Wallnuts made from scratch using only poser-primitives... would appreciate any comments 'specially if anyone out there would use anything like this... (therefore making them worthy of upload) making a full rack; harness,ropes,karabiners already in progress...

Wow, I'm curious how you fashioned the ropes? Are those from a cylinder or a torus? How did you get that shape? Nice texturing BTW

Thanks Roy... The ropes/cables are made from cylinders parented end to end, that I then created a figure from, so I could bend the whole arrangement any-which-way by rotating the cylinders. When I was happy with the shape I exported as an .OBJ and re-imported back to simplify. in the rope version of the figure I included IK chains so the rope could be posed in smooth curves/swathes from two end points. Rich _________________________________________________________ (with ref. to question at 3DC;"what the heck are rock climber's nuts" thought I'd add this just in case I get the same question here)... sorry 'bout the ambiguous description... should of thought...non-climber's wouldn't have a clue! ;) (bit of a minority-interest prop! hence asking if anyone's interested B4 I upload) these things are used as a means of fixing yourself to a rock.. the wedge-shape (of which there are many sizes/types) gets jammed into an available crack in the rock-face. the wireloop can then be clipped into with a karabiner...to which you attach your rope, (which should be) attached to you... a leader can scale a route, belayed from the bottom, adding any nuts required for protection as they ascend...should the leader fall, they should only fall as far as the last nut they placed.. they are called "nuts" because back in the "Old-Days" climbers would attach ordinary bolt-nuts (with the threads filed out) to bits of cable and use them for this purpose. they're also called "chocks" or as "runners"(when in complete assembly with karabiners), there are similar devices "hexes" (larger) and the more mechanical "friend" (which I am also making as props) included pic. of complete Screwgate-Karabiner...

Excellent. I'd be interested. Especially in a package of climbing equipment. My store is near a popular climbing spot and I've been meaning to do some artwork that the climbers would find interesting. At some point in the future I'd be most interested in buying a package, especially if it included the shoes, chalk bag, etc. :-)

Thanks for the response.

Your method of using Poser to fashion complex and poseable props is ingenious.

Thanks for the response.

Your method of using Poser to fashion complex and poseable props is ingenious.

Thanks Kendra (watch this space.. branded rock-boots on the way ;) and Thanks again Roy..(twice) ingenious? it's kind of been born out of necessity more than anything.. I've not been using Poser long in the overall-scheme of things. The only other 3D modeling apps I have are so out of date that the exports don't work too well in Poser so I have been forced into testing Poser's object-creating capabilities to save hassle.. which so-far haven't been too limiting.. but I understand Poser's considered a bit naff for modeling generally, so your responses have been doubly encouraging.

I've responded over in 3dc, but am glad for your explanation of how you are modeling them. "branded" rock boots? I still have my EBs and Fires! Carolly

"branded"(bit lame I agree)..didn't specify probably be Boreal or Kamet first as they're what I've got in the house! (my EBs got shredded a while ago!)

Sorry about the EBs! Those steel shanks along the soles make wall work so much more reliable: standing on what we call "five and dime" flakes becomes possible. However, they are worn so very tight that the feet can become numb. It looks like my other boots are Boreals... grey with red emblem. The soft soles are great for waxpaper faces (like the apron of Glacier Point), but I have to confess to an occasional lack of style with them (there have been times where the only way I could get through an area was to go up faster than I was going down). If you are planning to do animations of climbers, the type of boot will be critical because that will govern how and where he places his feet. If you are going to do women climbers too, email me (hauksdottir@earthlink.net) and we can talk about the difference in technique. I've never done a pullup or chinup in my life but I could lead 5.7 and follow 5.9 routes. Carolly

Thanks Carolly, that's a cool idea! I just assumed that all Women climbers climbed like Catherine Desteville!... bare foot...no rope...hours on one finger...that kind of thing! ;)

::chuckle:: I've seen men do 1 finger pullups. Scary. And deep knee bends with the other leg straight out in front. ::shake head:: It's a great way to tear ligaments as well as show off. Those guys tend to do the acrobatic bouldering a few feet off the ground rather than wall work, because the audience is close enough for them to hear the appreciation. I'd rather get high enough for a view and as far from other people as possible. Another factor, besides where we have our weight and our strongest muscles, is that of height. Tall people have less strength per length of bone. I'm 5'10" and found it easier to do routes put up by Royal Robbins (6'2") than the short guys. Stem moves and chimneys are a bit easier for us. Taller people should find mantle moves easier, also. Something to think about when you get to making your characters. Carolly

body-size and limb length makes a huge difference... I have a mate (huge lad) who reckons having long-arms is a disadvantage(!)... I agree for maybe on the few occasions your boxed-up under an overhang... but most of the time if I'm seconding him up something I have to find extra holds between the ones he used leading, due to the huge difference in reach!

This reminds me of the first King's Quest game. (I animated #4, and so played the earlier ones to get a feel for them.) The character has to climb a rock wall, and his movement was pretty realistic for pixels the size of bricks. I reached for the mantle move just at the lip of the cave... and fell to my death. I, the human, would have made that move, but the game character couldn't. Pity. The reach is helpful, but I've been astounded at the strength shown by shorter partners. One of the guys I climbed with was a volunteer fireman and EMT who easily swung his 300# telescope onto his truck. The shorter muscles just have more mass or something. OTOH, I had no problem stepping 4' across a wall onto a "chickenhead" (the feldspar crystals in the high country can be conspicuous). We should all be glad of what we can do. Meanwhile, it is getting close to dawn and my bedtime. :)