hey y'all to the group i am purchasing Poser within the months up to Xmas and was hoping to sample your view and opinions a minute what software is available for me to create my own clothing on Poser5? - would it have dynamics as in flowing silks and sturdy leather for example? is there a new release of Poser scheduled for the next few months? is Poser capable of creating lifelike results with subsurface scattering etc? would be really great to here from some longtime users! thanks for yo time lee (Ddd)

Personally, I don't expect to see a new version of Poser until at least August or September of next year (if then), so you might as well purchase P5 now and start learning the ropes. Yes, Poser 5 can do dynamic clothing. It doesn't include any tools for modeling your own, but once you have a clothing mesh within Poser itself, you can configure all the cloth's properties to make it act like anything from silk to burlap during the simulation. Poser can import a number of mesh formats, including Wavefront OBJ, 3DS, and LWO, and there's a wide range of modeling programs available should you wish to create your own custom clothing, with prices ranging from freeware to mortgage-the-house. Wings 3D, trueSpace, and 3DS Max seem to be popular choices around here. Poser's Firefly rendering engine and material room are capable of creating photorealistic results, with sufficient tinkering. In Poser, subsurface scatter is called translucence, and I believe the Skin shader has translucence built-in. You also have the option of rendering your Poser scenes in other applications, like DAZ|Studio or Vue.

1 - As LD noted, there are a ton of possible tools for creating the clothing. WIthin poser, the dynamic cloth tools can, indeed, mimic those capabilities -- although there are no presets available, and you will need to experiment hard to find the settings you desire. 2 - Poser 6 is scheduled for 2005. When is utterly unknown. It could be January 1st, it could be December 31st. 3 - A great many people don't realize what L_D noted above, but yes -- Poser 5's rendering engine can achieve advanced rendering effects. 4 - L_D is definitely a long time user :)

"In Poser, subsurface scatter is called translucence"

Hmmm. I'm not sure that's exactly correct. Translucency in P5 acts identical to translucency in any other 3D app. It assumes the substance is homogenous (ie, the same material all the way through), which means it doesn't work the same at duplicating the scattering effect of light in skin, which has many different layers. It doesn't do "back scattering", ie, light beams coming back towards the light source. In actual SSS, for example, a lot of light goes through the surface, gets scattered about, then gets sent back out again at a slightly different angle and position than it went in.

It's my understanding that P5 can essencially "fake" SSS using a combination of shaders which include translucency and defining maps, but actual scattering, like found in C4D, Max, etc. would have a subtle, more diffused, difference in visual effect.. almost volumetric, and usually works in combination with photon mapping or light mapping. Message edited on: 11/02/2004 12:20

I stand corrected. * sits back down *

"I stand corrected."

Not entirely, LD. Translucency and SSS work in tandum, so you're correct there. Translucency is the property or quality of a material that allows light to penetrate through its surface, while not being entirely transparent. Subsurface scattering describes the lighting phenomenon that occurs in translucent materials as the absorbed light is bounced around under the surface according to the material's translucent qualities. The part Poser is missing is the ability to caclulate photons from a light source, in order to create the "scatter" effect. However, that scattering phenomenon can be "faked", and faked quite well.

Like GI, true SSS is almost always faked anyway, because the real thing takes too long to calculate, and the result isn't that much different than what can be achieved without it.. Message edited on: 11/02/2004 13:27

thanks guys and gals - more info here than i was expecting - thanks and i will definitely purchase Poser5 before christmas! lee (Ddd)