Daz and Poser artists are Real Artists

People who use DAZ Studio and Poser are Artists in every sense of the word. Well, if you look at them from the point of view of Photographers instead of people who painstakingly build their own 3D models using metablobs and primitives (and rig them).

don't get me wrong! The artists over at the CG Society are extremely good at what they do! Lighting, Texturing, bump maps, normal maps, Displacements, shaders, all of it! However, DAZ Studio and Poser are low cost 3D programs that allow the common person to work with 3D and express himself.

Both DAZ Studio and Poser shine best when they are treated as photography studios instead of the full package like Vue and Cinema 4D. A DAZ Studio Artist is like a Photographer. We use lighting and camera position as our main weapons of choice in which to express ourselves (I, myself, may be getting Cinema 4D one of these days -- Mental Ray sounds like a good plugin).

The idea of putting down a DAZ or Poser Artist because we make "Poser Plates" is not a good thing to do, since the versatility of both programs allows us to make art faster and cheeper. We can make one page of a 3D comic in the better part of a day using props and actors made by other people. While the people at the CG Society feel that they have to build all of it themselves -- a process that can take weeks or months.

Spending the time to build the actors yourself is not very efficient. In fine art, it's all well and good. However when you have a deadline to meet on a 3D comic, sometimes you need to sacrifice fine 3D Art and go with ready made models. In this case, it's best to just concentrate on using lighting, Z-depth layers, and camera positions.

The Difference between DAZ Studio and Poser

Before we begin mastering DAZ Studio, we have to understand the other side of the Poserverse: Poser itself. DAZ Studio is developed as an entry, or gateway product, into the wonderful world of 3D Art. Poser was originally designed to help artists draw in traditional media.

Poser costs anywhere between $100 dollars (being sold through DAZ 3D of all places) to $250 dollars (sold through Smith Micro). Poser bills itself as a "high end" program. Not at all good for hobbyists. DAZ Studio was produced for the Hobbyist in mind.

But both DAZ Studio and Poser can load poser content. But because there are subtle differences in the way that DAZ Studio can handle Poser Content, not all Poser Content will work with DAZ Studio. This problem is compounded by the fact that most sites that sell for Poser will not SELL for DAZ Studio. Most items you see at Renderosity, Runtime DNA, and other sites have wonderful items that will work -- but they don't come prepackaged with DAZ Studio shaders. People who work with DAZ Studio will have to realize that they are often treated as "the guys down the street your mother warned you about" by vendors at other sites other than DAZ 3D.

However, some stuff from Runtime DNA and Renderosity will work with DAZ. You just have to work with DAZ shaders to get them right (often times that takes man hours on your part). If you don't want to deal with it, you often have to buy stuff at DAZ 3D. Although, Aery Soul and Danie and Malforno both sell items at DAZ 3D, and will often give support to DAZ Studio after a fashion.

There is one thing about DAZ Studio that makes it stand out from Poser. It's like having your own indoor Photography Studio. The 3D models cost less than a real model these days. And Computer Graphics technology has progressed to the point where the difference between real and CGI is blurred for the layman.

The Master Series will use Theatrical terms such as "blocking" to help you form your scenes. This is mostly because of my theatre background, also it fits DAZ Studio's intended purpose.