HI folks, when I got something that I think some folks would like in to see in the freebie section, I'd like to know how in the heck to package it.  I know that you don't simply compress a .pz3 file Zip it and upload it.  Files that I have down loaded contain .objs, cr2 etc. objs etc I can find, but those cr2 files-doing a search come up with nothing.  I think that  the .pz3 file contains info about everything that is needed for that figure and where to go to find it.  However, that is not going to help anybody that's wants to download it and not send me hate mail.  This is an example:  a chandelier, consisting of cylinders, sphere, cube vectors etc made in Carrara, imported into Poser for textures, node lighting etc. and saved as a pz3 file.   Thanks for any help you can give me.  Plutom

If it's just a .pz3 file without anything else, you can just stick it in a folder and zip it up.  There is no specific directory for .pz3 files.

Now on the other hand if you were including the follwoing type of files, it would be a different story:

.cr2 / .pz2 / .pp2 / .obj / .mt5  (etc. etc.)

In those cases you would put them into an empty runtime and zip up the runtime folder.

Runtime / Geometries / FolderWithYourName / FilesInHere
Runtime / Textures / FolderWithYourName / FilesInHere
Runtime / Libraries / Character / Folder with files in it
Runtime / Libraries / Poses / Folder with files in it
Runtime / Libraries / Props / Folder with files in it

And don't forget to include a Readme file (named something other than "Readme.txt") that has your email address in it. Include if you allow the item to be used for commercial use.  And also whether or not you allow redistribution of your files.

What I usually do to prepare a freebie for upload is the following (works from P5 upwards):

• make a new folder with a sensible name for the freebie - in your case you could name it "Chandelier", OUTSIDE of the normal runtimes
• create a subfolder called "Runtime" inside the Chandelier folder;
• add a new runtime to Poser: browse for the Chandelier folder you just made;
• create a sensible subfolder WITHIN poser, in your case that would be a subfolder called "Chandelier" in the Props library;
• save the chandelier to the Props library
  Now switch to your file management application (usually Windows Explorer) and check your new made Chandelier folder structure. You should have something like this:
  Chandelier
     Runtime
        libraries
           camera
           character
           face
           hair
           hand
           light
           materials
           pose
           props
              Chandelier
                 chandelier.png
                 chandelier.pp2
  Remove all the supfolders from the libraries folder that you don't need.
  Add a new subfolder under Runtime: call it "textures"
  Make a new subfolder in textures, call it "Plutom"
  Copy all textures you need to the texturesPlutom folder

Almost there. The only thing left to do is fix the texture references in your prop.
Open the file chandelier.pp2 in a text editor, and replace all references to texture files that look like "D:XXX.........texturemap.jpg" with ":runtime:textures:Plutom:texturemap.jpg"

To create a nice thumbnail, render your chandelier in Poser to a new window, sized 91x91 pixels, and save as "chandelier.png" in the ChandelierRuntimelbrariespropsChandelier folder.

Also nice: a readme. Create a new subfolder under the main Chandelier folder, call it "readme"
Make a new subfolder under "readme", call it Plutom. 
Make a readme.txt file and place it in the ChandelierreadmePlutom folder

Ready for distribution. Although it's always a good idea to test everything before you upload. Start an empty Poser scene, go to the Chandelier runtime, and load your chandelier prop. If you did everything right, it should load with the correct textures.

Zipping up for distribution (I use WinZip for this purpose):

• go to the Chandelier main folder;
• select both the readme and runtime subfolders;
• right-click and choose "Add to zip"
  A file called Chandelier.zip will be generated and placed in your Chandelier main folder. This ZIP file is what you need to distribute.

Hope this helps..

Thanks Acadia,  

Svdl, I'm going to digest what you just stated-got to print it out and go step by step. Thanks.

Again  Acadia and SVDI, thanks , got about 1/2 of it down now (slow learner, really slow learner).  Just need to triple check and ensure that  what I have displayed is only coming from the 91X91 icon and its link and not my original (most of it is on by removable hard drive).  I guess when I get everything together and linked properly so that the poor person that downloads it (if any),  She/he will only have to plop it in the Poser 5, 6, 7 root folder and all the subfolder go where they are supposed to go.

Going to look again at Svdl stuff that I had downloaded, which by the way fit beautifully with all my Judy relatives in any position.  Those dynamic gowns are superb.

I've got to get over my fear of adding runtimes and where to put em.  Plutom

What I did when I posted my first freebie was have someone else test it out to make sure everything worked okay, and to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything in the zip file.  Just a though.  Good luck.

Acadia, when you make an empty runtime, where do you put it so that when Poser comes up, it doesn't have a fit deciding which runtime to use.  The reason why I'm asking, I saw a directory called download, I opened it up and all subfolders were empty ( Figures, Poses, Expression, Hair, Hands, Props, Lights, and Cameras-all empty puppies).  I thought to myself, heck if they are empty, I don't need 'em so I dun went and deleted them.  When I reloaded Poser, it had a fit, can't find download/runtime blah, blah blah  for every one of them.  After my panic attack, I put the folder and subs back. 

Molina, yeah that has crossed my mind many times today.  Presently, I'm at the stage where, in order for me to see it, I have to tell zip to place it directly in the props area (drilling down and down until the prop section comes up).  Need to figure out how I can get the computer to do it simply by planting the stuff in Poser's root file, dumping everything there and let the computer sort it to the appropriate section.

Most folks here know where to put it if I give instructions, however, the new folks probably would want to simply drop it in the Poser 5, 6, 7 root file.

However, when I test it by dropping everything in the props section, the icon is displayed exactly where I expect it and by clicking on it everything is displayed correctly including the materials and all the nodes. 

Presently,  the .zip file is around 1.4MBytes

Now another thing, I'm beginning to see mistakes in the prop, crap, got to go back and twik that.   When I'm about as ready as I'm going to get, I should would like a "Gamma" tester-one step below a Beta tester.  Plutom

As for external runtimes, I created a folder called "ExternalRuntimes" off the root of my D: drive. All my external runtimes live within that folder. Some of those (Miki, Sara, Terai Yuki) are dedicated to certain Poser figures, others (The Stand, Hooterella) are dedicated to ongoing projects, and there is another subfolder called "ForUploads" dedicated to freebies (and maybe later, products for sale).
Within that ForUploads folder, I create a subfolder for each and every freebie project. I've got a subfolder called V4Warrior, a subfolder called SailingBoat, a subfolder called V3SkirtBlouse, etc. etc. etc.

This system works for me.

Thanks SvdI,  May problem was I was trying to import the object via the menu that gives you, Figures, Poses, Expressions, Hair, Hands, Props, Lights, and Camera and I couldn't get to them by that method.  I was so used to clicking on the .pz3 and bringing up stuff that I didn't even bother with the .pp2  prop files.  i got all my .pz3 files on my external drive and those are sorted by P4 figures, P5 figures:  Thanks for your help.  Plutom