Description

It’s a Jungle Out There…

Feeling a little lost in the DAZ 3D store and want a guide on how to best take advantage of it, including some recommended approaches to building your content library?

Drew Spence guides you through the options, helps you read the small print and shows a pragmatic approach to shopping for your content. This tutorial includes special guest artist Overdrawn who developed the DAZ Deals Browser plugin who talks about how to use this free tool. Upto date information on this plugin is available in the DAZ forum here

This guide is especially useful for you if:-

• Would like some recommendations on saving money at the DAZ 3D store
• Want some approaches and mindsets on building your content library
• Some advice on organising your content
• Get the lowdown on the DAZ Deals Browser plugin and how best to use this (saving you many $)
• Would like considerations on the question “buy it or build it?”

Sample from the tutorial

Tutorial Content

Setting Up DAZ Studio

• Installation and location of your asset library
• Daz Install Manager (DIM) and Content Helper versus Manual Installation

Account Management

• Credit Cards
• Store Credit
• Buy Now, Pay Later

Platinum Club+ Membership : Joining to save money while you build your library

Sales

• Reading the Advert
• Checking the fine print
• The DAZ Deals Internet Browser Plugin : meet the developer Overdrawn
• Flash Sales and FastGrab
• Weekend sales and annual events
• Taking advantage of Bundles!

Gift Cards

• The double edge sword of gaining more credit and spending more money. BUT! The savings!
• Wishlist ideas for EVERYTHING you ever wanted (Always do this)

Managing your library

• Why build a library – to make the BEST choice among your possible choices!
• How to read in-depth a product’s description. Props and compatibility, required items/purchases
• About 3Delight/Iray

Understanding Your Purchases and Product Types

1. • Figure/Prop/Environment
   • Utility/Script
   • Add-ons, Plugins, interface widgets

Finding Stuff part II (Organising and linking to important items) and Managing Lists

• Browser links
• Script links
• Overall notable products

Third-party purchases

• • What to buy
  • What to Avoid
  • Understanding Formats
  • Importing 3rd Party Assets and the Common Pitfalls

What’s Included

Total running time : 2 hours and 28 minutes

Video 1 : 45 minutes .MP4

00:00 Introduction : strategies, approaches, a few pitfalls and plenty of benefits.

00:01 DAZ Studio uses

00:03 What should you build a content library for? Drew’s first shopping habits.

00:05 Investing in your creative ideas

00:07 Planning your library in advance

00:10 Breaking your purchase choices into categories

00:13 Exploring the elements of a store item page

00:17 Saving time with invaluable utilities

00:20 Expanding your knowledge

00:24 Crafting your own content?

00:27 DAZ 3D store mathematics : coupons, discounts and deals

00:30 Expiring offers

00:34 Pay attention to the fine print

00:38 Your product library

00:40 Taking advantage of Smart Collections (Riversoft Art)

00:43 How Smart Collections works.

Video 2 : 1 hour 3 minutes .MP4

00:00 Your drive/location of your content. Basic recommendations

00:04 The big sales of the year in the DAZ 3D store

00:06 About DAZ+ – top tips for using this membership feature of the store

00:08 Overdrawn’s presentation – the origin story of the DAZ Deals browser

00:09 What the DAZ Deals browser does and how it adds extra informative value fo your shopping experience

00:10 The AddOns checkbox

00:11 Wishlist product comments

00:13 Hashtags for categorising wishlist products

00:16 Add ons to enhance your use of your product library

00:19 Editing, removing of wishlist comments

00:22 Totals of full price value, current value and total spent on content available with the DAZ Deals browser.

00:25 Forums and gallery mentions/links linked to products.

00:28 The DAZ Deals browser extension website. About the extension for different browsers.

00:31 Drew Spence : The DAZ Gift card – how it works

00:34 About Install Manager

00:37 About DAZ Central

00:40 Cross checking the promos with The What’s included and Features section

00:44 About 3D model formats of a product

00:47 About 3D model details – what you may need to buy extra (eg textures)

00:50 About Manual installations of products

00:53 About bundle products

00:55 About Fast Grab products

00:57 New product releases and when deals end and timing for your cart

00:59 Shopping smart for the basis of our creativity

Video 3 : 40 minutes .MP4

00:00 Your creative ambitions and approach to building your content library

00:02 World Building : The Big Idea and Theme

00:04 Building a set on a certain look : example : Toon style content

00:07 The big question : buy it or build it – five considerations

00:10 “The arrogance of isolation” : limitation for artists

00:13 Case study : building a neighbourhood scene

00:16 Unique items for your set

00:18 Pitfall : watch out for “Glued” sets

00:20 Case study : Attic Apartment

00:23 Application of content in a graphic novel

00:26 Mixing and matching props as well as kitbashing for gaining a consistent theme.

00:28 Matching your imagination to your existing content

00:32 Mindsets in building libraries

00:34 Drew’s hard lesson learned on world building

00:38 World building – what do you care about? Wise purchasing.

Presenter : Drew Spence

Drew Spence is a graphic comic writer and illustrator from the United States. He creates under the title of The Dynamic Universe, which published the digital comics Force Six, The Annihilators and Killer Butterfly. He has combined his music and video into several works including Mark of the Griffin, which is both a graphic novel and web series. These comics are available in digital format on comiXology and in print from Indy Planet. He is part of the instrumental group Fallout Shelter which provides the soundtrack.

Drew is a graduate of Stony Brook University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art and holds various certificates – from graphic arts to web design. He currently lives on Long Island, New York and produces his work from the aptly named Fallout Shelter Studios, where he crafts crafty and clever comics using CGI and photorealistic image manipulation.