Does Vue 5 Infinite import Poser .pz3 files from at least Poser version 4?
I have Vue 4 (.2-something) but haven't used it in quite a while. One thing about Vue 4 is it won't import textures with a Poser .pz3 file unless the textures are in Poser's runtimetextures folder. Which is odd, because even Poser can load a .cr2 file with textures, and IIRC, the full path is in the .pz3 file information. Well, I guess it must be. ;)
(I have a whole separate partiton devoted to textures for all my apps to share. Easier to keep track of them all that way.)
So the question is, does Vue 5 Infinite import Poser 4+ .pz3 files textures intact, if the textures are not in the runtimetextures folder?

Message edited on: 12/04/2005 17:17

Yes, I use Poser Pro-Pack and everything imports 100% correctly every time. I have about 23 runtimes, but all my geometry and textures are in one main default directory. This makes switching runtimes very quick and easy- and PP is never "lost" looking for something- as all library files automatically KNOW where their geom and textures are... However- if you SWITCH textures to some OTHER directory, it will confuse Poser and force a lengthy search. Loading a Pz3 that has that NEW texture directory already SAVED with the Pz3 (or Pzz) will be o.k.- but if the Pz3 is NOT saved with the correct directory paths- then this will force a search by Vue for them- EVERY TIME. This is only LOGICAL as Vue doesn't magically know you have moved default directories to other places...

OK, so in other words, yes, Vue still needs to have the textures in some "runtime" somewhere, and, for example, although all my Poser textures are on my Textures(T:) Drive, and the word "runtime" appears absolutely nowhere there, then Vue will not be able to load them? Please forgive me if I misunderstood your answer. :)

Maybe I should just try the demo. I don't even know if there is one though, and if so, if t will import .pz3 files. Doesn't really matter anyway, I guess, because when I upgrade to Lightwave 9 in (hopefully) a few weeks, I'll be getting V5 Infinite as part of the e-on/Newtek deal anyway. I guess then I can just see for myself. :)

Basically, it works like this:

Poser has a recursive search function built into it. If it does not find a texture or other file at the specified pathname in a pz3, it will search the appropriate part of the runtime for the file or the closest match. This has led to a lot of content creators not paying close attention to their pathnames (and that is from DAZ on down; most everyone is guilty some time or other). There are a lot of syntax errors out there. Applications like Vue don't have access to Poser's recursive search, and so depend on =exact= pathnames (Poser would accept, for example, C:PoserRuntimetexturesMyExample.jpg, even if the pathname in the Pz3 is C:PoserRuntimetexturesmyexample.jpg, because the search function, not finding the exact match, found the closest one. But Vue, or most other external programs, would not, as the capitol letters, by strict definition, mean that this should not be the file called). If the pathname is an exact match for the one in the pz3, syntax and all, Vue should find it. Any variation, and no go.

Message edited on: 12/04/2005 20:46

That explains alot, Dale. Thank you. I remember now, occasional times using Vue 4, (before I went with the idea of having all textures on one partiton)importing .pz3 files and seeing a wrong texture somehow applied. I just chalked it up to some kind of miscommunication between the apps, or figured I screwed up somewhere. ;)

Maybe you simply open a pz3 in a Word processor. Then you see how it is done. The files are readable and there you can see exactly how the pathnames are written and especially where this problem comes from.

Well, yesterday I imported a pz3 file which had one texture from a totally different drive from Poser, and it came in without a hitch. (I still had to edit the material as the specularity was wrong as usual).

I guess you use Poser 6 maybe? There some of the problems seem to be fixed, the pathnames are complete.But i have not looked into that with too much detail, not high priority in my work right now.