Come learn the art of 3D computer generated art and animation. This blog deals with the lessons learned and the art created by Robert G. Male using DazStudio from Daz3D.
Also covered are the ancillary software, tools, techniques, and processes needed both before and after rending in the 3D software.
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I've resisted getting Luxus for Daz. The sample images didn't really grab me that much. I was just looking at the sales page for Luxus (at Daz) and a tutorial package. The difference between with and without versions looks very similar to what I do in postproduction changing opacity of a shadowed render on top of an unshadowed render. If you're getting good results with Lux though keep trying.
For outside natural light I bought some of the recently offered discount light sets like those ones from Dimension Theory (40 light sets all told). I also bought a set from Predatron with IDL (Indirect Lighting) and Occlusion versions (9 of each). They're based on atmospheric conditions. The IDL take an enormous amount of time for what doesn't seem like much difference. You may want to tweak the intensities of the different lights before rendering. Regardless, all of these different light sets really add to the scenes, but can take extra time to remove excessive grain, and they still need some fiddling after.
For interior scenes (barring light from windows) I've been working with Omnifreaker's UberAreaLight. It seems to work best put together manually rather than with the presets. Their UberEnvironment2 seems problematic with large grain, though it seems to be used by the lights I mentioned above for outside scenes so I must just not be doing it right manually. I've also used Omnifreaker's UberVolume, but I have a serious issue with it that need working out. The results looks box-like, and I need to figure out how to change the shape of rectangular primitives to trapezoidal ones. These Omnifreaker lights are part of Daz and not something I purchased separately. You can find them under "Light Presets".
There are also IBL (Image-based lighting) and AO (Ambient Occlusion) in my varied light sets that come with specific models/sets. You're mileage may vary on using any of the lights I've mentioned today. I get in and tweak them to my tastes, and I often add more basic lights to increase what I see as a tendency toward dark renders. I want to do more work on reflected light in scenes, what is often referred to as bounce light. There is still a lot of work with for lights. Time to get cracking.
