Apparently, I worked really hard on this article and then never published it….oops?   I knew I was working on some articles about DAZ and what to get if you were just starting out.  Even though they now have “Genesis 3” out, the principle is the same as far as what to buy.  If you are new to DAZ, then I would start building a Genesis 3 catalog.  I think the biggest advantage of G3 over G2 is that G3 reportedly has a lot better “expressions”.  There is nothing wrong with G2 and a lot of the products I like are G2 and can only be used with G2.  Many times they will have “super sales” where you can get G2 items for next to nothing.  So, if you are new to the 3D world and do not want to go broke, watch for these sales and then follow this guide to have an idea on maybe what to buy!

http://www.daz3d.com/victoria-6-pro-bundle

http://www.daz3d.com/genesis-2-female-morphs-bundle

Introduction to Genesis 2

This post will focus mainly on female characters for Genesis 2 and using DAZ Studio for someone newer to the program.  Pretty much everything mentioned here will have a male version in the DAZ store.  Such as male morphs.  You just have to search for it.  Genesis 2 is the primary focus of the information and it comes in a male version and a female version.  The previous version, Genesis or G1, was androgynous until you morphed the character.  However, DAZ decided to split the G2 into male and female versions to allow for higher definition and more flexibility when creating characters.

To simplify things, think of the Genesis 2, or G2, as a minimally sculpted human form.  All characters or forms in Studio will be based off of this figure.  Each time you get a new “character” you are “injecting” those shapes into G2 to “sculpt” her/him into a new face and body.  You are then free to choose whatever “skin” you want as long as it uses the correct UV Mapping.  (A simple trick is to stick to skins and character packages for Genesis 2 to start with.  There are ways to convert V4 skins to G2 and you can use some V5 skins out of the box, but this is being written from the stand point of someone who doesn’t have a lot of content from the earlier versions.  I’m hoping this will help others find what they want right off the bat because I know how confusing looking at the DAZ store can be when you are first starting to grow your runtime!)

You get the Genesis character, Genesis 2 Female, and Genesis 2 male for free with Daz Studio.  Pretty much any clothing or hair made for Genesis or Genesis 2 will auto fit your included female form when using Daz Studio (I don’t think this works in Poser yet).  *TIP* If you are using G1 items for your G2 character, you will have to access those items through the regular runtime directory and not the “smart” content tab.  The “smart” content directory tab only shows you items compatible with your “selected” figure.  If you have a G2 female form selected, it won’t show you G1 items in that panel.

Characters:  Everything starts with the G2 base (comes free with the program)

Eventually you will want your characters to look different.  Maybe Asian or Afro-American?  This is where “character packages” come into play.  Character packages generally consist of skin and morphs to shape your G2.  Morphs are essentially bone and muscle structure while skins are the skin and make up options.  Most packages will say for G2F or Genesis 2 Female.  Some character packages will mention V6.  That is Victoria 6.  You don’t necessarily need V6 to use the character products if it also says for the G2 female since V6 is based off of the G2F.  However, you may need the Genesis 2 female morphs to get the shape of the head and body correct.  If you are purchasing from DAZ directly, they have handy links under “requirements” and if you are logged into your account you can easily see if you have the item.  (No more hunting for items you *thought* you had!)

But, I’m sure you will see all these packages such as the Olympia 6 Pro Bundle and the Lilith 6 Pro Bundle.  DAZ is the only place you can get these kinds of “characters” because they are the ones that make them.  You don’t need any of these packages.  These are kind of like expansions.  Think of them as Barbie’s friends.

Hope this helps you get started in buying content for Studio!