Hi,
I have a slow computer, and thus have been trying to reduce the number of polygons for my figures, such as Aiko 3.  I've downloaded a program called polygon crusher, a plug in for 3d Photo Browser.   While it seems to do the job well, when I export the saved .obj file into Daz, it seems to have no textures.  I tried looking at the models' surfaces, and there's only one surface for the entire model.  I then try to apply Aiko textures, but nothing happens.

**So, Might anyone know how to decrease the number of a model's polygons? ** Or does anyone know what I'm doing wrong in using polygon crusher?

Here's what I'm doing: importing the aiko3.obj file into the program, reducing the polygons to about 70% while keeping the UV coordinates (along with every other feature of the original model that I can keep) and then exporting it as an .obj file.

I assume most of you don't use this program, so perhaps **simply importing the .obj file, then exporting it as an .obj file is enough to mess up the surfaces?
** I'd really appreciate any advice.  Thanks very much.

Hi Derekhhh

There are some problem in reducing polygons this way. Almost all information about UV and surfaces are stored based in the point location data, so when you reduce you will finish with a new object that will need to be cut in pieces and rigged in Poser again. Other problem is the morphs, if you delete one little point they will not work anymore. The good way is use reduced resolution ready content like Vic3 has...but again the morphs dont work for her.
The good way to use large poly count is use  a wireframe view to work... or less then this: box.

I appreciate the help.  I'm thinking, though, that my problem has to do with exporting and importing.  When I export the object, it doesn't export materials with it (or I can get it to export them into a separate folder, which I don't know how to load into 3d Photo Viewer.  When I load the object into this program, there's only one material there, called Default Material.

Try Blender to do that, maybe it can do this better... I am converting some Lightwave work to OBJ format and it preservs the surfaces information after converte... maybe you can make the poly reduction in Blender and get a better result.

Don't bother trying to reduce the polygons.  No one has a slower computer then me.  It's been my experience that by working in orderly fashion this is doesn't have to be problem.  First work  in pieces, don't have anymore elements on screen then is needed to pose and position.  Work in nontexture shaded modes whenever possible.  Save the elements of the scene as sub scenes, Pose presets, and even shader presets.  When you feel you have all the elements finished,  close Studio, wait for the OS to reclaim the memory, restart Studio and put things together and render.

Exporting shouldn't harm the textures or the UVs. I do it all the time. Not to decrease poly counts though.
Check that the following boxes in 'advanced' tab of the export dialogue are selected:

• 'Write UV Coordinates'
• 'Write Surfaces'
• 'Write Material Library'
• 'Collect Maps'
  I use 'Write Normals' also; and 'Write Groups' by 'Surface Names'.
  I Haven't had any problems with textures or UVs on export with those settings.

Multi-pass rendering is also a useful process along with the other advices given. DAZ has a good tutorial on this subject. I slip in the occasional render at work and the computer I use for that has bare minimum specs. I have to do an organized approach as mentioned by Jestmart to build the scene, then use multi-pass to render it as different shots which I layer together in a photoediting program for the final result. One huge advantage of the multi-pass approach is that you have more control if postwork should be necessary. I have derived the most benefits in being able to control specular effects and saturation by this method.The multi-pass rendering method is suitable for any rendering software package you might be using and any image editing program that supports layers will be suficient. Doing your work in a modular manner takes more orginization, a little more work, and definitely patience; but the results are well worth the efforts. For instance you can use posterization in Photoshop to get a toon effect if your video card doesn't support toon render in DAZ, without affecting your original files! Render once then try different effects, pretty cool. Like I said more effort but definitely cheaper than a new machine and saves your mesh details.

"Exporting shouldn't harm the textures or the UVs. I do it all the time. Not to decrease poly counts though.
Check that the following boxes in 'advanced' tab of the export dialogue are selected:"

Well also, the whole reason I'm exporting from daz, and not just loading the obj file as is, is because of the missing materials.  Shouldn't the object file itself, before doing anything to it, have these materials anyway, before import into DAZ?

"Try Blender to do that, maybe it can do this better."

I'm attempting that now.  When I import the .obj file, the Modifiers tab doesn't seem to be available.  I assume I need to select it in a different way?  I've tried a number of things- any ideas on what to do once it's imported?

Thanks for the advice tping.  But I' actually not going to do any rendering... I'm making game sprites.  The renders will be at the lowest level- like what you would see in the view window when things are textured and smoothed.

Quote - Well also, the whole reason I'm exporting from daz, and not just loading the obj file as is, is because of the missing materials.  Shouldn't the object file itself, before doing anything to it, have these materials anyway, before import into DAZ?

blAiko3.obj does have material zones; but It doesn't have a .mtl library.
AFAIK, image location, colors, etc. for an .objs textures, are always carried by the .mtl library; which references the material zones in the corresponding .obj file. UVs are also carried by the .obj

There won't be any textures or material settings applied if you just open blAiko3.obj from the geometries folder (unless you apply them yourself manually) ; but the material zoning and UVMapping will be there.

The *obj file (in Daz/Poser) only contains geometry information not materials themselves.

When you reduce the polygons of the object you break the UV mapping of the object which serves as a map to tell what part of a texture fits with what polygon. If you reduce the poly count, you need to make a new uv map as well.