Hi everyone! Was wondering if anyone can tell me whether POSER "3" can be used for implementing images on programs. I'm trying to get a Virtual Storytelling program implemented for my project and thought I would use Poser 3 as the images are brilliant but I can't find a way that I might be able to do this using the above programming languages. Can anyone help?!? Thanks Marisa

Not sure what you mean by 'implementing images on programs'. Do you mean you wish to display images that were created using Poser in one of those programming languages? If so, it's very simple to do so in C++ and Java. Of course you would not be controlling Poser from those, rather, just displaying bitmap images that created using Poser. In anycase, if this is what you want let me know. -Jeff

Jeff That's exactly what I mean. I wanted to use the images from Poser 3 to run in the story but I can't seem to find a way of doing this? Or is just me not looking in the right place? Basically I want my characters to be the ones I build with Poser... Thanks :-) Marisa

I'll be happy to send you some C++ code that I use for reading and showing bitmaps; I don't know how it will fit into your project, but I've been using it for years to display images made in various ways including Poser. (At the C or Windows API level, it doesn't matter how the image was made; it's just a .BMP file). Contact me via IM in this forum, giving your email address, and I'll send you the source code.

When you have posed your character, render the image by pressing CTRL-R or choosing "render" from the render menu. Then choose "File">"Export">"Export Image". This will save your image as a bitmap or Jpeg into the folder you choose on your hard-drive. You can then use these images in whatever way you wish. Howard:)

If I get it right then you wonder if/how you could use Poser created pictures (actually any sort of pictures) to write some sort of "Myst" kind of program, right? You should probably take a look on authoring systems, most of all Macromind Director - it will offer exactly the type of services that you look for, like building trees of connected picture series, clickable hotspots, etc. pp. Of course you could write anything you like using C++ or similar, but you should be prepared that this is a major task and requires a lot of experience and an awful lot of time.

colgate_girl - are u trying to create a 3d view kind of a like a first person game or just normal images like jpg or gifs. Poser can save render files as bmp or jpg files. but if u want to be able to create a fully 3d moveable object within ur project .....(sorry but no solution).

Gee Thanks for all your help everyone. This is absolutely brilliant! You're quite right 'risopan'. I did actually want to use 3d images on a Myst like program. I've heard that my project was carried out once before and whoever did it failed miserably and I really need it to be noticed! I was told that the poor graphics didn't help as the viewer was not enthralled by the lack of reality in the story and I thought Poser3 would be brilliant to carry this out as the character is very life-like. However, it seems that what the majority of you are saying is, that I can't replicate the 3d images using c++ or Java or Vrml but I can use ordinary bitmap images and program their behaviour? Can anyone correct me if I'm wrong? I think what I'm saying is that I'm hoping you are wrong and that I CAN implement 3d images in c++. MartinC I 'thought' it would be extremely difficult, which is why I was looking for Poser3 to simplify things for me :-( Maybe if I explain further.... I'm trying to implement a Virtual Storytelling environment whereby I use c++ to run a story and the listener can intervene in certain points. What I needed was realistic images that would enthral the reader so much they would be taken by the story and would want to entervene. Does this help everybody understand a wee bit more? sigh I hope it does or I'm in deep... water :-S

We sure have a misunderstanding, I'll try to explain... C++ and Poser images are really two entirely different cups of tea, and I think you confuse it a bit. Poser is simply a specialized render-engine, it creates still pictures and it creates animated sequences (which are "static", meaning that they just play but won't change or interact). You can also use it to export some 3D objects, but that isn't the prime purpose (Poser actually needs 3D objects in the first place, but you may export them again) What you really need is something that puts pictures/films and displays them in any order/functionally that you want it to. This (of course) can be done with C++ because you can do everything in C++ (from writing a harddisk driver up to writing Poser itself). But you should be aware that it is quite demanding, and it wouldn't be my first choice for this task. After all, even "Myst" wasn't written in a programming language, the very first version used HyperCard and later versions switched to a cross-platform authoring system. I can only recommend Macromind Director (or similar) again, because it is tailor-made for your purposes. It offers some sort of storyboard where you can place single pictures, films, animations, text, sounds, and you can link them by hotspots - if someone clicks on a house in a picture, it could jump into a sequence inside the house, etc. It also has a script language where you can store variables and control the proceeding from a "meta level". I have seen a lot of simple roleplaying games created with it, so it should be suitable. However,... I have been unable to find any trace of "Macromind" on the net - is it Macromedia now? I really don't know, but I'm sure someone else can give you the link.

I obviously lost track to that company a long time ago... indeed Macromind was "merged" into Macromedia and the good old "Macromind Director" is "Macromedia Director Shockwave Studio" today... sorry for this confusion. The vast majority of "interactive CDs" in the bookshops from singing birds to travel guides to "do you see the cat then click it" children CDs is usually created with it. http://www.macromedia.com/software/director/

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?Form.ShowMessage=644333

It is Macromedia Director, and will cost you over $1000 US (there is an educational/no commercial use and demo versions), but Martin is right about the incredible capabilities of it and its Lingo programming language. Version 8.5 (9 will probably be out later this year) has new 3D capabilities that I've only skimmed through so far, but are incredible. It includes a Havok real-time physics engine. There's a beta exporter for Poser available at www.curiouslabs.com. But with Director 8.5 you can't use Poser 4's morphs, only bones from 3D programs like Lightwave and Max. Hopefully that will come - then Poser might be a MAJOR player. Here's hoping! Elisa/gryffnn

colgate_girl:
Judging by the amount of interactivity that you want in your game, the easiest thing for you to do would be as follows:

1> Create the characters that will be in the game (who they are, what they look like)
2> Create the story line(s) that will be in the game
3> Create the scenes' backgrounds in Poser (or any other art program that you would like to use)

If different different characters can be used in the same scene (I.E. Either Joe or Jane can be the bartender in the bar scene):
4a> Create the characters in Poser and create every animation that the character is capable of (walking, fidgeting, dancing, talking) on a background color that you won't use on characters (fuschia #FF00FF (255,0,255) works well). This color will be used later on to specify transparency for your animated sprite.
4b> Save out each animation for each character separately
5a> Create and render all interactive objects in the game, with all applicable animation sequences, following the same procedure as 4a & 4b above

If all player animations are hard-coded in a scene (I.E.: Only Joe will be the bartender in the bar scene)
4a> Create the characters in Poser
4b> Create the interactive objects
4c> Import the characters and objects into the scene (if it is a 3d scene) or import the scene image (if the scene is a 2d image) and then animate the characters and objects
5> render out each animation sequence

Once you have created your game content, you need to either code your own engine (C++ or Java or VB or what not), or use a program such as Director to implement your branching storyboard. For something with so much stock footage, your best bet for efficiency would be to use Director or a comparable program. If one of your goals with this game is to develop advanced programming skills, go ahead and code your own engine for manipulating the bitmaps and animations.

I hope this helps you, and I hope it also shows you just how much work is involved in making an interactive game.

mr_sanity

Thanks for the help in the Poser issue everyone! I'm looking into all your options and see which one works best but it's going to take some time! Keep the help coming though... I can do with as much help as I can get :-) I've got another issue which is more pressing at the moment!!!! I need to implement a program that is kind of like microsoft word. I've set everything up and it has several files for the taskbar, model panel etc. However, what I have to do is put a listener object so that whenever I type anything on the screen/panel the Save/Save as button automatically activate AND, MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, I need to try and SAVE & LOAD the file on text format. I've tried several bits of coding taken from books/manuals but nothing seems to work :-( I've been at this for 2 weeks and I've got absolutely nowhere! Can anyone help????????????????