I missed these formats of videos where you guys talk through workflows and different approaches based upon your experiences. Didnt know Daz was free to be honest, definitely checking it out
If you are a 3D hobbyist, maybe DAZ is all you know. It is a lot of fun to play with it. Just quick assemble scenes since there is a whole universe of 3D free stuff for DAZ out there. Their render capabilities are very poor compared to Blender. I think this tutorial can be entirely done with DAZ + Blender sculpting alone.
@@DJVARAO it can be done both, DAZ + ZBrush, DAZ + Blender, or DAZ + ZBrush + Blender. you don't need to stick into what's available in your table, always look for more tools to speed up your work.
Daz isn't really free tho. In order to use this you gotta either work with an extremely limited shapekey selection, or buy more and better selections for your model version of choice. If you want to use this commercially you gotta buy a license. And the good stuff is expensive.
@@Pitusha I don't know if that is possible, not to my knowledge. But I did discover a workaround: Take the pose you want and make a symmetrical version of it, then sculpt on that when you want to sculpt symmetrically.
Thats one of the reasons you guys rule. It's not about the software, it's about the artist. Two of the nicest dudes breaking down what an 3d artist needs to be successful.
This is a massive find. Thank you. I'm a like to sculpt as a hobby and I want to make characters to 3d print. Feels like 80% of the work in getting the base mesh, posting them, etc. Then you finally get to the sculpting. Thank you for making me aware of this software.
I'm one of those old timers who've been using Daz Studio from its inception. It has come a long way. Thanks for including Daz in your tool kit and giving us ideas on how to integrate tools into our workflow. You guys are awesome.
This has been the best example of a workflow that I've found so far. Thank you. Using three programs may seem burdensome, but if there isn't a one program to rule them all it is what needs to be done.
You know I dont have a very big network with the computer art world, but I have been asking about base meshes industry people use for years now and i tend to get silences or a change of topic when its brought up. It has come to make me think that its the sign of an ameteur or people just use an old model of their own as a base mesh. I'm so happy to finally hear it addressed. I am still an ameteur when it comes to 3D modeling, but even i get tired of making the same base body parts time after timer after time when I just want to get to unique parts that will make the model its own flavor and personality. Thank you sooo much for this video! Seems like I need to download and go learn daze after I finish up with blender learning
i`ve been sculpting characters for 7 years, but something like this, honestly i think it can be a game changer for me i would never have tought on incorporating daz to my workflow, thanks a lot for this :)
Base mesh vs. doing it from a sphere is always interesting. I'm a programmer, I would never start programming from scratch because I don't want to reinvent the wheel. There are people which are way smarter than I who created all libraries and tools. But when I tried out sculpting, it felt wrong to use base meshes for the learning experience. Like when I started learning to program, I also had to go through the pain of writing machine code or coding base things from scratch. As for someone who does 3d for fun, I always was thinking about how much should I learn the fundamentals and when should I "skip" them and use base meshes to just have fun.
I recommend you start with the sphere/fundamentals, that will force you to be sure of what you're doing, the basics and fundamentals of it, after that go ahead and use any basemesh or model you want lol, i like making interiors, at the start i wanted to make sure i could model a couch if i needed to, or a chair, a curtain, because at one point i won't find the perfect curtain so i'll have to make my own. Just get good enough at the fundamentals you can understand it and know how to to from a sphere to a head for exameple, nothing fancy just a shape head, that will help you understand anatomy in this case.
@@kendarr I have a video of myself sculpting a mesh on my youtube channel from scratch. What do you think of my workflow? I have no real practical training just trail and error.
Insert "Why not both?" meme. I recently hopped back into Zbrush after some years away because the wife got me resin printer & I got to that point where I'm itching to print my own models. Thankfully my past experience with Zbrush allowed me immediately recognize that I was falling back into Zbrush noob mistake #1, subdividing & detailing too soon. So I said screw that, made a base mesh & pose in Daz, and now it's just about ready to print it. There's definitely no shame in this workflow & I'm honestly surprised to FlippedNormals did a video on it. I thought I was being all smart & shit with my hacky little way to fast results. That said, definitely learn the basics. That's actually how I ended up here. I was searching quick character tutorials so I could brush up on the basics as fast as possible.
this workflow have a great potential for posed 3d printing characters. Thats the first thing that came in my mind. Cant wait to get a tutorial using this Daz workflow
They evolved in an interesting way: fan artists gave them cash flow support over many years until they grew their product to a level with enough appeal to the pro level production pipeline.
Thank you! I use Daz in my work because it speeds up the process a lot and I can express my idea faster. After all, there is still a bunch of other work on characters, hair, armor, all sorts of little things that daz will not help, and here I have to try. But all the time I experienced complexes about this, as if I were not an artist, since I do not do everything from scratch.
I do this too, however, I use Blender as an intermediary. I get the DAZ model into Blender, then use the GoB plugin to get it into Zbrush. That way, if I decide I want to change the pose, even after I've done some heavy sculpting in Zbrush, I can easily do that. It's so much better than trying to change the pose in Zbrush.
I exported to zbrush then did some sculpting went back to daz changed the pose and all the sculpting disappeared . Can't find workflow in the net . Help plz
found it Creating a morph: Select an object in the scene; you must have an item that has geometry selected to continue. Select the Send to ZBrush... action. Use File > Send to ZBrush… or click the Z icon in the toolbar (left side of City Limits layout) Choose whether or not to “Export with deformations” in the Export Option dialog. Checking this option will export the selected object with the current pose/shapes applied, allowing you to sculpt on the posed/morphed shape - which will later be reversed when the sculpt is sent back to DAZ Studio. ZBrush will launch; you may be prompted to grant permission if UAC is enabled Once in ZBrush, use the new tool (it should already be active in the Tool palette) to place the object in the viewport. Select Edit Object (T) to enter the mode that allows you to begin sculpting the mesh. Be careful to avoid changing the resolution of the mesh; morphs must maintain both vertex count and order. Sculpt your morph. When finished, click the GoZ (Ctrl+G) button in the Tool palette to send the sculpted object back to DAZ Studio. The first time you do this you will be walked through setting up the ZBrush side of the bridge. You may need to manually locate the DAZ Studio 4 executable. Choose the appropriate options and fill in the the appropriate fields, in the Update Options dialog. Building a morph, you'll want to uncheck the Update UVs and Update Materials options. If you are not presented with a dialog, make sure that the Edit > Preferences... > Interface > Bridges > GoZ (ZBrush) option is set to Show Options. Find your shape in the Parameters (WIP) and/or Shaping (WIP) panes. Name and location will be as specified in the Update Options dialog. docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/read_me/index/13173/start
@@TheKevphil I guess you have to export your mesh with base resolution to have the "global" full body morph, then all details are baked into normal map and displacement map to render correctly in DAZ. You indeed cannot use subdivided mesh to create HD morph, unless you get the access to HD morph tools, being a DAZ Published Artist (but I dont know more than that :p)
@@TheKevphil Because Daz ONLY allows published artists to morph above a base mesh. This is why Daz is so limited to 99% of people. Flipped Normals is a published artist on Daz, so they don't have the same problem.
More like this Please!!! Hiya, My Name is Erik, a US based pro video game character Artist... your tutorials and even your rants were huge in influencing my decision to go pro, and helped me focus my education on the things I needed to know.. So a huge thank you to you both... I feel like you dont do much stuff like this lately but It is soo helpful to know what new tech and techniques to be using, tips and tricks to speed things up, and just how things are done in porfessional scenarios, IE the reality of skill level that is needed, how to speed up reaching it, what are acceptable short cuts . . . .once again thank you so much!!! and look forward to your next vid :)
Starting from scratch really makes you focus on proportions and all of the base structure. Like H&M pointed to it's really imperative you still focus on this stage or you are likely going to fall apart building up from an existing base. Anatomy is key to good sculpting imho.
@@FlippedNormals I find it riggin on Zbrush quite painfull, and a lote time consuming fixing compressions even if you work that out on the mesh, definetly looking on Daz now to improove Workflow, great video.
There are two things FlippedNormals could do to REALLY bring Daz to the forefront of character creation. 1: get Daz to open the HD morph pipeline to everyone, not just "published artists" . 2. get Daz to change the prop/clothing workflow so that you can create new items for specific characters instead of having to start with a base genesis character and then morph back to your desired character. If you can do these two things, Daz will truly be a competitor to Character Creator, UE Metahumans and all the others who are starting pull away.
I agree 100%. It is annoying to have to create assets for my sculpted characters in the base characters every time. I've been using Cinema 4D more often in my workflow as a workaround.
It's really interesting coming to the visual art community from music, a lot of similar conversations happening when it comes to procedural generation to kinda "corner-cut" and improve productivity. It doesn't even feel right calling these tools "corner-cutting." When im doing what I love, I will ALWAYS go above and beyond, so having more time to focus on the detail and magic of the art- that seems like a positive to me. I'll definitely go learn to sculpt properly first, but this was great content that'll be handy down the line, thanks. 👍🏻
Honestly? Love the switching around. Each program has its specialty and there's nothing wrong with that. I do the same thing depending upon the goal of whatever I'm making.
Used goZ to move the model from DAZ to Zbrush (only hooking off the bottom option in the dialogue box), added some details with the clay buildup brush. Changed the pose in DAZ, like you did in this video, but that made all the changes in topology done in Zbrush go away, and reset the character. It is not evident from looking at the video what was done differently. Hope someone could shed some light on this, so that I can adopt this workflow as well.:)
I basically started from daz 3d and looking to zbrush for more customization and to start learning the fundamentals ecc... It is indeed a powerful tool you can even add tools that uses some sliders that can apply many morphs to the face ad transform completly your character. Also the accessory catalogue is infinite.
What about distribution rights? Daz is free to use but the content is not free to redistribute. Usually sculpting is either for a game asset or to be used as STL file to sell 3d printing-ready files. While the former seems hard to attack as by the end of the process the original mesh will be redone from scratch (sculpting+retopology of the hi-poly mesh+texture baking), the latter feels stading on a shaky ground because the original asset has been used as an integral part of the process (posing). Their EULA is quite ambiguous about that matter.
I have been familiar with Daz3D for years... I do my stuffs my one, and I never use such things in my workflow because is very important for sculpture and 3d designer to practice, practice,practice and practice again making art and learning how to make things, not just reused stuffs. But for me it is a matter of personal choice in the order of personal improvement which is a constant practice, practice, practice. But I admire classic sculptures like Da Vinci, Bernini, etc. So it's really a matter of personal choice. For hired tasks - just take the time beforehand and make your one stuffs and rigs and use them in your workflow. But good advertising on Daz3D. It is certainly very pro made. Daz3D really has a very strong rig system - this is a huge advantage. The rig technique is great. Something that is really a big problem in Zbrush and it's something I've been talking about for years Pixologic to change and correct to fix their rig system making it as simple and clean to work as possible, just as it is in Daz3D.
Thank you, its so valuable & encouraging to hear about professional workflows & how its different from how its taught. Please give more insights like this. (Its something we don't get from so many channels).
this really helped me, i kept fooling myself into thinking that if i use base meshes then i was "cheating" but if professionals are doing it, then why wouldn't i be allowed to do so as well. Thanks for the Video.
Sorry if I'm late to the game... but, I absolutely love this workflow concept, and I just stumbled on the video. I can't really find anything more descriptive on the process though?
Here is my tip if you want to pose your characters: Learn basic animation. It doesn't have to be anything fancy or complicated, posing is still much easier than animating things. It will pay off immensily and you will thank yourself for learning that.
Since Blender 2.83 you can use Pose Brush in the sculpting section to pose a mesh without any rig - to learn rigging, skinning and animation just for mesh posing is a bit overkill in their case.
Awesome tutorial! Coincidentally, I was recently thinking of the possibility of start using DAZ for this kind of workflow, and it's good to know that it actually works!. It would be great to get a second part of this one, where you take this to a more finished look, maybe with some basic texturing and stuff. Thanks for the hard work, guys, I've learnt a lot with you! :)
Even though it looks amazing, it's virtually impossible to find a course or tutorial on exporting from Daz to Zbrush, then from Zbrush to Daz to pose and back to Zbrush...
To anyone watching who was having the same problem as me where it wouldn't let you update the model in Daz when you'd sculpted in Zbrush. You need to make sure 'Export at Current Resolution" is unticked when you first export from Daz.
I found a way where you are able to use dynamesh and you can pose cloth/armor as well in Daz -Make a Genesis 8 model, leave it at standard (you can add muscles and stuff, but don't pose it), -export it to zbrush (use the GoZ for DAZ Studio Plugin), sculpt it with cloth and so on. -Make a low poly version with ZRemesher, -merge everything into one object -Then send it back to Daz with ctrl+g. -In Daz, delete the old starting point with muscles. -create the same Genesis model again, don't add anything (otherwise it will add muscles on top of the existing ones later). You should have a blank Genesis 8 model and your sculptet model with muscles and cloth in the scene. Both in the same starter pose, overlapping eachother. -klick on edit->figure->Transpose Utilty -Select the Genesis 8 as starter, than the sculpted one as target. Select Projection-Template: Full-Body. Leave the rest as it is. Klick Accept. Note: The position of the joints need to be at the old place of course. Moving body parts in Zbrush will not work. It's probably a good idea to immediately keep a copy of the original model exported from Daz, as reference (or simply resend a Genesis 8 from Daz)
Working from scratch (sphere) makes sense either for practicing or concepting, when you’re inventing something unique and don’t want the shape and form to be dictated by underlying geometry. Otherwise I would definitely use generic base meshes.
I'm interested if I can wrap one mesh around the other like a vacuum bag. I need to do a base mesh for the character using the skeleton mesh that I have. In the end, it should look like a dried mummy with a skin wrapped around the skeleton.
Man, that's a hell of an achievement. Don't feel bad about it, but the opposite. I think is great that today's market don't need 3D artists to go into full renascence mode to show their skills. One of my favorite conceptual artists almost exclusively does 3D+photobashing.
Hey good job on finishing the anatomy sculpt! Those are really valuable. Combine the knowledge of anatomy with the speed of this workflow and you'll be unstoppable :)
Your is indeed efficient. I did came up with something very similar myself. I create my base mesh models in Make Human. Then export to zbrush, sculpt, also re-use many components of older models I already did. For instance re-using dogs paws from one model, re-sued as base for werewolf paws.
I'm just getting started on Monday with university classes. I'm pursuing a degree in "Game Art" at Full Sail. This Daz software looks AMAZING for speeding up productivity! What else can you do to produce videos that will illustrate how to improve efficiency in the modern workplace?
specially in indie, we shouldn't worry much about creating from sphere to character instead use available tools out there specifically for unique art style it's all comes from the base of already made. even in outsourcing they just sometimes and always send base file for you to work on that is how it works otherwise your just starting.
I'm not familiar with Daz but it seems Daz is like the newer poser. I remember when Poser came out in 95. I totally passed it off then because at that time software's didn't talk to each other like they do now. What you guys just did was very impressive. Gotta get Daz now!
Oh yes, maybe I've missed something, but the most important question is "can you use Daz Studio to make a basemesh for your commercial work"? Do you need some kind of license for this?
They have what's called an "Interactive License" option on each product's page, which you'll need for using that product in a game. I don't know if that means you sell the final sculpt though (other than as a morph target that requires your customer to purchase their base character from DAZ), so I think clarification from DAZ would be needed on that.
I assume this can be done in Blender as well? Really trying to stick with Blender at the moment (sculpting wise) - it's a way more user friendly UI to deal with than Zbrush.
Is there a way to force the original DAZ UVs back onto the finished Zbrush sculpt? The biggest problem with this entire workflow is that you can't really bring that level of resolution back to Studio and unless you render in Zbrush, your existing textures won't work once it's exported. It's useful for concepting, but still not practical for enhancing items and characters for artistic work unless you're willing to retexture everything.
This was bloody brilliant. I would love a whole series with this "fast clever workflow = professional workflow" theme. Maybe even through in some animation as well. BTW, do you guys know of any channel that discusses similar "fast clever animation workflow" topics?
I hate to be the noob but what is das? I'm watching lots of videos and learning on blender and the learning curve is really high. I just want to sculpt for the table top and the animation and other light work blender dose dose not seem to apply except for the substructure to help redefine the pose of the sculpt. What you guys do is REALLY AMAZING!!!!!
@FlippedNormals How do you get the reposed mesh from Daz to update your sculpt in zbrush? I haven't been able to repose and transfer the model from Daz to Zbrush without losing all of the sculpting. I'm thinking theres a setting I've neglected but I cant figure what it is.
Pretty Surprised that Flipped Normals would use Daz Model to Sculpt technique. Nothing wrong with it, I agree with it. Just did'nt expect that they would use and demonstrate this workflow.
Hey guys This workflow is a game-changer for me. It’s like magic! Small question. Which character did you use in DAZ that gives you the joint posing options like you have? Thanks, you guys are just fantastic!
In your example the sculpting is more less surface level details. Would Daz still recognize the joints if you changed the proportions more drastically?
I haven't used the latest Daz.... But posing should work fine in and out of Zbrush as long as the sculpted (or reshaped) geomtery in the subdivisions contains the base mesh. Basically the mesh within the subdivision should not alerted by adding or deleting geometry or even dynameshed. If the proportion changes are something like bulking the forearms to popeye proportions or using the move brush to put a cave his chest, the posing at positions will still transfer in and out of Zbrush. I'm not too sure about more drastic proportion changes like changing the original joint positions or stretching and shortening the limbs in and out of zbrush. With proportions like that, I would get close to portions you want in Daz before you first export to zbrush. I would think that if you were to elongate the arms in Zbrush and export back to Daz, for example, the wrist/ finger joints would change position so in theory the joints wouldn't match up to the ones in Daz.
@@The_Toonimator Thanks for the reply. I ended up taking a dive into Daz. The bridge works flawlessly but despite seemingly good automatic adjustment of the skeleton to the mesh, the deformations don't work quite as expected when posing. My mesh is pretty stylized, chunky, the lengths of the limbs are also very slightly modified. It's the volumes around joints that are problematic. For this to work I'd have to learn about weight mapping I guess (I'm a ZBrush cowboy as they say :) )
@@dodruku no prob. Hmm. If your joints have deformation issues and you're not animating the character (with a rig/skinning) and just posing, then you may just have to manually tweak the mesh around joints with the smooth, move and other brushes that would correct the shape of joint deformation. But yeah if you are animating then you would have to take the character (preferably in a t-pose) in a 3d program that would be able to weight or do angle deformations.
So good, man. It's great to know this stuff. I've been tasked with creating 3 characters for an upcoming animation my company is producing, and it's great to know that you don't need to start from just a sphere.
Hello! I feel a little lost. I can't catch the moment when you increased the number of polygons of the model in ZBrush for further detailed sculpting. Initially, the models from DAZ are quite low resolution and aren't suitable for detailed sculpting. But in order to create a morph in ZBrush for DAZ, the model must have an original resolution. Can I do high poly sculpt and will the morph be displayed correctly in DAZ? I don't understand.
I want to use daz but is little bit confusing to get in, could you make a video recommending morphs you find useful for this kind of workflow? Like an starter pack recommendation. 🙏
I don't have Zbrush (cost), but I have Blender. I may be missing something, but what exactly is the process for setting this up? I'm hoping to sculpt some miniatures for tabletop gaming, and the ability to pose and sculpt would be an amazing thing. Previously I've done the blender thing and sculpted, then did a rig, but that seems more work if this is going to do it. I guess the problem is I'm not grasping HOW to do this without fiddling with the program. So, with having Daz, Blender, and the Blender Bridge will I be able to do the exact same thing as in this video? The process on how I either don't understand, or see. Cheers!
I missed these formats of videos where you guys talk through workflows and different approaches based upon your experiences. Didnt know Daz was free to be honest, definitely checking it out
Happy to hear you enjoyed it.
Daz wasn't really on our radar until a few Months ago
If you are a 3D hobbyist, maybe DAZ is all you know. It is a lot of fun to play with it. Just quick assemble scenes since there is a whole universe of 3D free stuff for DAZ out there. Their render capabilities are very poor compared to Blender. I think this tutorial can be entirely done with DAZ + Blender sculpting alone.
@@DJVARAO it can be done both, DAZ + ZBrush, DAZ + Blender, or DAZ + ZBrush + Blender. you don't need to stick into what's available in your table, always look for more tools to speed up your work.
Daz isn't really free tho.
In order to use this you gotta either work with an extremely limited shapekey selection, or buy more and better selections for your model version of choice. If you want to use this commercially you gotta buy a license.
And the good stuff is expensive.
@@StalkinU i guess u killed whole partnership with your "knife sharp" comment :) couse they didnt mention daz ever again XD
The fact that you can pose in Daz and have it mirrored in zBrush is frankly a massive time-saver.
Personally, my sculpting skills were kind of bottlenecked by the fear of breaking asymmetry so this tool really comes at the perfect moment :v
Do you know if this is possible on Blender as well? (I can't afford Zbrush lol)
@@Pitusha I don't know if that is possible, not to my knowledge. But I did discover a workaround: Take the pose you want and make a symmetrical version of it, then sculpt on that when you want to sculpt symmetrically.
Make sure to keep the original pose though so you can flip back to it.
how does it work? because I search whole internt to find a way to pose from daz and see the result in zbrush, but I found nothing :/
Thats one of the reasons you guys rule. It's not about the software, it's about the artist. Two of the nicest dudes breaking down what an 3d artist needs to be successful.
Thank you Shawn! We really appreciate it :) It's all about the artist - tools are just tools.
well said, thank you guys for sharing.
This is a massive find. Thank you. I'm a like to sculpt as a hobby and I want to make characters to 3d print. Feels like 80% of the work in getting the base mesh, posting them, etc. Then you finally get to the sculpting. Thank you for making me aware of this software.
I'm in the same boat. I want my own unique 3d statues
I'm one of those old timers who've been using Daz Studio from its inception. It has come a long way. Thanks for including Daz in your tool kit and giving us ideas on how to integrate tools into our workflow. You guys are awesome.
This has been the best example of a workflow that I've found so far. Thank you. Using three programs may seem burdensome, but if there isn't a one program to rule them all it is what needs to be done.
I'm looking forward to seeing a complete tutorial for Daz to zbrush to final render...
@Everything Zbrush is there such one?... i dont think so...seems they only sell stuff for Daz :)
You know I dont have a very big network with the computer art world, but I have been asking about base meshes industry people use for years now and i tend to get silences or a change of topic when its brought up. It has come to make me think that its the sign of an ameteur or people just use an old model of their own as a base mesh. I'm so happy to finally hear it addressed. I am still an ameteur when it comes to 3D modeling, but even i get tired of making the same base body parts time after timer after time when I just want to get to unique parts that will make the model its own flavor and personality. Thank you sooo much for this video! Seems like I need to download and go learn daze after I finish up with blender learning
Like Carl Sagan said: "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe. "
Yes. With that note, you can go to store and buy a frozen apple pie, warm it up and proudly tell everyone you made it.
@@stout8529 You can lie to everyone but not to yourself 😋
@@sicfxmusic Well, what I am applying is that you should not lie to anyone, Including yourself.
I don't know what this means but I like it
It means if you made something from scratch you just played God because you made something out of literally nothing.
i`ve been sculpting characters for 7 years, but something like this, honestly i think it can be a game changer for me i would never have tought on incorporating daz to my workflow, thanks a lot for this :)
Base mesh vs. doing it from a sphere is always interesting. I'm a programmer, I would never start programming from scratch because I don't want to reinvent the wheel. There are people which are way smarter than I who created all libraries and tools. But when I tried out sculpting, it felt wrong to use base meshes for the learning experience. Like when I started learning to program, I also had to go through the pain of writing machine code or coding base things from scratch. As for someone who does 3d for fun, I always was thinking about how much should I learn the fundamentals and when should I "skip" them and use base meshes to just have fun.
Well if you are purely doing it for fun then do whatever feels fun. There's no wrong way to learn
I recommend you start with the sphere/fundamentals, that will force you to be sure of what you're doing, the basics and fundamentals of it, after that go ahead and use any basemesh or model you want lol, i like making interiors, at the start i wanted to make sure i could model a couch if i needed to, or a chair, a curtain, because at one point i won't find the perfect curtain so i'll have to make my own. Just get good enough at the fundamentals you can understand it and know how to to from a sphere to a head for exameple, nothing fancy just a shape head, that will help you understand anatomy in this case.
@@kendarr I have a video of myself sculpting a mesh on my youtube channel from scratch. What do you think of my workflow? I have no real practical training just trail and error.
@@LazyDev27 you're going into detail too soon
Insert "Why not both?" meme.
I recently hopped back into Zbrush after some years away because the wife got me resin printer & I got to that point where I'm itching to print my own models. Thankfully my past experience with Zbrush allowed me immediately recognize that I was falling back into Zbrush noob mistake #1, subdividing & detailing too soon. So I said screw that, made a base mesh & pose in Daz, and now it's just about ready to print it. There's definitely no shame in this workflow & I'm honestly surprised to FlippedNormals did a video on it. I thought I was being all smart & shit with my hacky little way to fast results. That said, definitely learn the basics. That's actually how I ended up here. I was searching quick character tutorials so I could brush up on the basics as fast as possible.
this workflow have a great potential for posed 3d printing characters. Thats the first thing that came in my mind. Cant wait to get a tutorial using this Daz workflow
I've been trying to get Daz's symmetry tool to work for arm poses for nearly a decade and here you just do it first time in an instant.
Wow, didn't really noticed how far Daz has come, gonna give it a try definitely.
They evolved in an interesting way: fan artists gave them cash flow support over many years until they grew their product to a level with enough appeal to the pro level production pipeline.
@@DJVARAO for sure, tried it many years ago and it felt like a nice toy and then I completely forgot it existed.
It's improved a lot, I particularly like the bridges the have to other 3d software.
Thank you! I use Daz in my work because it speeds up the process a lot and I can express my idea faster. After all, there is still a bunch of other work on characters, hair, armor, all sorts of little things that daz will not help, and here I have to try. But all the time I experienced complexes about this, as if I were not an artist, since I do not do everything from scratch.
I do this too, however, I use Blender as an intermediary. I get the DAZ model into Blender, then use the GoB plugin to get it into Zbrush. That way, if I decide I want to change the pose, even after I've done some heavy sculpting in Zbrush, I can easily do that. It's so much better than trying to change the pose in Zbrush.
Can you show the proper workflow on how to pose the character in daz once zbrush detailing is done?
I exported to zbrush then did some sculpting went back to daz changed the pose and all the sculpting disappeared .
Can't find workflow in the net .
Help plz
found it
Creating a morph:
Select an object in the scene; you must have an item that has geometry selected to continue.
Select the Send to ZBrush... action.
Use File > Send to ZBrush… or click the Z icon in the toolbar (left side of City Limits layout)
Choose whether or not to “Export with deformations” in the Export Option dialog.
Checking this option will export the selected object with the current pose/shapes applied, allowing you to sculpt on the posed/morphed shape - which will later be reversed when the sculpt is sent back to DAZ Studio. ZBrush will launch; you may be prompted to grant permission if UAC is enabled
Once in ZBrush, use the new tool (it should already be active in the Tool palette) to place the object in the viewport.
Select Edit Object (T) to enter the mode that allows you to begin sculpting the mesh.
Be careful to avoid changing the resolution of the mesh; morphs must maintain both vertex count and order.
Sculpt your morph.
When finished, click the GoZ (Ctrl+G) button in the Tool palette to send the sculpted object back to DAZ Studio.
The first time you do this you will be walked through setting up the ZBrush side of the bridge. You may need to manually locate the DAZ Studio 4 executable.
Choose the appropriate options and fill in the the appropriate fields, in the Update Options dialog.
Building a morph, you'll want to uncheck the Update UVs and Update Materials options.
If you are not presented with a dialog, make sure that the Edit > Preferences... > Interface > Bridges > GoZ (ZBrush) option is set to Show Options.
Find your shape in the Parameters (WIP) and/or Shaping (WIP) panes.
Name and location will be as specified in the Update Options dialog.
docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/read_me/index/13173/start
@@ilyadinin8096 *_HOW do they add all the detail in ZBrush without subdividing the mesh and losing DAZ editability?_*
@@TheKevphil I guess you have to export your mesh with base resolution to have the "global" full body morph, then all details are baked into normal map and displacement map to render correctly in DAZ.
You indeed cannot use subdivided mesh to create HD morph, unless you get the access to HD morph tools, being a DAZ Published Artist (but I dont know more than that :p)
@@TheKevphil Because Daz ONLY allows published artists to morph above a base mesh. This is why Daz is so limited to 99% of people. Flipped Normals is a published artist on Daz, so they don't have the same problem.
That is what I call "Working smart" as opposed to "Working hard". Nice one guys. As always-- you keep it real.
Thank you, Warren!
More like this Please!!! Hiya, My Name is Erik, a US based pro video game character Artist... your tutorials and even your rants were huge in influencing my decision to go pro, and helped me focus my education on the things I needed to know.. So a huge thank you to you both... I feel like you dont do much stuff like this lately but It is soo helpful to know what new tech and techniques to be using, tips and tricks to speed things up, and just how things are done in porfessional scenarios, IE the reality of skill level that is needed, how to speed up reaching it, what are acceptable short cuts . . . .once again thank you so much!!! and look forward to your next vid :)
Thank you so much for your message Erik! Thats amazing to hear :D
So like
Daz 3d = easy way
Start from sphere = hard way but more experience
Yup!
Starting from scratch really makes you focus on proportions and all of the base structure. Like H&M pointed to it's really imperative you still focus on this stage or you are likely going to fall apart building up from an existing base. Anatomy is key to good sculpting imho.
Yep! A solid understanding of shape is still essential. Using a base gets you there quicker but core skills are still needed
@@FlippedNormals I find it riggin on Zbrush quite painfull, and a lote time consuming fixing compressions even if you work that out on the mesh, definetly looking on Daz now to improove Workflow, great video.
There are two things FlippedNormals could do to REALLY bring Daz to the forefront of character creation. 1: get Daz to open the HD morph pipeline to everyone, not just "published artists" . 2. get Daz to change the prop/clothing workflow so that you can create new items for specific characters instead of having to start with a base genesis character and then morph back to your desired character. If you can do these two things, Daz will truly be a competitor to Character Creator, UE Metahumans and all the others who are starting pull away.
Why don'tyou do this instead?
@@StalkinU Because I don't have an established business relationship with Daz Studio like these guys do
I agree 100%. It is annoying to have to create assets for my sculpted characters in the base characters every time. I've been using Cinema 4D more often in my workflow as a workaround.
It's really interesting coming to the visual art community from music, a lot of similar conversations happening when it comes to procedural generation to kinda "corner-cut" and improve productivity.
It doesn't even feel right calling these tools "corner-cutting."
When im doing what I love, I will ALWAYS go above and beyond, so having more time to focus on the detail and magic of the art- that seems like a positive to me.
I'll definitely go learn to sculpt properly first, but this was great content that'll be handy down the line, thanks. 👍🏻
Correct. Starting with a fully modeled figure with advanced rigging already in place will, in fact speed up your workflow.
Honestly? Love the switching around. Each program has its specialty and there's nothing wrong with that. I do the same thing depending upon the goal of whatever I'm making.
Used goZ to move the model from DAZ to Zbrush (only hooking off the bottom option in the dialogue box), added some details with the clay buildup brush. Changed the pose in DAZ, like you did in this video, but that made all the changes in topology done in Zbrush go away, and reset the character. It is not evident from looking at the video what was done differently. Hope someone could shed some light on this, so that I can adopt this workflow as well.:)
I have the same issue... wondering if its something to do with the version of zbrush?
did you ever figure it out?
Thank you for opening up a world ‘new’ workflow, one that I’m confident to use now.
I basically started from daz 3d and looking to zbrush for more customization and to start learning the fundamentals ecc...
It is indeed a powerful tool you can even add tools that uses some sliders that can apply many morphs to the face ad transform completly your character. Also the accessory catalogue is infinite.
Wow!! the sculpting process is soo legit and straight ahead...
really appreciate DAZ's joint corrective motions and I don't know if it's often emphasized
I love the knowledge you guys share, and I love you guys for sharing knowledge!
What about distribution rights? Daz is free to use but the content is not free to redistribute. Usually sculpting is either for a game asset or to be used as STL file to sell 3d printing-ready files. While the former seems hard to attack as by the end of the process the original mesh will be redone from scratch (sculpting+retopology of the hi-poly mesh+texture baking), the latter feels stading on a shaky ground because the original asset has been used as an integral part of the process (posing). Their EULA is quite ambiguous about that matter.
This workflow is very efficient for industrial pipeline, but to gain a good result people have to know the basics as you said
I have been familiar with Daz3D for years...
I do my stuffs my one, and I never use such things in my workflow because is very important for sculpture and 3d designer to practice, practice,practice and practice again making art and learning how to make things, not just reused stuffs. But for me it is a matter of personal choice in the order of personal improvement which is a constant practice, practice, practice. But I admire classic sculptures like Da Vinci, Bernini, etc. So it's really a matter of personal choice.
For hired tasks - just take the time beforehand and make your one stuffs and rigs and use them in your workflow.
But good advertising on Daz3D. It is certainly very pro made. Daz3D really has a very strong rig system - this is a huge advantage. The rig technique is great. Something that is really a big problem in Zbrush and it's something I've been talking about for years Pixologic to change and correct to fix their rig system making it as simple and clean to work as possible, just as it is in Daz3D.
Thank you, its so valuable & encouraging to hear about professional workflows & how its different from how its taught. Please give more insights like this. (Its something we don't get from so many channels).
Thank you! Will do!
this really helped me, i kept fooling myself into thinking that if i use base meshes then i was "cheating" but if professionals are doing it, then why wouldn't i be allowed to do so as well. Thanks for the Video.
thanks for Daz related videos. looking for it so hard. can't wait to see next
I've been using daz with zbrish and 3ds Max for a few years now and it's great
i just watch this and discovered daz !! tyvm u save me a lot of work!
Sorry if I'm late to the game... but, I absolutely love this workflow concept, and I just stumbled on the video. I can't really find anything more descriptive on the process though?
almost a year later and still no video tutorial on this. you guys are killing me. I want to buy it!
This was really eye opening on so many things. Thanks!
AWESOME !!! Thanks a lot to share all your knowledge with us!!!
Here is my tip if you want to pose your characters:
Learn basic animation. It doesn't have to be anything fancy or complicated, posing is still much easier than animating things.
It will pay off immensily and you will thank yourself for learning that.
Since Blender 2.83 you can use Pose Brush in the sculpting section to pose a mesh without any rig - to learn rigging, skinning and animation just for mesh posing is a bit overkill in their case.
Bro, I just bought white onezee and drew black dots on myself -> then filmed myself moving. Character is walking just like a depressed uni student :D
@@antipainK Consequences! XD
Awesome tutorial! Coincidentally, I was recently thinking of the possibility of start using DAZ for this kind of workflow, and it's good to know that it actually works!. It would be great to get a second part of this one, where you take this to a more finished look, maybe with some basic texturing and stuff. Thanks for the hard work, guys, I've learnt a lot with you! :)
Thank you! We are definitely going to make tutorials exploring the daz character workflow more
Thank you so much for this incredible vídeo. I'm stucked sculpting a ball, now I think I have another way to start to sculpting.
Even though it looks amazing, it's virtually impossible to find a course or tutorial on exporting from Daz to Zbrush, then from Zbrush to Daz to pose and back to Zbrush...
Awesome! Thank you a lot, guys for your videos
Usual models are visual art and moves in frequently easy movements using every joint when using Das 3.
This is lovely and intriguing and so much more optimizing to learning, it is inspiring.
To anyone watching who was having the same problem as me where it wouldn't let you update the model in Daz when you'd sculpted in Zbrush.
You need to make sure 'Export at Current Resolution" is unticked when you first export from Daz.
This video is a blessing! thank you guys!
Your videos are so informative. I really appreciate them. I've learned so much.
Glad you like them!
I found a way where you are able to use dynamesh and you can pose cloth/armor as well in Daz
-Make a Genesis 8 model, leave it at standard (you can add muscles and stuff, but don't pose it),
-export it to zbrush (use the GoZ for DAZ Studio Plugin), sculpt it with cloth and so on.
-Make a low poly version with ZRemesher,
-merge everything into one object
-Then send it back to Daz with ctrl+g.
-In Daz, delete the old starting point with muscles.
-create the same Genesis model again, don't add anything (otherwise it will add muscles on top of the existing ones later). You should have a blank Genesis 8 model and your sculptet model with muscles and cloth in the scene. Both in the same starter pose, overlapping eachother.
-klick on edit->figure->Transpose Utilty
-Select the Genesis 8 as starter, than the sculpted one as target. Select Projection-Template: Full-Body. Leave the rest as it is.
Klick Accept.
Note:
The position of the joints need to be at the old place of course. Moving body parts in Zbrush will not work. It's probably a good idea to immediately keep a copy of the original model exported from Daz, as reference (or simply resend a Genesis 8 from Daz)
Working from scratch (sphere) makes sense either for practicing or concepting, when you’re inventing something unique and don’t want the shape and form to be dictated by underlying geometry. Otherwise I would definitely use generic base meshes.
That's a very neat trick! Thanks a bunch!
You bet!
thank you so much for this video, you saved several days of my life, thank you
I'm interested if I can wrap one mesh around the other like a vacuum bag. I need to do a base mesh for the character using the skeleton mesh that I have. In the end, it should look like a dried mummy with a skin wrapped around the skeleton.
**mind blown**
Kinda dying on the inside as I just finished an anatomy sculpt.
Thanks for this.
Man, that's a hell of an achievement. Don't feel bad about it, but the opposite.
I think is great that today's market don't need 3D artists to go into full renascence mode to show their skills. One of my favorite conceptual artists almost exclusively does 3D+photobashing.
dont feel bad. Youve essentially mad eyour own basemesh with that anatomy sculpt. re use it for future projects
@@DJVARAO I'm curious who is the artist you're referring to? Beeple?
@@FlyinBoiI never hear about him before the NTF thing. The one I was talking about is Imad Awan.
Hey good job on finishing the anatomy sculpt! Those are really valuable. Combine the knowledge of anatomy with the speed of this workflow and you'll be unstoppable :)
Your is indeed efficient.
I did came up with something very similar myself.
I create my base mesh models in Make Human.
Then export to zbrush, sculpt, also re-use many components of older models I already did. For instance re-using dogs paws from one model, re-sued as base for werewolf paws.
Thank you for all the helpful tips! Starting my sculpting journey and this is all so informative!
luckily I started with Blender and it really helped me understand other software with ease
Amazing! Thank you for sharing :)
Really cool looking character!
Thanks Brandon!
This is amazing and a game changer for me.
Amazing! its a huge workflow upgrade for us too.
I'm just getting started on Monday with university classes. I'm pursuing a degree in "Game Art" at Full Sail. This Daz software looks AMAZING for speeding up productivity! What else can you do to produce videos that will illustrate how to improve efficiency in the modern workplace?
specially in indie, we shouldn't worry much about creating from sphere to character instead use available tools out there specifically for unique art style it's all comes from the base of already made. even in outsourcing they just sometimes and always send base file for you to work on that is how it works otherwise your just starting.
I do something like this but with Design Doll. Works beautifully since I do stylized stuff.
that Daz studio poser is really nice
Is there a course on your site where you go through this workflow in detail?
I'm not familiar with Daz but it seems Daz is like the newer poser. I remember when Poser came out in 95. I totally passed it off then because at that time software's didn't talk to each other like they do now. What you guys just did was very impressive. Gotta get Daz now!
Oh yes, maybe I've missed something, but the most important question is "can you use Daz Studio to make a basemesh for your commercial work"? Do you need some kind of license for this?
You can use it for commercial work
They have what's called an "Interactive License" option on each product's page, which you'll need for using that product in a game. I don't know if that means you sell the final sculpt though (other than as a morph target that requires your customer to purchase their base character from DAZ), so I think clarification from DAZ would be needed on that.
Once you heavily sculpt over it, no one knows it's a Daz model 😂
@@sicfxmusic I agree
I assume this can be done in Blender as well? Really trying to stick with Blender at the moment (sculpting wise) - it's a way more user friendly UI to deal with than Zbrush.
Hoping a tutorial for Daz to ZBrush is in the works. I'm having difficulty figuring it out. Not a lot of information is available.
I never heard about DAZ 3D, thanks you guys, great video as always!
Is there a way to force the original DAZ UVs back onto the finished Zbrush sculpt? The biggest problem with this entire workflow is that you can't really bring that level of resolution back to Studio and unless you render in Zbrush, your existing textures won't work once it's exported. It's useful for concepting, but still not practical for enhancing items and characters for artistic work unless you're willing to retexture everything.
I'm doing this with mb-lab in blender, but gonna give a chance to daz :D
Very cool I have an all new respect for using DAZ, grate tutorial guys
There are definitely benefits to using it
This was bloody brilliant. I would love a whole series with this "fast clever workflow = professional workflow" theme. Maybe even through in some animation as well. BTW, do you guys know of any channel that discusses similar "fast clever animation workflow" topics?
I hate to be the noob but what is das? I'm watching lots of videos and learning on blender and the learning curve is really high. I just want to sculpt for the table top and the animation and other light work blender dose dose not seem to apply except for the substructure to help redefine the pose of the sculpt. What you guys do is REALLY AMAZING!!!!!
What about if your character has a lot more gear than a skirt? Is there an easier way to parent all the objects and update them when the model moves?
Thank you! Really needed this
So happy to see you guys covering DAZ, it's blowing up in the concept art workflow and your perspective is nice to see. :)
More to come!
This is amazing. Thank you guys
@FlippedNormals How do you get the reposed mesh from Daz to update your sculpt in zbrush? I haven't been able to repose and transfer the model from Daz to Zbrush without losing all of the sculpting. I'm thinking theres a setting I've neglected but I cant figure what it is.
Pretty Surprised that Flipped Normals would use Daz Model to Sculpt technique. Nothing wrong with it, I agree with it. Just did'nt expect that they would use and demonstrate this workflow.
Neither did we
Can you please make a thorough tutorial on sending the mesh back and forth between daz and Zbrush? I get the idea but the specifics are confusing.
We've got it planned 👍
I need a tutortial on how to do this, this is awesome !!
This video is GOLD
Please show how you're specifically sending your models from one program to the other. It's really confusing because of the camera cuts
This is great, can you do this in Blender?
Hey guys
This workflow is a game-changer for me. It’s like magic!
Small question. Which character did you use in DAZ that gives you the joint posing options like you have?
Thanks, you guys are just fantastic!
In your example the sculpting is more less surface level details. Would Daz still recognize the joints if you changed the proportions more drastically?
I haven't used the latest Daz....
But posing should work fine in and out of Zbrush as long as the sculpted (or reshaped) geomtery in the subdivisions contains the base mesh. Basically the mesh within the subdivision should not alerted by adding or deleting geometry or even dynameshed.
If the proportion changes are something like bulking the forearms to popeye proportions or using the move brush to put a cave his chest, the posing at positions will still transfer in and out of Zbrush.
I'm not too sure about more drastic proportion changes like changing the original joint positions or stretching and shortening the limbs in and out of zbrush. With proportions like that, I would get close to portions you want in Daz before you first export to zbrush. I would think that if you were to elongate the arms in Zbrush and export back to Daz, for example, the wrist/ finger joints would change position so in theory the joints wouldn't match up to the ones in Daz.
@@The_Toonimator Thanks for the reply. I ended up taking a dive into Daz. The bridge works flawlessly but despite seemingly good automatic adjustment of the skeleton to the mesh, the deformations don't work quite as expected when posing. My mesh is pretty stylized, chunky, the lengths of the limbs are also very slightly modified. It's the volumes around joints that are problematic. For this to work I'd have to learn about weight mapping I guess (I'm a ZBrush cowboy as they say :) )
@@dodruku no prob. Hmm. If your joints have deformation issues and you're not animating the character (with a rig/skinning) and just posing, then you may just have to manually tweak the mesh around joints with the smooth, move and other brushes that would correct the shape of joint deformation. But yeah if you are animating then you would have to take the character (preferably in a t-pose) in a 3d program that would be able to weight or do angle deformations.
So good, man. It's great to know this stuff. I've been tasked with creating 3 characters for an upcoming animation my company is producing, and it's great to know that you don't need to start from just a sphere.
Is the posing armature invisible? Can you make The Headless Horseman and keep his head a possible part of the model?
DAZ, used to use poser and lightwave, to do this, not sure if thats still going, but that was nearly 20 years ago :)
Hello! I feel a little lost.
I can't catch the moment when you increased the number of polygons of the model in ZBrush for further detailed sculpting. Initially, the models from DAZ are quite low resolution and aren't suitable for detailed sculpting. But in order to create a morph in ZBrush for DAZ, the model must have an original resolution. Can I do high poly sculpt and will the morph be displayed correctly in DAZ? I don't understand.
I want to use daz but is little bit confusing to get in, could you make a video recommending morphs you find useful for this kind of workflow? Like an starter pack recommendation. 🙏
I don't have Zbrush (cost), but I have Blender. I may be missing something, but what exactly is the process for setting this up? I'm hoping to sculpt some miniatures for tabletop gaming, and the ability to pose and sculpt would be an amazing thing. Previously I've done the blender thing and sculpted, then did a rig, but that seems more work if this is going to do it. I guess the problem is I'm not grasping HOW to do this without fiddling with the program. So, with having Daz, Blender, and the Blender Bridge will I be able to do the exact same thing as in this video? The process on how I either don't understand, or see. Cheers!
How do you guys do the render at the end? Great work!
The rendering was done in Cycles using Blender. We took the final character from ZBrush, decimated it and brought the raw polygons into Blender.
Basically, if it's free, try it. If it's easy but looks good when you do it, do it. Honor is for warriors, results are for artists.
I've been looking for a good base model for a while, thank you. Never knew Daz was free!