Hi guys I have created some new textures for my tree prop, and ideally I want to provide the new pack as MAT files to easily change between the old and new textures. The problem is this: the props are simply pp2 files, and cannot be made into a cr2 directly (so that I could load the cr2 in p-wizard to make the pz2 MATS). With help from Curio, I have discovered that the tree needs a bone to make it a working cr2 file - but what I am wondering is, can I not make MAT files to simply address the props as they stand? OR am I going to have to go down the cr2 route, and subsequently need to fully update the first props package!? Any help would be appreciated! :)

hmmm, I don't know, but I still truely love your work...Sharen

lol! - thanks anyway Sharen! ;)

You need to know that ever since I purchased your complete sets of Woodland....(one of my best buys...next to my Boris and Roxanne)I don't leave home with out them, I use them all the time and everywhere, they are amazing and I love, them. Sharen PS: if you out there in Vue, Poser or Byrce land do not have kromekat's work....do yourself a favor and go get it now....you won't regret it (not a paid endorsment, just my endorsment)

heyas; the mat poses work because the pose file has a 'figure' section (from the cr2) that contains the material settings for the figure. props have their materials elsewhere, so.... it doesn't work. the only way anybody's ever gotten mats on a prop was to parent them to a figure, and use a figure+prop mat pose. you can create a cr2 that points to your prop obj geometry. (i hope you used geometry pointers in your pp2 file instead of embedding your props.) it would just have one body part... erm, that is, unless your prop has groups. hmmm....

Thanks Bloodsong! as it happens - I didn't have pointers (I have no idea how you do that!?) - the .obj's are embedded in the pp2's. :/ But yeah they are simply one body part. I got around making them into cr2's by applying one bone down the middle of the object. However, 2 things have arisen; The obj now exists in the cr2 folder as well, and when moving the object or camera around, the objects preview cube, is now smaller than the object - essentially raising it off the ground. I did make the bone the same length as the object visually though!? So much to learn about Poser!

The way I handle this is to use a minimal figure as a parent for the prop. This figure has most of the stuff like geometry, channels, and material striped out of it. Then just parent your prop to the minimal figure and save to a figures pallet. You can now use Mat pose Edit (or whatever method you use) on the cr2 to make your mat file. Your prop has to be loaded from a figures pallet as it's in the cr2, but that is no great hardship. For props that are already out there in the community, just instruct the user to parent the prop to a figure, any figure will do, then apply the MAT pose, then un-parent the prop. Below is the code for a minimal figure, just cut it out past it into a text editor and save it with a cr2 file extension. { version { number } actor BODY { } actor hip { } actor BODY { name GetStringRes(1024,1) off parent UNIVERSE channels { } endPoint 0 0.74 0.25 origin 0 0 0 orientation 0 0 0 displayOrigin 0 locked 1 } actor hip { name GetStringRes(1024,6) off parent BODY { } endPoint 0 0 0 origin 0 0 0 orientation 0 0 0 displayOrigin 0 locked 0 } figure { name MatParent root BODY addChild hip BODY defaultPick hip displayOn 1 allowsBending 1 figureType 1318 origFigureType 1318 canonType 8 conforming 0 locked 1 } setGeomHandlerOffset 0 0.3487 0 }

kromekat, I know I'm weeks late in replying, but I've been off working. Re 'as it happens - I didn't have pointers (I have no idea how you do that!?) - the .obj's are embedded in the pp2's.' That's easy to do and worth doing for a number of reasons. If you have John Stalling's cr2Edit, you can use that, or do it in Notepad. A prop with embedded geometry has these lines in Notepad... { version { number 4.01 } prop column1 { geomCustom { numbVerts 1584 numbTVerts 1593 numbTSets 7764 numbElems 2588 numbSets 7764 v -0.103022 0.000000 0.256790 ....followed by a long list of vertices, then finally.... f 1274/1593 1563/1590 1272/1586 f 1561/1592 1274/1593 1272/1586 } } prop column1 { name column1 on bend 1 dynamicsLock 1 hidden 0 addToMenu 1 castsShadow 1 includeInDepthCue 1 parent UNIVERSE channels ...etc.... You want to change the lines prop column1 { geomCustom { numbVerts 1584 numbTSets 7764 numbElems 2588 numbSets 7764 v -0.103022 0.000000 0.256790 insert huge long list of vertices here f 1561/1592 1274/1593 1272/1586 } } to this.... prop column1 { storageOffset 0 0.3487 0 objFileGeom 0 0 :Runtime:Geometries:props:column.obj } and then put the original .obj file into the correct folder, which in this case is Geometries/props/column.obj Resave your pp2 file and Poser will find the .obj when you open the prop. Reasons for doing it? Well, some sites (like DAZ), insist on all submissions having external .obj files. Also, there are a few ways to reference 1 .obj file from multiple pp2s or cr2s, which saves a lot of file space. Thirdly, it's just neater in the end. At least you know where all the danged geometry is. mac PS I hope the formatting doesn't kill my copy/paste.

Thanks a lot Mac - that's really useful to know!! :)

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