Poser 6

[chris moore]

I've never used Poser but am considering getting it for fun stuff. I just want to check oe thing so I dont waste my time. Thought I'd ask here cos a lot of people seem to use poser to make manips.

What I wanna know is - if I take a base model, pose it the way I like; can I then draw on the uniform design myself to whatever design I want or am I limited by the patterns that come with it, or do I have to design the various bits of the costume by doing something like CAD? I'm not talking clothing here really - more like drawing a Spidey outfit on a model base.

How hard are we talking here to add costumes to characters?

[Le Pijon]

Hi Chris, I'm a Poser 4 user but I think the info I give you should still be relevant. As far as uniforms go, there's a regular 2D image file of texture (probably located in Poser's textures folder) that gets mapped onto each model. You can edit these textures in Photoshop or your favorite painting program. This approach works well with nude models for giving them that skin tight superhero costume. Poser also comes with clothing article props like boots, dresses, wigs, etc. There are also free 3D models of various items available online that you can import into your poser pieces. If you start getting into capes, helmet masks and other weirdness distinctive to certain heroes, you may need use a 3D modeling program. Many people like DAZ studio as it's available for free. I personally use Bryce (4) alot for modeling and scene building as I find it flexible, easy to use and capable of creating complex models. Of course, you can always just draw in those props too. There's lots of good tutorials here on that.

[WonderWomanGoddess]

Hey I never thought of editing the skins...cool idea!

You can also (and this is what I do) pose your naked figure however you want and then import a jpeg into Photoshop, or similiar program and then simply paint on your costume. Or even frankenstien (like paper dolls...pasting a dress or hair over the top of the image, etc.) A lot of the time, I use poser for an individual body part, like a leg or fist, that my base image is either missing or just not working out right.

I have Poser 5, and let me warn you about two things:

a) It's a huge program, make SURE you check the specs so that your cp can handle it. My cp can hardly handle having both Poser and PS open at once. Poser files are also huge when you save them, in terms of memory. it's a real hog.

b) It's fun to pick up and play with, but also frustrating to truly master. All I can say is, read tutorials and don't be afraid to ask the Poser experts around here (of which I am not) for help.


Best Poser advice I ever got- ENTER VALUES! don't use the mouse in 'scrolly' fashion to change things. You'll get what I mean later. Save often!

And don't forget the fun of the 'genitals on/off switch'. Esp with the male figures, since you can seperately manipulate the penis with regards to size, position...etc. :twisted: ...I love telling people about that. hahaha!

Oh, another neat thing, about Poser 5 anyways, is that you can import faces. So you can put your (or whomevers) face on a poser figure. I, however have had a lot of trouble with this feature (but to be fair, I haven't tried that hard or sought out help).

[Shaylinn]

Heyla Chris,

If you wanted to check out how you could use 3d models you might check out Daz3D (http://www.daz3d.com) first its a free Poser like product and the website also offers 3 of the base models for free. I've downloaded it and played a bit with it but haven't had a lot of chance to use it but B used it for the figures this manip (http://www.comics2film.com/DCG/DispArt.php3?f_id=18467&f_ssn=&f_fooble=5) just to give you an idea

Shay

[QuantumFX]

Chris,
I second the suggestion for you to try out DAZ Studio. You can export rendered images from either program and use traditional photoshop techniques to make images. All the base figures for my Green Lantern pics and Quasar were rendered in Poser and Photoshopped like mad. JunFan does the same thing as well. Posing programs are invaluable for figuring out lighting and reflections for paintings as well.
Quantum

[Hasdrubal]

Be warned, Poser is the Devil's playground.

[Le Pijon]

:lol: Well said and who would know better than you, Has!