Hello guys and gals, I was wondering how I could construct new Poser models. Such as props, figures, etc. I am relatively new to the Poser interface. I am currently using Maya 7.0. Any help would be appreciated thanks.

Poser is not a modelling program. However, if you are a Maya guru, you are in great shape. Create your mesh in Maya, import into Poser via .obj or some other format that Maya can export. You have to create the rig/bones in Poser's setup That's a start. Others will comment about Maya-->Poser texture transfer, etc.

I don't know much about Maya, but I do know that you can use it to make models which you should be able to export in obj format to be imported into Poser. When you import them, then you can scale them to fit the Poser characters and save them as props, or position, scale and parent them and save them as smart-props. Posable items are a bit more difficult. There are tutorials available on how to make items posable. As to building the models themselves, you will have to ask in the Maya forum, or look for saome Maya tutorials for that.

Attached Link: http://www.wings3d.com

there's my cue..;) try this, it's free and somewhat easy. Check for Dr. Geeps' tutorials on boning, morphs, etc, for more details..props are a 5, characters are a 23..;)

Attached Link: http://blender.org/cms/Home.2.0.html

Blender is also free and has a decent community behind it.

Also, if you are planning on making clothing for your figures, try Clothing Creator and Wardrobe Wizard at

www.philc.net

And if you have the bucks, a very good program for creating organic shapes and bodies is

ZBrush

http://pixologic.com/home/home.shtml

But there are many alternatives including:

3D Studio Max

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?id=5659302&siteID=123112

Lightwave (Used to make Serenity, the movie)

http://www.newtek.com/lightwave/

Cararra 5

http://www.eovia.com/products/carrara5/carrara.asp
Hope this helps!

Message edited on: 01/22/2006 12:35

Which program is easier to learn for modelling ... Wings or Blender?

Message edited on: 01/22/2006 16:39

Which program is easier to learn for modelling ... Wings or Blender? Its all a personal syle thing. All modeling programs can do just about the same thing. You will have to find the interface and workflow that works best for you. I use shade. I have no problems figuring it out, however, some people cant make heads or tails out of it.

I would say Blender as it has a LOT of community support and seems like an easier interface BUT an avid Wings3D user may disagree. To be honest, I have only used both VERY briefly and found Blender a bit more intuitive, I also saw a book in Border's books recently for Blender which might be helpful for you. I have a friend that uses Blender and swears by it.

Attached Link: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D

before you buy any books on blender, check out these free wiki books. i've done some playing with "Blender 3d: noob to pro", and i found it a good start. i haven't found equivalently easy or intuitive starts to wings3d, but then i also hate how wings3d hides it's primary functions under the left mouse button when a menu item would acheive the same function without hiding affordances or changing the standard workflow of most computer apps.

And also have a look at anim8or.com, also free and after one or two hours easy to use.

Attached Link: Cinema 4D R9.5x

And don't forget Cinema4D v9.5x A professional and awesome program for creating mesh as well. And many Poser vendors use Cinema4D to create clothing and other items for sale here at Renderosity and elsewhere. http://www.maxon.net/ Definately worth the time, and learning curve. Greetings, Antonio

I suggest you try importing a few poser items into Maya first before you get all exited. That should clue you up.

Being as you already have Maya, I would suggest just learnintg to use that (if for no other reason than to justify the expense of buying it in the first place).

Yes, it's a good start to stay with the program you know. There might be things which other programs can do better, and something small and simple might be useful for making small changes. UVmapper, for instance. Once you have the mesh you can do a surprising amount to sort out groups and materials with that, and in some ways it can be better than the in-Poser grouping tool. It can also sort out some problems with the .obj file; the version it saves seems to be more compatible with Poser.

Well, if you have Maya..no sense downloading a unicycle when you already own a Ferrari..;) (though a pretty handy unicycle at that..it can do it's own UVMapping..;)