sorry Karen :-) But the discussion took place here, so that's why I posted it here. Paul Christiaan

Attached Link: http://www.pcbos.nl/3D.htm

Hi Netherworks,

you're right, P5 handles materials in a pretty involved way!

If you use P4 MAts, things will get even more complicated than usual. It took me many, many hours of hard work to find a way around this; you might like to take a look at the Tutorials page of the POSETools for a way of converting P4 into REAL P5. A new update is on it's way to deal better with especially this problem- many Users still have their old P4 Figures- myself included. Very interesting stuff though!

I was intrigued by your Firefly remark, so I checked the Firefly angle out with the Figures I used in development of the Tools- gave me a good comparison. From what I've seen, I deduce that it Firefly DOES simulate the nodes as if they were P5- but, and this won't surprise you: you won't get any extra out of this.

The only way to create Materials that make use of all the new nodes in P5, is to go into the Material Room itself.In dealing with P4 Mats, the PoseTools, like Firefly, analyse the model and then create a P5 file from the result of that study. This "making an analogy" works pretty well for about 95% of the time, except that the POSETools may sometimes decide it would be better if a "Gradient Bump" became a real P5 bump file (for instance, when a very high value is set there, which is better expressed in P5: as I'm sure you've noticed, P5 bumps are about 15 times more powerful in changing looks than the standard P4 bump implementation); and the User may not agree with the decision. But for writing math nodes and so on, your Figure or Prop must have proper P5 mat. If it does have one, POSETools will write the real P5, and not try to figure one out.

By the way, I think it's a pretty cool that your MAT Pose Edit provides a batch conversion, now WHY didn't I think of that?:-) Good on ye mate!

Cheers,

Paul Christiaan

Attached Link: http://www.pcbos.nl/3D.htm

Hello Catlin,

Good news- Update 1.15 (1.5 will have to wait a bit :-) makes it UNNECESSARY to use the WinXP Patch!
The best way to use the updater is this (also described on the download page):

1. REINSTALL with the original DAZ Installer.
   PLEASE NOTE:
   please install to your REAL Poser Installation:
   if your Poser. exe "lives" in, say,
   "C:/Whatever/Python5",

you should also install to
" C:/Whatever/Python5"
and UNZIP the updater to that place as well

These two things are the most important to remember - the rest should be automatic.

---

1. After ReInstalling with the DAZ Installer, Run the new Updater as described on the download page.

2. To make 100% sure: now EXIT Poser

---

1. restart Poser, run the PoseTools Installer (which is now version 1.15) to have the whole bit checked - including disc structure

(as you know, you find the Installer in folder Runtime:Python:PCB-Tools:INSTALL PoseTool)

Thats it- the Tools are now in 1.15, with a lot of improvements.

By the way: Update 1.16 is coming, which will add extras for work with the Material Room

OK?

Cheers,

Paul Christiaan

Attached Link: http://www.pcbos.nl/3D.htm

:-) Thanks

Attached Link: http://www.pcbos.nl/3D.htm

Hi Catlin- and everybody else interested, naturally- this is to tell you that you can find update 1.15 for both the POSETools and the ZOOMTools on my site, as of yesterday. This update should take care of all your installer troubles, does a few other things as well, and also adds some extra's for those who speak another language than English. Also, I finally found the reason for this strange behavior of the Manual some user were talking about- in fact, I installed Win XP SR2, that bug of bugs, for that one reason. Got that licked too, so it might just be worth your while to check the update out. Cheers, Paul Christiaan

Attached Link: POSETools, ZOOMTools

Hello MeInOhio, Cathlin, and everybody else of course, I've been away for a few days, which is why I am so late with coming back to Renderosity. Sorry about that. I'm almost sure I answered MeInOhio's question about HOW to apply the WinXP SR2 patch? At least, the words in MeInOhio's last message here are almost identical to those in the mail I received. I didn't get any feedback on my answer, so I suppose you're OK now? And Cathlin, of course I'm really sorry you felt it necessary to give the POSETools back. Not because you gave them back, but because you had so much needless bother. And we Poser users all know how frustrating that kind of bother can be! From what I am able to get from your words, it seems to me you installed to an external Runtime library- and then, nothing will work,ever. I absolutely understand this is very disconcerting, but there is nothing I can do about it, since I didn't write the DAZ Installer. By the way, I have mentioned the importance of installing to your real Runtime in POSETools's and ZOOMTools's FAQ (see attached link). If you would have mailed me, you would have had an answer back in 24 hours. Anyway, if you like, you can check the POSETools/ ZOOMTools pages at the attached link for FAQS and downloads and so on. If you have a suggestion to make for points I could add to the FAQ there, please let me know, I would love to share them with other users! Cheers, Paul Christiaan

Attached Link: http://www.pcbos.nl/3D.htm

Hi everybody, I'm glad the discussion is getting serious again :-) About the P5 functions: yes, POSETools can write real P5 mat Files, and you can apply them with either a doubleclick, or apply parts of them - to anthing, props included- via the pz2 Analyzer. The fact that the P4 and P5 Versions have as much the same capabilities as possible has taken me many, many hours of work and testing. It sure hasn't come easy. The difference between the two is that the P5 Version has extra, Poser 5 specific functions, which Poser 4 simply cannot have. I'm sorry some of you don't seem to like the website, but I suppose there is also the question of different tastes out there:-) The site should be approachable with more or less any browser, but it turns out that Win XP Sp2 can make for some difficulty. I will check it out once I have the WinXP SP2 running. But to those of you who didnt like the site: sorry. Another thing: yes, of course the program is pretty complex- don't forget it does a multitude of VERY difficult things. But this is why each module has a number of tutorials. In principle, if you take the trouble to keep the tutorial next to the module, and do the steps that are described in there, you should be able to write/read your first multiple poses / mats in something like five minutes. Cheers, Paul Christiaan

Attached Link: Must have missed a button on the referring page

Hi Bobbie, You use IE I suppose? the page refers to the Poser page, and has buttons in case you can't be referred- you must have missed those. Try http://www.pcbos.nl/Poser_Website/Poser_Web.html to get there. What my response concerns: the Tools give so much flexibility, that less is almost impossible, and would most certainly become blurblike- which I hate doing. But here it is, in a nutshell: the POSETools can do anything to and with poses, also the things that were quite impossible before; the ZOOMTools can do anything with views, including stuff that was quite impossible before, and will save the serious Poser user quite a LOT of time. Cheers, Paul Christiaan

Attached Link: http://www.pcbos.nl/3D.htm

Hello all, Don pointed me to this thread, and I had some fun with this Tit thing, I must say. But of course, it is the name of the poor bird, and I can't help that. About my Tools, the POSETools and the ZOOMTools, recently released by DAZ: they can do an awful lot, so it's no wonder you didn't quite get what they can do, at first reading. I fully understand that, but I want to be as specific as I can in describing to the user what he or she can expect. In short: the PoseTools allow you to save MAT-Files, true P5 or P4, save multiple figures all together in one pose file, apply parts of any poses from any P3-P4 or P5 Pose file, apply parts of any MAT files P4 or P5, apply texture to props, save poses from props as if they were figures; lots of options to include Body-, scale,or XYZ data in the Pose file, or to posefiles apart, a file browser with short cuts and so on, and so on. You can think of the ZoomTools as a sort of Swiss knife for views. Even if you never need the zoom function (which I like, because I work a lot with imported models), you might enjoy it's functionality in the setup room, or the fact you can save unlimited views in a practical, databasy sort of way. You can think of the ZoomTools as a Large Bag of Camera buttons, except for the fact that the views are unlimited in number, and that you can give each view a name, and order them the views in groups that you can give a practical name; export and import functions for the views are also in- well,I could go on. If you're interested, you can go to http://www.pcbos.nl/3D.htm There is a full manual available on the POSETool's pages, as well as on the ZOOMTools' pages there. Cheers, Paul Christiaan

Hi Andrew, yet another solution here. You could also use my PoseTools. One of the things it can do, is to save / read any Pose File- compressed or standard,P3 or P4 or P5 -, and you can choose to apply only the (partial) poses for the arms, or the legs or the rump, or the head; lots of options for morphs, scales, XYZ, Body data etcetera. As far as I can make out, Cr2editor15 allows for more control in detail (sounds like a great tool by the way, Posermatic!), but on the other hand PoseTools doesn't change the original file. Depends on what you want. If you're interested, go to http://www.pcbos.nl/3D.htm There is a full manual available on the POSETool's pages there. Cheers, Paul Christiaan

PoseTools.

Hello, you could use my PoseTools. One of the things it can do, is to save any Mat File- true P5 mats as well as P4-, and apply it back, tint-only or complete.

If you're interested, go to
http://www.pcbos.nl/3D.htm

There is a full manual available on the POSETool's pages.

Cheers,

Paul Christiaan

Attached Link: http://www.pcbos.nl/3D.htm

Hallo Larry!

first of all: the difference between the old Environment Creators and the new version, "Environment Creators theLuxe Version II" is about as immense as that between Windows 3.1 and Windows XP :-)
Version2 can create Ligthing Environments from photographs, for instance.. Wonderful how you seem to mix the two as if they are the same :-)

I think that -unless your windows installation is at fault- your problem is as simple as you having not unlocked mainbuttons.py. It is not effective to unlock only the folder "poserScripts". You must specifically SELECT mainbuttons.py, and unlock THAT file. The state of the folder it is in is not significant. I hope the rest of my answer below may make it clear why it is so important to have this right.

Lets come back to your problem in detail. I want to be quite specific about this: if your windows installation is OK, and IF you checked your new drive thoroughly (including surface check and thorough formatting!- this process might take an hour or more!), and IF you installed first Poser, then the ProPack extension, both from their respective original CDs - thereby not running the risk of importing faults from your backup: EC really should run without any problem whatsoever. The program has many users who make extensive use of it, and only under a German OS it needs an adaptation to run smoothly.

The detailed check of your new disk is a lot of work that has nothing to do with the Environment Creators, but that is the price you have to pay when you work with IDE disks. If it is of any consolation: I do the same with my SCSI disks. In fact, the thorough check thing I do twice a year for all my disks. And I have not had a disk crash for the last 15 years...

So lets approach this analitically- I have worked with computers, Mac, Unix and Windows, since 1987 by the way, and this is how I always get round any computer problem.

First the simple way.

---

Remember EC only runs from the Python window- the small window with a row of buttons you get when choosing "Python" from the "Windows" menu in your Poser.

This is why, once you ran the DAZ installer, you have to run a small Python program to install EC under one of those buttons in that window.
The DAZ Installer will tell you what Python program to run once you installed.

I understand from you you first bought the original, EC Version I, and then the update to Version II.

So there we go. In your existing Poser-with-ProPack installation, install Version I with your DAZ installer.
Now run the Python program as instructed by the DAZ installer.

!!First UNLOCK Runtime:Python:poserScripts:mainbuttons.py of course, since this file must be changed. If you close and then restart Poser, you must unlock mainbuttons.py again before running any script that changes it. Its simply a bug in Poser, but once you know about it, it is not that difficult.

Run the Python program the DAZ installer asks you to run. You unlocked mainbuttons.py beforehand naturally. You now have installed EC to the Python Window- youll see a button there, labelled "lights-the-Lux" or something like that. Click on that one, and a new menu will appear, with all ECs modules.

OK, so that works. Now run your DAZ upgrade installer, and then the Python script the Installer asks you to run. If mainbuttons.py is locked, this installer will tell you it is and what to do about it.
If everything is fine, EC II will now be installed.

If you want, you can now install the update to EC 2.0.1, and the manual (pretty important information to be found here!).

Updates and manual to be downloaded from the product pages at DAZ (so if you bought an UPGRADE, only download from the UPGRADE page at DAZ!!), or from EC IIs download page at my site:

http://www.pcbos.nl/3D.htm

Finally, you can replace the Runtime folders with those in your backup- AS LONG AS YOU DO NOT REPLACE THE "PYTHON" AND THE "SCRIPTS" FOLDERS!!

If you can now run EC as normal, you know the problem was as simple as not unlocking mainbuttons.py.

If not, youre in deep trouble with your windows installation.
Check your disk to the maximum, reinstall windows from its original CD and so on.

By the way: I banned Windows 98 from all our computers two years ago, I had too many problems with it- hardware that suddenly didnt work anymore (though 100% OK in other computers!), data losses and so on. For PC work, I now rely on NT 4 and Windows 2000 Pro. Had not had a problem for two years.

I hope this helps you! If you need help again, mailing to tech@ pcbos.nl is the quickest way to get an answer.

Cheers,

Paul Christiaan

Attached Link: Unlock and unfold EC II - or I

find mainbuttons.py in Poser:Runtime:Python:pytonscripts. Select. Right-click. Now select "properties" Select "archive" instead of "read-only". Now run the installer. P.S. Are you talking Environment Creators DeLuxe Version II or the earlier, Version I? Cheers, Paul Christiaan P.P.S. You'll find many downloads on my EC II page. Follow link.

Attached Link: http://www.pcbos.nl/3D.htm

this is from PCBos himself- Larry mailed me today. If anybody has a problem with EC II or the Zoom Tool- mail your question to tech@pcbos.nl

The solution is very, very simple.
No dlls, no FixTk.py in the picture anywhere!

Larry, you seem to have forgotten to UNlock mainbuttons.py..

Any Poser related Python prog must run from mainbuttons, otherwise path flags arent set correctly.. If you run the programs straight from the menu, weird things might happen- like not finding Tk.

So your solution is:
1)Make sure you have the latest update to Poser itself.

1. unlock mainbuttons.py.

3)Install Environment Creators.

1. After that, run the update to EC II 2.0.1.

You can now start running EC II from mainbuttons.py.

Let me know if you need any more help- you mailing me at tech@pcbos.nl is the quickest way!

Cheers,

Paul Christiaan

Attached Link: http://www.pcbos.nl/3D.htm

Hello sandoppe-

that's right:

originally bought:EC II for Poser 5: download 201 Poser 5

originally bought:EC II for Poser 4 FULL Version: download 201 Poser 4 FULL Version

originally bought:EC II for Poser 4 UPGRADE from EC I: download 201 Poser 4 UPGRADE

Mac idem ditto.

Please Note: if you download & install the WRONG update, you have to RE-install the original EC II all over again!

All update versions are NOT compatible with each other.

Any questions: mail me.
Same goes for suggestions, of course.

Cheers