I've found it keen to be able to change my favorite V3_body texture map at it's source referance, on the fly, and then just Render > Reload textures to update my work from Photoshop!  I've done this about 1000( ;  )) times now.  I even have a series folders, that contain second skin versions of the V3-body texture, in the same directory as my origional V3_body map.  I just keep dragging and dropping over the one referance address I'm using...

But, now I've run into the problem of actually wanting to save a .PZ3 with a specific V3_Body texture...I ca'nt becasue I'm always using the same one!  So, many times I open a .PZ3 and see huge changes, because I forgot to reset the V3_Body Map at the one address.  Is see this is going to be a problem becasue I do'nt plan only only editing the Body Map; and am stuck between always updating all the map locations, going through each and every node in the Material room, and doing much of the same with a text editor.

Theres got to be an easy way?

P3DO, maybe?  Is it stable yet, can I trust it with large works?  I think I blame it for having eaten a bunch of my .PZ2 sets, one time I tried using it to rename several sets?

Any pointers would be appreciated!

do you mean you are changing the very texture that you are using?  that's pretty cool.  if you save that texture in your editor the pz3 should pull up the saved one(the pz3 always seeks textures on opening...just try not having one!...no actually, don't to that).  if you are renaming the textures, then just resave the character, or make a mat file.  i haven't done the mat file thing yet but i don't imagine it's too tough.  i just bough texture converter which is supposed to do that to today, but haven't tried it.  there are certainly things out there for that though.  i think even some freebies and possibly a python.

"do you mean you are changing the very texture that you are using?"

Yep, the one loaded into my open scene!

" if you save that texture in your editor the pz3 should pull up the saved one(the pz3 always seeks textures on opening..."

Poser will pull the texture on opening, and then again each time you make sure  Render > Keep Textures Loaded is unchecked, and Click Render > Reload Textures.  So, you can edit the texture you figure is using, from an image editor, while it is loaded in an open Poser scene!

The problem with renaming Figure's Head and Body textures is that Poser does'nt just go looking for it once.  It will go looking for it for each Material Zone that it is assigned to.  And the V3 Body textures are referanced by about 9 or 10 zones..

"there are certainly things out there for that though.  i think even some freebies and possibly a python."

Well, if anyone can put a finger on one please let me know?

=  )

ShaderSpider, if you use Poser 6.  For sale at DAZ.  Lets you change V3's textures with a click. 

Should be part of Poser, IMO. 

Hey, maybe it will be part of Poser 7...

Oh, cool, Shader Spider! 

I would'nt have guessed it, thank you randym77!

i don't seem to have that option.  must be a poser 6 thing...and me on ghetto poser 5...(just kidding i really like it)

elenorcol i- Do you have Shader Spider?  It is the Copy to Mapping.py script.**
**

no i don't...is it ocham's?  i will look it up, thanks

Hi, Angelouscuitry.

Re: "But, now I've run into the problem of actually wanting to save a .PZ3 with a specific V3_Body texture...I ca'nt becasue I'm always using the same one!  So, many times I open a .PZ3 and see huge changes, because I forgot to reset the V3_Body Map at the one address.  Is see this is going to be a problem"

Umm. IMHO, this is probably not the best way to go about things...

My way of working when playing with textures is to make a copy of the texture first, apply the copy to the figure/prop then play around with the copy. That way the original remains untouched, any older PZ3s (and/or saved figures/props) are unaffected and the new ones refer to the new copies...

And you only have to remember to do it once, just before you start playing with the textures (it seems to me to be easier to remember to do it then than aftrewards, when you;re all excited about the new texture you've created..)

I work on the philosphy of "Something will probably go wrong, so save a good re-start point first.."

As for changing references, I don't have ShaderSpider, but I do have a text editor that can change all instances of a given string to another string...(as long as I'm specific enouugh with the "from" string I don't get bits I don't want changed errmm... changed).

But if ShaderSpider does that for you, then that's probably easier.:-)

Cheers,
Diolma

(PS. Because of the way I work I have only rarely come up with this problem in the first place. "Maybe it's because I'm a Programmer, that I love Program town"...)

elenorcoli - Nope.  Daz3D sells ShaderSpider, by poseworks, for $29.95.  Besides being able to Copy Materials to different Material Groups in a handful of ways, Shader Spider offered Material Group MAT.PZ2s before it was introduced in the Poser 6 Material Room., and at the time was the esiest way to make a MAT file.

Dialma - How are you doing, it's nice to see you involved with posting again!

"My way of working when playing with textures is to make a copy of the texture first..." and ",,,you only have to remember to do it once"

If it were all only that easy...just one referance would be asy, but with a V3.PZ3 of over 250MBs, on a 700MhzPC, and goodness knows how many changes to look for from each instance a V3 Map is used a second, third, fouth, or more times; I just set off to try or fail what I was working on, and save more of the same for a time when I could  have something to ask of a fix for...like now ;  )...

MATManager from DAZ3D works well with me. It saves MATerial files, of course and allows them to be loaded(once saved) with the click of a button. Im using Poser 6; for some reason it refuses to save BUMP maps without them being in BMP format(cast-off from P4, I guess). I got it free when I joined platinum club. No clue how much it costs....