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Poser - OFFICIAL F.A.Q (Last Updated: 2024 Dec 22 10:18 pm)
Subject: Poser with Mac
If you are thinking of becoming a content creator for Poser I would stick with a Windows machine, many (Many!) 3rd party plug-ins and utility apps for editing Poser files etc. are windows only. The list is quite comprehensive. Of course you can run some of these with hardware virtualization. I'm a long time Mac user who does most of his Posering on an old souped up pre intel mac, getting ready to purchase a decent windows machine so that I can join the prominant Poser throng (and, hell, the 21st century for that matter).
The one advantage I've gained by being in the Mac margins is the ability to dig around inside Poser files with a text editor rather than relying on an automated solution via a dedicated app. Also my Mac has been running for over a decade with nary a hiccup, something you don't see often with Windows machines. Sigh.
Again, Poser is Very Much a windows-centric app in that so many community focused indie developers choose to utilize windows as the platform for their creations. More so than any other 3d art tool in my collection...
Love Macs, just not with Poser.
I have been using a Mac and Poser since the original version. It works fine.
If you plan on doing content creation, there are a few things that you miss but you can also run those on a emulated partition if you really need them. Most times you would be able to get by without them.
One thing to know is regarding merging runtime folders. It can be a bit tricky on older versions of the OS because it replaces rather than merges. But you can get around that and it shouldn't be a problem with a new Mac.
Again, most issues would be only if you wanted to make content but if you just want to use stuff, 97% of stuff will work OK. This is true at Rendo, RDNA, DAZ, etc.
I don't make content, except a few things on 3D Studio or Hexagon for my own use. But I understand from what you say that if I ever decide to do so, it will be difficult with a Mac. I've never wanted to change for a Mac before but, having recently lost my hard drive with all my downloaded files and work, and considering that I have to start all over again, I was dreaming of a reliable machine, not using Windows. And from what I hear from Mac Users, the Mac IS that machine.
Hello everybody,
I have a question about using a Mac with Poser. I have been using Poser for a while now on my pc but I'm considering changing for a Mac. Are there people using Poser with Mac around here ? I have always hesitated doing such a thing because I am afraid that many resources would not work on Mac. I know DAZ always provides both pc and Mac files when you buy something but I have never seen this on Renderosity or Runtime DNA. Does it mean that Renderosity resources wouldn't work on pc ? Sorry if my question is stupid but I have absolutely no idea of how a mac works. Any advice about using Poser on a Mac would be welcome.
Welcome to the side of light, justice, the search for the thinnest computer possible, and the home of design over functionality.
Yes, there are people on Macs. I am on a 4,1 MacPro. There is no need for separate Mac & PC files - that was a DAZ legacy due to their insistence on using installers. Poser files are text files or python scripts, which except for a few legacy products (Hair Content System II), run under Poser on OSX or Windows.
As far as the It's hard to develop on OSX; I don't know what these people are talking about. There is very, very little that is really "PC only" - Install XQuartz & WINE to your OSX installation, and you are good to go. Feel free to ignore most of what has been posted above.
"PC only" Poser helper apps that I run successfully on a weekly or daily basis in WINE are:
Morphing Clothes & Morphing Manager (Not really needed if you have Poser Pro 2014 - and you should [File - Copy Morphs From command] ), Geometry Stripper; NifSkope; S.T.O.M.P.; all of D3D's scripts that I own, (Tool collection - Add Morph; AltGeom; ConCloth; EmbGeom; FileRefs; Filter; IK; InjScript; MorphInj; ToPose; XTalk), UV Mapper; UV Viewer; Xdresser4; Xpression Magic (Windows versions)
As a vendor, the most important thing to remember is:
THERE IS NO NEED TO TELL YOUR USERS TO USE MACCONVERTER.
Let me repeat that, because it sounded important.
THERE IS NO NEED TO TELL YOUR USERS TO USE MACCONVERTER.
Macconverter was an OS9 program that would convert Poser 3 content to a format Poser 4 could read. The fact that it hasn't been needed in over a decade hasn't stopped legions of windows based vendors costing themselves money as users vainly searched for www.softrabbit.com (which shut down over a decade ago).
The second most important thing to remember -
There is no need to make material .pz2 files - those were a hack for Poser 4. Join the 21st century - Material .mc6 files can be read by both Poser & Daz Studio. Put materials in the Material folders where SM & god intend for them to be. If the luddites complain, send them to Netherworks Studio - he has a wonderful product called Batch Material Converter, that will convert .pz2s to .mc6s and vice versa and will even move them to the proper folders. It's fast too - I converted a V4 clothing Runtime (over 40Gb) in less than 90 seconds.
The third most important thing to remember -
There is no need to make .rsr files. Yes, we still have people making them. Poser hasn't been able to read them for the past 3 iterations. Don't be that vendor.
Mac user here. If you're moving to Mac there will be some programs that will be PC only whether you use Poser or not. You can deal with Windows only apps with Wine, as mentioned, or an emulator like VMware Fusion, fairly cheap for what it does, or CrossOver, which packages Wine in a nice Mac like interface. I use Crossover and RSR converter to convert old files and to merge runtimes. With Fusion I never, ever, worry about incompatible software.
________________________________
"You can take my Mac when you pry it from my cold dead hands."
There are plenty of programs that you can use with a Mac. Hell, Poser STARTED on a Mac. Some tools for creation are Windows only, and the only thing I've ever seen Poser release that wasn't fully Windows and PC compatible is the Kinect attachment in Pro Game Dev and that's a Windows product.
So no you shouldn't need any extra tools or anything from using Poser on a Mac. Unless you use DAZ products cause I'm pretty sure DAZ hates Mac users. Yeah, that's just my opinion, mind you, but it is based on my 15 years worth of experience buying stuff, or rather, not being able to buy certain stuff, from DAZ.
"You can take my Mac when you pry it from my cold dead hands."
There are plenty of programs that you can use with a Mac. Hell, Poser STARTED on a Mac. Some tools for creation are Windows only, and the only thing I've ever seen Poser release that wasn't fully Windows and PC compatible is the Kinect attachment in Pro Game Dev and that's a Windows product.
So no you shouldn't need any extra tools or anything from using Poser on a Mac. Unless you use DAZ products cause I'm pretty sure DAZ hates Mac users. Yeah, that's just my opinion, mind you, but it is based on my 15 years worth of experience buying stuff, or rather, not being able to buy certain stuff, from DAZ.
No, DAZ doesn't "hate" Mac users - to hate, they would actually have to think about them. Mac users are just irrelevant to them. I am still pissed about paying $158 for a copy of Cararra 6 that never did run under OSX, and DAZ never delivered the bug fix that they promised us. That was when I started to pay attention to the company.
"You can take my Mac when you pry it from my cold dead hands."
There are plenty of programs that you can use with a Mac. Hell, Poser STARTED on a Mac. Some tools for creation are Windows only, and the only thing I've ever seen Poser release that wasn't fully Windows and PC compatible is the Kinect attachment in Pro Game Dev and that's a Windows product.
So no you shouldn't need any extra tools or anything from using Poser on a Mac. Unless you use DAZ products cause I'm pretty sure DAZ hates Mac users. Yeah, that's just my opinion, mind you, but it is based on my 15 years worth of experience buying stuff, or rather, not being able to buy certain stuff, from DAZ.
No, DAZ doesn't "hate" Mac users - to hate, they would actually have to think about them. Mac users are just irrelevant to them. I am still pissed about paying $158 for a copy of Cararra 6 that never did run under OSX, and DAZ never delivered the bug fix that they promised us. That was when I started to pay attention to the company.
And what, it took Opti-tex two or three years to finally get a dynamic cloth plug-in that worked on a Mac for Studio. Yeah, I know, technically, that wasn't DAZ's fault, but they were the one's that were making the half-assed software that needed the Windows-only plug-in in the first place. And that wasn't the only one.
"And what, it took Opti-tex two or three years to finally get a dynamic cloth plug-in that worked on a Mac for Studio. Yeah, I know, technically, that wasn't DAZ's fault, but they were the one's that were making the half-assed software that needed the Windows-only plug-in in the first place. And that wasn't the only one."
Well the OP has made it clear that he wont be needing any poser content
"development utilities" so moving to OSX wont be an issue for his particular needs.
However on the matter of 3D/Cg in general,
All of the really useful and cutting edge tools are on the windows platform that is just the reality of today.
I recently made a "partial migration" to windows 7 after being Mac only since 1995.
My primary motivation being to access better,yet still affordable,
Character animation tools Such as Iclone pro.
I must say I regret waiting this long to get a windows machine
and continue to be amazed at new world of software now open to me.
I Still use My mac as My major 3D programs are on that old Machine.
But going forward I would not recommend Mac OSX to anyone
seeking to do serious 3D animation beyond the world of Poser/DAZ.
The cMPs were price competitive with Dell & HP workstations - but were built so much better. Mine is so easy to upgrade, I couldn't imagine going back to doing upgrades on a PC. The biggest thing is that they are built like tanks & will last a very long time. I expect to get at least another 4 - 5 years out of my flashed 4,1 Mac Pro.
Macs have always been more innovative that PCs, which is why they've always been more expensive. That's not really a knock at PCs, though. It's just that PC hardware has always been more standardized. So you buy can buy parts from almost anywhere and build your own PC. You can't really do that with a Mac though. Although, at one time you could, but that was years ago, when Apple actually licensed someone else to make and sell Mac compatible PCs. They were cheaper than the real Macs though and Apple's bottom line was dropping like a rock. So that didn't last long. After that they brought back Steve Jobs... etc.
Forgot to post links:
X-Quartz can be found here:
http://xquartz.macosforge.org/landing/
WINE for OSX can be found here:
http://winebottler.kronenberg.org/
Wine bottler will enable you to convert those pesky “Windows Only” programs to OSX apps.
Thanks for the awesome tip on WINE. I love these forums. I have also never experienced a shortfall running Poser on a Mac that has anything to do with platform. With DAZ figures, DSON is what it is. It works, kind of.
Hello everybody,
I have a question about using a Mac with Poser. I have been using Poser for a while now on my pc but I'm considering changing for a Mac. Are there people using Poser with Mac around here ? I have always hesitated doing such a thing because I am afraid that many resources would not work on Mac. I know DAZ always provides both pc and Mac files when you buy something but I have never seen this on Renderosity or Runtime DNA. Does it mean that Renderosity resources wouldn't work on pc ? Sorry if my question is stupid but I have absolutely no idea of how a mac works. Any advice about using Poser on a Mac would be welcome.
Welcome to the side of light, justice, the search for the thinnest computer possible, and the home of design over functionality.
Yes, there are people on Macs. I am on a 4,1 MacPro. There is no need for separate Mac & PC files - that was a DAZ legacy due to their insistence on using installers. Poser files are text files or python scripts, which except for a few legacy products (Hair Content System II), run under Poser on OSX or Windows.As far as the It's hard to develop on OSX; I don't know what these people are talking about. There is very, very little that is really "PC only" - Install XQuartz & WINE to your OSX installation, and you are good to go. Feel free to ignore most of what has been posted above.
"PC only" Poser helper apps that I run successfully on a weekly or daily basis in WINE are:
Morphing Clothes & Morphing Manager (Not really needed if you have Poser Pro 2014 - and you should [File - Copy Morphs From command] ), Geometry Stripper; NifSkope; S.T.O.M.P.; all of D3D's scripts that I own, (Tool collection - Add Morph; AltGeom; ConCloth; EmbGeom; FileRefs; Filter; IK; InjScript; MorphInj; ToPose; XTalk), UV Mapper; UV Viewer; Xdresser4; Xpression Magic (Windows versions)
As a vendor, the most important thing to remember is:
THERE IS NO NEED TO TELL YOUR USERS TO USE MACCONVERTER.
Let me repeat that, because it sounded important.
THERE IS NO NEED TO TELL YOUR USERS TO USE MACCONVERTER.
Macconverter was an OS9 program that would convert Poser 3 content to a format Poser 4 could read. The fact that it hasn't been needed in over a decade hasn't stopped legions of windows based vendors costing themselves money as users vainly searched for www.softrabbit.com (which shut down over a decade ago).
The second most important thing to remember -
There is no need to make material .pz2 files - those were a hack for Poser 4. Join the 21st century - Material .mc6 files can be read by both Poser & Daz Studio. Put materials in the Material folders where SM & god intend for them to be. If the luddites complain, send them to Netherworks Studio - he has a wonderful product called Batch Material Converter, that will convert .pz2s to .mc6s and vice versa and will even move them to the proper folders. It's fast too - I converted a V4 clothing Runtime (over 40Gb) in less than 90 seconds.
The third most important thing to remember -
There is no need to make .rsr files. Yes, we still have people making them. Poser hasn't been able to read them for the past 3 iterations. Don't be that vendor.
But don't you need .rsr files for the thumbnails in the Library within poser?
I have a sheitz load of old content that had thumbnails from Poser 4 and for the Mil2 figures which when i transferred them to my MacBook Pro for Poser 7 and now PoserPro 2014 left me without thumbnails forcing me to go folder by folder, item by item open and create new versions to save back into the library just to find them efficiently later. Gotta say it sucks having to do that but it sucks worse looking for something in the middle of setting up a scene and not being able to find it because all the thumbs are gone for old stuff.
I am not the sharpest nail in the bag so if you have a shorter way of accomplishing this would surely like to know about it.
Also, if you already have a fairly reliable windows machine keep it for all the third part apps and utilities and use the Mac for the other stuff. Networked systems are great ans since the newer Mac OS are able to work with long file names now and most of the apps work across platforms you should be in heaven with the best of both worlds.
I went from an old Mac 8600 030 system running Poser 4 and 4 megs of RAM to a new souped up MacBook Pro with 8 gigs of RAM an i7 quad processor with a dual graphics card configuration.
God what a freaking difference.
I have been using Macs for over 20 years while also using Windows machines in the design/Digital Retouch and pre-press industry and can tell you I know NO ONE who has taken the step-up to Macs who went back to Windows. With the dual graphics card configuration, built-into all Macs since the Mac IIci, you can work with a 13 inch MacBook Pro fully rigged and maxed out and plug into a large screen monitor and you be in heaven. The best of both worlds working on a large screen and still having portability when you need it.
And there is a price difference. Macs and Mac-hardware are way more expensive than PC stuff. I don't see any reason to move to Mac at all. O:K: Macs look better - cooool ;)
The old adage:
"YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR".
Realistically if you are going to buy a computer most Mac people I know including myself, buy the best most powerful system you can afford and rarely upgrade anything.. That idea seems more a techie idiosycracy than a graphic persons ideal.
I want a transparent OS with a great and intuitive interface with power and ease of use. Mac has ALWAYS had that and that is why I have been using Macs for 20 plus years starting with the old work horse Mac IIci to now my wonderful maxed out MacBook Pro.
Once you go Mac you never go back. At least I know of nobody in the graphics/illustration/photo restoration/Pre Press industry i have been in for 20+ years who did so.
"But don't you need .rsr files for the thumbnails in the Library within poser?
I have a sheitz load of old content that had thumbnails from Poser 4 and for the Mil2 figures which when i transferred them to my MacBook Pro for Poser 7 and now PoserPro 2014 left me without thumbnails forcing me to go folder by folder, item by item open and create new versions to save back into the library just to find them efficiently later. Gotta say it sucks having to do that but it sucks worse looking for something in the middle of setting up a scene and not being able to find it because all the thumbs are gone for old stuff.
I am not the sharpest nail in the bag so if you have a shorter way of accomplishing this would surely like to know about it."
Hi Shante
there were quite a few free RSR>to PNG converters floating about for while .
Not so many these days but a quick google search found me this very simple apple script based one
give it a try.
I love my mac for handling its programs that handle photos, and music and it's rock solid where I don't have to reboot the thing for weeks at a time. However, in Apple's pursuit of thinner and lighter, they are no longer the work horse I need to do my work. My last MacBook pro was 17 inches and had an i7, but you can't get that size anymore... and I loved that size as I could work anywhere in the house or take it on the road when I travel and do some sculpting. However rendering on thinner machines causes the fans to kick into high gear when I'm not wild about and reduces the lifespan of my machine. The GPUs on macs have always been a big fail, never enough for what you need. I'll use it for graphics though, but my workhorse is a 6 core i7 that's watercooled and has two NVidia graphics cards in it. I bought that when I was ready to buy another machine and walked into the Apple Store, saw absolutely nothing that met my needs and walked out the store with an ipad and placed an order on Newegg for PC parts. So for future macs I'll probably downgrade to either a mini to stream music and videos, and if I usually travel with my work laptop which I installed zbrush and my ipad, though they'll probably switch me over to a surface pro by summer if this pilot goes through.
"But don't you need .rsr files for the thumbnails in the Library within poser?
I have a sheitz load of old content that had thumbnails from Poser 4 and for the Mil2 figures which when i transferred them to my MacBook Pro for Poser 7 and now PoserPro 2014 left me without thumbnails forcing me to go folder by folder, item by item open and create new versions to save back into the library just to find them efficiently later. Gotta say it sucks having to do that but it sucks worse looking for something in the middle of setting up a scene and not being able to find it because all the thumbs are gone for old stuff.
I am not the sharpest nail in the bag so if you have a shorter way of accomplishing this would surely like to know about it."
Hi Shante
there were quite a few free RSR>to PNG converters floating about for while .
Not so many these days but a quick google search found me this very simple apple script based one
give it a try.
thanks Wolf. I got it and will give it a spin.
How you doing dawg? things looking up for you and the family?
shante
But don't you need .rsr files for the thumbnails in the Library within poser?
I have a sheitz load of old content that had thumbnails from Poser 4 and for the Mil2 figures which when i transferred them to my MacBook Pro for Poser 7 and now PoserPro 2014 left me without thumbnails forcing me to go folder by folder, item by item open and create new versions to save back into the library just to find them efficiently later. Gotta say it sucks having to do that but it sucks worse looking for something in the middle of setting up a scene and not being able to find it because all the thumbs are gone for old stuff.
I am not the sharpest nail in the bag so if you have a shorter way of accomplishing this would surely like to know about it.
No, the ability to read an .rsr files was dropped with the release of Poser 8/2010.
I use RSR converter (freeware) to convert my .rsr files.
http://braintrigger.com/software/RSRConv/
Been using a Mac since the Mac Plus, now have a black trash can Mac Pro model at home and a 2012 Mac Book Pro to run poser on when I travel that both have emulators to run anything I need in windows. Yeah the MBP can get hot rendering out a huge scene with the settings cranked up. And yes I do from time to time create content for personal use and have no issues doing so on either machine. Back in the Poser 6-7 days there where issues, but that has all changed as the tech has vastly imporved. Windoze are for looking through. Plus I stay away from products that are made be any company named after their male short comings.
Of course you could always wait until Poser runs on your watch before making the switch! :)
Gary
"Those who lose themselves in a passion lose less than those who lose their passion"
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Hello everybody,
I have a question about using a Mac with Poser. I have been using Poser for a while now on my pc but I'm considering changing for a Mac. Are there people using Poser with Mac around here ? I have always hesitated doing such a thing because I am afraid that many resources would not work on Mac. I know DAZ always provides both pc and Mac files when you buy something but I have never seen this on Renderosity or Runtime DNA. Does it mean that Renderosity resources wouldn't work on pc ? Sorry if my question is stupid but I have absolutely no idea of how a mac works. Any advice about using Poser on a Mac would be welcome.