Hi ... I am hoping someone can answer something for me:

Sometimes, when I load a prop based on an .obj file wire model I created myself, it won't render properly if the prop is loaded as the only object in the scene. It looks okay in preview but on render all I get is black silhouette of the prop. The funny thing is, if I then load something else into the scene the prop (and whatever else I loaded) renders just fine.

This doesn't happen with all props and I have tried comparing .pp2 files to see what is different but I can't see anything.

I don't know if it is relevant, but this only seems to happen with props that have only a single material grouping.

Thanx in advance

I ususally save the imported object to the props library , then delete it and reload from the props library. That seems to get Poser to handle it properly.

Usually the 'black silhouette' means the facets of the mesh are

facing the wrong way, or Poser (esp. P6) has trouble figuring

out which way they're facing.  The simplest cure in P6 is to check

the "Normals Forward" box on the material. 

Another solution is to open the grouping tool, hit 'Reverse Group Normals'

and then resave the prop.  (This may only invert the problem, though;

if some of the facets were forward to begin with, they will be reversed now!)

Thanx for the replies so far guys but I still have the problem...

First ... I have saved the .obj model as a prop and loaded it (and tried many other permutations) but the problem persistes.

Second... I was already pretty confident that the problem had nothing to do with group normals. As noted above, the problem only occurs when the prop in question is the only object loaded into the scene. If I add another prop or a figure to the scene then the problem goes away.

Very curious to say the least :)

Does the same 'blackness' happen in P4/PPP and P6..?

I had the same problem with lots of my props... they would render fine in P4/PPP but go black in P6 (fine in preview but black when rendered).

It was because some areas were single sided polys.. I had to remodel them to add a little thickness and then they all worked fine.