thanks for the tips - this open up a whole new range of possibilities for me. Just one question - how did you manage to keep the background in sharp focus - mine always is blurred. I know I have asked this question in a separate thread but you seem by far the most knowledgeable on HDRI in this group Veritas so I thought I'd ask you directly Thanks

did you realise there is a demo released? It is fully functional for 60 days - by then the Pro version should be out!

Thanks again Dale - you've cleared up a lot there Cheers

Thanks for the info Dale. I may delay purchase of Mover until it works with Vue5 since I use Vue 5 Exclusively now. I also noticed on the sheet that came with Vue 5 (should have checked that first!) it says Mover5 only supports animation with RenderCow NOT a single scene! Thats a bit annying since I really only do static scenes but maybe I'll moe into animation eventually.

Anyone know how Rendercow works? Is it the whole of the rendering algorithms packaged up into one executable (I assume you don't have to install Vue 5 on every machine?). also how does each Render cow know which bit of the animation to render - do you have to specify which frames on each machine or does it intelligently know which frames need rendering?

Cheers

Thanks for the info. Now I have to justify spending all that money on a nw motherboard and processors and ram... Has anyone here tried rendering with multi-processors - does it render twice as fast or do you just get a small performance increase?

I think this thread has shifted focus to comparing the value of Vue against other software products rather than the fact that we in the UK are being charged an unfair extra. But while we are on teh subject I'd just like to throw in my 2 cents (or 1 at E-OnSoftware conversion rates!) Basically other renderes are probably a lot more powerful BUT if you want to import poser figures complete with dynamic clothing and hair then you really don't have another choice. For being able to produce the MOST versitile renders includeing Scenery and People then there's no subsitute for the Poser5 Vue5 combination. My beef is not with the application - just the fact that we are being charged more for no reason at all (I mean they STILL are going to add Tax and Shipping anyway) so why bump up the base price for Europe!!

Hmm Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't E-OnSoftware a French firm??? I mean if anyone should be overcharged surely it should be customers OUTSIDE Europe? We always seem to get the bummer end of the stick. Amemrican stuff is always cheaper in America and European stuff is cheaper - well in America! Go figure!!!

Your the BEST!

The more I think about it the more I'm convinced its all about lighting. Unfortunately I had to pop into photoshop to brighten up the image but if poser could use photoshop plugin filters then I think we could start to see some pretty realistic images straight out of the box.

Here's one I posted today for the Classic Pinups contest.

The models certainly have enough detail these days (this one is Victoria 3 by Daz) so the limitation must be in the lighting.

Hmm, maybe I should have been a bit less meticulous in the dynamic clothing room. Its all too easy to make a mistake in there and have those boobs suddenly appear outside the dress!

OK time out guys! Posts about the semantics of English phrases surely belong in their own thread, but maybe its a good lesson in how things can be misinterpreted. With that in mind, let me just restate my views about the original post just so that there is no mis-understanding or offense taken. 1/ I don't care What tool or combination of tools, you use to produce your art - if it looks good then I'll admire it for the great piece of art it is 2/ I would like to be able to give (and hopefully receive) credit for work that did not just rely on the artists 2D Postworking ability so I'd love an area where theres a Hot 20 for non-postworked images 3/ I think its important that potential buyers of a 3D package know exactly what the strengths AND LIMITATIONS of a package are. And don't tell me to go look on the manufacturers web-site! Go to the Curious Labs website and tell me hand on your heart that NONE of the images there are postworked (eg. Reflections by Drazenka Kimpel - great image but I couldn't do that with just my copy of Poser!) 4/ There's a certain challenge in producing a piece of work using only one specific tool to achieve the desired effect. Its not being a fanatical purist - just a facination in getting a 3D package to model the real world. Remember if an image is produced using only a set of repeatable algorithms then given enough computing power its a short leap to an animation, realistic movies rendered entirely with a computer, realistic virtual environments for games etc etc etc. I (and I'm sure a few others) would like to distinguish between these potential pictures and ones that included postworking. Thats it from me - I'm off to think of another Controversial thread ;-) Stealth1701

thanks for your suggestion elektra but I doubt its at teh standard where anyone will buy it. It only got 5 commenst posted in the gallery so it probably doesn't appeal to the masses :-( Anyway, I'm glad you like it :-)

Hi elektra Yes I would totally agree with you on the matter of small touchups. In fact, ehen I was rendering this image initially there was a small artefact appeared on the elbow and it would have been much easier to just touch that up than reposition the arm. However, since I started this postwork thread I figured I would be called a heratic for doing that! I think you see what I'm getting at and I'm grateful for that - I'm all for postworked art, I just think if we are going to categorize by tool we need to limit it to the capabilities of the tool. An oil-painting artist does not name the make of brush he uses as its his work thats on show not the tool. But if other artists wanted to see which brush would be better to use (all other things being equal) then it would be better to show the various paintings categorized by brush. 3D artwork is a learing experience where we improve the quality (and time to produce) our work by learning to use the tool better. If there is no demarkation between what is produced by the tool and what is produced using postwork, how will we ever know whats possible for ourselves. Anyway, thanks for youiu comments and yes I do appreciate your zip code ;-)

Well this forum seems to have stuck to the original question - over in Poser Land loads of people have thought I was attacking their right to produce art which I definately was not. I do agree that 3D packages have their limitations but surely that is why E-On has gone to great lengths to produce an update to allow us to import Transmapped hair and now, with Mover 5, dynamic clothing etc. If we all said we were happy to draw in our clothes and hair where would be the incentive to produce these updates. Now i certainly don't have any connection with E-On software but i would sure like to shake the hand of all the developers there that put that package together and to them I say 'Keep Going'!! Some of us want you to get to the stage where anyone can make a realistic movie with just Vue (and maybe a 90GHz machine!) Thanks for all your feedback - its been really interesting.

You know it really amazes me how many people read an original post and COMPLETELY miss the point!!! All I was saying is, it would be great if we could separate out pure 3d renders from postworked ones. Its plainly obvious that in the production of art you are totally free to use what ever combinations of packages you want to produce your final image. However, there are some of us who are facinated by the computer generation of realism and some of us that want to learn how to use the package better and want to see producers of these packages continue to develop them. I for one would love good 3d artists to explain how they made hair look so real, or how they achieved that certain lighting effect within the package - at least I could then have half a chance at reproducing it. PLEASE can we stick to the original question and stop defending your right to produce art by whatever means you desire - that fact is taken as read! In conclusion, (and this is a question for the moderators), could we have a separate gallery that allows us 'purists' to display their work. Instead of the genre, we could maybe select the package we used. Just one measly new gallery, PLEASE....?????