Could someone please tell me the easy way to take a obj file and convert it to a poser model? I have a chimpanzee a friend made for me in 3d Studio Max, he converted it to a .3ds and then I converted it to a obj to import into Poser. All I want to do is make the darn thing poseable. Can anyone give an easy answer to a beginner?

uh... as a beginner, don't start with a complex animal like that :/ (well, thats MY advice!) check the tutorials (new!) for figure creation tutorials with more details. basically, you need to cut up the mesh into different body parts, save the obj with these new groups, build a phi file for it, then use poser to 'convert' the hierarchy (phi) file into a new figure. (note: if you have a pc, using phibuild from fun stuff helps a TON!) there's supposedly a shortcut in p4, whereby you can select groups of polygons and name them, then apply a standard phi order to your model.... but i havent messed with that, much. if you tell us what 3d modelling programs you have, somebody could give you a more specific answer about cutting up the mesh.

Thank a lot. :-) I said I was a beginner to Poser not to 3D modeling. Yes, I have trueSpace 4.0 for my modeling though I have not tried figure modeling as of yet. I also use Bryce 4.0 I will try to look at my user manuals a little better and use your advise on the phi builder. "if I find time". Thanks a lot and if you wish to see what a "beginner" can do go here. http://www.ipa.net/~n0mad

Thanks Wern! I don't know why my friend did this but the chimpanzee is showing only two objects i.e. face & body. That will make it a lot harder for slicing. Yes I do have Poser 4.0 and I have just a little understanding of it yet. If the model had been more complexed as having multi-body parts I could have put it in trueSpace and added ik to the model. I will have to work on slicing the model and then follow what you guys have told me about phi building. Looking forward to your tutorial. :-)

hmmm... didnt mean to cast doubts on your fine 3d modelling ability. but creating a poser figure involves more than modelling, and with all the joint parameters and rotation orders and stuff... i just think it's easier to start simple and work up to it. :) i believe in truespace, you would use boolean cuts to 'slice' your mesh. philc's clothing tutorial (available on funstuff) shows him using boolean things to slice clothing. i'm not all that up on truespace, so i wouldnt know. :)

I use Poser 4 to import a solid, ungrouped mesh, to slice up the model. (my modeller doesn't export groups) I made a Beluga whale this way (on Funstuff) Just use the grouping tool in Poser 4, (setting the display on a wireframe view will make your grouping easier). After grouping and naming the parts of the model hit "Spawn Props", then go into the Heirarchy editor. Bloodsong is right about the joint parameters, they are a bit tricky to learn, and have to be adjusted after you create the figure.