DAZ3D has recently updated its famous DAZ Studio, bringing it now to version 4. The software is available at this link, and you can download it for free until July 31, 2011, after which it will be priced at $49.95.
Table of Contents
Content Management Service
In DAZ Studio 4 has been included this new content management which allows the searching of 3D models and accesories in different ways, such as by category or by keyword, and later will be integrated into all the other software produced by DAZ3D.
Smart Content
With Smart Content is no longer needed to browse in search for the presets of the contents in your runtime. Just select, for example, a hair or a dress and DAZ Studio 4 will automatically show all the textures or the styles associated with that content.
TriAx™ Weight-Map System
Quote from DAZ3D site:
DAZ Studio 4 includes a new joint system that relies on hand-painted weight-maps to control the bending of a figure. This is an industry-standard approach that DAZ 3D has further advanced by allowing content creators to have a separate and distinct weight-map for each axis of any joint. This is known as the TriAx™ weight-map system. Using painted weight-maps provides content creators flexibility and precision over how the 3D figure mesh deforms around any type of joint. The ability to paint a separate map for each axis of rotation advances the level of mesh control around joints beyond anything else commonly achieved in the past.
Smart UV Presets
Quote from DAZ3D site:
While the Genesis series of figures will continue to become more diverse, you won’t need to worry about figuring out which skin texture works with which shape. DAZ Studio 4 allows content creators to associate a specific UV set with the textures they create. Each content creator can design the optimal UV set for the shape they’re texturing to make sure it looks its best. For the user, this means that all you need to do is load up the Genesis shape you like, browse to the associated skin texture preset, and DAZ Studio will automatically load the correct UV set for the texture you’ve selected.
DSF Format (DAZ Studio File Format)
Quote from DAZ3D site:
The new .DSF file format enables the transfer of the intelligent 3D content described above and provides a simpler format for exchange between applications that implement the DAZ 3D content engine. The file format is lightweight, easy to transfer, and provides a human-readable format for sharing scene information using an asset referencing scheme. All of this simply means that DAZ Studio now allows for the most realistic and versatile figures that we’ve ever produced. Every joint bends better, and every skin detail is more precise. Both proportions and mass of the figure can be altered in a variety of ways without ever losing the superior bending and detail within the mesh.
Updated DAZ Studio 4 User Interface
In DAZ Studio 4 the interface and the graphic style was changed with the addition of new icons, fonts and colors for better management of menus and tools, to make your workflow faster and more efficient.
Genesis figure
Like the T-1000 of the Terminator 2 movie, the Genesis can take many “shapes”, because starting from a common base it allows shape variations of the 3D figure, that can range in size and proportions while maintain a common rigging.
Another new feature, is the fact that unlike the previous 3D human figures in which each character had its “wardrobe” and its hairstyles, Genesis can wear the clothes and the hair of a figure in all its shapes.
Leave a Reply