What makes daz3d so popular?

Pieguy2

Newbie
Jan 5, 2024
16
2
Like what makes it so popular with lewd games, why is it so used compared to other character makers and things?

are there better alternatives that are more lightweight because i have a not so beefy pc.

i also have a questions about daz, if a character is changing cloths or having some sort of motion with there outfit how would one express that using daz3d?


also if you think there is a better tool feel free to suggest it and please give some tips and tricks youre learned with either daz3 or your tool of choice.
 

Insomnimaniac Games

Engaged Member
Game Developer
May 25, 2017
2,780
4,907
Daz is seen as more professional, because it produces a more realistic looking result. If you're going for a more anime aesthetic, you'd use something like Koikatsu (Chara Studio), which despite people's general perception is barely easier to use than daz (The UI may actually make it harder). Honey Select is a kind of middle ground between the two, but IMO it's big weakness is nearly all characters come out looking asian, which may be a deal breaker depending on the type of game you want to make.
 

Insomnimaniac Games

Engaged Member
Game Developer
May 25, 2017
2,780
4,907
Daz3D is essentially better than any other alternatives like Koikatsu, Honey Select, and AI.
Daz and Koikatsu produce such wildly different styles, I'd hesitate to call one better. More popular, sure, but better is a stretch. Course, I still suck at using Char Studio, but I have seen some stunning stuff done with it. (HS tries to be more realistic but fails due to it's age, so it is probably just straight up worse than Daz)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pieguy2

Penfold Mole

Engaged Member
Respected User
May 22, 2017
2,921
6,668
DAZ is also more popular than Blender likely because, AFAIK, in DAZ posing of the characters, mixing character assets (although often bugged and cumbersome) and adjusting facial expressions is made particularly easy for beginners, people with zero skill in art and 3D modeling. Although Blender is also free and indubitably superior in emulation of the physics - materials, gravity and motion, you need real 3D modeling skills to modify any models there and real artistic skills to change the looks or facial expressions of human beings in Blender.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pieguy2

Hagatagar

Active Member
Oct 11, 2019
980
2,932
Also a factor is that many adult gamers associate the DAZ-style with porn games.
(Even though the design of the models can have a certain range, many tend to have the same recognizable style.)
And thus it comes as no surprise that western developers often tend to automatically think of using DAZ or Illusion for their games.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pieguy2

anne O'nymous

I'm not grumpy, I'm just coded that way.
Modder
Respected User
Donor
Jun 10, 2017
10,279
15,117
Like what makes it so popular with lewd games, why is it so used compared to other character makers and things?
  • It's free to use ;
  • Among its three render engines, one is robust and efficient in terms of result ;
  • Despite its many ergonomic issues, it's easy to use and to learn, especially for basic use ;
  • If you are ready to abuse of aspirin, due to the ergonomic issues, it can be as powerful as its competitors ;
  • Its Autofit system remove the need to use fully compatible assets when it come to characters and wearable ;
  • Its morphing feature make it really easy to tweak assets, and to control how strongly you tweak ;
  • Coupled to the autofit spirit, many morphs can be used for others assets than the one they are made for ;
  • It's intensively scriptable ;
  • It come with probably more than 200,000 assets spread in differents stores.


are there better alternatives that are more lightweight because i have a not so beefy pc.
There's better alternatives, and there's lightweighted alternatives, but not both.
You can have good "renders" with Illusion's studios, but you'll never reach the quality level that can be achieved by someone who know how to use Daz Studio. You'll also be more limited that with Daz Studio.


i also have a questions about daz, if a character is changing cloths or having some sort of motion with there outfit how would one express that using daz3d?
For the motion, it don't have to express that, Daz Studio will do it for him.
For the "changing clothes" part, it's more complicated and depend what is used. DForce clothes can express that, but it can also be achieved through clothes morphs and with the help of DForm.


also if you think there is a better tool feel free to suggest it and please give some tips and tricks youre learned with either daz3 or your tool of choice.
If there were really one, everybody on the adult gaming scene would be using it.

Not that Blender is bad, far from this, but it's both more powerful and more limited than Daz Studio. More powerful because it's a sculpting engine, and it's really good for animations. But also more limited because you've to do everything by yourself where Daz Studio have tons of embedded tools that are way faster to use and give more consistent results.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pieguy2

anne O'nymous

I'm not grumpy, I'm just coded that way.
Modder
Respected User
Donor
Jun 10, 2017
10,279
15,117
Daz3D is not truly free in practice.
He was talking about the engine, I answered about the engine.


I believe that most adult game developers just pirating 3D assets; otherwise, they would be unable to afford these assets.
People should stop believing this myth. The reason why so many Ren'Py/Daz games are abandoned is precisely because most devs do NOT pirate their assets and do not earn enough to cover their cost.
 

Insomnimaniac Games

Engaged Member
Game Developer
May 25, 2017
2,780
4,907
Daz3D is better than any of Illusion's games.
Creating new assets for Illusion's games is much more time-consuming due to the fact that it's not made for creating other games by using it.

While Daz3D is also limited in terms of assets and customizability, it still offers more freedom compared to Illusion's games.
Furthermore, Illusion's games are primarily suitable for creating Japanese-looking characters and not even suitable for any other character look.
What I'm saying is, for most purposes sure, Daz may be the better option. But if I want my characters to look like this (see spoiler), then Daz is not the "better" option. That's all I mean.
You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.
 

Insomnimaniac Games

Engaged Member
Game Developer
May 25, 2017
2,780
4,907
People should stop believing this myth. The reason why so many Ren'Py/Daz games are abandoned is precisely because most devs do NOT pirate their assets and do not earn enough to cover their cost.
Another nope. The reason is mostly that the developers simply rendered 100 images and labeled them as v0.001, never looking back. Moreover, there's nothing to look at because they generally don't plan anything to start with.

Most of them claim they don't even have proper hardware, yet they have more than $2000 worth of Daz assets in their game. I don't think any sane person would buy 3D assets while rendering with a 1060.
Yeah, I don't think assets have anything to do with why devs abandons games. It's either because they don't realize how much work it actually is, or they don't have a solid plan before they even start, so they end up with "writers block" not knowing how to continue.
 
  • Like
Reactions: amaranta

woody554

Well-Known Member
Jan 20, 2018
1,345
1,708
blender is better at every single thing hands down. but here's the real issue:

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

and
You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

nothing else really matters.
 

Insomnimaniac Games

Engaged Member
Game Developer
May 25, 2017
2,780
4,907
blender is better at every single thing hands down. but here's the real issue:

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

and
You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

nothing else really matters.
Actually, the only comparison image I can find that tests both Daz and Blender is this.
daz3d_iray_vs__blender_cycles_by_johnwithlenon_df2736z-pre.jpg

The big difference between the two (for porn game purposes) is Blender is general 3d software, it does a bit of everything. Daz is specifically a character creator/renderer, and as such is entirely built around that, making it easier to use for those purposes.
 

Pr0GamerJohnny

Forum Fanatic
Sep 7, 2022
5,078
7,206
  • If you are ready to abuse of aspirin, due to the ergonomic issues, it can be as powerful as its competitors
I want to slowly strangle whichever daz studio designer thought a transparent transform tool was a good idea. That and the zoomertastic feature of having every pane be able to close by double click, really solid UX. :poop: :poop: :poop: :poop:

Real answer for the OP: Daz is a piece of fucking shit, but unfortunately it has a large ecosystem for the end use we're using it for -pron games and assets for such. You can render in 3ds or maya or blender, but all have their frustrations. Blender has a weird layout (to me), and materials in 3ds are a nightmare.

If you're actually creating 3d objects, use a real modeling program instead of daz, then toss em over using the bridge or as objs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Insomnimaniac Games

woody554

Well-Known Member
Jan 20, 2018
1,345
1,708
Actually, the only comparison image I can find that tests both Daz and Blender is this.
I'm only a month late to spot your reply... but yeah, ofc my point wasn't that you can't make great (and better) results in blender, but that for a noob that just won't happen. drop a noob into daz and they can figure out loading in a new perfect looking genesis 9 bikini babe and press the render icon. no skill required.

where as a blender noob will very likely try to painstakingly create his own model watching a tutorial, and the result will look like a starving dog squeezed by a giant's asshole.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Insomnimaniac Games

Insomnimaniac Games

Engaged Member
Game Developer
May 25, 2017
2,780
4,907
I'm only a month late to spot your reply... but yeah, ofc my point wasn't that you can't make great (and better) results in blender, but that for a noob that just won't happen. drop a noob into daz and they can figure out loading in a new perfect looking genesis 9 bikini babe and press the render icon. no skill required.

where as a blender noob will very likely try to painstakingly create his own model watching a tutorial, and the result will look like a starving dog squeezed by a giant's asshole.
This is very true. The skill ceiling is much higher in blender. (I wouldn't say no skill required for daz, though. Lighting is definitely an acquired skill)
 
  • Like
Reactions: woody554

Pr0GamerJohnny

Forum Fanatic
Sep 7, 2022
5,078
7,206
This is very true. The skill ceiling is much higher in blender. (I wouldn't say no skill required for daz, though. Lighting is definitely an acquired skill)
As exemplified by my prior post written at 1am pulling my hair out - not going insane with Daz is also a skill.

I never have that happen in 3DS lol, I either know how to do something or I don't.

And yes, lighting is big in Daz. TFW you learn why 60% of daz games feel lifeless and washed out because their creators are spamming ghost lights everywhere killing contrast.
 

Insomnimaniac Games

Engaged Member
Game Developer
May 25, 2017
2,780
4,907
As exemplified by my prior post written at 1am pulling my hair out - not going insane with Daz is also a skill.

I never have that happen in 3DS lol, I either know how to do something or I don't.
No one ever mentions it. Daz, KK, HS. All of them have absolutely terrible UIs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: woody554