Renderotica

I stumbled on your site by accident in my quest to find 3D modeling and found it very user friendly especially to newbies like me. THANK YOU to all members. 

That said... after a few weeks of research playing with DAZ I found that I am generally just CRAP at it and way to poor. So the question is thus: Is all this "designs" just purely buying different models, "patches for textures, skin etc" clothing and scenes and you then recreate a new scene with all your purchases with a bit of your own creativity in perspective, placement and body posing? As a Fine Artist I can appreciate the work that has gone into each model and the cost involved but is your creativity then not just limited to how big your wallet is? How do I get to the part where I create my own human? 

Models certainly are a shortcut in some ways. You get a 3D mannequin that you can throw into any situation and pull a 2D image out of that.

Is that "all there is"? Certainly, if you're a good 2D artist, you wouldn't NEED to do 3D... just skip that and go to a 2D image if you like.

Creating your own human? Depends on what you mean. I hardly ever use a model "as is". I spin the dials to get the face and body that I want. Yes, more money gives you more options, and it helps to have "attractive" base models to work from,  but you still need to spin the dials if you want to make a figure that feels like your own. Sure, you can use Victoria 8 as she is and get good results as well. It's really up to you.

You can do the full-on modeling and texturing, as said, but why? That is more the art of modeling & texturing. Most of us want to do image creation (i.e. generation of pixel data for 2D), not the modeling to produce 3D model data. It's like a different artform. You'd want zbrush or blender or something like that to really get into the 3D modeling work. That's not Daz's purpose at all.

Also, the 3D to 2D pathway via rendering... this doesn't have to be the END of the process. In some ways, it's just a beginning, like digital photography doesn't END once you capture a photograph. Post-render photomanipulation is a big thing in itself. The art of PhotoShop isn't just in raw image creation, but image enhancement and such.

Originally Posted by: Zaavaleta

Hi. Welcome to the site and welcome to the hobby! I've been doing this since around 2014, so I'm a newbie compared to some of the folks around here. I can say that Renderotica has some of the friendliest people I've seen on any of these 3d forums, no shouting matches or personal attacks. And the mods are super cool as long as you aren't a jerk.

As far as the content, I'll admit I've bought a lot, but lately, I've been learning to make my own. It is fun being able to create something from scratch (even though I'm not good at it yet). Anyone who's been in this hobby for a while can look at your art and see how much work you've put into it. They can tell what stuff you purchased and what you probably made on your own.

For learning to model, Hexagon is free and Blender is free. Hexagon is easier to learn, but older/has more bugs. Blender is way more powerful, depending on how well you can learn to use it. For rigging, I'd say start with something simple like a door or refrigerator, so you can learn how rigging controls work. Then a simple animal like a snake, so you can learn to do bends/joints. Then a simple alien or troll, so you can learn hierarchies (fingers parent to hand, hand parents to forearm, etc). Then try a human. Good luck and happy rendering!

Thank you everyone for your very constructive advice. I will use Zaavaleta's advice and download blender and report back in a few weeks. Keep this community like it is - it is truly awesome to find a helpful community.