to create your own custom sub-menus.
Use the Tool Bars sub-tab to customize the icons that appear in toolbars, or to create your own toolbars.

Finally, the Options menu in the Customize DAZ Studio dialog contains three command options:

Import: Allows you to import a saved configuration file. By default, user interface settings are saved to the DAZ Studio > Resources folder, and use a .dsx file extension.
Export: Allows you to export a saved configuration file. After you make your changes, use this command to save your custom configuration to the DAZ Studio > Resources folder.
Restore Defaults: Restores DAZ Studio Activity tabs, menus, toolbars, and actions to the original “as-shipped” configuration.

NOTE! After you make any changes in the Customize DAZ Studio dialog, be sure to use the Export command in the Options menu to save your customized items to your hard drive. That way, you can switch back to the default layout for tutorials, and then switch back to your custom layout after you have completed the learning.

Customizing Interface Colors

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Customizing Interface Colors

The View > Interface Style commands allow you to customize the background and highlight colors used in your DAZ Studio interface. You can choose from existing color schemes or create your own.

The functions of the commands in the View > Interface Style menu are as follows:

Select Style: Opens a dialog that allows you to select one of several custom color configurations, including color schemes that use colors similar to Carrara, Hexagon, and DAZ Studio Classic.
Save Style As: Choose this command to save your own color schemes. Styles are saved to the DAZ Studio > Scripts folder on your hard drive, and use a .ds extension.
Delete Style: Opens the Delete Style dialog, which allows you to remove custom style scripts from the View > Interface Style menu.
Customize Colors: Opens the Customize Interface Colors dialog, shown below. This dialog allows you to select custom background, text, and accent colors. The Background Color defines the base interface color. The Text Color defines the color of the text that appears in the menus, tabs, and dialog boxes. The Accent Color defines a secondary color for items like borders and inactive tabs. After you create your custom colors, click Accept. Then use the Save Style As command to save the configuration and the Add Existing Styles command to add them to the View > Interface Style menu.

Customizing the Layout

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Customizing the Layout

In addition to creating your own Activity tabs, menus, shortcuts, and toolbars, DAZ Studio also gives you a degree of control over the interface layout, allowing you to customize it to your specific uses and needs. You can customize the interface by auto-hiding, moving ,and resizing panes, moving tabs, and using multiple monitors.

Using Multiple Monitors

DAZ Studio supports multiple monitors. When you make changes to your interface layout, you can click and drag your pane(s) or other elements to any available monitor. This allows you to create a larger area for your viewport.

Customizing Panes

The figure below displays the various components that you use in conjunction with customizing your panes and how you view them when they are docked. The controls that are common to most panes are as follows:

Pane Edge: The Pane Edge appears along the side of the pane, at the side that is closest to the Viewport. You can reposition the edge to size each pane to your liking.
Pane Toggle: When appropriate, the Pane Toggle allows you to expand or collapse the contents of the pane. The pane toggle is represented by two solid arrows facing in opposite directions. The direction of the arrows indicates the direction in which the pane contents will collapse or expand.
Pane Grip: The Pane Grip area appears immediately to the right and left of the Pane Toggle. Drag the pane from this area to move the pane to a new location.

You can use any of the following procedures to customize the appearance of the panes in your layout:

To resize a pane: Position your cursor along any edge of the pane you want to resize. The cursor changes to a pair of arrows that indicate the direction(s) in which you can resize the pane. Drag in the proper direction until the pane is resized to your liking.
To collapse or expand a pane: Click the pane toggle (the three dots at the top of the pane).
To move a pane: Click the Pane Grip (the area to the left or right of the pane toggle) at the top of your desired pane and drag it to its new location.
To undock or float a pane: Click the Pane Grip and drop the pane on top of the viewport window. You can also drop a pane beyond the edge of the main DAZ Studio screen (such as when you want to put a pane on a separate monitor in a multi-monitor system).
To dock a pane beside, above, or below another pane: Click and drag the pane by its Pane Grip. Drag the pane until you reach the Pane Edge, but stop before you reach the viewport. A white line highlights the spot where you can relocate the pane. Release the mouse button to dock the pane in-between the outermost pane and the viewport. The viewport will resize in height or width to accommodate the new pane.
To hide a pane completely: Use commands in the View > Tabs menu to hide all tabs that are included in that pane.
After you undock a pane, you can customize its appearance as follows:
- To resize a floating pane: Place the cursor at any corner of the pane. Then click and drag your mouse and release when the pane is at the desired size.
- To dock or redock floating pane: Click and drag the pane by its Pane Grip. Drop the pane above, below, or to the side of the viewport area. A white line highlights the area when you can release the mouse button. The pane will dock to the closest possible location, based on the locations of other panes in that area.
To auto hide or unhide the tabs, click on the push pin to dock or undock the tabs from the side bars. See “Pane Auto-Hide” for more on using this feature.

Customizing Menus

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Customizing Menus

The Menus sub-tab in the Customize DAZ Studio dialog is shown in the following image. This sub-tab allows you to customize the commands that appear in the menu bar and in tab options menus.

You can accomplish the following tasks in this sub-tab:

To add a command to a menu or sub-menu, drag the desired command from the Actions List in the left section of the Customize DAZ Studio dialog and drop it into the desired menu location.
To create a new sub-menu, right-click on the menu beneath which you want to create the sub-menu. Then choose Add Submenu from the list that appears. A new menu item appears beneath the selected menu and you can assign a name to the new sub-menu.
To rename a custom sub-menu, right-click on the sub-menu you want to rename, and choose Rename Item from the menu that appears. You can also click once to select the menu item and click again to activate the text edit field. Enter a new name and press Enter.
To remove a command, separator, or custom sub-menu, right-click on the sub-menu you want to delete, and choose Remove Item. The selected item will be removed from your menu options.
To add a separator between menu items, right-click on the menu item that you want to appear directly above the separator and choose Add Separator. A line appears directly beneath the selected menu item.

Customizing Shortcuts and Icons

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Customizing Shortcuts and Icons

When you right-click on any command in the Actions list, the menu shown below appears. This menu allows you to customize the shortcuts and toolbar icons that you use in DAZ Studio:

The following customizations are available:

Change Keyboard Shortcut: Choose this command to assign a new keyboard shortcut to a menu item. DAZ Studio prompts you to press any key (or any combination of multiple keys like Shift+F9).
Clear Keyboard Shortcut: Choose this command to remove the keyboard shortcut from the selected item.
Default Keyboard Shortcut: Choose this command to revert to the original keyboard shortcut that was used with the shipping version of DAZ Studio.
Change Icon: Choose this command to select an icon image for the command. A dialog prompts you to select an image from the DAZ Studio > resources > images folder. You can select an icon image in JPG or PNG format.
Default Icon: Choose this command to revert to the original icon image associated with the command. If no icon was associated, your custom icon will be removed.

Customizing Tabs

2011-11-01T17:35:37+00:00

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Customizing Tabs

The figure below displays the various components that you use in conjunction with customizing your tabs.

The Content Tab is shown in the following example, but the following controls are common to most tabs.

Tab Menu: Each tab contains a set of commands that are specific to that tab. To access the tab menu, click the arrow icon in the upper-right corner of the tab.
Scrollbars: In some cases, there is not enough space to display all of the options within a tab. If this is the case, a vertical scroll bar appears at the right side of a tab, and a horizontal scroll bar appears at the bottom of a tab, when appropriate. To use a scroll bar, click and drag in the proper direction to view additional information in the tab. Release the bar when your desired information comes into view.
Tab Toggles: Tab toggles are used to expand or collapse the tab as needed, to maximize your work area.

To customize the appearance or layout of your tabs, use any of the following procedures:

To undock or float a tab: Click and drag the tab by its tab name to locate the tab to a new position. Release the mouse button to place the tab in the new position. If you undock the only tab within a pane, the pane is removed.
To dock or re-dock a floating tab: Click and drag the tab by its tab name, and drag to the left or right of the Viewport. A new pane will be created if none is present.
To move tabs from one pane to another: Click and drag the tab to the new pane. The pane will merge and display the relocated tab with any other tabs in the same pane.
To nestle a tab into an existing pane: Click the name of the tab, then drag-and-drop the tab into an existing pane. Drop it into a blank area to the right of any tab that currently appears within the pane. The tab will transfer to a new location in that pane
To show hidden tabs: Use the View > Tabs menu commands to show the tabs you want to view. Then dock the restored tab into a pane if desired.
To close tabs: Select Close from the Options menu for the tab or choose View > Tabs and select the tab to close.

Customizing Toolbars

2011-11-01T17:35:37+00:00

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Customizing Toolbars

The Tool Bars sub-tab in the Customize DAZ Studio dialog allows you to create your own toolbars and add them to your custom interface layouts.

You can accomplish the following tasks in this sub-tab:

To add a command to a toolbar, select a command in the Actions list that has an icon associated with it, otherwise you will not be able to see the item in the toolbar. Drag the desired command from the Actions List and drop it into the desired toolbar location.
To create a new toolbar, right-click on any item that appears in the Tool Bars tab, and choose Add Toolbar. A new toolbar item appears and you can assign a name to the new toolbar.
To rename a toolbar, right-click on the toolbar you want to rename, and choose Rename Item from the menu that appears. You can also click once to select the toolbar item and click again to activate the text edit field. Enter a new name and press Enter.
To remove a command, separator, or custom toolbar, right-click on the item you want to delete, and choose Remove Item. The selected item will be removed from your toolbar options.
To add a separator between items in the toolbar, right-click on the toolbar command that you want to appear directly above the separator, and choose Add Separator. A line appears directly beneath the selected toolbar item.

Conforming, Parenting, and Applying

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Conforming, Parenting, and Applying

To use content drag-and-drop to conform or parent items to a figure or apply a pose:

Load a figure into the scene.
Select a content thumbnail in the Content tab (conforming items, props, and pose files) and drag it on top of the figure. You can also select multiple items and drag them all at the same time.
If you drag the content to the figure and immediately drop it on the figure, it will automatically load in the default method (equivalent to double-clicking on the content thumbnail in the Content tab).
If you continue to hold down on the mouse button and move the cursor over the figure, the body part the cursor is hovering over will highlight and after a few seconds, a Context menu will come up providing options for loading the content.

If hovering over a body part that also has clothing conformed to it or a parented prop, all items on that body part will show in the list.

Default Load: Loads the selected content in the default method, i.e., clothing will conform, hair will parent to the head, figure will be loaded in the center of scene, etc. The content must be set up properly in order to conform or parent. Equivalent to double-clicking on the item in the Content tab.
Fit to <figure/object>: Loads the selected content and fits it to the figure or selected object.
Parent to <figure>: Loads the selected content and parents it to the figure in the default location no matter what body part is being hovered over.
Parent to <figure> : <bodypart/object>: Loads the selected content and parents it to the specific body part being hovered over.
Apply to <figure/object>: Applies the selected pose, material file, etc. to the figure or other item on the high-lighted body part.

Adding Content from a Directory

2011-11-01T17:35:37+00:00

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Adding Content from a Directory

Not only can content be dragged into a scene from the Content tab, but it can also be dragged directly from a directory folder on your computer. This is quite useful when you have a content directory that is not linked to DAZ Studio but contains objects you want to use in your scene. Be careful when using this when the directory is located on an external drive that is frequently moved to other computers. If the drive is not connected when you try open the saved scene file, Studio will not be able to find the content.

To add content to a scene directly from a directory folder:

Locate and open the directory folder where the content is located.
Place the folder so that it is either next to or over the DAZ Studio window.
Select the content and drag it on to the figure (you can select multiple items). It will automatically conform, parent, or apply based on the type of content. You will not get the context menu to choose how to apply the content.
- Figures, stand-alone props, and mesh objects will be placed in the center of the scene.
- Mesh objects and BVH files will get the applicable import dialogs.

Drop-At Target Placement

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Drop-At Target Placement

To use content drag-and-drop to place content in a specific location in the scene:

Make sure no figures are selected in the viewport.
In the Content tab, select a content thumbnail (figure, prop, or clothing) and drag it into the viewport.
If you stop dragging the mouse but continue to hold down the mouse button, a context menu will come up allowing you to load the prop in its default location. Equivalent to double-clicking on content thumbnail or dragging the item to the viewport and dropping it.
If you press the Opt/Alt key while dragging the object into the viewport, a Drop-at target will show up on the ground plane and will move/resize as you drag the mouse around the scene. Decide where you want the object on the XZ-axes, move the cursor to that location, and let up on the mouse button. Do not let up on the Opt/Alt key until after you have let up on the mouse button or the item will revert to its default properties and be conformed or parented, as the case may be.

The item will be placed at the selected location as a stand-alone object/figure, i.e., not parented to a figure.
To place an item to the left, right, above, or below another item (on the XY-axes), but at the same Z-Trans location (0 on the Z-axis), move the cursor above the horizon line (still holding down the Opt/Alt key) until you get a vertical drop-at target. Once the target is at the correct location, let up on the mouse button and the item will be loaded at that location on the X and Y-axis..

D-Form

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D-Form

This section has been moved to D-Form.

The Content Directory Manager

2011-11-01T17:35:37+00:00

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The Content Directory Manager

The Content Directory Manager is where you can set up and manage different content sets. For example, you could set up a content set for your everyday use and one for creating content. As you work with DAZ Studio, your default set would be active so you can access all your content then, when you are creating or testing content, you would switch to that content set so you would have a cleaner directory to work from.

The content directories you are currently mapped to are shown in the manager as the Current set. Expand the listing to see a listing of the directories. As you change sets, that set becomes the new Current set. If the set in use at the time has not been saved to a non-default set, that set will be lost and need to be recreated.

Managing Content Sets

Adding a New Content Set

To add a new content set:

Right-click on the root name of any set or in the blank area under the sets.
Select Add Content Set from the pop-up menu that comes up.

A new, blank set will be added to the listing.
Use Rename to rename the new set.

Copying a Content Set

To copy a content set:

Right-click on the name of the content set, for example, on the Current set.
Select Copy Content Set from the pop-up menu that comes up. A new content set will be created with the name of Current Copy. Expand the listing and you'll see that the directory listing is the same as the original set.
Use Rename to rename the new set.

Removing a Content Set

To remove a content set:

Right-click on the name of the set to be removed.
Select Remove Content Set from the menu. The set will be removed. You will not be asked to confirm the deletion to be very sure this is what you want to do before selecting to remove it.

NOTE! The Current set cannot be removed.

Renaming a Content Set

To rename a content set:

Right-click on the name of the set to be renamed.
Select Rename Content Set from the menu. The field will be made editable.
Enter a new name for the set and press Enter.

NOTE! You must press Enter in order to save the new name. Just clicking off the field will discard the name change and revert to the previous name.

NOTE! The Current set cannot be renamed.

Changing to a Different Content Set

To change content sets:

Click on the radio box next to the content set you want to use.
If needed, expand the set and deselect any directory that you do not want to see in the content tab.
Click on the Accept button.
In the Content tab, note that the directories listed now match the set you selected.

WARNING! Before changing to a new content set for the first time, copy the default set since once you change to the new set, you will have lost any set not saved separately as a set.

Managing Directories

Adding a New Directory

To add a new directory:

Right-click on the directory type to add a new directory to: Native, Poser, or Other.

Note that none of the directory types have a checkmark or plus sign (+) next to them. This indicates that there are no directories currently under these headings.
Choose Add Directory from the menu. A Browse for Folder dialog will be displayed.
Locate and select the content directory to add then click on OK. The new directory will be added to the listing.
Repeat as needed to add additional content directories.

Removing a Directory

To remove all directories under a directory type:

Right-click on the directory type to remove directories from.
Choose Remove All Directories from the menu. The directory will be removed. You will not be asked to confirm the deletion to be very sure this is what you want to do before selecting to remove it.

To remove a single directory:

Right-click on the directory to be removed.
Choose Remove Directory from the menu. The directory will be removed. You will not be asked to confirm the deletion to be very sure this is what you want to do before selecting to remove it.

NOTE! You cannot remove directories from the Current set. Instead, remove it from the saved content set then set it as the current set.

To remove a directory from the content tab but not from the set:

Left-click on the check box next to the directory to deselect it.
Make sure the radio box next to the set name is selected and click on Accept twice to exit to the main viewport.
In the Conent tab, note that the directories for the selected set are listed but not the directory you deselected.
If you return to the Content Directory Manager, you'll find that the Current set does not show the deselected directory but the saved content set still has it listed.

Editing a Directory

To edit a directory and change the location it points to:

Right-click on the directory to be edited.
Choose Edit Directory from the menu. A Browse for Folder dialog will be displayed.
Locate and select the content directory to replace the current one with then click on OK. The directory listing will be updated.

Sorting Directories

To sort directories within a directory type:

Right-click on the directory to be moved.
Choose one of the move options from the menu that comes up.

You can move a directory to the top, up, down, or to the bottom of the list. The top directory can be moved down or to the bottom while the bottom directory can be moved up or to the top.

Distant Lights

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Distant Lights

Selecting Create > New Distant Light allows you to create a new Distant Light in your scene. A Distant Light is a directional light that covers an entire scene, but has no real source position. The closest real-world example would be sunlight.

Distant Lights are the virtual equivalent of the sun. They put out parallel light rays across your entire scene. Thus, their location does not matter - translating a Distant Light will not affect your scene’s lighting. In this image, the light is located between the figure’s feet but still casts uniform illumination. Rotation does affect your scene’s lighting just as the sun’s angle in the sky affects lighting on the ground. The image below shows an example of a Distant Light shining down from the sphere's left side with shadows turned on.

Distant Light Parameters

Each Distant Light has the following default parameters, which you can adjust using the Parameters Tab:

Translate (XYZ): The Translate sliders translate the light along its local X, Y, and Z axes without altering its rotation.
Rotate (XYZ): The Rotation sliders rotate the light along its local X, Y, and Z axes without altering its location.
Scale (XYZ): The Scale sliders scale the light along its local X, Y, and Z axes.
Illumination: The Illumination pull-down menu contains the following options:
- Off: Selecting Off turns the selected light off. If you decide to turn a light to 0% intensity, we suggest shutting it off using this menu to conserve computing resources when rendering.
- Diffuse Only: Selecting Diffuse Only specifies that the light will only cast light in the normal (diffuse) channel without affecting highlights or specularity. This selection only affects the appearance of rendered images. It will appear the same as the On selection in the interactive display.
- Specular Only: Selecting Specular Only specifies that the light will only cast light in the highlight (specular) channel without affecting the diffuse channel. This selection only affects the appearance of rendered images. It will appear the same as the On selection in the interactive display
- On: Selecting On turns the selected light on. It will cast light in both the Diffuse and Specular channels. When a light is on, its brightness is determined by the Intensity slider.
- Cast Shadow: Checking the Cast Shadows checkbox causes DAZ Studio’s rendering engine to calculate shadows cast by objects within the selected light’s area of illumination.
Shadow Bias: The Shadow Bias parameter specifies how far to shift samples towards the light source to prevent objects casting shadows across themselves (self-shadowing). Increasing the bias value increases the sample shift, and vice-versa.
Shadow Softness: The Shadow Softness parameter determines how soft the shadow’s edges are. Most shadows in nature have at least a little softness around the edges; almost none have completely sharp edges. Increasing the softness value increases the shadow edge softness and vice-versa.
Color: The Color indicator displays the light’s current color. Clicking it opens a standard Color Picker, which allows you to select your desired color for the currently selected light.
Intensity: The Intensity parameter adjusts the light’s brightness from 0% (totally off) to 100% (totally on) up to 200%.

The Distant Light has no additional parameters other than the default light parameters. The image below shows two examples of the intensity of a distant light.

Add Level of Detail

2011-11-01T17:35:37+00:00

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Add Level of Detail

Choose Edit > Add Level of Detail to bring up the Import Geometry dialog. See “Level of Detail” for more information on this option.

Audio

2011-11-01T17:35:37+00:00

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Audio

Choose Edit > Audio to add an audio file as a background for an animation. The Audio Options dialog prompts you to select a .WAV file. You can play the audio file to preview the sound, specify the frame number in your animation where the audio file should start to play, and set whether to adjust the current animation range in order to accommodate the length of the audio file.

Backdrop

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Backdrop

To insert a background image into the scene, choose Edit > Backdrop. The Backdrop Options dialog prompts you to choose an image. You then have the option to rotate the background left 90 degrees, right 90 degrees, or 180 degrees. You can also flip the image horizontally or vertically.

Convert Textures

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Convert Textures

Choose Edit > Convert Textures to bring up the Texture Converter. See “Texture Converter” for more information on this option.

Convert to SubD

2011-11-01T17:35:40+00:00

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Convert to SubD

Choose Edit > Convert to SubD to convert the selected object to a SubD object. See “Sub-Division Surfaces” for more information on this option.

Copy Settings

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Copy Settings

Choose Edit > Copy Settings or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+C to copy settings from one object to another. For example, you can select the figure’s right thigh and copy it to the clipboard.

Customize

2011-11-01T17:35:46+00:00

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Customize

Choose Edit > Customize to open the Customize DAZ Studio dialog, which allows you to customize menus, buttons, and toolbars to suit your own preferences.

See “Customizing DAZ Studio” for more on using the Custimize dialog.

Delete

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Delete

To delete one object, light, or camera in your scene, select one item within the scene. You can also select multiple objects, lights, or cameras in the Scene Tab. Then choose Edit > Delete or press the Del key to delete the selected object(s).

Delete All Cameras

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Delete All Cameras

If your scene contains one or more cameras, choose Edit > Delete All Cameras to delete all of the cameras in your scene.

Delete All Lights

2011-11-01T17:35:55+00:00

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Delete All Lights

If your scene contains one or more lights, choose Edit > Delete All Lights to delete all of the lights in your scene.

Device Settings

2011-11-01T17:35:58+00:00

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Device Settings

Provides support for the Sandio 3D Mouse and 3DConnexion 3D Mouse (both purchased separately).

Make sure the mouse is installed with the latest drivers from Sandio or 3DConnexion.
Launch DAZ Studio and choose Edit > Device Settings from the menu, select the tab for your mouse, select a mode, and click on Accept:

Orbit Camera - When selected, using the 3D mouse will orbit the currently selected camera around the scene.
Rotate Camera - When selected, using the 3D mouse will rotate the currently selected camera around its axis.
Transform Scene Item - When selected, using the 3D mouse will move the currently selected object in the scene.

NOTE! See the user guide for your 3D mouse for instructions on using the mouse controls to move around in the scene or manipulate objects.

Figure Mixer Freeze

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Figure Mixer Freeze

Choose Edit > Figure Mixer Freeze to freeze the mesh and joints on the figure. You will no longer be able to modify the figure using the Figure Mixer once you select this option. See “Figure Mixer” for more information on this option.

Figure Mixer

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Figure Mixer

Choose Edit > Figure Mixer to bring up the Figure Mixer. See “Figure Mixer” for more information on this option.

Paste Settings

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Paste Settings

Choose Edit > Paste Settings or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+V to paste settings from the clipboard into another object. For example, if you copied pose settings from a figure’s right thigh into the clipboard, you could paste them to the left thigh.

Preferences Dialog

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Preferences Dialog

Selecting Edit > Preferences opens the Preferences dialog, which contains four tabs: General, Directories, Interface, and Scene. Refer to “Setting Preferences” for more information on these settings.

Redo

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Redo

The Redo command reinstates actions that you have deleted with the Undo command. DAZ Studio supports multiple redo actions, meaning that you can repeat many prior actions. Redo operations occur in reverse order, starting with action that was last Undone. Redo actions apply only to those you performed in the current session. In other words, if you create a scene, save it, then close it, you will not be able to redo your previous actions when you reopen the file.

This menu option will remain grayed-out until you perform an Undo. Afterward, you can use one of the following methods to perform a Redo action:

Choose Edit > Redo
Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Y

Undo

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Undo

The Undo command reverses the last action you took. DAZ Studio supports multiple undo actions, meaning that you can delete many prior actions. The undo operations occur in the reverse order, beginning with the most recent action. Undo actions apply only to those you performed in the current session. In other words, if you create a scene, save it, then close it, you will not be able to undo your previous actions when you reopen the file.

This menu item will remain grayed-out until you perform your first action in a scene. Afterward, you can use one of the following methods to perform an Undo action:

Choose Edit > Undo
Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Z

Figure Parameters

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Figure Parameters

To modify parameters for an entire figure, select its root node in the Scene tab. Selecting the hip in this instance will only affect that bone. Any translation or rotation changes to a parent bone will affect the position of the child bones connected to it. Selecting the root node applies all changes equally to all bones within that figure.

Each figure has the following default parameters, which you can adjust using the Parameters tab sliders.

Translate (XYZ): The Translate sliders translate the figure along its local X, Y, and Z axes without altering its rotation.
Rotate (XYZ): The Rotation sliders rotate the figure along its local X, Y, and Z axes without altering its location.
Scale (XYZ): The Scale sliders scale the figure along its local X, Y, and Z axes.
Fit To: The Fit To drop-down menu allows you to fit one figure to another. This is used for fitting clothing to figures. However, this menu appears for both clothing and figures, since they are technically the same. To cancel the selected fit, select None.
Visible: Checking the Visible checkbox makes the selected figure visible, and vice-versa.

Exit

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Exit

To exit the DAZ Studio application, use one of the following options. You will be prompted to save any unsaved changes.

Choose File > Exit.
Press Alt+F4 (Windows) or Ctrl+Q (any platform).

CAUTION! Unlike most applications in OSX, Clicking the “X” icon in the upper-left corner of the DAZ Studio window title bar WILL SHUT DOWN DAZ Studio COMPLETELY and you will lose all unsaved changes with no prompt to save them.

Export

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Export

Choose File > Export to save content to different formats. The Save As dialog allows you to select your desired folder and filename. The currently supported export formats are:

BioVision (.bvh) animation files.
COLLADA (.dae) files.
DAZ COLLADA (.dae) files - For export to Carrara
Wavefront Object (*.obj) - For Bryce or other 3D programs that import 3D geometry in this format.
Universal 3D (*.u3d) - A 3D format that allows you to import your DAZ Studio 3D content into Photoshop CS3 Extended

Click on the links above to access instructions on using each export option.

NOTE! Additional plug-ins are available for DAZ Studio to provide additional export options.

Export BVH Files

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Export BVH Files

The BVH Exporter Options dialog comes up when you select File > Export and choose the BioVision (.bvh) export option.

The following options/fields are available:

Load Map: Enables a saved name mapping to be loaded and applied to the export. See “Import BVH Files” for more on loading name mappings.
Save Map: Enables the current name mapping to be saved so it can be used for a future BVH import or export. See “Import BVH Files” for more on saving name mappings.
Selected Figure: Shows the currently selected figure.
Selected File: Shows the file name where the animation will be saved t.
Second Life Compatibility: If exporting the animation for import into the Second Life online game, select this option, otherwise, make sure it is deselected.
Figure Nodes: Click on the plus/minus signs to expand or collapse the listing for each figure node.
Export Option: Click on the E next to each node you do not want to export. The E will be removed to indicate that the node will not be exported. Clicking on the E for a parent node will also deselect all child nodes but re-enabling a parent node will not reselect its children.

Export Collada Files

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Export Collada Files

The Collada Export Options dialog comes up when you select File > Export and choose the COLLADA dae (*.dae) export option.

General Tab

The following options are available on the General tab:

Scene Options
- Up Axis: Select the up axis for the particular program the object will be imported into. The default is Y Up, but different programs may use other axes. This changes only the Up-Axis setting and will not perform any additional geometry modifications.
Material Options
- Copy images to folder: When selected will gather up the images/textures applied to the item(s) and place them in a folder for easy access by the user and the program being imported into. The folder will be created in the same directory where the file is being saved to. Pathnames to materials will be updated as needed to use the relative path.
- Invert alpha images: When selected, will invert the colors for any image used for the Opacity channel in Studio so the images are supported in Collada 1.4.1 which has no transparency option that matches the Studio format. Has no effect if the Copy image to folder option is not selected.
Animation Options
- Include Transformations: Enable to include transformations in the animation export.
- Include Morphs: Enable to include morphs in the animation export.
Miscellaneous Options
- Skip polygons for invisible nodes: If a node is invisible, will not export that node.
- Remove unused vertices: Scans the polygons to identify any vertices that are not being used, removes them from the mesh, and reassigns the polygons to use the reduced list. Affects both standard and LOD models so if exporting LOD levels and need the exported mesh to contain a compatible vertex list across all LOD levels, deselect this option.
Game Options
- Merge Materials by Diffuse Map: Splits models into sub-meshes based on whether they share a Diffuse Color Map. Materials that don't use a Color Map will be merged if they share the same Diffuse Color.
Set to Defaults: Click to reset all options on both tabs to the program defaults.

Morphs Tab

The following options are available on the Morphs tab:

Morph Options
- Include Types: Select what types of morphs to bake.
  - No Morphs: When selected, no morphs will be baked into the geometry or exported as Collada morph targets.
  - Active Morphs only: When selected, only active morphs (those with a non-zero value) will be exported.
- Morph Baking: Select whether and how to bake morphs.
  - Don't bake any morphs: All morphs will be exported as Collada morph targets and not baked directly into the geometry.
  - Bake all morphs into geometry: All active morphs will be baked into the geometry of the figure making them static.
  - Use Selection List: Enables the Morph Selection List where specific morphs to bake can be selected or deselected.
- Geometry Details: Determines the amount of geometry information that will be included in the exported morph definition.
  - Vertices Only: Morphs will be exported in the standard format with just the vertex delta information included.
  - Full Mesh: Add the texture and polygon information to the morph definitions. Used with importers that do not support vertex only morphs. Use with caution as this is the equivalent of adding a new figure for every morph.
Morph Selection List: Click on the plus signs to expand nodes and select morphs to bake. Not active unless the Use Selection List option is selected.

Selected morphs will be baked into the geometry while unselected morphs will be exported as Collada morph targets.

LOD Levels Tab

If the figure being exported has multiple LOD levels applied, an LOD level can be selected in the LOD Levels tab. Left-click on figure listing and choose an LOD level from the menu. Only one level can be exported at a time.

UV Sets Tab

If the figure being exported has multiple UV sets applied, any one of the UV sets can be selected in the UV Sets tab.

Use Scene Settings: Will export the UV set currently selected.
Loaded UV Sets: Select which UV set to export.

Export DAZ Collada Files

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Export DAZ Collada Files

DAZ COLLADA files are Collada files that contain specific DAZ Studio/Poser settings in order to better import the content into Carrara. While content can be imported into Carrara using its libraries, each time that DAZ Studio is updated this may cause some content to no longer be usable in Carrara. Saving the content in the DAZ Collada format will ensure greater compatibility.

For importing content into other programs that use Collada content, DAZ recommends you use the default COLLADA export as the Poser/Studio-specific text in the DAZ Collada files are not compatible with other programs. Most programs will just ignore the extra information while others may have difficulty doing so.

To export content in DAZ Collada format, select the content in the viewport, choose File > Export and choose the DAZ COLLADA (*.dae) export option. Enter a filename and click on Save. The Export progress dialog will be displayed showing the progress of the export process.

Custom DAZ Studios shaders cannot be imported into Carrara, just as Carrara shaders cannot be imported into DAZ Studio.

Export OBJ Files

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Export OBJ Files

The Wavefront Object Export Options dialog comes up when you select File > Export and choose the Wavefront Object (*.obj) export option.

The OBJ Exporter makes sure that there are no whitespaces in group name entries when exporting which prevents issues with incorrect grouping when importing OBJ files that were exported from DAZ Studio into other programs.

Presets Tab

The following options are available on the Presets tab:

Convert To (Presets): Provides a list of export presets which enable Studio to export the mesh at the correct scale and orientation for the specified program. When exporting morph targets, even when they will be re-imported into Studio, select the Poser option.
Show Individual Settings: When selected, expands the settings for the selected preset. To accept the default settings for the preset, click on the Accept button to continue with the export.

To hide the settings, click on the Hide Individual Settings button.

NOTE! As you select different preset options, the options selected will change based on the preset type.
Scale: Reflects the default scale for the selected program. The scale percentage can be changed prior to exporting but it is recommended that you select the Custom option and adjust the scale for it.
Axis Conversion: Allows the axes of the OBJ to be changed based on how the program the object will be imported into orients objects, for example, for programs which use +Z Up instead of +Y Up.. Left-click on the button for the axis to be changed and select what axis to convert it to.
Invert Positive Direction: Select this option if the program being imported into inverts the positive and negative direction from what is used in DAZ Studio.
Ignore invisible nodes: When enabled, nodes set to not visible will not be exported.
Use Bone Welds: When enabled, welds duplicate vertices.
Remove Unused Vertices: When enabled will removed unused vertices from the mesh.
Write UV Coordinates: When enabled, texture coordinate statements (UV coordinates) are written to the exported file.
Write Normals: When enabled, vertex normal statements are written to the exported file.
Write Object Statements: When enabled, divides the geometry into “objects” when saving out the scene and is a good way to separate different scene items. Only some importers support this, however, so it isn’t always useful. Importers that do not support this option will ignore the object statements.
Write Groups: When enabled, group statements are written to the exported file based on the selected options. Determines how facet grouping will be written to the saved file.
- Use Existing Groups: Saves out the OBJ with the same grouping it currently has.
- Use Node Names: This option will save all of the geometry for a node into a single group named the same as the node. This is useful for figures as it will save out geometry grouped according to bone and can also be useful when saving out scenes so that different props are saved into different groups.
- Use Surface Names: This option will save out the geometry grouped according to its surface (material) names. For example, if saving a figure, all the geometry in the figure for the “Skin” material would be put into a single group.
- Use Figure Names: This option will save out the geometry according to the figure/prop it belongs to. This is similar to the “Node Names” option, except that it will save a figure in a single group instead of a group for each bone.
Write Surfaces: When enabled, surface statements are written to the exported file.
- Write Material Library: When enabled, writes the surface and/or map information to an .mtl file. Enable this for export formats that support mtl files.
  - No Maps: No texture maps are written to the mtl file, only surface information.
  - Collect Maps: Maps are collected into a folder in the same location as the exported mesh file.
  - Convert Maps (for Bryce): Maps are converted to a format that can be imported into Bryce and the maps are collected into folders in the same location as the exported mesh file.

Saving a Custom Preset

If there are settings you use frequently that differ from a specific preset, you can save your settings as a custom preset.

To save a custom preset:

Select the preset that is closest to your settings or select Custom from the preset menu.
Modify the individual settings as needed.
Click on the Save Preset button. The New User Preset dialog will be displayed.
Enter a name for the preset and click on OK.
The current preset will be changed to the new preset and it will also be available in the preset listing.

Removing a Preset

To remove a user preset from the listing:

Select Remove User Preset from the preset menu. The Remove User Preset dialog will be displayed.
Select the preset to be removed from the listing and click on OK. The preset will be removed from the preset listing.

NOTE! You can only remove presets that you have saved. You cannot remove any of the default presets.

LOD Levels Tab

The following option is available on the LOD Levels tab:

Modify the LOD export level: Allows selection of a specific LOD level to be exported. Only one LOD level can be exported at a time and only points that are connected to polygons.
- Node: The selected figure node.
- Scene LOD: The current LOD level selected in the scene.
- Export LOD: The LOD level that will be exported.
  
  To select a different LOD level to export without having to start the export process over again, right-click on the Export LOD field and select the LOD level to export.
  
  The Export LOD field will change to show which LOD level is to be exported.

Export U3D Files

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This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Export U3D Files

The Export: Universal 3D (.u3d) Options dialog comes up when you select File > Export and choose the Universal 3D (*.u3d) export option.

The following options are available:

Resample Maps: Enable if the texture maps for the object are too large and may cause issues with loading and working with in Photoshop.
- Maximum Size: Sets the maximum size of the resampled maps. Has no effect if Resample Maps is not enabled.
Export Lights: Enable to export the lights in the scene along with the object.
Export Cameras: Enable to export the cameras in the scene along with the object.

Import

2011-11-01T17:36:44+00:00

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Import

DAZ Studio allows you to import content that has been saved in several different formats. Choose File > Import or use the Import an Existing File button on the Main Toolbar. A Browse dialog appears for you to locate and select your desired content.

The currently supported import formats are:

Biovision (.bvh) animation file
DAZ COLLADA (*.dae) - files previously exported in DAZ Collada format
Poser 4® or later versions:
- .pz3 (.pzz for compressed version) - Scene files
- .pz2 (.p2z for compressed version) - Pose Library files
- .cr2 (.crz for compressed version) - Character/Figure Library files
- .cm2 (.cmz for compressed version) - Camera Library files
- .lt2 (.ltz for compressed version) - Light Library files
- .hd2 (.hdz for compressed version) - Hand Library files
- .fc2 (.fcz for compressed version) - Face/Expression Library files
- .hr2 (.hrz for compressed version) - Hair Library files
Wavefront Object (*.obj) (.obz for compressed version)

Click on the links above to access instructions on using each import option.

Import BVH Files

2011-11-01T17:36:47+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Import BVH Files

The BVH Importer Options dialog comes up when you select File > Import, choose the BioVision (.bvh) export option, and select/open a .bvh file.

To import a BVH file:

Load and select the figure to apply the animation file to.
Choose File > Import from the menu, select the BioVision (.bvh) export option, locate and select the file to be imported, then click on Open.

The BVH Importer Options dialog comes up with the following options available:

Selected File: Shows the name of the BVH file being loaded.
Selected Figure: Shows the currently selected figure that the animation file will be applied to.
Scene Animation Setup Options
- Adjust scene to match the file: When selected will adjust frames in current scene to match the file being imported.
- Use the current scene values: When selected will use the current scene frames and drop any frames from the animation that go over the scene max frames.
- In Place Mode (no X or Z hip translation): When enabled will leave the figure in current location in the scene. When disabled, figure will move based on where the imported animation places the figure.
- Limit Joint Rotation: When enabled, limits joint rotation even if the animation file has settings outside the limits. When disabled, does not limit joint rotation and the animation settings are used.
Show Details: Click on button to expand the dialog and view the name mapping lists. The name mapping shows which nodes in the animation are mapped to the nodes in the selected figure. Changes to Hide Details when list is expanded.

If you are not sure if the name mapping is correct, i.e., animation was made for a biped and is being applied to a quadruped, etc., or know that the mapping is not correct, click on the Show Details button to view the current mapping.
- Load Map: Enables a saved name mapping to be loaded and applied to the import.
- Save Map: Enables the current name mapping to be saved so it can be used for a future BVH import or export.
- File Nodes: Lists the figure node hierarchy from the file being imported. Nodes with a checkmark next to them indicate that a matching node was found in the Figure Nodes list.
- Figure Nodes: Lists the figure node hierarchy for the selected figure.

Review the nodes listed in the File Nodes listing to ensure that they are correctly mapped to a node in the Figure Nodes listing.
If needed, remap nodes that are not mapped as needed for the figure or for the requirements of the animation, or map nodes that had no matching nodes.
- To change the mapping of a node:
  1. Click once on the name to be remapped in the File Nodes list to select it. The matching node in the Figure Nodes list will be highlighted as well.
  2. Click on a different node in the Figure Nodes list and the selected node in the File Nodes list will be remapped to the selected node.
    
    If you remap a node from the figure to a node in the file and that figure node had a matching file node, the file node will be deselected and will not be imported. For example, the image below shows a lFoot figure node that has been remapped to the lShin file node. This means that the original lFoot file node no longer has a matching node so is automatically deselected and will not be imported. The node can be remapped to the lFoot and then the lShin remapped as well.
  3. Confirm the change by clicking on a different node in the File Nodes list, then reselecting the previous node. When it is selected, the remapped node will be selected in the Figure Nodes list instead of the original node.
- To map a node that did not have a matching name or was unmapped:
  1. Click on the node to be mapped in the File Nodes list to select it. The checkbox next to the node will be empty.
  2. Click on the matching node in the Figure Nodes list to map to the file node. The blank checkbox next to the file node will automatically be checked to show that it is now mapped to a figure node.
If needed, remove nodes from the File Nodes listing that should not be imported by clicking on the checkbox to remove the checkmark for that node. If a parent node is deselected, all child nodes will be deselected as well.
If the name mapping was changed, save the map by clicking on the Save Map button. The BVH Save Map dialog will come up.
Click on the arrow next to the Stored Maps field to select a name from the drop-down list to overwrite or click on the New button to create a new file. The Stored Maps field will be cleared and made editable. Enter a new name and click on Save.
To load a saved map that will override the current name mapping, click on the Load Map button. The BVH Load Maps dialog will come up.
Select the map to load from the Stored Maps drop-down menu then click on the Load button. The selected map will be applied to the current figure and file nodes.
To delete a saved map, click on the Load Map button. The BVH Load Maps dialog will come up.
Select the map to delete from the Stored Maps drop-down menu then click on the Delete button. A confirmation dialog will come up. Click on Yes to delete the map or on No to keep it.
Once all settings have been selected and names are mapped correctly, click on the Accept button. The animation will be imported and applied to the selected figure.
Press Play on the Timeline tab to play the animation.

Import DAZ Collada Files

2011-11-01T17:36:50+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Import DAZ Collada Files

To import DAZ COLLADA file, select select File > Import, choose the DAZ COLLADA (*.dae) export option, and select/open a dae file. No import dialog will be displayed and the file will be imported into DAZ Studio.

Refer to “Export DAZ Collada Files” for information on what the DAZ Collada files are.

Import OBJ Files

2011-11-01T17:36:53+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Import OBJ Files

The OBJ Import Options dialog comes up when you select File > Import, choose the Wavefront Object (*.obj; *.obz) export option, and select/open an obj or obz file. It is usually safe to select the Preset you need then click on Accept to use the default options.

The following options are available on the import options dialog:

Preset: Provides a list of import presets which enable Studio to import the mesh at the correct scale. Select the Poser preset to import objects that were exported from Studio, Poser, or programs with specific exporters that support Poser.
Scale: Reflects the default scale for the selected program preset. The scale percentage can be changed prior to importing but it is recommended that you select the Custom option and adjust the scale for it.
Swap Y and Z orientation: When enabled, compensates for packages which use +Z Up instead of +Y Up.
Read Vertices (v): Indicates whether vertex statements are to be read from the imported file. This option is disabled and always checked since the vertex statements must always be read.
Read Groups (g): Indicates whether group statements are to be read from the imported file.
Read UV Coordinates (vt): Indicates whether texture coordinate statements are to be read from the imported file.
Read Surfaces (usemtl): Indicates whether surface statements are to be read from the imported file.
Read Material Library (mtllib & .mtl): Indicates whether the material library statement should be read from the imported file and whether the supported statements in the material library file itself should be read.

Import Poser Files

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This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Import Poser Files

Poser Runtime folders can be linked to DAZ Studio and the content loaded via the Content tab, however, if the files are not located in a Runtime folder, they can be imported into DAZ Studio by selecting File > Import, choosing the Poser Files export option, and select/open a supported Poser file.

Studio can import the following Poser 4 or higher files:

.pz3 (.pzz for compressed version) - Scene files
.pz2 (.p2z for compressed version) - Pose Library files
.cr2 (.crz for compressed version) - Character/Figure Library files
.cm2 (.cmz for compressed version) - Camera Library files
.lt2 (.ltz for compressed version) - Light Library files
.hd2 (.hdz for compressed version) - Hand Library files
.fc2 (.fcz for compressed version) - Face/Expression Library files
.hr2 (.hrz for compressed version) - Hair Library files

You will be notified if there are files that cannot be found and given the opportunity to locate them.

Remember that DAZ Studio does not support Poser dynamic hair and clothing items that are contained in any of the files being imported.

Import Settings

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This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Import Settings

Choose File > Import Settings to import settings from a previous version of DAZ Studio.

If you have more then one setting available to import, click on the button to select which setting to apply.
Click on the Next button. A listing of available settings will be displayed. Expand the listings to view the settings.
Click in the check boxes to deselect any settings you do not want to import.
Click on the Next button. You'll be notified that the settings will not take effect until the next time you start DAZ Studio.
Click on the Finish button to exit the dialog.

Merge

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Merge

The Merge command allows you to merge a previously-saved scene into your current scene. Use one of the following methods:

Choose File > Merge.
Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+O.

New

2011-11-01T17:37:05+00:00

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New

To close your current scene file and start a new blank scene, choose one of the following options:

Choose File > New.
Click the Clear the Scene icon in the Load Toolbar.
Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+N.

You will be prompted to save any unsaved changes before the new scene appears. If you do not save these changes, you will lose them. This action also clears and resets the Undo/Redo stack.

CAUTION! If you open a new scene or otherwise close the old one without saving it, you will lose all unsaved work within a scene.

artzone:pub:software:dazstudio:reference:fm_open

2011-11-01T17:37:08+00:00

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To Open a DAZ Studio scene file that you previously saved, use one of the following methods:

Choose File > Open.
Click the Open an Existing File icon in the Load Toolbar.
Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+O.

A standard Open File dialog box appears. Navigate to the folder that contains your desired file, and select the file to open it. You will be prompted to save any work on the current scene before the new file opens. This action also clears and resets the Undo/Redo stack.

Save

2011-11-01T17:37:11+00:00

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Save

The Save command allows you to save your scene for the first time, or to overwrite a previous version of your current file with your latest changes. If you have not yet saved your scene, the Save File As dialog prompts you to choose a location and filename.

To save your current scene, use one of the following methods:

Choose File > Save.
Click the Save the Current Scene icon in the Load Toolbar.
Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+S.

Save As

2011-11-01T17:37:14+00:00

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Save As

The Save As command allows you to save several different types of files (click on the links for more information on saving each file type):

Choose File > Save As > Scene or press Ctrl+Shift+S to save all or part of your current scene to a different filename.
Choose File > Save As > D-Form Preset to save deformers to the folder of your choice.
Choose File > Save As > Puppeteer Preset to save custom Puppeteer poses to the folder of your choice.
Choose File > Save As > Pose Preset to save the current frame as a still pose, or all frames as an animated pose.
Choose File > Save As > Shader Preset to save the currently selected shader. The preset can include all surface properties or advanced surface properties.
Choose File > Save As > Materials Preset to save one or all of the materials in the current object.
Choose File > Save As > Character Preset to save the character as a preset.
Choose File > Save As > Light(s) Preset to save all lights or selected lights in your scene. You can save the lights as they appear in the current frame, or save a preset that animates your lighting.
Choose File > Save As > Camera(s) Preset to save all cameras or selected cameras in your scene. You can save the cameras as they appear in the current frame, or save a preset that animates the cameras.
Choose File > Save As > UV Preset to save applied UV sets as a preset and/or collect the files into a zip file for distribution purposes.

Save as Camera(s) Preset

2011-11-01T17:37:17+00:00

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Save as Camera(s) Preset

To save a camera or set of cameras as a preset:

Create the cameras and adjust as needed.
Select the camera(s) in the Scene tab.
Choose File > Save As > Camera(s) Preset from the menu. A default save dialog comes up.
Navigate to the content folder where you want to save the preset, enter a file name, and click on Save.
The Save Camera(s) Preset Options dialog comes up.

Select the export options:
- Animation Range - Select to export only the current frame (default) or an animation range.
- Data - Select to export all cameras or to only export the currently selected camera(s).
Click on Accept to save the preset or on Cancel to cancel the operation.

Save as Character Preset

2011-11-01T17:37:20+00:00

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Save as Character Preset

To save a character as a preset:

Create your character and adjust as needed.
Select the figure in the Scene tab.
Choose File > Save As > Character Preset from the menu. A default save dialog comes up.
Navigate to the content folder where you want to save the preset, enter a file name, and click on Save.
The Save Character Preset Options dialog comes up. To save the entire figure as a character, select the Record All option. To select specific body parts to save in the file, select the Record Custom option, expand the figure tree and select only those items that need to be exported.
If you selected to Record Custom, the options menu activates allowing you to select specific export options.
- Select All Channels - TBD
- Deselect All Channels - TBD
- Select All Morphs - TBD
- Deselect All Morphs - TBD
- Select All Transforms - TBD
- Deselect All Transforms - TBD
- Select All Modified - TBD
- Deselect All Modified - TBD
Repeat step 4 for the Materials.
Click on Accept to save the preset or on Cancel to cancel the operation.

Save as D-Form Preset

2011-11-01T17:37:23+00:00

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Save as D-Form Preset

To save a D-Form as a preset:

Create the d-formers and adjust as needed. See “D-Form” for more on using deformers.
Choose File > Save As > D-Form Preset from the menu. A default save dialog comes up.
Navigate to the content folder where you want to save the preset, enter a file name, and click on Save. The Save D-Form Preset Options dialog comes up.
Select the options to export:
- Animation Range -
  - Current Frame Only: When selected saves only the current frame, even if the animation timeline has multiple keyframes associated with it.
  - Animated Range: When selected, saves out the designated frames associated with the timeline. Enter the Start frame and End frame to set where the animation export starts and ends.
- Data -
  - All D-Formers: When selected, saves all D-Formers in the scene.
  - Selected D-Former(s): When selected, activates the D-Former selection pane where you can select which D-Formers to export, even if a different D-Former is selected in the scene. Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select multiple D-Formers.
- Fitted Targets - These options tell DAZ Studio whether or not the D-Form preset should “remember” that the D-Forms affect any fitted/magnetized clothing as well as the figure.
  - Also affect All items fit to the figure: When selected, the D-Form preset will influence all clothing items fit to the figure when the preset is applied.
  - Also affect SELECTED items fit to the figure: When selected, the D-Form preset will influence only the fitted clothing items selected when the preset is applied.
When all options have been selected or set, click on the Accept button to save the preset or on the Cancel button to cancel the operation. The presets will be saved with the D-Form labels and names as part of the preset.

Save as Light(s) Preset

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Save as Light(s) Preset

To save a light setup as a preset:

Add lights to the scene and adjust as needed.
Select the lights in the Scene tab.
Choose File > Save As > Light(s) Preset from the menu. A default save dialog comes up.
Navigate to the content folder where you want to save the preset, enter a file name, and click on Save.
The Save Light(s) Preset Options dialog will come up.

Select the export options:
- Animation Range - Select to export only the current frame (default) or an animation range.
- Data - Select to export all lights or to only export the currently selected light(s).
Click on Accept to save the preset or on Cancel to cancel the operation.

Save as Materials Preset

2011-11-01T17:37:29+00:00

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Save as Materials Preset

To save a material setup as a preset:

Apply textures to the figure, clothing, or prop and adjust as needed.
Make sure the item is selected and choose File > Save As > Material Preset from the menu. A default save dialog comes up.
Navigate to the content folder where you want to save the preset, enter a file name, and click on Save.
The Materials Preset Options dialog comes up where you select which surface properties to save as part of the preset.
- Record All: When selected, saves all transform, translation, and morph settings that are currently on the selected figure.
- Record Custom: When selected, activates the Property Listing for the selected figure where you can select specific properties to same For example, if you applied a texture to the figures lips, you don't want to the properties for the entire figure, just those for the lips.
  - Click on the plus/minus signs next to each label to expand/collapse the listing.
  - Click in the boxes to select specific settings to export.
- Save Alternate UVs?: When selected will save any alternate UV sets applied to the figure. This option is needed when the materials applied to the figure use an alternate UV set. This option will save the information needed to apply the correct UV set to match the materials in the preset.
  - The original UV set (Base) is not saved using this option.
  - If this option is selected but no alternate UVs are applied to the figure, then this option is ignored.
    
    TIP! If you only want one alternate UV set saved with the preset, then only load the UV set needed for the preset to work.
Click on Accept to save the preset or on Cancel to abort the operation.

Save as Pose Preset

2011-11-01T17:37:32+00:00

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Save as Pose Preset

To save the current pose as a preset:

Adjust the parameters for the figure to pose it. Make sure the figure is selected.
Choose File > Save As > Pose Preset from the menu. A default save dialog comes up.
Navigate to the content folder where you want to save the preset, enter a file name, and click on Save.
The Save Pose Preset Options dialog comes up where you select which frames and properties to save as part of the preset.
- Animation Range -
  - Current Frame Only: When selected saves only the current frame, even if the animation timeline has multiple keyframes associated with it.
  - Animated Range: When selected, saves out the designated frames associated with the timeline. Enter the Start frame and End frame to set where the animation export starts and ends.
- Data -
  - Record All: When selected, saves all transform, translation, and morph settings that are currently on the selected figure.
  - Record Custom: When selected, activates the Property Listing for the selected figure where you can select specific properties to same For example, if you made a hand pose, you don't want to save the properties for the entire figure, just those for the hand.
    - Click on the plus/minus signs next to each label to expand/collapse the listing.
    - Click in the boxes to select specific settings to export.
    - If needed, select options from the Custom Options menu.
      
      Choose whether to select or deselect all Channels, Morphs (see caution below), Transforms, or Modified settings.

CAUTION! The Select All Morphs option selects only the morph channels in the body parts and not in the body. Full-body morph channels (i.e. 'valueParm' channels in the Poser File) are not selected by the 'Select all Morphs' box. This is simply because 'valueParm' channels can be used for any purpose. Currently, it is necessary to manually select the desired FBM channels from the list.

Click on Accept to save the preset or on Cancel to cancel the operation.

Save as Puppeteer Preset

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Save as Puppeteer Preset

To save Puppeteer layers as a preset:

Create the Puppeteer animation and adjust as needed. See “Puppeteer” for more on using Puppeteer.
Choose File > Save As > Puppeteer Preset from the menu. A default save dialog comes up.
Navigate to the content folder where you want to save the preset, enter a file name, and click on Save.
The Puppeteer Preset Options dialog comes up. Select whether to Save All Layers or Save from List. If you select Save from List, the Layer Listing will activate and you can place a checkmark next to each layer to be included in the preset.
Click on Accept to save the preset or on Cancel to cancel the operation.

Save Last Render

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Save Last Render

Choose File > Save Last Render or press Ctrl+Shift+R to save your last rendered image as a file on your hard drive. A standard Browse dialog allows you to select a filename and folder for your saved image. This command will not be enabled until after you create a render in your current session.

If the rendered image or animation cannot be saved for some reason, a dialog will be displayed with the following options available:

Try Again: When selected, will try to save the render again.
Choose New File: When selected, will bring up a save dialog where you can select a different location and file name for the render allowing DAZ Studio to attempt to save the image to the new location.

Save as Scene

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Save as Scene

You can save multiple versions of the same scene so that you can easily return to a previous version. A standard Save As dialog allows you to select your desired folder and filename. Scenes are saved with a .daz extension. When you save a Scene, it includes all information in your current scene. You can also use one of the other Save As options to save specific types of files to your content folder.

To save all figures, textures, props, lights, cameras, etc. into a scene file:

Build your scene, adding figures, textures, clothing, poses, etc.
Choose File > Save As > Scene from the menu. A default save dialog comes up.
Navigate to the content or storage folder where you want to save the scene, enter a file name, and click on Save. A progress dialog will come up showing the progress of the save. Once the dialog closes, you can continue working in DAZ Studio.

Save as Shader Preset

2011-11-01T17:37:44+00:00

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Save as Shader Preset

To save the current shader as a preset:

Create the shader and adjust as needed.
Choose File > Save As > Shader Preset from the menu. A default save dialog comes up.
Navigate to the content folder where you want to save the preset, enter a file name, and click on Save.
The Shader Preset Options dialog comes up where you select which surface properties to save as part of the preset.
- Record All: When selected, saves all transform, translation, and morph settings that are currently on the selected figure.
- Record Custom: When selected, activates the Property Listing for the selected figure where you can select specific properties to same For example, if you applied a texture to the figures lips, you don't want to the properties for the entire figure, just those for the lips.
  - Click on the plus/minus signs next to each label to expand/collapse the listing.
  - Click in the boxes to select specific settings to export.
Click on Accept to save the preset or on Cancel to cancel the operation.

Save as UV Preset

2011-11-01T17:37:47+00:00

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Save as UV Preset

Saving a set of UVs as a preset allows the additional UV sets to be saved and applied later to the same figure if needed and distributed for use by other users.

To save a UV set or sets as a preset:

Apply the UV sets to the current object.
Choose File > Save As > UV Preset from the menu.
A default file browser dialog will come up. Locate the save location for the preset (in the Studio content folder), enter a name for the preset, and click on Save.
The UV Preset Options dialog will come up. Click in the checkbox next to each UV set to be included in the preset. You cannot save the default UV set as it is already part of the original object so it will not be shown in the list. If you have five UV sets applied but only want to save three of them, only select the three you want to save.
To collect the UV sets in a zipped file for easier distribution, click on the checkbox next to Collect Files in Zip.
Click on Accept to save the preset or on Cancel to exit the dialog without saving the preset. If you clicked on Accept, the preset will be saved to the selected location as well as the zip file if that option was selected.
To check the UV preset, load the default object into your scene without applying any additional UV sets.
Make sure the object is selected and navigate to the content folder where you saved the preset.
Double-click on the preset thumbnail and the UV set(s) will be applied to the object. Please note that the more UV sets you have in the preset, the longer it will take to apply them.
Check the UV Set listing in the Surfaces tab to see if the UV sets are listed. Select the UV sets and apply matching textures to verify the UV sets were properly applied.

Send to Hexagon

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Send to Hexagon

Choose File > Send to Hexagon to send the current object to Hexagon. Refer to “Hexagon Bridge” for more on using this option.

Hexagon Bridge

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Hexagon Bridge

This section has been moved to Hexagon Bridge.

Overview of Interface Items

2011-11-01T17:37:56+00:00

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Overview of Interface Items

In previous sections, you were introduced to the new Activity Tabs that appear in DAZ Studio: the Load Activity tab, the Pose/Animate Activity tab, and the Render Activity tab. Common to these tabs are several other types of menu commands, toolbars, viewports, panes, and tabs. The figure below shows a typical arrangement of these various elements.

Briefly, the various parts of the interface serve the following functions:

Activity Tabs: Click one of these tabs to display the various panes and controls that you will commonly use when you Load, Pose, or Render your DAZ Studio scenes.
Menu Bar: The menu bar appears at the top left of the DAZ Studio workspace. The menu bar contains seven menus: File, Edit, View, Render, Create, Tools, and Help. Click any menu header to display the commands that appear in each menu. For example, click File or press Alt+F to display the commands in the File menu. The commands in these menus are listed in the Command and Toolbar Reference.
Toolbars: Toolbars contain icons for many common tasks. By default, a different toolbar appears beneath the Activity Tabs in each view.
3D Viewports: Viewports are your windows to the virtual universe inside your computer. Whenever you look at your scene, you are looking at it through a virtual camera. The Viewport Selection menu, located at the upper-left corner of the Viewport window, allows you to display the view of any camera. Camera controls also allow you to tilt or rotate, pan, or dolly the camera to improve the view of the scene.
Panes: Panes appear at the left and right sides of the DAZ Studio workspace by default. These panes are used to display various tabs that contain common controls, functions, and options. Controls in each pane allow you to show, hide, expand, collapse, and resize the tabs contained within them. See “Customizing the Layout” to learn how you can customize the layout of your panes.
Tabs: By default, there are several tabs that you can show or hide using commands in the View > Tabs Menu: Surfaces, Content, View, Scene, Parameters, Timeline, Help, Render, New at DAZ, Align, Tool, D-Form, PowerPose, and Scene Info. Additional tab options may also appear in this menu if you have additional plug-ins installed. Tabs contain most of the functions that you’ll use while working with DAZ Studio, and are typically placed within panes. See ”Customizing the Layout“ to learn how you can customize the layout of your tabs.

TIP! By default, DAZ Studio loads with one viewport. You can view your scene using up to four viewports at once. In addition, DAZ Studio gives you control over several viewport properties such as size, location, and selected camera. Refer to Viewports and Cameras for more information.

TIP! You can also use navigation keys to navigate through any tab that contains a list or tree. Click to select an item and navigate through the list as follows:

Press PgUp to scroll up one page.
Press PgDn to scroll down one page.
Press Up Arrow to scroll up one item in the current list.
Press Dn Arrow to scroll down one item in the current list.
Press Right Arrow to expand one level in the current list, or to the next level in an expanded list.
Press Left Arrow to collapse one level in the current list, or to the previous level in a collapsed list.

Working With Lights

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Working With Lights

The Create menu allows you to create cameras and lights. When you select any of the Create Light buttons, the same options dialog will appear:

Like the Camera Creation dialog, the Light Creation dialog will ask you if you wish to give the new light a name (or will use the presented default name if you do not give the light a name), then it will present one of four options. Default settings center the light on the floor at the scene’s origin (0,0,0). When you apply the active viewport transforms, the light matches and orients itself in the same place and direction (if applicable) of the camera you’re currently using. You can also copy the properties of an existing light in the scene, or copy and replace a selected light in the scene. If you have no other lights in the scene, the third and fourth option will be grayed-out and unavailable to you.

Lights illuminate your scene and can create interesting effects and moods. DAZ Studio includes a default light that lets you see and work with your scene.

Click on the links below to learn more about the different types of lights and how to manipulate them:

Manipulating/Moving Lights

2011-11-01T17:38:02+00:00

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Manipulating/Moving Lights

There are three ways to move lights:

Rotation: Rotation occurs at that light’s center and alters orientation without altering location.
Translation: Translation occurs at the light’s center and alters location without altering orientation.
Scale: Scaling occurs along the selected light’s selected axis or axes.

Selecting Which Light to Move

You must select the light you wish to move before moving it. The Manipulator (as selected - rotate, translate, scale) will appear at the selected light’s center whenever you select a light. These controls will vary depending on the currently selected movement mode. There are two ways to select lights:

Click the desired light in any viewport.
Select the desired light using the Scene tab.

Using the Manipulator

Direct manipulation is the easiest way to adjust your light’s location and/or orientation. This method is both easy and fast. Some artists prefer to use this method to move lights into their rough positions, then switch to the Parameters tab to make fine adjustments. At its most basic, the process is as follows:

Select the light to move, as described above.
Click and drag the Light Manipulators to move the light.

Multiple Lights

2011-11-01T17:38:05+00:00

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Multiple Lights

DAZ Studio also lets you work with more than one light at a time. Once you have made your selections, you can modify any parameter shared by all selected lights using the Parameters tab. Remember that all movement occurs along each light’s individual axis!

The image that follows includes a standard white Spotlight (with shadows off) and a green Distant Light pointing at the figure from behind to serve as a “backlight”, to give its edges a green tint.

The Load Toolbar

2011-11-01T17:38:08+00:00

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The Load Toolbar

Toolbars are completely customizable as described in “Customizing Toolbars” in “Using and Customizing Your Interface.” When using the Basic interface style, the Load Activity tab contains a toolbar that contains some of the commands in the File menu.

From left to right, the toolbar commands shown in the tab are:

Clear the Scene and Start a New Scene
Open an Existing File
Save the Current Scene
Delete the Selected Item
Change the Backdrop File and Settings for the Current Scene
Click to Activate the Node Selection Tool
Click to Activate the Active Pose Tool
Click to Activate the Rotate Tool
Click to Activate the Translate Tool
Click to Activate the Scale Tool
Reverse the Previous Action
Reinstate the Previously Reversed Action
Click for Interactive Help

Level of Detail

2011-11-01T17:38:11+00:00

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Level of Detail

This section has been moved to Level of Detail.

Create Menu Commands

2011-11-01T17:38:14+00:00

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Create Menu Commands

The Create menu allows you to add cameras, lights, nulls, and primitive geometrical objects to your scene.

The commands available in the Create Menu are as follows:

New Camera

To create a new camera in your scene, choose Create > New Camera. This behaves just like a film camera you may have in real life.

New Point Light

Choose Create > New Point Light to add a new local omni-directional Point Light that is similar to the light given off by an incandescent light bulb. You can only adjust the location, intensity, color, and enable or disable shadow casting.

New Distant Light

Choose Create > New Distant Light to add a Distant Light. A Distant Light is a directional light that covers an entire scene, but has no real source position. The closest real-world example would be sunlight. You can adjust the direction in which the light aims, its intensity and color, and enable or disable shadow casting.

New Spotlight

Choose Create > New Spotlight to add a new Spotlight. A Spotlight is a directional light that is cone-shaped (like a flashlight), and which has an adjustable area.

New Null

Choose Create > New Null to add a null object to your scene. Nulls are useful for grouping objects/items by parenting those items to the null object. They are also useful for &rdquor;point at” targets; for instance, using persistent point at on the eyes, and then dragging the null around and having the eyes follow. They can also be used to mark a position in space for later reference.

New D-Former

Choose Create > New D-Former to add a new deformer to your scene. Deformers help you create morphs that change the shape of an object. See “D-Form” for more information on creating and using D-Formers.

New Primitive

Choose Create > New Primitive to add a primitive geometry object to your scene. The Create New Primitive dialog allows you to choose one of six different geometrical shapes: Cube, Cylinder, Cone, Sphere, Torus, or Plane. Additional options allow you to specify the size of the object in meters, centimeters, yards, feet, or inches. You can also set the number of divisions in the object, with higher division numbers creating more polygons in the object.

Edit Menu Commands

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Edit Menu Commands

The Edit menu allows you to perform standard editing functions and to set global DAZ Studio preferences. To access this menu, either click Edit or press Alt+E.

Click on the links below to learn more about each menu command:

File Menu Commands

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File Menu Commands

The File menu is where you access file-related functions. To access this menu, either click File or press Alt+F.

Click on the links below to find out more about each menu command:

Help Menu Commands

2011-11-01T17:38:23+00:00

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Help Menu Commands

The Help menu is where you access DAZ Studio documentation and information about your installation. To access this menu, either click Help or press Alt+H.

DAZ Studio Help

Choose Help > DAZ Studio Help to access the DAZ Studio help file on the DAZ Wiki.

Online Resources

The Help > Online Resources commands provide links to helpful online resources that will make your use of DAZ Studio more enjoyable:

Choose Help > Online Resources > DAZ Studio Online Help or use the shortcut Ctrl+F1 to open the online version of the DAZ Studio Artist Guide in your Web browser.
Choose Help > Online Resources > Frequent Questions to open the DAZ FAQ page in your Web browser. Here you can view the most frequently asked questions and answers. This should be your first stop when seeking support for DAZ products since you can often get immediate answers and solutions.
Choose Help > Online Resources > DAZ Web Site to open the DAZ home page (http://www.daz3d.com) in your Web browser. This site is your gateway to innovative 3D applications and excellent content that make 3D easy, fun, and affordable for everyone.
Choose Help > Online Resources > DAZ Tutorials top open the DAZ Tutorials home page in your Web browser. Here you’ll find an ever-growing library of basic, intermediate, and advanced tutorials written by our customers and members of our ever-growing artists’ community.
Choose Help > Online Resources > DAZ Forums to open the DAZ Web Forums page in your Web browser. Here you can meet and interact with fellow artists over the web, from all around the globe.
Choose Help > Online Resources > DAZ Galleries to open the DAZ Galleries page in your Web browser. You are free to post and share your 3D art, or to see what others have done.
Choose Help > Online Resources > 3rd Party Contributors to access online help files for plug-ins you may have installed from third party contributors, i.e., Dreamlight.

What's This Help

To learn about any interface item that you aren’t sure about, choose Help > What’s This Help. A popup window informs you what the item is used for.

About DAZ Studio

Choose Help > About DAZ Studio to open the About window, which contains the following information:

The current version of DAZ Studio you are using
Your name and other authorship information
Contact information for DAZ Productions
DAZ Studio production credits (use the scroll bar to view the entire list)

Click OK to close the window.

Register DAZ Studio

Choose Help > Register DAZ Studio to bring up the Startup Wizard dialog where you can register DAZ Studio or manually enter your serial number.

About Your Video Card

Choose Help > About Your Video Card to learn the video card information that your system reports to DAZ Studio and about the capabilities of your video card as it relates to DAZ Studio.

About Installed Plug-ins

Choose Help > About Installed Plug-ins to open a window that lists the status, filename, and “friendly” name of the plug-ins that you have installed in DAZ Studio. The Status column lets you know if the plug-in is installed successfully (or not), and provides an explanation as to why they did not load if they are not properly installed.

Report a Bug

Choose Help > Report a Bug to open the DAZ Bug Reporting page in your Web browser. DAZ encourages everyone to report problems as part of our ongoing efforts to provide top-quality products.

View Log File

Choose Help > View Log File to open the log file where DAZ Studio reports program status, such as startup comments, plug-ins installed (or not), and warning/error messages. Use this command to view the log file when any message dialog reports an issue and instructs you to view the log file for additional details. Since this is a text file, you can copy any sections needed in order to report the issue to DAZ or the third party provider.

Render Menu Commands

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This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Render Menu Commands

The Render menu allows you to render (take virtual photographs of) your scene and specify render settings (partially akin to adjusting a camera prior to taking a picture).

Choose Render > Render or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+R to render your current scene using the currently selected camera. All visible lights, surfaces, and objects in your scene will be rendered according to the options configured in the Render Settings dialog.
Choose Render > Render Settings or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+R to open the Render Options window.
Choose Render > Render Editor to activate the Render Album/Editor (if installed).

Tools Menu Commands

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This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Tools Menu Commands

The Tools menu commands allow you to choose one of several different tools to manipulate objects and render the contents of your scene.

NOTE! Some of the Tools Menu commands are available in the toolbars that you find in the Load, Pose/Animate, and Render Activity Tabs (in the Basic Layout.

TIP! The Rotate, Translate, and Scale Manipulators are great for getting poses, objects, etc., into their rough positions. For fine tuning, you will probably want to use the Parameters tab since it gives you more precise control.

The Tools menu commands serve the following functions:

Node Selection

To select any item in your scene, choose Tools > Node Selection or click the Node Selection Tool icon in the Pose toolbar. After you select an item you can view its properties in the Parameters window to make adjustments. You can also delete any selected item.

Rotate

To rotate items in your scene, choose Tools > Rotate or click the Rotate Tool icon in the Pose toolbar. In most cases, you cannot rotate body parts; however, because the hip is usually the root part of a figure you can rotate the entire body of a poseable figure by selecting the hip. The Rotate manipulator displays the rotation axes in three colors: Red rotates the object about the X axis. Green rotates the object about the Y axis. Blue rotates the object about the Z axis. Click and drag the circle that corresponds to the axis you want to rotate.

Translate

To move items in your scene, choose Tools > Translate or click the Translate Tool icon in the Pose toolbar. In most cases you cannot translate body parts; however, because the hip is usually the root part of a figure you can translate the entire body of a poseable figure by selecting the hip. The Translation manipulator displays three arrows pointing in the direction of each axis. The Red arrow translates the object in the X axis. The Green arrow translates the object along the Y axis. The Blue arrow translates the object along the Z axis.

Scale

To scale items in your scene, choose Tools > Scale. If you select a body part (or bone) in a poseable figure, the scale function applies only to the geometry associated with that body part, and moves all children of that body part accordingly. For example, when you stretch the forearm, the hand and fingers at the end of the forearm move accordingly. To scale an entire figure, select it in the Scene Tab, then use the Parameters pane to perform the scaling. If you select a prop or other object with no body parts (such as a light), you will scale the entire object.

The Scaling manipulator displays each axis with a box on each end. To use the manipulator, click and drag the line corresponding to your desired axis, with Red being the X axis, Green being the Y axis, and Blue being the Z axis.

Surface Selection

Choose Tools > Surface Selection to select one or more surfaces to modify in the Surfaces tab. Right-click on a surface and you can select an individual surface for manipulation, select all surfaces with that selection’s Diffuse Color, select all surfaces that use the same Texture Map, or simply clear a previous surface selection. The affected surfaces will show in a white cross-hatched pattern as shown above.

Spot Render

Choose Tools > Spot Render to render a small portion of your scene for test purposes. To use this feature, click the button, then draw a rectangle in any viewport around the area you want to render.

PowerPose

Choose Tools > PowerPose or click the Active Pose Tool icon in an applicable toolbar to select and use the PowerPose tool.

View Menu Commands

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This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

View Menu Commands

The View menu allows you to display and hide various items on your screen, configure the viewport layout, and show or hide various tabs. You can also save custom layouts.

Interface Layout

Commands in the View > Interface Layout menu pertain to the appearance of your interface. Here you can save or delete your own custom layouts, and restore session or factory layouts. The sub-commands are divided into sections:

The top section allows you to choose one of three built-in interface layouts: Basic, Advanced, or Classic.

The bottom section contains commands that allow you save, add or delete your own custom layout arrangements. The layouts you create will be added or removed from the list of available layouts in the View > Interface Layout menu:

Select Layout: Allows you to choose one of several predefined layouts, including those you have created and saved yourself. The screen contains a drop-down menu that selects a default layout. The Layout options define the tabs that appear by default. A preview of each layout appears in the wizard screen as you select an option from the drop-down menu. After you make your selection, click on Apply to accept the changes.
Save Layout As: Opens the Save Layout dialog, which prompts you to locate a folder and assign a name to your new style.
Delete Layout: If custom layouts appear in your Interface Layout menu, use the Delete Layout command to select the items you want to delete from the menu.

Interface Style

Commands in the View > Interface Style menu allow you to choose one of several interface color schemes. You can also save your own custom styles, delete styles, and customize the background and accent colors of the DAZ Studio interface to suit your own preference.

Select Style: Choose this command to select the interface color scheme that you want to use. The Style Selection screen displays various options for interface and text colors. The default style is Nouveau, but there are a variety of interface color options, including interface color options that are similar to those used in Carrara, Hexagon, and DAZ Studio classic. Previews of the color selections appear beneath the drop-down menu. �After you make your selection, click on Apply to accept the changes.
Save Style As: After you create your own interface style, choose View > Interface Style > Save Style As. The Save Style dialog prompts you to locate a folder and assign a name to the new style. By default, DAZ Studio saves the new styles to the DAZ Studio > scripts folder.
Delete Style: If custom styles appear in your Interface Style menu, the Delete Styles command allows you to select the items you want to delete from the menu.
Customize Colors: Opens the Customize Interface Colors dialog, which allows you to choose Background, Text, and Accent colors for your interface.

Viewport Layout

Commands in the View > Viewport Layout menu allow you to view your scene using up to four viewports at once. You will see a list of available viewport layout options, shown in the following figure. Click your desired selection and the viewport layout will immediately change accordingly.

Tabs

The View > Tabs submenu allows you to customize the DAZ Studio interface by toggling various tabs on and off. If a tab is hidden, click the tab name to show it, and vice-versa. A checkmark appears next to each visible tab. Refer to the Tab Reference and Tools sections for specific information on each of these tabs/plug-ins.

NOTE! Not all options will be available depending on what version of DAZ Studio you have. Other tabs may appear at the bottom of the View > Tabs sub-menu if you have installed DAZ original or third party plug-ins. See the documentation for these plug-ins for additional information.

Preview Lights

The View > Preview Lights option allows you to view your scene in the OpenGL viewport using any lights you have added to the scene instead of viewing the scene using the default scene light.

By default, the viewport is lit by a distant light that is not visible in the Scene tab. When you add lights to the scene, the default light is turned off and the OpenGL viewport shows a preview of the scene with the lights you added. However, viewing the scene with the lights you added is not always practical.

To view the scene in the viewport using the default scene light, make sure this option is deselected.

To view the scene in the viewport using any lights you've added to the scene, make sure this option is selected, i.e.,

Always on Top

The View > Always on Top option allows you to keep DAZ Studio on top of all other applications which you may have active at the same time.

Applying Morphs

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This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Applying Morphs

Morphs are specific distortions of mesh created for specific figures. These can range from blinking an eyelid, to instantly creating a weightlifter’s body-shape, to anywhere or anything in between.

To apply a morph to your figure, select your desired morph slider in the Parameters tab and assign it a new value. Positive values apply the selected morph as created, while negative numbers apply the opposite of the selected morph. For example, applying a negative value to a smile morph might result in a frown. Applying large positive or negative values can result in excessive distortion and can even break the polygon mesh. A jagged edge appears when there are breaks in the mesh. When working with morph targets, it’s usually best to change values a little at a time if you’re not sure of the results. You can use as many morphs as you like in any combination.

Different figures come with different default morphs, and you can always add more with certain packages available for purchase or download. DAZ figures include hundreds of morphs to allow virtually unlimited customization.

Morphs can also be injected or removed from a figure if the figure has been set up to use injections. These morphs are injected or removed using pose preset files, called INJ or REM files. See “Applying Pose Presets” for more on injecting or removing morphs using a pose preset.

Multiple UVs

2011-11-01T17:38:38+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Multiple UVs

This section has been moved to Multiple UVs.

Root Node Parameters

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This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Root Node Parameters

A figure’s root node has the following parameters:

Translate (XYZ): The Translate sliders translate the root bone along its local X, Y, and Z axes without altering its rotation.
Rotate (XYZ): The Rotation sliders rotate the root bone along its local X, Y, and Z axes without altering its location.
Scale (XYZ): The Scale sliders scale the root bone along its local X, Y, and Z axes.

Defining an Object's Location (Translation)

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This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Defining an Object's Location (Translation)

As you work in DAZ Studio, you will undoubtedly want to move objects around your scene. You accomplish this by exercising the first and easiest type of motion: Translation.

Translation occurs when an object’s local origin moves in relation to the global origin, assuming that the local and global axes do not move.

You’ve already learned that DAZ Studio refers to the three-dimensional axes as X, Y, and Z. These designations are part of what is known in 3D software programs as the Cartesian coordinate system. This system uses these three axes to represent the three dimensions.

The 3D universe extends an infinite negative and positive distance in each dimension, and the origin is literally the center of that universe. The center of the DAZ Studio universe lies on the floor in the exact center of your scene. In fact, an item appears in the exact center when you first load an item from the Content Tab. From that point, you can use the xtran, ytran, or ztran Parameter dials to move your objects in a positive or negative direction as follows:

Move your object along the X axis (xtran) to move it left or right. Negative numbers move it to the left of the center point. Positive numbers move it to the right of the center point.
Move your object along the Y axis (ytran) to raise or lower it. Negative numbers move it down, and positive numbers move it up.
Move your object along the Z axis (ztran) to bring it closer or move it farther away. Negative numbers move it backward, and positive numbers move it forward.

To show an example, use the Create > New Primitive > Cube command to place a cube inside an empty scene. It loads in the exact center of the default viewport, at the (0,0,0) position.

Now, say you want to move your object 60 units to the left of the origin point. Select the cube, and adjust the X Translate dial to -60. The Cartesian coordinate system now looks at the position as (-60,0,0) because the position is always listed as (X,Y,Z).

What if you want to move the object in more than one direction? You already have the cube moved 60 units to the left, but let’s say you want to position your object 70 units up, and 90 units backward. Simply adjust the Y Translate dial to 70 to move the cube up, and the Z Translate dial to -90 to move the object backward. The new Cartesian coordinates will now be (-60,70,-90).

You can see the results of the preceding example below, where the original position is shown partially transparent. The red line indicates the X axis, the green line indicates the Y axis, and the blue line indicates the Z axis. The darker cube is the cube that has been relocated to the new position in the scene.

Rotating Objects

Need to rotate a figure, body part, prop, light, or other object? Programmatically, this requires trigonometry to calculate each point’s new location. Luckily, DAZ Studio handles this for you.

Technically, rotation is the opposite of translation. In other words, rotation occurs when you move an object’s local axes, relative to the global axes, without moving the local origin.

To help this make sense, imagine you are six feet tall. Now, imagine being spun upside down. Your head is still six feet from your feet.

Even though you’re upside down, you still consider your head as the “top” side and your feet the “bottom” side. In other words, your head will still be above your feet (in your own local coordinates) low your feet in global coordinates.

The image that follows shows an example of rotation. DAZ Studio allows you to rotate entire objects or parts of objects (such as turning a figure’s head).

Defining an Object's Shape and Size

Besides defining an object’s location, Cartesian coordinates also define the shape or size of an object. In this case, the locations of each of the corners defines the size, shape, and location of the cube in relation to the origin.

A cube is a very simple example. Look at the image on the right and notice how each point defines a corner of a cube. Defining point locations, then connecting the dots gives us our shapes, complete with size and location information. What about a more complex shape like a human?

Scale is a fancy term for changing an object’s size along one or more of its local axes. Again, this requires complex calculations, which DAZ Studio performs for you.

There are a number of different ways to scale:

You can scale the entire object uniformly. For example, you could make a figure twice as big while preserving its proportions, as shown below.
You can scale the object along one or more axes. For example, scaling the figure by 200% along its X axis will make it look twice as wide while preserving its height and length. This will result in a squashed look.
You can scale one or more of a figure’s body parts. For example, you can enlarge or shrink a figure’s head without affecting the rest of its body. You can also scale his head uniformly or along only one or two axes.

Applying Morphs

2011-11-01T17:38:47+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Applying Morphs

Morphs are specific pre-built deformations created for specific objects. To apply a morph to your prop, select a desired morph slider in the Parameters tab and assign it a new value. Positive values apply the selected morph as created, while negative numbers apply the opposite of the selected morph. For example, applying a negative value to a smile morph might result in a frown. Applying large values can result in excessive distortion and can even break the polygon mesh. Breaks are holes or cracks that appear in the mesh. When working with morph targets, it’s usually best to use small values. You can use as many morphs as you like in any combination. The images on the right show a single hair prop morphed into two distinct styles- and these are only two of hundreds of possibilities.

Different props come with different default morphs depending on the type of prop and the individual content creator. For example, some hair props come with morphs that allow several styling variations.

Manipulating/Moving Props

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This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Manipulating/Moving Props

There are three ways to manipulate props:

Rotation: Rotation occurs at that prop’s center and alters orientation without altering location.
Translation: Translation occurs at the prop’s center and alters location without altering orientation.
Scale: When you select a prop, scaling occurs along that entire prop in your selected axis or axes.

Using the Manipulator

Direct manipulation is the easiest way to adjust your prop’s position. This method is both easy and fast. Some artists use this method to move props into their rough positions, then switch to the Parameters tab to make fine adjustments. The precision of this method depends on your viewing angle and distance; the closer you are to the object you’re manipulating, the finer control you will have. At its most basic, the process is as follows:

Select the prop to move, as described above.
Click and drag the Manipulator handles to move the prop.

Selecting Which Prop to Move

You must select the prop you wish to move before moving it. The Manipulator (be rotation, translation, or scale) appears at the selected prop’s center whenever you select a prop. These controls will vary depending on the currently selected manipulation mode. There are two ways to select props:

Click the desired prop in any viewport.
Select the desired prop using the Scene Tab.

TIP! These instructions describe selecting props that have no bones. Props with multiple bones behave like figures, save that they aren’t usually tied together into a contiguous object like figures usually are.

Multiple Props

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This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Multiple Props

DAZ Studio also lets you work with more than one prop at a time. Once you have made your selection, you can modify any parameter shared by all selected props using the Parameters tab. Remember that all movement occurs along each prop’s local axes, unless you parent all of the affected props to one of them. This image shows an example of rotating several (unparented) props along their individual X-axes using multiple selections.

Prop Parameters

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This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Prop Parameters

Each prop has the following default parameters, which you can adjust using the Parameters Tab:

Translate (XYZ): The Translate sliders translate the prop along its local X, Y, and Z axes without altering its rotation.
Rotate (XYZ): The Rotation sliders rotate the prop along its local X, Y, and Z axes without altering its location.
Scale (XYZ): The Scale sliders scale the prop along its local X, Y, and Z axes.
Visible: Checking the Visible checkbox makes the selected prop visible, and vice-versa.

Pane Auto-Hide

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This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Pane Auto-Hide

When you first start DAZ Studio, the side panes are visible on each side of the viewport for easy access, however, sometimes you need more workspace without having to actually close all the tabs. The Auto-Hide function provides the ability to dock the panes to the side when they are not in use.

To auto-hide the side panes:

Click on the pushpin button at the top right of the pane.
Repeat for the other side of the viewport if needed.

The panes will dock to the side and each tab available on the pane will show up as tabs at the sides of the viewport.

To expand the panes temporarily:

Click on the folder tab for the tab you want to access. The pane will open up with the selected tab activated.
Resize the pane as needed.
Use the tabs as usual to select content or items in the scene, adjust surfaces, set parameters, etc. but once you move off the pane, it will auto-hide itself again.
If the pane does not auto-hide itself automatically when you move off the tab, click in the viewport.

To un-hide the panes:

Click on one of the tabs to expand the pane into the viewport.
Click on the pushpin button at the top right of the pane.

The pane will undock from the side and dock back to its default side location.

To add new tabs to the pane, pin the pane in place first, then add new tabs. Once the new tabs are in place in the pane, un-pin the pane to allow it to auto-hide itself.

To delete tabs while the pane is in auto-hide, click on the tab to expand it, then choose Close from the Options menu.

Parameters Organizer

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This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Parameters Organizer

If you’re a content developer for DAZ Studio, or if you want to customize the parameter groups that appear in the Parameters Tab, then the Parameters Organizer plug-in is made just for you. The Parameters Organizer is a utility that is available for separate purchase, and installed separately from DAZ Studio.

Installing the Parameters Organizer

As with most products purchased from DAZ 3D, the Parameters Organizer is available in Windows and Mac formats and installs in the same manner as other software and content. Simply run the installer, following the prompts until the setup wizard is complete. When Setup is complete, you’ll view last minute notes regarding the product and will be given the opportunity to launch DAZ Studio and view the Parameters Organizer Read Me file.

After you install the plug-in and start DAZ Studio, you’ll notice that the Parameters tab Options menu will contain two new options: Group Parameters and Hide Unused Properties. These new commands are shown below.

Adding and Renaming Parameter Groups

When you choose the Group Parameters command from the Options menu, the Group Parameters window shown below appears. This window allows you to add new parameter groups or rename existing groups. This feature is especially helpful when you need new group names for morphs that you create yourself, so that you can keep them apart from morphs that are included with figures or created by others.

Options in this dialog are:

Add New Group: Allows you to add a new sub-group beneath the Morphs, General, or Misc parameter group names. Select the group you want to create a subgroup for, then click the Add New Group button. This opens the New Group dialog, where you can assign a name for your new parameter sub-group.
Rename Selected Item: Allows you to rename your subgroups, or any parameter dial that appears in the Group Parameters tab. You can also click to select the item you want to rename, and then click again to rename it.
What’s This Help: Click for interactive help on the features in the Add New Group dialog.
Accept: Click to accept your changes and exit the Group Parameters dialog.
Cancel: Click to exit the Group Parameters dialog without saving your changes.
Options Menu: The Options menu appears when you click the arrow in the upper-right corner. It contains one command, Hide “General” Parameter Group, which hides the display of the Bend, Translate, Rotate, Scale, Visible, Selectable, and Cast Shadows parameter dials. Choose this command to toggle the display of this group on or off.

Point Lights

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This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Point Lights

Selecting Create > New Point Light allows you to create a new Point Light in your scene. A Point Light is an omni-directional light, such as that given off by an incandescent light bulb. Point Lights are the virtual equivalent of light bulbs. They put out a 360-degree sphere of light. The image shows a sphere illuminated by a single white Point Light. You will notice that it appears similar to a spot light. The difference is that the spot light is only casting light in one direction. In other words, an object behind a Spotlight will receive no illumination.

Point Light Parameters

In addition to the default parameters, each Point Light has the following parameters that control the light sphere which is the visible wireframe showing where the light's influence will be.

Light

Intensity: Adjusts the light’s brightness from 0% (totally off) to 100% (totally on) and up to 200% (be careful that you don’t “wash out” the colors of everything in the light’s sphere of influence by going too far beyond 100%). As you adjust the intensity, the light sphere becomes larger or smaller to indicate where the light's influence will fall.
Display / Scene View
- Display Persistance: This toggle determines whether the light wireframes are visible even when the light is not selected. When placing objects in the scene, setting this toggle to On will make it easier to place objects where needed. Toggle to Off to set the camera wireframes to invisible when the camera is not selected.
- Light Sphere: These options set options for the light sphere wireframe.
  - Opacity: Determines the opacity of the light sphere. Useful when placing objects within the influence of the light sphere.

Posing and Moving Figures

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This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Posing and Moving Figures

Posing figures is one of DAZ Studio’s central functions. There are several ways to pose figures.

Selecting Which Joints to Move

Before you can pose a figure, you must select the bone you wish to move. There are two ways to select bones:

Click the desired bone in any viewport. For example, if you want to bend the left leg at the knee, click the left shin.
Select the desired bone within the Scene tab.

The Bone Manipulators appear at the selected bone’s origin whenever you select a bone. These controls will vary depending on the currently selected mode (as selected in the Toolbar - Rotate, Translate, or Scale). You must select the correct bone(s) on the correct figure in order to achieve the desired results. This sounds obvious at first, but may require some advance planning. In many cases, you will need to move several bones in order to achieve the final result. For example, if you want your figure to salute, you will need to move the right shoulder, forearm, and hand. When working with multiple bones, it’s usually best to start at the parent and work towards the children. This helps cut down on repetitive repositioning of the child bones. In this example, you’ll want to:

Apply some rotation and twist to the shoulder. Try applying -75 degrees of twist and 20 degrees of bend.
Twist and bend the elbow. Try applying -85 degrees of twist and 120 degrees of bend.
Bend the hand a little. Try applying -3 degrees of twist and 2.05 degrees of bend.

As you can see, starting at the hand in this case would have made the process far more time consuming and difficult. That said, there are times when it may be a good idea to start at the child bones. For example, if you are placing a prop in a figure’s hand, you might want to parent the prop to the hand, and adjust the hand into a realistic grasp before creating the pose. In this example, starting at the child ends (the fingers) will ensure that the prop will remain in the correct position relative to the figure’s hand.

Direct Manipulation

Direct manipulation is the easiest and fastest way to adjust your figure’s pose. At its most basic, the process is as follows:

Select the bone to move.
Click and drag the Bone Manipulators to move the joint.

This method is both easy and fast. Some users use this method to move figures into their rough positions, then switch to the Parameters Tab to make fine adjustments. The precision of this method depends on your viewing angle and distance; the closer you are the object you’re manipulating, the finer the control you will have.

TIP! You could use one viewport, one at a wide angle, the other zoomed in, to give to you both gross and fine control using the Bone Manipulators.

Manipulation Movement Modes

There are three ways to move figures and their bones:

Rotation: When you select a bone, rotation occurs at that bone’s parent joint. For example, if you select the forearm, the bending will occur at the elbow. The hip is the parent bone for the entire figure. If you select the hip, you will rotate the entire figure.
Translation: You usually should not translate individual joints, since doing so would result in scaling the affected bone. The hip is the parent bone for the entire figure. If you select the hip, you will translate the entire figure.
Scale: When you select a bone, scaling occurs along the entire bone. For example, if you select the forearm, the entire forearm will expand or contract along your selected axis or axes. The hip is the parent bone for the entire figure. If you select the hip, you will scale the entire figure.

Applying Pose Presets

Many content creators create custom poses for figures. Pose Presets are a fast way to get great results without having to spend a lot of time fine-tuning each bone. In addition, pose presets can be used to apply materials (MAT files), inject or remove morphs (INJ and REM files), and adjust morph settings (MOR files).

To apply a custom pose preset to a figure:

Select the figure to apply the pose file to.
Locate the folder containing your desired pose file using the Content tab.
Double-click your desired pose file.

The pose file will be applied depending on the type of pose preset applied:
- Pose preset - figure will automatically assume the selected pose.
- MAT preset - the materials will be applied to the figure.
- INJ/REM preset - the morphs will be injected or removed from the figure.
- MOR preset - morph parameter sliders will be adjusted to set a specific morph look.
If the figure is not selected when the preset is applied, a dialog will come up asking you to Select an item from the scene. By default, None is selected. Select the item to apply the pose preset to and click on Accept.
You can also use “Drag-and-Drop” to apply a pose to a figure.

Moving Figures

To move a figure:

Select the desired figure’s root node.
Use the Rotation, Translation, and/or Scale manipulators as desired.

PowerPose

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PowerPose

This section has been moved to PowerPose.

Setting Directory Preferences

2011-11-01T17:39:14+00:00

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Setting Directory Preferences

To set the Directory Preferences, choose Edit > Preferences to open the Preferences dialog and click on the Directories tab to enable it. Directories added here show the available content in the libraries and are used by the Content Manager to scan for new content.

The Directories tab has the following options:

Content Directories: Lists the Poser/Studio content directories linked to DAZ Studio native content.
Content Type: Lists the types of directories that can be mapped.
- DAZ Studio Formats (Native): Select to add or remove directories with native Studio content.
- Poser Formats (Import): Select to add or remove directories with Poser content which is imported into Studio.
- Other Supported Formats (Import): Select to add or remove directories with content that is not in the default Studio or Poser directory structure or formats but can be imported into Studio.

CAUTION! For Windows Vista users - ?Because Vista saves files to a mapped directory instead of to the correct DAZ Studio folder, the .dso files needed to load DAZ Studio scenes cannot be found. This problem can be fixed by adding the virtual directory to the list of content folders in the Preferences. The virtual directory is usually found at: “C:\Users\[User Name]\AppData\VirtualStore\Program Files\DAZ\Studio\content\”

Advanced: When selected, displays the Content Directory Manager where you can set up and manage different content sets. Refer to “The Content Directory Manager” for instructions on using content sets.
Add: After selecting the type of directory being added, click on Add to locate and select the directory.
Remove: Select the directory to remove and click on Remove to delete it from the linked directories.
Remove All: Click to remove all linked directories.
Show DAZ Built-In Content Folder:
Automatically Refresh Content Folders: When enabled, automatically refreshes Content folders to show newly installed or moved content.
Temporary Files: Indicates where temporary files are located while working in DAZ Studio. Click on the Browse button (the one with ellipses) to select a different directory. If you have changed the directory and decide at a later time to use the default location, click on the Default button to reset the directory.
After you complete your Directory Preferences settings, use one of the three buttons at the bottom of the dialog:
- Click Apply to set the settings for the current preference tab; the Preferences dialog remains open so that you can set other preferences.
- Click Accept to exit the dialog immediately.
- Click Cancel to exit the Preferences dialog and discard any unsaved changes.

Setting Content Manager Preferences

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Setting Content Manager Preferences

To set the Content Manager Preferences, choose Edit > Preferences to open the Preferences dialog and click on the Content Manager tab to enable it. or choose Edit Preferences from the Content Options menu.

File Icon Size
- View Large File Icons: Displays content and folder icons at an enlarged size, with the name of the content file appearing beneath the icon.
- View Small File Icons: Displays content and folder icons at a reduced size, with the name of the content file appearing to the right of the icon. Selected by default.
Remove & Replace
- Always Replace Items: When selected, will replace current content in the scene with the selected content. For example, if you have hair attached to the selected figure and double-click on a new hair style, the new hair will replace the old hair. Selected by default.
- Ask to Replace Items: When selected, will ask whether you would like to replace current content in the scene with the new content.
  
  NOTE! In order to replace content in the scene with new selected content, the two items must be of the same type, i.e., a hair prop cannot replace a conforming hair but it can replace another hair prop.
  
  NOTE! Content must be mapped before it can be replaced using these options. See “Content Manager” for more information on mapping content.
- Never Replace Items: When selected, adds the selected content to the scene.
Show File Info Tooltip: When selected, shows the file information as a tooltip when hovering the cursor over the thumbnail. Off by default.
Show File Extensions: When selected, will show the file extensions in the Content tab. Off by default.
Auto Magnetize: Toggle to turn the Auto Magnetize feature on or off. See “Auto Magnetizing Clothing” for more information on this feature.
Reset the Content Database: When clicked, will delete the current content database and replace it with the default database settings and categories. Any changes you have made to the database settings in the libraries will be lost.
After you complete your Interface Preferences settings, use one of the three buttons at the bottom of the dialog:
- Click Apply to set the settings for the current preference tab; the Preferences dialog remains open so that you can set other preferences.
- Click Accept to exit the dialog immediately.
- Click Cancel to exit the Preferences dialog and discard any unsaved changes.

Setting General Preferences

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Setting General Preferences

To set the General Preferences, choose Edit > Preferences to open the Preferences dialog and click on the General tab to enable it.

The General tab has the following options:

Authorship Information: Shows the author information added during initial startup. Click on Edit to add or edit the current author information. This is optional but if you create content, this information is written to Studio files you create which can help users contact you for information or assistance.
Automatically check for updates to DAZ Studio: Select when to check the DAZ website for updates to Studio. Select Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Never. Click on Check for updates now to check immediately.
After you complete your General Preferences settings, use one of the three buttons at the bottom of the dialog:
- Click Apply to set the settings for the current preference tab; the Preferences dialog remains open so that you can set other preferences.
- Click Accept to exit the dialog immediately.
- Click Cancel to exit the Preferences dialog and discard any unsaved changes.

Setting Interface Preferences

2011-11-01T17:39:23+00:00

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Setting Interface Preferences

To set the Interface Preferences, choose Edit > Preferences to open the Preferences dialog and click on the Interface tab to enable it.

The Interface tab has the following options:

Show Tool Tips: Check the Show Tool Tips checkbox to display information about a tool when you hover over it with your mouse cursor. Clear this checkbox to disable this feature.
Activity Image: Allows you to customize the image that appears in the right portion of the interface. By default, a grayscale image of Victoria 4 appears. You can also choose None, a Dragon, Trees, or Cycle (which cycles through all available images).
Open GL: If your card cannot support OpenGL, a notice informs you as such. If your card supports OpenGL, the following options will be displayed:
- Manipulation Draw Style: The Manipulation Draw Style option allows you to conserve computing resources by displaying scene elements in reduced detail while you are manipulating (posing or moving) an object, camera, or light. There are three options: Choose Off to display the objects in your scene as they normally appear (with full geometry shape and textures) while you manipulate them. This option consumes the most computer resources. Choose Wireframe Box to display your objects in wireframe mode while you manipulate them. This option consumes the least amount of computer resources. Choose Smooth-Shaded Box to display your objects as smooth boxes while you manipulate them.
- Bounding Box options: These options determine how the bounding boxes for selected objects are displayed.
  - Edge Length: An edge length of 1 will display the edges of the bounding boxes as solid from corner to corner. Lowering this amount will shorten the edges. Setting this value to 0 will mean that no bounding boxes will be displayed.
  - Active Opacity: Sets the opacity of the edges of the bounding box for active selections. A setting of 1 will display the edges at 100% opacity while lowering this setting will lower the opacity.
  - Inactive Opacity: Sets the opacity of the edges of the bounding box for inactive selections. A setting of 1 will display the edges at 100% opacity while lowering this setting will lower the opacity.
- Manipulation SubDivision: Click the option box to toggle this option Off or On. When On, this option will automatically switch to the zero subdivision level when a Sub-D figure is manipulated. When Off, the figure will remain at the current subdivision level when it is manipulated.
- Hardware Anti-Aliasing: Click the option box to toggle this option Off or On. When On, this option transfers all the edge smoothing actions to the video card instead of to your CPU. You may want to turn this option Off if your video card supports OpenGL acceleration but is below the recommended requirements.
- Display Optimization: By default, this option is set to Off since not all video cards can handle the display optimization. When set to On, the optimization stores more of the loaded geometry in the memory of your video card in order to speed up the display.
- OpenGL Texture Quality: This option controls the quality of the textures in your Viewport. Drag the slider from left to right, or use the right and left arrow keys, to use the setting that is best for your system resources. Slider options, from left to right, are Best Performance, Good Performance, High Quality, and Best Quality.
- Pixel Buffer: Provides a secondary buffer for rendering with 3D Bridge and by some hardware renderers where a viewport is obscured by another window while rendering. Not required unless you are using 3D Bridge with Photoshop and some hardware configurations may become unstable when pixel buffers are allocated. Toggle the buffer On or Off as needed and when it is On, use the slider to set the buffer size.
- About Current Hardware: Click this button to view a list of features that are supported by your OpenGL-compliant video card. The list includes the OpenGL version supported by your card, and displays its manufacturer’s name and model number. A list of supported features then follow, including limitations on the number of lights, texture units, and maximum texture size that the card can support.
Restore Factory Defaults: Click this button to remove all of your custom settings and return to the default settings furnished with your DAZ Studio installation. This will reset all startup dialogs and remove content directories from the preferences.
After you complete your Interface Preferences settings, use one of the three buttons at the bottom of the dialog:
- Click Apply to set the settings for the current preference tab; the Preferences dialog remains open so that you can set other preferences.
- Click Accept to exit the dialog immediately.
- Click Cancel to exit the Preferences dialog and discard any unsaved changes.

Setting Scene Preferences

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Setting Scene Preferences

To set the Scene Preferences, choose Edit > Preferences to open the Preferences dialog and click on the Scene tab to enable it.

The Scene tab has the following options:

Default Scene: Sets whether to open a default scene or not when DAZ Studio is launched. Choose None to load an empty scene using the program defaults or Browse for Scene to locate and select a default scene to load. Useful if you have a particular lighting and camera setup you like to use when creating scenes.
Default Scene on “New”: Sets whether to open a default scene or not when a new document is created. Choose None to load an empty scene using the program defaults or Browse for Scene to locate and select a default scene to load. Useful if you have a particular lighting and camera setup you like to use when creating scenes.
Create a Default Camera on “New”: When enabled, will create a default camera when a new document is created. This is in addition to any cameras loaded using the default scene.
Ignore Viewport Background Colors on “Open”: When enabled, will ignore the saved background color in the scene file and use the current scene background color.
Record Viewport Background Colors on “Save”: When enabled, saves the current background color with the saved scene file so that when it is re-opened, it will have the background colors you set.
When importing a Pose that does not obey limits: Sets preferences on how to handle pose limits.
- Ask Me: When selected, will ask you what you want to do.
- Always turn off limits: When selected, will always turn limits off.
- Always obey limits: When selected, will always obey limits.
After you complete your Interface Preferences settings, use one of the three buttons at the bottom of the dialog:
- Click Apply to set the settings for the current preference tab; the Preferences dialog remains open so that you can set other preferences.
- Click Accept to exit the dialog immediately.
- Click Cancel to exit the Preferences dialog and discard any unsaved changes.

Setting Startup Preferences

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Setting Startup Preferences

To set the Startup Preferences, choose Edit > Preferences to open the Preferences dialog and click on the Startup tab to enable it.

Show tutorial videos dialog when DAZ Studio starts: When selected, displays the tutorial dialog when Studio is started. To not show this dialog, deselect this option.
Show plugin registration dialog when DAZ Studio starts: When selected, if any installed plug-ins have not yet been registered, the Plug-in Registration dialog will be displayed when DAZ studio is started. To not show the dialog on startup, deselect this option.
Load the startup scene when DAZ Studio starts: When selected, loads the included startup scene when Studio is started. Selecting a default scene to load on the Scene tab overrides this option.

Working with Props

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Working with Props

Props are only conceptually different from figures, hair, or clothing, They can contain a hierarchy of bones such as figures do, have multiple surfaces, and may also have morph targets depending on the content creator or any add-ons made for it. Props add context, interest, and realism to your scenes.

The figure below shows all of the props in a scene in false color with their texture maps removed, all sitting on an artificial grid. In most cases, props add a sense of completeness to a scene. Every scene or need is however different, and there are exceptions to every rule.

Working with Objects

In DAZ Studio, when you add an object to a scene, that object will appear at its originally created size, at the global origin with the local origin and axes matching their global counterparts. That’s great for getting started, but your scenes would soon get pretty dull unless you could move and position your objects. In a real photo studio, moving, positioning, and aiming people, props, lights, etc. is a time-consuming chore. In DAZ Studio, you can do all this with a few mouse clicks.

There are several ways to position and aim objects in your scenes. Simply select the proper tool, then click and drag the object you want to move.

Global vs. Local Coordinates

In DAZ Studio, the center of the virtual universe is the global origin. Each object also has its own local origin. It’s important to remember that an object’s local origin and axes remain the same no matter where the object is located or oriented relative to the global origin and axes.

To explain how Global coordinates and Local coordinates differ, take a look at the figure below.

Person A is standing still on a sidewalk. Person B is walking down the same sidewalk, and eventually walks by Person A. Two situations are true, depending on the situation of who is viewing the scene:

Person A, who is standing still, sees Person B moving as he walks by her.
Person B, who is walking, sees Person A moving as he walks by her.

Now, let’s say that Person A and Person B are both six feet tall. Person A is looking at the head of Person B, which is 6 feet from the ground. From her perspective, she sees the head move from XYZ coordinates (-10,6,0) to (10,6,0).

But what she is seeing are a couple of different things in combination:

The feet of Person B are considered his local origin (his own personal 0,0,0 coordinate).
His feet take him where he wants to go, moving him from the left (-10,0,0) to the right (10,0,0) in the scene, making these the global coordinates.
His head is six feet above his local origin. This makes the local coordinates of his head (0,6,0).
As Person watches the head move by, what she is looking at is the combination of Person B’s global and local coordinates. The feet move from XYZ coordinates (-10,0,0) to (10,0,0), but the head (six feet above the global coordinates) moves at (-10,6,0) to (10,0,0).

Separating the global and local origins may seem complicated, but it actually makes life a lot easier when creating scenes for reasons we’ll explore in the next section. Best of all, DAZ Studio handles the local coordinate calculations for you, so there’s less work involved on your part.

Click on the links below for more on working with props:

Bend

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Bend

When a poseable figure is created, the joints of the figure are set to create a smooth transition from one joint to another when the figure is posed. This transition is controlled by the Bend parameter.

The Bend parameter is On by default, which creates a smooth transition between the connecting joints. The example on the left in the figure below shows a leg pose where the shin is bent backward. The Bend parameter of the thigh is On in this example.

When you turn the Bend setting Off on the thigh, the smooth transition is removed and you see a break in the transition between the thigh and the shin, as shown on the right in the figure. Though not practical for organic figures (such as humans or animals), this setting is useful when you want to create poseable figures that do not bend smoothly from one joint to another. For example, if you are creating a robot that is jointed in a manner where the body parts are made of separate pieces of metal, it might be beneficial to turn the Bend parameter Off.

Local and Figure Favorites

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Local and Figure Favorites

On the Parameters tab, it is possible to save specific parameters as either a figure or local favorite. Local favorites are available only when the applicable body part is selected, while figure favorites are available no matter what body part is selected.

For example, if there is a parameter you use constantly for a body part, it can be saved as a local favorite. If there is a parameter you use frequently that requires you to continually change which body part is selected, you can save that parameter as a figure favorite.

To save a parameter as a favorite:

Select the body part containing the parameter to add to the favorites.
Right-click on the parameter and choose to add it to the Local or Figure Favorites. Select multiple parameters using Shift+click or Ctrl+click.

The parameter will be added to the selected favorites.

Figure favorites will now be visible no matter what body part is selected.

If multiple parameters are added to the figure favorites, the parameters will be organized by body part.

To add a paramater from the local favorites to the figure favorites

Right-click on the parameter in the local favorites that is to be moved to the figure favorites. Select multiple parameters using Shift+click or Ctrl+click.
Choose Add Selected Properties to Figure Favorites from the menu.

The selected parameter(s) will be added to the Figure Favorites.

To remove a parameter from favorites:

Right-click on the parameter either in the favorites or in the original parameter listing. Select multiple parameters using Shift+click or Ctrl+click.
Choose Remove Selected Properties from Figure Favorites or Remove Selected Properties from Local Favorites from the menu depending on which favorites panel the parameter is in.

The selected parameter(s) will be removed from the selected favorites section.

Fit To

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Fit To

If you followed the earlier tutorials, you learned that the Fit To parameter “attaches” a poseable figure (such as clothing) to another poseable figure (such as a human figure).

To use the Fit To parameter, select the object that you want to attach. Then use the Fit To drop-down menu to select the item in the scene that will wear or have that object attached. The object that is fitted should automatically follow the pose of the object that it is fitted to. Note, however, that in order for clothing to properly fit and follow a character, it must be specifically created to fit that character (for example, clothing made for Victoria 3 won’t work perfectly on Victoria 4 and vice-versa). If joint parameters are different between the clothing and the figure, the clothing won’t exactly follow the pose of the figure.

Hip Type

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Hip Type

Some DAZ and third-party assets support geometry swapping at the hip, where you can substitute one type of hip for another. The most common usage for this is to turn genitalia on and off for humanoid figures by swapping the hip geometry. If the figure supports it, you will see a button in the Parameters tab to give you the option to change hip types for the given figure.

Menus and Buttons

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Menus and Buttons

Different objects may have drop-down menus, buttons, or both. For example:

Drop-down menus appear when you might have multiple choices. For example, when you use the Fit To parameter, you see a drop-down menu in the Parameters pane. This allows you to select an object that you can fit the current object to.
When you can turn a parameter On or Off, you see a button that enables you to do so. Checking a given checkbox enables the listed function, and vice-versa. For example, most objects have a Visibility button that allows you to toggle that object’s visibility on and off.

Morphs

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Morphs

Morphs are parameters that change the shape of an object. For example, many figures have morphs that will change their default body shape to make them lighter, heavier, more muscular, and so on. Other morphs in the face can make the figure smile, close their eyes, or add ethnicity.

Clothing objects often have morphs built in to them to match morphs that are included with figures. In addition, you can also see morphs in scenery props so that you can create hills and valleys in the land.

Each morph has its own parameter dial as shown below and you can use more than one morph in combination to arrive at the shape you desire. You can animate morph changes by setting a morph dial to one value in one frame of the animation and changing the value in a later frame. The state of the morph will transition from one state to another in the in-between frames.

Mouse-Over Sliders

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Mouse-Over Sliders

The Mouse-over Sliders feature provides the ability to hide property sliders until needed. This saves room on the tab and allows you to see more parameters at once.

To use the mouse-over sliders:

In the Parameters tab, select Mouse-Over Slider from the Options menu.
Expand any group with sliders in the Parameters tab (morphs, transforms, favorites) so the properties are visible. The slider will be “missing” from the properties with only the label and value visible.
Mouse over the property label to bring up the slider and adjust it by dragging the slider button or enter a value in the numeric field.
When you move off the property, the slider will disappear from the tab.

The Numeric Parameter Settings Dialog

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The Numeric Parameter Settings Dialog

When you double-click the name of a parameter that has a numeric value associated with it, the Parameter Settings dialog shown below opens.

This dialog allows you to set the following options:

Name: Displays the name for the parameter. To change the name, select the text with your cursor and type a new name in the field.
Hidden: Determines whether or not the object is visible in the scene. Click to toggle the setting from No (which makes the object visible) to Yes (which hides the object).
Locked: Determines whether or not you are able to make changes to the parameter. Click to toggle the setting from No (which allows changes) to Yes (which prevents changes from occurring).
Value: Displays the current setting for the parameter. To change the setting, highlight the current setting and enter a new one.
Respect Limits: Determines whether or not the current parameter will remain within the minimum and maximum limits that are set for it. Click the setting to change from Yes (which keeps the parameter within the limits) or No (which allows you to set the parameter beyond its limits).
Min Limit: Sets the minimum allowable value for the parameter dial. When the Respect Limits setting (above) is set to Yes, DAZ Studio does not allow the minimum value to extend beyond this limit.
Max Limit: Sets the maximum allowable value for the parameter dial. When the Respect Limits setting (above) is set to Yes, DAZ Studio does not allow the maximum value to extend beyond this limit.
Display As: Click this field to toggle display units between Value (for a numeric value) or Percent (for a percentage value).
Sensitivity: The Sensitivity field functions in one of two ways:
- On a slider with limits, the Sensitivity value is the increment used each time you click a Nudge arrow.
- On a slider without limits, the Sensitivity value sets both the Nudge arrow increments and the rate of change when you click and drag the slider.
Controllers: Informs you whether or not there are external controllers that are linked to the parameter.

After you make your changes, click the Accept button to save them and close the dialog. Click the Cancel button to discard the changes and close the dialog. The Parameter Settings dialog will vary in appearance depending on the type of parameter you selected:

Tab Options Menu

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Tab Options Menu

Clicking the Parameter Options button opens the Parameter tab Options menu, which contains the following options:

Memorize: Opens a submenu of options that allow temporary storage of selected parameter settings. You can memorize the state of an entire figure, a pose, morphs, selected items, or transforms (position).
Restore: The complement menu for Memorize. The Restore options allow you to recall the settings you have previously memorized.
Zero: Allows you to set all visible dial settings to Zero for selected object(s). To completely zero all dial settings, including those of invisible dials, for the selected object, press Ctrl then select Zero from the options menu. You can zero the dial settings for an entire figure, a pose, morphs, selected items, or transforms.

Clear Animation: Allows you to clear the animation for a figure, pose, transforms, morphs, or selected items.
Limits: Allows you to turn limits on or off for the selected items.
Lock: Selecting Lock opens a sub-menu where you can select the items to lock into place. This is helpful in preventing accidental changes in your scene, especially when you have worked hard on locations and poses. You can lock or unlock the currently selected node(s), morphs, or transforms. When items are locked, a padlock icon appears beside the settings you cannot change.
Symmetry: Selecting Symmetry opens the Symmetry dialog. Refer to “Posing and Moving Figures” for more information on the Symmetry feature.
Move to Floor: Raises or lowers the selected item to match its local Y origin to the scene’s global Y origin. For most items, this places the bottom of the item at floor level, though it depends on where the content creator placed the item’s Y origin.
Show Hidden Properties: Allows you to view parameters that are not normally shown for a specific item. You can view them, but the dials will be grayed-out and not changeable.
Mouse-Over Sliders: Hides parameter sliders until the parameter is “moused over.” See “Mouse-Over Sliders” for more on using this feature.
Group Parameters: Opens the Group Parameters dialog, where you can add and rename your own sub-groups beneath the General, Misc, and Morph groups in the Parameters tab. Requires installation of the Parameters Organizer plug-in to view and use.
Hide Unused Properties: Most helpful when a figure or prop contains many morph dials. This option hides all dials that have a setting of zero, allowing you to view only the morphs you have used to shape your character or other morphable objects.
Close: Closes the Parameters tab. To reopen it, choose View > Tabs > Parameters.

Setting Parameters

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Setting Parameters

Each parameter has a numeric value indicator that tells you its current setting. You can use sliders, nudge icons, or numerical entries to modify the setting.

When you adjust the settings, be aware of the type of dial you are changing, and what the numbers represent:

Transforms are expressed in units of measurement
Rotations are expressed in degrees, plus or minus 0 to 360 for full rotation in either direction. The same is true of rotation dials that have been renamed Twist, Front-Back, Up-Down, Side-Side, and so on.
Scales are expressed in percentages, with 100% being the original size of the object.
Morph dials are either expressed as 100% being the full morphed value, or 1 being the full morphed value. You can also dial negative values to reverse the morph. A value of 0 means that the morph has no effect on your object.

NOTE! If the Limits option is turned on in the Tab Options menu, you may be unable to exceed (or even reach) the maximum or minimum range that a parameter dial displays. One reason to keep limits on is that results will begin to get unpredictable when values are set too high.

To set parameters, use one of the following methods. These options are shown in the figure below.

Sliders: The quickest way to set a parameter’s value is to use the slider. Clicking and dragging the slider to the left lowers the parameter’s value, and vice-versa. This is a quick and easy way to make rough settings. Sliders can also be set to only show when the cursor is over the property label. See “Mouse-Over Sliders” for more information on using this option.
Nudge Icons: The + (plus) and &endash; (minus) icons at the end of each slider allow you to increase or decrease the parameter’s value by a small amount. Click the minus sign to lower the value, and the plus sign to increase the value.
Numeric Entry: Right-click the numeric value in any parameter. This displays an editable field in which you can enter an exact value. This provides even finer control than the Nudge arrows. After you enter your desired value, press Enter to set it. If you enter a value outside the parameter’s allowed limits, then the appropriate limit will be applied.

Parameters vs. Morphs

2011-11-01T17:40:05+00:00

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Parameters vs. Morphs

At face value, parameters and morphs seem similar if not identical. There are, however, several key differences:

In general, parameters deal with object translation, rotation, and scale. Additionally, parameters are based on an item’s type (such as a light) and sub-type (a specific kind of light). For example, all lights have intensity controls that allow you to dim and brighten them. Spotlights have rotation parameters, but Point Lights do not.
Morphs involve specific deformations applied to items in a scene that are otherwise known as mesh objects. These deformations are specifically created for a given item, and are only available when installed and the correct item is selected in your scene.

TIP! While different, parameters and morphs share the same types of interface controls within DAZ Studio. For simplicity, we will use the term “parameters” in this chapter to mean both general parameters and morphs.

Point At

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Point At

The Point At parameter points any object toward another object. For example, you can use the Point At feature to point a camera toward an object, or point a character’s eyes toward a camera or another figure or object in your scene.

To use the Point At feature, select the object you want to point. Then use the Point At drop-down menu to select the figure, object, or body part.

To have an object no longer point at another object, select the object then select “None” from the Point At drop-down menu.

Rotations

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Rotations

You can rotate any type of object in your scene, with the exception of point lights, seeing as they shine light in all directions. Translations and scales are somewhat obvious when it comes time to make adjustments. You move an object on the X axis to move it left or right, and scale the object along the X axis to widen it. You can also rotate objects along their X, Y, and/or Z axes, but a bit of explanation is needed to explain how rotation works.

The easiest way to explain rotation is to compare it to a pair of tires on an axle, examples of which are shown in the figure below The axle is the axis of rotation, and the tires rotate in the direction that is perpendicular to the axis. For example, when the front of the car is facing directly toward you, the axle is running left to right along the X axis. The tires rotate front to back.

Now, let’s say the car is tipped over on its side, so that the axle runs up and down along the Y axis, and the bottom of the car is facing toward you. The only way the tires can turn in this case is side to side (or left to right).

Let’s turn the car again, so that the axle is running front to back, along the X axis. You are looking at the car from its side. Now, you see the tires turn clockwise or counter-clockwise.

This is precisely how rotation works in the 3D world. The axis of rotation is fixed along the X, Y, or Z axes, in the same way that the tires are in the previous figure. As you try to determine which of the three parameters will properly rotate your object, think of the axis as being the “fixed” direction. To summarize, the settings shown below work as follows:

The X Rotation (sometimes abbreviated xrot) parameter fixes object along the X-axis (left to right). Objects rotate front to back.
The Y Rotation (or yrot) parameter fixes the object along the Y-axis (up and down). Objects rotate side to side (or left to right).
The Z Rotation (or zrot) parameter fixes the object along the X axis (front to back), and rotates objects clockwise or counter-clockwise.

NOTE! When a figure contains bones, as is the case with humans, animals, and poseable clothing, you will sometimes see the rotation parameters listed in more friendly terms: Twist, Bend, Side-Side, Up-Down, Front-Back, and so on.

Scale

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Scale

Use the parameter dials in the Scale section when you want to increase or decrease the size of an object:

Scale: Scales the selected objects equally in all directions.
xScale: Scales the selected objects along the X (left to right) axis, making the object wider or narrower.
yScale: Scales the selected objects along the Y (up and down) axis, making the object shorter or taller.
zScale: Scales the selected objects along the Z (front to back) axis, making the object deeper or shallower.

Cast Shadows

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Cast Shadows

By default, when you add an object to your scene, it is set to cast shadows when shadow-casting lights are present in your scene. There may be instances when you do not want an object to cast a shadow at all. In those cases, select the object and turn its Cast Shadows parameter off.

The Toggle Parameter Settings Dialog

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The Toggle Parameter Settings Dialog

When you double-click a parameter that has a toggle value associated with it (such as On/Off, Yes/No) the Parameter Settings dialog shown below appears.

The following settings are found in this dialog:

Name: Displays the name for the parameter. To change the name, select the text with your cursor and type a new name in the field.
Hidden: Determines whether or not the object is visible in the scene. Click to toggle the setting from No (which makes the object visible) to Yes (which hides the object).
Locked: Determines whether or not you are able to make changes to the parameter. Click to toggle the setting from No (which allows changes) to Yes (which prevents changes from occurring).
Value: Displays the current setting for the parameter. Click the current value to toggle to the other state.
Controllers: Informs you whether or not there are external controllers that are linked to the parameter.

Translations

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Translations

Translations are used to move the objects in your scene. These parameters are common to all object types: figures, bones, props, lights, and cameras.

Translations occur along the X, Y, and Z axes as follows:

The X Translation (sometimes abbreviated xTrans) parameter moves the selected object along the X-axis, which runs left to right on your screen.
The Y Translation (or yTrans) parameter moves the selected object along the Y axis, which runs up and down on your screen.
The Z Translation (or zTrans) parameter moves the selected object along the X axis, which runs backward and forward on your screen.

Visible, Visible in Render, and Selectable

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Visible, Visible in Render, and Selectable

The Visible, Visible in Render, and Selectable parameters determine whether or not you can see an object in your scene, and whether or not you can select the object.

The Visible parameter comes in handy for cases such as the following:

You have many objects in your scene and you need to hide an object that obstructs the view of another object that you want to change. Select the object that is obstructing your view, and turn the Visible setting off.
You pose your character and find that skin pokes through the clothing in extreme poses. If you can’t find morph dials that remedy the pokethrough issues, select the offending body part on the character, and turn its Visible setting off.

The Visible in Render parameter makes it possible to hide objects during rendering but still be visible in the scene as you are working. This is useful for things such as body handles and nodes you don't want to see in your scene but don't want to keep changing the opacity back and forth; and for body parts that are behind other objects and don't need to be visible.

For example, below is a hair style with body handles and glasses. The top body handle, the bottom center body handle, and the glasses were selected and Visible in Render set to Off. When rendered, those objects will not be rendered but when you return to the OpenGL view, they'll be visible again and ready to be adjusted as needed.

The Selectable parameter is helpful when you have spent a lot of time arranging your scene or posing a character and you want to prevent accidental changes from occurring. When the Selectable parameter is off, DAZ Studio does not allow any parameter changes to be made to the object.

Puppeteer

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Puppeteer

This section has been moved to Puppeteer.

Rendering With Depth of Field

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Rendering With Depth of Field

To render with Depth of Field, refer to the section on working with cameras to place the objects between the two DOF planes. Make sure DOF is enabled, change views to the camera, and render.

The Render Settings Window

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The Render Settings Window

The Render Settings window appears when you select Render > Render Settings. Once you have made your selections, you have the following options:

To render an image using your current settings, click the Render button.
To save your settings without rendering an image, click the Accept button.
To exit the window, click the Cancel button.

By default, this window contains two tabs: General and Advanced.

General Tab

The General tab is where you set the following basic rendering options:

Speed: The slider at the top of this tab allows you to select Fast-Time Render (fast render with lower quality), Software Render (slow render with high-quality) or anywhere in between. Click and drag the slider to your selected value. You can also use the arrows at either end of the slider to nudge the value up or down as desired.
Style: The Style drop-down list allows you to choose between normal render and cartoon-style render.
Dimensions: The Dimensions section is where you select both the desired rendering resolution in pixels and the desired aspect ratio (ratio of render width to height). You have the following options:
- Presets: The Presets pull-down menu allows you to select your desired aspect ratio from the following list of commonly used options:
  - Active Viewport: Render dimensions are the same as the viewport dimensions/ aspect ratio.
  - Custom: Select this if you want to come up with your own Aspect Ratio and Pixel Dimensions.
  - Display Standard: 4:3 aspect ratio. This is the standard used by most TV sets.
  - Display Wide: 5:4 aspect ratio.
  - Widescreen: 16:9 aspect ratio. This is the standard used by most cinematic releases.
  - Square: 1:1 aspect ratio.
  - Academy Flat: 1.85:1 aspect ratio.
  - Anamorphic Scope: 2.35:1. This is used by some high-end cinematic releases.
  - Panorama/Cinemascope: 8:3 aspect ratio
  - QTVR Panorama: 13:4 aspect ratio
  - Letter (17:22)
  - Legal (17:28)
  - ISO Paper - Portrait (1:1.4142)
  - ISO Paper - Landscape (1.4142:1)
  - Photo/35mm Slide/VistaVision (3:2)
  - Super 8 mm (27:20)
  - 16 mm (18:13)
  - Super 16 mm (5:3)
  - 65mm (11:4)
  - IMAX (10:7)
  - 70mm (46:21)
  - Techniscope (47:20)
- Pixel Dimensions: Enter your desired render size (in pixels) in the text fields in width x height format. If you have selected a preset or have Constrain Proportions checked, entering one value will adjust the other value to preserve the selected aspect ratio.
- Aspect Ratio: Enter your desired aspect ratio in the fields in width:height format. For example, if you select 4:3, the render will be 4 pixels wide for every 3 pixels high.
- Constrain Proportions: Checking the Constrain Proportions checkbox forces the selected aspect ratio to remain identical. Values will automatically adjust to preserve your selected setting. Clearing this checkbox allows you to set any dimensions/aspect ratio you desire.
Timeline: Options in the Timeline section determine whether you are going to render a still image or an animation.
- To render a still image, choose the frame you want to render and check the Still Image (Current Frame) option.
- To render an animation, check the Make Movie option, and enter the range of frames that you want to render. The Start Frame field should display the first frame you want to render, and the End Frame field should display the number of the last frame you want to render.
Render To: The Render To options allow you to specify where to output renders. Your available options are:
- Active Viewport: Checking the Active Viewport checkbox renders images to the active viewport. Images rendered to the viewport will occupy the height and width of the viewport. If you have an orthogonal camera selected, you will get an orthogonal render. Rendered images will be the same size as the currently active viewport.
- New Window: Checking the New Window checkbox will make your renders appear in a separate window.
- File: Checking the File checkbox saves rendered images directly to an image file on your hard drive instead of to your screen. If this option is selected, you must also select a filename or render to the currently displayed filename. To select a new filename, click the “…” button to open a standard Browse dialog, which allows you to select your desired folder and filename to save the new rendering. Clearing this checkbox disables this option. You can also specify your desired image format. DAZ Studio supports TIF, PNG, and JPG images.

Advanced Tab

The Advanced tab allows you to specify the following render options:

Preview Render - OpenGL Single Pass (No Shadows): This option uses your the capabilities of your OpenGL video card to quickly render the image without visual cues, such as highlight and shadow. This option is essentially identical to a screen capture of the active viewport. Rendering in this way is much faster but not as realistic. If you experience any issues with OpenGL, try updating your video card drivers with those provided by the manufacturer. Please refer to your video card’s documentation for instructions on how to update the drivers.
Hardware Assisted Render - OpenGL Multi-Pass: This option also utilizes your video card’s OpenGL capabilities to create the final render. OpenGL uses dedicated rendering hardware on your video card to render images. The central processor on a 3D accelerated video card (often known as a Graphics Processing Unit, or “GPU”) is specially designed to render polygons, textures, etc. In other words, it is specifically designed to create images based on everything in your DAZ Studio scenes. This level of specialization plus your video card’s on-board high-speed RAM (up to 256MB and beyond for the high-end professional cards) makes OpenGL much faster than standard software renders.
- Use OpenGL Shader (GLSL): A software render uses an application that instructs your computer’s main CPU how to perform the calculations needed for rendering. This combined with system bottlenecks such as virtual memory and RAM speeds can greatly lengthen the time require to render any given scene. There are two ways to achieve this: With or without DAZ Studio’s internal OpenGL shader. Without it, you will get a render that runs 8 passes (calculations) per light, and a general render quality. With the OpenGL Shader, you have finer control over how your render is accomplished by specifying how many passes occur per light by adjusting the Passes per Light slider.
Use Software (3Delight): This option bypasses OpenGL (and the acceleration on your video card) and calculates the render entirely by your computer’s CPU. This type of rendering takes more time, but has the most accuracy and the best results. It is also the only option open to those who are running DAZ Studio on a card that does not have sufficient OpenGL capabilities. There are three options in this menu:
- Bucket Order: Allows you to select the order in which pixels are rendered. Your available options are Horizontal (top to bottom), Vertical (left to right), Spiral (center to corners), Circle (center outwards), and Zig-Zag.
- Bucket Size: This allows you to select how much information the renderer will tackle at any one time. You can set the bucket size higher if you have a higher-performance machine with a lot of RAM, which speeds up your renders. If you have less RAM than recommended or want to make DAZ Studio appear more responsive during a render, lower the bucket size.
- Maximum Ray Trace Depth: Lets you determine how many times you want a “ray” being traced to bounce off reflective/refractive surfaces before being discarded for calculation by the render engine. Setting it low will speed up the render time, but lowers the overall accuracy of the results. Raising it above default will increase the accuracy, but will slow down the renderer.
- Pixel Samples: Determines how detailed the edges of objects are and how the soft blur for depth of field is rendered on the X and Y-axes.
- Shadow Samples: Determines quality of the depth lookup estimate. The higher the setting, the smoother the edge of the shadow.
- Gain / Gamma: Gain and Gamma are executed on every pixel in the formula: finalPixel = (curentPixel * Gain)^(1/Gamma). Users who wish to understand this feature should read about the RiExposure call in the Renderman spec.
- Shading Rate: Determines the quality of and speed control during the render process. The lower the value, the higher the quality and the slower the render. Default setting is 1.0.
- Pixel Filter: These are the filter types used on the pixels in the final render. Read more about the specific ones in the Renderman Spec. Sinc is the default in Studio and gives a nice sharp image.
- Pixel Filter Width X,Y: The number of pixels for X,Y that the pixel filter should use. The defaults for Sinc should be 6,6.
- Render to RIB: When selected, activates the controls to save the current shaders, etc. to a RenderMan v6 compliant RIB file. Once this option is activated, you can click on the Browse button to navigate to where the file is to be saved and to name the file.
  - Keep Shadows: When selected, will save the shadow map files to the DAZ Studio temp folder.
  - Collect and Localize: When selected, will create a sub-folder in the same folder the RIB file is being saved to, then collect the necessary files into the sub-folder. This will also add a copy of the RIB file into the sub-folder with localized pathnames while the RIB file in the main folder will not be localized.
  - Shading rate - Determines the quality of and speed control during the render process. The lower the value, the higher the quality and the slower the render. Default setting is 1.0.

Speeding Up Your Renders

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Speeding Up Your Renders

When rendering, DAZ Studio takes the raw information from your scene and passes it through your render settings to the 3Delight or OpenGL rendering engines for the final result. Translating all of the 2D and 3D mapping information into individual pixels requires significant computing resources. The actual amount varies by scene complexity: the more items or custom settings and high resolution components you have in your scene (shadows, reflections, high-resolution textures, etc.), the more resources are required and the longer the rendering takes. DAZ Studio is designed to use your computer’s resources as efficiently as possible and we are constantly looking for ways to achieve even greater performance. That said, your scene and your computer are always the largest factors that affect rendering times.

If your render is taking too long for your comfort, there are several things you can do to optimize performance. In order of preference, these steps include:

Remove some items from your scene. Lights and multiple shadow settings are particularly costly in terms of required computing resources.
Turn off shadows. Shadows require extensive computer resources.
Add RAM to your computer. Your computer uses its hard drive as virtual memory, which behaves like additional RAM and expands the total available memory. The only problem with this is that your hard drive is much slower than your regular memory since the computer must read and write data to the hard drive just like any other file. Adding more RAM reduces the need for virtual memory, which can greatly speed up rendering times. The Macintosh platform is particularly responsive to increases in RAM.
You should check to see if your computer’s RAM is the best fit for your computer’s specifications. Oftentimes even the large manufacturers put in lower-specification RAM to save money. You may be able to simply replace the RAM you have with higher-specification memory and get noticeable improvements (e.g. replacing PC2100 DDR RAM with PC-2700, or PC-3200 and better if you motherboard supports it.)
Upgrade your computer’s CPU if your motherboard can support it. Faster CPUs can process more data in any given amount of time. If your computer has insufficient RAM however, the faster CPU will simply spend more time waiting for information instead of processing the render, which doesn’t do you too much good.

Spot Renders

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Spot Renders

If you want to see how part of your scene will look but don’t want to wait for the whole thing to render, choose Tools > Spot Render or click on the Spot Render button on the main Render tab, then click and drag a rectangle in your active viewport around the area you wish to render. As soon as you release the mouse button, it will render the area you selected.

Rendering

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Rendering

As we’ve mentioned elsewhere in this manual, rendering is the act of taking a virtual photograph of your scene. You can do this at any time using any available default view or custom camera. When rendering, DAZ Studio takes everything in your scene into account, including:

locations of figures and objects
figure poses
light locations, types, and settings such as type, color, intensity, location, rotation, etc.
surface settings including all colors and maps
camera location and settings
render settings

About the DAZ Studio Renderer

DAZ Studio uses 3Delight, a fast and powerful RenderMan®-complaint renderer that supports many advanced features such as:

Programmable shaders for surfaces, displacement, lights, volumetrics, and images
Camera controls such as depth of field and motion blur
Atmospheric effects
Ray tracing
Antialiasing
Fully optimized for Windows and Mac OSX

Click on the links below to learn more about using the Renderer:

Saving & Loading Custom Interface Layouts

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Saving & Loading Custom Interface Layouts

Saving Custom Interface Layouts

After you rearrange your interface, it’s a good idea to save your custom layout. You might also find that it is convenient to create several different interface layouts. For example, you might create a layout for when you are putting your scenes together, and then prefer a different layout when you are posing your figures.

To save a custom layout, choose the View > Interface Layout > Save Layout As command. The Save Layout As dialog prompts you to assign a name to your new layout. By default, the layout is saved into the Studio > Scripts > Layouts folder as a DAZ Script.

Loading Custom Interface Layouts

Any time you want to switch to an interface layout that is saved onto your hard drive, choose View > Interface Layout > Select Layout, and select a layout from the dialog that appears. Click Apply or Accept to use the layout you select.

For reference, the custom layouts that you create are saved into the Studio > Scripts > Layouts folder by default.

Spotlights

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Spotlights

Selecting Create > New Spotlight allows you to create a new Spotlight in your scene. A Spotlight is a directional light that covers an adjustable area in the shape of a cone, such as a flashlight.

Spotlights emit a cone of light in a certain direction. You can control the direction and width of the cone in degrees. As mentioned above, the difference between spot lights and point lights can be hard to see from certain angles. The main thing to remember is that spot lights only cast light in their specified cones. Objects outside those cones do not receive any direct illumination. The image shows an example of a spot light shining down onto the object from above and o the side.

Spotlight Parameters

In addition to the default parameters, each Spotlight has the following parameters to control the light cone which is the visible wireframe showing where the light's influence will be. The blue line in the cone is the Line of Sight showing the direct line to where the most light is concentrated.

Light

Spread Angle: Controls the width of the cone of light projected by the Spotlight in degrees. Spotlights spread a cone of light that widens with distance. This cone is aligned with the light’s rotation. This parameter specifies the cone’s total width. For example, if you specify 40 degrees, the light cone will project 20 degrees to all sides of the centerline for a total of 40 degrees.

Display / Scene View

Display Persistance: This toggle determines whether the light wireframes are visible even when the light is not selected. When placing objects in the scene, setting this toggle to On will make it easier to place objects where needed. Toggle to Off to set the camera wireframes to invisible when the camera is not selected.
Light Cone: These parameters set the options for the light cone wireframe.
- Ray Length: Determines the length of the ray wireframe. This is useful for finding where an object lies within the light's influence.
- Opacity Scale: Adjusts the scale of the Ray Opacity allowing a greater variation in opacity. For example, if the ray opacity is set to 75%, then an opacity scale of 25% would be lighter than if the opacity scale was 75%.
- Ray Opacity: In conjunction with the Opacity Scale, determines the opacity of the rays when viewing in OpenGL.
Light Base
- Show Base: Determines if the base of the light cone is visible or not.
- Base Opacity: Sets the opacity of the base. Useful when placing objects within the influence of the light cone.
- Show Edge: Determines if the edge around the base is visible or not.
- Edge Opacity: Sets the opacity of the visible base edge.

Ambient (Shadow) Channel

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Ambient (Shadow) Channel

Ambient color is frequently used in 3D graphics to compensate for the fact that lighting in 3D environments only approximates real-world lighting. As a result, your materials frequently require additional parameters and adjustments to obtain the most realistic results when you render them.

The easiest way to define ambient color is to consider what color the object would be when there is absolutely no light shining upon it. In most cases, the ambient color is black, since you usually require light in order to see color. There are exceptions to this rule, particularly for surfaces that are self-illuminating such as a neon light or the light from a firefly’s torso.

DAZ Studio allows you to assign Ambient color in the Basic or Advanced sub-tab with black as the default ambient color. Take some time to experiment with how this setting affects your materials.

Basic

The following settings appear in the Basic sub-tab for the Shadow/Ambient channel.

Shadow|Ambient: Click on the Color Selector to open a standard Color Picker and select any color to set as the ambient color, with one precaution: The brighter your ambient color, the more it will appear as though it is self-illuminating. While you can use colors other than black, your objects will appear more realistic if you don’t stray far from black when selecting your ambient color.

Advanced

The Ambient channel controls the surface color in the absence of illumination. You have the following options when working with this channel.

Ambient Color: Click on the Color Selector to open a standard Color Picker and select any color to set as the ambient color, using the same precautions mentioned for the Basic sub-tab above.
Ambient Color Image Menu: To assign a texture map to the Ambient Color channel, click on the field to display a menu where you can select a texture from the list or browse for a new texture. If no texture is assigned, an arrow will be available to the right of the color selector. A menu prompts you to browse for a new image and displays images that are already present in your scene.
Ambient Strength: This slider adjusts the strength of the ambient color in the material. 0% removes the ambient color entirely, making the object appear flat and lifeless. 100% applies the ambient color at its full value.
Ambient Strength Image Menu: To assign a texture map to the Ambient Strength channel, click on the field to display a menu where you can select a texture from the list or browse for a new texture. If no texture is assigned, an arrow will be available to the right of the color selector. A menu prompts you to browse for a new image and displays images that are already present in your scene. Grayscale images are usually used for this purpose.

Bump Channel

2011-11-01T17:41:11+00:00

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Bump Channel

The Bump channel controls the surface roughness, giving the surface the illusion of being bumpy. Bump channels only affect surface normals, i.e., the geometry that faces the camera. As a result, the edges of the surface still appear smooth despite having bump applied. The amount of bumpiness is controlled by an image map that is usually grayscale.

You have the following options when working with this channel:

Strength: When a bump map is selected, the Bump Strength slider controls the strength of the bumps, or how rough the surface appears. A setting of 0% means that the bump map will have no effect on the surface. A setting of 100% means that the bump map will have full effect on the surface.

If no bump map is selected, i.e., the texture selector indicates “None,” then the slider will not be visible. Select a texture and the slider will be displayed.
Image Menu: To assign a texture map as a bump map, click on the field to display a menu where you can select a texture from the list or browse for a new texture. A menu prompts you to browse for a new image and displays images that are already present in your scene.
Minimum: This setting controls the minimum amount of depth that will result with the darkest areas in the bitmap image. Negative values will increase the amount of depth that you can achieve.
Maximum: This setting controls the maximum height that will result with the lightest portion of the bitmap image. Higher values offset the surface more than lower values.

TIP! While it is possible to use minimum and maximum bump at the same time and can be useful when finessing a bump impression into an object, if the numbers are equal, they will cancel each other out.

Diffuse (Color) Channel

2011-11-01T17:41:14+00:00

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Diffuse (Color) Channel

Let’s turn to a bit of theory about what the Color/Diffuse channel does …

When someone asks “What color is that?” they are referring to the diffuse color. A surface’s diffuse color is the base color that shows when pure white light strikes the surface. For human skin, this can range from a light yellowish pink to a deep brown. Most plant leaves are shades of green. Pine boards are usually a light golden brown. A mushroom is a light brown color with spatterings of a deeper brown.

In DAZ Studio, you can assign a solid color to an object but to achieve more realism, you can also assign a diffuse texture map. This map is a 2D representation of the colors in your 3D object. For example, there could be two diffuse/color maps for a mushroom, one for a light brown mushroom and another for a darker brown mushroom.

Moving on to how you assign diffuse properties, let’s take a look at the Basic and Advanced sub-tabs in the Surfaces Tab.

Basic Tab

The following settings appear in the Basic sub-tab for the Color|Diffuse channel:

Color|Diffuse: Shown by a color bar selector that displays three numbers indicating the RGB value of the currently selected diffuse color. Click on the Color Selector to open a standard Color Picker and select any color to set as the diffuse color
Image menu: The texture selector field is displayed under the color selector if a texture map or layered image file has been assigned. Click on the field to display a menu where you can select a texture from the list or browse for a new texture. If no texture is assigned, an arrow will be available to the right of the color selector. A menu prompts you to browse for a new image and displays images that are already present in your scene.

Advanced Tab

The following settings appear in the Advanced sub-tab for the Color|Diffuse channel:

Color|Diffuse: Select a color as noted under the Basic sub-tab.
Image menu: Select an image as noted under the Basic sub-tab.
Strength: This slider controls how strongly the Diffuse Color reacts to light and works in the same manner as a Parameter slider. A setting of 0% creates no response while 100% means that the color is fully responsive to light.
Diffuse Strength Image Menu: Click on the small arrow icon to the right of the Diffuse Strength slider to select a Diffuse Strength image map. If a texture is already assigned, click on the name of the image to select a new image or to remove the image. For best results, use a grayscale texture map for finer control over how your material reacts to light. Black areas in the image will be equivalent to a setting of 0%, and white areas will be equivalent to a setting of 100%. Shades of gray will be in between 0 and 100%, depending on how dark or light they are.

Displacement Channel

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Displacement Channel

The Displacement channel controls the surface roughness. While the settings are similar to those used in a Bump map, there is one key difference. Unlike the bump channel, displacement affects the underlying geometry of the surface. This means that the edges of the surface will also look rough.

You have the following options when working with the displacement channel:

Strength: When a bump map is selected, the Bump Strength slider controls the strength of the bumps, or how rough the surface appears. A setting of 0% means that the bump map will have no effect on the surface. A setting of 100% means that the bump map will have full effect on the surface.

If no displacement map is selected, i.e., the texture selector indicates “None,” then the slider will not be visible. Select a texture and the slider will be displayed.
Image Menu: To assign a grayscale texture map as a displacement map, click on the field to display a menu where you can select a texture from the list or browse for a new texture. A menu prompts you to browse for a new image and displays images that are already present in your scene.
Minimum: This setting provides a “low cutoff” setting for the lower areas of your displacement map. If the setting is too high, it can cause your geometry to appear much distorted and increases render time.
Maximum: This setting provides a “high cutoff” for the higher areas of your displacement map. If the setting is too high, it can cause your geometry to appear much distorted and increases render time.

Expanding and Collapsing

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Expanding and Collapsing

The Entire Tree

You can completely expand or collapse the scene list using the following commands in the Scene Tab Menu. The figure below shows how these options affect the display of the items in the Scene tab.

Expand All: Expands all branches and sub-branches in your scene.
Collapse All: Collapses all branches and sub-branches in your scene.

Portions of the Tree

For ease of viewing, you can expand and collapse individual branches and sub-branches in the Scene List tree:

To expand a collapsed branch, either click the + (plus sign) button next to the branch you wish to expand or double-click the name of the item you wish to expand. The branch will expand one level.
To collapse an expanded branch, either click the - (minus sign) button or double-click the name of the item you wish to collapse. Collapsing a branch will hide all sub-branch levels under the selected collapse point

NOTE! Expanding branches can cause the tree view to grow beyond your Scene tab’s vertical and/or horizontal area. If this occurs, the vertical and/or horizontal scroll bars will appear as appropriate.

Lighting Model

2011-11-01T17:41:23+00:00

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Lighting Model

A Lighting Model is a method used to calculate the effects of different shader channels in response to light.

The Lighting Model drop-down menu allows you to select your desired lighting model. Your options are:

Plastic: The Plastic lighting model has additive Specular highlights. Highlights are generally very bright and reflect the color of light projected on to it.
Metal: The Metal lighting model uses metallic (isotropic or elliptical) highlights, which are multiplied through the base surface color, thus tending to produce a slightly brighter tint of the same hue.
Skin: The Skin lighting model uses sub-surface scattering to give the appearance of a semi-translucent layer (skin) with a blue sheen and a red opaque sub layer (blood/muscle).
Glossy (Plastic): The Glossy (plastic) lighting model uses a Fresnel function to make the surface act more reflective at glancing angles. It also calculates specularity in a way that produces a more uniformly bright highlight (sharper), thus making the surface look glossy. Eyeballs are a great example.
Matte: The Matte lighting model completely ignores the Specular channel.
Glossy (Metallic): The Glossy (metallic) lighting model is similar to the Glossy (plastic) model, but the calculations are adjusted to produce a gloss that mimics the gloss of highly-polished metal.

Normal Mapping

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Normal Mapping

The Normal Mapping channel simulates surface normals on a surface. Surface normals dictate how light is reflected off of a polygon which affects self shading. A normal map changes the reflection properties of the light bouncing off of a surface as if each pixel on the surface is a separate polygon with its own surface normal direction. Currently, DAZ Studio cannot generate normal maps but it can use them if applied to a surface.

You have the following option when working with the normal mapping channel:

Normal Map: To assign a texture map as a normal map, click on the field to display a menu where you can select a texture from the list or browse for a new texture. A menu prompts you to browse for a new image and displays images that are already present in your scene.

Opacity Channel

2011-11-01T17:41:29+00:00

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Opacity Channel

Opacity measures an object’s ability to pass light rays completely through the surface. You may also see this property referred to as transparency in other 3D programs, which is the opposite of transparency: in other words, an object that is 100% opaque is 0% transparent, and an object that it 0% opaque is 100% transparent. Sheet window glass is almost completely transparent, while wood is completely opaque.

The Opacity slider in the Basic and Advanced sub-tabs allows you to specify the opacity for your currently selected surface(s). You can set the amount of opacity through sliders, or you can use opacity maps to specify an exact amount of opacity at any given location in your object. You will typically find opacity maps used to feather the edges of modeled hair, or to make eyelashes appear as fine hairs rather than as a solid object. You can also use opacity maps to create sheer fabrics with intricate patterns.

Basic Tab

The Basic sub-tab displays the following setting options for the Opacity channel.

Opacity: Use this slider to control how opaque the current material is. A setting of 0% will make the material completely transparent. A setting of 100% will make the material completely opaque
Image Menu: To assign an opacity map to your material, click on the field to display a menu where you can select a texture from the list or browse for a new texture. If no texture is assigned, the field will display “None.” A menu prompts you to browse for a new image and displays images that are already present in your scene. Opacity maps are usually grayscale images, with black designating areas that will be fully transparent and white designating areas that will be fully opaque. Any shades of gray in the image map will result in areas that are partially transparent, depending on how close they are to black or white.

Advanced Tab

The Advanced-sub-tab displays the following setting options for the Opacity Strength channel.

Opacity Strength: Use this slider to control how opaque the current material is. A setting of 0% will make the material completely transparent. A setting of 100% will make the material completely opaque.
Image Menu: To assign an opacity map to your material, cclick on the field to display a menu where you can select a texture from the list or browse for a new texture. If no texture is assigned, an arrow will be available to the right of the color selector. A menu prompts you to browse for a new image and displays images that are already present in your scene. Opacity maps are usually grayscale images, with black designating areas that will be fully transparent and white designating areas that will be fully opaque. Any shades of gray in the image map will result in areas that are partially transparent, depending on how close they are to black or white.

Options Menu

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Options Menu

An arrow appears in the upper-right corner of the Surfaces tab. Click this arrow to display a set of commands that apply to the Surfaces tab and more in particular to the Surface List.

The commands, shown in the figure, are:

Hide Surface List: Hides display of the Surface List, leaving only the Basic and Advanced sub-tabs in the Surfaces tab.
Surface List on Side: Places the Surface List on the side of the Surfaces tab.
Surface List on Top: Places the Surface List on the top of the Surfaces tab.
Do Not Sort: Prevents alphabetical sorting of the surfaces in each object in your scene.
Sort Ascending: Sorts the names of the surfaces in each of your objects in alphabetical order, from A-Z.
Sort Descending: Sorts the names of the surfaces in each of your objects in alphabetical order, from Z-A.
Expand All: Expands the tree in the Surface List so that all surface names are displayed.
Collapse All: Collapses the tree in the Surface List to display only the names of the objects in your scene.
Refresh Images: Choose this command to update the image maps in your scene after you make changes to them.
Automatically Refresh Images: When checked, this option automatically updates any changes made to the image maps in your scene. When not checked, the images will update only when you choose the Refresh Images command.
Load UV Set: Displays the Import Geometry dialog where multiple UVs can be loaded on to the selected figure. See “Multiple UVs” for more information on loading UV sets.
Use Baked Textures: When selected, will use baked textures if they are available.
Auto Bake Textures: When selected, shaders will be automatically baked in the background as you work.
Refresh Baked Textures: When selected, will update the baked textures based on changes made to the shaders, lighting, and other options.
Close: Closes the Surfaces tab.

NOTE! The Baked Textures options are only available if the Shader Baker plug-in is installed.

Scene Tab Options

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Scene Tab Options

The Scene tab Options menu appears in the upper-right corner of the Scene tab. Click the Scene tab Options button to open the Scene tab Options menu.

The commands are as follows:

Show: Allows selection of what items to show or not show in the scene. See “Showing and Hiding Items in the Scene Tab” for more on this option.
Select: Allows selection of specific content types in the scene. See “Selecting All of a Specific Content Type” for more on this option.
Sorting: Provides options for sorting content in the Scene tab. See “Sorting Content in the Scene Tab” for more on this option.
Expand/Collapse from Selection: Provides options for expanding and collapsing the scene tree from the current selection. See “Expanding and Collapsing from Selection” for more on this option.
Invert Selection: Selects all items not currently selected and deselects all currently selected items.
Parent Items in Place: A parented item attaches itself in relation to the origin and axes of the item that it is parented to. The Parent Items in Place command in the Scene tab options menu allows you to parent an object to another object, but the parented object will keep its position relative to the individual bone it is being parented to.
Close: Closes the Scene tab.

Creating Parent/Child Relationships

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Creating Parent/Child Relationships

DAZ Studio supports drag-and-drop parenting, or the creation of hierarchical parent/child relationships between items. Child nodes appear on sub-branches within the Scene tab’s tree view.

To parent one object to another:

Make sure that both the parent and child objects are in your scene. Don’t worry about positioning the child object just yet.
In the Scene tab, click and drag the child object under your desired parent object. You can parent any object to any other object or bone. For example, you can parent a baseball bat to a hand, a ring to a finger.
The child object will move so that:
- Its local origin coincides with the parent object’s origin.
- Its local axes are aligned with the parent object’s local axes.
Rotate and/or translate the child object into your desired position relative to the parent.
Child objects retain their position and alignment relative to any parent object. For example, if you parent a baseball bat to Michael’s hand and then make the same bat a child of Victoria’s hand, the bat will move so as to retain the same position relative to Victoria’s hand (distance and alignment) that it had with Michael’s hand.

Reflection Channel

2011-11-01T17:41:41+00:00

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Reflection Channel

The Reflection channel controls the surface reflection. This component controls the color that the object casts into reflected light. When you add Reflection properties to your material, either by entering a value, using an image map, or both, one of two things will happen at render time:

If you specify a reflection color map, DAZ Studio uses that map as a cubic environment map.
If you do not specify a map, DAZ Studio invokes a raytracer during rendering. The raytracer examines the surroundings of the object and reflects the environment of the scene back into the reflection on the material.

You have the following options when working with this channel:

Color: Click on the Color Selector to open a standard Color Picker and select any color to set as the reflection color for the surface. This color multiplies through any map you might apply, which means that the base color will blend through the map.
Color Image Map: To assign a texture map to control the reflection color, click on the field to display a menu where you can select a texture from the list or browse for a new texture. If no texture is assigned, an arrow will be available to the right of the color selector. A menu prompts you to browse for a new image and displays images that are already present in your scene. Reflection maps are often created from pictures of the surrounding environment. Images such as skies, clouds, or water are commonly used for reflections.
Strength: The Reflection Strength slider controls how strongly the surface geometry redirects light. A setting of 0% creates a material that has no reflective properties (such as wood). A setting of 100% creates a surface that is fully reflective (like a smooth polished mirror).
Strength Image Map: To assign a texture map to control the amount of reflection with an image mapr, click on the field to display a menu where you can select a texture from the list or browse for a new texture. If no texture is assigned, an arrow will be available to the right of the color selector. A menu prompts you to browse for a new image and displays images that are already present in your scene. Reflection maps are often created from pictures of the surrounding environment. Images such as skies, clouds, or water are commonly used for reflections. A grayscale image is usually used for this purpose, with black being equal to a setting of 0%, and white being equal to a setting of 100%.

Refraction Channel

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Refraction Channel

Light rays bend when passing through objects of differing densities. For example, light bends when it passes through air into water. Refraction makes objects appear as though they are in a different location than they really are because of the bending effect. The Refraction channel controls the surface light bending.

When you add refraction strength with a numerical value, an image map, or a combination of both, one of two things can happen at render time:

If you use a refraction map, DAZ Studio uses that map as a cubic environment map.
If you do not specify a map, DAZ Studio will invoke the raytracer to use surrounding materials in the refraction calculations.

You have the following options when working with this channel:

Color: Click on the Color Selector to open a standard Color Picker and select any color to set as the refraction color. Keep in mind that light can sometimes change color as it bends - think of white light passing through a prism. The refraction color multiplies through any map you might apply, which means that the base color will blend through the map.
Color Image Map: To assign a texture map that defines the refraction color, click on the field to display a menu where you can select a texture from the list or browse for a new texture. If no texture is assigned, an arrow will be available to the right of the color selector. A menu prompts you to browse for a new image and displays images that are already present in your scene.
Strength: The Refraction Strength slider controls how much the light bending effect, or the index of refraction, is evident. A setting of 0% means that the refraction is not visible, while 100% means that the refraction effect is fully visible
Strength Image Map: To assign a texture map to control the strength of the refraction with an image map, click on the field to display a menu where you can select a texture from the list or browse for a new texture. If no texture is assigned, an arrow will be available to the right of the color selector. A menu prompts you to browse for a new image and displays images that are already present in your scene.
Index of Refraction: This setting determines the amount of bending that occurs when light passes through the object. Higher settings create more bending. The following are some refraction indices for some common materials:
- Perfect Vacuum: 1.00000
- Air (at sea level on a calm day): 1.00029
- Ice (frozen clear ice): 1.31
- Water (at room temperature, or 20 degrees Celsius): 1.33
- Acetone: 1.36
- Sugar solution(30%): 1.38
- Sugar solution (80%): 1.49
- Sodium chloride (salt): 1.54
- Polystyrene: 1.55-1.59
- Sapphire: 1.77
- Diamond: 2.417

Renaming Objects

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Renaming Objects

You can rename objects within the Scene tab’s tree view. To do this:

Click to highlight the object that you want to rename.
Click the object again to enable an editable text field as shown below.
Enter your desired name for the selected object, then press Enter to assign the new name.

Saving Materials

2011-11-01T17:41:50+00:00

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Saving Materials

After you customize or create a new material, you’ll probably want to save it to one of your content folders so that you can reuse it at any time. To save a material, follow these steps:

Select the item in the scene that contains the material(s) you want to save.
Choose File > Save As > Materials Preset. The Materials Preset Options dialog is displayed. Use one of the following two options to save your material:
- To save all materials and settings associated with the current object, choose the Record All option and click on Accept. We recommend using this option until you become more familiar with DAZ Studio and material settings in general.
- To select specific materials and settings, choose the Record Custom option, and then expand or collapse the trees to select the specific properties you want to save. Click on Accept when you’re done making your selections.
- To save the alternate UVs with the material, click in the check box next to Save Alternate UVs. To not save the alernate UVs with the material, make sure the check box is cleared.
The Filtered Save dialog is displayed. Locate the folder where you want to save the preset:

To save the material to the default DAZ Studio folder, locate your file in any folder that appears beneath the Studio > Content folders that were installed with DAZ Studio.
To save the material to an external folder that is recognized as a content folder, locate your file in any external folders that you have set up in the Directories folder of the Preferences dialog (see Edit > Preferences in “Edit Menu Commands”).
To save the material to a new folder, create the new folder during the Save process, and then later use the Edit > Preferences command to add the new folder to your Directories list so that you can see the new material in the Content Tab.

Enter a name for the new material and press Save to continue.

Selecting and Navigating Through Objects

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Selecting and Navigating Through Objects

The Scene tab allows you to select any object, root node, bone, user-created camera, or light in your scene. If you’re working with a complex scene or simply want to find the exact object you’re looking for quickly, this is the place to do so.

Use the following methods to navigate through the Scene List:

Use the Up Arrow or Dn Arrow key on your keyboard to move your selection one object at a time.
Use the PgUp and PgDn keys on your keyboard to scroll quickly through the scene list.
Use the Left Arrow and Right Arrow keys to expand, collapse, and navigate tree levels.

The following procedures allow you to select one or more items in the Scene List:

To select a single object in your scene, use the Scene tab’s tree view to locate your desired object, then click it. This is very useful in a complex scene or where you cannot readily see your desired object using the viewports.
To select multiple objects using the Scene tab, you may use any combination of the following methods:
Click and drag around a group of nodes inside the hierarchy view. Children of selected objects are also selected, whether or not their branches are expanded.
Press Shift while clicking to select all nodes between your previous selection and your next click.
Press Ctrl while clicking to make multiple individual selections.

Shader Baker

2011-11-01T17:41:55+00:00

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Shader Baker

The Shader Baker sub-tab is displayed at the far right of the Surfaces tab. If the tab is not visible, it is either not included in your version of DAZ Studio or it has not been installed as a separate plug-in.

Shader Baker makes it possible to bake many of the properties of a shader down to a texture map. While the results will not always look exactly like the original shader, this feature will allow you to roughly see what the content will look like in its final render. If the baked textures are good enough, they can also be exported for use in other applications, such as for games, with no visible loss in quality.

In addition, there is the added benefit of being able to bake render effects, such as Ambient Occlusion which takes a long time to compute, into an image and then apply the effect as a texture map. This makes it to have high quality lighting and other effects without suffering long render times.

The baked shader maps are used in the OpenGL display but use the actual shader during 3Delight rendering.

Refer to “Shader Baker” for information on using this plug-in.

Showing and Hiding Items in the Scene List

2011-11-01T17:41:55+00:00

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Showing and Hiding Items in the Scene List

Three icons appear beside each item in the Scene List. One icon appears like an open eye, another a pointing arrow, and the third like a small checkmark. These icons control whether your items are visible or selectable in your scene. This feature is particularly useful if you have problem areas in your clothing that cause a figure's body parts to show through. For example, if your figure is wearing pants, and portions of the skin poke through the pants, you can select the figure and make its thigh and shin invisible, as shown in the figure below.

NOTE! If you do not see the Visible and Selectable icons in the Scene Tab, you may need to widen the pane that holds the Scene Tab. Drag the right edge of the pane toward the right to widen the view of the tabs it holds.

Visible/Invisible: Click the icon that looks like an eye to show or hide an object in your scene. You might find it useful to hide objects when you want to modify something in the scene that sits partially out of view, without moving or changing cameras to do so. You can also use this feature to compare two pieces of clothing on a figure by loading both, then toggling visibility on and off for each to make direct comparisons.
Collapse/Expand: Click on the arrow icon to collapse or expand the tree for the node.
Selectable/Not Selectable: Click on the checkmark icon to make an object selectable or not selectable in the viewport. This does not affect whether an item is selectable or not selectable in the scene list, however. This feature is useful when you wish to take a figure and add clothing, but then make changes to the figure’s pose. If you make the clothing “not selectable”, you can pose the figure beneath it without accidentally selecting and posing the clothing that it wears.

NOTE! Selecting to set an item as visible/invisible or selectable/non-selectable will not affect which item/node is selected in the scene.

Smoothing Channel

2011-11-01T17:41:55+00:00

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Smoothing Channel

The Smoothing channel adds the ability for the user to determine what geometry is smoothed. Smoothing is the process of recalculating normals for the geometry so that the geometry looks like a smooth surface, rather than a sharply faceted one. You can turn off smoothing &endash; making the geometry look faceted - and control how sharp an edge is too sharp to be smoothed via the Smooth Angle control. Any time two facets meet at an angle greater than the angle specified by the smoothing control, they will not be smoothed. The default value of the control is 89.9 degrees - this means that edges where faces meet at a 90 degree angle or greater will be “sharp” and any edges where the faces meet at less than that angle will be “smooth.”

The Smoothing Angle is available per Material Zone, which provides the ability to smooth angles differently for different material zones. You can also select the root figure in the Surfaces tab and apply a smoothing angle to all material zones at once.

Smooth: This channel determines whether smoothing is turned on or off. Click on the button to toggle between On and Off.
Angle: Sets the angle of smoothing. Drag the slider left to smooth the angle or right to sharpen the angle.

Examples:

Smoothing Angle on at default of 89.9:
Smoothing Angle off:

Specular (Highlight) Channel

2011-11-01T17:41:55+00:00

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Specular (Highlight) Channel

Now let’s examine the highlight, or specular surface property. In DAZ Studio, the Specular channel controls the color of the highlights in an object. Examples of specular highlights include the bright white glare-spot you might see when sunlight strikes stainless steel, or the faint sheen of human skin.

Glossy materials such as stainless steel show highlights differently than matte surfaces like human skin. For another example, glass usually shows a sharp white highlight when under bright light, whereas polished leather shows a softer sheen.

Basic Tab

The Basic sub-tab displays the following setting options for the Highlight/Specular channel.

Highlight|Specular: Click on the Color Selector to open a standard Color Picker and select any color to set as the highlight color.

Advanced Tab

The Advanced sub-tab allows you to control the amount of specular highlights even further. Adjust glossiness with a slider, for example. You can also use image maps to control the color or strength of the highlights, and use an opacity map to turn off or reduce highlights in transparent or semi-transparent areas.

Glossiness: This slider controls the size of the highlight. Glossy items usually reflect light in very small areas. The glossier an item is, the smaller the highlight is. A setting of 0% creates an object that has more of a matte finish with wider highlights. A setting of 100% creates an object with a very high gloss finish with smaller, sharper highlights. Drag the slider to the left to decrease the glossiness and right to increase it.
Glossiness Image Menu: A Grayscale image can be used to control the strength of the glossiness in your object. The texture selector field is displayed under the Glossiness slider if a texture map or layered image file has been assigned. Click on the field to display a menu where you can select a texture from the list or browse for a new texture. If no texture is assigned, an arrow will be available to the right of the color selector. A menu prompts you to browse for a new image and displays images that are already present in your scene.
Color: The color of the highlight can be set to any color. Click on the Color Selector to open a standard Color Picker and select any color to set as the highlight color.
Color Image Menu: To assign a texture map to control the color of the highlight, click on the field to display a menu where you can select a texture from the list or browse for a new texture. If no texture is assigned, an arrow will be available to the right of the color selector. A menu prompts you to browse for a new image and displays images that are already present in your scene.
Strength: This slider controls the strength of the highlight, or how strongly the highlight appears. A setting of 0% means no highlight, while 100% means a bright highlight.
Strength Image Menu: When assigning a texture map for finer control over how your material reacts to light, grayscale images are recommended, with black areas equaling a setting of 0% and white areas equaling a setting of 100%. Shades of gray will pass values between 0 and 100%, depending on how dark or light they are. To assign a texture map to control the Specular Strength, click on the field to display a menu where you can select a texture from the list or browse for a new texture. If no texture is assigned, an arrow will be available to the right of the color selector. A menu prompts you to browse for a new image and displays images that are already present in your scene.
Multiply Through Opacity: This toggle causes the Specular strength to be multiplied by the opacity strength. Turn this option on if you have a fully transparent (0% opaque) surface that should not cast highlights. Turn this option off for transparent surfaces that are glossy, such as camera lenses, corneas, glasses, and so on.

The Basic and Advanced Sub-tabs

2011-11-01T17:41:55+00:00

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The Basic and Advanced Sub-tabs

Two sub-tabs appear on the left side of the Surfaces tab: the Basic sub-tab and the Advanced sub-tab:

The Basic Surfaces sub-tab allows you to change the most common types of surface channels, which include Color (or Diffuse), Highlight (or Specular), Shadow (or Ambient), and Opacity. If you are new to DAZ Studio, you might want to experiment with these basic channels until you learn more about how surfaces work.
The Advanced Surfaces sub-tab takes advantage of the features included with DAZ Studio’s powerful rendering engine. It allows you to fine-tune the properties of each surface for breathtakingly realistic results. In addition to the four basic surface channels mentioned above, the Advanced tab allows you to configure many additional types of surface channels and properties.

Below, the basic descriptions for each option are provided. Refer to the sections following for additional details and usage instructions.

Basic Usage

If there are double arrows to the right of the tabs, click on the arrows to scroll through the tabs until the one you need is visible.
Click on the arrows to the left of each channel name to expand or collapse the channel.
Click on the Color Selector fields to access the Select Color dialog.
To assign a texture if none are already assigned, click on the down arrow to the right of the Color Selector or slider to select a texture from the list or browse for a new texture.
To change a texture to a different one, click on the name of the current texture on the Texture Selector field to select a texture from the list or browse for a new texture.
If multiple textures are assigned or multiple material zones are selected, the Texture Selector field will display “<Multiple> instead of the name of the texture.
To remove a texture, click on the name of the current texture to select “None” from the list.
Drag sliders left to decrease value settings and right to increase them.
If a down arrow is inside the field box, click on the field to access a drop-down list and select an option from the list.
On/off buttons can be clicked on to change the selected option.

Basic Tab

The Basic sub-tab allows the new user to configure basic surface channels without becoming overwhelmed.

The four types of channels that you can assign in the Basic sub-tab are listed below. You’ll learn more specifics about each type of channel, and how to configure them, later in this section.

Common
- Color|Diffuse: This channel defines the main color of currently selected material(s). You can assign a solid color only or add a texture map that is affected by the assigned color.
- Highlight|Specular: This channel defines the color of the highlights in the currently selected material(s). The Basic sub-tab only allows a solid color for this option.
- Shadow|Ambient: This channel defines the shadow color of the currently selected material(s). The Basic sub-tab only allows a solid color for this option.
- Opacity: This channel defines the opacity or transparency of the currently selected material. When the setting is at 0%, the material is fully transparent. When the setting is at 100%, the material is fully opaque. If a texture is assigned as a transparency map, the map varies the transparency based on the levels of black or white in the image.
Smoothing: Sets the smoothing angle between polygons.
- Smooth: This channel determines whether smoothing is turned on or off.
- Angle: Sets the angle of smoothing. Drag the slider left to decrease the angle and right to increase it. The default level is set at 89.90.

Advanced

The Advanced sub-tab is designed for use by more experienced artists who want to be able to control every aspect of a surface’s appearance. You have full access to every function available in the Basic tab and much more.

The list of configurable channels is much more extensive in the Advanced tab. The first four channel types are also found in the Basic tab, but the Advanced tab presents some additional options.

Diffuse: This channel defines the main color of currently selected material(s). You can assign a solid color or a texture map in a similar way as in the Basic sub-tab. However, you can also adjust the strength of the diffuse color, either based on a fixed percentage or with a texture map.
Specular: While the Basic sub-tab allows you to choose a Specular color, the Advanced sub-tab furnishes a few additional controls. You can control the amount of glossiness, either by percentage or with an image map. You can choose a Specular color, but also obtain Specular colors from an image map. Specular strength can also be set with a percentage slider, or with an image map. You also have the option to use an opacity map to turn off specularity in areas that are invisible.
Ambient: This channel defines the shadow color of the currently selected material(s). While the Basic sub-tab only allows a solid color for this option, you can also use an image map in the Advanced sub-tab. In addition, you can assign the strength of the ambient property through a percentage slider or through an image map.
Opacity: Opacity settings are similar in the Basic and Advanced sub-tabs. When the setting is at 0%, the material is fully transparent. When the setting is at 100%, the material is fully opaque. Assigning a texture as a transparency map varies the transparency based on the levels of black or white in the image.

The following additional channels are presented in the Advanced sub-tab. These options go a long way toward making your materials far more realistic:

Bump: This option adds a bumpy appearance to the portions of the object that are facing the camera. The amount of bumpiness is controlled by an image map that is usually grayscale. Negative Bump and Positive Bump sliders also provide additional control over the appearance of the material.
Displacement: Displacement is similar to a bump map with one exception. It actually displaces the geometry during render time. You’ll be able to see the effects of the displacement along the sides of the object in addition to the portions that directly face the camera. Displacement maps help you to create materials that make the geometry look far more intricate than it really is. The amount of displacement can be controlled through a slider, and/or through an image map (usually grayscale). There are also sliders to keep the amount of displacement within a minimum and maximum range.
Normal Mapping: Normal maps are a type of bump map which simulates surface normals on a surface. Surface normals dictate how light is reflected off of a polygon which affects self shading. A normal map changes the reflection properties of the light bouncing off of a surface as if each pixel on the surface is a separate polygon with its own surface normal direction. Currently, DAZ Studio cannot generate normal maps but it can use them if applied to a surface.
Reflection: This channel controls how the surface of the material reflects light. You can assign a solid color or an image map to control the color of the reflections. In addition, the strength of the reflection can be controlled through a slider, or through an image map.
Refraction: Light bends when it shines through surfaces like glass or water. This channel controls the color of the light as it bends and shines through a surface. You can use a solid color or an image map to define the color or strength of the refraction.
Lighting Model: The lighting model option calculates the effects of different shader channels in response to light. You can make your material respond to light as if had a matte finish, or if were made of plastic, metal, glossy plastic, glossy metal, or skin.
UV Maps: Allows selection of a UV Map to be applied to the material zone. The Default UVs are selected by default. Refer to ”Multiple UVs“ for information on loading and selecting a UV set.
Smoothing: Blends the shading of the surfaces together so that you don't see the edges between polygons that aren't in the same plane by setting the smoothing angle between any two polygons. With smoothing on, you can set the maximum angle between any two polygons that the smoothing will have its affect on. So, if you have the maximum angle set at 89.9, then any angle of 90 degrees or higher will not be affected by the smoothing and will remain sharp. If you want a 45 degree angle to stay sharp, the angle would be set to 44.9 so that any angle over that would remain sharp.

Smoothing is also used for displacement to set where the displacement edge breaks occur.

The Surface List

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The Surface List

A Surface List appears at the left side of the Surfaces tab. The list allows you to select any number of surfaces on one or more objects in your scene. The ability to work with multiple surfaces at once can be a huge time saver, especially when working with complex scenes.

Selecting a Single Object

To use the Surface List, follow any of the following procedures:

Some objects may show their Surface Lists expanded, while others do not. To expand a branch of the tree, click the “+” (plus) sign next to a collapsed branch. To contract an expanded branch, click the “-” (minus)sign next to an expanded branch.
Click to select a single item in the Surface List.
Use the Up or Dn arrows on your keyboard to move your selection up or down one object at a time in the tree.
Use the PgUp or PgDn keys on your keyboard to scroll quickly through the Surface List.

Selecting Multiple Objects

To select multiple objects using the Surface List, use any of the following methods:

Click and drag inside the Surface List. Release the mouse when your selection is complete. All surfaces are selected regardless of the object they belong to.
To select multiple surfaces that appear together in the list, click the first item to start the selection. Then press the Shift key while you click last item you want to select.
To select multiple surfaces that are not contiguous in the list, press the Ctrl key while you click the items you want to select.

Copy/Paste Buttons

Beneath the Surface List, you’ll see two buttons labeled Copy and Paste. The Copy button will activate when a surface is selected while the Paste button will activate once surface settings have been copied. These buttons allow you to copy material settings from one material to another.

To copy properties from one surface to another:

Select one or more surfaces to customize.
Make your desired property changes.
Click the Copy button.
Select one or more surfaces on which to apply the copied settings.
Click the Paste button.

TIP! Hold down Ctrl to select multiple surfaces, or Shift to select a range of surfaces (on Macs, use the [Alt Option] key instead of Ctrl.) Any changes you make in both the Basic and Advanced sub-tabs will be applied to all selected surfaces.

UV Maps Channel

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UV Maps Channel

The UV Maps channel allows selection of a UV Map to be applied to the material zone. The Default UVs are selected by default. Refer to “Multiple UVs” for information on loading a UV set prior to selecting it in the Surfaces tab.

UV Set: To select a non-default UV set to apply to the selected material zones, click on the field to display a drop-down menu listing the available UV sets available. If the loaded UV set is not available for the root surface node, select another surface node. When the UV set that was loaded does not match all the material zones, the root node will only show the original UV set. For example, the V3 to V2 remapped figure does not have the same material zones as V3 does, so several of the surface nodes will only have the default UV available as shown below on the right.

To assign the default UV set, select Default UVs from the menu.

Reference Section

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Reference Section

Menus & Commands

Using & Customizing the Interface

DAZ Studio allows you to customize the interface on a grand scale. You can customize colors, menus, and toolbars. You can create your own Activity tabs and show the controls you want to appear in them. You can create new menus that contain items that you frequently use. In short, with DAZ Studio, you can work exactly the way you want to work.

Setting Preferences

The Preferences dialog box contains a tab that allows you to customize the various aspects of the program, scene, interface, and content are displayed and located, along with several other options.

Command & Toolbar Reference

Tab Reference

Building & Rendering Scenes

Tools: Plug-ins and Scripts

These sections have all been moved to the main Software Guides page.

Expanding and Collapsing from Selection

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Expanding and Collapsing from Selection

Three commands in the Scene tab menu allow you to expand or collapse the tree from a specific point, or to select all except the currently highlighted item. Examples are shown in the figure below:

Expand From Selection: Expands the tree in the scene list to display all branches that appear beneath the selected item.
Collapse From Selection: Collapses the tree in the scene list to hide all branches that appear beneath the selected item.
Invert Selection: After you select an item, use the Invert Selection command to deselect the current item and select everything else in the scene list.

Selecting All of a Specific Content Type

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Selecting All of a Specific Content Type

From the Scene tab Menu, choose Select, and click the right arrow to select all of a specific type of content. The options in the Select menu appear:

Select All: Selects all objects in the Scene tab list.
Select All Figures: Selects all poseable (boned) figures in the Scene tab list. This option is shown in the following figure.
Select All Objects: Selects all non-poseable figures (props, scenery, and so on) in the Scene tab list.
Select All Lights: Selects all lights in the Scene tab list.
Select All Cameras: Selects all cameras in the Scene tab list.
Other Options: Other options may appear in the list if you have purchased add-ons for DAZ Studio. For example, if you have the D-Form plug-in, you can choose the option to Select All DForms.

Showing and Hiding Items in the Scene Tab

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Showing and Hiding Items in the Scene Tab

From the Scene tab Options menu, choose Show and click the right arrow to display the options shown below.

These options toggle the display of specific types of objects on or off in the Scene tab. A checkmark appears next to the option when the figures, objects, lights, cameras, or other plug-in options are listed in the Scene tab. If a checkbox does not appear, the items are not included in the list. Note that making objects visible or invisible in the tree list does not show or hide them in your scene.

Show Figures: Figures are poseable objects that have bones. Enable or disable this option to show or hide the figures (boned objects) that are listed in the Scene Tab.
Show Objects: Objects that do not contain bones are typically known as props. They include items like scenery, hair, and other items that do not contain bones. Enable or disable this option to show or hide the props that are listed in the Scene Tab.
Show Lights: Enable this option to show or hide the lights that are listed in the scene tab.
Show Cameras: Toggles viewing user-created cameras within the Scene Tab on and off (default views and cameras, aside from Default Camera, do not appear in the Scene Tab). A checkmark appears next to this option when it is enabled. Clearing this checkbox removes all user-created cameras from the Scene Tab tree view, and vice-versa.
Other Options: Other options may appear in the list if you have purchased add-ons for DAZ Studio. For example, if you have the D-Form plug-in for DAZ Studio, you can toggle the deformers that appear in your scene list.

The image below shows what your scene list looks like if you choose to list only the figures in your scene. Other content types (objects, lights, scenes, and deformers) are removed from the list, making it easier to find the poseable figures in your scene.

Sorting Content in the Scene tab

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Sorting Content in the Scene tab

From the Scene tab Options Menu, choose one of the following commands to sort your material in the order you choose. Examples are shown in the figures below.

Do Not Sort: Objects in your scene to appear in the Scene tab in the order you add them, from bottom to top (as explained in the Tutorials section.) This is the default behavior of the Scene tab.
Sort Ascending: Causes objects in your scene to appear in the Scene tab sorted by name in ascending (A-Z) order.
Sort Descending: Causes objects in your scene to appear in the Scene tab sorted by name in descending (Z-A) order.

Sub-Division Surfaces

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Sub-Division Surfaces

This section has been moved to Sub-Division Surfaces.

Symmetry

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Symmetry

The Parameter tab Options menu includes a Symmetry command, which opens the Symmetry dialog shown in the following figure. Symmetry can be a useful time-saver when creating scenes, because you can pose part of a figure, then apply symmetry to apply the same pose to portions of the other side of the figure. In this fashion, the Symmetry dialog can make the work of posing much faster and easier.

The Symmetry dialog has two tabs: Options and Preferences. After making your selections in one or both tabs, select Accept at the bottom of the screen to perform your selected action(s), or Cancel to close the Symmetry dialog and discard your changes.

Symmetry Options

The Options tab, shown below, controls how the symmetry is applied to the selected figure. The currently available options are:

Nodes: You can select to apply symmetry to either the already Selected elements, or to the figure Root Node - that is, the whole figure (to make all parts perfectly symmetrical)
Propagation: You can use this to either choose to have None (where changes don’t travel down the hierarchy from the selected item(s)), or have the changes made Recursive, where the symmetry apply to all child bones of the selected node(s) (that is, changes will affect not only the selected node(s), but their child bones as well.)
Direction: In which direction are you making these changes? Left to Right, where modifications on the figure’s left side travel to the right, Right To Left, where modifications move in the opposite direction. You can also choose to Swap Left and Right, which is handy if you want to mirror a pose entirely.
Trunk Nodes: Determines what you want to do with the parts that run along the figure’s centerline (for example a human’s hip, abdomen, chest, neck, and head.) You can choose to Leave Alone, which will keep these items in place, Mirror Y|Z Rotations, which will set the centerline items’ Side-Side and Twist settings to the opposite of how they’re currently set, or you could choose to Zero Parameters, which will set those two parameters to Zero.
Left Node Prefix: Lets you set the first letters of all “left” child bones (that is, bones that are on a figure’s “left” side) that DAZ Studio must look for when setting symmetry.
Right Node Prefix: Does the same as Left Node Prefix, but sets them for all of the affected “right” side bones.
Transforms: These checkboxes let you choose what it is you want to change - child bone rotation (on each axis), child bone translation (on each axis), or scale (overall scaling, or selectively on each axis as desired.)

Symmetry Preferences

The Preferences tab controls which options are included when applying symmetry now and in future uses of this feature (until changed). The available options are:

Set Preferred Options: This allows you to set these options now (or alternately, when the “Set Preferred Options on Accept” is selected, set the preferences whenever you use the feature.)
Read Preferred Options: This button lets you see what your saved settings for Symmetry are at this time.
Restore Default Options: This button resets all Symmetry settings back to factory defaults (which are shown in these illustrations.)

Content tab

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Content tab

In “The Basics” section, you got a brief introduction to the Content tab and how to use it to add content to your scene. Now we’ll take a closer look at the features and commands contained within the Content tab.

While the Content tab primarily serves as a means to add content to your scene, you can also use commands in this tab to maintain your content folders. The Content tab provides access to all of your DAZ Studio-native and supported third-party assets and arranges them in folders. You can view these folders in one of two ways.

The image below shows the main buttons and controls that you will use in the Content tab. You’ll learn more detailed information about these areas in this section.

Click on the links below to learn more about using the Content tab:

Help Tab

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Help Tab

Choose View > Tabs > Help to open the Help tab. The Help tab provides up to the minute references to where the latest versions of DAZ Studio help can be found.

New at DAZ Tab

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New at DAZ Tab

Choose View > Tabs > New at DAZ to open the New at DAZ tab. This tab connects to the DAZ Website and then displays icons of some of the latest releases in the DAZ store. To learn more about a featured item, click the thumbnail or the link below it to navigate to the DAZ website.

Other Tabs

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Other Tabs

Additional tabs may be available to access plug-ins included with DAZ Studio or installed separately. Examples include Align Ace, PowerPose, and D-form. See the Tools section for information on using the included plug-ins.

NOTE! The plug-ins included in this guide are those that are included in the base DAZ Studio application. For third-party plug-ins that are available separately, see the separate documentation included with each plug-in.

The Tool Tab

Choose View > Tabs > Tool to open the Tool tab. This tab is used in conjunction with PowerPose, but may also be used in conjunction with other plug-ins where noted. See the PowerPose section for more information on how to use this tab in conjunction with the PowerPose tab.

Parameters Tab

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Parameters Tab

The Parameters tab gives you fine control over many of the objects in your scenes, including figures, clothing, body parts, props, hair, lights, cameras, and morphs. The Parameters tab organizes its contents into Groups, as shown below. When you click on a given group, you can hide or expand those parameters that belong to that group in the Parameters tab. For instance, you can show only the basic General parameters, just the Morphs, or any combination of these or other groups.

NOTE! You can create your own sub-groups beneath the General, Misc, or Morph groups. See “Parameters Organizer” for more on organizing parameter groups.

Click on the links below to learn more about the different areas of the Parameters tab:

Render Tab

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Render Tab

The Render tab provides the same options available from the Render menu. Refer to “Rendering” for more information.

Scene Tab

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Scene Tab

The Scene tab displays a hierarchical view of every object in your scene with the exception of the default views. User-created cameras and lights, figures, body parts, and props all appear in this tab, giving you a centralized view of your scene and the relationships between objects.

Scene Hierarchy and Tab Controls

As mentioned above, the Scene tab presents a hierarchical view of your scene. These relationships are shown in a tree format with multiple levels of branches, where children appear in sub-branches. A useful example is to think of a real tree. The parent is the trunk, the children are the large branches, with additional levels of children being the twigs and leaves.

- Update image

Using the Scene Tab and Scene List

The Scene tab Option menu button appears on the far right side of the Scene tab. Click this button to open the Scene tab Options menu, shown below. This menu allows you to perform the tasks outlined in the following sections. You can also accomplish similar tasks directly within the Scene List.

Click on the links below to learn more about using the Scene tab:

Surfaces Tab

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Surfaces Tab

Each figure and prop in your scene has at least one material group (or surface) assigned to it. Complex objects, such as DAZ figures, have many surfaces, giving you fine control over your figure’s appearance. The Surfaces tab allows you to specify material settings for every surface in your scene. In other words, it allows you to specify the appearance of each object. You can use the Surfaces tab to visualize almost any type of surface imaginable: skin, metal, glass, fiber, and more.

If you do not see the Surfaces tab, choose View > Tabs > Surfaces, and drag it to a location of your choosing. You can also leave the tab free-floating or move it to a second monitor to maximize your workspace.

Each figure or prop in your DAZ Studio scene has its own separate list of surfaces. Each surface in an object has a unique ID, and all of the polygons in an object are assigned to only one of those unique IDs. If there are multiple copies of the same object in your scene, each copy maintains its own separate list of surfaces, giving you more flexibility and finer control over the materials in your scene.

Terminology

Sometimes the terminology about materials can be a bit confusing to beginners. The following should help clarify some of the terminology used throughout this manual:

Objects: The geometrical objects in your scene, which can include figures, props, lights, cameras, and other items.
Surfaces: The visible portions of an object. One object can have many different surfaces.
Materials: In DAZ Studio, a material consists of a collection of colors and/or texture maps that are combined to achieve a desired look. Color is only one of these surface properties; many objects use one or more maps that define other properties such as bumpiness, highlights, or opacity.
Shaders: Each material in your scene also has a shader attached to it, regardless of whether you use the advanced properties or not. Shaders (or programmable shaders) can consist of numerous channels that are often more advanced and offer more realistic results when compared to basic materials. Shaders are usually configured specifically for the render engine used in your 3D software. DAZ Studio uses the 3Delight rendering engine, which is RenderMan(R)-compliant and which supports programmable shaders. You can create basic or advanced shaders in the Surfaces Tab. When you render your scene, the rendering engine calculates all of the components in your materials to arrive at values for each channel. Then it calculates how each channel affects the final appearance of the object’s surface.
Texture Maps: Each material can also use one or more different types of texture maps that can enhance the color, bumpiness, shininess, and other additional properties of an image. Texture maps are a 2D representation of your 3D object, and are specific to the object for which they are made. You’ll learn more about the various types of texture maps when we explain the various types of material channels later in this chapter.
Layered Image File: File created using the Layered Image Editor and containing layered image information.

Click on the links below to learn more about the Surfaces tab:

Timeline Tab

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Timeline Tab

The Timeline is a basic animation tool found within DAZ Studio, which brings movement and motion to your scenes. Before we begin, a brief description of what animation is and how it works is in order.

Animation Basics

Animating a character involves a bit more than simply posing a character into a single static pose.

You should plan out ahead what movements your characters within a scene will make - the more detailed, the better. For example, a basic animation could depict a close-up of a character that tilts its head and smiles at the viewer. If the character also blinks, flares its nostrils, or narrows its eyelids while smiling, the animation becomes more believable and life-like.

Breaking It Down

An animation, while appearing fluid in its final form, is actually broken up into individual frames, much like individual frames on old-fashioned movie film. When DAZ Studio processes an animation into a movie, it will render each frame, one at a time, to produce the final movie clip. This does not mean that you yourself are forced to set up each frame, however.

Using what is known as Linear Interpolation, DAZ Studio itself works out what the intermediate positions of each part in a scene will be between what are known as Keyframes. A Keyframe is a user-set position or rotation setting of an arm, eyeball, falling object, or what-have-you at a given point in time (for instance, the image above would represent a collage of individual keyframes in a diving animation).

Keyframes tell DAZ Studio where and how you want everything to be at an exact moment in time. You can remove keyframes if you later decide to change something, or want to change the whole animation at any point in time.

h1>Anatomy of the Timeline Tab

The Timeline tab that comes with DAZ Studio is a simple default tool that allows you to create and adjust basic animations. This tab is divided into several portions that are standard on almost any animation manipulation package.

By default, the Basic Timeline is shown. To switch to the Advanced Timeline, choose Advanced View from the Timeline Options menu.

These controls are shown below and serve the following functions:

Basic Timeline

Advanced Timeline

Scale Timeline (1): Move left or right to scale the timeline and show more or less of the tick marks.
Scrubber (2): Move the scrubber left to move backward through the animation, or right to move forward in the animation.
Total Frames (3): This will tell you how many frames are in the entire animation clip for this scene. Notice, in the tab above, that a 30-frame scene will have 31 frames. This 31st frame is a reference frame, and cannot be accessed or manipulated by the user. It is only used for internal purposes only, and will not affect the animation. In the window next to the Total: label, you can change this to reflect as many frames as you desire in an animation. Just remember to add one to the total number you want. For example, if you want a 900-frame animation (which by default is 30 seconds of video @ 30fps), you would enter 901 into the Total field.
Current Range (4): This field lists the current range of frames displayed in the timeline. You can manually enter the beginning and end frame that you want displayed, or it will update itself to show the current range if you move the range slider carets to reflect which part of the graph you want to concentrate on.
Current Frame (5): This field shows you the frame currently displayed in the active 3D viewport, and shows you at what time-point of the video clip you are currently working (in hours : minutes : seconds : frames format).
FPS (Frames Per Second) Setting (6): This field shows you how many frames of animation will constitute one second of video playback time. By default this is set at 30 frames per second.

TIP! Most people have eyes that automatically convert separate frames of animation into fluid motion at a minimum of 24 frames per second. The higher the FPS setting, the smoother the motion appears (and the smoother the linear interpolation calculations). However, this will also increase the number of frames required for the entire video clip, and will increase render times in proportion to the increase in setting.

Loop On/Off (7): This button will allow you to preview the animation within the currently selected range as either a single-run video (where it will run only once until you play it again), or as a loop (where it will run over and over continuously until you manually stop the playback). The button icon will change accordingly from a pair of linked arrows (loop), to a pair of unconnected arrows, depending on which setting you choose.
Add/Remove Keyframe (8): This button allows you to set a keyframe. A keyframe is defined as a point in the animation where you the user definitely want all portions within the frame to be positioned, and will be used as part of calculating interpolation. To add a keyframe, go to a frame where you want to set an important element of the scene to an intermediate position (such as an arm in mid-swing, an eyelid closed fully, a ball striking the ground in mid-bounce, etc). Click the Add Keyframe button to set the keyframe for the current frame.
Go to First Frame (9): This button will take you and your current 3D viewport back to the first frame in your currently selected range.
Previous Keyframe (10): This button will take you to the previous closest keyframe (within the currently selected range) before the frame you are currently in.
Back One Frame (11): Fairly self-explanatory - this button will take you back one frame from the currently selected one.
Play/Stop (12): This button will play the whole animation, starting at the current frame. If you have looping enabled (see previous page), the preview will play continuously over and over again through the currently selected range until you stop it. While playing, the icon on the button will change to the Stop button, which you can then press to stop the animation preview at any time.
Ahead One Frame (13): This button will advance you ahead one frame from the currently selected one.
Next Keyframe (14): This button will take you to the next keyframe you have set in your currently selected range.
Move to End Frame (15): This button will take you to the last frame within your currently selected range.
Remove Keyframe (16): To remove a keyframe, go to an active keyframe (you can use the previous/next keyframe buttons to do this), and select the Remove Keyframe button.

Clearing an Animation

An animation can be cleared by selecting Clear Animation from the Parameters Option menu as shown in the image below.

Clear Figure: Removes the figure from the animation
Clear Figure Pose: Removes figure pose from the animation
Clear Figure Morphs: Removes figure morphs from the animation
Clear Selected Items: Removes any selected items from the animation
Clear Transforms: Removes any transformation changes from the animation

Adjusting Cameras

2011-11-01T17:41:55+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Adjusting Cameras

You’ve already learned that each viewport in your DAZ Studio workspace allows you to look at your scene through a camera. You can fine-tune the positioning and rotation in several different ways. First, you can use the camera controls in the View tab. Secondly, you can use the camera control icons that appear in the upper-right corner of your Viewport window(s). Finally, you can also use Parameter dials to make camera adjustments. We’ll discuss each of these methods in the following sections.

Using the Camera Controls

To use the Camera Controls, select your desired viewport from the Viewport Selector. Then, assign your desired camera to that viewport.

Once you have selected a viewport/camera combination, you can control the camera using the controls that appear in the vertical portion of the viewport and camera controls:

Rotate: The Rotate control is disabled when you choose an orthogonal camera. When it is enabled, you can left-click and drag to rotate the camera around the subject. If you right-click and drag, you can rotate the camera into place to point it in another direction.
Pan: The Pan control translates your camera view along the X axis (side to side) or the Y axis (up or down). Left-click and drag your mouse in the desired direction to pan the camera. Right-click and drag your mouse in the desired direction to dolly the camera.
Zoom: This control moves your camera to narrow or widen the view through the lens. Left-click and drag left to move in closer to the objects in your scene, or right to move out for a more distant view. If you right-click and drag you can change the focal length of the camera.
Bank: The Bank control is disabled when using orthogonal cameras. This control rotates your camera from side to side. Left-click the Bank icon and drag your mouse toward the left to bank the camera to the left, and toward the right to bank the camera toward the right.
Frame Selection: This control allows you to frame one or more selected objects into the view of the camera.
Reset Camera: Click this button to reset the current camera to its default state. It will also return a custom camera to the state in which it was first created.

Using the Camera Parameter Dials

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Using the Camera Parameter Dials

When you have a camera selected as your current object in the Scene tab, the parameters of the camera appear in the Parameters tab. While some of these parameters allow you to adjust the camera somewhat like the controls already mentioned, there are additional parameters that might be of interest to those who want to create their own cameras.

Every camera in your scene, including those you create yourself, have the following types of parameter dials:

The Transforms Section

The controls in the Transforms section are common to practically every type of object you have in your scene, and while they are discussed in more detail in the Parameters tab section, we’ll give a brief description here.

Translation: The Translate dials move the camera in all directions. For example, if your camera is being blocked by a wall in your scene, you can use the Translate dials to move the camera in front of the wall. The X Translate dial moves the selected camera left or right. The Y Translate dial moves the camera up or down. The Z Translate dial moves the camera forward or backward.
Rotation: The Rotation dials rotate the camera in all directions. To explain, think of yourself holding a camera and pointing it upward to photograph the top of a building. However, note that on the surface, it doesn’t seem to follow the “norm” about how the X, Y, and Z axes work. We’ll explain why rotation works this way in another section, but for now we will just list what the dials do. The X Rotate dial points the camera upward or downward. The Y Rotate dial points the camera to the left or right. The Z Rotate dial tilts (or banks) the camera to the left or right.
Scale: The Scale sliders change the physical size of the camera object in your scene. They do not affect the way the camera displays your scene in any way. The Scale slider scales the camera equally in all directions. The X Scale slider adjusts the width of the camera geometry. The Y Scale slider adjusts the height of the camera geometry (in other words, it makes the camera longer or shorter). The Z Scale slider adjusts the depth of the camera geometry.

The Misc Section

The Miscellaneous section of the Parameters tab also contains controls that are common to many objects in your scene. There are three options here: Visible, Selectable, and Point At.

Visible: This button toggles the visibility of the currently selected camera. Click the button to toggle visibility On or Off. This option is helpful for when the camera is interfering with working in the scene.
Visible in Render: Since cameras are not rendered in scenes, this toggle has no effect on cameras.
Selectable: This button toggles whether or not the camera is selectable. For example, you can make the camera unselectable, to prevent accidental changes to its position or rotation when you are trying to select items in your scene that are close to it. Click the button to toggle this option On or Off.
Point At: This option allows you to point your camera to a specific item in your scene. After clicking this button, you can select the item you want to point the camera toward from a hierarchical list of all of the items in your scene.

The Camera Section

The Camera section of the Parameters tab contains options that are unique to cameras.

The following settings are controlled here:

Perspective: When this option is set to On, the camera acts like a perspective camera. Whenever you create a new camera, it is a perspective camera by default. You can turn this option Off to turn a perspective camera into an orthogonal camera, or On to turn an orthogonal camera into a perspective camera. There is one powerful aspect to this feature. You can initially create a new camera as a Perspective camera and position and rotate it however you wish. After you set the position and rotation, set the Perspective toggle to Off. This changes your camera into an orthogonal camera that has its own local axes. In other words, instead of the X, Y, and Z axes position and rotation being related to the original center of the scene, they will relate to the position and rotation of the camera before you changed it to Orthogonal. The camera’s viewport look toward the camera’s own negative Z axis, with X and Y perpendicular in the horizontal and vertical directions relative to that Z axis.
Focal Length (mm): A camera’s focal length is usually expressed in millimeters. The Focal Length slider allows you to zoom in and out of your scene without moving the camera. This is useful when, for instance, you want a wider angle within a small space in your scene. In 35mm-format cameras, lenses that have a focal length of about 50mm are termed standard. Focal lengths below 35mm are called wide angle lenses, and focal lengths above 85mm are called telephoto lenses. Lenses with user-controllable focal lengths are called zoom lenses.
Depth of Field: The Depth of Field (DOF) is the distance from the camera at which objects appear most in focus. Setting this value is the same as adjusting the f-stop and focus on a professional SLR camera.

NOTE! The default camera created by DAZ Studio when creating a new scene cannot use DOF. You will need to create a new camera in order to use DOF.
Focal Distance: Moves the focal point of the camera closer or farther away. The focal point is indicated by a red and green cross in the FOV wireframe.
F/Stop: Adjusts the f-number of the camera aperture; the ratio of light/exposure. If the DOF planes are visible, you can visually see that decreasing the F/Stop will decrease the area of focus for the DOF while increasing the F/Stop setting will increase the area of focus.

Refer to “Rendering with Depth of Field” for using DOF while rendering.

The Display Section

Scene View Options

The Scene View options determine how the camera wireframe is viewed when looking at the scene from an orthogonal or perspective camera/view that is not the camera being worked with. Refer to the image below to see what the different parts of the wireframe are called.

Misc -
- Display Persistence: This toggle determines whether the camera FOV and DOF wireframes are visible even when the camera is not selected. When placing objects in the scene, setting this toggle to On will make it easier to place objects where needed. Toggle to Off to set the camera wireframes to invisible when the camera is not selected.
Line of Sight: These parameters set the Line of Sight (LOS) options for the camera. LOS is what directs our sight into a specific direction.
- Sight Line Opacity: Sets the opacity of the Sight Line which is a visible line directing the camera's sight to an object or location in the scene. Decrease the opacity to make the line less visible, increase to make the line stand out more in the scene.
- Focal Point Scale: Sets the size of the Focal Point so that it can be seen more clearly within the scene.
Field of View: These parameters set the color and what parts of the scene are viewable through the camera, i.e., the Field of View (FOV).
- FOV Color: Sets the color of the FOV wireframe to distinguish it within the scene. Click on the Color Selector to access a color dialog and select a new color.
- FOV Opacity: Sets the opacity of the FOV wireframe. Decrease the opacity to make the frame less visible, increase to make the frame stand out more in the scene.
- FOV Length: Sets the length of the FOV wireframe allowing you to see what objects will be visible from the camera. This does not increase or decrease the FOV, you'll need to use the Focal Length to do that, but it does allow you to see where the FOV extends into the scene.
Depth of Field: These parameters set the visibility and color of the DOF Planes in the scene. The planes show where the area where the objects will be in focus begins and ends. Anything in front of the Near DOF Plane or behind the Far DOF Plane will be out of focus. Anything between the two planes will be in focus.
- DOF Plane Visibility: This toggle sets whether the DOF planes are visible or not. If you are not using DOF in your scene, click on the toggle to set it to Off and the plane wireframes will no longer be visible in the scene.
- DOF Plane Color: Sets the color of the DOF Plane wireframes to distinguish them within the scene. Click on the Color Selector to access a color dialog and select a new color.

Camera View Options

The Camera View options determine how the scene is viewed when looking at the scene from the camera itself. Currently it only controls the DOF plane color and visibility.

Depth of Field: Controls the settings of the DOF Overlay visible through the camera. The overlay is basically the DOF Planes as seen through the camera and allow you to determine focus and depth of field while viewing the scene from the camera.
DOF Overlay Color: Sets the color of the DOF Overlay visible through the camera so that it is easier to see it against the objects in the scene.
DOF Overlay Opacity: Sets the opacity of the DOF Overlay visibile through the camera. Decrease the opacity to make it less visible in the scene, increase to make it more visible in the scene..
Near DOF Plane Visibility: This toggles whether the Near DOF Plane is visible in the scene or not. If the plane is visible, anything behind the plane (the overlay) will be hidden from the camera view in OpenGL. Anything between the plane and the camera will be out of focus when rendered if the DOF is on. Anything between the near and far plane will be in focus.
Far DOF Plane Visibility: This toggles whether the Far DOF Plane is visible in the scene or not. If the plane is visible, anything behind the plane will be hidden from the camera view in OpenGL. Anything behind the plane will be out of focus when rendered if the DOF is on.

Creating Your Own Cameras

2011-11-01T17:41:55+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Creating Your Own Cameras

You’ve learned now how viewports and cameras interact with each other, and that DAZ Studio has several pre-built cameras that you can use in your scene. However, you can also create your own cameras as well. By default, your new camera will be a perspective camera. The name you assign to the camera will appear in the Scene tab and the View As drop-down menu in each viewport. To convert it to an orthogonal camera, use the Parameters tab as described later in this section.

You can create a new camera using the Create > New Camera command. The Create New Camera dialog displays several options that you can set when you create a camera. If you do not see these options, click the Show Options button at the bottom of the dialog.

These options are as follows:

Camera Name: Enter a name for the camera or accept the default name.
Apply Default Settings: Creates a new camera with the same settings as the Default Camera.
Apply Active Viewport Transforms: Creates a new camera with the same position and orientation as the camera that you are currently using.
Copy Selected Item: Copies settings from a camera that you have selected in the Scene tab. You will need to select the camera before you choose the Create New Camera command, otherwise this option will be disabled.
Create a Persistent Point At Target: When selected, points the camera at a null target and when the target is moved, the camera will rotate to continue pointing at the target. The image below shows an example of a camera target.

DrawStyles

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This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

DrawStyles

The Viewport menu displays a list of several different DrawStyles that you can use in your scene. These options are shown below.

You can choose a different DrawStyle for each viewport in your workspace. These DrawStyles only affect the display of objects in the viewport. They will not render as displayed unless you also select a corresponding RenderStyle in the Render Options dialog (which will be discussed in ”r;Building and Rendering Scenes“). You may find that it helps you position objects and view relationships between them if you use different draw styles in your viewports.

To select a DrawStyle, open the Viewport drop-down menu by clicking the arrow to the right of the View Selection List, then select your desired DrawStyle for the current viewport.

Wire Bounding Box: Selecting Wire Bounding Box displays objects as wire bounding boxes, allowing you to see outlines of the areas occupied by each object (figure, body part, prop) in your scene.
Solid Bounding Box: Selecting Solid Bounding box displays objects as solid bounding boxes, allowing you to see the area occupied by each object (figure, body part, prop) in your scene.
Wireframe: Selecting Wireframe displays objects as polygon meshes, allowing you to see each polygon that makes up the object. Meshes are colored according to the surface’s diffuse color. Note that you can see all of the mesh, front and back.
Lit Wireframe: Selecting Lit Wireframe displays polygon meshes as described above and also simulates your scene’s lighting. The portions of the wireframe facing lights are brighter, and those in shadow are darker.
Hidden Line: Selecting Hidden Line is similar to the Wireframe style described above, except that this option only displays the outermost layer of the polygonal meshes facing the camera. Any part of the mesh that is on the far side of the figure, or underneath/behind another object will not be shown to you unless you rotate the camera (or move other items) to view it.
Wire Shaded: Selecting Wire Shaded displays both the polygonal meshes and object shading. This is a combination of Hidden Line and Smooth Shaded.
Smooth Shaded: Selecting Smooth Shaded shows objects as solids with color and lighting but no maps.
Wire Texture Shaded: Selecting Wire Texture Shaded displays all objects within the scene as a polygonal mesh imposed over the object’s textures.
Texture Shaded: Selecting Texture Shaded shows objects as solids with all color, light, and map information displayed. This is the default setting for DAZ Studio.
Cartoon Shaded: (Available only with full OpenGL capability.) Cartoon Shaded will give you an accurate preview of what your image will look like after rendering if you have your render options set for Cartoon (as opposed to normal) mode. This gives you the chance to adjust the lighting for accurate shadows. (Note: Macintosh users may not have this option available as a preview, even if the card is capable of OpenGL acceleration.)

The figure below shows rendered examples of each of the draw styles that are available in DAZ Studio.

Other Viewport Options

2011-11-01T17:41:56+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Other Viewport Options

Besides changing the way objects are displayed in your viewport, the Viewport Options dialog also displays the following additional commands that allow you to customize your viewport display:

Dock Toolbar: Places the viewport and camera controls along the top of the viewport. Toggle this option again to place them back into the L configuration.
Background Color: To change the background color of your viewport, choose Background Color from the Viewport menu. A standard color picker will allow you to select a new background color that you can use for display or in rendered images.
Show Floor: By default, the floor appears as a grid in the viewport. It represents a plane that is oriented along the X and Z axes, and is centered at the origin of the Y axis. You can toggle the display of the floor on or off with the Show Floor option.
Show Center Axes: The origin of your scene appears in the exact center of the scene, at floor level. It is represented by red, green, and blue lines that intersect at the (0,0,0) point in your scene. Use the Show Center Axes option to toggle display of the origin on or off as needed.
Show Aspect Frame: The Aspect Frame option is on by default. The Aspect Frame helps you ensure that all of the items that you want to include in your render are within the area that will be rendered. We will describe this in more detail in “Building and Rendering Scenes.”

Selecting the Active Viewport

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This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Selecting the Active Viewport

If you are working in a multi-viewport layout, you can make changes to your scene within any available viewport. When you make changes in the active viewport, the other viewports in your multi-viewport layout also change.

To switch your active viewport, use one of the following methods:

Click a blank area in the toolbar that appears above the viewport you want to select.
Click any object in that appears in the viewport you want to select.

Changing Cameras

Whether you display one view or multiple views in your viewport area, you aren’t restricted to using the cameras that appear in those viewports by default. You can select any camera you choose in any of the views, including light cameras or other custom cameras that you create yourself. You’ll learn more about how to create custom cameras later in this chapter.

To switch cameras in a viewport:

Select the viewport that you want to assign a camera to.
Open the View Selection List drop-down at the upper left of the selected viewport.
Select the camera you want to assign to that viewport from the Views list.

Basic 3D Terminology

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Basic 3D Terminology

If you’re new to 3D graphics, you should familiarize yourself with some basic 3D concepts. Don’t worry, it’s not hard to get around it. Knowing the concepts behind what you’re doing will give you a more complete understanding of how DAZ Studio works and how to use it.

Axes: Working with 3D on a 2D Screen

DAZ Studio allows you to work in three dimensions. However, this creates a dilemma … the viewing surface of your computer monitor is two-dimensional, and your mouse only moves on a two-dimensional plane. The images that you generate from DAZ Studio will all be two-dimensional. If your tools and output are all in 2D, how can you possibly work in 3D?

Each of the three dimensions are represented by axes, with each individual representation termed an axis. These axes are usually designated as shown in the figure below, assuming that you are looking through the default or front camera:

The axis that runs from left to right (width) is known as the X axis. The X axis is shown as red in the figure that follows, and also displays as red when you are using manipulators in DAZ Studio.
The axis that runs up and down (height) is known as the Y axis. The Y axis is shown as green in the figure that follows, and also displays as green when you are using manipulators in DAZ Studio.
The axis that runs front to back (depth) is known as the Z axis. The Z axis is shown as blue in the figure that follows, and also displays as blue when you are using manipulators in DAZ Studio.

Orthogonal and Perspective Views or Cameras

DAZ Studio has several pre-built cameras that allow you to view your scene from one or more different directions. You’ll find them in the View Selector menu in the top-left corner of your Viewport area. Click the name of the current viewport to open the view selection menu, and select a different view as needed. These cameras fall into one of two category types: orthogonal or perspective.

Orthogonal Cameras

Orthogonal views and cameras (highlighted in the figure below) allow you to view your scene with a “straight-on” view. The objects in your scene that are farther away will appear to be the same size as objects that are closer to you. These views are very handy for positioning objects in relation to one another, so that you can get an accurate reflection of their actual position in a scene.

There are six possible orthogonal views for any real or virtual object, and they are listed in the following order in the View selector menu: Front View, Left View, Right View, Back View, Top View, or Bottom View:

The Front View and Back View cameras display the objects in your scene along the X and Y axes.
The Left View and Right View cameras display the objects in your scene along the Y and Z axes.
The Top View and Bottom View cameras display the objects in your scene along the X and Z axes.

Many 3D objects, including humans, are not fully symmetrical, and you may need to view them from several orthographic directions to manipulate them. The view you select depends on what you want to change. For example consider the following while viewing the figure below:

You can use the Front, Back, Left, or Right camera to adjust the height (or Y dimension) of an object, or to move the object
You can use the Front, Back, Top, or Bottom camera to adjust the width (or X dimension) of an object or to move your object to the right or left of the screen.
You can use the Left, Right, Top, or Bottom camera to move a figure forward or backward in your scene (along the Z axis).

Perspective Cameras

In the first three views of the figure above, you’ll notice that the Front, Left, and Top camera views lack depth or distance from the viewer. You also might find when working with the orthographic cameras that you can’t rotate the view to view your object from a different angle. That is where perspective view cameras come into play. DAZ Studio has two perspective view cameras available in the View selector: the Default View and Perspective View. The Default Camera is an optional camera that you can add to your scene if you don’t plan on creating additional cameras.

Perspective view cameras add the element of depth to the view (that is, they more accurately display the relative size of objects that are nearer to or farther away from the camera).

For example, observe the diagram below. Let’s say that your scene contains two people … one near, the other far. Even though the people might be about the same size, the person in the distance appears smaller. This occurs because the nearer person takes up more of your field of vision than the farther person.

Customizing Your Viewport Layout

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This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Customizing Your Viewport Layout

When you start DAZ Studio for the first time, you see your scene through one camera. This is called the Single View. The camera you view your scene from is selected from the View Selector menu, located at the upper-left corner of the viewport screen.

TIP! The size of the panes on the left and right of your viewport affects the amount of space that is available for your viewports. If you prefer to work with multiple viewports, reduce the width of the panes, or use floating panes instead. If you use multiple monitors, you can also move your panes to a second monitor so that the viewports use the maximum amount of screen real estate.

However, as we have mentioned, you can also configure DAZ Studio to look through more than one camera at a time. When you make changes in one viewport, the changes are automatically updated in the other viewports that you display.

To view your scene through more than one viewport, choose View > Viewport Layout and choose the layout arrangement that you want to use from the options shown below.

Single View: Displays the currently selected view in the entire Viewport screen. This is the view that DAZ Studio starts out with in the default interface layout.
Side by Side: Divides the viewport area into two vertical panels. By default, the Perspective view appears in the left panel, and the Front view appears in the right panel.
Top and Bottom: Divides the viewport area into two horizontal panels. The Perspective view appears in the top panel, and the Front View appears in the bottom panel by default.
Four Views: Divides the viewport area into four equally sized panels, two on top and two on the bottom. Perspective and Front views appear on the top, and Left and Top views appear on the bottom.
2 Right, 1 Left: Divides your viewport into three sections. The left half contains the Perspective view by default. The right half displays the Front and Left views in half-sized windows.
2 Top, 1 Bottom: Divides your viewport into three sections. The top half displays the Perspective and Front views in half-sized windows. The bottom half displays the Left view.
2 Left, 1 Right: Divides your viewport into three sections. The Perspective and Front views are arranged in half-sized windows on the left, and the Left View appears on the right.
2 Bottom, 1 Top: Divides your viewport into three sections. The Perspective view appears at the top, and the Front and Left views appear in half-sized windows on the bottom.
3 Right, 1 Left: Divides your viewport into four sections. The left side displays the Perspective view. The right side displays the Front, Left, and Top views.
3 Top, 1 Bottom: Divides your viewport into four sections. The top section displays the Perspective, Front, and Left views. The bottom section displays the Top view.
3 Left, 1 Right: Divides your viewport into four sections. The left section displays the Perspective, Front, and Left views. The right section displays the Top view.
3 Bottom, 1 Top: Divides your viewport into four sections. The top section displays the Perspective view, and the bottom portion displays the Front, Left, and Top view.

The figure below shows examples of the viewport options while displaying a simple scene.

Viewports and Cameras

2011-11-01T17:41:56+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Viewports and Cameras

Viewports are your window to the virtual universe inside DAZ Studio. A viewport allows you to see and work with your scene, and DAZ Studio allows you to look at and make changes to your scene through up to four cameras at once, each in a different viewport. You can customize viewports in a number of ways, as you’ll learn in this chapter.

However, before we start, it might help to explain some basic terminology about 3D, so that you can learn how to find your way around the viewports.