Hello, I am just starting out with Poser 6 and wondered if those of you with much experience could give me some ideas of how to begin using character products. I have been looking here and at DAZ and am a bit overwhelmed with all that is available. My interests are to begin creating renders of photo-realistic men. I am very impressed by the hairy textures out there and the gallery examples I have seen. What would be a good starter character to begin with? What else should I think of buying along with the base character? I will be using Poser 6 - If I use this, can I use software designed for earlier versions? Thanks for any and all advice. I look forward to being a part of this community. I start playing with Poser 6 next week! (It will be a much-anticipated birthday gift.) Best wishes - Tim (Seattle, WA)

hi-res textures would be a good idea - face_off and morris do good work lighting is also the key to creating realistic renders

Message edited on: 07/20/2005 11:46

Download Michael 3 from DAZ. It's free.

If you like the model, you may want to buy his head and body morph packs as well. And perhaps some textures. DAZ is having a 30% off sale all this month, so it's a good time to buy.

For hairy men...I would recommend buying the M3 bodysuit, and the "Very Hairy" package. This allows you to add body hair to any texture.

There are other male figures - David (my favorite), the Freak (big muscular guy), Apollo, Michael 2, etc. But Mike 3 has the most support, so it's probably best to start with him.

Thanks for the advice, Randy. Yes - I saw that Mike 3seemed to be the way to go - and that DAZ was having a big sale - that is exciting! I was not aware of the very hairy product - and that it adds fur to any character - that is cool! Thanks - this is what I needed - some verification from an expereinced person. BTW - your art is wonderful - I am amazed at the variety of images you have creted - all are very good and detailed. Thanks so much! Tim

I'm also learning Poser 6, and i have a fascination with realistic renders. I've seen some really great ones done with Poser 6, but from what I understand, it really doesn't depend so much on the model as it does the lighting and materials. I don't have any personal examples, but I've seen some extreme realism done with the standard Poser 6 figures, as well as some others. By all means, get M3 if you wish (it is free), but keep in mind the importance of the materails and lighting too. :)

Although Mike 3 is the current male at DAZ, you really should take a look at Mike 2. Not free but a very very good figure with excellent morphs and IMO a better base mesh.

There's still a lot of stuff for Mike 2, so you shouldn't have trouble finding what you need. You can also try your own hand at texturing. There is also Apollo Maximus, available at RuntimeDNA. The model is very new but there's already a lot of support, and it's made by Anton Kisiel who is a well known, long established creator of top quality stuff.

Message edited on: 07/20/2005 14:49

Don't forget the House Mouse..! He is hairy too... ;-)

The advantage to using Mike 3 is 1) he's free and 2) there's more stuff for him. (Including free stuff.) Textures do make a big difference...and there are a lot more textures for M3 out there than there are for the P6 figures, Apollo, etc.

One other thing to remember: the most realistic figure, textures, and lighting in the world won't save a poor pose. It doesn't take much at all to spoil the illusion - a degree or two of bend or rotate can be enough to break the spell. Awful Soul and Danie & marforno sell some particularly elegant poses for Victoria 3. I don't use him much, so I can't really recommend a pose pack for Michael 3.

Firebirdz has some nice pose packs for the boys. "Homme," I think they're called. David poses better than M3, IMO. I love David; he's probably my favorite. But he doesn't have the support M3 has, so I really can't recommend him for a newbie. Though he can use M3 textures.

seattletim, as someone who just recently upgraded from Poser 4 to Poser 6, I would recommend starting off by using the Poser 4 render that is included in P6. What I've found is that until you know how to properly adjust all the materials and Firefly settings, your Firefly renders might not look as good as an identical scene using the P4 renderer. The P4 engine will give you good renders -- and much more quickly -- to build from as you learn to make materials and Firefly ajustments. At least that's what I'm trying to do.... Enjoy, you will love Poser! There is an enormous amount of support here at Renderosity and other sites, and many products can be had for free or just a few bucks.