Q & A's

Q: How much is the LDP?

A: $24.95

Q: Why should i choose the LDP?

A: It´s a one of a kind, low cost and completely automatic outdoor lighting system for Daz|Studio. There´s simply nothing out there that can match the power, speed, realism and ease of use. In the hands of any artist - this is a powerful tool. In the hands of a skillful artist - this is a seriously impressive tool.

Q: It´s sounds almost unreal - that the LDP works with any outdoor scene. Is that true?

A: Yes! The LDP is designed to be loaded - and rendered right away. It will auto-fit any outdoors scene of any size from any angle. Even when you add props later, and make your scene bigger - the LDP will auto-fit!

Q: If i get stuck - is there any chance of getting support?

A: Of course! There´s a 19 page user manual - and a Daz Forum, where you will get personal help from Dreamlight - and other talented and skillful artists!

Q: Do i need to make any adjustments?

A: The LDP was made to give unmatched power - without any adjustments. However, if you like - there´s plenty adjustments to be made. The Sun position, intensity and color can be altered aswell as the Sky light / Ambient light intensity and color. Adjustments are easy to make. There are also more advanced adjustments - in order to get the LDP cope with extreme conditions.

Q: Can i control where the shadows fall?

A: You most sertainly can! In the LDP Tutorials section, you´ll find some useful tips.

Q: I´ve heard rendering times are pretty heavy?

A: The LDP is a compromise between quality and speed. The initial version had more than double the amount of lights. Current version renders at 40-50% of the original time, but preserves 85% of the quality. Yes, the higher resolutions, and especialy when combined with the EX version - does add to the rendering time. Several minutes to several hours is normal. There´s no upper limit - as rendering time is dependant on your CPU (dual core is faster), RAM memory, the resolution of your render, the advanced render settings of Daz|Studio, the LDP resolution and version and if you use transparent objects / surfaces and/or displacement maps.

Q: When i load the LDP - my scene turns black! What am i doing wrong?

A: It´s perfectly normal. Due to the high number of lights, the EX versions will look very dark or completely black when loaded. Each light has a very low intensity and will simply not show in preview. You can use the REFERENCE feature of the LDP - in order to turn on a working light preview.

In the Scenes tab, expand the Light Dome PRO object. Expand the Sun Object. Expand Sun Cube. Select Sun REFERENCE. In parameters tab, adjust the instensity to desired level. Don´t forget to turn it back down to zero before you render!

Q: What´s the difference between the Basic and EX versions?

A: The basic version consist of: Draft, V-Low, Low, Medium and High. All of them feature a single sun light - giving faster render times compared to the EX - at the price of sharp / unnatural sun shadows. When you don´t need the extra realism of the EX - or if the distance between the objects that cast the sun shadows and the shadows themselves aren´t that big - you can use the Basic versions.

Low EX, Medium EX and High EX use multiple sun lights for greater realism and will add to the rendering time. Both Basic and EX have the same sky light resolutions (Low and Low EX will show no difference in sky light quality). Meaning the only difference between Basic and EX lies in the Sun Shadows.

Q: Will there be any updates to the LDP in the future?

A: Yes, both free updates and add ons.

Q: Can i add my own lights?

A: Of course! You can add your own lights before adding the LDP or after. However, adding them before will most likely interrupt the REFERENCE feature of the LDP. It´s recommended that you add your own lights after adding the LDP.

Q: The LDP comes with several resolutions and versions. What if i want to change resolution during production?

A: Note any adjustments made, remove the current LDP version and add the new one. Remake the adjustments.

Q: Why are my sun shadows so sharp?

A: You are using the Basic version. If you want to get realistic sun shadows - switch to EX.

Q: I´ve noticed that the Sun shadows get more and more blurry with the EX versions - the greater the distance from the objects that casts them. Can i control the amount of that effect?

A: Yes you can!

Q: Other, more expensive 3D packages offer IBL / HDRI lights. In what way is the LDP different?

A: IBL / HDRI are Image Based Lighting and High Dynamic Range Images. Those features enable you to actualy use a photo to lit your scene. The difference is that LDP does not use a photo - giving you more control of where the shadows fall and the overall intensity / color of the lights.

Q: Is animation supported?

A: In theory, yes. However, Daz|Studio can´t cope with managing the high number of lights in conjuntion with animation yet.

Q: Will the LDP be available for other platforms?

A: At this point, no.

Q: Can i use the LDP in my indoor scenes?

A: LDP does not support indoor scenes - but will work if you have sufficient light coming in through large windows, doors or even by removing the ceiling/roof. A special indoor version will be available in the future.

Q: Does the LDP work with characters?

A: Yes!

Q: I can´t find the User Manual after installing the LDP!

A: Try here: "C:/Program/DAZ/Studio/content/ReadMe´s/LDPUserManual.PDF"

Q: How can i improve my LDP renders?

A: LDP works best when you have rough surfaces & textues with displacement maps. The more depth your objects / props have - the more "LDP effect" you will get. More detailed, high polygon props will always give better results. Empty scenes will most likely look empty. Try adding more props, more stuff and populating your scene. The LDP will create magic when you start heavy-loading your scene! The secret of a good LDP render - is not in the light. It´s in the shadows... So go ahead - force some shadows!

Q: My image takes forever to render. How can i speed it up?

A: If your scene have few places where there´s a large distance between your objects - and the shadows they create - you won´t have much improvement using the EX versions. Switch to Basic. If you don´t have corners or complicated structures - you can lower your resolution. The LDP can give excellent results with Low rez and even in Draft mode! Characters will most often look good with lower resolutions. Complicated structures will need higher resolutions to keep the quality. Try lowering the Advanced Renders options in Daz|Studio. Lower your render resolution. Avoid transparent objects / surfaces. Avoid displacement maps. Use Bump Maps instead - they work much faster - and look as good at a distance. Use the Cloudy Preset - as it doesn´t have any sun. Switch the sun lights shadow type to Shadow Map instead of Raytracing. This will GREATLY speed up rendering - especially when using transparent objects / surfaces - at a cost of more blurry / less realistic look.