I agree with Basicwiz's post, and most of ssgbryan's. I've been unwilling to post here at times for all the reasons mentioned. Unfortunately, at times, a forum becomes dominated by the 'big dog' players who just like making other people feel intimidated or stupid. I've copped that from Bagginsbill as well, so nobody is perfect. (Note: not saying BB was trying to intimidate or make me feel stupid, he just did)

 

Some observations:

the comment "I'm an artist and I make what I want" is entirely valid. I've worked as a graphic designer and have sold and exhibited work as a fine artist. As a graphic designer the end result is what the client asked for (I realise someone elses vision). A (financially) successful vendor will look at where the gaps and niches are in existing lines and sound out interest in those. An artist makes their own vision a reality and places it on display. My old lecturer would say "if nobody gets it, you failed". Making your own "art" is fine, but expecting it to sell (well) is possibly unrealistic. Making the piece is a challenge; making a unique piece is a greater challenge. Making it work can be very impressive, and will gain you lots of techical credibility. That's no guarantee it will be a popular item sales wise. Still, I've known many artists that felt they had to be 'misunderstood' as a sign of their genius. Go figure.

the biggest issue with search functions is that they are text based, and we work in a visual medium. How do you explain what your problem is in a way that has been used before so the search function can find it? Sometimes I find a post that has something similar and I try those key words, but it not always easy. To the newbies out there, a common request is to post a picture so people know what you are talking about. I've found I got pretty quick (and helpful) answers if I did that up front.

ssgbryan, I fail to see the importance of .mc6 files in light of your 'easy to use' statement further along in your post. If the product works as advertised (load the prop or character and it shows up textured) why do I even need to know what the file format is? I should never have to look at it. Maybe you could do a tutorial for us and explain why it is so important (and how to make them... I have no clue).

I fully agree on the !!!vendor_name thing in vendor formats. The !!! is to put them at the top of the runtime, and then they expect you to know every product they produced so you can find stuff. I have well over 3000 products across several runtimes; my memory isn't that good.

To me, Poser is a tool (like a pen or a brush). Different people will use it different ways to achieve different things. Criticism of 'realism' or 'fantasy' or 'toon' is pointless. I'm glad Poser is working on all of these, even though I don't use most of it. Maybe one day I will.

I could never be a moderator. Read every post? I'd go nuts. Marking assignments is bad enough.