@MRL,
I'm reading your post as you use Daz assets but don't work in Daz--this is all based on that. If I'm wrong, feel free to ignore all this. :-)
I came to Reallusion products after years of using Daz, and I still use it for still images although I'm beginning to move more and more to CC3 and iClone, even for stills. The biggest difference between rendering in Daz and in either CC3 or iClone (besides render time) is
lighting. It takes time to learn how to light in Daz, and even Iray works differently in the two programs.
Daz sells all those lovely presets for sets and lighting and characters, but they aren't going to give you the results you see in the promos without
a lot of time learning how to do it. They look "one-click" but they aren't really.
If you are comfortable working with Reallusion products, I'd stay in Reallusion, and just maximize your skills here. I've spent a year learning how to use CC3 and iClone with the goal of getting as close to Iray results as possible without using Iray--it took me six years to learn enough lighting and texture and render tweaks in Daz to get results I was happy with, in either render engine. You'd have a boost by being familiar with this software, but it could still take a comparable year to learn to get truly "photoreal" renders in Daz--at least for characters. Sets and props without characters are easier, but it's still a definite learning curve.
It depends on what you want to render--if you want still images of photoreal sets, it's easier to leave the super high poly stuff in Daz and render it there. If you want characters, you're in for some time figuring out how to get the results you see in those promos. And you've got to be willing to lock up your computer for HOURS to get a high-res render.
Don't get me wrong: I love Daz. I wouldn't have my second job if it weren't for Daz, and I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Daz. But it's not nearly as easy to use as it looks.
Ok, my 20 cents. :-)
Nicole
PS: An example of something I did in iClone 7 using the native render, not Iray...It would have taken like 12 hours to render in Daz with Iray. It took maybe 45 seconds in iClone.
PPS: Edited to add a character image--again, native iClone native render, not Iray. The face one is a little blurry because it's a screenshot not an image render.
76% of original size (was 661x19) - Click to enlarge
76% of original size (was 661x19) - Click to enlarge
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