Attached Link: http://www.pcbos.nl

Hello everybody,

since I'm getting lots of mails about the subject, I'm posting this here to answer all at one and the same time.

1. ECII is going to come out in a DAZ Studio version.

2. In the meantime, this is the answer I got from DAZ:

QUOTE:
The SDK will not be available for a substantial amount of time,
unfortunately we cannot guarantee anything soon. In the meanwhile you
can expect to be able to import lights from Poser, so your product will
work the same as it currently does in Poser and can then
be read into DAZ|Studio.

Only important thing to note is that even though Poser and D|S both use
Python, their language used for doing things is completely different. While
brokers may be able to re-use portions of Python scripts that they have
created for Poser, Poser Python scripts will generally not run in D|S and
will need to be written to the D|S architecture.

END QUOTE

Which means that, for now, you at least should be able to create, and then import Lights from EC II to DAZ Studio.

I will look into this in detail, and release Hacks when and if needed- till I can get my hands on the SDK, and finally write a program that will stand like a rock - that's a promise.

Cheers everyone,

Paul Christiaan

I wish that there were some way to update by old Environmental Lighting that I bought for P4 to run in P5. I've had to resort to importing my P5 scenes to P4, setting up the lights in P4 then sending it back to P5 to use the Firefly Renderer. When I tried to run the PC Bros scripts in P5 I get an error.

Attached Link: http://www.pcbos.nl

Hi Tomsde,

sorry, there is nothing I can do about that. I tried to reach an agreement about a cross-upgrade, but could not.

Also, the structure of Poser 5 is so very different from Poser4, that is impossible to run the program under Poser 5 with existing code. In fact, though the functionality of both different versions of ECII is the same, both under Poser 4 and Poser 5, the underlying code is UTTERLY different- more so than even the code for the MAC Platform...Wonderful, isn't it!

Cheers,

Paul Christiaan

That's great news Paul! I was leery about buying the Poser version and thought I may hold off until the Studio was released. Hopefully it won't be so much different from a programming aspect,and you'll be able to offer sidegrades at a good price.

Didn't offer an upgrade at a reasonable price, so I wonder about sidegrades. Marque

It depends a lot on my friends at DAZ. It is their ship, you know. I will do what I can, but I cannot order anybody, Marque!

Cheers

Paul Christiaan

I had the original version and loved it so I upgraded to the new one, which I like even better. I especially love the Photoread stuff. QUESTION: Where can I acquire the TK80.DLL (and there's another one, too, escapes me at the moment - not at home)? When I enter one of the modules (creator? might be sun dial or seasons, can't recall which) I get a dialogue box that says (in effect) "Whoops! Can't find .... TK80.DLL ... other 80.DLL ..." Everything seems to work just fine, but I'm wondering about this dialogue. It seems vaguely that this may have come up when I got the first one. I don't recall it in the recent past. Could this mean the installation of the upgrade deleted it? Do I need it? Maybe that's three questions. In fact it is. Searched both my drives, not found, BTW. Larry F

TK80 is an earlier version of the TKinter system, which is the front end or 'GUI' for Python. Both Poser 4 and 5 use version 8.3 of TKinter; the core of this is TK83.DLL. If Bos used TK80 (for TKinter version 8.0), it must have been provided with his EC stuff, because it doesn't come with either type of Poser.

Thank you. I did find TK83 in my Pyrhon DLLs and TK8.3 in the Python Library but no TK80 and it does ask for this last, although everything seems to work. Just wondering about that dialogue. Also, where might one acquire the TK80, if for nothing else than to quiet that recurring dialogue? Thanks again.

After thinking about this, I remember that the first release of ProPack had some confusion between TK 8.o and TK 8.3, which was similar to what you're seeing. This confusion was resolved in a later release. If you're using the first release of ProPack, you might be hitting this problem. I did a quick Google, and I don't see any obvious download locations for TK80.DLL in the Python world.

Just to ask a perverse question: What would happen if you took a copy of TK83.dll, renamed it to TK80.dll and parked it next to TK83 ?

Well, I see I've been on the right track at least, but I do think - pretty sure, at least - that I'm not using the "first release" AND I did a like search without locating any D/L lokes either, which doesn't necessarily mean there aren't any. I mean, I can be as dense as the next fellow. AND, perversely, that's a thought, in re renaming, but I think I remember doing something similar with another proggy sometime ago and it doesn't seem like it was a pleasant memory (senior moment thing, I guess you could say). Just thought I'd run this ? up and see what happened. The program is certainly working well. I might be falling in love again. Thanks all around though. Larry F

I remember trying the rename when P4 was in that confusion, and it didn't help!

http://starship.python.net/crew/da/PIL/

Well, that did the trick, Little_Dragon. Thank you very much!

Attached Link: http://www.pcbos.nl

Tk 8.o - wonderful!!

Didn't think that one would come up. Larry is right, it has to do with the version of Python you have on your computer. I write the programs over the latest update from CL, thinking that would be the version most users would have by the time it gets released.

If you have trouble with paths in Python, it sounds to me like a MAC thing. You can download my patch for Python on a MAC from my site- I even think it might still be found right here, in the ProPack section.

In PC, this problem shouldn't come up. There is an issue with paths on a German speaking windowz, since CL didn't compile their Python stuff right. My German users and I have found a workaround for this- but it is the only path issue in PC-land I know of.

Larry, if you continue to have problems, send us a small image of the warning you're getting, I'm hugely interested in what might be going on!! And don't worry, if there is a problem: it will be solved. I just need more information.

Cheers,

Paul Christiaan

Paul Christiaan, Thanks for your reply and I think I may have spoken too soon. I got this one - see image - AFTER getting TK80.DLL. I'm on a PC - US - WIN98SE - 512, etc. Then I had another thing that had not happened before, using SUNDIAL, Poser crashed - "abnormal program termination". That last only happened once and I have been trying to recreate it, so may have been an aberration born of some confluence of factors I haven't duplcated, but I used the same PZ3 file, Poser was the only program I had open, etc.

Did I tell you that the program works otherwise extremly well. I'm still learning it - the new version - but one can do practically endless manipulations, as you stated! Great stuff.

Then here is anothe. Using a different version of that PZ3. Restarted, no crash. Thanks.

Maybe I should have rebooted as well.

Attached Link: http://www.pcbos.nl

Thanks Larry-

I must say I don't get this-- let me think-- you're using P5?

This is a message that did appear once in the grey, long- lost past when I hadn't yet fully implemented the ECII lights, and partly worked with standard lights in P5 (which is why the program warns you of "strange, non-EC lights"!)

OK- try this:

Before using a lightset- UNLESS IT CONSISTS TOTALLY OF ECII-created sets ONLY! (Bounce, Sun, Sky), go to module "READER", and click on "CHECK". If it tells you the Environment is "OK", you should be safe. If you get the question whether you want to DELETE or ADAPT, always choose either DELETE or ADAPT ALL (if that one is an option, otherwise choose ADAPT)

If you now go to module SunDial, ALWAYS click on CORRECT when asked.

On opening, go to the prefs menu and THERE select "START"(it is below the menu item "REGISTER CHECK ON") If you misclicked and it says "REGISTER CHECK OFF", reclick it to set it back to ON.

In other words, go the save route and don't click on the blue message you see first when SunDial starts, but go to the menu.

If SunDial now goes to work, you should be 100% OK- your message, especially the crashing, sounds like a P5- memory problem to me. Possibly you did many renders before, or worked the program hard, had too little RAM perhaps? I don't know, just guessing. On the other hand, "Abnormal program ending" is a Python P4-message, so I'm totally at a loss here.

I've tried to reproduce the problem on different machines here, and utterly failed to make ECII crash- unless I moved, in P4, ECII's window WHILE Poser was still rendering- but I warn of that in the "basics" helpfile.

Let me know if something happens, I will keep on looking into the strange happenings at your computer ...

PS- you must have TK8.3- make sure you have the latest patches applied!

By the way- checkout the ECII freebie at my site

http.www.pcbos.nl
follow link "Poser"
Cheers!

Paul Christiaan

Larry- make sure your Python Folder is as it should be. Reapply the latest update for your Poser 4. Curious, Paul Christiaan

_ something other just occurred to me- try placing the SunDial away from the model screen. Place it on the right- it doesn't matter if it obscures the interface there, since you're working with it's interface solely. You see, it's workings depending somewhat on the OS, Poser has a weird screen redrawal routine, that might perhaps interfere here? Just guessing, of course. But try and work free from the model screen, see if this works. And are you 100% sure you're working with Register Check set to ON? You should get a question each time you startup the SunDial, whether to "CORRECT" or to "ACCEPT" Succes, Paul Christiaan

Okay Paul CHristiaan Thanks for the swift get back. Actually, Poser 4 ProPack here. No P5. Those are very clear instructions. I'll give them a shot. Also, could you be more specific in re "make sure your Python Folder is as it should be. Reapply the latest update for your Poser 4" meaning latest PP or latest Pythin update? What should I look for in there, i.e., what should and should NOT be in the Python folder? Larry F

Hello Larry I mean the Pro Pack update. I'm worried about that TK 8.0 thing you were tellling about- so I thought: apply that latest patch, then things should be ok if they weren't before. I'm dead beat, will return tomorrow. Trust things will work out for you- I'm absolutely unable to reproduce your problem, I give up. Let me know, OK? Sleep well Paul