I would like to propose a rendering challenge. It may have already been done, and may not be possible to do, I dont know. I would love to have a dozen or more skilled Poser artists download the same Poser 4 or Poser 5 file and render it to the best of their abilities without changing the file other than perhaps lighting or just even render engine settings. Then they would all post their results in a standard format for everyone to compare. Perhaps we could use a V3 with a high quality free texture in an interesting but simple pose with Kozaburo hair. Sort of a universal file, or perhaps created will all free materials or maybe one of the merchants here could sponsor it by providing the textures etc. It would have to be supported by Renderosity or linked to somewhere that could host the huge file size. Just an idea but I wonder with so many folks on high speed especially in this kind of community if it could be done. Let me know if you have any ideas or if you think this is something that could be accomplished. I think it would be very instructive especially if each image were accompanied by a screen shot of the render settings that were used, or the lighting set up if lighting was included in the process. I dont know how the skin shader scripts would come into play but it might be useful just for the render settings alone. Thanks for reading and have a great day.

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?ForumID=12356&Form.ShowMessage=2130434

This has already been done. Please visit attached link for a current thread already in process. There are links in that thread back to others. The standard test file was created by Jim Burton and in the interest of universality it uses only resources found in the default package, and therefore no DAZ or other add-on products. You can find a P5 and P4 test pz3 in Jim Burton's free stuff. You are welcome to come on over. ::::: Opera :::::

The skin shaders do not increase render time in any significant way, so if the purpose of the test is to explore strategy to decrease render time, they are off the table. ::::: Opera :::::

I thought the purpose of the test might be to compare quality of render with different artistic style and innovation. If so... then I think it's a great idea. I still firmly believe that many of the real secrets of Poser (5 especially) lie dormant to be discovered.

I agree with caulbox. It would be very interesting to see what everyone could do with light sets and the materials room to enhance a relatively basic scene made from various freebies. I'd like to see more than a Vicky or a Judy in the scene. Some carefully selected props with good textures and bump maps would be nice to see what shader tree magic folks could come up with.

Cool glad it is already in process. Thanks everyone.

Render QUALITY, oh, that's different. The Burton test is strictly for speed.

Oh no I am thinking about a render QUALITY festival. As in rendering settings and some shaders and things like that. Even lighting set ups other than straight comercial ones - got plenty of those.

Count me in for a quality festival. You are going to have to decided about that V3/M3 thing... Many people are DAZ, DAZ and more DAZ all day long, and some people will not touch V3/M3. It's a line in the sand. For most universality, it would be a P4 character setup with texture, clothes and hair from the generic Poser library. This does NOT have to be boring! It occurs to me this would be a good beginners scene in the future. Okay, whose going to make the setup? :::: Opera :::::

I can do that....lemme know when ya come up w/ the criteria

I do see a danger of a challenge becoming reflexive. If I was a skilled artist (which I'm not), I'd be reluctant to participate. Rather than imposing "challenges" on artists, a more open invitation to explore possibilities might reap better results?

Actually I'd suggest using basic P4 characters and props (for universality). I'd create a baseline scene with them posed. Once that's created use it as a basis to challenge people's lighting and compsition skills. Part of the reason I suggest this is that lighting is such an integral part of getting a good render that to have everyone use the same lighting would seriously diminsh the test. You could even set up the scene and challenge people to use lighting and camera angle (only) to evoke a sense of anger, or danger, or mystery, or fear, or some other emotion. Without the use of any props other than those provided and perhaps the default ground as a reference. Just an idea...

echoing Bobasaur re including a tier for us P4 laggards. oh, and when the scene is designed, how about including a window, a potential flame light source, as well as something that could be an artificial light source and let the participant select day/night and which of the sources he wishes to employ.

Be interesting to see what people could do using Poser or any free rendering program.

Poser only. Otherwise someone might decide to use the student/free version of Maya! I'd suggest having a scene with 1 person (or animal), an obvious lightsource (window, moon or lamp), and a few props... all set up and posed. Leave the camera, pov, lighting to the artist. Materials to the artist also? No postwork, not even to crop. Example: a dog sleeping on the bed. You'd need the Poser dog, a free bed, a wall with window, a 1-sided square (for view outside window). Example: adventurer holding a torch in a corridor leaning over a skeleton. You'd need a person in the right clothes, a torch prop, a hallway, and the P4 skeleton. Maybe the skeleton has a weapon or gold crown? That would give a lot of room for playing with various sorts of materials as well as dramatic lighting. Example: spaceport scene with 2 suns(!), human and alien standing at a dock in front of a ship negotiating (berth fees or a fill-up of fuel, doesn't matter, but there should be some body language). You'd need more stuff than the others... backdrop, a sprinkling of ships, the 2 figures. For anything like this, if you are including a downloadable pz3 with something not in the program, you'd want to contact the makers of the various freebies to secure permission. Carolly

"...someone might decide to use the student/free version of Maya!" Seems fair as long as it's an exercise in seeing what people can come up with and not a "competition." Most of those apps plaster a watermark on the image or limit you to a small image size which would probably discourage their use. You already have drastically different capabilities between P4 and P5.

yeah, more an exhibition than a competition. I'd like to do one then see the options I didn't use, or even think of, for the same scene. And I WOULD like to see the same geometry rendered with different apps. Sounds like part of the fun here. Almost an exercise in Directing or Cinematography. You're Alfred Hitchcock's Director of Photography on Psycho and you get to the shower stall sequece and he says "I'm going to lunch, have the guy stab the girl, shoot it any way you want".

"I'm going to lunch, have the guy stab the girl, shoot it any way you want". And now that Janet Leigh is gone, the secret comes out.