Using the DAZ
Studio Bridge
and
Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended’s 3D Tools
For this tutorial you will need:
DAZ Studio
Photoshop CS3 Extended
Before
We Begin:
As rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to
be sure you are always using the latest versions of the software. As of now,
the versions are as follows:
DAZ Studio – Version 2.1.1.13
Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended – Version
10.0.1
What
is a 3D Bridge?
In simplest terms, the bridge between
Photoshop and DAZ Studio is much like a regular bridge in that it provides an
easy way to transport your content from one application to the
another and back again. In this case, the bridge is used to transport
models and 3D elements from within DAZ Studio to Photoshop so that the models
may be modified, combined, and used as a resource in your Photoshop documents.
Getting
Started:
OK so now it is finally time to start!
We will begin our adventure into the wonderful world of combining our 2D and 3D
work in Photoshop CS3 Extended. To begin, open Photoshop Extended and select
File – Automate –
Once DAZ Studio is initialized, a new
window showing the DAZ Studio 3D Bridge Options will also be visible. This is
what you will use to transport your 3D objects between the applications. From
this window you can also Close DAZ Studio, Preview Your Image, Render to a New
Layer, Import your Current Scene into Photoshop, Import and Export Image Maps,
or Close the window. If you would like more information on what these options
do, please read the 3D Bridge Help PDF for more information.
Once inside DAZ Studio, you set a scene
as you normally would with whatever models, textures, lights, and cameras you
would like. Keep in mind that you will be taking the scene into Photoshop once
done so the more items in your scene, the more memory intensive the process is.
If higher polygon counts are troublesome in DAZ Studio or Poser on your current
system, you should try using singular items or items with lower polygon counts
to see how your system handles.
Once you have everything posed and setup
in your scene the way you want it, go back to your Photoshop CS3 Extended
window and select Import Scene to CS3 from the DAZ Studio 3D Bridge Menu
Window.
A dialog box will appear in DAZ Studio asking you whether
you want the maps for the items resampled and if so what Max size you want them
to be as well as whether you want to Export your Lights and Cameras. Resampling
the textures to lower resolution may help those with less RAM and those on
slower systems so keep that in mind if you are having issues.
Once you have selected the options you want, simply press
Accept and your 3D scene will be transported into Photoshop.
Your scene is now loaded into Photoshop CS3! If for some
reason you need to import the image maps or wish to change the maps used, at
this point you can use the Import Maps command to do so.
OK, so now you have a model in Photoshop and I bet you’re
wondering…what can I do with it?
Photoshop CS3 Extended gives you the ability to do
numerous things with the model once in Photoshop, such as the following:
1.
Move both the object
and camera around in the scene including moving around the object in 3D space
like you would in any 3D application.
2.
Alter the textures
or create new textures and see the changes live
3.
Change lighting and
render styles
4.
Add layer styles
To view the 3D Tools, simply double click on the 3D
Objects Layer Preview and a new toolbar will open with options for you to use
to manipulate and modify your 3D object.
If you would like to modify the Objects Textures, simply
double click on the Texture layers beneath the object layer.
From Left to Right the Icons are as follows:
1.
Edit the 3D Object
2.
Edit the 3D Camera
3.
Return to Initial Object or Camera Position*
4.
Orbit the 3D Object or Rotate the 3D Camera*
5.
Roll the 3D Object or Camera*
6.
Drag the 3D Object or Pan the 3D Camera*
7.
Slide the 3D object or Walk with the 3D
Camera*
8.
Scale the 3D Object or Zoom the 3D Camera*
9.
Numerically Edit Object or Camera Position and
Settings*
10. Views such as Front,
Back, Top, etc
11. Delete the
Currently Selected View
12. Save Current View
13. Lighting and Appearance
Settings
14. Cross Section Settings
15. Animation Tools
such as Play
16. Cancel
Transformation
17. Confirm
Transformation
*(Please note that items 3 through 9 change depending on
whether Object or Camera are selected)
For this tutorial, I decided to make some changes to the
snowman’s textures to show how you can change or create textures in Photoshop
Extended.
When creating or modifying a texture one thing that can
be very useful is the objects templates. To load a
template onto its corresponding layer to help with placement, simply go to File
– Open and search for the appropriate template. Once open in Photoshop, check
to be sure the image size of the template is the same as the texture and resize
as necessary and then simply press and hold Shift while Dragging and drop the
texture into the texture window*.
Pressing and holding the shift key ensures that the layers will line up
perfectly as long as both the texture and the template are the same size.
*(If you do not have the texture window open simply
double click on the texture layer to open it as stated previously)
If you wish to see the template applied to the 3D model
to help with lining things up, while the texture window is selected (should be
brighter then the other window), simply go to File – Save and your template
will be added to the model.
Now that you can see the template you can add details to
your textures or create new ones. In this case, I added a few buttons to the snowman’s
torso area and saved the texture to apply the changes.
Next I opened and added the template (using the previous
steps) to the head map for the snowman and added some rosy cheeks and again
saved the modification so it updated on the model.
I also decided to modify his brown eyes to make them an
icy blue by using the circle marquee tool to select the iris and then the hue
and levels options under Image – Adjustments.
Next I decided to modify the scarf texture by added a
filter to it to create the illusion of fur.
Finally I opened up a file I had of the snow background
and shift dragged it into the scene, turned him using the 3D Object
Manipulation Tools, added a drop shadow and then used Layer – Layer Style –
Create Layers, and then used transform to cast it on the ground…
And here is the final results…I can save the file as a
PSD and come back later to modify it including all the textures and the 3D
Object if I chose, I can Save for Web, Animate it or whatever else I wish at
this point :O)
Just for fun I repeated the steps and added the tree in
as a separate 3D object
that I can also modify and reposition as needed.
THE END :O)