I create a lot of props, often after scaling or moving an object to give it new (zeroed) default parameters, and also when making numerous props from compound (imported) objects.  For as long as I can recall, I've noticed the new prop does not appear in the viewport looking like the object it was created from.  I seem to think there was a time when "reload textures" would make it appear correct, but now even that isn't fixing the new object's appearance.

I'm also fairly certain I've seen the new prop missing many of its shader components (reflection, disp. etc.).

In the attached example the object did inherit the complete shader set-up.  It also renders correctly in Firefly.  It just will not appear in the viewport looking like the object it was created from unless I manually copy the materials from the original object to the new one.  I have to deal with this quite frequently (e.g. in the image shown I had to do it for all 15 terrain elements).  I can't recall any other user complaints about this issue, and have to wonder if I'm the only one constantly encountering it, going back possibly as far as Poser 8.

 what version of Poser are you using now ?

2014, SR3.1.  

PP2014 is up to SR4 now, you should update your software and check if that has been corrected.

I'm using SR4, and I notice something similar because I also spawn a lot of props during the course of scene making.

Mainly what seems to be happening, at least in my case, is that the gamma is changing on every spawned prop in the scene with every spawn. It also changes on every duplicated prop every single time I duplicate a prop. This is enough to change its appearance in the preview.

I wonder if that's what's happening in your case... If it is, running scenefixer every time, generally fixes it. Until you spawn another prop. LOL.

 http://my.smithmicro.com/poser-pro-2014-updates.html

think where up to PP2014 SR5.

probably best to be up to date.

if spawns are still not correct with SR5.

 guess you alt to report the problem to smithmicro

maybe SR6,7 will correct it .

Since adding the game addition and patch 5, I think, I've got problems exporting as obj files, poser's preferred format, :)  On export it corrupts uvs when there was no problem prior. It  also has trouble importing many 3ds files which behave badly after import, principally with incompletely imported material zones, which cause them to flash rainbow colors :)  I'm running 2012 now at the same time, since it has no problems with the said files. The fbx import/export, however, is working great !

I'd heard there were issues with SR5, which is precisely why I have NOT updated to it, RorrKonn. Santel confirms this. And since my scene building workflow requires that I export and import obj's without too many problems, I'm not willing to be a guinea pig. I'll wait until SR6 has been out long enough to know what new bugs IT introduces. :D

PP2014 is up to SR4 now, you should update your software and check if that has been corrected.

I read the release notes.  SR4 began automatically changing gamma, and being in the middle of a project I opted to not install it.

The interesting thing to me (and the reason for my post) is that no one else has apparently encountered this.

The interesting thing to me (and the reason for my post) is that no one else has apparently encountered this.

Well, it may well have done it under SR3, too. But I wasn't a crazy prop spawning fanatic until recently, so I wouldn't have noticed. Is it, in fact, the gamma that's off? Or something else in the mat?

The interesting thing to me (and the reason for my post) is that no one else has apparently encountered this.

Well, it may well have done it under SR3, too. But I wasn't a crazy prop spawning fanatic until recently, so I wouldn't have noticed. Is it, in fact, the gamma that's off? Or something else in the mat? I can't tell what it is.  I described the problem and attached an image.  According to the mat window the new prop's material is exactly the same as the object it was created from.  Yet in the viewport it looks nothing the object which it was created from; it is just black.  (Compare the objects outlined in red in both pictures) 

Again, it renders fine.  But it's almost impossible to see against the black bg of the scene.  It's a minor issue as I can manually copy the materials and fix its appearance, but a PITA nonetheless.

I'm just waiting for one person to say it has happened to them also, even once.   

Also, what's up with this big font?  How can I make it smaller?  And where are the quotes?  My responses aren't being visibly separated from the quoted text.

Yeah, a lot of .obj importing and exporting going on here as well...  When an SR comes out that I can trust isn't going to A) change the way my existing projects look when rendered or B) break anything that already works (specifically things related to my current projects), I will eagerly install it. 

I bought Poser GD and haven't even authenticated it because so far no release has met my two above criteria for installing.  "Update" may normally be good advice, but the reality is that there's at best a slim chance it will fix my problem and far more likely it will do more harm than good.  Sadly, I wouldn't advise anyone ever update Poser if they are in the middle of a project.

When I went from Poser 8 to PP2012, something had changed causing my mapped shadows to render completely different/wrong.  I was lucky that I had just completed one set of clips and the remainder of my contracted work used a different camera position.  I was finally able to get acceptably similar shadows by switching to ray traced shadows, but that would not have worked had I upgraded a month earlier (as all of the clips had to match seamlessly in editing).

Ah, I see. Looking more closely at your images.

Well, I've seen a lot of weird behavior in the preview, and generally haven't paid much attention to it because it's the final render that I'm concerned with. Sometimes there's something that causes concern. But usually the reverse of what you have. The object shows fine in preview but renders incorrectly -- which I believe is a texture caching issue.

Have you tried the "reload textures" option? 

Edit: The big fonts are from typing your text within the same text box as the quote, so your text is getting the same formatting. (I do it constantly, and it's annoying indeed.) Before, it was visibly separated by [/quote] tags, so no one made that mistake.

Ah, I see. Looking more closely at your images.

Well, I've seen a lot of weird behavior in the preview, and generally haven't paid much attention to it because it's the final render that I'm concerned with. Sometimes there's something that causes concern. But usually the reverse of what you have. The object shows fine in preview but renders incorrectly -- which I believe is a texture caching issue.

Have you tried the "reload textures" option? 

Edit: The big fonts are from typing your text within the same text box as the quote, so your text is getting the same formatting. (I do it constantly, and it's annoying indeed.) Before, it was visibly separated by [/quote] tags, so no one made that mistake.

Oh, so if I type down here it is indeed smaller... Reload textures is the first thing that came to mind, since I had seen things come in looking black when textures couldn't be loaded for whatever reason.  No, this is just how Poser works for me...  I need to make the props because there's no easy way to change the objects' default location and scale.  Scaling and positioning the object then making a new prop from it gives me a new "zeroed" object.  This new object should of course look the same, but in my case never does...  Not in preview anyway.  It's not a mesh error, because simply copy/pasting the material to the prop makes it look as it should.

Possible reasons for my problem:  Specific to meshes imported from Wings (why?)...  Because there are no "figures" in my scene (actually read something somewhere that made me think of this)?  Some value or option in the mat room isn't being copied to the new prop (have compared them a number of times without seeing what it could be).