Hi all, I read the manual that came with poser 5. "Hate it" !! I"m searching around for an easy- to -understand, easy to follow excercise poser book. I seem can't find any good book/ tutorials for beginner. I have just finished reading the posts here; now I come to realize that poser 5 lacks ) poor ) many features such as rendering. creating figures...Meaning I get to spend more money and time to learn using other softwares in order to use poser 5 effectively. (?!) According to what I have read so far, Maya, 3DMax, Cinema, Rhino seem like a better product? Anyway, I opened and installed poser 5 already. Please advise ! Thank you very much!!

Attached Link: http://www.philc.net/tutorialsIndex.htm

You may find the Poser 5 tutorials I have written of help. They may be found on the Curious Labs site or at the above link. In them I give worked examples of how to use dynamic clothing together with the free model to download.

First Poser 5 is not a modeling program, all though you can make props with it, and you can modify charactors creating new ones. Poser5 has 2 opitons for rendering. Read the post in this forum for tips and how2s.

After you get the ins and outs of P5 (which I like a lot, even though it has some bugs) you can purchase new characters for it at http://www.daz3d.com/. (I don't work for Daz, just a heads up) There's also a lot of free-bee models here at R'osity to help you out in your scenes.

Oh, and you're right the manual kinda sucks--not much in the step-by-step "how to" dept.

Start Simple:

Get rid of inverse kinetics, it glues Don's feet to the floor.

Hi PhilC, I went to your website. Is the 3D modeling CD ( poser 5 ) for a completely beginner like me? I'm interested in buying it, though. Also, Could you advise me what other softwares/programs do I need to work with poser 5? I have photoshop, carrara studio 2 and vue 4 ( I haven't opened these boxes, will return to their merchants if they are not needed ). Thank you very much for your insight. Rabit,

Whoa! Huolong, I'm watching for your post! They are so easy to understand! Thanks very much!! Rabit,

Basic Navigation

You can select each body part by the menu ... or cameras, lights, or props that are in the scene or associated with the figure selected.

Use the dials to move the figure around. The cursor and the dials above can be used, but they're a quick trip to the nut house for even the initiated.

There's a whole lot of poses in Poser5 plus bunches here.

Get something for him to sit on

Add some more stuff, adjust the cameras and invite the neighbors over.

Your picture isn't ready until it's rendered ... there is stuff that won;t show until then and a lot that's there like the funny circles ... go away

You can mess with the lights when you are ready to deal with shadows,

I like to export as a TIFF or BMP. The tiff allows me to pluck the picture out away from it's background which is this case is null.

Finish it up with your favorite photo ap (I use Ulead)

There's a lot more to go ... the next big thing is messing with texture files.

Huolong that was great! :) It is precisely what someone totally new to this type of software needs. Something quick, easy to follow, step by step.....get's a person started so they don't feel like they wasted their $300! CL.....! Hire this person! :) Seriously, that was a very good overview....and enjoyable as well :)

No problem. It took me a couple of years starting with Poser0 before forums like this got started. Poser is just too much fun to be frustrated over.

It's COOOL, HuoLong!! I'm sure it will help a great deal for me as other beginners!! Looking forward for more tutorials from you!!! BTW, CL people should "learn" how to write a good instruction like Huolong!! Huolong, if you write a poser book, please let me know !! Thanks very much for all your posts! Rabit

Nice job on the how to, Huolong. Very nice job.

Huolong, could you check image 14 and 15? They don't show up on my screen, though...

adding clothes

I'm not sure why something wouldn't show on your screen, but 14 is cropped, resized, and shown here. Adding other props on 15 is the same process. One checkmark replaces things, two adds.

Attached Link: a novel

Hmmm ... maybe i'm in the wrong biz ... Maybe i should write software manuals ... Oops, nope, that's what i did for years and years ... Hated it. I'm new to Poser 5, too, and haven't had any trouble learning everything above from the manual. But then I've been working professionally with computers for about 25 years. Not to brag, but these days, I can learn the basics of most software in about the time it takes the average person to tie a pair of shoes ... It's just everything else in life that mystifies me -- Just to put in a good word for CL (if I may), as software manuals go, I've seen a whole lot worse. Most software development firms do not emphasize quality documentation much. Part of this, I believe, is because most of the folks working in these firms are so experienced and computer savvy, they simply don't understand the need for, or value of, good, clear, concise documentation. Part of the reason is also that most of same would not recognize it if they saw it. Part of the reason is also that in spite of perennial complaints about the said lack of documentation quality, very few customers actually purchase software based on the quality of the documentation. That's just a fact. As such, these firms often don't pay their writers all that much, and it isn't unusual for them to mess up their writers' best efforts with undefined priorities, megalomaniacal managers and uncommunicated deadlines. Of course, I've done the programming game, too, so I kind of understand ... Frankly, based on my experience, given the learning curve at these firms (many programmers and writers in the software industry work in excess of 70 hours per week, week after week) and knowing how competitive the industry is, I think it's something near to a miracle of teamwork that Poser ever got this far and that the manual is as good as it is. But I guess that's just me.

Complete beginner? ..... Probably not, but once you get to the stage that you want to start making your own clothing I'd say that would be the time to get it.

Huolong, you are the author of the book?? I thought programmer and writter couldn't go together...I'm sure you did the illustration yourself. Amazing skills!! I wish you wrote a poser ( and other programming) book! I know you "hated it", but... I think there is a large market and people are "dying" for good instruction/information like this Thanks again, Rabit

.

I used to write field manuals. I'm still digitally challenged.

At the risk of being screamed at in here, you might want to check out the Poser 5 Handbook (which can be found at Amazon.com). Although I personally don't have this book myself yet, it has received excellent reviews in another thread on this forum recently. There is also supposed to be a Visual Quick Start Poser 5 book coming out this year, but I don't know anything about it.

Attached Link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1886801932/ref=cm_cr_dp_2_1/102-2704912-5280134?v=gla

Hi Tomsde, Yes, I checked Amazon about this book. The author is Shamms Mortier. There are all negative feedback about his books so I decide not to buy from him. You can see detail at Amazon or click on the URL here.

Some of those who provided negative feedback raised some very good points.....and confirm the need for a manual that explains how do some very normal and simple proceedures. The "why" of things is also very important. Without knowing the answers to why you do this, that or the other, one never fully understands the software. And I completely agree that what is taught should start with the models that come with Poser. That's why I like Huolong's quick review. I think if people really knew how to use the software, they might not think they need to dash off to DAZ and buy every Millenium product under the sun. Not trying to kill DAZ's sales or diminish the excellent work of the artists here and elsewhere, but maybe Poser would be viewed as a more viable standalone product if CL had taken the time to explain how to use and maximize the content they provide with it. For example: how to flatten a body against furniture, make Don walk, create a scene with Don and Judy, create or modify an article of clothing for Don and then explained in simple terms, the "whys". Then people might learn how to "create" and not simply modify other peoples creations. I have purchased tons of stuff from DAZ and here at Rendo.....I have learned by using those products, but many folks do not have the capital to make those purchases and should be able to learn and create excellent images by simply using what comes with Poser.

I completely agreed with you, Sandoppe. Huolong, would you think about writing a Poser (5)book/ebook guide? Sorry to ask again, maybe I'm too serious?

By the way, which one is better for modelling : Carrara or Rhino? Thanks

Wrting a book is too much like work. I'm retired. Quick, project oriented tutorials is what is needed for most newbies who just want to make pictures. One doesn't need or want to know about all the bells and whistles. As one's capabilities expand, the detailed manual starts to make sense. But only as it pertains to the one problem at hand. There are computer professionals who can absorb a manual in a single sit down. Wonderful for them. I'm envious. But most folks don't get that competent in that regard until after they have mastered the basics of the field. US military training for the last thirty years has focused on the action at hand, the conditions under which it takes place, and the standards needed for success. This focus on performance was a shift away from the traditional subject matter orientation - the academic model. That whole process starts with the question of "what do you want to do?". Most of the tutorials that have sparked interest in the Poser community have been similiarly focused ... on a specific task at hand. PhilC's tutorial on making clothes is an example. Not the whole enchilada, just the beans.

If you learn to use Don and Judy you basically know how to use Micheal and Victoria, only you won't have to go to the face room everytime you want to reshape their faces. The basics of posing and appling texture maps and clothing are basically the same. So Sandoppe why do you suppose that Micheal and Victoria are used in so many tutorials? Why are people willing to shell out more money for them and their accessories than what they paid for Poser itself? The answer is simple: Micheal and Victoria simply look better! Take a look at Curious Lab's box and the cover for the manual: it's not Don and Judy gracing the covers--it's Micheal and Stephanie. I think it's very telling that CL used Daz figures instead of their stock figures for these illustrations. That having been said, I agree that a manual should cover the basics of how to set up and use each feature in basic step by step instructions. The Poser 4 Manual was a lot better in many ways for that sort of thing. I like many of you am not contented with the Poser 5 Manual, and if they offer a PDF alternate manual (I've heard rumors of a new manual coming out) I'd certainly download it and welcome it with open arms. Still I'm not above picking up a good 3rd party book to enhance my understanding and skills.

To be fair with the P5 Handbook, apparently Shamms Mortier realized his lack of talent and got several talented people here, including Brycetech, to donate material for the book. (I assume they were paid for it.) I don't have the book, and have no plans to buy it, but a few people here have given it a thumbs up. Cheers!

I would like to know how to import/export a figure from poser 5 to photoshop 7 , vue 4 and from Photoshop, vue back to poser 5. Thanks for all your help.

P5 to Photoshop 7, just export the image. (File: Export: image.) Photoshop to P4/5 and/or Vue, you'll have to map the image to a prop. With P4, exporting to Vue was easy. With P5, it's a pain in the butt. (Too many things in P5 changed for Vue to read the .pz3 files properly.) I have a tutorial on importing Mike into Vue 3/4 (before the update that allowed Vue to load Poser scene files) if that helps. http://www.fallencity.net/lore Note: you can't export to Photoshop then re-import the figure back into Poser or into Vue. You can only use an image of the scene. Once it leaves Poser, you pretty much can not get it back in and keep it poseable. Hope this helps!

Well Tomsde, I agree that Michael, Victoria and Stephanie do look better....but not when you first load them up.....the base models are all ugly as sin until you apply the morphs, poses, clothing and the like. Here's just a quick render of a naked Judy (on the right) and Victoria 2. Frankly I think at this stage Judy looks better....at least more like a normal person. What makes Victoria, Michael and the rest better and more popular, in my humble opinion, is the amount of accessories and characters that are available on the market. I know when I see a great looking character, with a unique look, I might be prompted to go out and purchase the model it was designed for. Plus I suspect there's a bit of "we'll scratch your back" going on between Poser and those who create the content for sale on the net. Why not promote Victoria? DAZ creates a reason to use Poser and vise versa. But I still think the models that come with Poser are not all that bad and are too often ignored....with one exception....that damned cat!! Now there is something I wish someone would make....a decent and normal looking cat! :)

heyas; vue 4 doesn't read p5 files yet. it reads poser 4 files. (pz3's.) actually, you can try importing a p5 pz3 (don't compress it to a pzz), and if you didn't do anything TOO fancy, it should work. check the vue forum for more tests and results of importing p5 stuff into vue 4. as for carrara vs rhino: you have to try both. cararra is a vertex modeller, rhino is a nurbs modeller. they're totally different. it depends on how you like to model. i like rhino quite a bit, and i used to use cararra's predecessor ray dream.... i don't like how rhino handles nurb to polygon translation, though. and poser uses polys. you can get a trial version of rhino. probably also of cararra. check 'em out. (see, i told you these guys would be more help ;) )

Bloodsong when I try to import a P5 file into Vue it tells me I don't have a "valid registration number" (or some such nonsense) :) It seems to look at the .exe and decide if you have a registered version. Because I never had Poser 4, I suspect it will never work until CL and Eon come to an agreement and a coding change is made....or added.

Yep. I haven't heard of P5 to Vue working even if you use .pz3 files. I haven't read up on it in a while, but the "valid registration number" error is familiar. Even if you still have P4 installed as well, I'm pretty sure Vue will have a snit fit and refuse to open the file. C'est la vie. (C'est la Vue.)

Thanks much, Crescent! I like your tutorials!

Thanks for the compliment, though I can't take credit for all the tutorials. And thanks to Huolong's generosity (and permission), I'll have these pictures up in a Getting Started tutorial on my site soon as well.

oh! hmmm... no, i remember somebody imported a p5 pz3 into vue... i think. but you know, i haven't tried any pz3's in vue since 5 came out.... i hope my p4 pz3's still work!!

If you think of who it was Bloodsong, let me know! I want to find out how the heck they did it! It may be that they had P4 installed too. It seems I recall reading that somewhere....that someone created a scene in P5 and Vue thought it was created in P4 (which they still had installed) and opened it :)