Oh, and we are sooooo glad you did.
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DanaTA
Distinguished
Semicharm
Eager
Is this the one? Precious Pupp (wikipedia)
DanaTA
Distinguished
I found him. This conversation has been continued in Skylab Chat. Sorry for taking this thread off-topic, everybody.
Dana
One thing that changed between Poser 4 and Pro was the bump map format. It used to be an obscure, proprietary "bum" format (no pun intended), and it was then replaced with regular mainstream image formats like PNG and JPG. I still have contents from that era in my runtime, where modern Poser can't read either the BUM files or the old RSR thumbnails. Those were all replaced with standard image formats, thanks goodness! Definitely a change for the better.
PP11's change in naming convention was very welcome. Even I was getting confused about which version was which. However, some other companies are doing the opposite, though, like Corel had quit naming "PaintShop 10", so the next versions were "PaintShop Pro 2018" and "PaintShop Pro 2019". Somehow it becomes hard to remember the history of the program like that. I prefer version numbers to dates. Even because when we call tech support, they ask you for the numeric version, not the fantasy name.
I have tried using those "Poser Fusion" plugins. I model in 3DSMAX, so I was expecting the plugin to make Poser figures posable in MAX, but no show. All the plugin does is import whatever models are in the Poser scene into MAX. I could export the scene to file and have the exact same result. Not only the models are not posable or morphable, but the Poser materials remain unsupported. Only simple colors and textures are loaded. However, whenever I modify the scene in Poser and save it to disk, the plugin automatically updates the scene in MAX. So the idea is that we pose figures in Poser, and the plugin updates it in MAX. We still have to remake most materials in MAX, though. At least to me, not very useful.
And here again, Poser's inability to support unimesh geometry becomes a problem. The models loaded into MAX are all broken into separate groups, so any attempts to morph them in MAX end up splitting the seams (opening holes). The seams between groups are unwelded, so they show in renders. MAX doesn't have an automatic mesh smoother like Poser does, and trying to subdivide the models ends up opening holes across all body groups. The only solution is to weld the duplicated vertices, but then this severs the plugin connection with Poser. Ironically, they call these plugins as "Fusion" - what a pun.
There were 2 versions of Poser 7: the eFrontier one, and then the re-release version by SMS, who added a number of small but important improvements. And then came the "Game Dev" version, which was not a version on its own right, but just the addition of 2 new functions: the decimator and the texture atlas. It was clear here that SMS was trying to compete with features with the same name in DS. The difference was that DAZ has purchased the features from Digimi (professional gaming company), while SMS tried to make their own home-brewed implementation, where the result was (sorry to say) pitiful. I was using the Digimi plugins in DS for years to import Poser figures into Unity3D game engine, and it works great.
The "Game Dev" tools, however, were basically unusable. The decimator had no localized control over poly reduction, and the texture atlas had no options to optimize the UV space. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't make it work at the same level as the Digimi plugins. At least to me, the "Game Dev" should had been included for free, and I wouldn't advertise much about it. In the end, that's exactly how it ended. It was silently added to the next Poser version for free, and "Game Dev" was never mentioned again. It could be that they needed to add the features to remain competitive, but just didn't have the means to fund the development. Somehow, most of the SMS bundled figures had the same end - rushed out and soon forgotten.
At the SMS forums, I have heard plenty of people asking SMS to quit trying to make figures and drop the Poser pricing. However, when DAZ departed from the Poser market, that was no longer an option. Poser now had to make its own figures, but things continued the same way until people who actually KNEW how to make figures decided to partner up at Rendo and make their own. That's how LF came to be. That was a change for the better. Probably the best thing since the addition of the "undo" feature to Poser. LF has introduced a lot of impressive figure functionality, but her topology was just not up to my standards. I prefer Dawn over LF when it comes to how morphing is done. I think topology is good part of what makes a figure good.
When it comes to new figures, I am still putting my hopes on Dawn 2.0. Just look at how long Chris has spent just fine tuning the mesh topology to make cleaner and more fluid loops to help making better grouping, adding geometry where more detail is needed, and thinking ahead on how all of this will improve posing and morphing. At least on my book, this is how a figure should me made. When I first looked at the grid-like topology from LF (aka lack of topology), which requires mesh subdivision to allow decent posing and morphing, I just went "Whyyy??? Noooooooo!!". The figure was so well thought everywhere else, so why did they do that? Well, what is done is done. Now I have my eyes on Dawn 2.0. That may be the real "new dawn".
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Hornet3d
Wise
One thing that changed between Poser 4 and Pro was the bump map format. It used to be an obscure, proprietary "bum" format (no pun intended), and it was then replaced with regular mainstream image formats like PNG and JPG. I still have contents from that era in my runtime, where modern Poser can't read either the BUM files or the old RSR thumbnails. Those were all replaced with standard image formats, thanks goodness! Definitely a change for the better.
Yep. There were differences in material settings, etc, so folks often provided 3 separate folders labeled P4, PP (for the Poser 4 Pro Pack), and P5.
I originally got Poser 1 from Fractal Design - can't find my records for it and the disc won't even install in Windows 7 (I was curious
This could prove helpful or at least interesting
Poser - Wikipedia
Thanks for the information and the link. I only joined the party with Poser five after playing with Daz's free program for a few years. What I do remember though was the three separate folders as you described Alisa. At the time money was tight for me, well a lot tighter than today, and storage space was costly so I would either delete P4 and PP folders or never install them. I guessed there had to be a difference but didn't know what the difference was until to day so thank you for the information Ken.
Mythocentric
Extraordinary
And just to show what an old miser I am some of my runtime contents still have P (version) and PP files despite spending the last few months slimming them down! Get rid 'o nowt sez I! If tha paid brass for it, tha keeps it!
What Myth said. Only, it was more I didn't understand which to keep and which to delete.
Funny stories about how people come to Poser.
I came also relatively late to the Party. Poser 4 Pro or PP. Honestly , I was not impressed .Very short after that Poser 5 comes out, here I discover Renderosity and DAZ with V2 at this time. Shortly V3 get released and I was hooked to Poser and here I am since this. Remember my first try and errors with the clothroom. Pure fun.
I came also relatively late to the Party. Poser 4 Pro or PP. Honestly , I was not impressed .Very short after that Poser 5 comes out, here I discover Renderosity and DAZ with V2 at this time. Shortly V3 get released and I was hooked to Poser and here I am since this. Remember my first try and errors with the clothroom. Pure fun.
I too got Poser 1 with a magazine, opened it to have a play and that was it. I just couldn't get me head around it (and never even know that you had to render something ). Didn't get back to 3D until DS 4.8 because it was free, it really clicked with me tho and from there I got a really cheap CD of Poser 10 (something like $30) because Poser 11 had just came out so it made it cheap to upgrade/sidegrade to Poser Pro 11 at the same time, so now I use both programs.
). Didn't get back to 3D until DS 4.8 because it was free, it really clicked with me tho and from there I got a really cheap CD of Poser 10 (something like $30) because Poser 11 had just came out so it made it cheap to upgrade/sidegrade to Poser Pro 11 at the same time, so now I use both programs.
Poser 1.0 wasn't very useful, but version 3 was a huge difference. I created my first commercial outfit with it, and by then I think it was owned by MetaCreations. I remember having a lot of fun with Poser 3, and I used it for a long time. DS only came out about 10 years later if I remember this right.
Mythocentric
Extraordinary
Like others, I got my first copy of Poser free on the CD which came with a digital arts magazine I had a subscription for. I also got quite a lot of my first models from the same source, including V2, V3 and V4 plus M3 and M4. I wasn't until I started trimming my runtimes down recently that I realised how long some of them have been around. In fact, despite having used V4 and M4 for all this time, I just never realised that I'd never actually bought them until the time came to update the content files because practically a third of the stuff I owned from Daz was still on those old exe. file things they used to have. So after using them for all these years I actually managed to buy V4 in a bundle (Super Model I think) last year in a sale. M4 (the paid version!) I must admit dates back to March of this year! I'm not entirely sure how you'd describe that but I suspect the word 'tightwad' might come into it somewhere! 
eclark1894
Visionary
Heh, I upgraded to all those models you mentioned. V1 was the only one I ever paid full price for. And I only bought her to upgrade to V2. Hmm... I wonder if that's still in my Daz product library?Like others, I got my first copy of Poser free on the CD which came with a digital arts magazine I had a subscription for. I also got quite a lot of my first models from the same source, including V2, V3 and V4 plus M3 and M4. I wasn't until I started trimming my runtimes down recently that I realised how long some of them have been around. In fact, despite having used V4 and M4 for all this time, I just never realised that I'd never actually bought them until the time came to update the content files because practically a third of the stuff I owned from Daz was still on those old exe. file things they used to have. So after using them for all these years I actually managed to buy V4 in a bundle (Super Model I think) last year in a sale. M4 (the paid version!) I must admit dates back to March of this year! I'm not entirely sure how you'd describe that but I suspect the word 'tightwad' might come into it somewhere!
Semicharm
Eager
Most of my Daz figure collection was from when they partnered with some web game company (don't recall who) and gave them all away for free. Yep, just about everything from V1/M1 up to their 4th gen line. Unsurprisingly, that partnership didn't work out and it was back to busness as usual. Just about all of the rest I have were from other freebie or discounted bundles that popup from time to time.Like others, I got my first copy of Poser free on the CD which came with a digital arts magazine I had a subscription for. I also got quite a lot of my first models from the same source, including V2, V3 and V4 plus M3 and M4. I wasn't until I started trimming my runtimes down recently that I realised how long some of them have been around. In fact, despite having used V4 and M4 for all this time, I just never realised that I'd never actually bought them until the time came to update the content files because practically a third of the stuff I owned from Daz was still on those old exe. file things they used to have. So after using them for all these years I actually managed to buy V4 in a bundle (Super Model I think) last year in a sale. M4 (the paid version!) I must admit dates back to March of this year! I'm not entirely sure how you'd describe that but I suspect the word 'tightwad' might come into it somewhere!
eclark1894
Visionary
Okay, found them. V1 I bought for $9.95. Upgraded to V2 through the Platinum club for free. I think this was back when Daz was still a part of Zygote.
Could not agree more. When it comes to long skirt, dress and poses which shows more than the T-pose, cloth room is a must have. The wind force gives a realistic dynamic feel to the whole. To be honest, some rigged outfit looked sometimes like Ali Baba flying carpet when folks try to fit the outfits to a dynamic poseThe cloth room can be a life-saver when it comes to dresses, skirts, and capes.