Dragons!!!
Throughout time, there has always been myths and legends around a creature that is like no other - yet all corners of the globe have had pictograms, writings and stories regarding these magical beasts.
Well living in a CG world, dragons are no longer myths or legends, but reality!
Let's make it so!
Something that (as of this writing) is brand new, and I just got it, is Drago HD for Genesis 8 Male(s), which turns Daz 3d's incredible Genesis 8 Male, and all of his useful features, into an extraordinary dragon!
I have a lot to say about Drago, so I have a separate subpage: Drago HD for Genesis 8 Male(s)
There's a whole bundle of support assets for Drago, including an adorable Hatchling!
Alternate Textures and Horns, Poses, Dragon Fire VFX... what more could we want?!!!
I was still very new to this hobby when I got two very cool bits of news at the same time (although both events may have occurred along different paths): a new movie, Dragons - A Fantasy Made Real, and the release of the all new Daz 3d Millennium Dragon 2!
Here's the full movie on YouTube, which is really cool if, like me, you really like to believe in Dragons!
I already had the Millennium Dragon, which is amazing enough for me to enjoy... well... forever! But when this new Upgrade came available, there was simply no saying no!
I don't quite understand. Back then Daz 3d's promos for both of these (and everything else) had a lot more images and even a few short videos showing off these wonderful pieces of art. I've even filed complaints to them about removing so much of the 'cool' from their site, but got no response, and that was when I was a Daz 3d artist. But I digress.
Daz 3d's Millennium Dragons
Both the first and second Millennium Dragon are versatile with enough morphs to create nearly any kind of dragon one might want, with a few exceptions.
One such exception being the wispy snake-like oriental dragon - so Millennium Dragon 2 also includes the Eastern Dragon figure for free!
With a whopping 93 Head morphs and 32 Full Body morphs, along with 243 Enhanced Remote Control dials, Millennium Dragon 1.0 was a feat of 3D genius!
Of course, in true Daz 3d form, this dragon was UV mapped to ensure that the dragon still looks great no matter how much we cranked on those morph dials!
It also comes with conforming addons to further develop the look of some of the other dragon creations we might want to make. Body fins, head spikes and a bunch of options for the end of the tail!
Millennium Dragon 2.0 was based on the same mesh as the Millennium Dragon 1.0, with completely backward compatible UVs for use with Millennium Dragon 1.0 Texture Maps!
Included with the Millennium Dragon 2.0 is the new Eastern Dragon, the original Millennium Dragon, and loads of new morph targets, brand new head pieces, texture maps, and poses to allow you to create thousands of unique dragon varieties.
All of this, along with an enhanced geometric mesh, means that the Millennium Dragon 2.0 was the absolute best virtual dragon commercially available.
The additional dragon figure, the Eastern Dragon, is Daz 3d's rendition of the Oriental Imperial dragon, which legend says resides in water and brings good luck and wealth. All three dragon figures are highly detailed and extremely versatile, with endless possibilities for our 3D renders.
Millennium Dragon 2.0 includes a whole bunch of extra options for making even more types of dragon.
Dungeons & Dragons fans will delight in how easy it can be to make any sort of dragon a campaign might call for - I know I sure did!
For a whole lot of... Everything, check out The Ultimate Millennium Dragon Bundle!
If you have either Millennium Dragon 1.0 or 2.0, you might enjoy the fact that my dB Animation Kit 1 for Millennium Dragon 2 is now available for free!
Millennium Dragon Folk is a product that includes special pose files to change the Millennium Dragon into a bipedal dragon race with the option of being wingless or not.
Also included are clothing, textures, poses and a breath weapon prop (image on right), which is why I'm comparing it to Drago! LOL
There's even a special optional pose pack available for these Dragon Folk!
Hydra and the Sea Dragon
Another pair of cool dragons from Daz 3d's legacy pages are the Hydra and Sea Dragon.
Daz 3d strikes again!!!
As its name implies, this is a SubD (model made using Subdivision Cage Technology) dragon - Daz 3d's first SubD model released, in fact.
The Millennium SubDragon may not have taken off quite as massively as the two previous Millennium offerings, but the support products for it are excellent, as is the figure itself!
Not only that, this dragon just plain Looks Amazing!!!
Check Out the Creative Cart Page - Webisode 002 - "Pestryakov and the Dragon", which features the majestic wonders of Andrey Pestryakov's insanely awesome landscapes and Revisiting the Millennium SubDragon!!!
In Animation Corner, I rendered out examples of each aniBlock (but I accidentally skipped one of them)
I optimize the materials to Iray and also demonstrate how to save that as a material preset that doesn't change whatever maps or settings that are in the Base Diffuse slot.
Applying the preset over any of the SubDragon Textures pack presets and it'll convert the materials to Iray and apply whatever setting we've made to optimize it!
It was a really good show! Cool that it's heading for the Daz 3D store! I really put a lot of effort into that show! Well... I get pre-show stage fright, so I work my tush off trying to perform the best I can in the two hour max limit - feature length community Jam with Daz 3D stuff... that's exactly the kind of thing I Love to demonstrate!!! Anyways, even the promos have cool dragon stuff! :)
This is pretty cool:
Here, Joe Pingleton experiments with creating a large scale battle using only a few figures and Carrara's Surface Replicator.
The dragon is the Millennium SubDragon using Medhue's Millennium SubDragon Animations and Presets pack.
Joe has many other animation experiments on his channel - definitely worth checking out!
I love his Mimic Lip Sync tests, and he even has one using the SubDragon!
Okay, Daz 3d must really like dragons, because they do them very well!!!
Yes, it's true. There are some other really cool dragons available out there, but nobody seems to do it with as much style as Daz 3d!
Although this time around the main Daz Dragon 3 product doesn't come with the extra shaping morphs, which are sold separately, Daz 3d upped its game with this one. The rigging is an absolute dream to work with, unlike Millennium Dragons, which were a bit of a beast (pardon the pun!) to pose or animate.
Like everything else sold at Daz 3d, having to purchase something separately usually isn't a show-stopper since they have such incredible pricing.
When we do buy the morphs, they are Stunning! I can tell (being one myself) that at least some of the developers of the morphs are true D&D fans!
Aside from getting the extra morphs and textures (although the included textures make it easy to create custom textures ourselves) Daz Dragon 3 has a LOT of support content, making it an explosive, unstoppable force when it comes to making dragons!
I say: Bravo Daz 3d!!! I Love It!!!
Just scroll to the bottom of the store page for Daz Dragon 3 to see a nice collection of goodies available, and then see how many of those cool things come in the Pro Bundle!
...and Along Comes Predatron!
We can't really talk about dragons without bringing up the incredible Moorland Dragon, by the ever-so-awesome: Predatron!
I say it like that because Predatron makes some of the most wonderful, stand-alone models I've ever worked with. Every one of them, even from his early days, have wonderful pose dials built into them, making posing and animation a breeze!
Moorland Dragon is no different. Just the base product alone is packed with everything we need to animate and render our own, very cool looking dragons!
I got the bundle, which also includes the texture pack addon, which is absolutely beautiful.
Check it out!
DzFire has created flocks of low poly dragons for filling our skies with these magnificent signs of dread!
The kit includes 16 flocks for both Iray and 3Delight
While not really a Dragon, per-se, Flydragon truly is a fantastical creature, and... why not... it has dragon in its name!
Created by the gifted Orestes Graphics, this figure is super fun and easy to work with. I like the textures it comes with and its rigging is spot-on for animators and posers alike.
I must admit, I haven't played around with this one yet. But what fan of D&D could or would be without one of these, when given a choice?!!!
Here's what they had to say about it back when this legacy legend came available years ago:
Details
Frighteningly realistic, this creature will send the bravest running for their lives. Use this dragon as a relic of an ancient battle, or as that special something in your castle or keep. Perfect for the fantasy artist looking for something unique and complex.
What's Included and Features
Features
Hi-Resolution and perfectly proportioned
Modeled from dozens of skeletal photos
Each vertebrae is individually poseable
Each part poses and scales without deforming surrounding body parts
Renders beautifully!
BONUS:
Free texture map included
Pose shown included
Dragons by Arki
From a far more modern version of a skeletal dragon to the majestic and beautiful Ocean Queen to the Miniature Dragon Piccolo, Arki puts out beautiful dragons!
I first discovered Arki as a 3D artist when I found her incredible EYEdeas 3+ eye replacement figures, and now I'm just a big fan of her work!
The Ocean Queen's link take us to the Mega Bundle, which includes The Ocean Queen herself plus a saddle with harness and dragon riding gear (complete costumes) for both Michael 4 and Victoria 4.
She can, of course be purchased separately
Dragons by Dino Raul
Aside from his other dragon-like dinosaurs and creatures, Dino Raul (we miss you, friend!) put out a series of really cool dragons which were then incorporated into two Dragon Clutch products.
Each Dragon Clutch comes with four original dragon figures that work well in Carrara, Daz Studio and Poser. Here are links to the two Clutch families, and each dragon within is also available separately:
I don't have this one yet (yet), but this thing looks fantastic! Yaaay! I have it now! (10-10-2021)
Herschel Hoffmeyer did an incredible job with this. Here is some text from the promo:
Every fantasy hero needs a giant fire-breathing beast to slay but this one just may send your hero running back home in fear.
This standalone figure is fully rigged, highly detailed, and ready to start terrorizing your peaceful villages immediately.
While armed with plenty of teeth and claws, this baddy also comes with fire breath and glowing material options to intimidate its victims before turning them into ash. Speaking of ash, that is just one of three color options included allowing the creature to blend well with its surroundings. Combine all that with some added saliva, a handful of anatomy morphs, poses, and you have everything you need to start making your own blockbuster renders!
All textures are 4K or lower except optional 8K material sets are aslo available since the texture space of the wing spread is so large. Choosing the 8K material option only adds an 8K color and normal map to the back uv set, not the entire body.
My first test with this Magnificent creature!
There are a lot more offerings in the Dragon department at Daz 3d. These are just some of the ones in my current collection. I'll revisit this page as well as make subpages in the future.
For now, Check Daz 3d for the latest in their Dragons collection!
Appreciation for Your Support!
In honor of the Wonderful People who enjoy what I do enough to offer support, This Appreciation Page is For You!
For those who have asked to remain anonymous, I have not included you in there. If you'd like to be included, I'd Love to!
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Simply buy a Daz 3D Gift Card and Just Send me a PM with the Gift Card Code
So Thank You!!!
Have a Question? Just Ask!
I love to help others as best I can. This is a rather broad topic: CG Filmmaking, so my articles on any particular topic may not answer your specific question.
Most of the questions directed to me are regarding Carrara or How did I do this?
For these sorts of things, post your question at the Carrara Discussion Forum (or another appropriate category) at Daz 3D.com forums, and if I don't see it right away, someone else might. They are such a friendly and helpful bunch! I've learned so much from that forum over the years!
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