Thanks modus0  for the detailed info on how to add external runtimes. It works like a charm. Will probably go with a second internal drive rather than the external USB 2 I got now (too slow). As for those of you wondering about Vista, it is a free download from Microsoft, you simply register for the Beta program. You can install it as an upgrade to your current OS, but I don't recomend it (I had all sorts of problems). Instead save all your important docs, etc, and do a clean install (wipes your drive clean). Vista is ready now, this was final beta. Next month it goes to the computer companies so they can ready their new systems for early next quarter sale. I have a 4 year old Compaq AMD 2600+ with 1 gb ram and Vista Ultimate works fine on it. Extremely stable. All my 3D programs Poser, Bryce, Hexagon, Carrara and my games, WOW, Half Life 2, Call of Duty, Fear, Doom 3, etc, work fine also. Vista feels like a cross between Mac OS X, Windows 2000/NT and Media Center. The permissions system of changing files, deleting things is a bit of a pain, but the overall experience is pleasant. I was very pleased that my 3D programs worked so well seeing as Vista uses a new version of Direct X. Again thanks much to all.

Ok, I have an external runtime folder now, with a bunch of additional stuff in it. I've launched Poser 6 and have looked at every option, preference and button, but don't see how to direct Poser to my external runtime. So I created a shortcut from the external runtime to my Poser 6 program folder. That worked for about a 10th of the stuff in my external runtime. The other 9/10s didn't show up. Too long a path?

Thanks modus0. I have an external USB 2 drive I'll use for that purpose.

Hmmm, Interesting direction you guys are taking with putting the runtime folder either in My Documents or on a second drive. I guess if I did that, when I loaded a character, say a texture or outfit for Vickie 2, Poser would prompt me asking where this or that file or texture was? I would find the new runtime directory for Poser and everything would work fine. Do you guys run two runtime folders, one for the initial Poser install, the other for added 3rd party items?

Just checked the Daz website. It won't be available till Friday morning. Maybe I should call in sick to work? Some people were getting emails but the links went down. I think the links are in France.

Backside view.

Decided to drop the plate armor and go for more of a ranger look; leather vest, boots, gloves, cape etc. Here's latest WIP.

Here's Elfette's face close up. I'm starting to get a better grip on shader zones in Hex. There's a particular order to follow or the zones don't take. I still have some problems assigning texture map UV's like on the eyes. I'm also becoming more familiar with the line tools. I was having all sorts of problems with the weld tool causing Hex to lock-up, until I realized you really need to turn off smoothing, especially when welding points between to grouped objects. Can hardly wait for Eovia to send me the link for my free Hex 2 upgrade. I have an alien that is crying out for displacement brushes to add all the cool surface details.

Sir Hugh's armor is progressing.

You had asked about reusing body parts for different characters. Here's Elfette getting her feet attatched.

Yea, I was heavy into D&D in my college years. I'm purposely modeling my characters so they can have different clothes. Here's Elfette with her jacket hid and her semi-transparent blouse turned visable. It was modeled from a circle extruded and areas filled in as necessary with the facet tool.

And here's the jacket without Elfette in the way. The pants, by the way, are an extrusion based off of a simple circle. The belt, purse and scabbord are based off of a circle extruded, thickness added and then the purse, buckle and scabbord extruded and pulled into shape.

Adding thickness just doesn't look right. The green underwear he first had is a good example of unnaturally thick cloth. I now duplicate a portion of the body mesh I wish to clothe, then extrude the sleeves or legs etc. and push pull vertices until the shirt or pants cover the body. Your right about the complications that occure when you try to adjust a mesh that has thickness. The jacket on my Elfette character is different in that it is box modeled. Here's the jacket with Elfette:

Got rid of the funky green underwear. Now he has leather shirt & cotton breeches. I copied (dup with symmetry) body parts to make clothes, then altered them to fit over Sir Hugh's body.

Good question. I am creating a library of hands, feet, heads & bodies for reuse. The only shared geometry between the Old Guy and Sir Hugh is the hands, however.