Weekly Update 23/2025 RTX5090: A Love-Hate Story (Patreon)

Hello, dear friends.

As I sit down to write this weekly update and look back at the days since the last one... I’m honestly not quite sure how I feel.

Irritated? Slightly disappointed? Existentially confused? Possibly all of the above.

Technically, I successfully transitioned from my old RTX 3090 to the new, high-end RTX 5090.

Only to discover that the tools I use to build the game aren’t quite ready for that leap.

Let me explain.

As many of you are aware, I utilise DAZ3D to create visual content.

The only reason I need a powerful GPU is to handle complex files and render them fast. Every part of my workflow is optimised for speed, because I’m building this game in my free time, outside of my full-time job, and every minute spent with my 3D girls needs to count.

Now, yes—I knew that the RTX 5000 series introduced a new Iray rendering architecture.

Yes—I knew DAZ would require a full rebuild to support it.

Yes—I even knew that the plugins I rely on wouldn’t work in the new DAZ 2025 Alpha.

However, what I wasn’t ready for was the fact that the viewport is so painfully slow; working inside DAZ 2025 is basically impossible.

So now, I build my scenes in the old DAZ and render them in the new one.

And yes, this means I can’t preview what the final image will look like before rendering.

Could I use the CPU for that preview? Technically, yes.

But my scenes are so complex that my poor CPU just quietly cries and gives up.

So now, I juggle two programs, trust my instincts, and hope for the best.

BUT! On the bright side, the new card renders images 3 to 4 times faster than the 3090—an enormous boost for the ongoing Remaster process.

Maybe one day, DAZ will catch up with the future. Until then… it is what it is.

Now, with a card this powerful, you'd think I could finally pursue my dream of creating photorealistic images and films using AI, right?

Well... disappointment came to visit again this week.

I dove into ComfyUI and, to its credit, I did learn a lot.

But either the tech isn’t there yet, or I still have a lot to learn (probably both).

I attempted to achieve photorealism using Flux1Dev, Wan, and Flux1-Kontext Dev.

Only the Kontext experiments produced something worthwhile—you can see a few of the working samples here.

Where it worked, it worked rather well. Unfortunately, most of the time... it didn’t.

Flux1Dev? Honestly—trash.

Wan surprised me—stable, efficient, and capable.

However, there was a catch: all the characters looked the same. Especially the faces.

And for a project like this, with 10,000+ images and distinct characters, that’s a dealbreaker.

Yes, I now theoretically understand how to train a custom LoRA based on my game’s characters.

However, doing that would render the entire process so time-consuming that it would lose all practical value.

Sure, I’d get an AI influencer named Laura—but is that really worth it? I’m not so sure.

If anyone here has experience or insight in this area, please feel free to share your knowledge. I’d love your input.

Next week, work on the game will continue.

Slowly. Painfully. Heroically.

Thank you so much for your support—it truly means a great deal to me.

Have a great weekend, and may your render queues be short and your drivers stable.

Nemiegs

Postscript – A Word from RTX 3090 (Now in Comfortable Retirement)

Oh, so now he’s struggling.

Two DAZ programs? No preview? Guess who could preview. Me.

Sure, I wasn’t fast. But I was reliable.

Look at him now—rendering blind, praying to the gods of ComfyUI and pacing nervously while DAZ2025 loads at the speed of a glacier.

Meanwhile, I’m over here, enjoying the quiet, sipping imaginary tea, and occasionally whispering:

"Told you so."

They always think the younger, flashier model will solve everything.

Until they realise: sometimes it's not about power—it's about knowing the quirks of the beast.

And I was familiar with this man’s workflow. Intimately. Pixel by pixel.

Anyway, no hard feelings.

Just a retired warrior watching the new recruit sweat through their first mission.

Best of luck, 5090.

You're gonna need it.

RTX 3090

A veteran of thousands of renders. Proud owner of character.