I have played around a bit with PZ3 import from Poser 4 into Vue 4. I have run into some persistent texturing problems, however. Vue imports most textures without a hitch, but still has given me some trouble. -I use reflection mapping for various cloth textures in Poser. I can't seem to find a decent way to facsimilate the same effect in vue. Any suggestions? I have played around a bit with mixed materials, but the process seems to involve a lot of toggling.... -Many of my figures need to have material adjustments made after they are imported into Vue, but they seem to have been imported with the materials in various objects merged. To adjust the materials, I need to split up the object in Vue, which causes Vue to remap the object. I have taken to prepping the objects in Poser and saving a PZ3 with static objects instead of figures. (I guess I could try to redesign the figures to make them more compatible....) Am I doing something wrong, or is this a common problem? How is Mover 4? Sounds tempting, but, given my PZ3 import problems, I don't know whether I could expect to be able to use it properly....

"..Vue imports most textures without a hitch, but still has given me some trouble." There is nothing wrong with what you did and guess you have done what you can generally...be it Vue 4 or with the latest updated 4.1. There isn't much you can do but to live with it for now. Bug/bugs?, I dunno...some people think Vue is "no problem"...well, it depend on many other factors like hardware (especially Video cards and drivers - but why?), how far one use Vue to its limit and last but not least, models used...one tend to suspect its the way the model is made or the other programs use are not doing it right for Vue import...blahh x3... As for Mover 4...very intersting indeed and tempted to buy...but I'll wait till some serious animator to 'trash' it say its recommended. For now, what Vue 4.1 does with Poser import and what's with Poser 5, I think I will wait forever...LOL! Live by the day and rant thru trouble times.

When you import Poser objects containing a refective material, you best remap it in Vue. The reason is the following: Poser needs refection maps, but Vue can read directly metalic (reflecting) surfaces. A sample is the image above. I have imported a golden bracelet as a Pz3 file. Left is the pure Poser object, right is the object I remapped with gold in Vue.

This is the easiest way to behave in Vue. But sometimes you may want to keep your original material and just make it more reflective. You mostly don't need to split an object to do so. Just open the material summary.

Cick the icon that shows 3 small, decreasing spheres at top of the menu. This opens the material summary showing up ALL the materials used in the image. In there, select your material, double-click on it to open the material editor. Click the REFLECTION tab and bring up GLOBAL REFLECTIVITY until you get what you want.

Poser has no volumetric lighting, but Vue has. Also you have to play differently with lights in Vue. For a figure, it is best to add several spotlights aimed on the figure, even in a daytime atmosphere. To make it more realistic, you can disable the shadows of most of them, except the one(s) that comes from the same direction as the sunlight.

Another thing are the eyes of Poser figures in Vue. Best is to give a little refectivity to the eye whites, pupil and iris.

About Mover4: It imports Pz3 animations perfectly and the textures can be changed as if it was a still picture. I just love Mover4. My only problem is that I'm a lousy beginner in animation and am just learning it.

Hope this helps.
:-)Guitta

Thanks, Guitta. :) My trouble with reflections, I guess, is that I use reflection maps in Poser for effects other than simulated reflections. I have found them very useful for certain cloth textures. I'm sure there must be a way to get a similar effect within Vue, using combined materials, but I have not been able to find the right combination of variables. I was hoping someone might have a trick or shortcut for me.... :) So I guess I should ask: how do you create iridescent cloth effects in Vue? My other point: I have had a couple of instances in which imported materials could not be edited without splitting the object. I wish I had saved the problem files. This was several weeks ago, and I haven't had a chance to work with Vue since.... I imported a figure with several materials on one body part. The textures imported well with the figure, but my bump map settings needed to be adjusted. I found that editing one of the materials on the body part caused all the materials to be changed the same way. I was able to edit single materials by splitting the body part within Vue. The split object, however, seemed to be re-mapped, as the textures would not work properly, no matter how I changed the settings. (Perhaps this was the "world" texturing in play? I don't remember testing that particular setting....)

"So I guess I should ask: how do you create iridescent cloth effects in Vue?" My english is not the best, as you have seen. Could you please post here a Poser sample render with such an iridescent cloth effect and tell me which Poser reflection map you used? I'm pretty sure that there is a solution in Vue:-). Maybe I have to try first... When you have again such a split-map problem... just show us. Bumps are very easy to create and to configurate. But I have to know what exactly you want. :-)Guitta

Okay. This is the character with the iridescent cloth effect. The catsuit texture has some reflective characteristics, without actually reflecting anything.

This is the reflection map I am using in Poser. I have compressed it somewhat to post it. I hope that does not create a problem....

To get the effect in Poser I have to use the following settings: Object Color: 182/240/48 Highlight Color: 200/240/182 Reflective Color: 186/240/177 Highlight Size is set at 96%. With the reflection map posted above applied at 88%. Multiply through Lights is selected. Multiply through Object Color is deselected. A texture is also applied. The texture is basically solid black. Apply Texture to Highlight is deselected. There was a great deal of trial and error involved in finding these settings in Poser.... There may be a better way, or there may not....

I will try this a little later. I have some work to do right now. Coming back:-) Guitta

Please don't feel obligated to solve my problem for me.... :) I can mess around with it myself at some point. Still, any ideas are welcome.... Thanks for your help.

Cage, First of all Poser does reflection maps because it does not raytrace (and cannot handle true reflection) Vue can. If you really want to use your reflection maps as additional reflection be sure your object has some reflection and then click on the variable reflectivity box. Edit the new Reflectivity production function and choose mapped values. Load your reflection map. Use the amplitude value to determine how much influence your reflection map has in the final reflection (higher values favor the reflection map more). Click ok. Play with the global reflection slider and you should see the influence of your reflection map in the preview render. Also you can use the relectivity filter in the Reflectivity production function to allow your map to influence the reflection even further. Also you may need to experiment with the way the reflection is mapped - automatic might not always give you the result you need. Vue doesn't have a reflection mapping mode, but spherical might work better, for example. Experiment and see. What you posted above looks a lot like a bump map - and a bump map is needed to get specular and some reflective effects just right. Load that reflection map into the bump channel of the material in Vue. Set the bump to a low value at first to see what influence it has in the preview render. This map will probably also work well in the variable highlights function (following the steps I just showed for reflection mapping). Hope this helps. Scott

Thanks, Scott. Helpful material! I will play with the settings you suggest and see what happens! :) Woo hoo! Thank you! BTW, the texture above IS a reflection map. I created it to simulate the iridescent "spakle-y" effect that I am looking for. :) Works well in Poser. Just need to find the proper settings in Vue.

Is that this kind of texture you look for ? Argentium Thri'ile

Yes, I think you may have it! Wow! Better than the settings I have settled for in Poser! How did you do it? What are the settings? What is the secret? Wow!

LoL ! :-) I sent my mat file to Cage for he can have a look to it. But if someone want precisions, I can't post it. Just tell me... :-) Argentium Thri'ile

You're welcome Cage. Yeah if that is your reflection map it should definitely be your bump map too, because the bumps are needed for the sparkles to show. Have fun playing with Argentium's mat - it looks like he's got it. Scott

I'm happy At gave youthe solution:-). Sorry, but I had no time to try it, I was working until midnight yesterday:-(. Guitta