Ok, I am one who doesn't post to forums, and very rarely do I comment on any image. I just kind of cruise around the different galleries looking at all the wonderful art this site has to offer. Now comes the gripe. The Poser Hot 20. Would someone PLEASE explain THAT to me???? I see images in there from the same artists over and over again. Doesn't matter if they are worthy, it just seems if the right name is on the image, POOF, it's Hot 20. I saw an image in there tonight with a mere 11 comments, and yet it had 21 votes. Sorry folks, but that simply does NOT add up. Some examples: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=946948&Start=1&Artist=divishow&ByArtist=Yes This image did NOT make the Hot 20. Ok, so you purists will say it's because it was a base Poser image that had been painted over with a paint program. Ok, now I ask you to explain this: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=945811&Hot=Y&Sectionid=1 Excellent image, but rendered in Bryce. Then we have this: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=945772&Hot=Y&Sectionid=1 Exceptional and creative work. Made the Hot 20 at literally last place. It is Number 20. Now we have this: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=943080&Hot=Y&Sectionid=1 That one is listed at Number 7. Sorry folks, but I just don't get it. And I am not trying to offend any of the linked artists here. I just want someone to explain to me why great art doesn't make it into the Poser Hot 20 and at best, mediocre art does?? I think I have one idea. I think Hot 20 ANYTHING is nothing more than a popularity contest. How many friends do you have who will vote. Doesn't matter if you are worthy or not, just as long as you are either popular enough or have enough friends. My humble opinion? GET RID OF HOT 20's!!!! Come on people, they have become nothing more than a sick joke!! Doesn't take any talent to get in there....just takes knowing or kissing up to enough people!!! Ok, I will climb down off my soap box now. I just felt the need to vent tonight and this whole Hot 20 thing has me frothing at the mouth. If you agree, fine, if you don't, also fine. But lets get some input here on how to fix this problem!!

honestly look at the votes and that'll explain why the images are in the hot 20 and what place they are in

This question has come up many times in the forums. The only part I will venture into explaining is that not everyone who comments votes, and not everyone who votes comments. The placements shift every time someone votes for an image.

I think xzanudulady's point, mariana, is that people are getting in there based on how many friends they have rather than the quality of the work they are producing, which at times I have to agree with. I've seen many talented artists' works on this site that have few comments but are much better than anything in the Hot 20 and imho, I think it's because they're not well known or as well known as some of the others on here.

There has been some outstanding Poser work done by little known artists that should be recognized and in the Hot 20 but doesn't make it as there's so many images posted on a daily basis on the site that it's hard to wade thru it all to find the gems. Good or bad, unfortunately, until someone decides otherwise, I think we're stuck with the Hot 20 although I'd like to see Poser have subcategories for it which I think would be a little fairer to those who don't do tons of postwork and use Poser purely for rendering and creating images. Might be an idea?

Anyway, that's just my two cents and since I don't post on here, just enjoy the art and occasionally pop into the forums to see what news is going on it's probably not worth much.

aye work i agree 100% its about who has friends and whose friends vote more than others, personally i dont care one way or the other who's on hot 20 or who isnt, im here to learn ,look and enjoy art :)

Hmm.. what about just picking 20 random poser artists each week and making that something instead of the Hot 20? That way it wouldn't always be the same people and others could get a little recognition? Just an idea cause I know this conversation has come up before and I should probably just not say anything since I've actually had images in the Hot 20 which I was thrilled about but I do agree... there's artists on here that get little to no recognition and do beautiful work and I think it would be nice to have it where everyone could see it. runs and hides before the angry mob gets her

I really like squeeka's idea. This would give everyone a chance for some recognition. I know that there is some amazing art in the poser gallery I will never see because of the fast pace life I live. We can have the top picks of the week or something like that. Personally I would really just like to see the hot 20 just go away :) But I guess we are stuck with it tell someone comes up with a better idea.

I can't say I have any suggestions for this. Granted, though I work in poser, i put all my images in mixed medium. I think all but one are in mixed medium, because i just use poser for a baseline, then hand paint everything else with a wacom tablet & pen. Heh, didn't want to offend any poser purists i guess :: I've been in the top twenty twice in mixed medium, and i was thrilled (shocked even). So I cant say there's bias in the top twenties of other catagories, as I am not exactly well known nor do I know a lot of peeps on renderosity myself. However, I do regularly check all the top twenties in many catagories "except" poser. This is just my own preference, many of the poser works are very good, but after the umpteenth viewing of Koz Longhair in a "new" render, its sort of tedious.. so I avoid that particular listing.

Uh... how does one look at the Poser Hot 20?

Attached Link: Poser Forum Backroom

Attached Link: Poser Hot 20

MorriganShadow loved "The Coordinator's picks for last week" really nice images. Is there any way you can link to the "coordinators picks" from the hot 20 window. I had no idea there was such a thing as "The Coordinator's picks" and I'm sure there are a lot of other people that don't know about it either. hugz Joan

Duh... bangs head against keyboard ...thanks...

Attached Link: Poser Community Page

It's weird, I usually use the links right below the banner adds and I enter the Galleries from there. It doesn't have the Poser Hot 20 link, once I'm in the galleries, however...

You would have to be looking at the Poser Gallery only. In the dropdown menus that you have in the gallery, choose "Poser", and it will show the Poser Hot 20 in the links. When you click the Gallery link above, it will take you to the whole of Renderosity gallery, so, it won't show the Poser hot 20 link. ;)

Ah... Thanks... now I get it...

Thank you, MorriganShadow. I always forget how to get to the community page. :D

Honestly, i don't often look at the gallery.

If i may suggest - i know that i would definately take a greater intrest (and i think so would others) in the gallery if the pieces were a bit more up front.
For example - DeviantArt has their "Just uploaded" things right on the front page - they are able to just grab people.
I think the site design is a little crowded to be honest, and dissuades people from exploring. If the "just uploaded" were placed on the front page it would definately grab more people's attention and hold it longer. I mean, i love this site, but does the front page have to do so much? I mean, i love the merchant and artist of the month. And every site should have news, but 2 sections on recent happenings (plus one on contests), Three sections for the marketplace (on sale, top sellers, and featured products.) Why not make the site a little less crowded. Make the top control bar a bit more substantial. Keep the news cycle as is (maybe lower it on the screen some). Above the news have a double column set of thumbnails. One that displays random artwork submitted in the last X-amount of days, and one that display random new or onsale products. Much like how Daz3d or Scifi-Meshes.com has their site. I think this will allow the artwork to become a bit more front and center - and even motivate people to add new pieces, because people will say "hey, I want my work to be seen from the front-page." -=gets off soap-box=-

Message edited on: 05/04/2005 00:00

I mean, i love this site, but does the front page have to do so much? I mean, i love the merchant and artist of the month. And every site should have news, but 2 sections on recent happenings (plus one on contests), Three sections for the marketplace (on sale, top sellers, and featured products.) Ah but this is first a store and THEN an art page, remember? ;o) And yes, I'm a merchant too, and I'm relying on my sales here to cover my Rickman-obsession on ebay and such places G

True as that may be, you can still have a larger drive for art without sacrificing the store in the least.

Oh I agree. People should IMO come here for the art and the freebies and THEN be sucked into the store - not the other way around. The problem with having the newest uploaded pics on the front page is there's such a LOT of new pics uploaded all the time, just try to look at the Poser gallery for 10 minutes... that it woulnd't really make sense anyway - at least not as a way to get your pictures broadcasted to anyone. Besides, I'm sure I'm not the only one who never goes to the front page at all? My Rosity-bookmark takes me here, to the Poser forum.

Maybe I'm in the minority of always going to the front page first to see what's happening and/or don't always go to the galleries. Even if one recent image per gallery were to be seen on the front page, that's 40some images. People on slower connections would have trouble. Also, people may not want to be forced to see certain types of images being uploaded when they do log onto the front page.

" To be fair, the Mods and Coords of the forum do pick a handful of (what we view as) exceptional images every week, and post links in the Poser Backroom (click Top Imgs). We do this pretty much weekly. " That's a great thing, BUT why the heck is it linked from the back room and not from here? I mean the goal of the program, and thereby this forum is to end up making images and animations, I figure that should really be the first order of discussion here in the Poser forum - look what so and so did with Poser, how'd you do it, etc. etc.... I'm sure you all have a good reason, it just isn't readily apparent to me right now. Unzipped

We link it in the forum, every week when we put it up. We do it, honestly, because we felt there were images that needed some attention. We see great artwork daily that goes by without any mention or any comments, and hardly any views. As for Linking from the header (possibly) we'd more than likely still link to the back room rather than directly to the images. It's more streamlined than having oodles and oodles of links everywhere. The Admin have put some really great tools at your hands, and there are awesome things all over the site. A lot of people say they don't visit the front page. IMHO, you should. Not to view sale items, but to see what your fellow Renderosity members are doing! Right now, there's a great tutorial up there for painting waves, The comics are actually pretty good, there are acolades for members that have been recognized elsewhere, and lots of other things besides just Member/Merchant of the Month, and sales stuff. Then again, I understand that you may not have time to just sit here at your leisure, which is completely understandable. The admin has tried as best they can to make the site easily navigable, as well as not too exceedingly clunky-looking. MS Poser Mod.

"As for Linking from the header (possibly) we'd more than likely still link to the back room rather than directly to the images. It's more streamlined than having oodles and oodles of links everywhere." All I'm saying is that the link you have in the back room to your page with the list of images should be moved to this page instead - it would be more visible to more people. I know this may be shocking but many here don't even know there's a poser back room. I've always thought the policy of disguising the link to the back room in the forum header image was a bit silly - why be so convoluted? Unzipped

It all comes down to space. What's in the backroom now are, quite frankly, all the things that people didn't want here on the forum in the first place, so we moved it back there. To my knowledge, unfortunately, Unzipped, you're the only person I've heard suggest moving the link back here. We need to have the challenge, featured article, and latest program patches up where people need them. And, people need to know where they should be posting Product Preview and Copyright Complaints. Here, in the forum, we do our best to start threads, linking you to where we think someone might be interested, getting people interested in different areas of the site. There's only so much we can put in the header until it's just too much. Like I said, no matter what happens, no one will ever be 100% satisfied. That's human nature, and I completely respect that. However, I will bring it up with the staff, see what they think. MorriganShadow Poser Mod.

Perhaps no one mentioned it because not too many people know it exists (I know I didn't). But I'm good with your reasoning. It still doesn't answer my questioning the obfuscation of the poser back room link, but it's really not that important. Unzipped

Unzipped, I have now put text links to the Backroom and the Community in the header. Hope that helps. Karen :-)

Right on!