Hi! A few days ago at my local computer store I stumbled over a program called Cosmopolitain Hair. It allows you to take a digital image and gives you another hair-style. Well, sounds like a really important piece of software, doesn't it? But the box said you could choose from over 200 hair-styles AND WATCH THEM FROM ALL ANGELS. So, wouldn't it be possible to take a rendered poser image, import it into this proggy and put an instant top-of-the-art hairstyle on it? I really hope so, because my poser hair always sucks... :) Has anyone ever tried this unusual approach? Help is, as always, highly appreciated! Greetings from Vienna! Kathy

Kathy - Just a few months ago, there was quite a bit of activity using the very program you suggested. It is a good idea but not a new one. Sorry to break your bubble. Write here more and let us know what you're doing with Poser. Ouch! That's hard ...

Search back through for "Cosmo" And to my recollection, there were only front views. (were there side views also?) The way people were using it was to either (1) map the hair image to a square prop and use the image's mask as a trans map, or (2) export a bald image into a paint program and add the hair there. Here's an old "how-to" post: Hair on a Square

Nance, I believe the latest version has side and back views, but haven't bought that one yet. I still have only the original pink version. Wintermond, you don't have to take the poser people into that program. In fact, you don't even have to install the program on your computer at all. You can access the hair files right off the CD and import them into Photoshop or PSP and apply them to your finished render. A number of us have experimented with it. It's a great alternative to the lack of hairstyles in 3D meshes. Thanks for reminding us. Melanie

Melanie, the later versions don't allow you access to the hair as the pink version did. I have both and the first is def. the easiest to use. Using the later version, I made a 'white' file that I use in place of an actual 'face' and then take the saved 'hair'on white head into paint program, select the hair and apply to 'tiff' version of Poser head. If I want to use other than a front face version, I clone hair, etc. to fill in. Works pretty good. The version after my 'purple' or maybe the fuller version, has other angles, but I haven't seen anyone using them. Also think they are not 'rotate-able' but static--in other words, back, sides, etc. Could be wrong. I still prefer the pink version that Melanie talks about--it is a cinch to use much more quickly than the later version.

Thanks, Diane, I wasn't sure about the later versions. I do have a purple Cosmo CD called Style Pack 1 that does let me use the files directly off the CD, however, there aren't very many on it. I think that was an add-on package for the Pink CD. I've been able to access the files off both of these CD's. I used to have one called Wig-Out but it fell through a black hole in my bedroom and I've never seen it since. Also, iStyle allows you to use the hair files directly off the CD. That one has some pretty good ones in it. I've seen a couple more make-over programs in the software stores, but I wasn't sure if they were any good, so I haven't bougtht them. One looks like it's mostly teen styles. If anyone knows anything about these other ones, please fill us in. Melanie

wintermond, the postrendered stuff is cool, and someone even came up with a mesh to put the pics on and then put on your character, but I didn't mess with that idea. Check out kuzboro's hair and some of the other artists who have managed to create some great styles. Basically what I'm saying is, the pink cosmo program is great for the post-rendered stuff, but to have a model that you can see the hair from all sides in 3D you need to have a hair model on the head, not just the picture. Do a search on Cosmo and you will get a wealth of ideas from the forum, they have asked all the questions already..lol. That's what I did. Have fun, Marque

Another Great use for the 'Full version" of cosmo is for modelers. They can use the side & front views in their progs for reference. I can't remember which one of us is currently using that technique... Marc

They also have a site with some free add-on downloads for the Cosmo CD's: http://www.virtualmakeover.com/ And here are some other sites members have mentioned previously that have hairstyle & wig pics you can snag some textures from: http://www.wigs.com/ http://www.hairboutique.com/gallery.htm http://www.hairdos.com/ (I didn't recheck these before posting)

The mesh was Traveller's Magic Hair Prop (I think that was the name he gave it grin). Either way, it's either here in the free stuff, or available from his site Morph World2 (link is on the right, under either Top 15 Popular or Top 15 Referrals). Paul