Hi all, Yet another question !!! .... say for example, I have applied a MAT pose to Michael2, but then I want to apply a different MAT pose, how can I get this to work? It doesn't seem to like putting another MAT pose over the top of the first one. The only way around it is to open up the basic Michael 2 figure again and start from scratch, which is a bit tedious. Thanks in advance. regards, Andrew

Have you tried searching the utilities section for an all white pose? I've seen something for Vicky but not sure about Mike.

I must remember to remember what it was I had to remember.

If you are using P5, I have often found that switching into the Material room then straight back to the Pose room will help to "unlock" the old MATs so that the new MAT pose will be accepted.

P5 doesn't always switch out files from MAT poses. There's a MAT pose specifically for Mike, V2, and V3 for P5 that clears all the nodes so new MAT files will work properly. (I can't remember who did it off-hand, sorry!)

Is that the so-called "zero MAT pose" ?

Attached Link: http://www.maleposer.com/

If you want a free tool to clean up the P5 nodes before switching to a new MAT pose file, you will find several at the link above just go to the Freebies section using the link on the top nav bar. The files are called "Clear Nodes" and are available in several formats (MAT pose and P5 materials)

Thanks. I use P5. Will this work for Michael and victoria as well as the P5 characters ? regards, Andrew

A lot of the time this problem occurs simply because of Poser 5s default setting of Ambient Value as 0. What I would really love is a python script to change all Ambient Values in a figure (or prop) to 1.

Actually except for backgrounds and glowing objects an ambient value of zero is appropriate. I just wish Poser modelers would start learning that fact instead of using ambient color and value when they should be using diffuse color and value. I am grateful that the default ambient value in P5 is zero because it allows me to use my lights as they were intended to be used and does not cause that classic "washed-out" look some people get because they use ambient color instead of diffuse color. If you use ambient color when you should be using diffuse color your object will not accept shadows, will not shade properly, and will dilute the effect of your lighting. The exceptions are of course when you WANT an object to glow or be free of interference from shadows (like photo backgrounds.

Hey guys, you are losing me here .... please take into consideration that I am a beginner .... what does the ambient value have to do with the MAT poses ? ... also, back to the free tool to clean up nodes ... does this work for the Mike and Vicki characters as well as the P5 characters ? regards, Andrew

Yes, mathman, they work for all the figures. If you had followed the link you would have found that out without my having to repeat it here. The downloads come with complete instructions that even a relative newbie can handle ;-) all you need to know is how to install any standard zip file for Poser and how to read the enclosed readme.txt file. Ambient value is a material parameter like many others that describe how the Poser object gets textured and shaded during a render. There are many good tutorials available here on MATERIALS and material settings in Poser. In this particular thread, we are discussing the materials in Poser 5 which are quite different from those in Poser 4, so it depends on which version of Poser you are using as to whether or not it applies to you. Don't be afraid to ask questions, as there are many helpful people around here, but please do a little legwork on your own before you ask a question which has an easily available answer already there.

Ambient colours are used to effect a very big difference in how your final render will appear. Usually the ambient colour is black, and even a very slight adjustment from this default black setting can radically alter the rendering of a texture. I'm a novice myself in the Artistic league, but If you've got any of the superb classic Japanese creations (Linlin, Tagosaku for example) you'll see just what a difference this subtle variation of Ambient colour can achieve. The data for such subtle variations is very often a major part of MAT files. With Poser 4 it was a simple matter to click on a MAT file and apply the changes. The colour alone achieved the desired effect. However, Poser 5 offers much greater possibilities, and. by default (set to 0) any variations in Ambient colour which a MAT file may have introduced are effectively rendered as redundant. If all Ambient Values were set to 1 then this wouldn't be the case.

Sorry to disagree (because we really agree on most things), but just because using a parameter in a non-conventional manner can often have pleasing results, does not mean that it should be enabled by default. The people who use such "tricks" to achieve special effects are doing so at the expense of using that object in alternative lighting environments (like nighttime). As long as you stick with the lights recommended, everything is fine, but the object will nimply NOT render properly and respond realistically to lighting changes. Now that we have advanced shaders we do not need such tricks to enjoy more realistic lighting in Poser 5, and relying on such devices which were effective in Poser 4 will actually limit your options when usen in P5. This picture is a straight P5 render - down and dirty 3 lights only - no complicated globals or mat tricks - can you show me anything similar achieved using other techniques?

NIMPLY? 8-] how about "simply"

I'm not suggesting changing the default setting. Just making the comment that it would save so much time if a Python Script was available to change the value on the many occassions when MAT files employ Ambient colours for effect.

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?ForumID=12356&Form.ShowMessage=1296447

I've just read fretshredder's post above. There is an easy way to change all values after all ;) Thanks fretshredder.