Hello everybody! First, I like to thank Steve for drawing my attention to this Forum. All I can say, is that Im sorry you didnt contact me right away, I would have been glad to help each of you right away. Lets start with screen redrawing. First of all, Read The Manual :-). It says there you have to give the program a bit of screen space to itself. That way, you can let the program work, do renderings all the while, and still get the program back without trouble when Poser grabs focus when it has rendered. If you dont do that, it only SEEMS as if your computer slowed down- only seems though. The reality is, that the Creators have taken ownership of most globals. Posers rendering engine is unaffected. Everything you need to do to your lights is done via the Creators. Once you exited from the Creators, everything is back to normal again. So, recap: start up the Creators, dont touch buttons, sliders, menus in Poser, but do everything from the Creators, using their buttons and menus only. They have been designed to do this for you. Render as much as you want- as long as you keep a bit of screen free for the Creators- 20 or 40 pix will do the trick-, so you can click on them to get them back when Poser had grabbed focus after a rendering. Go on working the Creators till you have what you want. Then exit. Everything will in Poser will now work as usual again- but with a new, and unique, lightset. 2) Windows XP. Creators work normal in XP, EXCEPT for the fact, that XP allows two scripts to start simultaneously- which neither Python nor Poser allows. So you get the cryptic messages. recap:) When using XP, take care to start ONLY ONE program at the same time. 3) Mac: there is a weakness in the binding in Poser,Mac version, from the mainbuttons.py. The Mac version has therefore a POWERFUL path clause, that will bring everything back to where it should be- but to get there, you have to a) Close mainbuttons.py b) then go to the File menu, select "Run Python script..." and select one of the Creator programs from there. It will restate paths and run as normal. And lastly: dear, dear everybody, Read The Manual. I have taken immense pain and trouble to explain all possibilities and problems there (there are two in total, three if you count XPs weird behaviour). Read it, and create painlessly thereafter ... :-) And the very last point: if you have questions- PLEASE post them to me as well- and post my answer on your question, if youre kind, thereafter on this forum. Im immensely proud of these programs, and it really hurts me you seem to find my beauties so difficult- while all the time, the answers were there for you in the manual- and I would have been happy to help you solve your problem. I only wish somebody had told me of this before! Paul C. Bos webmaster@pcbos.nl

I did read the html pages that came with your scripts and ran a search through the folder they were in for any content relating to my questions just in case I missed something but to no avail. The html pages did not address the installation problems that I had, nor did they answer the specific questions I have.

So I asked about the general problems here among other Poser users until Daz reopened on Monday, told Daz I did so, sorry if that annoyed you. Daz says on their web site that they handle all tech support for brokered items and I want them to know I have problems with the scripts.

Daz referred me to you instead of helping me directly. No one was there at Daz to help me this afternoon, I was told they only have one tech person, Reba. This is the only day of the week I am home during their hours to call in for help so I'm SOL today. I've had quite enough of typing lately so I wanted to talk to someone, my hands are bothering me even as I compose this message.

When you say above "When using XP, take care to start ONLY ONE program at the same time." did you mean program or script?

I have to say that I'm very pleased with your radiosity scripts PCB. I bought them a smidgen before you released the environment scripts, I'm tempted by those despite the problems Diana's had. Perhaps Diana, you'd be kind enough to keep us up to date as these seem useful pieces of kit.

Hey Paul...Thanks for posting on the PoserForum... I found that my problems went away when I moved the dlls to the system folder...The c++ error went away... Also when I ran the program I did have have your program off the screen before.. Once I made the changes my system is running great.

Hello everybody. I thought it might be helpful if I posted this publicly as well. Goes into things at a bit more depth. *********** Hi Diana, I got your message from DAZ this morning. I think I gave you, and others, the solutions on poserforum already, but just to recap, I answer your questions here again. Let me know if things now work alright for you, OK? I think they will.. Please feel free to contact me if you still have questions, it will be a real pleasure to help you. ************************ > >From: "diana" -------- > >To: > >Subject: problems with environcreator scripts > >Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 08:55:51 -0600 > >X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000 > > > >I had to remove the read only attribute for the mainButtons.py file(again as I did for MK scripts but I had reset the attribute to keep other scripts > >from doing things to it). Plus I had to copy the tcl80.dll (and I copied the other two '80' files with it in case they were support files) to the system > >folder to get it to even install. ************************ 1) OK, so you understood you had to unlock mainbuttons. You dont have to reset the bit,since there is no script, except an installer, that will do things to it. In fact, I wonder why Poser locks it at all.. Dont move your dlls, whatever you do. It is not needed. The "error 13" message, trying to write to a locked file, must have confused you- dont worry, it did the same to others:-) ************************ >A while later I read a message about about putting a "C:Program > >FilesTclbin" path statement (the folder does exist at that path) in the autoexec.bat but I didn't do it right away since I had the scripts installed ************************ 2) If you take the error messages seriously, you will get in trouble. Believe me, I know, since I use them as tracers when writing programs. So no wonder you writing the path in the autoexec.bat made no difference- but Im now wondering what your problems were :-) ************************ >Even after all that, when I run the script it makes my system perform like a > >Pentium 200 with only 3 lights and a bowl prop. Screen updates take forever if they happen at all (it often crashes) if I move a script window so I can > >see behind it. Running the script takes down Poser.exe with a c++ runtime error often, the script window turns white and won't leave till I actually click on it somewhere or CAD and shut it down. It's a mess and I don't dare > >load a big light set (one of the scripts complains none are installed) or a real model. ************************ 4) Ahh! Now I see! You tried to use Posers dials while the Creators had taken over control. So that was your problem. No, Poser doesnt crash, but its slow progress certainly can make it look so. The second part of your statement I at first didnt recognise. Let me think- you might have rendered, or clicked somewhere in the Poser window, so Poser then got back focus, and you didnt think, or werent able to since you allowed Poser to take over the whole screen, of clicking the Creators to draw focus back to them; and when MOVING a script window- I take it now you had it over the model screen, of course screen redraw is almost zero- see above. The manual warned you you had to give the Creators a bit of screen to themselves. But it did not warn you that it might be more practical not to hide the model screen, because I didnt think anybody would- an oversight on my part (the picture in the manual, where it advises you to keep a bit free for the Creators, shows the right position). On the other hand, you STILL could have moved the Creators; any change would have caused immediate screen redrawal in the model screen. Now the c++ runtime error is interesting, and I would love to see a screen shot of it. But I think I already know, since another user send me some shots already, and I was able to solve his problem for him easily. And his was the same as yours. OK- this is what happens: IMPORTANT XP is natively multithreaded, while Poser is NOT. This is the reason why screen redraw is so slow while the Creators are in control. So if things seem to mess up, because you touched Poser while the Creators had all threads, and screen redraw therefore goes down to a crawling pace, and- the ONLY way you might get a blank script window, and a c++ error message at the end of the process, -AND: you had not given the Environment Creators a bit of screen space to themselves.. You are now in trouble, since Poser and Creators are ONE, and only ONE, program in the eyes of the system. So clicking in the taskbar on the Creators wouldnt have done anything for you. Poser responds only very slowly, you had allowed it to take over the screen, and now there is no way- unless you are patient- to get the Creators back. In this case, you should have minimised Poser- then, suddenly, the Creators would have sprung back to life. Exit from the Creators- restarting is not necessary at all. Maximise Poser again.Poser now springs back to life! OK, now make it a bit smaller, restart the Creators, move them to where they stuck out a bit from the Poser screen, and create away. Problem solved! Oh yes: the program tells you, indeed, that no lights are there when you load an unadapted lightset: because its the plain truth, and it saves you wasting time. If the program tells you a lightset, or parts of it, simply arent there, its time for you to whip out the Analyser and adapt it (do read the manual though to save your valuable time). To give you an example: if you load a perfectly adapted lightset that holds ALL lights except for reflection lights, the Creators will work happily for you as long as youre not trying to do something to those reflection lights. But the moment you try to, it tells you they arent there- and quite right it is too. You can still continue working with the other lights as usual, but trying to work with non- existing lights will give you the same message. If you tried two or three times, the message on the interface changes to: "Well, they really arent there, you know :-)", which I must admit I thought was sort of neat.. I really hate it when a program isnt aware of its user... By the way: even an Old, Unadapted lightset can still be worked on, but without the detail you would otherwise have: just choose button "ANY" - instead of "Sun", "Sky", "Sun+Sky", or "Bounce". You can now do anything to your lightset, but it will be to all lights at once- from 1 lights to 4096 lights, doesnt matter howmany. Everything you do will happen to them all. With adapted sets, you could change just the small parts you chose to work on- front, left, mid-down-right part, and so on. IMPORTANT ************************* >time I ran Poser afterwards, and the light analyser script, renamed my current 3 light set to something like skymain, it froze, the script window went blank white and sat there over my image. I had to close the script (right click on the task bar button because the script window button was invisible in the white) and doing so crashed Poser.exe with a C++ runtime > >error again. I can't even descr ************************* The problem with the analyser you described, including the error message, comes down to the same thing as I described above: ***** MANTRA ***** 1) dont let Poser take over the whole screen. Keep a bit of the Creators free from Poser. 2) Only work with the Creators GUI, because Poser is taken over as long as you work with the Creators- which is why you can render straight from the Creators. Otherwise, things will suddenly slow down. 3) Click on the Creators to draw focus back to them. Dont use the taskbar. Once finished, maximise Poser again if you wish. AND- only XP: take care not to inadvertently start two python scripts at the same time. Youll get a c++ error. If this happens, dont worry. Click the naggy window away and start the Python script again. Click only once, thats all you have to think about. MAC only- run the Creators straight from the file menu if you get into trouble. This will set things to right again. No restarting or quitting necessary. Might be helpful if you closed the Python button window- that will reset it in one go, while the highly powerful path clauses in the Creators set things straight for you in the heart of the system, and allow you to continue work as normal. I trust this answers all. I will place a FAQ on my website at http://www.pcbos.nl , at the poser page there, where these points will be shared with other users. P.S. There is no way in which I could alter Posers nasty non- multithreaded behaviour without rewriting the program, Im sorry. But with the three points of the "Mantra" above, the Creators will work reliably for you- I have today tested on a XP machine to see if Im right in supposing this, and I can now say it with confidence. Thank you for drawing my attention to your problems, I learned a good deal about how to go about with my new program, a Zoom Tool for Poser. Your mail is invaluable to me- Im only sorry you had such unnecessary problems. I promise once again: I will never write an Installer anymore, and also promise to, in future, always think of being explicit about Posers quirks, and also promise here and now that, in future, I will not take for granted that some behaviours are known to everybody. To write creative tools for the Poser community, of which I myself am proud to be a member, is tremendous fun and one great, big, HUGE learning process. I could never grow and be really useful to it without comments like yours, and thats the plain truth. Thank you. Enjoy rendering! Paul C. Bos

Paul, it's really bad form to post from someone's email on a public board, makes one hesitate to email you again. I did not intend my email for public consumption but it's not much more than an edited version of what I posted publicly here already at least so no real harm done.

I wish you would include a link to a copy of the manual online with the adverts for the product. I would have known what I was getting into and made a truly informed buying decision. I'm disappointed with the fact I can not use Window's convention of switching apps via the task bar, can not run Poser full screen as I am accustomed to doing on my small monitor and I must be so cautious to avoid crashing Poser or turning my system into a slug. I'm sure your scripts are good, but they don't work the way I expected them to, which is to work without making me change my Poser and Windows work habits. I'm just playing with buttons, not knowing why I'd want a certain type of light here or there, and hoping I get lucky before Poser crashes. ;-)

Thanks for your considerably detailed response, I'm sure it will helpful not only to me, but to others.

Hello Diana- of course I wouldnt usually post personal email on a public board. But I thought your questions were of value to more people than just between you and me- and I also edited your mail so that it was as universal as I could make it. But please accept my apologies! As for your concerns versus Posers behaviour in Python mode: I can but agree, but there is nothing to be done about it without rewriting the whole programcode for Poser itself. Just be happy you use a PC, and not a Mac: there I had to rewrite even the most basic systemcode to even be able to open a window... P.S. You will not crash Poser by using the Creators, it simply cannot be done :-) You may slow it down though if you use Posers dials while the Creators are on top, but that is really all.. I want to thank you for teaching me a great deal about what to think about when writing a program, and will include what I learned in the zoom tool that Im writing now for Poser. Enjoy rendering! Paul