sabretalon, ?. :) I'm in the US at Amazon.com (US) and it says: "Availability: This item has not yet been released. You may order it now and we will ship it to you when it arrives." Also see under Product Details: "Publisher: Focal Press; (August 2003)" So, it's a two month wait all in all. A worthwhile two month wait, though. Bloodsong will stomp all over SHAM Mortier's crappy idea of a Poser book, especially since Bloodsong actually USES Poser and has MASTERED it, unlike that other loser. Thank you Bloodsong - it's in my wishlist for ordering. BYS

There will be vertex count, UV map, joint parameter, and morph changes in M3, undoubtedly. I'm only holding out because M2 doesn't give me the fine control required to create true, realistic, accurate Asian faces. V3 isn't perfect, but much, much more is possible. Plus, M2 can sometimes be a little to "superhero" or "muscleman" for more androgynous or younger characters. BYS

Well, I can give you some details. Each light in Poser has an attached Shadow Camera (which is basically a camera in the same position as the light - for the most part) that is used to cast shadows from the light. In simplistic terms, the camera is used to get silhouettes of objects within its view and these are projected onto objects behind them as shadows. You'll find them in your Scene files (PZ3), Light files (LT2), and any other files that have lights (some Pose files give you different lighting schemes, for example) as SHADOW_CAM_???. I'm not certain, but I think there is a way to select them in Poser, but don't quote me on that. :0) BYS

PlumBob: If you get the e-version of ProPack and its plugins, after installing Poser 4, install Pro Pack. It will ask if you want to install the plugins for other apps after it installs, one at a time. krimpr: Greenbriar's plugin is "keyed" to your version of LightWave 3D. Once he get's the Product key, he will email you your own keyed plugin as an attachment. Watch out for Outlook as it tends to lock out attachments of certain types. I had him put into a zip archive for me. BYS

• Yes. * Very nice. Haven't had a chance to check the latest version, but the original that I purchased worked very well. * Yes. * Yes. The CR2 file is a Poser "character file". It contains references to the geometry as a Wavefront .obj file as well as setting up parameters for body parts, bones (and their deformation of the geometry), morphs (and their deformation of the geometry), texture regions, and so on. Basically, this file defines the posable, morphable, texturable character within Poser. Currently, the Greenbriar plugin will work on all sorts of Poser files (PZ3, CR2, HR2, etc). BYS

That URL would be Greenbriar Studios BYS

If all else fails, there is a third-party plugin for Poser into LightWave by Greenbriar Studios. BYS

cowboy, that's 189 (not 129)!! You supposedly save 129. Yeah, okay. ;) There ya go: Fry's Electronics has it for $89!!! BYS

I just checked. Nothing on eBay, nothing "used" on Amazon. :( BYS

So far, the cheapest price is Curious Labs price at $139. Everyone else has it for $179 (links to Amazon.com) or greater. PC Connection has it for $159. I'd get it while it's that low there! BYS

Klinger after yet again being denied a Section 8? BYS

Alan Alda is... The MAS*Hinator. "I'll be back, after a few martinis from the Swamp." Thanks, Axe Gaijin. Still wiping the coffee off my monitor. ;) BYS

I won't make any promises, but as I'll be working on some samurai characters soon (from the ground up), there will be lots of opportunity to make a variety of clothing, armor, and weapons for the figures. Hakama, hitatare, yoroi, kabuto, juban, tabi, and so on, will be requirements. My only problem is that I don't actually own or have access to most of the real things. Katana, tabi I have, but not much else. Plenty of book and online resources, but that's it. What I'd do to lay my hands on a complete katchu for making an authentic and detailed armor model! ;) If you have any good book or online resources, I'd be forever grateful. BYS

Connatic, ;) Well, to use all of the 3D software that I mentioned, learning alot of that stuff was vital! Of course, programming 3D engines and so forth makes all of it even more vital. Hey, I resemble that remark. My art is neither boring nor similar. FYI :), I started out as a traditional artist (pencil, pen, crayon, charcoal, pastels, watercolors, gauche, oil, tempora, acrylic, enamel (plastics), lacquer (airbrushing guitars and cars). My style is surrealistic/fantasy, but I can do regular stuff like still-lifes, portraits, commercial work, and so on. Here's where I can connect the two. An artist who doesn't know or care to know about the properties of the medium being used or how to use the tools, is doomed to failure. Can you use watercolors on a metal surface that'll be outdoors for a permanent piece of artwork? Is it a good idea to touch an oil painting after only an hour? Do some mediums melt plastic? How does the medium's pigments combine to get the desired colorations? Each medium has its differences, each tool its use. You must know the pros and cons, ins and outs, limitations and powers of your 3D apps just like the mediums and tools used in traditional art. In all honesty, like other 3D apps, Poser should mention its systems and their pros and cons in the manual. Imagine may be using Quaternions or a form of HPB that circumvents gimbal lock (like Cinema 4D). BYS

Yes, Poser DOES. This is a standard, well-known problem with Euler Angles. It is unavoidable when using Euler Angles. They couldn't have coded for it. They could have used Quaternions instead, only showing Euler Angles for the user's edification. Quaternions are a known way to avoid gimbal lock, although still not perfect. It happens in 3DSMax (though they supposedly have a "workaround" but haven't heard much about its success). It happens in LightWave (try rotating the perspective view to coincide with the Y-axis and watch your view lock to it). It happens in many 3D applications, any using Euler Angles. The way to avoid it is as was discussed: parenting so that one parent acts as an X rotator and another acts as Y rotator. In all cases, you must avoid gimbal lock on the parent(s), or you're back where you started. Sorry, the reason is VERY important since it is a fundamental mathematical one, not one restricted to your precious Poser application. If any of you would bother to learn about the technical side of 3D mathematics and its use in computer programs, you'd be better equipped to avoid these problems or understand them when they occur. BYS - 3D CG User: Poser 4/ProPack, Poser 5, Cinema 4D XL 7.3, Cinema 4D XL R8, BodyPaint3D, ImageModeler 3.5, LightWave 7.5 3D, Maya 4.5 PLE, UV Mapper, AutoCAD 2000. - 3D Programmer: C/C++/Java/Java 3D/VRML for 10 years (15 years programming generally) - 3D Books: Computer Graphics - Foley et al 3D Computer Graphics - Watt Graphics Gems I - IV Black Art of 3D Game Programming - LaMothe High-Resolution Computer Graphics Using C - Angell Computer Graphics for Java Programming - Ammeraal Java 3D API Jump-Start Computer Graphics - Plastock & Kalley Computer Graphics Handbook - Mortenson Warping and Morphing of Graphical Objects - Gomes et al The Annotated VRLM 2.0 Reference Manual - Carey & Bell ...plus various mathematics books on Vector and Tensor Analysis, Chaos, Calculus, Algrebra, Geometry, Analytic Geometry, Topology, Matrix Theory (don't need one for Trig as I'm well versed in it). ...plus several dozen minor 3D and 3D programming books since sold. Knowledge is Power...