Ok, I have asked this before, and I did get help. I dunno if I wasn't clear enough.

This MadCat Mech is from a 3DS file. I imported, then exported it as an Obj file for Texturing in UVmapping. I am good at this now, but not that good yet.

Now, in Poser when importing the Obj file, the MadCat Mech is one Complete Prop. No movements or anything, just scale. So, now I am wanting to learn to make leg, arm, torso movements.

I did download "RudeBoy" Mech to see how the movements were done in Setup room. Seen how one bone became parent to the other.

I went and tried this on the MadCat, and when I got so much done. I went to see the outcome. The bones was out of the Mech on the side, and when I rotate one, the whole mech started warping.

Any tutorials for the Setup Room? Manual not helping.

OR...Is anyone willing to take this Mech (MadCat), and make movements on it, then a tutorial. I have lots of mechs to play with, and this one is the 2nd one. But they are only Static (Scalable.)

I am a P5 user.

What and how can I start. Then I can start making Freebies.

Message edited on: 07/06/2004 00:09

Robo2010, I'd suggest picking up "Secrets of Figure Creation in Poser 5" which covers 3, 4 and PP as well. This book takes it a step further than the manual. You might also check out Phil C's CD, I have an older version (P4) so I don't really know how much he goes into the Setup Room but he does explain how to make conforming clothing in a very easy to understand manner. Making a posable model is simulair to making posable clothing. mike

Attached Link: http://arcana.daz3d.com/index.php?id=693

When you do make the figure, switch off bend in all the parts because the bend causes the parts to move in a strange way.

Curiouslabs has a simple object making tutorial free to download. It tells you a lot about figure making. If you are a member at daz there is a good tutorial at the link about making figures by odeathoflife.

Message edited on: 07/06/2004 00:42

Thanks Trav for the Advice on the Book. Made me think after your advice. May as well get it, to save the fustration. Also, Thanks xantor, I will go there, and check it out. Will be a great help. :-)

Robo2010, I took me two months to make the Powerloader from Aliens. It was also my first figure. Read all the tutorials you can find, take your time and have patience. Sometimes if you do something wrong you have to start over. I was very impatient in the beginning and had to start over three times, but now I could do it in my sleep. I could do the mech for you, but if you rather take the time and learn how to do it yourself, then we will have more freebies and that is never a bad thing. PS I like the texture on the mech, by the way.

Here's the Curious Labs Setup Room tutorial:

http://www.curiouslabs.com/article/articleview/44/1/265/

When you do make the figure, switch off bend in all the parts because the bend causes the parts to move in a strange way.

Yes, but when you disable the Bend option, you can't use magnets on that element. Not that it'll likely matter in this case ....

Robo2010, Do you have this model grouped out into 'logical' groups for example: Torso RightShoulderRotator LeftShoulderRotator RightUpperLeg RightLowerLeg RightToe1 RightToe2 RightToe3 If you do, you can use the Hierarchy room which would be mudh easier than trying to create and place bones on your model in the Setup room. BTW, looks like you did a great job modeling this!

I usually load the object into cinema 4d first and then save it as a wavefront object, this usually keeps the seperate object groups which usually helps whatever way that you are making the figure, though sometimes you need to edit the object in cinema 4d first.

How do you disconnect a bone, then connect it from a distance (to the parent)? Or am I asking a weird question? lol

You cant connect and disconnect bones that way in poser. You have to set up the skeleton first and make sure that it has all the bones you need for your figure, of course anything that doesnt independently move doesnt need a bone.

oh ok..thanks..Working in the Setup room, making the bone structure, and naming em. Just trying to get it like in the pic I applied (RudeBoy). How the bones are spread out from a parent. Because each time I make a bone to the parent, they hook up right away. I will get this eventually.

If you add a new bone with the parent selected the new bone will appear joined to the parent, then you can move the bone by selecting the pointed end or the flat end and moving the bone to where you want, then fiddle with it till it is in exactly the right place.

Am I able to add bones later? All I am in for doing is 2 bones for today to understand the concepts.

Nm..thats ok...

I said in message ten that you can`t add bones later, you should work out how many bones you need first so you will know how many to make.

Yeah..thanks for the help, everyone. I gave up about 30 minutes ago, and will put off for awhile until I get the book "Secrets of Figure Creation in Poser 5". Today is my day off, and I spent over 8 hours on it. So, in the mean time, I will have to sit down and do a lot of reading, and looking at resourses. I didn't expect to have all this down pack in one day. Thanks for all the help.

Message edited on: 07/06/2004 17:09

xantor, you can add bones later, in the Setup Room.

I don't know if you can detach a bone and reattach it to another parent (that might require the Hierarchy Editor), but you can delete an existing bone and then create a new one with the same name.

How do you disconnect a bone, then connect it from a distance (to the parent)? Or am I asking a weird question?

Not weird, merely confusing. :)

If I understand you properly, you need to have multiple child bones attached to the parent ... then you can move the children without affecting the orientation of the parent. At least, from my experiments, that's how it seems to work with the Setup Room UI.

If there's only one child, I think you can still move its center without affecting the parent, but you'll have to do it outside of the Setup Room with the Joint Editor.

Robo, I don't have the Rudeboy mech but looking at the pic you have up there ther may be a short cut you can take. If you have you model sliced up into the various parts, as shogakusha mentions in post #7 you can cheat a bit by using the same names as the Rudeboy mech for the corresponding parts on your mech. The in the Setup room click on the Rudeboy mech as if to load it, this will load the Rudeboy skeleton structure into your mech. A bit of twitching to line the bones up to your model and then jump back into the posing room should give you a workable mech, or at least the basics. You can add bones to the basic skeleton for any parts that your mech has but the Rudeboy doesn't. If nothing else this might give you a point to start from. The biggest thing is to "slice" up your mech and name the parts the same as the corresponding parts on the Rudeboy. mike

I have a bit of the bone structuring and naming em, a little bit of understanding now. It is the Joint editor, that is now taking a tole on me, along with the Grouping. Sometimes, a bone rotating a part, tends to tear up a part of the Mech. And some other parts are not moving with a part of the mech. Their is tutorials on applying to human body shapes. But apply it to a mech, which makes it more complicated for the first time. No tutorials on that. I will have to make one in the future.

K..this is what I know. I load up Obj File (MadCat). Scaling it to 500% (Actual size) 1.) I go into Setup Room. I use the RudeBoy Bone structure to help ease on the fustration. 2.) After 2-3 hours, I have where I want the bones. I deleted some, so I can add later. Only the important ones I keep. I rename them. I like the Main (Parent) bone to be titled the "Engine". Like the hip on the human body. Is the Parent. 3.) I guess we group, what we want to rotate with the bone. I have all in Red, for Center-Torso. I want all of those in red to rotate with Center-Torso. 4.) The test....Oh gosh!...I hold my head and tears..and take a break.

OK RObo, now you need to adjust he inner and outer spherical fall off zones. The "spikes" are vertices that aren't included in the "zone" of the bone in question (or psooibly they ARE the included vertices and the rest of the body is left out, it's hard to tell form the picture). mike