Attached Link: Model Packager Preview

Hi all thanx for all the input thus far on your poser directory information. Id like a little input. Please take a few moments and browse around the window by clicking the arrows, menu options, and buttons to see what packager currently does. http://www.brycetech.com/stufftodelete/help.html Im primarily interested in getting it to package things and link check...but will soon contain a pretty neat cr2 editor, rsr converter, morph manager, and graphic phi builder. after this input stage, I'll probably start some basic beta testing and I will need as the first tester a person who runs either win ME or win 98. The reason being I know it will work on those platforms and this will help me be sure to include all necessary dll's and such for the vb runtime. thanx for any input you can give :) BT

I run Win 98 Looks good so far :) Can't wait to see it when its done. Looks like a great tool so far

I run ME, Ill send you my e-mail addy. Program looks good, curious to test it for you... MA :-)

I am on '98, here. I would love to test for you. Poppibird1@cs.com

Looks great. A couple of things; first can you set the app so that it never gives two readme files exactly the same name? Readme's overwriting each other (particularly when unzipping) is a real pain. Second, showing my ignorance here, If you're putting a phi builder in, is it possible to name the rotations in the phi builder? Once having set the rotation to give it a name. I know you can rename them -er somehow- in Poser, but this app is supposed to make things easier? And similarly a 'hide this one' option, or would that be in the CR2 editor? (I said I was showing my ignorance) Anyway looks cool so far. I'm running 98 and I'd love to have a go. regards peejay

heh im not on the phi builder part yet: but the plan is to offer "templates" that you can use to set your model to which would automatically generate the proper parenting and rotational settings for the model. this would allow a vast 'speed up' in the phi building process...100 joint models in 3 minutes instead of 3 hours. Perhaps even a "draw" interface where you just draw a rough line indicating bones and let it do phi automatically. Anyhow, there has to be an easier way. Its not the model part that holds me back now, its the basic 'hum-drum' stuff that just eats time. I cant go into the "one model for all models" technique until I kill this other time eating schtuff. I also may add a way to make a model conform to the standard naming practices once the template is chosen, this makes it behave better for the user and easier to set up for the critter maker...its all just text editing, and computers are wonderful for automating that :) it does not currently produce an identical 'readme' file name...that is within limits. If you save using the 'save all' feature of the program, it creates a readme file called: [modelname]readme.txt where modelname is the name you have assigned to the model. so if you make a readme for a model called "octopus" and use save all to save the file, it would save the file as octopus_readme.txt, thus preventing overwriting of readme files. Its set up this way because if you were to have 50 models selected and 'save all', it has to give each one a different name for all 50 readme files to prevent itself from overwriting things. I really probably ought to change that til it says readme[modelname].txt instead, but for now its ok. and yes, anyone who wants to help test..please send me an email. Testing will begin very soon on the packaging portion/link checking parts of the program. My email addy is: brycetech@yahoo.com the morph manager, phi-builder, cr2 editor will be added while the packaging is being tested. Actually, the link checker could be 'stand-alone' cause it doesnt need any info from the base program (other than a poser directory). If I feel really REALLY ambitious, I may try to put a joint editor in it. Poser sucks at making default falloff zones...I dont see why tho because a group has a 'top' and 'bottom' which can be determined mathematically based upon vertex points. The joint falloffs should be more reliable if a joint editor looked at this then generated a falloff zone. (thinking out loud here) anyhow, its fun to make this..so who knows what it will end up doing. Especially when testers start offering the "can you make it do "x" comments :) Poser and Bryce people are great at making suggestions..and pushing a program into an area it was not made for :) BT

The packager looks like a nice app! But remember, for Renderosity store, they tell us to create a Runtime directory under C:/ as if it were inside the Poser directory. The whole E:/Poser/ thing in the packager wouldn't fly with the store. Can you do something about that?

it does that...the e:/poser/ yadayada is the location on my drive.. the actual copy to folder is "{app}" + the subdirectories...which means the poser directories....so it does "fly" :) I make stuff for distribution so Im very well aware of standard store requirements...and in all honesty, most people did that anyhow..but a few started unzipping things to the desktop and that was causing problems. The unzip-to-runtime thing that stores use now is just a courtesy for customers...and rightly so IMHO. :) BT

Are you planning a mac version? (crosses fingers!) Baz

Brycetech, Do you need a beta tester for WinXP?

Thank you, Brycetech, for clarifying. We shall all be flying in high style, pretty soon, thanks to you! :^)

c:poser? no no no, it should be (whatever):runtime. then you extract it to your poser directory, and everything lands where it belongs. you can't do poser, because some people have it under poser 4 and some people have it under poser 3 or poser4 or poser3 or whatever. anyway, brycetech, if you're REAL brave, i can test it. i have 98 that is... shall we say, quite customized? ;)

yep bloodsong, I would LOVE you to test it. You distribute, critter create, and are very familiar with links and manipulating the cr2..your help can only make it better :) and to clarify...for the packager, you select your poser.exe file for the program to determine how to install the files from that point. It will create installation directories starting with "runtime" and trickle down, as one would expect. it prefaces its database directories with "{app}" (which represents poser.exe) so that that it has a reference point. It does indeed create 100% extractable folders that properly install into the poser directory as is asked for by the various stores. Blood, please send me an email (brycetech@yahoo.com) so I may add you to the beta test list group...a nice selection of tester is forming. I'm very excited. By weekend, we should be started :) BT

oh I missed all the other posts by all means sarge..please send me an email! I am using the latest version of vb, so it should run on xp..but wont know until we get it there...and I may have to do research to work around some differences in it. Thus far, Ive dodged the 'os' check..but in all honesty, I will probably have to do it in the end cause it wont run on win95 now. (thats why I asked for os usage earlier) If I have to make the os check to make it run on xp, then I will make it work on 95 too. and no atrice, currently there is no plan to make a mac version. The response from users of macs was not high enough for me to push to learn java or some other cross-platform language. Sincerely sorry about that mac folks, but I have vb and know how to use it...Id have to learn java (or whatever) and buy the program..yada yada. maybe when done, a mac programmer will take some of the "must have" parts and make them mac compatible or will share some schooling with me so that I can do it later. again, to beta test..please send me an email so that I can put you in the tester directory. Initially it will be on 98 or ME..once Im positive all runtimes and additional files necessary to make it run are included..it will move on to the other windows versions. probably by mid next week. thanx all! :) BT

Ah well, thanks for replying Brycetech Baz

wohoo!! i get to test brycies thing!! how little does he realize that i can break ANYthing. it just better not need ie, ie integration, or direct x 7 or higher. :)