Ok, it's a very simple thing, and I am doing it wrong, no clues why... I hate being a newbie.

Until now I have added the background image to my renders with Paint Shop Pro , but now I am experimenting with transparencies and reflections, so I need to import it in Poser (I am using P6).

The sequence of actions I do is the following:

1. I choose my background... let's assume it is 1280x1024.
2. I import it inside Poser
3. I go to "Render Dimensions" and I set 1280x1024
4. I go to "Document Window Size" and I tell the program to match the window size to have the same aspect ratio.

Now the preview window is perfect: my background image is displayed correctly resized inside the document window and there are no darkened areas.

BUT when I render it, something strange happens: the size of the render is 1280x1024 as I had set it, but the background image is "squeezed" horizontally and does not cover the whole surface: there are two vertical empty bands to the left and to the right!

I am SURE I am missing a stupid thing... what?

Thanks in advance,
Giorgio

You need to set your 'max texture size' setting (in the render settings) to a size equal to or bigger than your background's biggest dimension.

jonthecelt

So the background picture is managed like a texture???

Well... thinking of it... it makes sense... Just one of those things that are perfectly clear, only AFTER that  someone has explained them to you!  ^_^

Thanks!

Giorgio

Have you tried putting your background on the single side flat square found  in the Poser 5/6 props folder? If not you might want to consider doing that because then you can move the background around like a prop and resize it as you like. Plus your lights will affect the background image too.  It isn't the same as using a Cyclorama background that has a floor to it that allows perspective shadows, but you get a much more real look to the image if your lights on the figures also play onto the background.

Once you have the square prop in the preview window, go to the material room.  Right click in a blank space in the material room window, pick "New Node" and "2D Image" and "Image Map"

Using the image map, browse to where you have your background that you want to use.

Once you have the background, connect that node using the plug in the upper left to connect it to the 1st and 3rd plugs of the surface window.

Then go to the Pose room again, and using your X and Y scale, resize the image to the dimensions of the background you used IE: X = 1024, Y = 768.  Then you can use the Z Trans dial to move the background back, and then scale up the background to fit.

I usually add my perspective shadows inside my graphic program, but you could also render the background first, then hide it, then render the figure with cast floor shadows, then put them together in a graphic program.

Thanks for the suggestions, Acadia. This particular background is a sky with clouds (it's an aerial image) so I think that lights should NOT have effects on it.

Actually I am thinking of the opposite... Learning how to use IBL so the sky could bring its light on the 3D elements.

Giorgio

As well as making sure that the maximum texture size is set appropriately, you need to tick the "Auto_Fit" box on the "Background_Image" node for the Background in the material room.

Thanks to all! I have discovered just this night that a background too big can crash Poser "silently"... having it locked on "Rendering image" window indefinitely without any movements for hours.

Oh, well, anyway I didn't like that image.  :)

Giorgio