It seems the MAT poses I create don't work on props.

I save the .mt5 as .pz2 (in the Poses folder of course), edit the .pz2 and change the top lines to:

{
version
    {
    number 4.01
    }
actor $CURRENT

I also tried with:

{
version
    {
    number 4.01
    }
prop [name]

When I double click the mat pose, nothing happens. Double checked paths, and are all fine (and .mt5 work just fine).

Any idea ? Thanks

MAT poses don't - and never have - worked with props, unless the prop is parented to a figure.

In any case, MAT poses were never properly supported since they were a hack, not a true feature.  Far better to use Material Collections (mc6), which most peole use now anyhow.

Poses apply to figures. If you have no current figure, poses don't work.

Somebody discovered that they could piggy-back material changes in a pose file, and mat-poses were born. But they have never worked unless a "current figure" was in the scene. Thus was born the "null figure" - a useless invisible figure you can load so that there is always a "current figure".

But as Sam says, the material collection is the correct approach now.

Drag and drop (P8 and PP2010) of materials and material collections into the preview window now has meaning that isn't the same as dragging a pose.

Also, because pose files can contain animations, they are much more expensive as items in your library. Poser has to open them and read them so it can indicate how many frames there are in the file. It does this even with mat-pose files, because from the outside you can't tell that it is not an animated pose file. This means that materials masquerading as poses are horribly inefficient, and to deliver them that way while knowing that there is a proper way (material collections) is actually disrespectful of Poser users. You're delivering a clearly inferior item that way. I say this because I have occasionally seen vendors argue that mat-poses work in DS and Poser, so they go that way because it is easier for the vendor - and either ignorant of the offense done to the customer, or doing it willingly, which I consider an insult.

I haven't even made a MAT pose file since I've had Poser 6...lol. No need :).

Laurie

Attached Link: http://www.contentparadise.com/productdetails.aspx?id=13839

Thanks very much for the response: I asked because at Daz it's mandatory to provide mat poses, but I only did those for figures and now, that I was asked to do the same for props as well, I got stuck.

Mandatory? Really? I sure hope they fix that with DS4...

Laurie

Laurie,

Daz will never support MC6 because they don't actually support Poser 5+ style (Poser-node-based) materials. They require mat-poses because the hack became so standardized that they adopted it as the official DS material format - not exactly a sound engineering choice, IMO. Come to think of it, they must have something else for Shader Builder materials, just as we have something else for node-based materials.

Quote -  ...Come to think of it, they must have something else for Shader Builder materials, just as we have something else for node-based materials.

That's what I would have thought ;). It still sort of annoys me that when I buy something I get MAT pose files rather than a material collection. My pose folders are clogged as it is...lol.

Laurie

It's still "called" a DS MAT, but it's not the same format.  And their Shader Builder is....Well, it's hard.  No funny analogies.  

As others have said, no pz2 (pose) file will work unless there is a figure in the scene. Even if there is a figure in the scene, either the prop must be parented to a figure, or it must be addressed as an actor. Eg for unparented props with a figure in the scene:

{
version
    {
    number 5
    }
actor $CURRENT

Or

{
version
    {
    number 3
    }
actor [nameOfProp]

Both these will work. If you are looking for something that will work in P4/P5 for multiple materials, you can do as above then save the file to a camera folder with a cm2 file extension. cm2 files will work even if no figure is in the scene. Otherwise using an mc6 is the easiest way to go, but requires P6 or later. mt5 files work in P5, but I'm not sure if they can contain multiple materials. I don't know if any of this applies to D|S.

Quote - > Quote - My pose folders are clogged as it is...lol. Laurie

 

Probably the main reason I went to multiple external runtimes!  I couldn't find anything in my pose folder, even when I had a gazillion sub folders for each figure.

Hehe...I have about 20-30 different runtimes and my pose folders are STILL clogged with MAT Pose files...lol.

Laurie

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do NOT stop the habit/practice of making MATPoses, you leave Carrara users out of the equation, as Carrara does not use material collections...

Many Carrara users depend on the old skool way of things to access/apply presets. A set made w/ only .mt5 would be useless to Carrara users...

All you need do to take the edge off the drama is do a batch in Notepad++, a simple "replace" of the figure to actor $Current and all is well, a few seconds of work to make products more universal.....

I've run this on multiple .mt5s simultaneously, you can do the conversion across a large group of files quickly, easily and painlessly =)

You know, in the Daz forums, the complaint is made that DS can't progress because Poser holds it back.

Now you want Poser users to put up with an inferior format forever because the Carrara and DS apps haven't kept up with the format changes? It's been only 5 years, so it's not like it's a new thing and the developers need time to figure it out.

As you said, it's a ONE LINE CHANGE. In return, we'd have a universal format that doesn't require a) limitations in how it works IN THE APP IT WAS INTENDED FOR, and b) doesn't suck up resources pretending to be something else.

Instead of using
actor $CURRENT

Try prop followed by the internal name of the prop    Like

prop ball_1

You say it as if I'm asking for your left tit...

It broadens the number of people who can use the product, it's in the content creators best interest to appeal to as many people as possible, why on earth would you close out a market?!? Would making the MATPoses be so bad? Do you really think the converting is that much work?!? Its a few seconds of script/line changes, I can't imagine why you feel so strongly against it. It's not like you guys can't manage MATPoses..... And it's not like they are some "new technological breakthru" either, it's a few line changes and an extension switch.

And thats just about Carrara, but why on earth would a content creator who makes stuff for Poser want to close out the Daz Studio users? The Poser 5 users??? That's assanine, no one benefits, and it doesn't ensure that Daz will convert to SM's way of things, or that people will upgrade to the latest Poser.

Even further, that's politics best left for those guys, which I honestly don't give a shit about. If I buy something, and can't use it, who suffers?!?

I am not requesting anything I wouldn't  (or don't) do myself. I adhere to this practice, only so that "anyone" can use the product, that's my only concern... Is that not yours?!?

You say it as if I'm asking for your left tit...

Nah...third nut.

Remember Poser begat Daz.  So it should be Daz's reponsiblity to fall in line with Poser.

I agree................................

However, that's stuff they need to sort out, I'm not a representative of either, I just want to buy stuff that's gonna work, I think that that is what the content creators responsibility is...

Of course, it's totally optional, not mandated or obligated... But I strongly believe it is in everyones best interest.

Closing out the Daz population is NOT going to force their hand, I hope that that is not what people are thinking...

If I check all of your galleries right now, who would I see 1st?!?!?!?!?!? Miki or Viki?!?

Quote - Of course, it's totally optional, not mandated or obligated

No offense, but apparently from that statement, you did not read what I was responding to, which explains why you thought I was a bit over the top.

Papillon68 said "I asked because at Daz it's mandatory to provide mat poses".

Not mandated? It's mandatory.

Of course vendors can make both mat-poses and material collections, but they generally do not. Since one is mandatory they make that and call it a day. They don't make the material collection, and that makes the content annoying for Poser for the reasons I gave. It clogs the library up scanning the contents instead of just the names. And it's confusing as heck to look at a bunch of pose files and wonder which are the materials. It would be better if mat-poses were disallowed instead of being mandatory.

In a way, you're right, and I am not offended. I was refering to here...

I have the utmost respect for you and what you bring and do for the community, I just recently in some posts and in my gallery have made many a reference to your wondrous techniques, especially w/ regards to lighting.

Bottom line is that as a Carrara user I would have no way to apply content if not for the MATPoses, regardless how inferior, I need "something" to at least call the textures... All the extra things that need to be done, should not be thought of as offending Poser users, and while not difficult in process, it is still "extra" work.

I use Carrara, Poser and Studio, and to be honest, before the bugs from the C8Pro version (saving of certain channels would not save w/ the shader preset, making the process useless), I supplied mats/shader presets for all 3 =/ It's going to be trickled in, that's a huge jump, and in the meanwhile until it's all set, people should make to suit both...

Yes BB, I want you to put up w/ the inferior format so us bottomfeeding parasites from Daz can play too =)

If I'm still not reading right, or have offended you in anyway, I apologize...

The "tit" remark was a bit ruff wasn't it, I myself got hit w/ 3 today =/

I laughed out loud over the "tit" remark. I thought it was great!

I'm the last guy in this forum to cry about rough talk and hurt feelings. You are refreshing.

I think MAT poses are very handy (even) for Poser users.

1. In Poser 5, MAT poses don't clog up your runtime!!! It's just the other way round: You're clogging up your runtime with 75 .mt5 files, instead of having it all in one go with a click on a single MAT pose.

2. It's handy because you don't have to switch to the material room and can apply multiple materials directly from the pose room.

So thanks everyone for including MAT poses in your products!

FYI, for purposes other than for props, converting the .mt5 file to a MAT file is stupidly easy, and it's REALLY easy to keep both.

I don't know what anyone else uses as an editor, but I use Crimson Editor.  I use it for almost all of the coding I do for anything, period.  If you need to change a string, like what lesbently posted, you can do a search and replace in MULTIPLE files.  So, if you have to change 20 .mt5 files to 20 MATs, it will take you less than a minute, unless your computer sucks (in that case, you probably don't want to be creating content, because your hamster might catch fire).

With something like CE, there is ZERO reason a content creator cannot keep both MAT files and .mt5 files in their product, other than they just don't want to.

MAT poses are just text files (as are MC6 files). Even with thumbnail PNGs, when compressed into a ZIP file they are very small (even for a large number of MAT poses). These could be included as seperate ZIP files in the installation file for a product/freebee, and the end-users could install which or both that they want.

Granted this would take a little more work for the content creators, and a little more work for the end-users, but everyone could have what they want. And once made, there is no more work. Except of course there would be the neverending questions to answer about "where are the materials?", for those who do not read the documentation.

lmk