So...I know from lurking around here that there's a number of members who use stuff like Poser, DAZ Studio, et al. But at a glance the last threads on the subject are from months ago, and I don't necessarily want to necro. If any of you folks see this, some advice would be appreciated. 
I'm trying to figure out what's the best tool for my own use, and what I should be looking to grab or purchase... at least initially... for my needs. I know the basic DAZ Studio is free, but of course the assets aren't - but then, well, what stuff for it should I be looking to get? And so on.
I've already downloaded and messed with DAZ Studio, since there's no barrier for entry for that one...but I'm the sort of person who likes to research and investigate options. Talk things over, ask around, so on.
The thing is, my requirements may be fairly specific. I'm not actually looking to create finished artwork or animations, you see. I'm intending to use this simply as base reference for regular hand-drawn lineart. Which is to say, I'll pose figures, figure out a camera angle...then just use the screenshots for reference, or perhaps in some cases start drawing straight over 'em.
Essentially it'll reduce my reliance on things like googling stock photos for certain poses, or taking photos of my own damn hands to get fingers right, and so on.
This probably means that things like clothing libraries and even different hairstyles aren't so crucial to me - likewise other props, background environments, and things like that. Though if there's stuff which still makes sense to grab, I'm not adverse to it. It's just not at the top of my priority list.
Mostly what I was eyeballing was, say, stuff like finding a good collection of different stock poses... or maybe getting hold of different character models, especially ones with varied body proportions and body shapes. Or different facial structures.
Though I also notice there's stuff on sale that's, like...a bunch of different noses, and so on, which I assume you can somehow mix and match. But I'm not quite clear how easy it is to manipulate and morph character models. Or which software would be best for that. Or, in the case of the DAZ stuff, what are the must-buy options for that on the marketplace.
I mean, I'm completely new to this. I have no idea what the hell I'm looking at here or where to start.
I should note I'm not adverse to spending money on this, if I should get out my wallet, well, so be it. Though I guess I'm predisposed to liking DAZ Studio since the base software is free and I can decide how much I want to spend. But then I also don't wanna necessarily assume it's the best pick here, I might just be falling for their marketing because I don't know any better.
So, to sum up - given my requirements, which application should I try to use? And what are some essential must-get assets to download, considering what I'm after?
-- Acyl
I'm trying to figure out what's the best tool for my own use, and what I should be looking to grab or purchase... at least initially... for my needs. I know the basic DAZ Studio is free, but of course the assets aren't - but then, well, what stuff for it should I be looking to get? And so on.I've already downloaded and messed with DAZ Studio, since there's no barrier for entry for that one...but I'm the sort of person who likes to research and investigate options. Talk things over, ask around, so on.
The thing is, my requirements may be fairly specific. I'm not actually looking to create finished artwork or animations, you see. I'm intending to use this simply as base reference for regular hand-drawn lineart. Which is to say, I'll pose figures, figure out a camera angle...then just use the screenshots for reference, or perhaps in some cases start drawing straight over 'em.
Essentially it'll reduce my reliance on things like googling stock photos for certain poses, or taking photos of my own damn hands to get fingers right, and so on.
This probably means that things like clothing libraries and even different hairstyles aren't so crucial to me - likewise other props, background environments, and things like that. Though if there's stuff which still makes sense to grab, I'm not adverse to it. It's just not at the top of my priority list.
Mostly what I was eyeballing was, say, stuff like finding a good collection of different stock poses... or maybe getting hold of different character models, especially ones with varied body proportions and body shapes. Or different facial structures.
Though I also notice there's stuff on sale that's, like...a bunch of different noses, and so on, which I assume you can somehow mix and match. But I'm not quite clear how easy it is to manipulate and morph character models. Or which software would be best for that. Or, in the case of the DAZ stuff, what are the must-buy options for that on the marketplace.
I mean, I'm completely new to this. I have no idea what the hell I'm looking at here or where to start.
I should note I'm not adverse to spending money on this, if I should get out my wallet, well, so be it. Though I guess I'm predisposed to liking DAZ Studio since the base software is free and I can decide how much I want to spend. But then I also don't wanna necessarily assume it's the best pick here, I might just be falling for their marketing because I don't know any better.
So, to sum up - given my requirements, which application should I try to use? And what are some essential must-get assets to download, considering what I'm after?
-- Acyl