Royalty-Free Illustrations for Your Projects Using DAZ Studio

By Blaine Furner

I'm sure you've looked for stock images to use in your publication. It may seem that you'd be able to find exactly what you are looking for from all those web sites. Well, too often writers are looking for a specific look or image that just doesn't exist. That's were your creativity comes in. There are tools available to help you create your own customized illustration using pre-made 3D models to put together the exact image from your story. The advantage is that by creating your own image, (even using the pre-built models) it can be used royalty-free.

What's the catch you say? Well there isn't one. The End User License Agreement or EULA for the DAZ 3D store content states that as long as you are not re-distributing the pre-built 3D model (or 3D mesh) data, then "you may copy, distribute, and/or sell your animations and renderings derived from the 3-D Model(s)."

Let's understand this a bit better. Renders are images created from the 3D models, comprised of a 2D image (rendering) showing lighting, shadows and the data in the scene. Animations are simply a series of 2D images composed together to give the user a sense of motion of the figures.

Examples of using royalty-free content:

I'm a technical writer for a medical journal. I use the DAZ 3D figure Michael 4, with the muscle maps to show how a particular stretch is accomplished properly and improperly. By using the figure and its muscle texture maps (images projected onto the 3D model), I can easily illustrate the stretch. I'm sure you'll agree this is a much easier solution than hiring an artist or trying to draw the entire figure.

Another example; I'm a fantasy writer and want to have a beautiful woman fighting a dragon in a fantasy mountain scene. Not easy to get from stock photography, right? Well, I can use the Victoria 4 Figure from DAZ 3D:

1. Customize her shape, clothing, hair and props (weapons etc.).
2. Add the Millennium Dragon from DAZ 3D.
3. Pose and position each of the figures exactly how you envision in your story.
4. Then set up the lighting and render.

What makes this your own creation? The tools available in DAZ Studio and the figures allow almost unlimited capabilities for:

1. Changing the shapes of figures (models proportions, muscle tone, expressions even eye direction etc.).
2. Skin tones.
3. Custom clothing and hair.
4. Textures (to color clothing, figures, animals and hair).
5. The way you compose the scene or the figures in the scene (background images or models, where the figure is places and how it interacts with other figures in the scene).
6. How you set up the lighting and effects.

Each of these makes the image you are creating uniquely your artwork. •

© 2011 Blaine Furner. All rights reserved.

3/2/11