Hello I have been trying to import .3ds files into Mac Poser 4.02.116 It does not "see" them. Is there a Mac vs PC text difference? I thought 3DS was PC only so they should ALL be PC files. What gives? I notice that Poser 3.1 won't see the 3DS files either. I reinstalled RDS 5, (then 5.02 and 5.04) and it does not have an 3ds import function. I was going to re-export as .obj files. (of course the RDS5 installer kept quiting with a type 1,050 error in OS9! So I had to reboot with OS8.1 to reinstall RDS 5). Any suggestions? Perhaps I should reinstall StrataSSPro and Pixels 3.0 and try them. Arrrrrgh, Eric Walters

You may also want to consider running the 3DS files through MacConverter and try them again. Can't hurt.

Thanks! Tried that. Back in the old days I sometimes had to manually convert files with a text editor before they could be "seen". Although RDS was more flexible in import/export. Have you been able to import 3ds files? Eric

I use MAC OS 8.1/Poser4.0.0.88/RDS 5.5.1/Painter3D 1.0 Never had any problem importing 3DS files in Poser 3 or 4 except when the model was so big that the camara was lost inside somewhere. The Maconverter or Applescripts (PC 3DS,DXF,OBJ) should work. If not, then you may be able to aquire the 3DS file (after conversion) into Painter 3D and re-export as obj format.

That's odd Will I have tried with several different .3ds files-using the Import, 3ds.... And opening the folder with the file in it-all I see is the readme.txt-so I can't even select the file I want. I wonder if this is an OS9 problem. Maybe I will try Painter 3D-it has not been installed for over a year-perhaps its time to give it another try! Thanks again Eric

New system test, MAC OS 8.6/Poser 4.0.2116- No problem with importing 3DS in this set-up. I imported both the original file & then ran it through Maconveter and both worked OK. It may be a problem with OS9. Was the "Simple Finder" radio button cheked in the Finder preferences by accident? Don't know much about OS9. Another thing to check is the preferences in Stuffit Expander (if that's what you use). In the Cross-Platform option: "Convert text files to Macintosh format" make sure "never" radio button is checked.

Eric, just checked it myself, and it works here as well with 8.6 & 4.0.2.166. Some things to check: The type must be "3DSM" for Poser to see the file. Maconverter sets it, but only as long the file is called "something.3ds". If you renamed it, it will not be retyped. Check if Maconverter leaves it with the "10101" PC icon. If it's anything different, let me know.

Thanks Will and Martin I will look at all of those things. I believe I used the MacVersion of ZipIt to open them. I will look at them with ResEdit and see if 3DSM is the type. Thanks and I will let you know what happens. I have had some oddities with OS9-such as I described with the RDS5 installer quiting with a type 1050 error-worked fine when I rebooted with OS 8.1 (which I might try with Poser 4). Thanks again! Eric

Now tested with OS9 - same result. Maconverter types it properly, and Poser 4.0.2.166 opens it. If I understood it right, then your problem is that Poser can't "see" it - and not that it fails to open once you selected it (!?) If this is true, then ZipIt will be probably innocent. It could spoil the content, but if Poser filters it out in the open dialog box, it can't be because of its content.

Thanks. That is correct, the file does not even appear in the Poser Dialog box when I go to Import-3ds in Poser 4.02.116 (OS9) Perhaps I should send you one of the files to see if you can open it. I did run one through MacConverter (a fabulous program in my opinion!) and it does NOT change to PC 10101 as do PC OBJ files. All the 3ds files I have tried came from the same free site and are all Space oriented models. Perhaps I should go to my archives and look for a different 3ds file. Thank you Martin! Eric Walters

Eric--I have had no problems with importing 3DS files, considering I use a few props from FastTraxx and Greylight's site. But I have had problems with Poser recognising .obj files that have not been run through MacConverter. I have had problems with supposedly 3DS and OBJ files that are actually mislabled COB or LWO files.

Thanks for all the info Martin, Freakachu, and WillF. I ran another 3DS file through the converter-and presto! It worked! I can't explain WHY it did not before-unless my System was corrupted by some Poserbug-short of crashing. Which is odd since I HAD rebooted and tried again! Another oddity, with 4.02.116 I had texture "request" boxes with the texture name off center. IE, when I opened a downloaded Cr2 or PZ3 for the first time and got the "Where is Whatever.pict?" message, the title was so far to the left of the box that all I saw was Where is er.pict?" It stopped doing that-and that was repeatable reboot after reboot. Really strange. I have 4.02.117 now. If I give it AT least 150 mb it seems stable enough. When I tried to render the Nerds Chainmail woman+ allie's hair with 100MB (of real RAM) alloted it would crash with type 11 and or type 2 errors. Rebooting and alloting 150Mb (VM switched ON) it worked. Eric Walters