When I wrote Objaction Scaler I originally made it write a comment in the scaled obj file identifying the scale factor that had been used. However, this could only be seen by reading the file in a text editor. Later versions don't incorporate it at all and I'm afraid I can't remember why I removed that feature. It sounds like it might be a good idea for me to put it back in. Better still, maybe I should incorporate some sort of feature that tells you the history of any scaling that has been applied to a mesh and what factor you need to apply to reimport into Poser or whatever to return it at its original size. I'd welcome any comments or suggestions as to how to improve Scaler to maz@sandylodge.demon.co.uk.

I've been away from 3D programming for a few years (in order to make a living) but have now got interested again and have resurrected a beta test version of Scaler 5 that I wrote in 2006. If you would like to be a beta tester please e-mail me at the same address.

Scaler 5 has standard mode and batch mode. The latter means that you can process a whole bunch of obj files in one go as long as they are in Scaler's in-box and once processed these appear in Scaler's out-box. Scaler 5 also has the ability to set standard defaults such as file name suffices and standard scaale factors. It also incorporates a 'squishing' mode which was created by 'Traveler' of Poser Morph fame so as to reduce file size for morphs, and also a high/low/medium resolution feature which can also reduce file size. However, nowadays with huge hard disks costing next to nothing these features probably aren't really needed.

Scaler 5 also gets over a problem that some people encountered in the European mainland where they use commas as a decimal separator.

Maz

1. Inability to change colours (sometimes) with imported figures/props

A figure created in P6 performs well when opened in P7. However, the same figure if imported into Poser 7 doesn't. I now have a scene with a figure with two black shoes and an identical figure imported into the same scene having one black shoe and one purple shoe. Worst of all, Poser 7 won't let me change these colours. The problem only seems to occur (so far) with props .

1. Recent File History permanently loses ftrack of files if theyare on en external drive that's not powered up at the time that Poser.exe was fired up.

2. Opening or importing a Poser 3 figure makes Poser completely disappear without an error message or a 'by your leave'.

OK, I'll experiment with these suggestions, though I can't say I'm convinced yet.

In my experience if Poser can't fing a geometry (obj) file it gives you an error message and asks where the file can be found.

The actual pz3 file that's causing the problem contains lines such as:

        figureResFile RuntimeGeometriesnewFemaleNudeHifemaleNudeHiP3.obj

This isn't an absolute reference but is relative from wherever Poser happens to be located. If it worked from Poser 6 it should also work in Poser 7 as long as the obj file is in the  RuntimeGeometriesnewFemaleNudeHi directory of Poser 7, which it is.

Libraries (which ar treated differently from geometries and textures), are a different matter and Tirjasdyn is probably right in that respect. Since I'm not trying to load the figure from a library that shouldn't cause a problem though.

TrekkieGrrrl, because you have Poser on the external drive and your files on the fixed drive I wouldn't expect you to get the problem. I think my problem is caused because I'm doing it the other way around, with Poser on a fixed disk and my files on the external drive. As to why some of your files aren't listed I have no idea. I found that just opening or just saving works fine, as long as my externl drive is powered up.

Ockham. Brilliant. I never thought of finding recent files like that. Duh! That's my way in future.

I've tried importing as well as opening. Same result.

What do you mean by linking runtimes? I've copied all the P4, P5 and P6 geometries i(and a few others) nto the P7 geometry folder. I don't think I need to do anything with the rest of the runtime folders unless I want this figure to appear in the list of figures. Or do I? i don't get the problem with DAZ figures.

Whatever the cause or solution, I'm disappointed that Poser crashes completely rather than giving an error message and then dying gracefully.

If I've still got a P2 figure I'll try one of them too.

It seems it's P3 figures that cause the problem. With some, Poser 7 just crashes completely; with others it just comes up with a blank window, but seems to know that the figure is there.

I would certainly have expected it to be backwards compatible with a basic figure. Something in the pz3 must be incompatible. If I could find out what it is I could probably edit it, but how on earth do you go about finding out where the problem is?

I've investigated a bit further and come to the following conclusion.

Recent File works, but only if the drive that the file was saved on is running at the time that you start up Poser. Usually I power up Poser before powering up my USB external drive. Consequently Poser doesn't bother to tell me that I have previously opened or saved files on that drive. If I switch off Poser, then power up the USB drive and then start Poser again, I find that Poser has permanently lost all record of the recently opened files on that drive, though it lists the files on the other fixed drives.

It is therefore slightly more use than an ashtray on a motorbike, but not a lot.

Incidentally, the manual says that Recent File lists the last ten files that you've opened, but it alo lists any new ones that you have created and saved. The manual should therefore say "opened or saved".

Is there an easy and reliable way of reporting this bug officially?

Hmmm. Thanks for the feedback folks. I haven't done anything severe between sessions, just closed Poser and then opened it again. I wonder if it's something to do with the fact that Poser 7 is on hard drive D whereas the pz3 files are on an external USB drive. I'll have to investigate other configurations.

I believe Icelandic and Euskara (the Basque language) are harder than English, though Korean grammar is a bit difficult as well.

However, if you really want to confuse a non -native English speaker, try this verse (there are other variants on the web).

Dearest creature in creation,
Studying English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
It will keep you, Susy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.
Pray console your loving poet,
Make my coat look new, dear, sew it.

Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it's written.)
Made has not the sound of bade,
Say - said, pay - paid, laid, but plaid.
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.

Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.

Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation's OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sleeve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.

Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.

Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Foeffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.

Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover and with clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.

Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.

Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.

Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.

Pronunciation -- think of Psyche!
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won't it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It's a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.

Finally, which rhymes with enough --
Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is, give it up!!!

Maz

Warewullf,

I've only just seen this thread so you may have solved your problems by now. If not ....

I have written some software which will convert a standard obj file into a point cloud. With a bit of adjusting it could be made to add the header and footer to make it into an asc file. However, I would need to see a few more.asc files together with information about the size of the image you get within the crystal in each case. My Scaler utility (see freestuff) can then adjust it to fit.

Without scaling to fit you are liable to get the image created outside the crystal rather than inside it.

Increasing the point count can be done, but it's much better to start with a high resolution model in the first place.

If you want to send me some files I'm at maz@sandylodge.demon.co.uk

Please include the word 3D in the subject so as to get through my spam filter.

Regards,

Maz

Without a picture it's hard to diagnose your problem, but try this http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?Form.ShowMessage=195387 regards, Maz

Here I go being pedantic again. Electricity consumption is certainly measured in Watts (W), or possibly in VA meaning volts times amps. There are subtle differences, but to all intents and purposes 1 VA = 1 W. However, that is the RATE of electricity consumption not the total amount consumed. If your computer is, for instance, a 330W machine then it is consuming electricity at the rate of 330W (because it is operating at 110 volts and drawing a current of 3 Amps - remember W = V times A). This will produce about three times as much heat as a 100W light bulb. To determine how long a UPS will run your computer you need to know the watt-hours or kiloWatt-hours (kWh) that the UPS battery can provide. I've not actually looked at buying a UPSs so I don't know if the manufacturers publicise these figures or not. A 330Wh UPS ought to be able to power a 330W computer for one hour. I suspect most of them only power the machine little more than long enough for for the inbuilt software to power your machine down gracefully without doing any damage. To power a big computer it needs a big transformer (the squarish metal bit with loads of copper wire) and to keep things going for a long time it needs a big battery (theblack squarish thing that starts your car/automobile). I suffer from power outages in the relatively remote bit of the UK where I live and I certainly intend to get a UPS one of these days to cope with the complete 'outage' situation. For mushy mains though, I'd be inclined to go for mains filtering which will smooth out the spikes that can otherwise cause problems. In your situation I guess I'd go for both. The UPS needs to have a wattage higher than than the wattage stated somewhere on your computer (otherwise it just won't run it at all) and a kWh rating of this number multiplied by the number of hours you want it to keep things going once the power has failed. It's also best to add on quite a large safety factor just in case the manufacturers are optimistic with their numbers. A car battery will produce voltage for a long long time, but it just won't have enough 'oomph' to turn your engine over anywhere near that long.

Do you really need to be that accurate? Poser's rendering engine smooths corners out anyway, so things will usually look better than they are. Unless I misunderstand what you're trying do do an approximation might be good enough. You say that you know the x and y for this new point but need the z. I assume that you are creating a new vertex so that you can get a higher resolution mesh. Incidentally, somebody else has already done a util that does this. Unfortunately I can't remember what it is called. I'll post again if I remember. How about just averaging the z of all the vertices in face F? It won't be far out and it's certainly an easy algorithm. I can't imagine a situation where that would cause a noticeable crease or other artifact.

Well if that was only your third attempt, I'd suggest you stick at it. Some of the things you've done there are actually quite difficult, particularly the curves in the canopy and the seat padding. I try to avoid doing cloth or flesh when 3D modelling because they curve in all directions. Things made of wood and metal are much easier. As for improving realism, the most noticeable thing is that the framework for the canopy seems to be made from two inch electrical trunking and should be a lot thinner. The wheels actually look more realistic than the ones on the other carriage. They could be turned into pretty good ones fairly easily. My main criticism would be the colour of the wheels. Yuck! If you want to e-mail me the obj file I'll have a go at it for you. I won't commit to a timescale for completion though. maz@sandylodge.demon.co.uk