I'm very odd with my poser renders. Everything, and I mean everything has to be just right. I'm very meticulous with my characters to the point of being OCD with how everything has to workand look just right. If a finger is bent in an unrealistic way, if an object doesn't seem like it's weight is truely represented, if something is wrong and it's not even going to be visible in the render, I MUST fix it or the final render is ruined. This is probably why I never show off any renders, I always find the smallest details that I feel are wrong and I never get a final render done.

I don't know if anyone else is like that, but seeing everyone post renders makes me think that I'm alone in this ocd-ish way of trying to reach perfection.

Probably not alone.  I suspect there are a sizeable minority of users like you.  The majority, however, use canned everything and have the dead fish eyes, figures floating above the ground, hair intersecting everything and gravity defying breasts.  Oh, and multiple (usually depth mapped) shadows for outdoor lighting.

I hardly render these days - not at all at the moment - and spend most of my Poser time rigging and testing.  When I do render, I try to get everything right but sometimes things escape my attention.  

I'm a bit OCD with my renders too. There does come a time when I say enough is enough and stop trying to fix everything and call it done. I usually save my scenes. There have been several images I've gone back to several versions later to see if I can improve on them. So I guess I'm never truly done.

I realized very shortly after starting with Poser that I would never get the realism that I wanted or that it would take years to get close enough, so I decided to ficus on the message of the image rather than the detail.

I spent hours trying to fix pokethru and other defects , then said ENOUGH! and started doing some postwork.

I think the thing is , as a hobby, to enjoy what you do and not obsess over it to the point that it's no longer recreation. Post a pic and see what response it gets.

I think I learned a lesson many years ago, when I was building model aircraft.  I built one of what I thought was a particularly beautiful light aircraft, an observation plane from WWII.  When it was done, there were errors, I thought glaring errors that I could see, thought everyone else would.

At the time, the place I flew, I could count on seeing a well respected old time model builder, Jim Noonan if anyone needs a name.  Jim was never harsh in his criticism, but he was also a scale judge at the contests that were held there, and he had a critical eye.  Jim picked the plane up, and I waited for the critique, expecting to hear a lot, none of it really good.

His comment, "I don't like your covering material, but I have to say you're a master working with it". 

The highest praise I've ever received, and the lesson, there can be errors, most people won't see them, even when they're looking for them. 

If a render says what I wanted it to say, I've learned enough not to keep going back over it until it no longer says what I wanted.

Doric.

For me, it depends on what mood I'm in. Some days I just can't seem to get anything the way I want. Other days, I just don't give a damn. LOL

Laurie

I think the thing I hate most, Laurie, when I spend several hours arranging props, posing the figure, do a test render,"Now, I just move her (or him) this way a little and", start over.  Because that last move blew the whole thing.

Doric.

I tend to be the kind of Poser user that spends more time experimenting or fiddling around with things rather than going for the point A, point B renders... More so than in many other media, digital art is conducive to meandering.

I guess I tend to be happiest with a render when at least one aspect of it has involved an exploration of something new... or some part of doing it has expanded my understanding and knowledge about the medium and software.

I'd say I'm definitely in the same camp as primorge, when it comes to meandering.

I guess I like to share my results though... so I'm not inclined to be shy of posting renders, many of which are really just in the WIP category.

I suppose "complete" for me is just the point I think "that'll do for now", then get caught up on the next idea...

I'm not too much of a perfectionist, in many ways...

I like to experiment with shaders, usually a crazy idea pops into my head and keeps me occupied for hours, the actual render takes second place to the knowledge gained in trying to achieve this or that effect, i've been working on one for Primorges challenge and have binned about 30 attempts so far, other times i too think sod it, that'll do, move on.

I'm still trying to get the lighting down. I will post in our gallery and ask people what do you think is wrong and how can I improve.  Still learning..

I like to experiment and learn a little more about Poser as I go.  My present interest is lighting and materials but I do want to get into modelling as well.

In most of my renders I am more concerned about the portraying some sort of emotion correctly be it huror, sadness distress and so on.  I try and make sure I do not fall for the simple mistakes like feet hovering off the floor of limbs bent at impossible angles. If it is a close up I tend to be very fussy about the highlights in the eyes but that may come from my photography days. 

I do upload renders mostly to see if I can get any guidance, for example I posted one and there was a comment that they found the colour of an ornament behind the character distracting.  I reworked the render changing the colour and they were spot on and it worked a lot better.  It was something I had not of noticed but another factor I look for these days.

I suppose the bottom line is I like to try and expand my skills but I want fun along the way.

Quote - I've been working on one for Primorges challenge and have binned about 30 attempts so far, other times i too think sod it, that'll do, move on.

Me too... binned about ten scenes for this comp, so far ;)

The current scene is almost there, but, aside from working out the nitty gritty of this magnifying glass element... which is becoming something of an intriguing distraction from the original task in hand... I've now got an issue with some toon tentacles refusing to stay in position!!

Dunno what's going on there... and even reverting to a time machine backup from when I know they were definitely in the correct pose before, it's the same issue... weirdness!

...it'll teach me for straying into tentacle rendering territory I expect... he he ;)

you have got OCD then Chris, Optical Chumfering Disorder, chumfering being the word that you use when muttering things like "!! Chumfering shader"  or "these chumfering tentacles might as well be testicles"...........

Quote - you have got OCD then Chris, Optical Chumfering Disorder, chumfering being the word that you use when muttering things like "!! Chumfering shader"  or "these chumfering tentacles might as well be testicles"...........

Indeed!

I think, in my case, its also a nasty dose of Octopoid Cephalopodic Distress ;-)

I use Poser purely for animation to create mini movies for fun.

My original hobby was filmmaking (40yrs) but as I got older and got my first PC I looked

into using Poser. 

I wish I'd put more studying into animation so I just do the best i can.

When it comes to rendering etc I just shut my eyes and hope for the best..:)

Attention to detail is important in producing a convincing picture - as SamTherapy commented, there are plenty of examples to be found which seem to lack even the most basic self critique. However, I can find many of these faults in my own early works - we're all part of a learning process, or else why are we here?

You do need to know where to stop though, since there's a point of diminishing returns beyond which you'll put in loads of work but won't get any noticeable improvement. This point will vary according to the artist. Reading between the lines of your first post, it seems that you have concerns about your level of involvement, in which case it might be helpful if you learned when to let go of a project. ;)

Postwork was the key for me. Once I have the render as good as I can get it - expressions and body language sorted out, lighting optimised and so on - I take it into PostworkShop and deliberately transform it into someting that is evidently not intended to look realistic. That saves me from agonising over the last 5% of realism that I'm probably never going to achieve.  

I use Poser renders only as the raw basic concept and real work gets done outside Poser towards an illustrative/comic hand-drawn imitative style. I'm probably in a minority using Poser as a conceptual motor only. The realism aspect of the render process is thus irrelevant to me and so are defects in the final render because the end result is going to look so different anyway.

I wouldn't consider you "odd" as you call yourself, JohnDoe641. Meticulous is a better word. There is nothing wrong with trying to make something the best it can be.  More people should put more of their own content into their images instead of buying everything and clicking render. Nothing unique about renders all showing the same items bought from the store.  It's great for the vendor but not the viewer.

SamTherapy summed it up perfectly a few replies back.

Some people posting in the galleries couldn't care less about perfection.  Body parts going through objects among other obvious things.  Their friends don't seem to notice anyway because it doesn't stop them from favouriting the image(s) even though the image(s) is/are not perfect.  As long as the comments and favourites pour in, the poster of the image is happy.

I made a lot of comic style panels and always tried to pose and express the characters to make it look like they were alive in the scenes they were in.

Quote - I'm very odd with my poser renders. Everything, and I mean everything has to be just right. I'm very meticulous with my characters to the point of being OCD with how everything has to workand look just right. If a finger is bent in an unrealistic way, if an object doesn't seem like it's weight is truely represented, if something is wrong and it's not even going to be visible in the render, I MUST fix it or the final render is ruined. This is probably why I never show off any renders, I always find the smallest details that I feel are wrong and I never get a final render done.

I don't know if anyone else is like that, but seeing everyone post renders makes me think that I'm alone in this ocd-ish way of trying to reach perfection.

I have a feeling you are a first born or an only child.

Quote - > Quote - I'm very odd with my poser renders. Everything, and I mean everything has to be just right. I'm very meticulous with my characters to the point of being OCD with how everything has to workand look just right. If a finger is bent in an unrealistic way, if an object doesn't seem like it's weight is truely represented, if something is wrong and it's not even going to be visible in the render, I MUST fix it or the final render is ruined. This is probably why I never show off any renders, I always find the smallest details that I feel are wrong and I never get a final render done.

I don't know if anyone else is like that, but seeing everyone post renders makes me think that I'm alone in this ocd-ish way of trying to reach perfection.

 

I have a feeling you are a first born or an only child.

Is it that obvious that I'm the one and only of my parents? :P

Hahahah! He was right? :P

Laurie

I was thinking middle child.

Shows what I know.

I was the first born, out of three boys...

Firstborns are smarter yanno ;) (says another born first).

LOL

Laurie

Quote - Firstborns are smarter yanno ;) (says another born first).

LOL

Laurie

Yes, by about 4 IQ points, if the studies are correct.

They are also more ruthless, more vicious, and more likely to become serial killers.

Okay. I admit: I made up that last part.

I guess an only child has the combined traits of first born, middle and last born? ;)

Quote - > Quote - Firstborns are smarter yanno ;) (says another born first).

LOL

Laurie

 

Yes, by about 4 IQ points, if the studies are correct.

They are also more ruthless, more vicious, and more likely to become serial killers.

 

 

 

Okay. I admit: I made up that last part.