Poser 9 Advice

[Morgaine Christensen]

I noticed that Poser 9 is available for $69.99 USD, which probably means they are getting ready to release a new version. So am I am seeking advice whether I should purchase it or not. 

While I am not completely new to the idea of making my owner poses/animations, I am a newb.  I have fooled around with QVAnimator in the past, but had so many other projects I gave up on it.  I run a Mac and understand QV won't allow you to save files without crashing with Lion.  Blender animation...well....not ready to go there and DAZ just confuses the crap out of me..so am looking at Poser.  Like anything I know there will probably be a huge learning curve.  

What I would like to know from more experienced and even new users:

Is it easy to learn from a complete newb perspective?

Is there a huge set-up for SL?

Does it export/save .bvh files to upload to SL. 

Are add-ons required?  If so, what would I need?

Are there any newb related, SL specific tutorials to help me learn/create at least static poses? 

Thank you for your patience and time.

 

 

 

 

[Maeve Balfour]

In regards to a new Poser release, I wouldn't be expecting one until next year (going by past experience, at least). Poser-9 and Poser Pro 2012 (the high end version of the vanilla Poser-9) were released last year, and generally Smith Micro release a new version each two years.

Poser sales like this tend to happen a few times each year, although the steep discount is larger than usual - possibly due to the sluggish market in general. At the price it's currently on sale for, it's a pretty nice bargain for what the program is capable of. (NOTE: Poser is NOT capable of actual mesh modeling. Think of it more akin to a "scene maker" application, where you import/load in pre-made 3D content and arrange/animate/light etc for rendered images and/or animations. Poser-Pro has weight painting functions etc which are aimed at content creators, but I'm not sure how useful they are for specific SL usage (Poser has a large third-party content market over at renderosity.com etc)).

Poser is very good for creating SL animations, once you get over the initial learning curve. So you need to be prepared to learn its interface, know how to import the SL AV as a figure (mostly about files and folder placements, due to Poser's sometimes finicky requirements about file locations (pretty straightforward though), and then get yourself familiar with how the animation palette works. Sounds scary, but honestly, if you are willing to work through the manual, it's not too bad at all. DEFINITELY a vast improvement over QVAnimator etc, especially with the fine control you can have over animation tuning if you desire that level of detail. Keep in mind that Poser uses a somewhat archaic method of 3D navigation, which can be annoying (especially when you can so easily alt-mouse your cam in SL in comparison) - so expect some minor frustrations there.

In regards to setup... Just a matter of getting the SL AV files, and getting them exported to the locations where Poser can find them (OBJ file and BVH file to the relevant folders). Poser will use those files to create a rigged figure which can be animated.

YES - Poser can definitely export animations as .BVH files - perfect for SL. Just be sure to have the very first frame of any animation with the AV in the default T-pose position, which is what SL uses for orientation (it doesn't play in SL, just purely for referencing). Also, Poser can set the amount of frames per second, which is helpful to reduce file sizes in simplistic, slower moving keyframed animations.

No other addons are required for SL animations. Straight out of the box it's ready to go (although I am using an older version, but the requirements should still be exactly the same for SL).

I just did a quick Google search for Poser video tutorials, and plenty of results came up - some even relating to SL animations - so I think you will find enough information to get you started. (Poser 8 and 9 have an updated interface compared to Poser 7 and lower, but their functionality is identical for animating). I'd recommend learning the Poser basics first (interface, figure loading and posing), and then move to animating. Mostly so you don't confuse yourself by trying to learn too much at once. Also, Poser is perfect for creating static POSES as well - AND these can be used as keyframes in an animation timeline, so double bonus there (Poser will interpolate the frames inbetween). Again, study of the manual and learning the interpolation types properly will save a LOT of frustration, since these can cause headaches if you DON'T understand why you get certain animation results. Not scary by any means, just definitely worth getting your head around them.

So yah, for the sale price, Poser 9 is a bargain. Before jumping in though - see if you can find an older version available for sale (Poser 8 or Poser 7). Myself, I use Poser-7 (from about five years ago) and it's perfectly adequate for SL animation. If you can find a version of that vintage for sale, you could probably pick it up for half the price.

So yah, as a biased Poser user, I'd thoroughly recommend buying it. In addition to its animation capabilities, Poser's dynamic cloth simulators are a handy bonus if you make mesh clothing.

[Morgaine Christensen]

Thank you, Maeve.

You gave me the information I needed. I am strictly looking at using Poser for making static  poses and animations.  Mesh, I will leave with Blender for now. I think one of the most confusing things about Blender for me has been the multifuctions that it performs, and trying to sort it out. Just opening Blender is daunting and makes you want to close it down quickly when first encountering it. Give me old-fashioned, single focused programs first then lay multifocused ones on me.

I hope the interface is user friendly, oftentimes user interfaces are not.  I may give it  a whirl then since the price is not bad at all.  Be my Christmas gift to myself.

I appreciate the info, thanks again.