Hello, I'm trying to do a scene with a vast number of poser figures in the background and would like any tips on how I cold reduce the polygon count and/or file size to make rendering feasible. My first idea was to convert the figures into .obj's, but they came out at about 2,500k each. Then I tried .3ds and got them down to 750k each. I'm using poser 7 and don't have any other 3d software. Any ideas wold be appreciated. Thanks.

Render the figures in their Pose one by one and then put them on planes in any graphics app (Gimp, PS ...) cut them out and make the plane transparent

Transparency map

Put the planes in the Scene and render, it renders very quick

This render with 24 V4 took only seconds.

[Jules53757]

This render with 24 V4 took only seconds.

Please god let me not be the only person compelled to count them and find one missing...

IsaoShi posted at 8:05AM Sun, 27 March 2016 - #4262736

[Jules53757]

This render with 24 V4 took only seconds.

Please god let me not be the only person compelled to count them and find one missing...

I was fine until you mentioned it.

Well, it worked, IsaoShi can count, exactly they are only 23

Seeing as they are background figures, why not use some of the old Poser humans? There are even some low poly versions in there, should you wish to go the whole hog. Granted, many of Poser's native figures look like mutants and/or road accident victims but if they're in the background, it shouldn't be too noticeable.

Or, if you have V4/M4, they come with additional low poly objects (1k, 2k,4k and 17k). You only have to replace the V4/M4 objects in the cr2 with one of those. The 17 k figure looks very good. Also, in Poser Pro 11, and also Pro 2014 there is a functionality implemented, under the figure menue, to reduce polycount, c'ant remember if this is in the standard versions too.

In PP014GD (Game dev) you can combine the figures with their hair and clothing. Then you can use the "reduce" poly count to get lower poly posable figures.

Those options are part of the Game Dev upgrade from PP2014. (And are included in PoserPro 11.)

Unfortunately, that doesn't help the OP, Poser 7 is the app of preference.

You can try to render from back to front, and use the render as background for the next render.

The only cost is not just the .cr2 files. Textures make up a large portion of the memory. To reduce the graphics use, first try to use the same texture on each background figure, poser will only keep one copy in memory. Also since they are for background, use a graphics ap to reduce the resolution. reducing the maps from 4k to 2k uses 1/4 the memory

Bill

willyb53 posted at 5:23PM Sun, 27 March 2016 - #4262838

The only cost is not just the .cr2 files. Textures make up a large portion of the memory. To reduce the graphics use, first try to use the same texture on each background figure, poser will only keep one copy in memory. Also since they are for background, use a graphics ap to reduce the resolution. reducing the maps from 4k to 2k uses 1/4 the memory

Bill

Good idea. I'll try that. (I'm only using a small ,jpg on each .3ds object, but I can always scale that down.)

adh3d posted at 5:25PM Sun, 27 March 2016 - #4262837

You can try to render from back to front, and use the render as background for the next render.

Thanks, I always do that in scenes with more than four figures, but the one I'm working on involves a whole tangle of bodies (corpses of extraterrestrials made from poser 4 female, actually)

SamTherapy posted at 5:28PM Sun, 27 March 2016 - #4262764

Seeing as they are background figures, why not use some of the old Poser humans? There are even some low poly versions in there, should you wish to go the whole hog. Granted, many of Poser's native figures look like mutants and/or road accident victims but if they're in the background, it shouldn't be too noticeable.

Thanks, I'm using Poser 4 female, actually.

Jules53757 posted at 5:29PM Sun, 27 March 2016 - #4262716

Render the figures in their Pose one by one and then put them on planes in any graphics app (Gimp, PS ...) cut them out and make the plane transparent

Transparency map

Put the planes in the Scene and render, it renders very quick

This render with 24 V4 took only seconds.

Thanks, that's how I'd do a standing crowd, but what I'm trying to depict is a tangled heap of dead extraterrestrials

just use the color map n resize in gimp to 1024 or 512. there's decimate or polygon reduction apps.

I'm sorry, but Poser 7 is nearly 10 years old.... It's nice of people to help but there's no reason why anyone should still be using Poser 7. Poser 8 was so much better.

moogal posted at 9:03AM Wed, 30 March 2016 - #4263293

I'm sorry, but Poser 7 is nearly 10 years old.... It's nice of people to help but there's no reason why anyone should still be using Poser 7. Poser 8 was so much better.

if it ant broke ,don't fix it ;)

RorrKonn posted at 2:10PM Wed, 30 March 2016 - #4263308

moogal posted at 9:03AM Wed, 30 March 2016 - #4263293

I'm sorry, but Poser 7 is nearly 10 years old.... It's nice of people to help but there's no reason why anyone should still be using Poser 7. Poser 8 was so much better.

if it ant broke ,don't fix it ;)

I use some pretty old stuff myself actually. The oldest program I currently have installed AFAIK is a 3d text converter called Elefont which looks to be from the mid '90s.
But it did occur to me that most people here would be hard pressed to recall offhand what exactly was in Poser 7 versus say version 6 or 8. It's kind of like the problem Microsoft has with XP.... It's not that people are still using it but that people still want support for it.

moogal posted at 5:33PM Wed, 30 March 2016 - #4263352

RorrKonn posted at 2:10PM Wed, 30 March 2016 - #4263308

moogal posted at 9:03AM Wed, 30 March 2016 - #4263293

I'm sorry, but Poser 7 is nearly 10 years old.... It's nice of people to help but there's no reason why anyone should still be using Poser 7. Poser 8 was so much better.

if it ant broke ,don't fix it ;)

I use some pretty old stuff myself actually. The oldest program I currently have installed AFAIK is a 3d text converter called Elefont which looks to be from the mid '90s.
But it did occur to me that most people here would be hard pressed to recall offhand what exactly was in Poser 7 versus say version 6 or 8. It's kind of like the problem Microsoft has with XP.... It's not that people are still using it but that people still want support for it.

I have windows8.1 but some apps on it is set to compatibility xp n older

My fav modeling apps are 1998 truespace R.I.P. ,2004 basic C4D.

I'm concerned 2004 C4D will stop running on windows 10,12, etc etc So keep looking for a modern cheep box modeling app I like as much but ... there's nothing cheep about CGI. Maybe I could afford a rock collecting hobby ;)

Did jwarndt get his render of mangled corpses made ?

If you use P4 woman give a try on Nea who is a figure based on her

Nea 2.12

pitklad Nea is cool ,very cool but her polycount isn't much smaller then the SubD meshes.

One of the +'s of SubD meshes ,lower poly count.