just like anyone else I had learn how to importing poser model to 3dsmax, and now that ? I can't change figure pose in 3dsmax, can't do animation ,can't adjust body morph,.. after importing, the figure just like a stature .can anyone tell me why importing to 3dsmax, is there any advantage I haven't discover?

Rendering.

Rigging is more detailed but you would really have to know 3DS very well.

When users import Poser figures into 3dsmax (or any other higher end CG application for that matter), it's usually to take advantage of that application's more extensive, more developed rendering, lighting, modeling and animation features and third-party supplementary application support. Simply put, 3dsmax can do more because it's a professional-level application while Poser is entry-level. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't achieve professional results with Poser. Some users have more demanding needs that Poser isn't currently equipped to satisfy.

Well, I have to assume you're new to 3dsMax in order to ask that question in the first place. ;-) So, if you're importing an OBJ for use in a still, then the only real advantage is the faster (much faster) rendering you'll get in Max. Complex scenes are really no problem for the hybrid scanline (default) render engine, and if you have Max r6 or higher, you'll have MentalRay to play with... one of the best production-proven renderers around. Atmospherics like fog and smoke render MUCH faster than they do in Firefly, shadowmaps calculate faster, and raytracing reflections/refractions is much faster. You won't be able to do micro-poly displacement in Max, however, unless you use the MentalRay engine for rendering. The advantages of rendering ANIMATIONS (via the BodyStudio plugin) is really vast. Not only faster rendering, but you can also take advantage of Max's powerful particle system (ParticlFlow) and spray emitters, Reactor dynamics system for cloth, hard/softbody collisions, and rope simulations. Calculations are much faster and more stable than the Poser 5 dynamic technology is currently. You can also simulate water/fluid dynamics. You also have the advantage of using Max's standard or Photometric lighting system with point lights, area lights, spot lights, sunlight system, skylight, GI, radiosity, etc. 3dsMax excells at interior lighting thanks to MentalRay and photometric lighting, so this could be a major asset in building scenes. You also have the option to use the VAST plugins available for Max to do just about anything your imagination can think of. From ultra-realistic hair/fur simulations, to Bryce-like environment creation. And that's just scraping the surface. If you rig the figure in Max natively via Bones or Biped, then the possibilities are literally endless.

Ooops... almost forgot to mention... The lighting controls themselves are MUCH deeper than the ones in Poser. You'll have the ability to include/exclude any object(s) in your scene with any light source, set the lights to affect JUST ambience, specular, or diffuse channels (BIG help when you want to fake GI or do an ambient occlusion pass for post-compositing). Which reminds me, If you're a "post-work" person, then the renderer is much more flexible... you'll be able to render out your scene in passes, seperating elements like shadows, highlights, reflections, alpha, etc. into their own render channel, so that you can import them into Photoshop or a video editor as layers, and have much greater control over them in post. ;-)

LOL At the tune of over 3 grand I would hope it does more than render. ;-)

" LOL At the tune of over 3 grand I would hope it does more than render. ;-)" LOL. I could go on about the modeling tools, modifiers, etc.. The problem is, most people using Poser have little interest in anything beyond the renderer. ;-)

Yeah it's a lot of money to "spend" for a renderer.

I always found the max rendering to be quite slow. max is the most difficult to use 3d app I have seen. I wouldn`t say "most people using Poser have little interest in anything beyond the renderer" some will just want to render pictures but there are quite a few who have used and still use other 3d apps and make figures and props etc. Max has always been slow on my computer, not as slow as daz studio but slower than poser 5. ;)

"max is the most difficult to use 3d app I have seen." Seen or worked with? There's nothing really hard about the application other than the learning curve associated with having so many features (compared to Poser for instance). It's probably one of the easiest of the high end apps to learn if you just go through the tutorials and manual. There's also tons of online resources associated to learning it. How quickly you learn it depends on how you work... if you are accustomed to a particular interface of another app, then it can be tricky, but that goes for just about any program out there. "I wouldn`t say "most people using Poser have little interest in anything beyond the renderer" some will just want to render pictures but there are quite a few who have used and still use other 3d apps and make figures and props etc." Yeah, some people make stuff in other apps, but I'm willing to bet the vast majority do NOT. They simply render pretty pictures with it. Thus the reason I said "most". ;-) "Max has always been slow on my computer, not as slow as daz studio but slower than poser 5. ;)" I can't explain this. Maybe it's your graphics card, I don't know. But in just about every benchmark I've ever tried on my machine, the Max default render engine was FAR faster than P5's Firefly engine. Particularly when it came down to rendering raytraced reflections and shadowmaps from multiple light sources. P5 takes a much longer time to prepare the scene geometry and calculate shadow maps than almost any other program I've ever used. Then there's MentalRay... I really can't compare it to P5's features, because there is no comparison in either speed or quality. MentalRay is a proven production renderer that can handle just about any job you throw at it with ease. However, I give Firefly the top nod when it comes to displacement rendering... it's definitely faster and more efficient at that than any renderer used by 3dsMax.

I have tried using max a few times but apart from rendering pictures I couldn`t work out much else.

I had difficulty even adding a map to an object.

But I did almost get a character studio thing to work.

The renderer is a bit slow but it does do antialiasing as standard (that is another thing I don`t know how to switch off.)

The slowness I meant was the actual program itsself is fairly sluggish on my computer, that was why I compared it to daz studio and poser 5.

Message edited on: 10/17/2004 15:41

Max rocks. Simple as that :-) ~S

thanks, you guys .Yes, I am new in 3dsmax, the reason I try to import poser figure to max is that I can't creat a nice figure like DAZ does, hope one day I will be able to creat my own. however, the figure I import to max, seems break apart as tons of mesh, I hardly move the figure after import, not to metion edit the mesh ?

Attached Link: http://www.runtimedna.com/download.ez?download_section_id=25

Colm has a tut for importing obj. files into 3DS Max if you don't have the pro-pack plugin. (Which I incidentally know fuck-all about) RDNA asks you dont link directly to the files, so you have to locate it on page 2 of the tut-library. Exactly what are you importing ? If you want to rig, and have a new version of max, use CS - it has a biped rig, iirc. ~S

Don't forget the GestureMax plugin. I got my copy from Digimation.com It allows to import a figure to Max and easily rigg it to be animated in Max. Alberto Odor, MD

Is GestureMax working with Michael3 and other DAZ's new figures?? KaZet666