I know it seems like a rather strange subject title but before you jump to the wrong conclusions please let me explain! Most people probably realize that you can use the Wardrobe Wizard to convert clothing from any of the millennium ladies (Victoria, Stephanie, Aiko, etc.) to Laura. This usually works pretty well from what I've found so far with the exception of bras, bikini tops and other such items. This seems mainly due to the fact that all of the adult poser women have a substantially bigger bust size then poor Laura! Now I know that magnets are probably the most logical answer to this dilemma but my experience with them is very limited and the few attempts I've made so far have failed miserably. I just don't seem to have the knack of it yet. Is there anyone out there who can help point me in the right direction or offer some advice ?

Thanks and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Also, please excuse the crudeness of this render. Yes, I know I could have used the Smoothing Tools in WW to make it look better but I was in a rush and just wanted to give everyone an idea of the sizing issue. Thanks!

I don't think there's a lot to be done in Poser itself except to adjust X/Y/Z scaling.  The problem you have is that the geometry of the bikini top is simply not cut for the girl wearing it.  I suppose you could do it with magnets, but like you I don't "get them" so I wouldn't really suggest that either.  If you had 3dsMax 9 (which I do not) it would be trivial to fix the fit of that item and make a new .OBJ of it:
http://download.autodesk.com/global/3dsmax/featureVideos/max9_cloth_large.wmv

Not trying to sell you 3dsMax, the thing is 2500 bucks, but I have a similar problem and that's really a mouth-watering solution.  Alternatives would be manipulating the geometry of the OBJ in a modeling application e.g. Shade or Blender, but be warned that as you change the shape of the clothing model, you can cause yourself a lot of trouble, because you can't remove any polys or vertices, and also your textures may not look right after you change the shape of the model.

^^ well, a small qualifier - you can certainly remove polys if you aren't using textures at all, like if you're applying a shader to get a cloth-like effect.

One trick is to load the cloth but don't conform. If the cloth has morphs, use them and scale as close as possable. Use magnets to for poke through and other fixes.

Now export the cloth as wavefront object, single frame. In the Hierarchy Selection, un check Universe and then check the cloth groups. Save with new name to what ever geometry folder so you know what it's for. On the last popup window uncheck everything and check the very top box. Now open your L3 Cr2 and replace the .L3 .obj with the new one. There will be 2 lines so just use the replace all to save time and scrolling. Saveas the Cr2 with a new name so you don't over write the original. You can even use one of L3 shirt/tops Cr2 instead of Laura's.

That should give you conforming clothes that look better in that area.

i think you should give magnets a second chance. look, there's absolutely nothing complicated about mags. all it takes is a bit of patience until you get the knack of how they work. after that you'll ask yourself how you could have made it without;) in the end mags are the only tool in poser for direct manipulation of a mesh. for a top like that...a dozen mags and one hour of work and the obj fits perfectly. let's add ten minutes for the new cr2 and that's all! my advice is: do not try to make too much with a single magnet. little by little... in this case three small steps are better than one big;) A.

Is there any written tutorial or guide that makes the use of magnets a little easier to understand than the manual is?  I couldn't get past the huge yellow guide bar that the magnet puts over your model, I realize what they are and what they do but I've just had a lot of trouble with getting any USE out of them.

Take a look at Dr Geep. http://www.drgeep.com/

Like a lot of people I can't seem to get my head round them but his tutorials do make it simpler.

http://www.morphworld30.com/tutor.html

 Some good tutorials here.

Magnets are really worth learning, they are really powerful once you understand them.

If you are converting clothing you can also take small steps, like amacord said, do a little at a time and it will go much easier. Don't forget you can change the look of the Mag zone under element display to a 3d circle to see exactly what the zone is affecting. The zone center is powerful then it falls off as it gets farther.

Try this, select the chest, and create magnet, then scale the mag base up a little bit. Move the Mag zone and base over to one side of the cloth and z scale the Mag to flatten it.

You also need add the extra groups to deform. If you add a magnet to the chest group it will deform only that group and look very bad. You will need to add r/l collars and maybe abbs or neck. depending on the amount of morphing you do. Magnet properties tab.

There is also the "edit falloff graph" in the magzone properties tab. This controls the magzone influence. If you want a nice smooth round influence ot a square /cut off type of influence.

Well that's something I never knew you could do with the magnets......

Thanks very much for the links, I really appreciate that.

Thought you might like to see what can be done in under a minute with the Hi-rez Flat square and 1 magnet using the Magzone Falloff Edit. you would be surprised at all the things that you can do once you learn them.

Good info above. Yes magnets are well worth getting to grips with. They are very powerful but often ignored.

When I'm using magnets I try and get the majority of the manipulation done with just one magnet. I'll only add another if there is an area that requires fine tuning. With several magnets it is very easy to loose which magnet does what.

Here is an image of how I would set up a magnet to adjust the converted bikini. (I have used the Wardrobe Wizard smoothing tools.)

Starting with the magnet base. Position the base central to one cup of the bikini. Because the bikini does not face exactly forward I have rotated the base to align with the cup. Next position and scale the magnet zone so as to encompass the cup. I can now scale the magnet and hence scale the cup. Scaling follows the orientation and position of the base. This Is why I positioned and aligned the base as I did.

Magnet tutorial:-
http://www.philc.net/PTB_tutorial4.htm

On Screen video:-
http://www.philc.net/PTB_tutorial4.htm

Attached Link: http://www.netherworks-studios.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=23&products_id=43

Netherworks has a magnet set for laura. His magnets are amazing. I would imagine you could use his set to put perhaps a "young" morph in after you put it through Wardrobe Wizard. It is very easy to use his magnet since they are pre-set as props. Then you could use them on lots of items. If you get them and want the "quick" sequence on how to apply them let me know and I will post my sequence  for you. cheerio  lululee

Here are the morphs in the Netherworks "Laura" set:
DAZ Styled: Tone, Muscular1, Heavy, NeckThin, ArmsPetite, ShldrSmall, BicepFlex,HipNarrow, HipSmall, TummyOut, WaistNarrow, GluteBig, GluteSmall, Glute Raise R, Glute Raise L, ThighFull, ThighInFull, ThighWide, KneeSmall.

eXpansion Styled: Fey, Thin, Mature, ArmsLite, ArmsBig, ShldrThickn, ForearmThickn, UpperWidth, UpperDepth, BreastSize, BreastUpDown, BreastTogether, BreastWidth, BreastHeight, BreastOut, BreastTurn, WaistWidth, WaistDepth, LegsBig, LegsLite, ThighThickn, ShinThickn, CalfFull, CalfBulge, CalfFlex.

 I would think that "Fey, Thin, " would decrease the cup size. also a minus on "BreastOut, BreastSize, would also decrease the cup size.

cheerio  lululee

what's wrong with you, lululee? don't you think you should encourage people to learn something new instead of directing them to some commercial canned stuff of limited use (if at all...)?

Ah, my friend, I am the instant gratification kind of girl. 
 Yes, grasshopper there are many paths that lead to the top of the mountain. Today we have choice which path we take. I am not saying my path is the best path, it is just an option.
cheerio  lululee

You might consider using the cloth room to fit the top to the figure. It may be possible to export the item as .obj, then load it back into Poser and save it as a prop. Once made into a prop, if it is not "double sided" you should be able to  bring it into the cloth room with the figure, clothify it and get it to fit that way. I'd say it's worth an experiment to try it.

hi, lululee! i'm glad to see that my words did not make you angry. i think i should have been a bit more "diplomatic". above you can see a morphing job i've made especially for you :) a bit more than 2 hours and a total of 30 magnets. since i spawned morphs for each single step (shown underneath) i never had more than 2 mags in the scene at the same time, except step 20 with 3 mags. the only flaw: unlike as shanim i did not move the buckles seperately - too much work for this example - they are a little bit deformed. apart from that these trousers fit P_E_R_F_E_C_T_L_Y and S_K_I_N_T_I_G_H_T and W_I_T_H_O_U_T _ D_I_S_T_O_R_T_I_N_G the mesh! so unless you know a utility or mag set that brings results of the same quality i am afraid that the "instant" way does NOT lead to the top.(IMHO) *winks friendly* A.

Well....I do like my Cloth Room method, but I admit it has problems too. Plus to really work right I do have to go the scaling and magnet route to get the thing at least close to fitting. It's another downside to those B-52 nose cones most of the Poser chicks are equipped with...when you try to work with a less-endowed gal you've got yards and yards of excess polys to try to tuck and dart out of the way. Poor kids almost always end up looking like they are playing dress-up. Sorry if my post is both rambling and insulting. Have had little sleep or food for last several days.