Attached Link: http://www.terabit.nildram.co.uk/tattoo/

Momodot, If you can get your hands on one of the CD's with the free Cinema 4D XL6se from 3D World or Computer Arts (they come up quite often on eBay, they were on the magazines about a year ago), it might be a usable application for you. Although it is designed with mouse editing as the primary focus, you have the ability to enter/modify numeric values to either move, or fine tune the location of objects, veticies. polygons, splines, etc. For me, it was the easiest 3D modeling application to learn. Good Luck!

Warangel,

There has been some very good "sage" advice given in this thread. All I can add is "been there, done that". Computer 3D looks so easy on the surface, but it really isn't that easy. It takes time, and lots of it, to learn. I think you're simply trying to learn too much at the same time. Although some of the skills learned in Poser may ease the learning curve in Shade or Vue, they are two very complex and different programs (more complex than poser).

If you really want to model, one thing to consider is that Shade may not fit well with the way you think. Having a modeler that "fits" with your thought processes helps a great deal (speaking from experience here). Pick a simple modeling project, like a house with a couple of doors and a few windows, or a shirt or pair of pants. Try to model it in Shade, then try the same project in a few other programs like Wings 3D (free), Anim8or (free), older versions of software that have come free on 3D World and Computer Arts magazines (Cinema 4D V6se and Carrara 1.1), or demo versions of software. I would recommend trying Cinema 4D (it was the first one I could get my head around), Carrara Studio (has an interface very much like Poser), and Rhinocerous 3D (CAD like nurbs modeler), TrueSpace, and the free modelers. These will give you a very good cross section of different modeling styles/approaches. You'll know right away when you find the software that "fits", because things will just be more intuitive, and easier to do.

I tried 3DS MAX (couldn't do anything in 3DS), Lightwave (worse than 3DS), Rhino, and Blender - thought I'd never be able to make any complex models. Then I gave Cinema 4D a try. I could actually use it without wearing out the manual! But I know people who find C4D very difficult. I also find Carrara very intuitive. All I can say is it's all in your head!

Also, don't expect to be doing great things right away. If you spend 10-15 hours a week, it could easily take a year before you become somewhat "comfortable" with Poser and a modeling program (throw Vue5 Infinite into the mix and give yourelf another 6 months to a year). Keep in mind, that you won't be a 3D Guru after the year (unless your a genius), but you will be able to do many of the basics well.

Good luck, and hang in there. There are a lot of great people here who are willing to help. We've ALL been in your position, and many of us (myself included) are still on the lower end of the loooong learning curve.

Sorry to here your problems continue! After backing up, go ahead and try to reformat. If that doesn't fix it, I'm afraid your drive is 10-7, time to replace it.

Good luck!

PS: you might consider getting a couple of drives, one to replace your current drive, and an external drive to keep backups on.

ram,

Sounds like you have some errors on your hard drive. Before doing anything else I strongly recommend you back up your important files on your e: drive. After your important files are safe, you can start working on the drive.

Go to windows explorer, right click on your e: drive, and select properties (make sure you don't have any files open on the e: drive). In the properties window, select the tools tab, then select the "check now" button under error checking. This will bring up the "Check Disk" window, check both check boxes, the click on "run". Depending on the size of the disk (and it's condition), this process could take quite a while.

This should clear up all errors on the disk without reformatting. If you have any damaged files they may not be properly recovered, but the process is typically very good at restoring damaged files.

The bad news is it has been my experience that the problems you are having are usually an indication of pending hard drive failure (about 9 times out of 10), unless you have had some recent power failures, or have some loose/dirty cables from your controller to the hard drive (it would be a good idea to re-seat your drive cables just in case this is the cause of the problem). If you continue to see slow response times, and just general flakey behavior from the drive after running Check Disk (or while running Chack Disk), then it's time for a new drive.

Cyclic redundancy errors usually occur due to unreadable clusters on the disk, which are usually due to head crashes, problems with the movement of the drive head(s), bad or weak clusters that were missed during low level format, or a corrupt file allocation table. The first two causes are an indication of impending drive failure, the second two can be from system/power issues, or from drive failure.

Good Luck! Hope it's just some sort of system error.

Hmmm,

It really depends on what you intend to do. Carrara Studio 4 (CS4) has a lot more to offer for doing general 3D work than Vue does. But Vue obviously excels at outdoor/landscape scenes (I'm not a Vue user, just from what I've seen). If you want to make your own 3D models, then the choice is obvious since Vue does not have a modeler.

The plugin support for Carrara is growing, and there are many great plugins available now (at reasonable prices). You can do some very good - to outstanding landscape work with CS4, you just have to work at it a little more than with Vue. Personally I think the render engine in CS4 is one of the best available, but it looks like Vue 5 has an awsome render engine also.

Carrara gives you many high end features not found in applications in an equivalant price range, and is a very good choice for general 3D work in a small studio or for a serious 3D hobbiest. With the current range of plugins available, you can do almost anything with CS4. The vertex modeler isn't as good as some of the high end apps (work flow and advanced options), but it is easy to learn and use. The spline modeler is top notch, and very powerful. The shader system is extremely versatile and powerful, with a wide variety of plugins that make it easy to achieve just about any effect desired (even normals mapping, and geometry modification).

My 2 cents (probably worth about 1 tenth of 2 cents): I would recommend getting CS4, since you already have Vue4. It will expand your 3D tool set a lot more than upgrading to Vue5 would. You can use CS4 to create 3D models for use in either CS4, or Vue4, and will get the added bonus of a great render engine (much like the one available in Vue5).

I hope this helped and didn't make the decision more difficult. Good Luck!

Ultratop,

You need to "render" your scene to a 2D image, which can be saved as a file that can be opened in photoshop. Look up rendering in the help, that should get you going. Poser is similar to DAZ Studio, only not free. You need to master the basics of 3D figure posing and/or animation in either application. It's not as easy as you would think, and can get frustrating at times (it doesn't matter what software you use, initially there is a very steeeeppp and frustrating learning curve).

Hang in there, and keep trying. Just keep thinking "baby steps, baby steps, got to learn to walk before I can dance". There are some fairly good tutorials available at the DAZ Studio forum at daz3d.com.

Good luck!

My 2 cents - Download DAZ Studio and let her look at it. If she likes what it can do, then help her get it and get started (it's pretty easy to use). Keep a watchfull eye on what she does, and how much she uses it. If she really gets into it, you can either get her P5 or P6 as a present, or help her with the cost as a present. DAZ Studio does most of what P4 can do, and with the $$$ she saves she can get some nice add-ons to V3, M3, or what ever she would like.

Right now, DAZ Studio is no replacement for P5/P6, but for someone just starting out, it is a great intro to figure posing on the computer. If it turns out that she really likes creating computer art, then P6 with the improved render engine would be a great present for her in the future.

Carrara 4 Pro (or Carrara 4 with Transposer) works very well with Poser imports - and supports dynamic cloth. The new Transposer 2 has dynamic hair support. Purchasing Carrara won't break the bank either.

1. P4PP, P5 (mostly P5)
2. WinXP
3. Hobby, and some professional illustration

A few more possibilities for hair and clothing.

a) What is the difference between conforming and dynamic clothing

b) Same idea as "a)' only with hair

c) When I Pose my figue, the clothing dosen't move (re: dynamic clothing)

d) When I run "calculate simulation" in the Cloth Room with xxxx (insert a conforming clothing item in place of xxxx), the simulation calculation never ends. Why?

e) When I double click on xxxx (replace xxxx with hair figure, or conforming clothing), the item doesn't show up on my figure and sometimes the figure deforms. Why?

f) When I move my Poser figure, the conforming hair and clothing don't move with it, why?

g)Why do body parts poke through the conforming clothing?

h) Why doesn't clothing article xxx fit figure yyy properly? (replace xxx with a conforming clothing item made for a figure other than figure yyy).

PS: Congratulations on the book, and good luck!

glennjan,

I'm not sure about CL's policy regarding acedemic versions, but typically acedemic versions don't come with upgrade options (this is not universal, some companies are very progressive in this area and offer upgrades, but they are in the minority). If there is no direct link to acedemic upgrades on the web site, chances are pretty good that they don't have an upgrade policy. You could try contacting CL's customer support, they may be able to enlighten you on the subject.

Buying P5 now with the P6 download offer might be the simplest solution. Even if there is an upgrade option, you probably wouldn't save much over the P5 purchase with P6 upgrade download. If you don't mind doing some "leg work" to try to save a few bucks (probably around $20-30 at the most), then I'd check with CL about their upgrade policy. If you prefer to keep it simple, then getting P5 with the P6 upgrade download is the way to go.

A plus to going with the P5 purchase is you would have a copy of P5 in addition to P6, which would give you a little added flexibility if P6 tuns out to have some real issues (not quite ready for prime time), or if P6 is a big resource/CPU hog.

pjbear,

Go ahead and take the plunge! I hate buying stuff on line, don't ask me why, just one of those things that is simply not logical. I was able to place my order with NO problems (there have probably been thousands of pre orders that went smoothly, you just hear about the bad experiences). You might not even need to register P5, it depends on how their data base and Serial validation process is structured. It may only compare your serial# to a list a valid serials, regardless of registration status. You should be eligable for the upgrade even if you register now. You can try the purchase without registering first. If it requires a "registered" serial # you simply won't be able to complete the purchase, you won't get charged anything for trying, you need the valid serial # prior the completeing the transaction. If you need to register first, go register at CL's web site, wait a while (a couple of hours), then try your purchase again. Since it is the weekend, you may have to wait until Monday for registration to complete (but I doubt it, it should be automated).

You might as well go all out and install P5 and play with it too (not trying to be sarcastic, just urging you to be adventerous). If you can use P4, you can use P5. There are some new things that you can either ingnore, or "enjoy" learning to use (Ahhh, nothing like a good, intense, frustration headache). Unfortunately, no matter what program your talking about, you typically hear more complaints than compliments when a new upgrade comes out. P5 is no different. I use P5 most of the time now, and seldom go back to P4PP.

Honestly, P5 gives you a lot of features for the price. P5 was the first 3D app to include dynamic cloth with the base package (under $300), with other apps dynamic cloth would cost a minimum of an additional $200 more (if it was even avalable). I too have read numerous posts about problems with P5, but I look at what CL has done with P5 as a very good value for the price. You really are getting a lot for your money with the P6 upgrade, the render engine alone is worth it, plus Shade 7LE, it's a "can't pass it up" price. True, we haven't seen anything other than one simple promo image as an example of what the new render engine can do. But look at the render engine in Shade, which is the product of CL's new parent company. I'm confident that the new render engine will be an excellent product, as eFrontier has a reputation to uphold (a bad Poser6 upgrade could result in a very negative image in Japan, and the world, which would translate into large losses in potential revenue).

I can understand people being upset when software doesn't work the way it should, I get upset myself (my family knows when to stay clear). But the target customer (and price range) for Poser isn't the same as Maya or 3DS Max, so we as users can't expect an equivalent product. Yes, bug free software(or as I like to call it, "undocumented feature" free) would be nice to have. But no matter how much the software costs, in my experience bug free just does't happen, and I've been working with computers for over 20 years.

I work with software that costs over $20,000 dollars on a daily basis, and it has bugs. I've worked with software that cost over $200,000, and it had bugs too. Of course with the higher priced software, you get premium tech support which will jump on the problems and typically have a fix within 24 hours (at a premium cost - in addition to the purchase price). But like everything else in life, you get what you pay for. I also work with software that cost almost $10,000 dollars (per user license), and $3,500 dollars for yearly software support (for primary license). But if you aren't a company with several hundred thousand dollars invested in this particular companies products, you may get the software bugs fixed with the next patch (one every 3-6 months) or you may not (depends on how many "seats" the bug has been reported as effecting).

Will P6 have bugs? Yes! It's is impossible to beta test a product like P6 under the wide variety of hardware combinations it will be installed on, and test every possible senario of what a user might try to do with the software. Will it be usable? I got the upgrade, so obviously I'm betting it will be (again, any upgrade with any software there is always a question of reliability, and apprehension wondering if they broke something that was on the older version). Will it crash alot? I hope not, but only time will tell. Will it be fast, or sloooowwww? Again, only time will tell.

Why did I get the upgrade with so many unknowns? #1 reason was a price that I couldn't pass on for what CL was offering (I got the $109.00 limited offer). #2 reason was the enhancements - the new render engine. Open GL, and SSS. #3 reason was curiosity about the SE content, could be awsome or junk, but I wanted to find out for myself. #4 reason was eFrontiers reputation in Japan, the appearant quality of the flagship product - Shade, and the positive steps that CL has made since they were acquired by eFrontier. #5 reason was the inclusion of Shade LE.

Sorry for the long message. It's just my 2 cents worth (sometimes I just say way too much). I hope something I said helps you to make a decision one way or another. It's not unusual to be apprehensive about upgrading, and having to deal with changes in software. I do it all the time, and still HATE it (but I typically like the improvements too). Just keep in mind, that you can always fire up P4 and make a nice render if your frustration level gets too high, then go back to P6 (or P5) when your mood improves. Don't expect to learn everything at once, but do set time aside on a very regular basis to learn the new software, and before you know it you will want to use the new software all the time.

Good luck with your decision.

sandoppe,

Unless you do a lot of multitasking, say working in Poser while rendering in Vue, There will be no real advantage to HT. I don't know if Vue is optimized for HT, but if it isn't, you won't get much of a boost in performance in Vue with HT(maybe even reduced performance, which is typical with apps that aren't optimized for HT).

The only real advantage for using non HT optimized apps with HT systems is for processing in the background (rendering) while doing some fairly heafty work with another application. So, if you don't do a lot of multitasking, or you won't be putting a heavy interactive load on the processor with the "foreground" or working app. while rendering in the background, then an AMD or non HT based system will do just fine.

(Actually, at the speed the high end machines run now, you might well be very happy without HT, and rendering while working, it really depends on how you use the machine).

Good Luck!

Only 5 gigs? Ouch! You might want to look into an external hard drive for more room, and/or backups (an external CD or DVD burner would work too). If your laptop has a USB 2 or firewire port, you could get a new exteranl drive for $100-$120 dollars (if you watch the sales). I wouldn't suggest using the old USB (1), it's way slooooowww. If you don't have USB2 or firewire, you can get a PCcard (also known as PCMCIA) card for either USB2 or firewire, but that would be an extra $40-100.

I use laptops a lot and I couldn't function without external hard drives. I know it's a lot of $$$ if your on a tight budget, but if you can save up for one, it would really make life on your laptop much better.

Another option would be to install a larger drive in your laptop. If your not a hardware techno nerd, then I would recommend having a computer shop, or a friend who really (and I mean REALLY) knows what he/she is doing do it for you. I still think the external hard drive is the best option, since you can use it to back up your laptop drive.

Good luck, hope your crashes are over!