There's such a great big hullaballo about this. I wish it would just go away.

Here's the real skinny: DAZ Connect does not currently encrypt content that is not alread encrypted (initially, it encrypted everything you installed via Connect). In the future there will/may be Connect only content that will be encrypted.

That's it in a nutshell.

I think the "encrypt everything" was a mistake, more from a logistical and usability stand-point and I think they stopped doing that more because they figured out it was going to be a pain and not because there was a huge hue and cry over it (but there was, and still is and I am making no friends every time I point out that the questions they keep asking have a) already been answered or b) are ludicrous for one reason or another).

Say what you want... DAZ is still pushing forward. I'm not so sure one can they same about that other software. But... since I don't use it anymore, my opinion is only worth so much.

The promo pics do not do the man justice. Dang. Setting the bar high.

You don't. The earliest versions of Studio did not have any of those tools, you either used Poser or did it all by hand.

So, I see the results are up now.  And in the Writing Category, the winners, in order are: Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3.

Really?

No offense to any of the authors, but did any one READ those?

To say that I am dumbfounded could not even come close.

Heh, I just saw your question about outlines and 3 act stories...

I think outlines are unavoidable, but my approach is usually to just write myself out of a pickle.  I never come up with stories in a liner fashion: I often know the middle of a story before I know the beginning, and so I simply ask myself a series of questions and outline in my head...it's kinda like doing algebra and finding "x" or some boring thing like that, only algebra in real life is far more fun than in some stiff clasroom.  I'm more like Ursula K. LeGuin and Harlan Ellison (in terms of short fiction) in that I often just look around and listen for inspiration, which usually comes if I hear something wrong, or don't see something correctly.  Ursula K. LeGuin came up with the idea for her story: "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" simply by seeing a highway sight for Salem Oregon in a rear-view mirror.  "regon" was cut off, and so all she saw was O melaS...and because of a rear view mirror speeding away from a highway sign, a great story was written, sans outline.  The same happened with Harlan Ellison's famous "Jefty is Five" which came from him mis-hearing a conversation.  Two people were talking about some guy named Jeffrey and one asked, "How's Jeffrey?"  the other person responded: "Oh, Jeffrey's fine...he's always fine."  Only Mr. Ellison mis-heard it as: "Oh, Jefty is five...he's always five..." and thus we have another brilliant story.  I suspect outlines really come in handy in terms of longer works.  Short works are often their own outlines.

Two of my most favorite writers in one post. Man I haven't read "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" in decades. I'm going to have to pull that out of somewhere and read it again.

I am finding a lot of good stuff in the books I am reading, and they  are helping me. So I guess your mileage may vary. Reading William Berrhardt's Red Sneakers Writing Series right now. So far, a lot of the information is the same. But for someone who never did "study" creative writing (though I have read a lot, couldn't even hazard a guess at the number of books I have read), having some signposts along the way is proving beneficial. I'm thinking I might actually finish this one (the story) and might even have my first novel some 35 years after I first thought this was something I would like to do.

Anyone else do an outline like Lara? I'm no good with that, even having trouble with idea of a 3 Act Structure; though I am getting better with that.

At least I  am moving forward, in kind of an outline, gathering scenes and necessary plot points that I can order and or re-order as I see fit. And learning more about my  characters and how they relate to and reflect the story I am trying to tell.

Thanks, Chipka.  That was an interesting read.

I majored in English, and I've been reading and writing for a long time. I just need to develop my craft more, the story telling part... I can write, and I believe I have a good command of language and grammar; I just  need to learn those essentials about crafting a story that people will want to read and identify with. And, of course, how to sustain the  story. I've got ideas, scenes, characters. But I so often fail at putting together a coherent narrative, and providing myself with enough structure and additional material to actually have a beginning, middle and end.

Thanks for sharing Lara, I really appreciate it.

Everything has "already been done". Question is, has is been done to death?

And of course, its all in the presentation. Sorry I have no helpful suggestions myself ATM, but I'll think about it.

Ok, there's a lot of pages to go through here and I just don't have the time.

Do we know who the "we" behind this project and website are?

Ok, found it.  Interesting.  Some history there I was unaware of.

Please tell me there's a guy in the works, too many women for my taste :)

The shader mixer setup for an indirect light camera is simple.

Open shader mixer.

File New Shader

Choose Camera

Grab the Indirect Light (camera) brick from the Root Bricks > Light Category and drop it in.

Click Create

You now have an IDL camera.  The IDL will only show through this camera.  THe controls for the IDL are on the camera, pretty straightforward.  I recommend the first thing you to do is drop the trace distance down to something reasonable like 50 cm.

i heartily promote this idea.

I have no use for V5, Steph 5, et al.  I stopped buying females and their wardrobes at V4, somewhere along the line.

I will NOT buy another female.  My runtime is clogged with them.

However, gimme a new David or some alternative/addition to M4/M5 that is more in line with the males I desire, and I will buy everything you make for them.

Alas, I don't see this happening. I don't think DAZ appreciates some of the cult following that has developed around David.  It doesn't fit their family friendly image.  But that's just my opinion.

You astound me, sir.

Someone very dear to my heart is nicknamed: The Boy Wonder. I have been dying to get a Robin suit to be able to do some renders for him.  Nothing i have stumbled across (there's not much) has come even close to this work.

PLEASE!!! I'm begging, seriously :)

Um.... there's what, 13 days left, and there's ONE entry posted?

Everyone waiting on their editors?

My entry should be up shortly.

a little on the pretty side.  Its the eyes.

Not unattractive, but not my kinda guy.

I'd say he was in his late twenties, maybe early thirties.

He seems friendly, maybe a little cocky with that grin.