I've only been using Poser for a few weeks, but I'm hooked. I'd like to create a full-body morph of an anime character based off the P4 woman or Vicki and sell it in the MarketPlace. The image shows one that I did in MAX awhile back using the 18 Perfect People mesh, but I'm unable to distribute it because of the copyright issues with the source mesh. My question is, what is the best approach for taking on a project like this for Poser? Although I've done some figure component (like head) morphs in MAX and brought them into Poser, it's not clear how I import an entire figure as a morph. Also, is one technique better than another when it comes to being able to adapt existing poses or clothing to this character? Any links to tutorials that would help are appreciated. Thanks, -Shark

I don't think you can import a full body morph... though I could be wrong. You'd have to morph each body part, and then go to "Figure -> Create Full Body Morph". Then you can go back, turn each body part morph back to 0 then set the Body morph to 1. Like I said though, I could be wrong.

Cin- is correct a full body morph is jusy a dial to turn on the part morphs. If I was doing something like this (actually, I DID something like this, Supermodel Morph Vickie!) I'd give them a fitted CR2 with all the morphs in place but in this case I'd probably skip the set of loose morphs for fitting to other CR2s. If you did any scaling that is the only way to go anyway.

Jim, there is now another way: You can apply the scaling with a pose file. You can apply the morphs with a MOR donor. I have not tried it, but I think one pose file could do it all, maybe even set Materials at the same time. You can change JP on the fly with a pose file. If you have a pose that needs different JP , it could be included with the pose. The difficulty is that the JP will stay when you switch to a new pose. A JP reset pose file would be necessary. If SMV is the result of only morphing and JP changes and has no added verts, she could be generated using a pose file. There is an additional technical step, but it is very simple.

Thank you all for the info. As I said, I'm new to Poser, so some of these terms are unfamiliar: -fitted morphs vs. loose morphs? -MOR donor? Is there some benefit/downside to scaling the limbs in a 3D program vs. using Poser's dials?

fitted morphs, would those in place in the CR2 - dials ready to go loose morphs, classically stripped obj files which can be applied in Poser. The "v" data - all of it. (The deltas can be transfered CR2 to CR2 using MM4/MC. With this method, Mac PPP users can apply morphs, the file size is much smaller, V2 morphs can be transferred to Mil kids.) The information in the CR2 is the deltas (only the difference from the original and not every vert) A MOR donor is the deltas in a pose file, which can be instantly transfered to a figure in Poser, if the morph name in the pose file is the same as one on the figure. If you scale the limbs ina 3D program, it is called a morph. If the part looks good in the 3d program and it is attached to the neighbor group on either side and the complex looks OK, then the morph should do fine. In poser using scaling, you never know if it will look right. Is this a good guess? I don't know if JP follow scaling, I doubt they follow morphs. If you do anything profound, you may have to adjust the JP in either case.

a possibly easier approach (if it works) would be: do all your morphs in max on the poser full figure, then export each body part from max as a separate obj. Then load each of those objs to the corresponding body part in poser on the original figure. then set all the morphs to 1, then spawn the full body morph. this would ONLY work if max exports the body parts without any change in the number of vertexes--a morph is basically a way of mushing around the vertexes without changing them. If max re-cuts the figure in any way or cleans up the mesh, etc, the part morphs won't import any more. Another thing you should know about is .pcf files. You can use ObjAction mover to make your mods to the mesh, and then distribute/sell a file that contains the difference information...Mover will decode it and make a new mesh based on your work, but it'll only work for people who have the original obj file. I believe SuperModel Vicky (Jim's leading lady, you can check her out at www.bbay.com) works this way. A lot of cool figures require this utility and most of the community here at renderosity is aware of it and will go the extra few yards to use it. I don't know where you get it from but someone else can tell you...help, guys? MaryCanary

oh, I forgot to add, VERY cute character!

Thanks for the definitions Jaagar. I'm learning about all kinds of aspects of Poser (as well as third party utilities like CR2Edit) that I had no idea existed. MaryCanary, thanks for the suggestion--Hopefully MAX will behave itself, and I'll have to resist the temptation to reduce the poly count of the model as I did with the original. I'll try a quick and dirty test to see before going too far. Thanks too for the props on the "Sakura" character. ^_^ I got hold of Objaction Mover. It was at http://www.sandylodge.demon.co.uk/html/utilities.html. I'm very impressed with the response after just a few hours! What a great community!

Jaeger- your right, of course, I just posted a note in Poser Tech about scaling, in fact, but bear in mind I haven't actually done it until last night! The only problem with the morph pose approach is you do have to give up one existing morph for each, of course. I also should add that Objaction Mover is-not-for-commerical-use, I obtained permission from Maz to use it on SMV, but you will have to ask him yourself if you go this way. Getting back to basics, though, if I was doing this character I'd still do it as a fitted CR2, the Posette's CR2 is fully redistributable, after all, and a lot of the non-standard morphs from others aren't going to be needed with this charater anyway.

Jim, With a MOR donor, it is deltas, no encoding is needed. If you do not have the original geometry it simply will not work. As for the CR2 , except for the fingers, which we fixed better anyway, I can see no difference between it and V1. Chad said they finetuned the shoulder, but I cannot see any JP differences. So once the CR2 is stripped of morphs, there is nothing to protect. Besides, it would be petty of DAZ to repair JP settings and refuse the repair to V1 users. I don't think they are like this. Losing a morph? What I offered and was ignore is a morph for every group (except fingers, which can be added if need be) in a MC cr2, so that a blank morph, no deltas, dial invisible, increases CR2 by about 13,000 - each with the name Body - except head which is Faces - to use to recieve the donated morphs. You would not lose an existing morph, you would add in a dedicated one, and one that everyone who wanted to provide a character could use. It would standardize the thing. You cannot have more than one face or body at a time anyway.