To zecoode compressed Poser 5/6/7 files (e.g. ----.ppz prop files), how can they be decoded outside Poser? Or for each such file, must I call Poser to load it to stage and then save it in decoded (plain) format? Or what?

There is a utility script provided with Poser that can compress/uncompress the files. You can batch process without the need to load anything into the scene. Look in RuntimePythonposerScriptsUtility

Poser uses gzip compression, so any tool that can deal with that can decode them.

Poser uses gzip compression,: I tried copying a Poser 5 --.ppz prop file to a name ending with --.,zip , and my Winzip could do noithing with it.

Attached Link: Total Commander

Ron

Quote - Poser uses gzip compression,: I tried copying a Poser 5 --.ppz prop file to a name ending with --.,zip , and my Winzip could do noithing with it.

The correct extension for gzip files is .gz not .zip.  That may have confused winzip, but I can't find anything on thier site that says they handle gzip files.

Winzip can handle them gzip files no trouble at all :D just add .gz to the end & winzip will do whatever you want with it.

I managed it, with C:Poser5RuntimelibrariespropsExtrasUSA Flag.ppz . But WinWIp extracted the un-gzipped file with name USA Flag.ppz, same name as the gzipped version , and not the expected name USA Flag.pp2 .

That's odd.  Whenever I drop a z-lib compressed poser file into WinZip, it wants the 'full name of the file contained within the archive'.  I just put in the correct extension and the file appears there.  Now it is just a matter of drag-n-dropping the file out of WinZip into a folder.

If you want to do z-lib compression/decompression programmatically, zlib is an open-source library that can be incorporated into most systems.  I use it for my plugin in Windows 32-bit, 64-bit, MacOS Classic, and MacOS X Universal Binary (and it certainly works with Unix systems).

It could also depend on which version of Winzip you're using, I'm using the current release 11.1 is yours different?

Quote - But WinWIp extracted the un-gzipped file with name USA Flag.ppz, same name as the gzipped version

That's because it's not an archive containing file system information, like file names, paths, etc, but just the compressed file content. So WinZip cannot know the extension.

Odd my copy of Winzip unzipped the file without asking for the file extension & got the file extracted properly with extension.

Here's how I tested it, I copied the ppz file to a temp folder, added .gz to the end of it, double clicked it which started winzip, hit the extract button on the toolbar, chose the folder & hit ok, cue creation of a fully working expanded pp2 file.

Maybe I mixed that up with other compressed files... Well, then the explanation is: WinZip isn't the best programmed (un)zipper ;-)

I like it, been using it since version 2 I think, a lot of years anyway, more even than poser I think.

I use java 's Gzip classes to open poser's compesed files.. 

Attached Link: http://www.7-zip.org/

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