OK, Bloodsong found me out! The block isn't new, it does have a crack, but we lost the warranty so we're stuck with it. And I have an 'Artisan - Painter' as a WIP, which will be posted when he's presentable. He (and others) may be available as a CR2 before I'm done. So let it be written, So let it be done!

You're right, CEBrown, it does need a scenic backdrop. I am Bryce-less, so I have been using Terragen to get some simple backgrounds. This is a WIP, and while the stone block looks great, the image needs ... more. And those damn lights! Good lighting can make or break a scene, IMHO.

Apologies to Virus! Credit where it is due.

Hmm. Tough one, there. You set the bar pretty high. Let us know how your search goes.

I have had good luck visiting various Egypt and Egyptian Art sites. Some small images of reliefs as well as heiroglyphs and paintings do OK when clipped and pasted to a square. Not top quality but workable. The Egyptian headdress is available on the web. I haven't seen stylized wings or a hawk's head yet, but an Anubis head (with headdress added) works for me. Isn't there a Belly Dancer out there with 'Harem Pants?' I don't know who posted this (bless 'em anyway) so I can't give credit. "Egyptian Kilt' is available, with extras like cuirass top and bottom. They call it 'Skant' but it just needs a new texture. Me, I don't re-invent the wheel too often. Maybe it shows in my work :( But I can pump out crap at an amazing rate! Seriously, the number of good quality models available should keep most of your original modeling to a minimum, or for specialty items.

The sarcophagus was a freebie from Zygote (I think.) I don't think I can post it (email me!) And shadows/lights bedevil me at all times! Back to tweakin' I guess. Thanx for the constructive criticism.

I put the bump on the square ("Circle gets the square!") And you're right about generally shorter bows. He is a Poser eunuch alright, he just has a flair for fashion!

Um, how do I either update or replace this image? I don't want to start another message.

(Sigh.) No Bryce. No have! But these are XLent bits of advice, which will appear when I replace this image. No carpet, Poser Ground. I like the idea of kicking up some dust tho. Some pose tweaking for spearman is also in order - I like the other one OK, but you're right about spearman. BTW, this raw effort took about 45 minutes. I will try to keep a running total for each iteration. Thanx!

I agree with Blade, about the lighting, that is. Proper lighting may be the most important element and the most difficult to realistically render. I've spent hours changing and adjusting lights in a static scene to try for 'just the right look.' (Mixed results.) I don't have RDS or Carerra (MadRed goes green with envy) so I don't know how easy/hard this is in these apps. How about a wider view, just to show off the bar? It looks cool. And while I'm at it, how about light spots from a disco-ball? And maybe the blonde's phone number? :p And barkeep, a martini for her friend... V. good, keep on posting!

Microsoft sells stuff like this (SDK) usually only to corporations, since it is very expensive, and you usually must have a team of programmers just to begin to understand it. Very likely this is well beyond your means, both financially and technically - no slur intended. I wasn't recommending you get it, just letting you know that the info is out there even if you and I (especially I) can't make good use of it. Trust me, if you can't find it, you probably can't use it. You will get more info thru the Net than you will from MS. It ain't known as the Evil Empire fer nuthin' !!!

Go with Indeo. Indeo rules!

Can't help ya there, but I will say that avi files are best manipulated as uncompressed, then compress the finished avi. This will give the best kwality. I know these can be very big, but I have a 20G drive. ;) And Microsoft usually won't give up much info without getting money, ie. getting the SDK. Have you tried using MPEG compression? Final quality is still very good, and it is much more accessable to the un-monied public.

When you click 'Make a movie'and then click 'OK' you should get a window 'Video Compression' with a drop-down menu for 'compressor.' Scroll down to 'Uncompressed', which will not apply any compression to your movie. This should leave it as uncompressed bmp and you can then import it into Adobe Premiere or another NLE program. Let me know how it works out.

Damn. There goes my virtual army. I guess it is just a virtual squad now. Remember the old adage, "If at first it don't compute, reboot, reboot, reboot!" Poser 3 and 4 can both act a bit squirrely if you were doing something exotic beforehand, like using Notepad. ;) Reboot, close all non-essential apps (including Real) and try again. Are you trying to add the same figure, or a different one? You could try adding another char. by importing a pz3, and see if that does it. Lemme know how it works out.