I want to try and make some clothes & props myself for Poser.. I'm used to working with Bryce.. But you can't export.. I recently got Lightwave.. But you can't import a Poser model into it.. It only imports Lightwave objects.. I'd like to know what is the best and simplest program to use to make clothes and props for Poser that you can export a poser model into.. And export a model that you can import back into Poser... Thanks for any help...

Different people use different programs, depending on their level of experience, comfort and personal preference. I'd say your best bet would be to download some free demos and see how you like the workflow in various programs. You'll need something which lets you model at mesh level rather than just with primitives (as Bryce, Vue, etc., do). A lot of people here I believe use Wings3D, which is a freebie. There's a forum here for it, you might want to start by checking that out ;-)

yeah these days almost everything can do almost anything,it's about what you prefer as much as anything,what you're comfortable using ummm are you sure about lightwave?poser models are ".obj" this is the native lightwave format.i believe,the original poser models are products of lightwave..it's sorta like ".3ds" is native to 3dsmax...lightwave should be able to import and use poser .obj's with no problem at all..if not there must be a plugin that allows it...

Lightwave can import 3ds and objs it can import dxfs too but they are a bit crap...

.lwo is the native lightwave format. .obj had its origins with Wavefront/Alias.

Well I'm used to using Bryce, But I just got Lightwave.. Because I wanted something I could Export models to make some things for Poser.. But I have not read all the directions.. But when I started it and went to import.. It only gave me the option of importing LWO files.. If there is a way to import other formats maybe I'll find it after I play with it.. But I really don't like it.. Id like something with a different interface.. I downloaded the free Copy of Ampapi but it is version 4 and you can't export in Object format.. I guess I'll look around and see if I can get some Demos and try them before I plunk down more money on something I'm not going to like or use... Thanks..

To import objects into lightwave you need to load the modeler and import the objects into that. I Find that the lightwave modeler is quite difficult to use and i don`t use it. The one i use is Imagine it may be quite hard to find that now...

I don't have my links handy (do a google search), but at the risk of repeating the above, I too would recommend downloading demo versions before plunking down a huge chunk of change. Some worth looking at are: Wings3d - free and quite powerfull for that type of modelling (box or sub-division modelling). I've made a handfull of Poser clothing/props using Wings3d. Anim8or - free (or cheap shareware?) imports/exports .obj files. Milkshape3D - inexpensive shareware, imports/exports .obj files (along with tons of game formats), but I generally don't recommend this one because it wants to deal in triangles only (Poser prefers quads). Cinema4D by Maxon - free demo versions available, as well as free older versions on some Euro 3D magazines. The full version of this one is pricey, but on the lower end price-wise with it's competition (Lightwave, Maya, Rhino, 3D Studio, etc.). It's got a very nice interface and some decent modelling tools (splines, mesh, primitives, hypernurbs, booleans, etc. and imports/exports .obj files). Good luck!

...you mentioned Amapi... that interface is just too bizarre for my tastes. Cinema4D is very easy to learn. Wings3D's interface is somewhat sparse, but once you get the hang of what keys do what, it's very easy to use efficiently.

I think that once you've become used to Lightwave you will find it to be one of the best. The fact that you can use layers allows you to have an exported .obj of the body part you want to clothe underneath to refer to and that's a huge advantage. Just wish I could afford a later version than 6.5, hey ho...

Anim8or is free. It does do OBJ files, but I find myself exporting files as 3ds files instead. It doesn't keep the material zones when it exports as OBJ. And the resolution is much lower. So I export as 3DS, then convert to OBJ with Accu-Trans, in order to use UVMapper. However, if you've already bought Lightwave, you should probably use it. At least give it a try. A lot of people use it with Poser quite happily. :-)

what about 3DS studio?

Attached Link: http://www.geocities.com/tguilliano/Poser2LW/

Don't give up on LightWave just yet! I think its organic modeling set is MUCH better than 3DS Max (I have a right to say that, because I own both! LOL) ... it's not easy to learn, but once you get the hang of it, it's AWESOME! The LightWave modeler does import OBJ and 3DS files without a plug-in - you only have to modify one of the ini files to have it do so. Complete instructions are given on the website link attached ... the instructions are written for LW 6.5, but it also works in 7 and 7.5.

You can indeed import obj,s into Lightwave. You have to look in your Windows system folder for files begining with LW. Look through those files and you will find a line for file format objects or similar. You have to add the formats you want to import like this: blah blah object formats .lwo;.obj;.3ds;.dxf I know you'd expect NOT to have to do this quite reasonably, but then lightwave still uses DOS for batch rendering and every file cannot have spaces but must have underscores too, which has you wondering....but anyhow, it's the worlds best modeller and is used by companies like pixar for modelling, so stick with it. Best CB

Lightwave is great for making morphs and such. If you have the money, you might want to look at greenbriar's LW-Poser plug-in. It makes importing and exporting figures for Poser a snap. I made 20 morphs for a character in 2 hours using LW's tools. I'm just learning how to do clothing in LW. The box modeling method is different than what I'm used to, but I did get a decent shirt created on my first try. You might want to look at markdc' tutorial (in the Marketplace) on creating clothing for Poser. He uses 3DS but you can use the tutorial for LW. You do need some familiarity with LW though as some commands are different between the programs. Also, LW's rendering is much better than Poser's. I'm looking at posing in Poser then exporting to LW for the final render. (Once I figure out what I'm doing in LW, that is. Too many interesting things to learn, too little time.)