Can I use Poser to make items from scratch, characters or props, materials, etc.? If so, do you know of any tutorials that cover this.

I have Poser 5.

This would consist of any kind of item (cloth, structure, ummm..... anything) not just thinking about one type of item.

If not, what program(s) do I need to do this?

From one of the posts below I found out there are some free modeler programs on the modeling forum page. Does anyone use them? What do you think? Which do you like best?

Wings 3D comes highly recommended. I'd go on the Wings forum and ask the people who use it what they think. Every program has its fans....you really really need to test drive them and see which one you like best. I am, by the way, hopeless at them all so I can't give you a recommendation myself.

Wings is a great modeler! Its easy to learn and quite powerful. And the price is right..... free. :)

Check out Geep tutorials here in the forum. from within poser with no 3rd party modeler you can create a lot of props. Desk, wall, brick wall, fence, are just some of the tutorials he has taught how to create with nothing other than poser. someone created a robot character using nothing other than poser primatives, and magnets. That being said, if you want to create clothing items you will really need a 3rd party modeler. Amapi, wings, blender are some popular modeler applications, you will have to play with demo's or the full applications to find one that suits your needs and style of modeling. I finally broke down and spent $1200 on Lightwave because I got frustrated with the freebie modelers, and wanted something a bit more to meet my needs. Not that everybody has to spend thousands to meet their needs. My highest recommendation is to download and try every demo, trial, an full frieebie you can find, and do some tutorials and see what works for you.

Amapi 4.5 is also free. It's mostly what I use for modeling. Occassionaly I'll use Anim8or for some specialized work. It's free too. Between Wings, Amapi, and Anim8or, you get one fairly good program to work with. There's a couple of pretty good tutorials for Amapi. Steve Shanks has a good one for using Anim8or to make custom morphs. The best of all though is PhilC's turtorial for sale at his site on CD. It goes step by step on how to make conforming clothing for Poser figures, from basic modeling through assigning groups, boning, and conforming.

It depends on how complex the item you want to model is. I've been able to create quite a few things from poser alone such as weapons, a mug, furnature, a key and other simple items, but for more complex modeling you need somthing better. I'd say poser is the easiest 3D model application there is in existance right now though so if you can get it done in Poser its definately preferable to useing something else.

Attached Link: http://www21.ocn.ne.jp/~mizno/main_e.html

In the last couple of issues of 3D World magazine there have been a number of good free 3D apps. I issues No.33 and No.34 Truespace 3.2 and in issue No.35 Amapi 5.15 were unresistible free software. I have picked up quite a few great things over the last two years purchasing this mag. Go to their web site at 3dworld.com and perhaps you can pick up a one of their back issues.

Another nifty free modeler is Mizno Lab (link provided) great for making almost anything.

P.S. The members of the Vue d'Esprit forum here at Renderosity have a very big list of free 3D software one can download - take a look at the following post:

http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?Form.ShowMessage=807902

WOW!!!!

Thank you all.

If I can't find something here that will do it for me, I just to damn picky :O) or ignorant (hehe).

I never expected this much information, it's a bit overwhelming.

I have blender, totally forgot about it, and a buddy of mine has Milkshaper3D, maybe he'll let me try it out (at his house of course).

I guess I'll start there. I don't... GEEZ, I feel a bit like a kid in a candy store.

Thanks again.