After much trial and error in making different things for poser I decided I was in over my head and had an idea.

So I went through my runtime folders and found some of the clothing models I was most impressed with then exported them into maya to take a look at how they were put together. One of the items I spent the most time on was the SWAT outfit by Billy-T. While I have no idea how long it took him to make the thing, I imagine it was a long time. The vest alone must have 50 buttons on it which look like at least a 3 step process to make, all evenly spaced, makes me tired just thinking about it.

So that brings me to my question. When modeling clothing with pockets, flaps, etc. do you try to keep it all one model, or do you make the main part then build pockets and such to wrap around the main mesh. I noticed on billy's BDU pants the pockets are not actually part of the pants but rather situated very very closely. (Yes I just spent the last hour zoomed in looking at the things)

I had some real problems when building a vest for the free stuff area in getting the pockets to not tear the base mesh all to hell. I never thought to look at the models in my collection to see what others had done. I also would like to hear some techniques for adding detail to the clothing. I sent an IM to Baron_Vlad_Harkonnen the other night asking him and he shared some tips with me. Just mainly wondering how everyone else does it.

It all depends on what type of clothing that I want to create. Personally, I like to make my dynamic clothing out of just one mesh for the fact that it seems to be quicker when calculating. If the clothing is going to be conforming, then I find it easier to work with multiple meshes and and just bridge the gaps. Doing it that way, then if I have a problem, I just have to edit one part at a time.

I know how you feel, SoonerTW. I'm building a bikini for Furrette, and the straps are absolutely maddening.

The first clothing I made was by modifying existing items - I can recommend it for the reasons you give. You can see how the experts did it. I've seen pockets done both ways, both extruded and "patched on". The patch method seems to give better definition at the seams, but an extruded detail can work well if you run a very small bevel down the joint. To some extent, what you do will depend on the modeller you're using, and what its capabilities are.

My modeler of choice is Maya 4.5. I don't currently see a need to make the jump to 5.0 since 4.5 does all I need it to now. Not to mention the price tag...

I probably would add them on, since you could control the mesh on the 'visible' side. As for 50 buttons, the 'guppy' method often works..copy, paste, select 2, copy, paste, select 4..and so on..works for me..;) The more of an item, the simpler the mesh is the way to go..well, personal preference, but I've brought Wings to a sobbing halt with too many complicated objects..maybe Maya does better at this..
btw, you might drop by the Modeling Forum to ask them about this..

Well I asked in here due to the fact that Poser likes things to be a certain way. Making a poly model with 3 sided faces doesn't turn out the same results that 4 sided faces does usually. I had to assume he made one then copied but jesus just placing the things must have been horrific. Thanks for the comments guys!

Have a look at the Dr. Geep tutoral referenced on the main page. The "seperate pockets" you saw don't blend in, or "round", the join with the rest of the item. There's also a lot which can be done with materials settings, which can be a bit easier with some of these tricks. Let me think of an example... Have you seen "The Prisoner"? Number Six's blazer has white piping down the edges. It's possible to do that in the texturemap, or you can do it by making that edge a different material, and then the colour doesn't even need a texturemap. And those umbrellas, with the different coloured panels -- do each panel as a distinct material. But if you follow the materials route, be careful what you name them as. And, when you test, try some contrasting colours. I've been fiddling with an all-black uniform, and the colouring hides several little flaws because two distinct parts are the same colour. And a bump-map can be useful too. Like patterned textures, it can be tricky, but it can be a way of getting a seam-line without messing with the mesh. And that can make an item work better with transparency maps. Little_Dragon, doing seams and hem-stitching with a bumpmap opens things up for using transparency maps to modify an item. There's a halter-neck dress (Poser 4, I think) with the hems in the 3D-mesh, which spoils it for transmapping. A plainer mesh speeds that side up, but the texture/bump mapping needs more work. But the same mesh could be turned into lace or lycra. There are trade-offs in all this. I think I might do something for my own use in some quick and dirty way -- anything that works. After all, fashion photography doesn't show the duct-tape holding the dress at the back.

A lot has to do with the intended use of a garment, making pockets separate is good if you intend to give the user the option of making them transparent. Modelled details always look better than just painted textures, however there comes a point where you have to consider the polygon count of the model, you have to decide which details are important, I personally usually model the side seams of my garments because they look more realistic like that. As far as positionning buttons, if you have a good modeling programs it's not that hard. What takes the longest IMHO is the uv mapping, that is really tedious if you want to control your textures well.