ive noticed that if i export from poser5 as 3ds then import back into poser5 my model gets smaller .... just a tad, just enough to screw up the bones. am i doing something wrong or is that just the way it is? if that is just the way it is, is there an exact percentage that i can factor in as i import or export thank you !

Attached Link: http://www.habware.at/duck4.htm

a bazillion thanks to you Phil . imma gonna try. extra credit for the screen cap ... d-lux thanks again, jones b

I used to use the settings that PhilC is using, but then suddenly habware plugin decided not to scale down by 1000 for some reason so now just use import and outport scale as 1.. but when I import a .obj I select it in Max (using th e H key select dialog) and right click the scale button to get the scale type in dialog and set the scale for x y and z all to 100,000 % this lets you see and work on the model ok.. but I remember someone posting a better scal factor (400 odd I think ) that should actually convert poser metres to 3ds metres.. anyway if you use Max to do the scaling before export you must use the scale type in to set the scale back to 100%. Best wishes

The Habaware OBJ exporter (the version 3 one, anyway) makes math mistakes somtimes, especially on multi-group items, if they are scaled other than 1:1. I use Objaction Scaler.

As Jim Burton says, the most recent Habware exporter or importer (I can't remember which) screws up when using scales of anything other than 1:1 (last time I looked anyway). I have reported this to Habware, who in the past have rapidly introduced modifications when I've pointed out problems, but on this occasion the view was along the lines of, well, maybe one day we'll fix it, but don't hold your breath. Far be it from me to recommend objaction Scaler, since I wrote it, and I must point out that it only works on obj files, not 3DS. As for the scale factor, the optimum depends on whether you're using metric or imperial units in Max. I think it was me that posted on the subject a year or two ago and to be honest I can't remember what the number was. However, it's largely academic as long as you use the same factor in each direction and pick a number that works reasonably with your setup.

Just found my original post on the subject, way back in November 2000. What I said at the time was: A scale factor of 100 will preserve the object's scale if you have Max set to work in inches. If you're working in mm then you'll need a scale factor of 2540. If you are working in metres, fathoms, cubits, leagues, cm, furlongs or whatever, then you'll obviously need a different factor. Regards, Maz

thanks everyone for the suggestions. still no luck. the habware plugs will not load . anyway there should be no need for plugins, as poser imports and exports "3ds" re:the scale/percent @ 100 ...... no luck . 103% is about the closest ....103.6, 103.4, 102.9 and etc have been tried. again, i made no scale changes in MAX, so 100% should work, but it doesn't. there must be some other consideration that i'm overlooking . thanks again .... i'm not giving up .... DANG IT TO HADES jones

Ah- make sure you put the Habaware plugins in the right place, they go in the "stdplugs" folder, not "Plugins". I also contacted the Habaware guy about this, and got about the same answer as Maz did, with the addittiona comment- "but Poser stuff is so small!" ;-)

while on the subject .. the habware plugin will only work to v5.x of Max not 6, and there are 2 versions .. 1 for v4 and 5, and one for v3 so make sure you get the right one. I also had a problem with models exported with a new UV map .. habware would only output correct uv if I exported as only triangles :( .. it was joining 2 UV coords together or something weird like that.

Are you sure you've got the number of digits set to a biggish number (PhilC uses 12 in his example). If you've got it set to just 1 or 2 then you'll get rounding errors in the transfer (due to losing most of the decimal places) which might account for you getting differences of just a tad or so. Maz

actually changed my approach. since all i needed to do was replace a poser head with one modeled in max i just imported the head into poser and did the ol' "exchange body part" bit . of course at some point i'll need to reconcile the scale differences, but for now i can get this current project moving in a positive direction. i am relieved and pleased that ya'll are so helpful and i hope to share some of my aquired knowledge when/if needed. also,it's seems that most of the folks here are using poser as it's name suggests .... to pose figures for still images. i am planning on using poser for motion animation . is there a "poser movie showcase" or some such anywhere on the net ? i'd love to see some . again,thanks for all the help jones