Does anyone use autocad, or any light version of autocad to create meshes for poser? If so, what file format will it export?

DXF, possibly. But there are so many versions of this format that the ability to import it into Poser can be rather hit-or-miss at times.

The newer versions of AutoCad can export in 3DS format, which is a lot better then DXF as far as Poser is concerned. I don't use AutoCad for molding for Poser. SAMS3D does however and would be the best to ask.

As far as I know, one of the things striped out of AutoCAD to make AutoCAD light was the 3D functions. In AutoCAD it would depend on whether you created a surface model or a solids model. A solids model needs to be exploded, and exported as a 3DS file to turn it into a surfaced model (poser doesn't like solids models. I usually insert the 3ds model back into AutoCAD, and explode it again, then export it as DXF. The picture shows the same axe head in Poser. The top one is a DXF file imported into Poser. The middle one is a 3DS file imported into Poser then exported as an object file taken into UV mapper split apart and reimported back into Poser. The bottom one is what a imported 3DS looks like.

Yes Sharen of Sams3d walked me thru it. I have AutoCad 2000. I can walk u thru later tonight.... if she doesn't see this post. It involves exporting and reimporting in AutoCad first. Also, there are numeric settings for arc and circle smoothness, segments in a polyline curve, rendered object smoothness, and contour lines per surface. These numbers are magic and I have them at home. I think you set these numbers under the options menu in AutoCAD, export once as 3dstudio format, re-import, then finally export again, open in Poser, export, open UVMapper, then finally back to Poser. It involves putting things you want to have seperate materials or prep for rigging on different layers on AutoCad and changing their chosen colors. I found that the smooth polygons function in Poser causes mucho trial and error problems, so I always when making models in AutoCad check each object before making a whole bunch of stuff just to find out I made it wrong. I'm sure Sharen will be along shortly to help you. I have archived all her IM's so maybe I can help if she's unavailable.

Wow. Sounds like quite a process! I haven't purchased the program yet, but was seriously considering it now that I'm starting to get into more modeling. Still, the precision AutoCAD offers seems to be worth the problems.

Uhm.... I have an Autocad 2000 seat at work. There's no way I would buy it to model with Poser. Also, Autodesk is a mean, mean, mean company. They stopped supporting 2000 just a few months ago, and 2000 didn't even have full 3d functionality. Mechanical desktop had to be bought for that. So, you'd be buying 2004 version? I think there are alternatives. Plus, no organic modeling. I mean sure, you can go to .0000 decimal places in accuracy, but in Poser, I don't think you need that. I'd think about something else. Maybe Z-Brush for organics, and Carrera or Cinema4d for hard modeling. (All for less then AutoCad, I'm fairly sure, if not way less) Plus, you should get something that would talk to Poser a lot better than Autocad. I use AutoCad to make tables, stairs, windows, etc. But nobody cares that my stuff is exactly to .0000 places what it would be in real life. Why so much precision?

The exact decimal place precision isn't really what I was going after... what I really want is the ability to create meshes by entering decimal numbers. Does that make sense? I like the ability to make my meshes exactly symetrical. Are there other programs out there that offer both decimal editing as well as drag & drop verticies?

Oh.... yeah AutoCad is darn great for that. And that makes lots of sense, now that you say it. I use it that way more hours a week than I care to think about. I wonder why others haven't figured this out. I'm not sure but I think Carrara (At least from my old Raydream experience, which was the program before it was Carrara.) can do this. I think maybe you might want to post a new thread asking what cheaper modeler would let you enter sizes numerically. I don't really know much about that. I'll break out my copy of Carrara I got from a magazine and let you know. I wasn't lucky enough to find one of the euro mags with Cinema4D on it, so I don't know about that one. Shoot, InfniD used to let you do that, and that was ten years ago.

Well, good news, I hope. I went to www.eovia.com and downloaded the 30 day demo for Carrara 3.0. I launched it and it allows for decimal input. You can go to the website and download the demo to see if it's what you want. Plus, it's easier to get stuff into Poser from that program. Just a thought. There's tons of stuff out there.

TygerCub, I second what caravaggio said. I've used AutoCAD for twenty years. It really isn't that good for modeling, I'd go with something else. You might look at Wings3d, the price is right it's free. Autodesk is not a company you'd want deal with; they make Microsoft look user friendly.

Thanks for the info folks! I'll check out Carrara and Wings3d and see if I can use them. :)

Carrara appears impressive! Especially with the Gemini Project plugin, which automatically mirrors and welds a mesh. Interesting... Now to work, and I'll check out wings3d when I get home.

Grey cat, I went to test drive wings and couldn't even get started, the interface is alien to me. It came off a mag disc. Is there any docs for it somewhere I could download?

Attached Link: http://www.wings3d.com/

There also is a Wings3d forum here at renderosity.

Duh..... Thanks!