Hi, For a PhD proposal, I want to create human figures with the likeness (mainly facial) of real people. This would be used as part of a largely non-animated information film with information text and arrows pointing out things about the figure. I am thinking about purchasing Poser to help make the human characters I need. I am wanting to scan in real people's heads and faces to put on the body created in Poser. Is this possible? Can Poser have head models imported into it and used on Poser bodies? Which packages that would make such facial models can be used with Poser? Can I use Poser to fatten up or change the height of figures quite easily or is there enough of a range of pre-made figures to cover various body types and heights? Finally, if I am able to make these people (with real people's heads on) which packages can I import into? All I would want to do would be put simple 2d graphics and text over the top and around the sides of the animated person and run it package for people to watch. Could this even work in things like Powerpoint? Hope this makes sense. It's just I dont want to spend the money on Poser to find it doesnt meet my needs. Any information and advice much appreciated

A common misconception (mainly given by curious labs themselves, just look at the startup of poser) about poser is that you can model and create your own character using poser. this is not true. poser allows you to edit models created in other programs or by other people. poser should really be called "the premier character modification tool"

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

Facegen is good at making 3D likenesses of faces, albeit at a much higher price than Poser, and probably needing a degree of expertise to get a good resemblance. There's a good reason that you see very few "digital clones" around the galleries, and it isn't the threat of legal action; this stuff is hard. If you want a complete body likeness, then I don't know of an off-the-shelf solution. I assume your budget isn't unlimited.

Attached Link: http://www.e-frontier.com/go/downloads/freetrials

You can try the Poser 6 demo and see for yourself how well it fits your needs.

Attached Link: http://daz3d.com

or try DAZ Studio for Free does most of the same stuff as poser

Attached Link: http://www.reallusion.com/iclone/

Skip Poser altogether.

This is EXACTLY what you want:

I-CLONE

It does everything you're asking for just the way you describe, and it's very easy to understand right out of the box, which Poser is not.

Download the demo and try it out.

-jjsemp

P.S. There is a brand-spanking-new I-CLONE forum right here in Renderosity. Check it out. Oh, and skip Daz Studio too. Again, it's not exactly what you want, it's not that easy to grasp out of the box and both Poser and Daz Studio are geared toward people who want meticulous control over every component of the image, which is overkill for your needs. -jjsemp

Message edited on: 01/26/2006 11:37

To outline, I believe you have three possible options:

1. Poser The software includes four figures that can be modified (child and adult male and female figures). You can alter body shape, size etc. It takes some practice, but matching the basic body shape of an actual person is not very difficult. The program also includes a face room where you can theoretically import images of an actual person and then have facial features matched to one of the Poser figures. Theoretically because most Poser users deem this technique impossible. I would have to agree based on what Ive seen of the attempts. Facial features can also be adjusted through morphing and magnets. I have had success achieving good likenesses with this technique, but Ive been doing this for a while and prior to that had formal training in portraiture so I know how to get what Im looking for. You would also most likely need to separately purchase skin textures and hair props that match your subjects. Be aware that this isnt a program you will have a working knowledge of overnight or even after a week or two. The manual that comes with Poser is more confusing then helpful. I can usually pick up the gist of software very quickly, but with Poser almost all the knowledge I have of the program comes from hanging around these forums (and searching the net) month after month. You can easily export jpg images out of Poser into a presentation package like PowerPoint.

2. DAZ Studio Basically, very similar to Poser (but no face room). Free, but it doesnt come with figures. However, DAZ does offer a good selection of free basic figures. You would need to purchase morph and texture packages to make them usable for your purposes so the overall cost is probably around the same as Poser. I believe the learning curve would be the same as Poser, and again you can export images to a presentation program.

3. FaceGen - This is a very expensive program and results Ive seen are no better then what Ive seen done with Poser. Unless you want to continue doing this after this one project it really isnt a viable alternative.

So, bottom line Poser or DAZ Studio will probably work for your project. But any way you decide its going to take an investment of a considerable amount of time to learn how to do this properly for you purposes. I agree that you should probably download the Poser demo or a copy of DAZ Studio to see what these programs really are. You might also want to consider soliciting volunteers or paid workers from this community to help you put this together. Good luck.

Interesting posts. There are some easy techniques like pasting entire head photos onto these mesh maps (in poser). You sacrifice 3D mobility but you get VERY real results. All in all, it's a BIG commitment if realism is the goal. None have it down to a science in any app)...too many variables. Depending on your experience and ability, I'll roughly guess a thousand hour learning curve. If that is daunting you might consider hiring someone to do it for you as you learn 3D on the side. You'll have plenty to do in just managing the imaging. Straight photography with some Paint shop manipulation might get results quicker if time is an issue. Besides,,, this is TOTALLY addictive and you'll end up blowingoff your midterms as a result...;p Got the Tshirt

Thanks for the great posts so far. I will download some demos to have a go. As everyone has said, Im under no illusions that it would be straightforward but as its something Im interested in I figure Im going to be happy to put the effort in.