I have written a utility to assist in checking freebie and other characters and props in Poser. The utility checks the cr2 and pp2 files and checks the existance of all geometry, texture, transparency, reflection and bump maps. It will check a single file, folder or folder and subfolders. At the moment it works with the Poser runtime or any runtime with the normal folder structure and only installations on drive c: under windows. I need a tester to try the program and provide feedback. I intend to release this utility as a Free item if I can find someone to host it.

I can't volunteer to test, since my runtimes are all on my M: drive. But it sounds like a useful program, and I'm sure someone will volunteer to host it. (Planit3D, maybe?)

I'd like to give it a try. I run poser 5 and all my stuff in on the C: drive. One question though...what do you mean by a normal folder structure?

If you can expand the program to encompass multiple drives that would be great. All my files are on sepreate drives.

My Runtime is normal... but I'm on a Mac. :)

I mean that from studying the files on my drive it appears Poser assumes a folder organised as Runtime:libraries:(whatever) runtime:textures:(whatever) since these appear as relative file paths in the prop and character files. So if you are using the default installation you are OK. These relative paths and many different ways they appear in the files is driving me batty. i.e c:program filescurious labsPoser5 runtimetexturesbatt1.jpg t1.jpg :runtime:texturest1.jpg all point to the same file. I am presently studying a second runtime to see how the file referances are interpreted. I would do a MAC version but I work in Visual Basic and have no idea how it would convert. I will email a copy to everyone who want it within the next few days.

I would like a copy of this. It would be better if it works with multiple drives, you could maybe add a file requester to select the drive to check?

Send it. I'll test it out for you. Thanks.

Thanks all. I have found a major problem with the program logic. I downloaded a new prop that uses yet another format of specifying texture location. I have rewritten the code and am testing it now. It will work for Poser installed on any drive. You need to change a small configuration file to point to the poser folder. If a file is fully qualified i.e. F:xxx.xx.xxx it will be checked, relative references check ...runtimetextures libraries.

I'm proberly asking a stupid question but here goes: It's checking all the refering files to a prop or figuer, am I right on that? If so, then what? Will it give a report telling about missing files or what?

Yes.

This utility reads through the cr2 or pp2 file, finds geometry or texture files, checks that they exist where specified and reports if they are not present.

It will then search the runtimetexture folder and subfolder and atempt to find them.

By running this on my libraries I have found that Poser 5 seems to search for files if the referance is incorrect.

It would also work for anyone wanting to check files prior to distribution.

This is similar to the program 'Correct Reference' but a simplified version that checks all file references.

I have a couple of testers now and expect to post this as a freebie in about a week.

Message edited on: 01/20/2005 13:34

Sounds great. Maybe in time to check my packet for the MP :-)