Wouldn't it be cool if Poser 5 offered atmospheric/volumetric effects? Your wish is our command! The beta Poser 5 Service Release 2 includes an all-new Material room root node, which allows you to create atmospheric effects such as fog, haze, clouds, smoke, etc. in your Poser 5 scenes. To select it, use the OBJECT pull-down menu in the same manner as if you were selecting the Background node. The Atmosphere node has the following attributes: - DepthCue_On: Checking the DEPTHCUE_ON checkbox enables depth cueing, which varies all surface material colors from their original lit colors to the specified depth cue color (see below). This gives an effect similar to enabling the Depth Cueing option in the Document window as described in your Poser 5 Reference Manual. - Volume_On: Checking the VOLUME_ON checkbox enables volumetric effects. You can enable depth cueing and/or volumetric effects individually. - DepthCue_Color: The color to use when applying the depth cueing. - DepthCue_StartDist: Distance from the current camera at which the depth cueing effect begins. This distance distances is not necessarily displayed in Poser distance units at this time. - DepthCue_EndDist: Distance from the current camera at which the depth cueing effect ends. This distance distances is not necessarily displayed in Poser distance units at this time. - Volume_Color: Color of the volumetric effect. - Volume_Density: Strength of the volumetric effect. - Volume_StepSize: Distance between rendering samples taken through the volume. Lowering this value increases render quality and increases render time. - Volume_Noise: Random factor added to the sample. This attribute can help balance out the effect of larger step sizes (see previous attribute). You can connect nodes to the color and density attributes for more complex effects. Note: Bright infinite lights can wash out volumetric effects unless you use a very low density. Volumetric effects are most successfully used with both spotlights and carefully controlled density numbers. Also, Volumetric lighting effects only appear over a rendered object. They do not appear over an empty background, even when a background shader is in place. You need at least one object in on screen in order for volumetric lighting effects to be visible. Note: This is a "bonus" feature that is not yet fully implemented or documented. As such, we are unable to offer technical support, although we always welcome bug reports. Anthony Hernandez Curious Labs

Here's a sample image.

By our very own Joe Grover!

Anthony, Thanks for the heads up. It is well appreciated. --lb

A variation on the woman in temple theme :-)

WOW!!!! WAY TO GO BOYS!!! I am soooo glad and excited about this new gift!!!!I just can't wait to play with it.... Come on Download....come on.....LOL THANKS CL ...THANKS THANKS and thanks again! ;)

THANK YOU!!!

Now, how about particles?

• walks away laughing maniacally *

great stuff..Anthony :) how about render times ?

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.
All things connect......Chief Seattle, 1854

Anthony, would you mind sharing some of your settings to help us understand it and make good use of this new feature? You have done great images....can you just give us some details about them? It would be great! Mychelle-Anne

These images aren't mine, but I'll ask the artists (CL's Joe Grover and Al Wilbrand) to post their settings.

Anthony, Thanks! This is exciting. Hope this addresses some of the 'C Exception errors'. Looks from the 'read me' that it might. Mahalo! And Mahalo to CL!

Thanks a bunch!! it will be very usefull for us!! I am trying it as we speak...I had no prob instaling the patch so far! keep in touch! ;)

Too Cool!!!!!!!!

Wow! I was just wishing last night I would have something that for a Poser scene I was working on. See, dreams to come true!!! THANK YOU!

oh. my. stunned

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a sweet disorder in the dress kindles in clothes a wantoness,
do more bewitch me than when art is too precise in every part

Yeah yeah, particles!!! Nice work CL, thanks! Although one thing does suck, I work in P4 now and my wheel on my mouse doesn't work, making me crazy...er lol Marque

Well..here's my first try at this atmosphere thing...what are the settings supposed to be ? Also quite a long render in Production mode...this is DRAFT FF... It must have been quite a challenge to do the above images..

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.
All things connect......Chief Seattle, 1854

Anthony, I want to know how the object in the first image was made. It looks like some type of hair, but how was it made? Beth

It's P5 hair on a sphere. Hopefully lawndart can explain in more detail how he did it.

getting closer :)

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.
All things connect......Chief Seattle, 1854

The atmospheric lighting will add on to the current lighting. It adds up as you step through space. You'll probably get better results just lowering the atmosphere color value to make it darker in the atmosphere node, or by setting the density to a lower number. You can also plug a 3D texture (like turbulence) in to the color input of the atmosphere node. This helps a lot. Scale up the turbulence to scales of 8 looks pretty good. Currently, all lights in the scene will add in to atmosphere, so too many lights will quickly blow out the scene. You can adjust rendering time of atmosphere by taking larger steps through the space (stepsize). If step sizes get too large, you'll start seeing banding. Then you can add noise to it (1 or 2) to make that better. This can speed up atmosphere. But, in general, for many renders, the atmosphere computes relatively quickly (for what it's doing). Larry

heya, Dave-so, you might need to turn on shadows for the light that has the atmospheric effect. In PowerAnimtor, and Maya you use atmosphere on a light, and the shadows are how you get the "rays" haven't tried it in p5 yet

Hi all.... It appears, as Larry stated, to lower the density... The renders I did above definitly washed out the character. It seems difficult to not do that and still see any atmospheric effect. Also, you have to have an object for the light to hit....or will affect visible light???

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.
All things connect......Chief Seattle, 1854

This is a very neat feature. Thanks! :)

This looks really cool. What I would REALLY like though is if you guys added a simple point source light so I could put a lightbulb in the centre of a ceiling and light up a whole room. Another great lighting feature that wouldn't be too had to implement would be a universal ambience setting that adds a user chosen amount to the ambience of every material on every object in the scene. That would make lighting much easier to fake in room interior scenes.

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Hopefully this will give y'all a starting point... Light setup 10 Poser "feet" above the origin. [](http://www.nerd3d.com)

hmmm. I can't get the above at all...the light cone does not show up.... My parameter dials are different as well...dist start/end are below the angle setings..also, no point at function... or do you have an invisible primitive cone in the scene

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.
All things connect......Chief Seattle, 1854

No, a single spotlight.

Light parameter tab, check "Spot Light" Then Object > Point at... Pick the figure's head or something.

Another hmmmmm.... Then I can't see the light :) I must be doing something wrong... could someone run through step by step...render settings and so forth ???

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.
All things connect......Chief Seattle, 1854

same here Dave-So...I haven't succeed yet...and my panels are also different from yours nerd 3d...I wonder what I am doing wrong??? all I got is a white ball...shall I put a black background??or is there a global light setting?

I think we have a different program...again

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.
All things connect......Chief Seattle, 1854

Hang on folks, I've got a render running. I'll whip up a quick tute as soon as it finishes...

Thanks Nerd, for your help!!I feel sooooo un-smart right now!! LOL

worked for me... pretty cool use very dim spot lights...make sure angle is under 30.. scene should be very dark before you render.. max 3 spots..

I menat angle start =0 angle end =30

nope...if I put a primitive...make it about 98% transparent, I get light on it....can add turbulence etc..some cool effects, but the light itself does not show any volume....

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.
All things connect......Chief Seattle, 1854

you have to have a backdrop or something else in the scene ???? Sorry...just keep trying..I do have a cool one about to pop out :)

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.
All things connect......Chief Seattle, 1854

I really begin to think that CL sent me an earlier version of p5 and that the patches just won't work...why are my panels different from the ones I see here? Also I can't get any volumetrics at all...just on the object...not around it...I only get the flat background color? Anthony?? is it possible that some of us have not the same p5 version as the others??

ok...but the volume seems to go on the backdrop, not in the air..yes ??? Or am I blind ? or both ?

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.
All things connect......Chief Seattle, 1854

Yo..neftis...my panels are different as well...were yo in that first shipment ?

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.
All things connect......Chief Seattle, 1854

I would say in the first 'in Europe'...and you?

I got mine on 9/13/02 and my panels are the same. But I'm not getting the volume in the light. :(

Gee...I feel better now that I have tried with a backdrop!!!! LOL If you don't want to feel idiot like I do now...just put a backdrop behind your scene ok? ;) THAAAT was my prob! little little neftis....so little....

can we clear the materials manually yet, or is it still "close down Poser and restart"?

No one said to use a backdrop...but in the readme it says that it only affects objects...in my early, terrible renders, I used a transparent cone, but I had the volume density too high, so it washes all out as its too bright. that last one has a backdrop, and you can see it in the one by alamanos. BUT, Anthony stated you only need the light..so I'm still not sure about the whole deal :) I have another rendering with turbulence in the volume color channel...but when you look at it, the light appears to be only at the backdrop, not enveloping the character.

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.
All things connect......Chief Seattle, 1854

here it is...

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.
All things connect......Chief Seattle, 1854

Figures! Nerd gets it, he has his backdrop prop. ;) Maybe that could be added to the readme. Well it does work. :)

I like it! :)

It does say that you have to have an object in there for the effect to render over (even if it's just a backdrop)

well guys...it really works...but I defenatly need some practice...not today tho...it is already 6:12 am here...I haven't slept all night...so I'm off to bed! Hugs to all! ;) Mychelle-Anne

Here's an interesting one... using the Depth Cueing...the camera has to be at least 10 units away from the character..probably more than 10 units, as the closest the volume will appear is 10 units....this allows the volume material to be in front of the character. This image is overdone, but it is the same as the image I did above. I changed the light colors so they could be seen ...the depth color is gray... This also shows what that backdrop does..essential...or any other props in the scene would contribute as well

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.
All things connect......Chief Seattle, 1854

Well, maybe it should be rephrased to an object behind the scene for the effect to render over.

So goood

Yarp - author of P3DO Organizer for Poser

Underwater effects? Hint, hint!! How far away can the backdrop be?

I couldn't sleep without finishing my render!! LOL Well at least I tried!

Attached Link: Nerd 3D Tutorials

OK folks a Tutorial is ready http://www.nerd3d.com/Tutorial/Tutorials.htm [](http://www.nerd3d.com)

Neftis Can you post your dail set up. Do we have different P5's out here? Several people on this thread have asked this question. Did I miss the answer? Anthony I recieved one of the first P5's shipped, does this mean my dials/rooms etc are different. Maybe this is why some people are having problems, and some aren't, not because of different systems, but different P5's. Are the early P5's lemons? Dave "I think we have a different program...again" ???? "...again"?

No difference at all in shipped P5 versions.

there is no difference in the dials, you can drag and drop them to any spot... I think i figured my problem..thanks this is very cool.

:-)

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Is that C4D Wolf?

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Different programs--again...I said this because there is such a difference in performance, action....problems...as if we had totally different programs... now, we have dials in diferent positions...I don't have P5 open right now,but you can move the dials separate from the palettes ????

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.
All things connect......Chief Seattle, 1854

Thanks for the Tut, nerd :) Its actually very simple....

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.
All things connect......Chief Seattle, 1854

This is freaking great! CL came through with something added to pay us back for the bugs, and I think its worth it. I was having some problems until Nerd (thank you!) came up with his tutorial, and now it works fine. It's simple, quick, and really adds a lot to the product. Thanks CL! And thanks, Nerd!

We get volumetric lights and fog? Yes this is a cool fetaure, but it still seems like a pretty cover on a broken-down package. Yet again, CL distracts us with some amazing "development" shots so we don't ask questions about the more serious issues. How about multiple levels of real, working UNDO and REDO? How about a history palette like Photoshop? How about a real user interface and not the "cutsey" hands and "trackball"? How about actual placement of lights (instead of on a "globe")? How about characters with full body morphs that are as advanced as Vicky & Mike? How about a standardized naming system to all the objects? If we can't get Poser 5 to work on our PC, can we get a full refund? Will CL continue to use the Interlock system even though so many people have complained about it? Why do we have to pay money for a product and then be a "public beta-tester"? If I am beta-testing a product, I am not going to pay hundreds of dollars for it! Does everyone remember the "California Dreaming" post by kupa? "Wow" "Amazing" "Release Poser 5 now". And he failed to tell us that those shots were made on a development copy of Poser 5 by the programmers who knew what to do to not crash the program. And what happened when the public started using it? I want to see more bug fixes and more issue-resolution than new features! What good is "volumetric fog" if I can't get past the registration process because of an XML parsing error or I get a C+ violation error when adding an object to the scene?

Followed the tutorial 3 times to the letter and am still not getting this effect. All I get is a spot on the character. What could I be doing wrong here? Marque

I believe I speak for everyone here when I say, "Hot Dang!"

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Followed it to the letter but didn't look at the pics with it close enough....arrrgh! Forgot to turn on the Volume_on....duh Marque

Every night as the moonlight bathed her pale skin she wondered if she would be taken to the axe or allowed to go free.

Helps to check the Volume_on box. So MUCH to learn, but lots of fun.
Marque

JohnRender...you are right...and they are. If you've read my posts, and a few others willing to speak up..you know I was pretty vocal about the bugs....' Let me say, with this newest patch release...yes a beta...and I quite frankly don't like that approach either...but so far I have a working copy of Poser5...which I didn't before....I haven't had a chance to push it yet, so perhaps some stuff will pop up, such as the non-existant spotlights....but overall their work seems to be progressing.. No excuses for the original fiasco, but CL is getting things in order. Not too sure what I think about this beta patch...although CL is surely not the first company to do this. It does give the patch more exposure prior to the official release...and no one is forced to download it...the option is there to wait---or you can help them out. If you're a Poser fan, I think helping is a nice thing to do, although we shouldn't have to...contradictory ???

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.
All things connect......Chief Seattle, 1854

This is not the post for this discusion guys. There are only about 100 other ones you can keep posting to if you feel the need. I suggest reading the original post by Kupa on why there is a beta of SP2.

Oops-- SR-2 :) All the best, Joe

Attached Link: http://membres.lycos.fr/mymi12fourmie/ALIENPLAN.avi

I made a little anim,but with the divx compression..it don't look so good...but here it is anyway...

JohnRender, Why don't you post your opinions under your usual name instead of this clone account? Do you have something to lose by speaking as yourself? -JeffH.

Hey look... A Hair-ring. Not to be confused with the fish. Yuck Yuck Yuck... Get it? Cool animation Neftis!

Ouch! Now that was bad! lol Marque

LOL... Well I'm glad that at least one person got it. If 1 person gets it you know it didn't go to waste.

It does look pretty cool though, would make a great crown. Marque

LawnDartLawnDart Double ouch! I got it...I sorry to say. :oP

heyas; i noticed some weirdness with the light dials with the older lights being loaded. sometimes they would have different names for the r/g/b settings, and some of the old lights don't have some of the new controls. this especially happens if you delete the default lights in your scene before loading a light set. and yes, you can drag the dials around in the parameters palette. be careful, you might stick them in a group where you don't want them.

"Is that C4D Wolf?" OK i tried to sneak one in there ;-) But the one image by Marque Looks very good!!! this is a much needed addition to poser. -wolf359 founding member of "the 12 animators"-

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Joe, We got it, even if you could have used a bit more red and a lot less magenta. ;^) Carolly

Buh dump bump chhhh... <--- That's a rim shot. LOL

Have Pity Pleeeease.

Hi Joe, If that is Poser hair, how are you bringing the tips to those points? Beth

OH YES!! THANK YOU CL!
This looks very promising, and is an exciting add-on. With SR-1 and now 2, I have a much more stable and fun Poser 5. A compiling a list for SR3, and I know there are some things we will never see in this release, but I'm happy to say I am MUCH less irritated than I was a few weeks ago.

One thing about this new pseudo-volumetric lighting ... can some please post a render (someone like Nerd, Nosfiratu, ahem-hem) of volumetric lighting "casting self-shadows" ? That is the effect of light coming through a window into a room and you see the rays with underlying shadows. Probably not wording this well as I'm incredibly tired, but I'm sure someone out there understands what I'm talking about. Neftis's alien animation is interesting, but the shadows being cast "into the light" look more like they are being cast onto a wall behind the alien rather than through the light. Perhaps this is just a limitation of this being a pseudo-solution? Or would some other object well behind the figure help complete the illusion? _Tim

I see what you mean Tim, in an animation with Dynamic camera movements. this simulated volumetric light might not be convincing -wolf359 founding member of "the 12 animators"-

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Hi Beth: That is Poser5 hair. You can use the "Clumpiness" dial to get that efect. It's pretty cool. Joe

Does the clumpiness setting clump together hairs grown from the same polygon (one guide-hair group) ?

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The clumpiness dial does not seem to be doing anything.... Is there something else that needs to be done first? Yes...I have hair on the guys head :)

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.
All things connect......Chief Seattle, 1854

Heck Joe, I can't get it to look like yours, but am off to play some more. Thanks, Beth

Dave: I'm sure you've done this but make sure you have show populated selected for the hair to show the clumps. It won't show clumps on just the guide hairs. Spanki: After messing with this for a bit I can give you your answer. The clumpiness clumps hairs together from the same polygon. This is cool! You can control where the clumps are by the geometry. Here is an example with the Hi res ball prop.

ok...a clump I have made..and it has that atmospheric stuff... Now..if it were only possible to have it commit to specific lights....

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.
All things connect......Chief Seattle, 1854