Poser used to export PNGs with transparent backgrounds by default.  Poser 9 doesn't do that. 

Is there a setting I can change so I get the automatic transparent backgrounds back?

Only pixels that are "empty" will be transparent.

What is in your scene?

You have to have places in the image with no objects in them in order to get transparency, or those object have to be marked as transparent in the material.

There's nothing in the scene, really.  Just one figure and a lot of empty space.  The kind of thing that used to export with a transparent background easily.  Like my avatar.

Is it the lighting, I wonder?  If you use ray tracing or indirect light, does that mean the background won't export transparent?

In your preferences, do you have "Render Over" set to Transparency, or Background Color?

Quote - In your preferences, do you have "Render Over" set to Transparency, or Background Color?

I'm not sure.  Where would I set that?  I don't see it under General Preferences or Render Settings.

It's in the Render Settings box, in the upper right area.

Under options in Render Settings: current BG shader will give you transparency in a png if there's nothing else there. Well, it does so for me.

Quote - Under options in Render Settings: current BG shader will give you transparency in a png if there's nothing else there. Well, it does so for me.

Not for me.  That's what it's set to, but I'm still not getting transparent backgrounds.  I used to, with older versions of Poser.

I'm finding this new version of Poser a bit buggy. 

Quote - It's in the Render Settings box, in the upper right area.

I don't have Transparency as an option.  Just Background color, Black, Background picture, and Current BG Shader.  It's set to Current BG Shader. 

Is Transparency a Pro-only option?

I just tried the same figure and settings in Poser 8, and it worked fine.  Exported with a transparent background.  Not so with Poser 9.

Don't have Poser 9 so I don't know what to tell you. I'd report it to SM if you really think it's a bug: they're really good about getting on to stuff like that!

I am using PP2012 and I find no setting to "Render over" Transparency, just the Usual ones including Black and BG shader.

those two give me a transparent background when exporting a PNG.  What viewer are you using to look at PNG?  Sounds like it might be viewer dependent.

Quote - What viewer are you using to look at PNG?  Sounds like it might be viewer dependent.

I don't think it's viewer dependent.  Both Windows preview (not color managed) and Photoshop CS5 (color managed) show the same thing.

And it works fine in Poser 8.  I'm using the same viewers.

Weirdly, rendering over black doesn't actually produce a black background.  It's the same mud brown I get using the default Poser background.  Using "render over black" in Poser 8 gives me a black background.

Hm, sounds like a bug.

But transparent PNG background definitely works in PP2012 - I just saved an image out.

Just for the info of others: Render over ___ (colour) isn't about what colour the background will be with a PNG (although it should be with a JPEG). It's info Poser needs in order to anti-alias against the colour of background you want. If you have a transparent PNG rendered over black, it will look funny if you put it over a white background, and vice versa. Or at least, as I understand it, that is the intention. Rendering over the correct background colour will help you avoid "jaggies" when you put the PNG to use.

Don't have an answer for you, but I my Poser Pro 2012 exports transparent backgrounds.

What does your preview background show? Is it showing the  transparent grid or the new background that poser has by default?

Is the ground plane set to shadow catch only?

Bill

I think you need to post up the render, your render settings or maybe a screen grab of the scene.

Another possibility is maybe the preferences some how got corrupted. That's always been a problem, something that just happens sometimes. You could try deleting your poser prefs and then restarting Poser to see if that resolves whatever problem you're having but I have both P9 and Pro 2012 on my system and they export PNG's exactly the same.

I should mention I've tried it both with the background shader and with the background color and it still exported with transparency.

Still no picture?

The ground plane "shadow catch only" has been changed from its default. If you're pointing the camera at the ground, the image is "filled". Don't say nothing much really - say exactly what it is. If it's the ground, then we need to talk about the ground. Better yet - show.

If you render over black and it's brown, you're rendering the ground.

Where would I find that setting?

Yep, that looks like the ground plane to me.

Yes, that's definitely it. 

So...how do I fix it?

In the material room for object GROUND - material Preview, on PoserSurface node, below Gradient mode, tick Shadow_Catch_Only.

Quote - > Quote - The ground plane "shadow catch only" has been changed from its default.

Where would I find that setting?

Thanks for the picture. Had you rendered with nothing in the picture (as you said, like your avatar) you would have got transparency.

The ground is now solid and opaque by default. To go back to how it used to be, go into the material room for the ground and enable "Shadow Catch Only". It's a checkbox on the Poser Surface node.

Look here for the screen shot.

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?message_id=3847338&ebot_calc_page#message_3847337

[EDIT] Cross post - sorry for redundant info.

willyb53 caught it first in the other thread, too.

Quote - The ground is now solid and opaque by default.

So it's not so much that it's been changed from its default, as it has a new default?

Is there any way to change it back to the way it was?  I can't imagine any situation where I'd want the ground plane to render.

Thanks for the help, all, and sorry I didn't post a pic earlier.  To be honest, it's been so long that I'd forgotten how to do it here.

Set your scene how you want your initial state on starting Poser.

Then

In preferences:

choose Launch to Preferred State

and click Set Preferred State

You can also save whole scenes in your library so you can actually have lots of initial states one click away.

Thanks!  The ground plane is now invisible, as it should be.

It definitely helps to see a picture, unless you are like me and just want a bunch of possible answers. The ground for Poser 9 and Poser pro 2012 is set up differently than the older versions of Poser.

I've been trying to reproduce the ground for Poser Pro 2012 in Poser pro 2010 with no luck

I have had no problems exporting a single png image but it appears that version 2012 will not export png sequence (.mov file) with a transparent background on a Mac with 64bit, but can in 32bit.