Teyon posted at 9:41PM Tue, 13 March 2018 - #4325954

This isn't going to make me wildly popular (not in the good way). In my opinion, as far as characters are concerned, the only things needed to make a good figure are:

1. Give the artist time. Separate the figure from the software release, that way, they aren't trying to build a new figure with broken or incomplete tech.

2. Keep it simple. Don't over complicate the mesh rigging and don't try to utilize every new bell and whistle in the application because you're mandated to (again, see above).

3. Ignore the community. Sorry folks, we can't please you. Any of you, as long as we actually try to listen to you because you all want different things from a figure. The only thing you all agree on is that you want a figure that looks good and bends well but what looks good and what bends well seems to vary from user to user when you see what you compare stuff to. Trying to please you all while trying to make a "generic" figure is not the way to go. Also, many of you wouldn't know a real person if one came up and slapped you in the face. I legit posted a scan of a woman's head during the creation process of the last figures in a private forum and was told by testers that it didn't look realistic enough. So...yeah.

4. As mentioned above, avoid the "generic" figure approach. Don't try to make an everyman/woman again. Obviously that's not what the user base wants, so make a figure that has character. It not only will make the character interesting to look at (and thus desirable to use) but it will allow the artist to care a bit more about the work. Hard to get excited about working on a generic figure whose sole purpose is to be morphed into anything OTHER than what you originally made.

5. Don't release the figure until you have in not only clothing from the artist and 3 to 5 vendors done but also 5 or 6 vendors lined up for follow up clothing. Ensure that any content made after that figures release is to scale with the figure, so that there is supporting content beyond just clothing. AVOID THE SKIMPY CLOTHING. I get it, most of you like attractive people, that's great but it's not terribly useful and won't make Poser terribly useful outside certain circles, ultimately leading to its demise. So get over your fetishes or at least, don't be too upset if the character doesn't come with a lot that supports your fetishes. Poser is a joke in the wider CG community not because the app is weak or the figures suck but because its user base tends to make soft porn. Real talk.

Last thing and I'm out: You guys are the hearts blood of the community. If you band together to make something work, it will. You have to understand going in that nothing is going to be perfect for everyone. That's an impossibility. Vicky wasn't, the new Daz figures aren't and sure as hell the Poser figures aren't, so I don't know why you are holding to some standard that it must be all things to all people as thought the first thing you all want isn't a morph to change it from the base appearance anyway. Instead, start a gofundme page, pool together some cash and pay an artist to make a figure for the community. Make the only requirements that the mesh be dense enough to morph without the need for subdivision, that it has topology that supports animation and that it's visually appealing TO THE ARTIST. Not the community. This will be a sure fire way to end up with what you all actually want. Too many cooks spoil the soup. We've seen that already. I lived through it and thankfully came out the other side unscathed - relatively. As long as the mesh topo holds up to animation, the eyes and lips have thickness and the base textures are decent without a lot of baked in light, you'll have a figure you can use to do what you want. So don't wait for Smith Micro to do it. Be the change you want to see.

ok, that's it from the peanut gallery. Gonna go back to making games now. Peace out and if I offended anyone I'm sorry for that. I'm just being honest with you guys like I always try to be.

Great post, Teyon I completely agree