Hello. I am new to the poser community and am in need of serious help. I look at all the wonderful art that has been created on this site with lush backdrops and settings and what not and I am overwhelmed. How on earth do you do that stuff? All i know how to do is pose figures (which i kinda suck at) and a couple other little things. Can someone point me in the direction of a faq or tutorial that will teach me how to do some of the stuff you artists do? Thanks.

nobody here can teach you artistic skill... your on your own there... also, nobody here can teach you how to use a computer, if your not familiar with a computer (not just poser) then your in for some rough waves ahead. if youve never used a 3d program before, there are much better ones to cut your teeth on. what you see when you look at those wonderful pictures, took hours, some days, just to create. some took weeks to render(at the high end). so dont be fooled by the beauty and flashy color, this stallion need to be controled! ~8>

ok. I didn't expect to be mocked. Of course i can use a computer. And yes, I know that these pictures just don't take minutes to make. Geez. This is my first foray into the 3d art realm. I have plenty of ideas, just don't know how to put them "on paper" if you know what i mean. Thanks for the freindly welcome.......

Attached Link: http://www.daz3d.com/DigitalArtZone.html

I'd take a look at Daz Arcana, the tutorials on this site, and search the Poser forum for "Geep" who has a great series on Poser 4. There are a ton of tutorials out there and it's pretty hard to name all the places you can find them, but do a search on Poser tutorial, Poser 4 tutorial, and Poser 5 tutorial and you'll get a good Internet list. Some may be gone but there's a lot left. I usually have a specific idea in mind...like I want to learn about lighting or how to apply a texture or whatever it is--I think it helps to focus your question. If you are new to Poser, take time to work through the manual and don't heisitate to make mistakes. There is a great class on Poser 4 at LVS Online www.lvsonline.com - I highly recommend it to anyone just starting out. Hope that helps.

You can apply background pictures to your scenes to enhance your creations. It's not hard, but as an old teacher of mine used to say "it's in the book". The best thing you can do to get your creative juices flowing is reading the manual and learn the features. Often times, backgrounds, lighting, camera angles can add a lot to your work; but you have to learn how to use them. This forum has a wealth of info and many are generous with help. Furthermore, many will enhance their work in Photoshop or Painter Pro, etc. before they post their work and mony will credit the "post-work". Again, the manual is tough, but if you read it in front of your screen and do the things it says it shouldn't take too long to get the hang of it. Good luck...look forward to your postings!

Attached Link: http://market.renderosity.com/~pzr/PBackroom/Poser.html

Hi pyro, nice to have you here. What you're looking for are prbably some tutorials for the basics. You can find some in the so called "backroom". Just hit the link above. Personally I find the tutorials by geep very interesting, because they teach you in a very entertaining way. They are not so much about the basics but about how to get most out of your beloved tool (Poser, that is :-) Just do a search for geep in this forum. I wish you a flat learning curve and most important: HAVE FUN!! (excuse the capitals). Willy

Ooops...cross posted with Willy. I guess we are both Dr. Geep fans. :)

Eh, that should read "probably" not "prbably". have to check my spelling more often. Willy

Thanks guyz. I appreciate the advice. :)

Yesss, dialyn! 8-) I really like his style with the characters he uses to bring forth his point in dialog form. Which is, btw, a very old form of teaching material, remember Plato's dialogs or Gallilei's dialogs - pretty strong material. Willy

You can buy either Daz's Cyclorama at www.daz3d.com or 3dnerds Backdrop Tool to create fast, realistic looking outdoor bacgrounds for your scenes. You should check them out. They have a lot less polygons than a real scenic background would, so they are less of a strain on system resources too. Good luck in your endeavors.

sorry pyro, i think you took my genuine advice incorectly.. your statement of needing 'serious help' and being 'overwhelmed' by the art and not knowing 'how on earth' we 'do that', seemed you were actually in 'need' of 'serious help' and had 'no clue' as to how 3d artwork was created... i thought i was being blunt, not mocking. good luck... try giving yourself a little more credit next time instead of flapping your wings in a fury if you dont need it. have a seat with the manual and push on... im sure youve goten the hang of a few things that can allow you to be somewhat productive. drive and determination is most often all a person needs to settle into a creative-rythm... just keep doing it... then next time, try something new. inevitably, youll be capable of adding things, people in your shoes now, later, will feel 'overwhelmed' about seeing. ~;)

Welcome! That's all that's left to say, since the folks above already gave you the pointers I was going to ;) Oh, and do get real familiar with the 'search' function above--start with Geep and then search each time something's making you nuts. We all tend to stumble over the same things and the same answers have been given over and over again. And take heart--there are ALL levels of artists here: nobody doesn't fit in (if you'll excuse the double negative!) ;)

pyrotyrant, Here's what I do. 1) Get a vision of what the result should look like (if your vision is unclear or screwed up, you're hosed) 2) If I know how to do it, proceed 3) If I don't know how to achieve a particular result: a. Find someone that's done it (forum and/or tutorial...sometimes that galleries have tips too) b. Ask a question here (or other appropriate forum) c. Trial and error I usually get there.

pyrotyrant,Welcome! What many people do is use Poser to put togeather their characters,clothes,props etc.then import them into 3D programs such as Vue d'Esprit or Bryce.Using those program(s)they can then build very lush settings around their Poser images.I could be wrong, but I think that is the type of image you are looking and wondering about.Look at both the Bryce and Vue gallery and see if that is what's in your minds eye. SWAMP