Hi and thanks for checking this thread.

I would like to start making some of my own content for Poser and I was wondering if you could give me any suggestions for software.  Current programs I'm considering are ZBrush, Cenima 4D, Rhino, and Hexagon.  One of the most important factors is ease of use and obviously compatability with Poser.

Thany you for any suggestions

Hi,

I use Hexagon and I make an amount of my own props and clothing for Poser for my own use.

It seems to work quite well with Poser and hasn't caused me any issues.

Pretty much any modelling application that exports obj files (all if not most of them) will do the trick.

I also suspect that the higher end, the modelling application is, the more you'll get out of it.

Having said that, there are some free ones that have good reviews and many people use them.

I'd download the demos and see which one you like.

Cheers,

I'm currently using Silo3d for making all my poser models.  For me it was a natural fit for modeling and has a good set of UV mapping tools, though I still need to use UV Mapper for some primitive mapping methods (cube, cylinder, sphere).  Silo3d is fairly inexpensive and there is a trail version that can be downloaded to allow you to try it out. http://nevercenter.com/silo/download/

For years I used Ani8or and found it pretty easy to figure out and can run off a flash drive.  http://www.anim8or.com/

I believe PhilC use trueSpace for making his Posers stuff (or at least he use to) and trueSpace can be had for free http://www.caligari.com/

I have ZBrush but never really took to it for modeling.  I do however use it for making morphs and altering models that I made with Silo.

Hexagon and Cararra are fairly popular with Poser users due to them both being owned by DAZ.  Hexagon looks fairly easy to learn but I have seen people complaining about its UVMapping abilities. 

Blender may be the most powerful free package out there But I (like many people) really find the interface hard to work with leading to a big learning curve.  http://www.blender.org/

Cinema 4D, if you can afford it, is quite powerful, most especially with the InterPoser Pro plugin, which directly imports Poser content from your runtime.

Wings 3D is pretty easy to use plus it's free.

http://www.wings3d.com/

of the modelers you listed:

I have to second the suggestion of C4D the core is a bit pricey compared to some of the others but it has one of the best modelers out there, and can be used for grouping your mesh which some other modelers don't tend to do as well, and includes bodypaint 3D a premier 3D paint program which also does great uv mapping.

I think Hexagon has one of the easiest interfaces and is a great modeling tool, it has basic 3D painting, and uv mapping. its drawback is in order to use it for grouping you have to split the mesh which I don't like to do. It's also the least expensive of the bunch you listed. (you can even get a version as well as a version of carrara by buying this book http://www.daz3d.com/i/shop/itemdetails/?item=9166

ZBrush is a great tool, but it isnt a particularly efficiant modeler. in order to get a decent polycount you need to fist sculpt your model and than draw a new topology over the top of that. Also you will need to go to an outside tool to uv map your models. but it has great painting and displacement tools, second to none.

Rhino is primarily a Nurbs modeler (though I believe they have added some poly tools with the latest version) Nurbs models do not convert to poly mesh very efficiently so its not an ideal tool for creating poser content, though there are some modelers who use it, I think it's going out of favor for the more poly based modelers.

You should take a look at Blender, open source and also provides really good renders and animation tools.
Zbrush is good for morphs and high detailing. It is a valuable tool but is mostly used in conjunction with other modeling programs.
They can all work with Poser but you need to find and stick with a work flow. As someone else has mentioned there is an inter poser plugin, how well it works I don't know. Mostly you will have scaling and material issues...they are usually easy to overcome though.

2nd vote for Wings. I'm seeing some amazing models coming out if it (and kicking myself for not getting better at it.)

Hexagon I, well, aside from some strangeness with the inset command (ignore this...;), it looks like it has a lot of tools. I can make basic primitive shapes in it so far, but there's a lot more to it than Wings.

Just download the freebies, play with 'em, and stop by the relevant forums for help and advice. You never know how good you can get...;)

 They can all work with Poser but you need to find and stick with a work flow. As someone else has mentioned there is an inter poser plugin, how well it works I don't know. Mostly you will have scaling and material issues...they are usually easy to overcome though. <<

I can't recommend InterPoser Pro highly enough.

One of the nice things about Cinema 4D and InterPoser Pro is that, if you WANT to use it strictly for using Cinema 4D as a renderer for Poser and DAZ content, you can. It allows you to load and pose library items within Cinema 4D without the need for passing them through Poser.

For content development, it makes things a lot easier because you can also dial in the character's morphs and morph your clothing around them. I also recommend Spanki's Riptide plugin (there is a free version available) to export the OBJ files out to Poser scale.

Not sure if IPP will be updated to support the new Poser 8 rigging features, but other than that it is as close to perfection as you can get for using content. 8-)

Quote - I have ZBrush but never really took to it for modeling.  I do however use it for making morphs and altering models that I made with Silo.

Tried ZBrush but find it's interface too arcane.

I prefer Mudbox which has much the same functionality and a more conventional interface, as it's made by the same folks who make 3DS Max.

And if you use DAZ3D's Transfer to Hexagon feature then export to OBJ, you can do FBMs on Victoria even with no issues whatsoever. (The transfer process effetively welds the seams so you can morph across body parts and the seams stay connected)

Then you just import the Mudboxed obj back into Hexagon, send it back to DAZ, then use the free makeINJ script that's out there and it's easy as pie.