Hi, I have a question for Mac Poser users. The first computer I had the chance to use was my father's MAC. It was ages ago (I was 12 at the time) and I lost contact with the Mac world. When I started to work financial considerations made my purchase a PC, but now I am in the need of both a MAc and a laptop, so I was thinking to buy a IMac or a PowerBook. I could afford a second Poser license for the Mac, but would my DAZ and MP stuff purchased for the Windows platform work on the new Mac? It is only a matter of packaging (zip/exe for Windows and sit for Mac) or I specifically need the file for Mac. How does maconverter work? Thank you in advance.

Hi Staby!- Being sorta bilingual, I've done this many times. You do need to use a PC to run the EXE that DAZ puts the files in, and some way (like a ZIP disk or email) to get the files from the PC to your Mac. Save the files to a folder on the PC, you don't need Poser on it. Once on the Mac, just drag the files to MacConverter, then when it finished, drag them to MacInstaller. The later asks one question, the "New" box should be the name of the DAZ set (like "Vicky Essentials", it will use this name to make the various folders. Martin C's stuff works great, it is sorta easier than going the other way!

I can convert and install almost anything on my Mac. The big problem is executables because .exe isn't a proper Mac command. You will have to be careful with items which come with installers. If it is a PC installer, use "custom" install and save all the files to a folder. (DAZ has easy and custom options for the Mac, so assume that it is the same for your PC files.) You can then copy the folder to disk and bring it to the Mac. There is a Mac program called "Dave" which allows Macs and PCs to share files and data if you link your beasties through a hub, but it is $150, and you may want to use Zip disks, or CDs. PCs can read Mac-formatted disks with some additional software (about $30); Macs can read PC-formatted disks with no problems. If you have the same program on two machines, such as PhotoShop or Poser, a file will open and behave very much the same. I use PC-formatted media. If the file is zipped or stuffed, just extract it, and you get a nice little folder. If the folder is named "program files" immediately rename it... otherwise you'll end up with dozens of like-named files. ;p MartinC has both Maconverter and Macinstaller on his site, and they are incredibly easy to use. Note: they will not convert .3ds or .dxf files... only Poser files! Drag your folder on top of Maconverter and a dialogue box pops up; I accept the defaults, click one button, and it is done. :) Then drag the folder to Macinstaller; I'll rename or choose another library submenu (I don't want everything under "new"), textures choose "source", click, and it's done. There have been a couple of occasions where I had to go in and tell it where to "find" certain .objs or bump maps, but that might be because I have ProPack. I would suggest converting and installing a couple of files first, then opening Poser to see how they fit into the libraries and whether you have thumbnails or shrugging men. If you know that you'll have a bunch of items from a particular era or for a particular character, you can set up some folders now to install into. Say that you are doing a graphic novel: you might want your character and his/her clothing and stuff all together; or you may want to do Medieval, Egyptian, Japanese... (it is better if you start off organized). Since DAZ items come with the installer, if you have problems with stuff you have already purchased, their tech support or the folks here can help. For decent prices on Mac and related gadgets and software, MacMall and MacConnection have proven to be speedy and reliable. ClubMac and MacWarehouse are worth looking at (different product lines), but I almost always order from the first two. They both claim to beat any advertised price and will usually try to beat even a quote over the phone lines. In instances where they can't really go much lower, say with genuine Apple products, they usually have bundles of software or free peripherals to offer the better deal. As to which model, I'm lusting after that Titanium G4 (watching DVDs as well as crunching through 3d renders). One of my staunch PC-using friends with a digital camera bought an iBook because it came with all the software he needed, and the price was the same as a Windows laptop without the film processing software. He just runs a cable between camera and iBook and a few minutes later is happily stitching up panoramic views. Carolly

If you have installed the files in Poser on your PC, copy them all to a CD. Copy the CD to the Mac harddrive, then drop the whole folder into macConverter, and bingo they are ready to use on the Mac. very simple!

Thank you very much Jim and Carolly. My main concern was to save my investment in Poser stuff. I found Martin C site and I'm reading the info. Poser and Photoshop are software I can't live without! Carolly thanks for the shopping tips, but I live in Italy and I don't think that there are those store here. I will probably purchase it in the Apple online store. The Titanium G4 is actually the one I'm aiming at, even if the Dual PowerMac G4 is tempting too... Stefano

Thank you jerr3d this is good news! If I can copy my Poser runtime and convert all the files at once that solves a lot of problems.

Actually, they do convert 3DS files, but not .dxf files. Or, at least, I have been converting PC .3DS files on my copy of Maconverter.

Another alternative would be use use "Virtual PC" on your Mac. You can set up a Windows volume and do all your PC stuff using it (on your Mac). If you have a lot of PC stuff, this may be more cost effective in the short run than buying all that software over again. Of course, you still would be dealing with Windows for the time being but as you buy upgrades /new stuff you could gradually shift over to all Mac.

I haven't tried it yet, but I would advise against using Poser in Virtual PC. It emulates a P2 on my 500mhz Powerbook. It also doesn't do 3d at all, so I don't even know if you will be able to run it. You could use it to extract the .exe files though. I had to go through that when I moved over to Macs.

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