Hi, Just wondering if any of the brilliant Monty Pythoners out there have considered making a Py script to convert all 3D objects in a scene to SnowSultan's Z-Toon mode? It would be extremely useful, I think. I know I would buy it if it was de-bugged and available for sale. Also wondering- would some Renderosity vendors consider offering Z-Toon MAT/MOR's for their popular items. Obviously Koshini, DAZ Toon Animals, etc would be at the top of the list, but I am personally finding great success with Ms. Vicky doing Pinup poses in Z-Toon mode. Seem's like another great vendor $ idea ready to happen! (Hopefully SnowSultan hasn't yet registered Z-Toon with the US Patent Office already!)

Haha, I'm glad you're finding that tutorial so much fun! :) I do enjoy seeing the various effects that people have created using different figures, but I hope that anything and everything to do with this technique remains free. I can't copyright the idea of flattening a mesh of course, but I intended it to be free and hopefully it will stay that way. Don't tempt me to start selling my creations either, LOL... ;) And for anyone else using the Z-toon method, please don't neglect the postwork just because it looks OK coming out of Poser. Adding the shading and smoothing the edges in a paint program can make it look even better. :) Thanks, take care. SnowS

Attached Link: http://market.renderosity.com/softgood.ez?ViewSoftgood=8259

SnowSultan, If I were DAZ, I would offer you an immediate job! (But I'm not DAZ) Just think your ideas are very bright! And I still think the Z-Toon idea has lots more potential. If people want to offer Freebies, that would be the best thing of all. I have posted a link to a Renderosity product called "MAEVE". I happened to have purchased it months ago when it was on sale, but never even used it. But last night I unzipped it and have been using it with amazingly good results with your Z-Toon concept. "Maeve" is a V2 character and I think was just waiting in a zip file for the day when your tutorial would set her free. I looked up the creators bio and it turns out he is also a big Manga and Toon fan. I personally have found relatively little touching up to do, except that I do more post-work anyway as I can't help myself once I'm in Photoshop!

Needless to say, this caught my attention. But after reading the tutorial, I don't see any need for scripting. Seems to be nicely do-able with the usual parameter dials. Or am I missing something? However..... If you wanted to turn Koshini to an oblique angle and then flatten her, that could be a job for Python. In other words, flatten the mesh along the universe's Z-dimension, rather than the figure's own Z.

Well Ockham, I'm glad this caught your eye! It seems to me that if you have a number of 3D objects in a scene it would be very handy to run a single Python script to set this all up, especially like in the case of not conforming hair, etc. many people conform by habit and in a mixed 3D scene lots of things could go wrong. Not everyone is as bright as you and SnowSultan. I think more people could screw this up than you realize. But especially, it would be a real time saver to load a script that would properly set up all the figures, scenery, etc, plus set up a single main light- but provide options on light color and maybe even 1 or 2 more lights. It would also be a great time-saver to have MAT-MOR files that would set up textures maps without highlights, etc. But I would guess a Py script could do this even faster, I would assume.

Yes, Ockham, if it was possible to flatten along the UNIVERSE Z-dimension... I THINK it would then be possible to do z-toon animations?!

Snow, I tried the Z-Toon method on a couple of characters last night while reading your tutorial. It's brilliant! I loved the results. I like doing non-photorealistic renders, and this is one of the best ideas for Poser I've seen in a long time. You just keep coming up with better and better stuff, ya genius. :-)

Attached Link: Link: http://ockhamsbungalow.com/Python/Z-flat.zip

Just for experimentation: Here's a script that flattens all the meshes in the scene in their own Z-dimension. This may make conforming easier, because the Z-scale dial then becomes sort of "microscopic" in its control.

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Attached Link: This link works better

;o) can't wait to try it.

Thanks for catching my dumb copy/paste error. I don't have a sprained thumb, so I don't have any excuse!

Great, glad that Ockham is on to this! I think this is a concept that could go really far in Poser!