i've been working with poser for some time now but i still dont know how to use it to its full potential. i feel like i'm afraid to use it seriously because i'm unable to make poser do for me what it has done for most of you all. can some of you tell me what i should learn to get the most out of poser (ie. morphs, how to make textures, tips for post production work) send web links too if you guys have any. thanx =

Attached Link: http://www.ronknights.com/

The single best recommendation is to read every message in this Forum. If you don't have a lot of time, skim through the subject headers, and look at the things that are most interesting. Ask lots of questions. Be concise. Take particular topic, then ask a question. It's easy to be overwhelmed in the beginning. You can also visit my site. I have lots of Poser art and some great tutorials. I had great difficulty learning lots of basic stuff. My Renderosity friends helped me, and encouraged me to write tutorials. You might say my tutorials are geared toward beginners or "newbies."

check out your cd(s) - you should have a "texture templates" folder and also a load of existing people textures. Just copy those and edit the copy (leave your original) then apply them in the render>materials dialogue. For cool redesigned clothes use a grayscale, 8-bit .bmp texture file where Black = max. trans. and white = no trans., then adjust the max trans on the sliders in render>materials. You can make torn up cut-off jeans with just 2 images - one for the see-thru bits, one to colour in the rest nicely. You can even work with overlaid layers in Photoshop or similar so you get a feel for how your trans. and tex. will interact... Not yet got to grips with morphs, and post-prod. isn't something I need (yet) - I'm studying it at Uni and we have to submit actual renders to prove what we can do in the package itself... Hope I helped, SQR

"...because i'm unable to make poser do for me what it has done for most of you all" it has done nothing to me, nothing. sob. and i gave him so much time and pc-power... sniff ... cheater! ;) never be afraid to ask!!

I have been using Poser for 3 years know and still am afraid of doing things don't feel bad. You gotta just jump in with 2 feet and attack it....LOL...have fun. Sharen

First, don't get stuck in "artist's block" by trying to do something grand. Start by thinking of some image -- maybe a demonstration or illustration -- that could help with your work or school. Start shaping figures toward that goal, but be ready to branch off into something else if that seems simpler or more interesting. Be guided by your interests and needs. Every single action -- especially a failure or a weird-looking mess!! -- will teach you something and advance your skills. Failure is the best teacher. The second best teacher is the folks right here at Renderosity. Ask specific questions and you'll always get a helpful answer.

What works for me is to have a specific idea of what I want to produce. Then I start fiddling. If I need a specific texture, I'll go on a hunt. Otherwise, I'll learn to do 'em myself. If I need a morph, I'll see if someone has done one. Otherwise, I'll learn to do it myself (so far I haven't had to). Luckily, I've been able to find most of what I need on the net. The essential thing is to have that image in your head. I've failed miserably when I don't.

Attached Link: http://ourworld.cs.com/posershadowcat/site/index.htm

I think texturing, lighting, and camera angles are a good place to start. DON'T BE AFRAID TO TRY!!!! Because, really, what's the worst that could happen? Play with all of the dials & buttons, render alot to see what affect a dial has on the image. Use the hands on learning method. Ron's website is good for beginners and so's mine :)

Poser is a tool for artists, just like Painter, Photoshop, Paint Shop Proand different people will use their tools different ways, just like different artists in traditional media use their tools in different ways. The first thing to do is make Poser your own. Play with it lots; it takes a lot of work and time to work out how to pose a figure realistically. Start with Dork and Posette: Vicky and Michael are better figures, but way more complex. It would be like learning to drive using a double decker bus. Figure out whether you like posing with the dials or the mouse better (I like dials). Do you have a project in mind before you start, or do you like to play and see what emerges? I tend to do a few sketches before starting Poser, but that's just me. Did you know you can move the tools around? Just grab the text that is the header for the tool set (i.e. 'Display Styles') and you can drag it around and put it where you think it ought to be. Tick 'Launch to preferred state' in Preferences and it'll always open with the tools where you put them. Don't expect to learn every feature of the program right away. I've been using this thing since version 2 and don't use half of what it can do. Read the tutorials on this site and others, and concentrate on what's of most interest to you, and maximise your creative energies, and never be too shy to ask when something is giving you a hard time. Post your work, even if you don't think it's very good. There are very helpful folks on this forum, who will offer constructive criticism and help you improve your Poser skills. So says me anyway!

Amen to all those comments. I have been using poser 4 for about 9-10 months now and The guys and gals here have been so so helpful and generous with their help. Without that I would not be doing things that I can do now, and I still got loads to learn. Pop in here every day, read the posts, ask the questions, post images and ask for comments, and then you will get there. Tuts are great as well, and there is some brilliant ones here and all over the net.

Attached Link: http://www.fairygoodtime.com

Don't worry...as you can no doubt see most people here are fully fledged lunatics and if we can use Poser anyone can. The help you get in the 3D community is amazing, they may be crazy but they're generous with their time, expertise and work. As somebody has said..don't be afraid to ask, I still do. I've been using Poser for nearly a year and I still mess things up on a regular basis. These forums are great and what Strangechilde said is spot on..play with and have fun Render on dude ;) Mon