Hello I am about to develop a new character pack, which I had originally sketched out for Michael 2, but now that Michael 3 is out with his many new forms (Freak and Stephanie (coming soon)), it seems it would be much more versitile of a character if it is developed for him instead of Mike 2. So I am trying to find out if it is worth it to do a character set for M2 anymore, or if people prefer the versitility of M3 so that characters could be used as hulking brutes or women as well? Comments ? Opinions? Rawn

I'm avoiding both M3 and V3 mainly due to their size and the power it takes to use them (plus V3's body sux when morphed). You can do them for whatever character you fancy but keep in mind that Mike 2 never got the attention that Vicky 2 got so there still might be some people looking for items for him. Depending on what you're creating maybe you could do it for both.

I vote for M3. I'm not planning on buying anything for M2 any more.

I also vote for M3, but would like to to see you do one for the Freak Also :)

I vote for m2 simply because I dont yet have M3. Heck I cant even find out if I can use mike 3 with the older prop pak poser 4. LOL

I vote... M2 & M3 I still use both. M2 mainly because I got used to him and I have more things for him. M3 is nice but needs more "things".

haha...unfortunatly this character will be a little too complex to do 2 versions (M2 and M3), this is why I have to decide early on where I will do it. At first it seemed that people were not big on buying into M3, so I was going to go back and do some unique M2 stuff as well, but I think all the extras like freak and such won most people over to M3. But this is why I posted the question...just to see how the statistics stand with M3 and M2. btw aggelos M3 works fine in pro pack...that is whatI use ;) Rawnrr

I don't have M2 only M1 and M3, and if your product can morph to fit the Freak that would be excellent. Catlin

M3 textures fit freak with no problem, and even fit Vicky3 with only minor tweeking (thats why I like M3)

at a post to this thread. I wish the 'sity would settle down again. M3, definitly. M3 is Unimesh, and anything you do for him/it will be able to be transfered to any unimesh figure. The freak and new Steph transfer is just adding channels to the .cr2 file for the new morphs, while V3 and her variations require a bit more work (though very do-able). This gives you a leg up for at least 3 current figures, 1 announced figure, and at least 2 more figures that I personally know are almost ready (I ain't telling, so don't ask). An M2 morph will only be good for M2 and the old Steph. The biggest complaints about the Unimesh figures is the high overhead in Poser (mostly P5). Daz Studio should handle the Unimesh figures much better. Also, as people upgrade their hardware, they'll find that Unimesh figures work much better. M3 also has a much higher poly count, allowing the developer to do finer detail in the morh, making for a better product in the end. Some of those fine morphs we'd like to do just don't work on M3, but work great with the higher count of the Unimesh. Don't get me wrong, I love my M2. However, M3 will win out in the end. Making it for M3 will give you a bigger number of potential characters, and a longer interest period for the product. Hope this works... Jim

There really doesn't seem to be a lot of stuff done for Mike 3, compared to Vicky 3. Maybe that reflects a general lack of interest in the part of developers?

"haha...unfortunatly this character will be a little too complex to do 2 versions (M2 and M3)" Darnit, he didn't fall for it.... Heheeheh well you gotta admit, it WAS worth a shot :P Silke

M3 :)

"Two more figures almost ready"? That's in addition to Stephanie?? I'm going to go broke. Why don't I just sign the house over to DAZ now, and get it over with...

I haven't found a compelling reason to buy Micheal 3 even though he was just on sale. The out of the box M3 is too feminine and young looking for most of my compositions. The fact that he also needs new clothing and everything else is also a put off. I will wait for the time when Daz releases him on a CD with clothing packs, texture maps, and hair as my haste to purchase Micheal 1 and 2 in the past caused me to buy ala'cart at a much higher expense. I am still interested in buying M 1 & 2 character packs. If you develop characters for them and it is the sort of look I'm going for I will certainly be interested in buying.

"There really doesn't seem to be a lot of stuff done for Mike 3, compared to Vicky 3. Maybe that reflects a general lack of interest in the part of developers?" Actually, any time a female figure is released, it always gets more stuff than male figures. There's a lot of stuff for M3 being done. True, at the same point there was a lot more for V3, but that's the usual thing that happens. Compare the toal amount of stuff done for M2 compared to V2. There's probably 3 or 4 times the available content for V2 over M2. There's just more interest in female figures. There are definitly fewer textures being done though (for everyone). I think this is as much because of the UTC than any other reason. The V2 and M2 texture market is pretty well saturated, although good very high quality textures are always appreciated (hear that Catherina and StefyZZ?). Why buy a new texture for either V3 or M3 when you've got a great one for V2 or M2 that will convert? Clothing is coming in a big way soon too for M3. Look for a shift from barbarian wear to more normal clothing soon for M3 and the Freak. I do wish there were more M3 hair sets. Neftis seems to be the only one who's making an effort there. She does great stuff (the best), but we need more. I'd love to see an update to the bangs cut from Daz, or better yet, a more realistic version reflecting current styles. ...sigh... Oh yeah. The new figures. I posted some shots of them in an earlier thread (I'm beta testing, and I do have permission). The female figure will include some very interesting posibilities using the V3 male morph set. The result is a sort of cross between M2 musculature, V3 base height, and a bit of the Freak. The new guy is pretty neat and combined with M2 and M3 adds a lot of variation to the mix. The male figure has other potential. Looks great for fantasy, but I've been doing some work making an early teen boy with it. It fills the gap between the PT Boy and M3. Sort of a 12 to 15 year old look. And as for other potential...well, it's my precioussssss, precioussssssss.... (Dodger is going to kill me). Jim

Actually, M3/Freak textures do have minor issues in the nipples/bellybutton sections. You apply a freak texture to M3, he's got an extra bellybutton and vice versa.

I personally think M3 and V3 are missing ALOT of face morphs to give them character. There's a lot of stuff you CAN do that Mike2 and Vicky2 couldn't. But there are a lot of little things that you CAN'T do. Now that I'm getting the hang of creating custom morphs for the 3 series charaters I may start to address this at some point. But it's still a real PAIN to put together a Series 3 character. Hopefully one of DAZ|Studio's features will be the ability to just create a charactor and export it without worries.

Thanx for everyones responces....it is looking like M3 is rapidly becoming the character of choice...so I guess that answered my question. Though personally, I think M2 had a better shape to him...I hate M3's volley ball shoulders :)

Rawnrr: First, I'd like to thank you for working on poser content. Everyone appreciates your talent and dedication. Second, there are some pluses and minuses to the unimesh. Part of this is due to the lack of head morphs in comparison to the number that were available for V3. Third, I'd like to point out there is a compromise at least for the people who bought M3, but still prefer M2. The M3 figure comes with an M3 to M2 figure that you might base your character on. PapaBlueMarlin

Thanx PapaBlueMarlin, I dont know if it is so much dedication as I just find it fum making these characters. I gave up entirely my freelance work for this because it was so much more fulfilling...and who knows, maybe one day I can get rid of my day job as well (or such is my dream LOL). Yeah there are definatly plusses and minuses for each figure, that is why I put together this little market study, to see where people were going, and what they were looking for. It was all quite informative,,,though I will keep my eyes open if any more opinions show up. thanx again Rawn

Just want to chime in here. I think going with M3 for new products is your best bet for 3 reasons: 1) When it comes to textures, the Unimesh's cross compatibility for V3, M3, Freak, and Steph 3 is a big value added for customers. 2) M3's superior UV mapping. 'nuff said. 3) M3 products are generally higher in quality than M2's, because skill, technology, and knowing the target audience have moved forward. But having said that, I must admit, I use M2 more than M3 mostly because I already have M2 "fleshed out" how I like him and he's faster to use and render. ...And is it just me, or does M3 has more support than M2? It seems like all things I wished M2 had, but never got, happened for M3 and happened really fast. It's only been 2 months, and it's like there's more content for M3 than there was for M2. (But there still isn't enough hairstyles.) Anyhoo, I think M3 is a better looking guy with a more realistic shape than M2, and I like having the musclebound Freak as a separate character, but I do miss the muscle morphs of M2, -- they just seem better. sigh In the long run, what sells is what will drive the market. If M3 users don't buy, but M2 users do, then products will shift back to M2. bB

I find the comments about how much more stuff becomes available for female figures than for males to definitely ring true. It's a little frustrating at times to try and find certain things for the guys! I guess art really does imitate Life - you could walk into a major clothing/department store IRL and find the exact same comparison to be true! Ever notice that a medium-to-high end men's clothier like, say, Men's Wearhouse, can fit in about one-fifth the square footage of a store selling a "comparable" range of ladies' clothes? To answer Rawnrr's query: I'd say it looks like M3 should be the choice for any complex new characters, simply because he is quickly becoming the main choice for the "leading role" in a lot of projects. M2 is going to remain valuable, imho, because he uses so much less processor power, so he's great for the "background" or "supporting cast" figures. In this vein, I think it would be nice to see some projects geared specifically for M2/V2 as "bit players" - less detail, maybe lower poly counts, etc. to ease the load on the CPU. My Athlon XP 2800+ barely chugs along with M3, a hair item, and a few props - a second M3 is a definite non-starter, whereas an M2 can be managed. - Drew

I'd wait for David to come out - he looks very promising. I use M2 the most - there's no way M3 will replace him for me but David might...