Attached Link: Project Messiah Site

Poser Users Rejoice! Poser has real competition now!! Messiah: Studio Workstation, which doesn't function as a plugin and only has one render node (like that's going to kill anyone) was just released for $299. Reputedly, the render engine is FASTER than Cinema4D's!!!!! Could this become a good companion program for Poser Users??? I mean, we're used to paying $500-$1500 to get a halfway decent render engine with no Character Animation Toolset other than Poser!!!! Anyway... this looks good. Probably my next 3D Purchase!

I doubt this is any competition to Poser at all. It has one huge disadvantage when compared to Poser, that is content. For me that's Poser strongest selling points, it comes with lots of characters, clothes and hair, things I'm not good at designing at all. Besides that there's tons of ready to be used stuff free and for sale for Poser. Project Messiah is missing that big time. I rather spent the $299 on a lot of Poser content and add ons. Unfortunally I don't have $299 laying around somewhere.

I was actually thinking of it more allong the lines of a render solution. Poser is still limited to 4096 pixel height and width, which is unacceptable for posters if you want a minimum of 150dpi. That, and it's slow as molasses... :( Messiah would offer Poser users a whole lot, including the ability to easily fix mesh deformation issues on these extremely high rez figures with a lot of ease using Spline IK (the flex tool). Anyway... pretty cool stuff.

Can it import Poser files, so they can be rendered in Messiah? Couldn't find that at all. As far as rendering goes, how about shade wouldn't that be a more logic solution for the render limits?

Shade Pro is 700.00 in which you can render up to 22258x22258...the Standard version is limited to 4096x4096.

Message edited on: 06/19/2005 12:52

Shade's render engine isn't reputed to be anything but slow. and you don't have neat things like Spline IK settup or how about being able to have Posette sit in a chair, and her rear end and thighs deform naturally? Check these out: http://www.projectmessiah.com/x2/vids/messiah_flex.rm http://www.projectmessiah.com/x2/vids/messiah_melt.rm From their site: # Loads object types : OBJ, LWO,3DS4,DXF and MPJ scene format # Directly loads BVH and HTR motion capture formats, and even automatically creates the bones rig for you. Setup mode and Compose, allow you to easily adjust the mocap rig to the size of your character, and even blend in hand animated sections to the mocap.

If the "Arnold" renderer they bought is all it's cracked up to be then the investment might be worthwhile. I'ts supposed to be a whole ney kind of technology. Unless they've developed a whole new level of ease of use though, I imagine it's going to appeal more to the render in Max/Maya type of Poser user.

Max and Maya are like 10x what Messiah is... (last I checked...) pricewise... And, interestingly enough, Max's render engine is the most bypassed part of it. I think Brazil is the in vogue render engine for Max at the moment...

True, potentially a great bargain pricewise. I'm thinking in terms of the skill/motivation level required. Brazil, VRay, VLight... Ithink there may even be a version of MentalRay bundled with or available for the latest version of Max. If you have the skill/patience to master Firefly, I'm sure you can put any of them to good use.

Mentalray... oh god I cannot afford :( :( :( My pocketbook hurts just thinking about it... Anyway, the cool thing about Messiah is that I can draw on spline IK and instantly morph out Poser deformities without jumping through all kinds of ridiculous hoops...

Actually, you can afford Mental Ray probably, and a great system to use it with.

XSI|Softimage "foundation" is only $495 and comes with Mental Ray, a 2 CPU license and all the animation tools you need to build and rig characters, including a cloth simulator.  And you can use the pChar plug-in to import fully rigged poser characters.

Granted for more professional use you want "Essentials", but even that's only $1,995 and a great deal at that price.

Does it have Spline IK? Because if it doesn't, that's a feature I won't live without. Message edited on: 06/22/2005 04:35