I'm sure this has been answered but searching brings up a huge list of results.  I'm redoing my runtime at the moment.  I am only using Poser Pro 2012.  For content where both pz2 mats and mc6 mats have been provided, which one should I keep?  I don't need two ways to apply Blonde Hair #1 do I?  The main differences I found online were that the pz2 is an older style of doing it, works with DAZ studio (not important to me), and it will apply even if some mat zones are missing from the object (they shouldn't be missing since it's stuff from a vendor).  The .mc6 is newer and works if the the mat is being applied to a prop that has no parent figure.

It looks like I might also come upon some mt5 files at some point too.  Given the option, which of the 3 types should I keep?  I can keep them all, just seems like clutter.

First, they work without having to have a figure loaded. Not a major point, but it's something.

The bigger thing is that Poser knows an MC6 is a material. Because of years of abuse it has no idea what's inside a PZ2 unless it reads it.

You think that is unimportant? Consider this:

Poser has an obligation (self-imposed but there nonetheless) to show you the frame count on animated pose files. In order to do that, it has to open and examine every PZ2, just in case it is animated.

Now what would you think the cost of listing, opening, and reading every file (PZ2) would be versus just listing it (MC6)?

MT5 and MC6 you keep both. They are different.

An MT5 contains only ONE shader, with no material names in it. You can put that on anything.

An MC6 can contain ONE or MANY shaders, and each has a material name already and can only be used to populate the named materials it mentions. You can use an MT5 on anything, even things it was not built for or sold with. That's not true of an MC6.

In my products, I'm producing MC6 files for convenience - they load onto the props they are sold with and often will populate a dozen materials at once. But I also ship individual MT5 files, so people can use my materials on other things.

Makes sense to me.  Goodbye .pz2's.  Thanks.

My vote goes for mc6 :). I haven't made a MAT pose file in YEARS...lol.

Laurie

Thankyou for that info BagginsBill.

I can start whacking .pz2s now.