Hi everybody,
I'm learning how to make conforming clothing for Poser figures.
In Zbrush I import Vicotia 4, trough the extract command I extract a clothes, a wetsuit, a simple exp to make you understand my question.

As you can see in the photo my wetsuit is made by 2 separated parts: the wetsuit itself (red arrow 2) and the pink stripe (red arrow 1), the stripe is going to hold a zipper that I dont show to keep things easy.
The wetsuit needs a material, the stripe another one, so 2 different mats.
Still in Zbrush uv map as well textrures are done, I assinge a polygroup to the wetsuit, another one to the stripe and export as obj.
Import in 3ds Max, cause the 2 polygroups, I have 2 separated poly regions, one for the wetsuit, one for the stripe so I'm going to assigne one material to the wetsuit, another to the stripe through ID Channel (Multi Sub Object Material). The file is ready to be exported as obj.

I try also to repeat the last step in Cinema 4d too, assigne selection tag, one for the wetsuit, one for the stripe and apply the 2 separated materials.

The final goal is go to Poser to make conforming clothing so my wetsuit need the exact grouping as Victoria 4, the wetsuit is made from Victoria 4 and it is going to dress her.

So, cause my wetsuit needs grouiping I export it to Autogroup Editor as you can see in photo, ,
yuo can see my wetsuit with the 2 separated materials regions.

As soon as I import Victoria 4 obj as a base grouping mesh and assigne Victoria 4 groups I lose materials imformation, ending up in Poser with a props that yes is proper grouped for the setup room, ready to make it conforming, howhaver it has lost the material regions, I can ssigne only one material.
Colud you please be so kind, explain to me what I'm doing wrong?
I'm a beginner, I spent weeks learning the entire workflow and now I'm stack cause this stupid problem, for sure something that I do wrong
Is it right the way that in Max or Cinema, I assigne to my wetsuit the multi materials info?
Could you please coment, tell me what I'm doing wrong?
Thanks a lot!

Open it up in UVMapper and you can assign materials in there without affecting your grouping.

To do this, select a part of the model, lets say the zip area, then go Tools, Assign to, Material, then type in your material name and repeat for other materials..........Steve

Thanks a lot steveshanks for your help.

I dont own UVMapper, I'm going to buy it, give it a try. I spent so many weeks learning the workflow, watching tutorials, etc, I dont want trow away all the time spent in learning cause the above mentioned problem, if I can solve it I will be able to finally do my conforming clothing in a proper way.

Do you suggest to do grouping trogh AutoGroup Editor before then go to UV Mapper and assigne material regions or the opposit, asigne materials in UVMapper then do grouping in AutoGroup Editor?

Any other suggestion using the above mentioned application, cinema 4d or 3ds Max?

For sure there is something that I do wrong cause I'm a beginner.

Thanks alot, your help is really apreciated!

There is a free version of UVMapper that will get you started. The Pro version is well worth paying for, in my opinion. It was the first 3D application that I actually paid money for. (I got Poser 3 off a magazine cover disk, and won Poser 4 in a competition, in case you were thinking I was a warezer. :)

I'd suggest using Autogroup editor first, then tidying up in UVMapper. That's what I did when I used A.G.E. since its grouping wasn't always the best... To be generous... Edited to clarify: by which I mean, tidy up the grouping in UVMapper, then add materials.

Yep as Bob says.

I use Cinema 4d and my workflow is, modeling in Cinema and every material is made a seperate object then exported into Roadkill for mapping (A huge thanks to EnglishBob for his tutorial and putting me onto this great app), then bring everything back into C4d, assign materials and check, then export out, open in uvmapper arrange the map and join everything into one group ready for AutoGroup Editor.........Steve

So are you saying that you lose your Materials once you import/create figure inside of Poser? If so make sure that the Figure you created is calling for the correct obj! Look at the CR2/Obj callout line and make sure it is pointing to the correct folder and obj file.

Thanks a lot to everybody,

DarkEdge you probably are the same DarkEdge, Vendor in Runtime dna, 

I learned how to do conforming, the blanck cr2, the entire workflow from Zbrush on, etc, trough your tutorials and the answers that you gave to me in private emails, really thanks!!!!!!!

I loose my materials region once in Autogroup Editor, from Cinema (throgh riptide pro plug in) I export the obj, If I open this obj in Poser, my wetsuit obviously is not conforming jet, it has not grouping jet, my materials regions are properly displaied as I assigned them in cinema, one material for the wetsuit, one for the stripe. However I need grouping for the conforming, so from Cinema, before go to Poser, I must go to Autogroup editor to assigne grouping base on Victoria 4 grouping, once I assigne the grouping I loose materials informations. The new obj imported in Poser is ready for the setup room, the blank cr2, etc, however in the material room it shows me only one mat for the entire wetsuit, wetsuit and stripe has the same material, the material region info are lost.

If I replace Cinema with 3ds Max, I assigne materials in 3ds Max trough the ID Channel (Multi sub object material) I end up with the exact same problem as explained above. Once in Autogroup editor material regions  info get lost.

Thanks a lot!

Really thanks  steveshanks and EnglishBob

for your help!

So you suggested to do grouping in Autogoup Editor first then go to UV Mapper to assigne material regions. So, as exp my wetsuit, If I understood well before go to Autogroup Editor, still in Cinema, every pieces that need different material, the wetsuit and the stripe, must be separated objects, I must merge them in a single object trough the "connect object delate" command, right? Then export as an obj to Autogroup Editor.

Am I right?

Really thanks again for your precious help.

I'm going to download, install UV Mapper and, folowing all your sugestions. Conctact you again trough this thread in case I will have some problem.

Really thanks again for your precious help, really, really apreciated!!!!!!

hmmm, I'm not sure you should be losing your materials from AutoGroupEditor. There is a work-around if tyou do lose your materials but you need UVMapper for it. In UVMapper you can export your UV's (materials/grouping) and as long as you don't alter the vertices you can re-import those uv's and they will be assigned again back to the obj. The only drawback being that it will re-arrange your groupings too so find the place in your workflow when you lose the materials and have not grouped yet and use uvmapper to reassign your materials to the obj file.

And yes this is me! I'm glad you find my tutorials helpful, it's always wonderful to hear from end users!

Ok and thanks to everybody,

I'm going to install UV Mapper and follow your suggestions, really thanks!