poser is not so expensive. but zbrush is andother software. so i think a lot of people dont have zbrush.  zbrush is for sculpting. you can also make body or face morphs for poser figures.  its a very practical tool for making figures more interesting.
blender is having some good sculpting tools. i think you can also make a displacement map in blender.

why am i mentioning this here? because blender is free. yes free. its a little hard to get used to the software because its a little different. but its free. with a sculpting tool like this you can transform apollo maximus( free) or Michael 4 to anyone you want.

www.blender.org/development/release-logs/blender-243/sculpt-mode/

Holy Cow!  Blender has come a long way.  Thanks for the link!  I think I'll give ver2.49 a try.

looks good but how is it for exporting for use as a morph target in poser? cos in zbrush its a massive faff around...unless i'm doing it wrong?

The problems with getting morph targets back and forth are basically two things: one, realizing the scale differences (scale up by 1000 from Poser to Zbrush, and back down by 1000 from Zbrush back to Poser, with one of these) and the other is polygon grouping when moving the OBJ back and forth.  There's more than one way to handle the grouping problem, I use Dimension3D's Poser File Editor but there's also a way to get done that DarkEdge found (look at his video tutorial on it).

zbrush has a plug-in called ''poser scaler''
with this you have no problems importing and exporting OBJ's for poser.

www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php

[Here's a video tutorial on the subject:

paolociccone.com/tutorials/blender_poser_fbm.html](http://paolociccone.com/tutorials/blender_poser_fbm.html)

And a relevant thread here:

www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php

Quote - Holy Cow!  Blender has come a long way.  Thanks for the link!  I think I'll give ver2.49 a try.

and not only sculpting.

new painting options . this is incredible.
wiki.blender.org/index.php/Dev:Ref/Release_Notes/2.49/Projection_Paint

if you learn blender in one month then you can sculpt your own face and paint your custom textures for your figures.

i am telling you guys. blender should be on your computer. its not the best. but its FREE. so many options and its free.

Thanks for the info. I just got a free copy of Shade8.5 Standard from 3DArtist magazine. I gave myself a fright when I first ran it and saw the user interface.

Can anyone say whether it would be better to use Shade or Blender to begin modelling -- for someone who is completely new to it?

Thanks!

i think people are saying that blender has a very complicated interface. not like any other.

kk thanks

Although I do have the latest Blender version, I haven't yet opened it to do any serious modeling.  But over the years, I have heard of it's praises but it does have a rather steep learning curve.

i think its hard to learn. because there is almost nothing similar to other software. so you have to start from zero.

but there are 100 tutorials on the itnternet.

Quote - Can anyone say whether it would be better to use Shade or Blender to begin modelling -- for someone who is completely new to it?

Thanks!

It's very much down to personal preference. I started modelling with Shade and found the interface very easy to understand. Hexagon and Blender confuse me totally, but others will say exactly the opposite. Try them both. Blender is free and you got Shade for free, so you're not risking your hard-earned cash.

Mike

The next version of Blender (ie version 2.5) is getting a major face lift in terms of the UI and workflows so I would wait for that before starting to learn it.

The big problem with Blender is that it's designed by whoever wants to work on it, so the interface has a lot of inconsitencies that make it quite a bit harder to learn.  On the other hand yeah, it is free, so if you have no money it's a great option.  At least with the commercial 3D suites the interface tends to be very consistent in all its parts.

Quote - The next version of Blender (ie version 2.5) is getting a major face lift in terms of the UI and workflows so I would wait for that before starting to learn it.

Uhhh... "major facelift" is an understatement

BLENDER 2.5

I may actually start seriously using this version

here are some basic tutorials for Blender
http://www.openfilm.com/videos/0001_intro_to_blender/

like he said. its free so there is no reason to not use it.

Each time I tried to use Blender for modeling I've wanted to go outside and drink petrol. I just can't get my head around it.

Quote - Thanks for the info. I just got a free copy of Shade8.5 Standard from 3DArtist magazine. I gave myself a fright when I first ran it and saw the user interface.

Can anyone say whether it would be better to use Shade or Blender to begin modelling -- for someone who is completely new to it?

Thanks!

If I were completely new to modeling, blender would meet all of my needs.  It's a mind-blowingly powerful application and the seemingly red-bull fueled development pace means significant updates are never more than mere months away.  Unfortunately, I'm not a beginner and every new program I try always invites mental comparisons to other programs I've used (perhaps a decade before) that did things more intuitively.  The difficulty people have in learning blender has a lot to do with what programs you are familiar with (and perhaps even which OS you have used most).  If you are used to pointing and clicking, dragging and dropping, it can be a bear to come to grips with.  If, however, you are the type of person who prefers a keyboard to a mouse and has no trouble learning different key commands for every tool you use, then you will probably be just fine.  And there's a lot to be said for never having to pay for an upgrade.

Well, I've 'used' Blender (mainly as a tool to do things that Wings won't do) since about 2.44 or so...
Saw the 2.5 interface, that almost looks usable.

Blenders' 'failing' has been the GUI (more gooey than GUI..;) has menus, submenus, etc. It has the benefit of making Truespace look easy...;) I've only found one package out there that's even harder to use, and that's a linux text editor called 'vi'...;)

It's not really 'free', but I hear that Hex 2.2 will be out on 3d World (at least in the US) about late June-early July.

Can't have too many packages, though.

Vi ???? BURN THE HERETIC !!! emacs rules

(just kidding - I hate emacs with a vengeance and usually use Vim which is the windows version)
You think Poser vs Studio flamefests are bad, you should see the emacs vs vi ones :)

I don't want to use vi, but I'm trying to get into a linux shop where they use it (the linux job from help; all command line, no GUI, and only vi for an editor...ignore us, we're talkin' tekki...;)

People say Blender's great, and everyone can love some program (hey, it's free..;) I just kept having to go back through tutorials to remember what x or y did (even had a database, but when I was up to 4-500 commands, I got....discouraged...;)

After three years of Poser experiences, I have decided to learn modeling. So I have "purchased" Blender because the price is just right for me.

But after reading 3000 messages which say "it's an hard program", "it's a nightmare", "terrible learning curve" and so on, I must confess I am a bit scared. So I have installed it but not yet launched.

After all, I am getting old and I am no longer a teen with a sharp and quick mind!

I wonder if I will be able to understand something of it and to produce some 3D, or if I'll spend six months just to create the classical teacup....

Giorgio

the price is right for you? you mean free he he :) 

dont be scared. it takes a little ore long to learn but not like its 6 months. every month someone realese a new tutorial.

Oh my....Bookmarking this as I'm getting ready for work and just might try Blender again....had it once, and the UI was quite daunting...

Giorgio you can learn anything.  Just stick with it and be patient and eventually, tools stop becoming a hindrance to creativity and start becoming an asset (look at my gallery over time to see what I mean).  It WILL take some time to learn basic modeling, don't fool yourself, but really anyone can learn to do it.

Once you wrap your brain around the way Blender "thinks" then it's not so bad.  It's actually, dare I say it, almost logical in some respects.  I wish it had some of hexagons edge tools but hey - I also have Hex if I need it

Hello,  I recently decided to take the plunge into Blender and of all the tutorials I've seen, Blender Basics 3rd Edtion got me up and running pretty darn quick.   You can download the pdf here:

www.cdschools.org/54223045235521/blank/browse.asp

I found it to be VERY helpful.

Also, Over at the Silo 2 forum I participated in a little discussion on how to export Poser models and sculpt your morphs as a SINGLE mesh and then load the morph targets back into Poser as individual body parts.  The same concept should work with Blender.

www.silo3d.com/forum/showthread.php

good luck
jdc

*and not only sculpting.

new painting options . this is incredible.

• wiki.blender.org/index.php/Dev:Ref/Release_Notes/2.49/Projection_Paint

Thanks for the link.  BTW Has anyone ever tried to import Blender fluids into Poser?

Getting them into to Cinema 4D  is no cake walk
and from what Ive heard is too memory intensive to be practical for large simulations.

I imagine its not be possible for poser to handle all the geometry
I am so glad I have
Real Flow 4

Cheers

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?message_id=2591852&ebot_calc_page#message_2591852

Yes, works nicely.

Quote - Getting them into to Cinema 4D  is no cake walk
and from what Ive heard is too memory intensive to be practical for large simulations.

I imagine its not be possible for poser to handle all the geometry

The trick is to only have one frames worth of geometry loaded at a time (works for Poser and Vue, and would probably be adaptable for any program that has the right facilities available via scripting or plugins).

Definite bookmark for both making custom morphs in either Blender and Silo (since I have both).  I've been spoiling myself with Hexagon that I've been doing some head sculpting in it.  I will check back.

Thanks for the heads up, ice-boy...

JB

Blender....consistent and dead simple to learn.

1. Stop thinking it should be like program X,Y,Z......that will hamper you in trying to learn ANY new application.
2. Be prepared to learn.
3. Cease listening to people that are not capable as the factor in the decision to try Blender.
4. A real shocker...Ask people who use the program how to do things if you get stuck.

The word "Blender" can be replaced by any other software name and the statements above still hold true.

Basically learning anything new takes a common sense approach and a willingness to adapt.

You can learn anything if you leave preconceived notions behind when you begin and focus on the task at hand.

A lot of misconceptions concerning Blender continue to be propagated, to correct these go to the source and discover for yourself what the program is about rather than simply relying on hearsay.....yeah, that even includes anything I've said.

Want to make morphs for Poser figures.....Compose by John Wind is handy.

Use it to create a unified figure, import the unified figure into the 3d application of choice, sculpt away, export the sculpted mesh, import into Compose, create the morphs.

Well if you are looking for something comparable to Zbrush. There is 3d-Coat. Its cheaper and the interface is way easier to understand. www.3d-coat.com/index.html

Quote - Want to make morphs for Poser figures.....Compose by John Wind is handy.

Use it to create a unified figure, import the unified figure into the 3d application of choice, sculpt away, export the sculpted mesh, import into Compose, create the morphs.

The only Compose I could find was a Mac version

Attached Link: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Sector/1306/1306/compose.html

PC version linked.

Compose will work with the current Java build so don't worry about trying to track down and install an obsolete version of Java, basically it should work with any Java build you might have installed.

There are a couple of tutorials for using Compose over on RuntimeDNA and I have one that shows a workflow for using Blender to create FBM's.

Documentation on Compose is a little thin but if you check out the Compose-docs.txt file in the download you'll realize it does a lot more than my tutorial or the one's on RDNA cover.

Anyone that is interested in the Compose/Blender tutorial I wrote PM me and I'll send you the link.(The Compose section of the tutorial works for any 3D application not just Blender.)

Quote - The trick is to only have one frames worth of geometry loaded at a time (works for Poser and Vue, and would probably be adaptable for any program that has the right facilities available via scripting or plugins).

RealFlow4 Has a very powerful Python engine
so maybe someone with both programs could make a run at integration.

Quote - ... so maybe someone with both programs could make a run at integration.

Already done, check the thread I linked.

Thread is 3 years old

is that project still active??

Attached Link: http://www.cornucopia3d.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5089

The Vue version (RealFlow or OBJ only due the gzip module being broken) was released 2 years ago (see attached link).
The Poser version could be released anytime I feel like it, but I'd need to check to make sure it still works with a recent version of Blender as I think the standalone version of the fluid sim code hasn't been maintained since it got integrated.

Quote - Well if you are looking for something comparable to Zbrush. There is 3d-Coat. Its cheaper and the interface is way easier to understand. www.3d-coat.com/index.html

The price is certainly right, but it's no ZBrush.
With ZBrush I can load a full V4 obj file, subdivide 3 times to bring it up to 1 million + polys, and zip around the interface like there's hardly any load on my system at all.
I just downloaded the new version of 3d coat and it was just as sluggish as Ver 2 was.
JMO

You have to be running CUDA with a high end vid card to get the best performance out of 3d Coat. I understand why the developer chose that route but it does cut out a lot of potential users.

Zbrush is more forgiving in terms of hardware. (Never expected I would say that!):huh:

Campbell Barton's  BlenderFluidOBJExport.py script should be suitable for exporting the fluid sim from Blender for use as an object sequence in Poser. Works here anyway.

(Should also work in any other program that handles .obj sequences, may have to find application specific importers though.)

Quote - Campbell Barton's  BlenderFluidOBJExport.py script should be suitable for exporting the fluid sim from Blender for use as an object sequence in Poser. Works here anyway.

(Should also work in any other program that handles .obj sequences, may have to find application specific importers though.)

There's really no need to convert the Blender output to OBJ, it's easy enough to read the file directly via Python (as the format is quite simple).

Really? Tell me more.

I'm asking because in skimming the Cornucopia thread it appears that the script in question creates a "sequence of meshes" which is what the Barton export script does though it is limited to the .obj format rather than the list of Vue compatible formats in the thread.

Does your import script eliminate the requirement for having an export script by handling both ends of the pipeline in effect?

I'm definitely interested in an alternative method that is more resource friendly for prepping the simulation so it is readable by Poser .

The main (only) advantage that I've found for converting to .obj is that the results are usable in any program that handles .obj sequences.

Now my other question is: How does your import script handle extracting the information from within the Blender file.?

As you noted in the discussion in the Cornucopia thread .obj format while simple to parse is much larger in size than a binary format. in the interest of resource efficiency being able to use binary formats is much more appealing.

Perhaps you can also give insight into improving Meshfoot, a script for handling Poser .obj sequences so they can be imported into Blender for animation purposes. Sounds like you could clean that up or eliminate the need for it entirely.

I tend to be direct when asking questions so please don't take anything outside of that context.

Quote - I'm asking because in skimming the Cornucopia thread it appears that the script in question creates a "sequence of meshes" which is what the Barton export script does though it is limited to the .obj format rather than the list of Vue compatible formats in the thread.

The Vue version is limited to the OBJ or RealFlow BIN because the Python module necessary to support reading the compressed Blender data is broken due to a bad native DLL.

Quote - Does your import script eliminate the requirement for having an export script by handling both ends of the pipeline in effect?

The Poser version can read the Blender files directly.
These are similar to the RealFlow BIN files in that the data is binary rather than text like OBJ and they are gzip compressed.
Simulation setup in Blender is done by hand, then either Blender or (the command line version) elbeem is used to generate the simulation data.
It would obviously be desirable to automate this process, and while not impossible, the need to tweak meshes in Blender (i.e. an inherently manual step) as part of the sim setup makes doing so probably not worth the effort.

Quote - I'm definitely interested in an alternative method that is more resource friendly for prepping the simulation so it is readable by Poser.

As I said above, the key is to redefine the geometry of a single object so that only one frames worth is loaded at a time.
This is possible because both Poser and Vue provide frame setup callbacks that can be used to do this.

Quote - The main (only) advantage that I've found for converting to .obj is that the results are usable in any program that handles .obj sequences.

Obviously you have to use what the target program can read.

Quote - Now my other question is: How does your import script handle extracting the information from within the Blender file.?

The Python way to handle binary data is to use struct.unpack with the appropriate template strings.

Quote - As you noted in the discussion in the Cornucopia thread .obj format while simple to parse is much larger in size than a binary format. in the interest of resource efficiency being able to use binary formats is much more appealing.

With the standard library modules, Python is capable of reading any simple format (OBJ, Realflow BIN, Blender BOBJ), with extra modules it would more than likely be possible to support other formats (there are a couple or so Python based suites/libraries that could supply the required routines) if useful but this seems unlikely to be necessary as directly reading the native output of the fluid sims is possible.

I tried the Sculpting with Victoria 4, and I love what I can do with it.  Testing the waters and see what I can come up with, but I'm real pleased with it.  Who knows, it can be a good alternative to ZBrush or 3DCoat, so I won't knock Blender out.  I used it once to UV map a figure I did using it.  I'm just glad to have come here and get info on this.

Such good input indeed.

JB

@nruddock

Would you be willing to send me the Poser version script as is so I can take a look at it and possibly build from it?

*I am so glad I have

• *Real Flow 4
  * 
  I heard Real Flow is great but,  I ain't got the money to get it.  (My car gave up the ghost...It started idling rough so I thought,  eh...I'll give it a tune up.   Well,  let me tell ya,  I changed the spark plugs first and saw they were rusted.  Not good,  I know,  so I thought I'd better see the whole story.  I took off the outtake manifold and three chambers had water.  Drained the oil and took the oil pan off.  Hosed it with wd40 lo and behold there was the crack runnin' between number 3 and number 4 chamber.  Now,  I'm thinkin' do I spend the next two weeks takin' the engine apart,  pre heatin' the block and weldin' it with Ni rod or do I just go buy another car?)

*Already done, check the thread I linked.

nruddock,  You're a genius!  Thanks for the links.