How does one change metals and are those coloured balls you see in the freebies-shaders-? And if they are... how do you use them? I'v seen some really great ones that I would like to use, but don't know how. If someone could tell me where I could find a thread or tut. on it, I will be very appreciative. HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008

What program are you using? Poser, DAZ Studio, or something else?

Opps.......sorry........ Poser 6.

Quote - How does one change metals and are those coloured balls you see in the freebies-shaders-? And if they are... how do you use them? I'v seen some really great ones that I would like to use, but don't know how. If someone could tell me where I could find a thread or tut. on it, I will be very appreciative. HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008

It depends.  The free stuff has materials for poser, bryce, and vue.  For poser you need to have materials made specifically for Poser.

Also materials do not necessarily equal "shaders."  Shaders from what I understand are accomplished exclusively using Nodes and nothing else. But both are applied in the same fashion in the material room.

To apply a material or shader  to something, go to the material room tab, use the drop drop down menu above the scene window in the material room and select the figure or prop. Use the drop down arrow to the right of that and select a material zone (part of the item you want to add a material too), User your library to browse to the material folder of your runtime, locate the material or shader that you want to apply and then double click the icon. The material or shader will be applied to that part of the item.  Do that for each material zone of the figure or prop.  If you want the same thing applied to all of the material zones, just right click in the scene window, pick "select all", then right click again and pick "apply to all."  The material or shader will be applied to every part of the figure or prop without exception.  So you want to be careful if you have different material zones that you want to be different... IE: eyes, mouth, teeth etc.

If you are applying a metal or glass material or shader, both of which are reflective, you will hav to turn on ray tracing turned  to at least "4" in your render settings.  Also you have to have something in your scene for it to reflect off of.  I use a sky dome (kind of a large bowl turned upside down over my scene and tilted up so that it doesn't show in the background) , but anything will work, such as furniture etc.

Here is a thread that has many great links to discussions and tutorials on the material room.  I posted newbie material room links at the very top. So make sure you have a look at those so you know what each thing is for.

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=2722867

Thank you.... that's given me something to work on. I'm wanting to try uploading textures this year.