Many newbies(or people who can't read .cr2 files) have trouble figuring out where to put the files they download from the web. I got to thinking. The way most of us figure it out is by looking in the .cr2 file for the "pointers". Then it hit me like a ton of bricks: This could be an application! I've dabbled a bit with VB and C++. So I know this is really simple for someone who's even so,so at programing. But I'm not even that yet. What we need is an application that looks for the "pointers" then displays to the user (in basic english) what folder to create. Where to put it and how it's spelled. It would also be nice if this application also displayed the paths to the textures in the cr2 as well. Guys.... This is very basic programming. I know one of you out there is capable of doing this with ten minutes work. I can almost do it myself. There would be a lot of people who would really apprieciate something like this to help them out. We get tons of requests from people wanting to know where to put the files. Could anyone slap this together? I'm just not quite programmer literate to do it myself. Thanks, ScottA

Attached Link: http://poserutils.tripod.com/index.html

PInstall is a standalone application which allows you to install poser library objects (characters, poses, textures, etc) without needing to figure out which files go in which Poser subdirectory--PInstall does it for you. You don't even have to unzip library files stored in zip archives. Also, you can use PInstall to unzip and install a variable number of archives automatically!

I'm not familiar with this app. mark. Will it create a custom folder and install the files if the folder isn't already on the HD? ScottA

sorry mark but it never worked on my win98, then on win me and now on win xp.... I've tryed do....

I just noticed that it's not free either. I'm not one to take money away from people. I never sell anything someone else is selling. But..... We really need a free app. that can do this. It does'nt have to install the files. It just has to tell people where to put them. ScottA

What I'd like to see is a installer utility that could read any Poser file, identify the associated files (geomotries, textures, etc.), put them where I want, and modify the file to reflect the new location(s). You see, I DETEST the way Poser files things away. For example, I would rather see the prop and all the associated files in the SAME location. It makes it much easier to archive it and unload those files from my HD on to a CR-R (or whatever), rather than hunting all over creation. I like my HD to be relatively clean. Right now, I kind of do this by editing file locations but an app would really make life easier. To take this idea further, I wish there were a "project library" where you could place ALL associated files in a single directory and zip up/archive the entire project. The current libraries could be retained for "objects" you tend to use those in each project. Seems this would not only allievate Poser "bloat" but the problems folks have with loading new stuff into Poser too. Does anyone know if there is some workaround to achive something like this or if it's is on the Poser 5 "wish list"? Sorry for the drift/rant.

You can put the textures in the geometries folder to make it less spread out if you like Pablo. The .cr2 and small .rsr files unfortunately must be separate and located in the libraries folder. I need this application to stay simple at first. Or else it won't get done at all. Most people don't have the time to work for free. So All we really need is the file paths pulled from the .cr2 (and possibly .pz3 files). So people know where to install them. I'm afraid if we ask for too much for free. It will be ignored. Don't make me pull out my VisualBasic in 21 Days book and do this myself people. I'll pester you so much about string literals and dealing with file formatting that you'll wish I never thought of this. ;-) ScottA

Some of this is in Poserexplorer with one of the plugins. if i click on the cr2.files i get a tree of folders where everything belongs. For non us poserusers the situation is even worse, because the folders have different names.after installing something i have to go to my poserfolder a have a look where something new was created and place it in the right one :-((

hmm ... looks like a nice challenge :) if i find some spare time, i'll do some tests. i think in perl it's done with some few lines - but who wants to deal with perl ?? i also have a perl-to-exe converter, but unfortunately it is not free ... :(

The other feature of such a program to my mind should be uninstaller. After a wail one has a lot of unwanted stuff distributed on several directories, it is rather difficult to delete it by hand. This uninstaller should record the installation as for example Norton CleanSweep does.

As said above, most of this already exists (more or less) with Yarp's P3dO FXplorer and my Macinstaller tools - just follow the links: On PC: www.senosoft.com On Mac: www.soft-rabbit.com

I will look into this, ScottA. Gimme a few days to make something foolproof... Ill look up the "FigureRes"- and the texture folders and make an option to create them on a preferred disk when they dont exist. Ehm, for free alright. Any other needs to implement? ;-) Maxx

if you start programming please consider: i think the program should read and look inside the following file types: pz3 cr2 pp2 and should be able to deal with absolute paths (like c:...) as well as with relative paths (like :runtime: ...) thanks :)

I'm not home right now so I can't check, but I think Martin is correct: P3dO already does what you're asking. I think is does them all....prop, character, hair and pz3 files.

Yep, as of P3dO 1.5 the AWK plugin does that. Make sure in [View] the "Infopanel" is on. But Ill write something anyway... ;-) Maxx

Yep, it does Jackson. The plugin is named AWK. AWK states for All you Wanted to Know... about Poser. AWK will have a lot to say when grown up ;)) ... and next P3dO release (1.6) will even have an installer the PC Installer plugin. This is next feature I planned with some more AWK features related to the installer. 1.6 will be available in March. markdc, I want to say the PC Installer is not directed against you but I need tight control on what is an important feature for a Poser utility - along with 3D view. You can provide with a plugin version of your PInstaller for P3dO if you wish. Yarp

I often run into the reverse problem and perhaps it might be addressed also. When I want to pack up a cr2 or pz3 for posting or transfer to another machine, it seems I always forget a texture or bit of geometry. Didn't someone here recently mention an app that lists all the associated files required to re-open a pz3?

careful, scott.........last time i requested a piece of possible freeware, i got reemed out like nobody's business...........

Hy Nance , brycetech is working on something like that. Its for people packing stuff in zips, to make shure all the files needed ( textures,....) are in the zip.

Attached Link: http://www.brycetech.com/stufftodelete/help.html

yep I am making this. Have been for a while. This is NOT as easy as you think it is. there are virtual directories, absolute directories, multiple file types, multiple "configuration" differences, huge file sizes, the text files are not the same, delimiters are not easily assigned, links must be verified, files must have not been moved....etc etc I stopped work on it for the Eovia show and to let me do other things for a bit. the last thing I added to it was an intelligent editor. If it finds a broken link, you can simply double click on the broken link and that file will open and automatically open the 'replace' feature of the program's editor and even offer a suggestion for the replace (if it can find one) or you can set it up to open your personal editor. The intelligent 'replace' works with itself and Wordpad only. I dont trust its own editor, so thats the reason its not out there for people to play with...and its windows only. I use this to package my models. It verifies that I have indeed packaged all I'm supposed to and zips it in standard zip format (so winzip, pkunzip, and other do open it) I have a small directory (~4 gigs) that I let it check all the file links in (takes several hours tho even at that). People with large directories (like Lee Alverson), itd take a day to check links in. it takes time for an app to read all of the files, locate the files, make sure they exist..find missing links and more. My app currently can find broken links within the poser directory and files to be distributed. But damm its a lot of programming for just that because of all of the possibilities that have to be covered. Then there are user differences. I have the thing working perfectly for me, but then I put it in beta and see that others will not use it the same way, so its back to the drawing board to allow for 'user' differences. anyhow, there's a flash preview online. http://www.brycetech.com/stufftodelete/help.html take a few minutes and look at all it does. The tutorial there does not illustrate all the features. If I'd just disable its own editor (so it could never be used), I could put it up now...(I think) But, beta stopped when one person was having a very hard time and I decided to see if I could reproduce the problems and make it more intuitive. BT

Nance, that's what we said AWK plugin for P3dO list all files associated to a .CR2, .HR2,... every Poser files (even MAT files) + .PZ3. brycetech, nice piece of stuff you've got there. You're right it's quite difficult to make intuitive work, the more infos you have, the more difficult it is. Yarp

oh..sorry, you can navigate that flash file just like the app is open on your computer...by using the menu options..when you click File-->Poser Directory for instance, it will give you a description of what that feature does. If people used 'logical' names for files itd be much easier to work with. But people want to call their files things like tabby.rsr tabby.cr2 cat.obj oldyeller.jpg (all for the same character) If it were all named cat.rsr, cat.cr2, cat.obj, cat.jpg..the program would do ALL the work. then you find people wanting to use names like cat#1 ..so the packager has to locate illegal characters too...(hey, it happens..you can put that # in your cr2 but not on your harddrive as a name for a file) You can load your poser directory quickly into it and it will 'try' to determine the file type. It doesnt know every type of file in the world, so it cant tell you that a psd file is a photoshop file..cause its interested in poser files only. It does know that cr2 is what it is, it does know that an rsr in the geometries folder is not usually distributed. anyhow, theres a better help file there now. BT

Attached Link: http://poserutils.tripod.com/index.html

PInstall DOES ensure that geometries are placed where they belong.

CR2Edit will install CR2's (won't unzip, despite what older versions of the help say), will also backup a CR2 and its associated files, or delete the same -- but be careful, this particular tool is nothing as fancy as Brycetech's, which looks very fancy indeed. And it is NOT free, sorry Scott. Dan http://www.zenwareonline.com for CR2Edit, ZenPaint, ZenTile, VueMaster and the complete line of Zenware graphics apps

In the end, it seems the Poser utilities guys club is growing and everybody should have what he's looking for. But is it the end... ;))

Nah...

daniel I cant find a shortcut key to open the editor of cr2 edit...does it have a hidden one? Can you make one? If possible, can you make keyboard shortcuts for the search and replace features? If so my app could work hand in hand with yours much easier cause I could control it via my application. Im gonna start working on that portion again. :) BT