Yes actually, you can. Depending what you are trying to do, there are 2 ways of going about it. If you want to make props from parts of a figure.. >Export(as OBJ) and select the part(s) you want to be a prop. >Import that OBJ and + it in the Props library. (props made this way won't have moving parts btw) If you want to break it down into multiple figures using only Some of the parts in each... >Copy the CR2 to another name. >Export(as OBJ) and select the parts you want the new figure to have. >Edit the new CR2's FigureResFile entries to point to this new OBJ. Where the CR2 looks for body parts not in the OBJ, they don't appear, but their jointing is still in there, so motions and poses will act as if those parts were intact. Have fun. :)

If you have "the original V3" then you don't have to pay anything for an upgrade, they newest CR2 is available for free download in the 'Product Downloads' page under 'Support' at DAZ. If by upgrade, you mean morph packs and other addons, then yes, they will cost. Personally I wouldn't want any of the DAZ people without their head morphs at least. I hate having a model look the same in 2 renders. That's one of the real benefits of the Gen3 figures from DAZ. While the figure + head morphs + body morphs adds up quick, the ability to make litterally thousands of distinct people from one figure is hard to pass up. But as galactron22 mentions, they Do take up a lot of memory. Specially when you start loading in a lot of morphs.

It's a personal preference thing. I've used P4 since a few weeks after its release (used 2 and 3 prior) and only got 5 about a month ago. So far, I see it as a waste of money. It is incredibly slow, has serious trouble with transparencies, is actually incapable of loading certain P4 figures, is extremely crowded(800x600) and did I mention how slow it is? ;) But the advanced texturing and rendering, and of course the multi-layer runtime libraries are definite plusses. Here's hopeing P6 will be more thuroughly tested before its release. I don't expect it to be long since CLabs has mentioned version 7 already.

Take a peek at your CD again. Look for some tiny little lettering that says "M-O media." If it's there, it means Magneto-Optical, succeptable to magnetic fields much the same as old floppy discs were. My suggestion (after you email DAZ and download again), is NEVER backup on anything rewritable. You're backing up to keep it permanently anyway right? :) So use a good ole' cheap as dirt CD-Rs or DVD-Rs.

There was a comment from someone at DAZ quite some time ago, that much of the clothing for children of the ages represented with the MilGirls and MilBoys packages is sexually indistinct, ergo MilGirls clothing packages work fine with the boy. If only that were still true... Heck, I see 9 year old girls running around in things my fiance wouldn't be brave enough to wear in public. (it's sickening) And most of the boys are into one or the other of those clothing habits I can't wrap my head around, like pants so loose they hang a foot below their waist. All that said.. anything made for the Millennium Girls will fit the boys, it just may not be very "boyish."

You don't need PHI files in P4. Group the parts. 'Spawn Props' Set the hierarchy. 'Create new figure' The hierarchy editor in P4 lets you drag/drop parts-to-parts and rot orders, so there is really no point in ever making a PHI file IMO.

Operaguy, it is ineptitude, because with the various morphs available for V3, you can use her to duplicate nearly any other figure out there, including the males. The problem is that many don't bother to do any morphing at all, they just pose, add a sword, drop her in a temple, and hit render. (I'm so glad NVIATWAS are on the decline again!) Then there is also the "assembly hobyist" factor. Those who make these scenes simply to see what they can build with a given set of tools. (pick 10 random items sometime and see what you can do, it can be interesting) As to creating props and figures.. I, at last count, had over 600 DAZ products, and I didn't even bother counting the Rendo' products or any freebies. So yes, I will call it an addiction. But I still create my own figures, props and textures when the need arises (or when I get into that modeling mindset that overtakes me now and then). It is just as has been mentioned... An artist will use whatever tools it takes to get the results they desire. Easier tools simply mean they can finish and move on to the next project sooner. Personally, I find modeling, morphing, and texturing to be just as much an artistic endevour as scene creation. Then again, unless you do some renders, a 32 hour stretch modeling in Lightwave expresses very little to anyone but yourself. ;) Khai, the polygon count of a figure determines how changable it is. JarJar and Gollum didn't have much morphing to do. It is an absolute, that the versatility of any 3D figure is directly proportional to its polygon count. (NURBS and such discounted of course, for their complete lack of polygons) Joints can always be changed, textures swap out with just a click, but you can only morph a figure so far before those stretching polys start making some ugly effects.

I don't think it is a lack of "user friendly" efforts so much as their inapplicability to this particular genre. Sure, someone out there could come up with a scripting system and make a wizard with step creation for scenery props, but then 9 of every 10 users is going to want it to work differently because they all have different objectives. The reason it isn't done (effectively) is the same reason you don't have Photoshop popping up a wizard for "Paint a Seascape," because art cannot be contained in something so formulaic. ;) I can picture a NVIATWAS wizard! Poser is a wonderful tool for what it was intended to do. It was designed specifically to let 3D artists create and pose multi-part figures with a (relatively) Very small amount of effort. Unfortunately, CLabs lost sight of this with P5, and focussed it more on materials and rendering capability, at the cost of a huge chunk of downward compatability and the alienation of newcommers to the market. Just ask a 3D-newbie who starts out with P5 how frustrating it is. .. compared to how simple it was for those who started with 2, 3 or 4, it is no wonder 5 is so hated. (besides of course, the major bugs, design flaws, and lack of import for P4 materials) So, you are right on the mark in reference to P5, but 3D software as a whole has been improving as well as can be expected from software that is intended to be used to express individual artististry.

Do you 'Need' them? Most likely No.

Do you 'Want' them? Most likely Yes. ;)

The biggest difference is that the DAZ figures are made to be more realistic, and far more morphable. The higher polygon counts mean slower working, but more versatility.

As to compatability, the DAZ figures are just as compatable as anyone else's. Most of Poser 5's incompatability issues are in relation to Textures, since the P4 system was effectively abandoned and left unsupported in 5.. CL could have saved a LOT of face if they had simply added P4 materials downward compatability.

If you do decide to get some of the DAZ figures, I can make a suggestion. :D

Don't buy them first. Get the 3D Starter Content, which comes with V3 RR, and M3 RR(reduced res figures) and 10 other figures and a some misc props and textures.
This is $30.

Then get the V3 Upgrade (which is the full V3 but requires V1/V2 or V3 RR which you now have)
This is $30
+This gets you a $10 voucher.

Then get the M3 Upgrade (which is the full M3 but requires M1/M2 or M3 RR which you now have)
This is $20 with the $10 voucher above.

So normally V3 and M3 would cost $80.
But with this method, that same $80 gets you...
V3
V3 RR
M3
M3 RR
Millennium Dragon LE
Millennium Dog LE
Millennium Cat LE
Cartoon Kids.. and several other figures, some clothing, textures, and props.

Effectively getting the figures for less than $10 each and some other toys in the process.

The $10 voucher with a V3 Purchase is only good for a while though, so if you're planning on buying next year, this won't apply.

I love the DAZ figures myself, but could be biased because I have them all (except V1) blush.
But then I love Sixus' figures too...
and Neftie's...
and ... well you get the idea. ;) Posering is a powerful addiction.

Message edited on: 12/26/2004 14:03

Poser isn't being artistic eh? I guess the person who sent you this email is still creating all of their own models and doing it by hand on paper, doing all the math in their heads, because a modeling program makes it less artistic. :P

This subject again? haha!

If it isn't clear yet, its not some DAZ marketing scheme because DAZ isn't doing it. It is the Published Artists there that are offering up thier hard work without pay.

As someone above pointed out, if you want a discrepancy, relate the number of PAs at DAZ to the number here, and compare the number of freebies those PAs are giving away. Which group is being generous now?

Face if folks, it costs just to be born, everything you get after that which doesn't, is a gift. Complaining about them only means fewer of them as you go along. Xeno-"Why doesn't DAZ give away something really good -- like the Laura character -- for free?" I guess you don't like Aiko? ;)

Message edited on: 12/16/2004 17:23

Why is it like this?

Because the Nude Vicky In A Temple With A Sword (NVIATWAS) posters were so ridiculed for the repetative theme, they started doing other works.. like..

NVIATWOAS (WithOut a Sword)
AVIATWAS (Armored Vicky)
NVNIATWAS (Not in a temple)
and so forth.

The fact that 1 in every 4 (or more) images in the gallery at any given time of day are likely to be nude renditions of Victoria or Stephanie3P, is pretty sad considering the range of capabilities Poser has.

As to it being art... well that's dangerous ground. Personally, I don't see anything that is repeated (by the same person anyway) as art. If you can't come up with something other than a Nude Vicky after 3 or 4 renders.... Editing to add.. It has been improving of late. Some days you can get an entire page with only 1 or 2 of these on it. :) Let us hope its a trend.

Message edited on: 12/15/2004 10:34

In all honesty, I do remember Poser being very difficult to get used to, but that is because it is so different from the other 3D packages out there. As to it eating a lot of resources or operating slowly, that is to be expected. It is in a constant state of testing.. any time an object moves, Poser has to check for any conformed pieces and effectively generate a new scene. Add 'Full Tracking' and 'Textured' display mode and we're talking about quite a bit of processing going on just to bend an arm. Also, people often forget (or never knew) that Poser was not originally intended for many of the things it does today. It was created originaly to provide storyboard artists and the like with a way of manipulating a humanoid figure with limits set to restrict it to natural joint bends and the like, as a reference tool. Of course back then it was called Manequin and had no lights, no texturing, no rendering, no conformers (no additional object support at all for that matter) and only wireframe view mode. I admit that memory management in Poser (all versions) is less than perfect, and oftimes brings annoying problems up, but for the work it does, you just can't beat it. :)

Pesonally, I look for the artist to mention that they welcome criticism before giving any. Of course, by that same token, I refuse to give any rating or comments on those that do not. After all, if they don't want criticism, they must not want kudos either right? ;) I am a hobbyist myself, but when I do get around to putting an image up (only have 2 left up right now) I ask for honest input.. not only to improve my abilities, but to get others viewing my pieces to think for themselves 'how would I have done this better if it were my work?' Frankly, if you don't want criticism, don't allow it. That's why the check is there for "allow comments."

"what brokered items at Renderosity do not load into the specified software" You're missing the point here I think. Incorrect references in the way we're discussing WILL work some times. The problem is, incorrect references, while they technically function, will not always function correctly if there is another image by the same name anywhere in the Textures path. And when they do work, they take a very long time to load whereas loading is virtually instant when done correctly. Most MAT file creators out there create incorrect(incomplete) references, and the product creators using them don't bother to take all of 5 seconds to check. In the end, Everyone who gets that product suffers for their laziness. I've had a slow day here today, only archiving 19 products. But of those 19, all were released this year, and only 2 had correct referencing. So you can see it is on an 'occasional' problem. This sort of referencing is not an error in spelling, it is either something forgotten or left incorrect as a matter of laziness. To make an analogy from my subject title, a better one would be if I had neglected to enter one at all. ;)