X-posting from Amapi Forum. Just wanted to share some important info for all would-be Poser content creators. On this month's DIGIT magazine (www.digitmag.co.uk), you'll find the following goodies : o Amapi 5.15 FULL app o Amapi 6.1 30-day FULL app - goes save-disabled after 30 days. What are the differences from version 4.15 : o 5.15 has better texturing plus construction history facilities - and it's may-be-used-for-uncommercial-AND-commercial-items (read the installation agreement thingie). MANUAL IS INCLUDED ON THE CD! o 6.1 has OBJ import and export ability. You'll have to name the groups on an imported OBJ again before export (they are reset to "Default" on import), but if you don't change the size you can export from Poser -> import into Amapi -> modify -> export to Poser -> ...and it'll import into Poser right in place, and thus be in place to work fine with the same CR2 as the non-modified version (except, of course, if you've made major changes that necessitate joint parm rework). What's the big deal for Poserites ;o) : o Amapi 5 and 6 both have stability issues - but mainly with texturing/rendering. The modeling is very stable, and arguably the strongest on the market. o Add a Lightwave-to-OBJ file conversion program (many freeware apps available on the www) plus Steve Cox' UVmapper Classic (also free on www.uvmapper.com), and you're all set to make any Poser prop or clothing for 4.99. Not a bad deal! o British citizens - lucky buggers - can even upgrade to 6.1 for 99 (it IS brits-only, I phoned to check). I feel unfairly left out, being an EU citizen, but then again, the brits DON'T feel like EU citizens, I'm reliably informed ;o) And no, I don't work for Eovia/Amapi - I just think this is a very generous helping of magazine goodies. Now, if only those Eovia boys would offer such a deal to those OUTSIDE perfidious Albion, grrrr.... ;o) Have fun.

ok..truth about amapi its not a renderer or texturizer however, it kicks ass for a modeler. 6.1 will stand next to ANY modeler out there. I will put it next to anyone willing to make the challenge. It does take a bit of getting used to for the interface. however, thats the same thing that has been said about bryce and poser..so its a non-issue. It does everything that the big dogs do as far as modelling..its just a matter of learning and asking questions. And for its price...damm...I dont see how they do it myself. Well, I guess I do because its greek to most..but IF you will invest the time to learn it, you can do anything. I make all my models in amapi 6.1...i used 5.15 before and raydream for only like 3 models. see them here: http://www.posertech.com/models/models1.html its worth a look to the $ conscious and others well worth your dollar and all you have to do is ask here or at commune for howto and if it can be done..you will get an answer..I hover over both sites' amapi forums :) BT

Thats one magazine I have never seen in Los Angeles newstands. I will have ask about ordering..They seem to give away alot of cool stuff like computer arts.

Amapi is a great modeller. I have used it since I tested it for them many moons ago. It is by far an easier and more effective modeller than most of even the big boys. The booleen functions are the best and most acurate on the market. But yes, it sucks at textures. You can render ok, if your very patient. I have recenrtly, re-began modelling clothes for Poser with it. Even at $400.00 it's a steal.

I downloaded the free 5.? version and I'll tell you, I've become accustomed to a very intuitive environment like Poser and Bryce. I was completely lost. I tried to find some kind of documentation or a beginning tutorial but all there was was an over-simplified, hard to navigate, sparse and inadequate introduction to the tools. So there I am with the danmed thing open and ready to go and I haven't got the first clue how to make it go. I've heard a lot of people rave about it, and their work certainly shows what can be done with it, but I need a little more info. I've got some really great designs on the board that I'm itching to turn into meshes.

Harim: I'd check out the Amapi forum here, if I were you. Than again, if I were you, I'd be silly to sit here and write to myself. :)

Harim: I'd check out the Amapi forum here, if I were you. Than again, if I were you, I'd be silly to sit here and write to myself. :)

Do we have a list anywhere on R'osity of magazines like this? I gave up on 3D World (and the rest of Future Publication's offerings like Computer Arts) because they simply could not deliver my magazines reliably to me in the States. I was constantly having issues missing, and they'd never replace them, just tack extra issues onto the end of my subscription. So I'd have to buy locally to fill in the gaps, and pay through the nose... often three times the subscription cost-per-issue. I realize the US doesn't have that great a selection of magazines for our interests, but I would even accept a computer artistry magazine from the UK as long as Future Pub has nothing to do with it. Hence my need for a list. Tilandra

I'm with Hiram. What makes Amapi so frustrating is that it clearly DOES have great power. Sometimes, purely at random, I make something happen that corresponds to what I'm trying to create. But because everything is so alien, I can't make it happen again. It's like driving a powerful racing car with 27 steering wheels, some of which work backwards, some forward, some by steps of 43.216543 and others by steps of 0.000321034, some of which don't do anything at all; watching the road through a Fresnel lens, with instruments that indicate the phase of the moon but not the speed of the vehicle.

EXcellent analogy ockham. That's exactly how I felt.

Im using amapi5.1 since 2 month ( before the free 4.15) I bought it at bbay for 50 WITH manual,but without manual i would be lost too.In my opinion there is nothing to get into the basics of a program than a good and printed manual.Tutorials give additional help , and on some advanved things( Im glad that there are so many available) And amapi is a very powerful modelling program. I export the modells as 3ds file convert in bryce to *obj ( seperate groups are still there) use uvmapper for mapping and use them in poser

whats funny is that when you start using it you will catch yourself doing some amapi moves in othe programs. for instance, the workshop interface lets you put a tool away by moving your mouse to the right of the screen. Its such a natural thing that I catch myself doing this in Photoshop and Bryce. It makes me laugh every time I do it..but its such a natural and easy thing once you do it, that you wonder why more programs dont do it. I bet Im not the only one that does that..come on, 'fess up people :P BT

ROFLMAO...I do that all the time. I try to through the tool away, and it won't go. haha. Wow, I'm glad I'm not alone. whew!

uh huh..caught ya didnt I? lol but its so easy...doesnt it really get under your skin when you dont do it once..but several times before you think "duh..this isnt amapi, what am I doing?" lol BT

"whats funny is that when you start using it you will catch yourself doing some amapi moves in othe programs" Heck, I do that just between Bryce and Poser. For that matter I do it between my PC at work and my Mac at home! I'm a confirmed Mac user, but boy, I sure have gotten used to right clicking!

Brycetech - I'm guilty as charged. Every time I want to clear a render or abandon a tool in TrueSpace, I sweep the mouse off the right side of the screen. When I do that after too much Amapi time, I actually think "Damn, locked up..." before I realize I'm not in Amapi. Hiram - the reason you get lost in Amapi may be the same as mine : it's too EASY. The tools do exactly what you'd logically expect them to do, but that's not exactly what I was used to from other 3D apps. Try going to the Amapi Forum here on R'osity and make a search for "finger exercises" - you'll find a string of posts that'll take you through all major tools in fifteen minutes. After that, the forum is full of tutes by dedicated Amapi users like Brycetech - and pretty soon, you'll be doing "the Amapi swing", too, trust me ;o) Tilandra - 3 good magazines for 3D goodies : o Digit Magazine - www.digitmag.co.uk o Computer Arts - www.computerarts.co.uk o 3Dworld - www.3dworldmag.com You can order copies through their websites - back issues, too. Good thing for foreigners like me ;o) Have fun, all.