A Look at Daz3Ds Daz Studio 2

Daz has done it again with its new release of Daz Studio, version 2.2. For anyone looking for a cool entry-level program to get into the world of 3d graphics and animation, Daz Studio is the perfect choice. And best of all, it's free! Of course, Daz does this so that you might be encouraged to buy additional content for the program from its ever-growing library of models, poses, plug-ins, and so on. Daz also wants Daz Studio to be available should Poser finally go under (always a looming possibility, given the frequency with which Poser changes hands). However, even without buying any of the additional content Daz offers, you can get a fair amount of use from the program immediately after installation, since it comes with small library of free content included. And, of course, there is a vast amount of content available for Daz Studio at sites like Renderosity (check out their free section).

Daz Studio has a number of remarkable features. The user can control a model by changing its pose, adding clothing items, having it interact with other models, and much more. The tool windows can be customized to suit your needs, and all the tools have mouse-over labels to help you find your way around the program. The start up wizard is extremely useful, in that it helps newbies get a handle on the program, with its tips and tutorials. One of Daz Studios greatest advantages over Poser is PowerPose, which makes it far easier to pose the figures in Studio than you could ever hope to in Poser. Daz Studio also permits you to export or import in various standard 3d formats, such as 3ds or obj. In addition, there are components in Studio that allow you to export to particular programs, such Photoshop or Hexagon.

One of the new features in this version is Lip-sync, which allows you to match up the sounds you want your model to produce with your model's facial movements, which is vital for animation requiring speech. Another new aspect is that the smoothing angle in the surface tab is no longer turned on by default, and this allows the user to make particular and detailed adjustments for themselves. But the coolest and most useful inclusions in Daz 2.2 are its Sub D capabilities. Sub D is all the rage now, and is being used by many high-end programs to reduce memory usage while working with a complex scene. When working with Sub D, the models as you pose them appear to be low poly models using little memory, but when you render, you get the quality you want, at the price you can afford (in this case, free).