There is one thing I never did learn with conforming figures, and I found a few notes here and there about it but nothing I could really understand. That is making conforming figures that have extra parts, like a drape that conforms to the hip and has multiple poseable (or even better EasyPoseable) sections. Is there a tutorial on this or any utilities that will actually create your conformer and keep your extra sections with the joint parameters you have set up? Thanks!

No utilities that I've seen than don't screw up your hard work on these types of efforts, but PhilC's stuff is invaluable when it comes to this. He's really awesome that way.

Yikes. well tons of people do this so I know it's possible, but getting into the cr2 with a text editor doesn't make much sense to me. And adding parts to the geometry of an OBJ that is already used for a conforming figure doesn't work.

The text editing part requires quite a bit of comfort with the cr2 and (even with, say, a copy of Bloodsong's book handy,) it is still too easy to mess it up. I had some limited luck doing it this way...taking my fully-functional conformer into Poser, using the group tool to spawn props...deleting the original...adding the new parts to the pile of props (in this case, it was body handles)...using the heirarchy editor to generate a new figure... export that pile o' props and edit the cr2 in text to point it at the new obj file. I forget how I got back the original data. I might have cut-and-paste from the original cr2, or I might have copied JPs and adjusted by hand. I do not have P5/pro-pack but it seems it might be easier to add a new bone there. From what I know, however, you should be prepared to do some hand editing, as I have heard PP/P5 also messes up bones badly.

As far as I can tell ... The whole character has to be rebuilt with PHI or bones Then the relevant joint parts mapped over from the original No 'current' software is capable of this because : The figure rebuilt may have to be modified/fixed for - Spheres(of Influence), FK-IK/Weld/Scale differences and Deleted joints Usually, the figure has to rebuilt with an extra distal segment eg loincloth should also include abdomen and thighs The mapping also has to include copying of names and other non-jointing parameters This is no small task (aka madness) if done by hand with a high risk of introducing bugs, hence the dearth of new figures that you describe However, if the new figure only has a hip, then the job should qualify as a junior Dr Frankenstein operation Good Luck