I have a problem with props I create in Poser, and I've never been able to find out what I'm doing wrong. Manual doesn't help. When I create a prop - say a table - out of the blocks and stuff in Poser's props, I can tie it all together with 'parenting' and save it as a new prop. However, when I try to delete the prop, I end up having to delete each piece of the original. Deleting the 'parent' does not delete the rest, although moving the parent moves the rest and changing the scale of the parent changes every part proportionally. Why does the delete not take all parts along with the parent?

Because, there are different objects. Even if one is the child of the other one.

to make it all one prop export it then import it back in then it'll be ome item...might mess up the materials though if they all have the same name.....then again it might not if you set them different colors before you export..i've never actually tryed it :o).....Steve

Okay, then how does one create a prop like some of the ones in FreeStuff that all hangs together, no matter what? What is the step, or steps, that make it a single item?

When you've got all your individual props loaded and grouped, and parented the way that that you want them... like a table for example... you've got a box for the top and 1 for each leg. Go to File->Export->Wavefront Obj. You'll get a hierarchy window that will show you everything in the scene... uncheck everything to begin with by clicking the box next to "Universe" all the other x's should go away... then select each part of the table that you want be one prop. I always uncheck all of the option boxes in the pop up window that comes up after you've selected the parts and hit okay. That will export your table as a single prop. Then go to File->Import->Wavefront Obj. and reimport your table prop... it will now be one piece... you can then save it to your Props directory and use it just like any old table! :) You can even give away your nifty table.pp2 file in freestuff if you'd like! Hope that helps! K-

right if its just with poser stuff and have say two spheres and you color one red and the other blue then export it comes back with only one material coz the material was called preview....so if you want different materials on parts of the model everytime you add a prop hit the grouping tool and click on "assign material" then name the material with a new name or the same as a previous one (for example if you had 4 cubes and wanted them all with the leg material..table) do this till you have your prop built then export as obj and import with all boxes unchecked, you now have the prop as one item but with different materials so you can color it right....BTW doing this you can map it better in uvmapper by selecting parts by materials....Steve

Ah, excellent point Mr. Shanks... I always miss something important.

actually i thought the mtl file would sort it till i tried it ..we live and learn eh LOL....Steve

The other thing is, get a free modelling program to make your own things ( amapi or other) . It is much easier once you got familiar one of those programs.

Heh - I find it easier to make the item (prop, structure, etc) in a seperate 3d modelling program first, then export them into Poser. I use AC3D in Linux to create the props (it creates far better curves and has IMHO a superior sense of polygon optimization... dunno exactly why, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna complain about it :) Once you;ve got everything assembled in Poser, go to Export|Wavefront OBJ - and select what parts of your world you want exported (it'll pop a window up - uncheck "universe", then go in and select all of the objects you want to be made into one big prop.) Finish all of that, then back up what you have by saving it as it's own .pz3 file. Open a new file, and Import your freshly created .obj... it'll be in one big, monolithic piece. HTH, /P

Thank you for asking a question I've been wanting to ask and thanks to all you kind folks for answering. %^) Made my day!!!

And thanks also from me for all the good advice. The export/import is the part I had missed. I'll give it a try. I am trying out a free download of Cinema4D. I think that may help create interesting props. Can't 'save' them from the demo, but it's a way to try it out before paying a bunch of change.