Regarding serious question 1. : You've accepted a blank piece of videotape as art. I neglected to mention that the camera was not currently operating. One should be more careful in their art appraisals.*

When nothing (literally "no thing") can be considered art, then art becomes nothing. You may like the sound of that, but not I.

Yet, if everything is art, then the literal correlation means art is everything. And anyone who creates something is an artist. Everyone creates something at some point, therefore everyone is an artist. If everyone is an artist, then SoulTaker is an artist. And since art cannot be deemed bad or good in any objective manner, what point is there in his showing results (which he MUST have created since he's an artist) or favorite artist choices in order for you to validate whether his opinion is valid? That's just an attempt to trump his opinion with your own. Would you turn 180 if he proved himself to be skillful? Or if his choices matched your own? Why ought he be attacked for expressing his detractive viewpoint? (Rhetorical questions all.)

Regarding serious question 2. : Bad art is a contradiction in terms. Images can be art. Images can be ugly. Ugly images can be art. But bad art denotes that the artist was incapable of communicating the artists beauteous intent, whether due to lack of skill, or lackluster inspiration, or otherwise. You can have bad composition, bad anatomy, bad perspective, but bad art isn't art. It failed to become art at some point in the execution.

Occassionally, there are stories of prodigies (teenaged or younger) who evidence exceptional ability to produce elaborate images (drawings, paintings, photography, etc) with remarkable sophistication and regularity. Usually there is an awed reaction to the work, due to the prodigy's skill at such an early age. This suggests that skill is an inherent measureable component of artistic ability. And if that is true, then not every image must be art.

I recognize my views may be distasteful. Feel free to contradict me. I just want to explore the subject.

All in all, I think the obvious direct answer to SoulTaker's question is: No. There is not. WYSIWYG.

*SoulTaker has also made an assumption. The page series where images are displayed here at Renderosity is called the "Gallery", not the "Art Gallery" (a wise decision by Renderosity designers, whom i'm sure have their own opinions on the subject).

Message edited on: 02/07/2005 06:23

So the ONLY way to provide a valid criticism is to be able to show examples of one's own ability in regard to the criticized subject matter? That's ludicrous. I'll have to remember you said that when Poser 6 is released. Or when Microsoft's LongHorn is released. Or when George Bush makes a booboo. Or when.....aw, you get the point. Serious question 1: Is a single frame extracted from a security camera operated randomly and automatically in the corner of an empty warehouse "art"? If so, why so? Serious question 2: Is there such a thing as bad art? If so, why so?

In regard to the "I want it now" posts (which I understand were meant semi-kiddingly, but I will comment nonetheless), try to recall the fiasco when CL prematurely released a certain p5rogram in some part due to community demand. Egad, I hope they take their sweeeeet time with P6! Remember the complaints? The gnashing of teeth? The vehement chanting of picket sign wielding protesters? Remember the hours of time we wasted setting up scenes and having them crash on us? No? Well, nevermind then.

As for the "ho hum" attitude by some toward this single unveiled feature.....give it a chance. Maybe you farm out your rendering to a different program because you're dissatisfied with P5, but don't you CRAVE/PREFER/WANT a P6 that won't make that necessary?

Some features of P5 are actually quite astounding when used properly (and heavily considering its price point). Specifically, the Cloth Room is amazing. The Material Room, although initially horribly overwhelming, is capacious in its variety. If you refuse to explore P5's intricasies, or if your need for immediate gratification is disappointed by the lack of a "Magically Render Perfect Image" button, you will be missing out on a great deal of P5's greatness. P5 can help produce some excellent work. Likewise i've seen horrible imagery produced from Lightwave, CD4, Maya, etc. thanks to a lack of attention to detail and zero inventiveness. And at several times the price, yet.

Perhaps Poser 5 isn't capable of producing results that rival Lightwave or Maya in the hands of equally capable artisans. And perhaps there IS a particular unmistakeable 'look' to a Poser image that garners derision and scorn amongst the "real" 3D super-users. Perhaps. But remember: a masterful surgeon doesn't use a hammer to perform an operation, YET a carpenter wouldn't be caught dead without one. (*I swear there was supposed to be a point to this metaphor.)

All that being said......please release it NOW, show us more and better features immediately, make it be better than anything else, give us documentation that is compleat and invariably explicative, release the PC and Mac versions simultaneously, provide dual processor support, cut the price in half, and oh yeah, add a "Magically Render Perfect Image" button! :)

Hmmm.....red eyes......gigantic pupils......heavy drowsy lids.....glazed look..... I think its obvious whats been going on.......the subject is a Renderosity Mod that has just seen yet another Poser Newbie question thats been asked, answered and archived over a thousand times! The REAL giveaway is the "Poser Forum" tattoo thats been inked under the right eye that all Mods are 'tagged' with when they're captured in the wild.

So who's going to start making a free Linoser? :) Linoser? Xoser? Posnux? What the hell would it be called?

You don't give much detail about the steps you've already taken, so you leave us guessing. The Material Room reference leads me to believe you're using P5. If you haven't already done so, apply the texture to the Diffuse_Color channel, and select New node > 2D Textures > image_Map. After you do that, select Image_Source (top most option in the new panel that appears) and search for the texture you wish to apply). Personally, I would set the Diffuse_Color to white, as the texture will be sitting ON TOP OF the Diffuse_Color. However, that ultimately depends on the coloring result you wish to achieve, Of course, you aren't limited to applying textures STRICTLY to the Diffuse_Color channel, but its a start. IF you've been doing this correctly already, it may be that you need to make sure the Document Display Style is turned on to Texture Shaded, otherwise textures will not appear in the display. This step is consistent with P4 and P5. As for crashing,...SR4. If it still crashes after that......well, we'll cross that bridge then. Good Ruck.

Free puppies for every member!

If only Curious Labs could use the Luxigraphic Vaginostrilic Technology to create point lights for Poser. Oh what a world. BTW - the trademark is a joke. Don't waste your time trying to sue me.

No offense to Ockham, but try Les Bentley's OmniLights (the file is in Free Stuff - go to his page and search through his Free Stuff contributions). I was unable to make Ockhams Omnilights work (even with his fixes - perhaps I missed something), but Les Bentleys works great! Can anyone explain the P5 node, New Node > Lighting > Diffuse > probeLight? How does this work? Whats it for?

Thanks ynsaen......I read through and i'm looking forward to more! Its very much what I was hoping to find, but reluctantly incomplete (so far). I dare say the subject of NODES needs(!) its very own forum. A Node Forum, as it were. However, as for my specific questions, my investigations lead me to believe there is no way in HELL that P5 is capable of using nodes to actually cast light, no matter the channel or combination. Sadly, I think I jumped the gun when I saw the 'pointlight' option in the Diffuse node. Ah well, I needed a good cry.

Open one of the files with a text editor and take a look inside. I can't stress using text editors enough! Where is the "readScript" path directed? Are unnecessary calls for INJections listed (i.e., ones that aren't required for that particular face)? Delete them and "save as..." a copy with a different name. I'm reasonably sure you can do the same with unnecessary head channels, too. Do you really need that CHIMP head channel in there?

Message edited on: 06/11/2004 09:22

I think Poser is great for kids.....provided you want bald children with handfuls of yanked out hair! Hopefully it will help teach patience and organization, and if it does, THERE SHOULD BE A COPY FOR EVERY CHILD ON EARTH!!!

Ah Bruce, that is one damn hairy ass, and too damn funny :) And three damn grotesque.... But (pun intended) you could make the M3 Alligator fit M2 if you clothify it in the P5 Cloth Room. There's a very good tut on it at the DAZ Arcana tutorials section. Basically, its the concept of making the coat drape over the figure (disregarding for whom the coat was originally designed). You set up an animation whereby the figure is 'shrunk' into the coat and then animated back to original size/position, meanwhile the coat is draping and conforming to the figure. Its ingenious. No P5? Make it conform the oldfashioned way....readjusting material zones and such. There's several tuts on that, but I have no links readily available.

Brokered items at DAZ disappear all the time (well, ...frequently). Product offers can be removed for numerous reasons (due to poor sales, or a desire by the broker to market elsewhere, etc.). How you can make such a leap as one item missing = Michael 2 is canned is beyond me.

Nonetheless, the only Alligator Coat i've ever seen at DAZ is still there http://secure.daz3d.com/shop.php?op=itemdetails&item=1781

You can rename the dials by double-clicking the name and resetting it to a new name. Then you'll need to overwrite (save to Library) the Figure, Prop, or whatever. Otherwise it will revert to the original name. I am positive you can do this in P5, but probably for P4 also.