I've been messing with the poser4 demo, and although I've done some character animation with an outdated specular infini-D I definetely like to have IK and blending zones and so on. But as I read about custom character building on this site it seems like there is alot more work than there has to be and was just wondering what advantages there are with poser4 that hash's character animation doesn't have which appears to me to be alot easier because it's an all in one package.I really want to buy one soon but can't decide(hash's doesn't have a demo that I can find)

I've not used Hash's animation programme, so I can't give you a direct comparison. However, Poser4 does have some advantages. Custom Character creation can be as easy or as hard as you want to make it. With the magnificent collection of morph targets ar MorphWorld, creating a unique character is as easy as downloading, applying the morph-targets, and tweaking the dials to get the look you want. Kozaburo's excellent hair, along with those done by Allie, Jim Burton, Darth_Logice and many others, and bushi or Nerd's real eyes add a very high degree of realism to Poser figures with very little effort. Clothing, or changing the clothing on a figure is a snap - and there are vast libraries of clothing available (PoserWorld, FairyWoods, Poser Mall and many other sites). Plus, of course, there's this helpful crowd of knowledgable people who can help solve most any problem you have - the members here at Renderosity. Paul

I looked at Hash Animation Master, and thought it looked great, but I could not afford it at the time - and when I COULD afford it, I got the Poser4/Bryce4/Canoma1 bundle instead... One interesting thing - I heard someone quoting the developer as saying something like he was glad of MetaCreations leaving the 3D market, because Poser was his ONLY real competition for the low-end, quality 3D character creation and animation market!

I really have weird creations that I want to assemble in poser but am thrown off by the whole phi file writing.i'm on a mac and assume I have to write it manually(in simple text?)I've tried writing simple one for an arm but just get an error when trying to convert.What is the community here like, if I buy poser4 will I really have people here help me out.(I don't know anyone who knows anything about this stuff)I can't afford to buy it and not end up using it.

I really have weird creations that I want to assemble in poser that I need to use in a game I'm making (that I later will convert to sprites)but am thrown off by the whole phi file writing.i'm on a mac and assume I have to write it manually(in simple text?)I've tried writing simple one for an arm but just get an error when trying to convert.What is the community here like, if I buy poser4 will I really have people here help me out.(I don't know anyone who knows anything about this stuff)I can't afford to buy it and not end up using it.

Ah, yes, MPM7, you've been hit by the dreaded server burp! If I understand it, you don't write the PHI file; it is generated from the OBJ file (created in an external modeller, usually) and the Hierarchy Editor, or something like that. And if you use both this forum and Willow's PFO, and maybe the Poser Mailing List, you'll find all the help you need, and then some! :-)

You can get a Hash demo by buying the book, can't remember the name (sorry) but a quick search at amazon will pop it up.......Steve

Hi Folks! mmp, I have both; in fact I just upgraded to Hash AM2000. However, I honestly don't know how to use AM very well--that's one of my many summer learning projects. In that regard, Poser has always held an advantage because I was able to start composing original images within an hour of installation. And with all the objects, textures, and morphs available thru these forums and their members, I can compose practically any scene I want. My advice is to to select the tools that work best for what you need--simple characterizations like what's possible in Poser, or more complex customization like what can be achieved with AM2000. Figure in that those needs will grow as your imagination grows, which in turn will grow as your competence grows. You should probably check out Hash's web site to see what's possible with it. Send me an e-mail post in September to see what I'll think of AM2000 then. Peter (Dr Zik)

Hi, I just started working in Hash 2000, and let me tell you it IS worth every penny! I also have Poser and the rest of the Metacreations products. Go to http://www.jedinights.co.uk/holly.htm and you will see what one person did with Hash, and I believe the hair was done in Hash as well. You can create characters in hash, use the obj plugin to export to poser. Marque

Go to http://www.jedinights.co.uk/holly.htm Good lord! Why can't we get hair like that in Poser? I wish that as much attention as has gone into making breast variations had gone into making hair! I would do it myself if I could but I can't. Anyone who did make us hair like that would certainly have my undying gratitude.