Understanding Scenes

A scene in DAZ Studio is viewed in the work area where you will place your background objects, characters, and props. It can also contain lights, cameras, and anything else that you import or use to make up your art. The Scene tab in the right pull-out panel provides a complete list of all 3D assets you place in your scene. Let’s take a quick look at the scene that loads with DAZ Studio. Click on the Scene tab on the right panel, as shown in Figure 3.1.

A quick look at the list in the Scene panel will show you what you have to work with. Right now you only have one 3D model in your scene, the Genesis model. Even though it is only one object, that doesn’t mean that you see everything. Complex models like Genesis have many parts. Click on the arrow symbol next to Genesis. This should bring up the hip just below Genesis. If you then click on the hip, as shown in Figure 3.2, you will see that the scene changes. The hip is the origin point of the figure so it appears first in the list.

Each item you see in the list with an arrow symbol next to it has other parts that are connected to it. This means that you are not looking at a single item but rather a group of items tied together in what DAZ Studio calls nodes. For example, in Figure 3.3, part of the Genesis model’s node structure has been expanded. You will notice that some of these are nodes within nodes. Nodes are hierarchal, meaning that if you select the first item in a node, all of the items below it are also selected. If, on the other hand, you select the bottom item in a node, only that item is selected. Think of the list like a tree. If you shake the trunk, all of the branches will shake as well. If you shake one of the end branches, it will shake by itself.

Figure 3.1 The Scene panel shows everything in the scene.

Figure 3.2 The scene changes when you click on the Hip.

Figure 3.3 Items in the list are hierarchal.

Figure 3.4 The toolbar in DAZ Studio.

The Scene list is an easy way to select specific items without having to find them inside the scene, which can be very helpful when animating a character or trying to find an object in a complex scene. However, items can also be selected by clicking on them in the scene. DAZ Studio allows for both types of selections.