The last week I wrote a program able to extract joint parameters from an CR2 file and save them to a standard posefile (PZ2), even "partial". So, if you're somebody playing with the joint parameters of a figure, this program is for you.

Because a Python script isn't able to access the parameters of a loaded figure from within Poser, you have to save your figure with modified joint parameters as a CR2 file first.

I used it to make a collection of joint poses (JPF = Joint Pose File) for several figures. Full and partly. A lot of bending problems are easily to fix for me now. I just have to attach a Joint Pose the same way I do with any other pose :)

Because the program does not use Poser Python it doesn't matter wether you are using Poser 4/5/6/7 or D|S. Just start the Installer and anything needed is installed automatically. No worries about allready installed packages, libraries, whatever.

This version is free for a limited time. Download it from here.

Sorry, a typo. Corrected, Download works now.

Cool. Thanks. The link is broken though.
Do you do contract jobs at all?

crosspost.

Quote - Do you do contract jobs at all?

Yes I do.

Cool. I am going to track down your email and email you.

Btw: Thanks for hosting a banner!!

This is wonderful. Thank you thank thankyyyyyyooooouuuu.

I can't find an email. Mine is antonkisiel@verizon.net.

@Anton: mine is adp at elizadigital.de

Great. Got it. WIll reply in a bit. Just cooking atm. Thanks

yea! THANKS!!!! ^^ bB

Thank you! The concept is fascinating .. I wonder if JPs can be changed during an animation? Hmm .. going to have a play right now. Thanks again.

Quote - Thank you! The concept is fascinating .. I wonder if JPs can be changed during an animation? Hmm .. going to have a play right now. Thanks again.

Completly changing JP's while an animation is running isn't possible. It's only possible to reach the center of an actor directly from within Poser via Python. But for a lot of things this is allready enough.

Maybe it makes sense to load a Joint Pose via Python while an animation is computed. But I personally have to less experience with animations. I would tend to take control completly over to a Python-Script, because the Animation Editor in Poser looks a bit sik for me :)

Thanks ADP!!

Unfortunately many aspects of joints lack the proper pragraph structure to support animation. basically if you can't attach a dial to it you can't animate it. Poser used the basic dial paragraph for many things, most invisible. 

Some aspects can be altered but many are simple defined absolutes on the timeline.

Quote - Unfortunately many aspects of joints lack the proper pragraph structure to support animation. basically if you can't attach a dial to it you can't animate it. Poser used the basic dial paragraph for many things, most invisible. 

Some aspects can be altered but many are simple defined absolutes on the timeline.

Poser fires an event on any keyframe change and on any changes related to "dials" or changed geometrie. Poser Python is able to catch those events, even in animations.

I assume (havn't explored it yet) that Poser reports the keyframe change to Python before the scene is setup.

If we have a seperate dialog where we can insert a keyframe number and the filename of a Joint Pose File, the joint redefinition is applied before Poser sets the new computed dial parameters for this keyframe to the figure. And, because we load a standard pose file, it may contain another texture set beside of the new joint parameters (not tested). Contained poses may be overwritten (also not tested, but I assume it).

I'm going to be offline now until tomorrow.  Feel free to give feedback about what you're missing in the script. Or about your ideas. Here in this thread or via email (fh at elizadigital.de)

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Thanks ADP!

Thank you so much ADP :) Just tried it on a pet project and it worked wonderfully.

Think I answer the most freqently question here:

This version is using a hardcoded list of actors covering DAZ figures.
A version with an editable actorlist is planed for the next version.

Thank you, ADP, this is a very useful addition to my toolbox.

I down loaded the program and was going to try it but when I tried to install it I ran into troubles ... I'm assuming that you set up the installer on WinXP or 2000, etc and since I'm running Win98SE  - well, you get the idea.  Now I don't know for sure if that's the problem but either way I'm hoping you can help me work around the problem.

Here is what happens to me - I ran the installer and it asked me for language so I left it at English which was the default and then when it gave a location it was going to install I clicked on browse because I tend to keep all my Poser utilities together in one directory and when I did, I got an error message [the top one of these two] so I next tried to install in the default directory and got an error message [the bottom one of these two] - now I don't have multiple accounts on my computer and Win98SE doesn't have a separate admin account - this is why I made the assumption I did since I don't have varying levels of access on my computer - there are no "accounts" at all.  Anyway, here are the error messages I got:

I'm hoping there is a simple solution as I would really like to try out your program and besides, I figured that if you were at all like me, you would like to know  if there was any sort of problems even if it was only  with a specific OS.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

The installer tries to access a registy database compatible with 2000/XP. This is only needed for the uninstall feature.

Sorry, I'm not able to maintain more than one OS for Alpha Versions. At a later stage this program will be available as part of a package for Windows, OS-X and Linux (the latter because there are a lot of people running W98/W2000 in a Virtual Machine driven by Linux).

I had suspected it was something like that  - so is there any way around it?  Ah for the good old days when programs didn't need to be installed - they just needed to be copied into a directory and run [heh]  What can I say, I'm an old fashion sort of guy - I do understand the reasons why so much software needs to be actually installed so it can use the various features of the OS and all the shared dll files, etc, but it does also have the downside of causing these sorts of compatability issues.  I rather suspect that the program itself would run fine on Win98 [although perhaps not] but I dpo understand the situation.  If there is no way to work around it at this time I do understand - I was just hoping there might be.

I really don't want to change my OS but I know I will have to eventually.  Of course when I do it will be to 2000 - won't touch Vista and I have serious issues with XP as well, so I am getting used to there being neat stuff I can't use.  But even if I can't use your program, thanks for  making it - I believe that it is because people like you bother to do this sort of thing that we get worth while stuff - most large software developers don't seem interested in doing things like this because they don't see it as having a large enough market.

There is really nothing special in this little program. It's a Python script with anything inside an EXE file that is needed to run the program. But it seems that "modern users" feel unconfortable if a program has no installer/uninstaller :) And - believe it or not - not anybody has an unzipper.

But, because you are obviously not a beginner: I moved the folder generated by the installer to a zip file (EXE and some gif's used as icons/symbols). Without pathes. Store the files into a directory of your choice. I'm going right know to send you the url for this zip via sitemail.

Thanks a lot!

I know what you mean - it used to be that  everyone had a zip/unzip utility of some sort - I must have had  half a dozen different ones myself.  But then a lot of things were different [oh, and yes, I'm not a newbee - I actually started on mainframes back in '72  and have had a variety of personal computers since the days of the C64 - although I have kind of changed into a user but at least I have the background to generally be able to understand the software I use - grin]

New features:

• Insert a Poser version of your choice to be written into the pose file.
• This version is able to handle compressed poser files (files ending with a "z").
• Select an icon for your joint pose file.
  You may select any picture you have, in allmost any format.
  The picture is automatically rescaled to 100 x 100 and saved as png along with your pz2.
  A little sign is added to your picture with the text "Joint Pose".
• All parameters are written to a config file and remebered for the next session.

If you have downloaded prior to this messages date/time, just reload the same file again to get the new version.

Note: The progress bar does not reflect the real filesize of compressed files yet.

Same error again. Sorry. A typo in the downloadfile. Fixed, file is now downloadable. Promised.

I must be totally blind today for I do not see any download link.

In the very first message. Last line :)

That's what I've been trying and this is what I get Not Found The requested URL /ExtractJoints-1.0.zip was not found on this server. Apache/2.0.55 (Ubuntu) PHP/5.1.6 Server at poserprofi.homeip.net Port 80

It's ok. My local cache fooled me. Now I can download with all machines around me. I'll watching the log to be sure ;)

Forgotten to mention:

• Actorlist contains now all actors from Apollo Maximus.

Thank you very much. downloading as I type.

Answer to another frequently asked question:

Filesize is 5MB. Downloadspeed may be relatively low because this file (and others) are delivered from my home-located Linux server (via Dyn-DNS). Uploadspeed is limited to 400kBit overall, so it may last a bit if serveral downloads have to be served at the same time.

Please do NOT us a downloadmanager of some sort if you download from my server.
It may slow down the download for you (oposite of what you may think it does). My logfile has many IP's trying to download the same file up to 10 times. My (selfmade) bandwidthmanager may interrupt those connections or give them very low priority.

For those are interested to know: This file is downloaded round about 300 times now (dupes not counted).

Thanks a lot.  This is going to be really useful.

Chris Cox

Ah, you can't use Joint Setting Poses in DAZ Studio.

They may run but nothing actually changes.

I've included a number of them with my sets, in the past, but after I found out about this I've had to figure different ways.

Quote - Ah, you can't use Joint Setting Poses in DAZ Studio.

They may run but nothing actually changes.

I've included a number of them with my sets, in the past, but after I found out about this I've had to figure different ways.

A different way? I think a lot of people aren't aware of the fact that DAZ offers a wonderfull script editor with a complete API for free. One of the functions in this scripting language is "DzPoserJoint". With this (and other) function joint parameters are reachable. Is this the way you're talking about?
"Figuring this out" was a business for 20 minutes for me :) But thanks for the hint. I'm going to implement something special for D|S now.

Well, I used to do my high-heel morphs for figures like V3 by morphing the whole foot to put the toes in a different position, I'd then also supply a pose that turned this morph on AND move the JPs for the toes down to were the toes actually were.

It works fine in Poser, but in D/S the JP part doesn't work.  DS only looks at JPs when the figure is loaded, it MIGHT be possable to resave (and reload) the figure after you ran my pose, but then you couldn't put the JPs back to flatfoot, either.

I don't do any joint setup in D/S, it took me years to get the Poser Joint Editor to do what I want, I'm not about to learn it again.  ;-)  I've never looked at any of the D/S add ons.

In D|S poses are actually "Action Scripts". This is consequent, IMHO. Posers "readscript" and the possibility to call Python scripts from within a Poserfile is fine, but only a start.

As soon as I have the time to do it I start to write a Python script to produce D|S Action Script from a PZ2.

I'd like to get the updated version but haven't had any luck connecting to your server. Is it still available?

Seems that DynDNS has had a problem to update my IP address last automatically last night (happend only 2 times within 3 years - DynDNS is a real great service!).

Now it to works fine.

Thank you - DynDNS is a great service agreed . . . but then so is your response time too. Downloading as I type - installed - thank you so much this is a real time saver.