A while back, there was a lot going on with Antonia, but now I hardly see anything in the marketplace or freebie section for her.  I was offline for a bit this summer, and just curious as to what happened.

Thanks, -Starkdog

I don't really think anything "happened." Just a lot of other projects and figures stole the limelight, I suspect.

There's an Antonia at RDNA. Not sure if the same character you're talking about...

She's at RuntimeDNA, that's what happened. Free figures that are there, no matter how good they are, don't receive much attention elsewhere and aren't really supported by RDNA either. She was overtaken by My Michelle which cost money and is very heavily promoted and supported by RDNA.

It's something that I never understood. A figure gets released, but hardly has any support from the start. Once that happens we know that the figure won't get too far in the community, regardless of how good it is. Poser/DS revolves around content, if a figure lacks it, it will quickly die out. If you're going to create all the effort to design a figure, why not make sure it has lot's of support beforehand? Why go through all the effort for a few minutes of fun and fame?

I stopped getting figures that don't have support from the start, no matter how much I would want them. What good are figures that don't have clothing and items to use? Got enough of those in my runtimes, don't need another one.

I used to buy every 3DUniverse character that was released, until I started to realize how badly they are supported and that even crossdresser and wardrobe wizard support often lacks. I don't bame 3DUniverse for now only releasing genesis based figures, smart move, support guarenteed. I don't like genesis based figures at all, but I understand vendors creating them to avoid the whole lack of content/support issues.

Instead of releasing all kinds of poorly supported poser figures, one thing should be done.... a native 'genesis' like figure for poser, that would be a cool thing and would be worthy of support. But I guess that would be too much effort in a highly divided poser community. Smith Micro should really start working with vendors, instead of doing there own little thing when it comes to releasing figures. It's too sad for words that we have to beg DAZ for years to get Genesis to Poser..... an effort should have been made to have a native poser figure everyone can use in Poser and create cool figures for.

A decent native Poser figure will never exist unless a 3rd party makes it. The dogs we have now are only useable because of what Gabe did to them, but sadly, Tyler and Anastasia SHOULD have been the base figures.

Laurie

Too many figures kill the figures.

True, it is interesting to see things pop up, and then quickly wane.  I had started modeling some base clothes for Antonia, but I'm also looking at Miki4 and Alyson2/Anastasia as well.  I'm just trying to pay attention to the other figures, but also curious as to which character(s) to support.  I haven't bought Michelle, but I also see that BVH has an Angela figure and Ali also has an Angela 1/2 figure as well.  So, the Poser female model market is very saturated.  As much as I would like to buy all the cool things here, especially with the Christmas sales, I have to budget things a bit.  My V4 has more clothes than Macy's...  But, back to the subject.  Would it be worthwhile to keep making items for Antonia, or should I focus more on Miki4 and Alyson2/Anastasia?

Thanks, -Starkdog.

I don't know which one to support either, to be honest. So far I've been only modeling clothes for toon figures, but I'm looking at doing some none toon related work as well. For now, I've got Tyler/Ryan/SimonG2, Miki4 and Genesis on my list. If I'm going to go with Genesis, I need to learn a lot, if I go with Ryan/Tyler/SimonG2 and Miki4 it's less learning.

I'm leaning mostly towards doing male stuff, since that is so often overlooked, but for which figure(s) I'm not sure yet.

I've modeled a few dynamic things for Angela (ali's) simply because I like her and I had pity on the fact that she didn't have that many duds. LOL Great figure tho, and very expressive.

I wouldn't take My Michelle or Miki 4 if someone gave them to me and a lot of the other figures out there ain't worth much...including the native Poser figures. LOL. Ya gotta use Anastasia and Tyler just to make em look human ;) Once you do add BH's morphs to, they are great looking and I do wish ppl would support them more (and use them more too).

Antonia could be a really great figure if ppl would support her and give her some work ;).

Laurie

My impression is that the only figures that have achieved any real longevity are Posette, Vickie and perhaps to a lesser degree, Aiko 3. The rest tend to follow a predictible trajectory from initial enthusiasm to not so much. There was a big debate over whether Antonia etc. would succeed based soley on their superiority, without a huge marketing effort. In retrospect, I think that things would have worked out the same in either case.

Unless its for money, I'd say make what you enjoy most. I'm sure that the folks who use whatever figure(s) you support will be grateful for more content. There always seems to be somewhat of a market for cute, quirky figures - Koshini was all the rage for a while and I still see things fior Kiki. I actually think that a couple of the 3DU figures, Sadie and Cookie got a decent amount of support. Aiko's anime roots probably helped her stick around and even move into a more realistic role. In terms of general purpose realistic figures though, there only seems to be room for one and Vickie shows no signs of relinquishing her crown.

Well, there is the whole collector aspect to consider too... some may just like to have the figures regardless of the support and accessories. I've been on a Japanese figure collection kick (Kururu etc.), some have a lot of freebie add ons, some not so much. I just like to have these things from an esoterica and collection standpoint. I think Antonia is a great figure, ditto with Mankahoo's Angela (looking to get Ang2 eventually), I also like A-Ones Mrs. Nelson figure, which has virtually no support or accessories. It's been said before, but, we definitely need more quality male figures.

I have so much crap for V4 and yet I so very rarely load her into poser anymore... Mostly A3 and Terai Yuki 2 are my faves.

You can never have enough non-human, robot, or animal figures!

The fact that so many characters that used to be stand-alones are being ported to Genesis is vaguely disturbing to me. Maybe partly because I can't utilize Genesis at this time and also because there is a sense of threatening homogenization akin to 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'. Mavka has been ported to Genesis, fer christsakes!

Actually, Maya Doll is still available as far as I know is one of the better supported of the free figures. Mamomamo did a ton of free clothes for her ;).

Laurie

Yup, Mayadoll is still around and has literally a ton of stuff to be found. That figure was the first figure that I ever seriously used in poser... Thank you MayaX san!  I also really like S1M's HER figure. I have a huge Runtime devoted entirely to that figure. The individual that created HER, En, doesn't seem to be making poser content anymore. A tremendous shame... I think the last thing he or she made was the TerrorBird figure, awesome critter.

En is Sixus ;) And yeah, Maya Doll is the first free figure I ever used to any extent, mostly due to the plethora of free stuff out there to be had, like previously mentioned. And not just crappy freebies either...Mamomamo is the bomb...LOL.

Laurie

...Thanks for the Mamomamo link, LaurieA. I'll take a look. I have some of that creators stuff for Near_Me, I think. Just recently registered at Poser Club Japan, great freebies there!

Ah yes, I forgot Maya Doll. She probably got more support than just about any of the independents. She offered something a bit different and there wasn't quite as much competition back then.

Wow, what a great link LaurieA. Once you think you've tracked down just about everything something else comes along, Thanks!

I like Antonia and use her. I think I am one of those figure collectors - I like experimenting with new and different base figures, and if they don't have enough stuff, I just make what I need.  But truth be told, we have many female figures, we need more men.

I'd like to learn how to make some clothing but conforming clothing seems a little complex in terms of rigging and such... I imagine that starting out with trying some dynamic stuff would be the way to go. It's not that I'm not comfortable with modeling, quite the contrary. it's all the other minutiae of conforming clothing that is so daunting. I imagine that the only real advantage of conforming clothing is the fact that it's more popular from a marketing standpoint, Load and conform... More poser hobbyist friendly?

Anyway, just thinking out loud... sorry OT.

my main concern about the free figures is version control. 
making or buying stuff, that could all of a sudden not be compatible due to something being tweaked or changed in the figure.

:wub: Kez

One nice thing abouot Anastasia  and Tyler is that BH still supports the morphs. It also helps that the base figures are free wwith poser. If you buy Anastasia in the RMP you get Tyler as well, so you;ll gget notifiedd of updaates for either figure.

I  am working oon several products for both Ana and Tyler (they won;t fit the ooriginals, only thwe morphed versions) butI am notoriously slow to finish things.

I have Antonia and am concidering making some items forher, but haven;t gotten there yet.

Quote - I like Antonia and use her. I think I am one of those figure collectors - I like experimenting with new and different base figures, and if they don't have enough stuff, I just make what I need.  But truth be told, we have many female figures, we need more men.

There seems little or no interest among content providers for anything for male figures except M4. Note the almost complete lack of anything new for Tyler. Letterworks, thanks in advance, looking forward to your work. Money in hand . (Actually, as soon as budget allows).

Antonia didn't have enough polygons.  Doesn't have enough morph details. She has a distinctive lip with sharp edge.

Love esther

I still use Antonia.  Bought a bunch of stuff for her in the RDNA sale.  I also bought MyMichelle.  I guess I'm one of those collectors.  :-)

I got them both too. 

I have most of the new characters, and a few not mentioned here. I actually use them, also. Wardrobe Wizard is your friend, but not always the best answer. Some figures have no WW support. Guess it's back to trying to break through the 3D modeling software mental block. Did I mention I was terrible at computer programming in College?

It would be fun to see all of the unique Poser figures (starting with Posette) in a single image - like those phots of a high school class. I cant begin to think of how many there must be by now.

Posette, Judy, Jesse, Alyson, Dork, Don, Ryan, James, Simon, Maya Doll, Angela (ali), Angela (BVH), Cynthia, Antonia, PolyGon, Alexa, Stephanie 1, Petite, David 3, Aiko 1, 3, Mike 1/2, 3, 4, 5; Vicky 1/2, 3, 4, 5, The Girl. Elle, Bella, Mariko, Miki 1/2, 3/4...and those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head ;). Probably a list at least this long again. LOL (just for the realistic looking figures and not counting toons and fantasy figures).

Laurie

I'm still using Antonia.  Love the figure to bits.  :woot:  I've been trying to refine the weight mapping a bit and have tinkered with a displacement map for muscle detailing.  But Antonia does seem to have lost ground in recent months.  That makes me sad, but I guess it doesn't surprise me much.  I guess a figure isn't popular just for being community-developed and open (and, IMO, fun to work with).

"Probably a list at least this long again."

Apollo (though I really don't care about the males :-) Natalia, Dina, Eroko, Satoko, Sara, Lilin, Z Woman, Eva, PHF, TY2, P4 Boy and Girl (Peter & Pamela) - they should have names. Not sure what was derived from what and should count as unique, so maybe the Millenium boys and girls, Matt and Maddie, Luke and Laura, the babies … And of course, Geni, who complicates the whole notion of unique - plus who knows how many more. * *

Rikishi, Clark, blah blah blah. :) Definitely more than any of us will ever use regularly, for sure.

Sure, in order to have a usable figure you need clothes and tons of morphs. Once you've gotten and sorted all that stuff - that takes time and money - you hesitate doing the same on another figure. It took me a while to have a complete V4, so I am not going to invest my time on another figure any soon.

What motivates a decision to use a figure is also how easy it is to find stuff for it, and for this paying figures offer a lot more choice.

But with V5 not being 100% Poser compatible there is a room for a new figure. Miki 4, or why not a free figure with paying clothes, who will win the contest ? I and probably a lot of others will vote for the winner.

"I and probably a lot of others will vote for the winner."

But everyone will vote for different candidates, and no single one will get a mandate to govern so to speak :-) Its kind of like getting a third party in the U.S. Everyone complains about the status quo but you can't get enough people to agree on an alternative to  make it viable.  

"But everyone will vote for different candidates, and no single one will get a mandate to govern so to speak :-) Its kind of like getting a third party in the U.S. Everyone complains about the status quo but you can't get enough people to agree on an alternative to  make it viable."

Yep, that's pretty much it.

The Poserworld is too small to be a true democracy. It works better under a benevolent dictator.

One Mesh to rule them all, One Mesh to cloth them,
One Mesh to make content for and with lots of sales bind them
In the Land of DAZ where the Shadows lie.

;-)

Well, I was thinking about Victoria - who has been the main figure during a long time. I am waiting for the new Victoria, but I agree that for, many reasons, it will probably be difficult for a new figure to replace her.

Maybe V6 ?

Quote - "I and probably a lot of others will vote for the winner."

But everyone will vote for different candidates, and no single one will get a mandate to govern so to speak :-) Its kind of like getting a third party in the U.S. Everyone complains about the status quo but you can't get enough people to agree on an alternative to  make it viable.

That's the problem with not having a really free press. The corporate state controls the media and has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

(Oh, that's not anti-American by the way, the problem is widespread.)

cage, antonia is not taking off that well because she isn't as nice looking as V4.  When I look at the V4 promos compared to promos for 3rd party figures, the V4 wins.  I wish it were other.

Love esther

Miki 4 has a nice shape. Miki 4 with V4 head and textures wouldn't be bad.

I don't think Antonia has any problems that can't be solved tho.

Laurie

what about her low polyness?   

Well I hope you are right. I'd love her to succeed.

Love esther

I don't really think she's that low ;). Maybe the low poly version, but not the higher poly one.

Laurie

Hmmm. And if you look at the V4 promos compared to hers, do you not think the V4 ones look prettier?

Love esther

Quote - Hmmm. And if you look at the V4 promos compared to hers, do you not think the V4 ones look prettier?

Love esther

Have you seen Cage's Babs and Harley for Antonia? They shame any Babs or Harley that has ever been done for V4.  The potential is still there.  It just takes the right loving hands.

got a link? I can't find any renders of those.

Love esther

I think Antonia has enough polys. Of course, the default face is "average," by design, but that's fine with me, really.

Pretty much my only gripe is the distinctive lip.

well I think you've explained "what happened to antonia" quite nicely.  that sums it up.  she is useful for renders with an average face, not many detailed morphs and a distinctive lip.  that is just not sufficient for a figure to be really popular.

Love esther

Well, hold on. There's a difference between what's default and usefulness. I never said Antonia couldn't be beautifully morphed. I said her default look is average. There's a huge difference there.

but the default look is what makes a figure popular to some extent, and then it is people actually making renders in the add-on packs with beautiful promos.  that hasn't happened for antonia.  

This is probably heresy but i'm not quite sure why everyone seems to be enamored with Miki. I for one hope that E Frontier continues to work on the Terai Yuki figure... Of course the comparison between Miki and TY is apples and oranges due to the manga style of TY while Miki is more realistic. I wonder if the future of the TY figure is somewhat in question considering the ability of the Daz Genesis figure to easily satisfy a user base need for this kind of archetype.

Antonia has plenty of polygons.

Oh wait, none of you have that version... Yet...