Poser Viewport/s

[Seebee]

Do folk here use mainly the Perspective window/viewport only?

How many of you would use the four window option with Poser?

If using the main Perspective window only, how do you go about
placing your lights and props and things like Wind generators etc?
Just hit and miss or do you find with practise that you are very intuitive and exact?

I find that the quad view: Top/Side/Front and Persp. allows one
the ease and freedom of movement that is so missing by using just that
main default Perspective port.

I set mine up to be the same as Max. It can be a bit messy/annoying to initially set it
up that way but, oh boy, it makes life a lot easier.

Anyone else doing Poser this way?

 

[English Bob]

I would imagine everybody has their own approach to this. I personally avoid the multi-window views since I prefer to have the largest possible preview that my monitor will allow. However I constantly switch between cameras, using the shortcut keys where available. How come it's 2016 and there still isn't a shortcut for the aux or back cameras? The bottom camera may be rarely used but I'm sure it would not like to be left out either.

 

[phdubrov]

How come it's 2016 and there still isn't a shortcut for the aux or back cameras? The bottom camera may be rarely used but I'm sure it would not like to be left out either.

No more since P11

 

[Seliah (Childe of Fyre)]

Do folk here use mainly the Perspective window/viewport only?

How many of you would use the four window option with Poser?

If using the main Perspective window only, how do you go about
placing your lights and props and things like Wind generators etc?
Just hit and miss or do you find with practise that you are very intuitive and exact?

I hate, hate having my viewport split apart like that. The first thing I do with any 3D software that comes out of the box like that is switch to a single viewport. If that's not possible, chances are... I end up NOT using the software, period.

Poser I use just ONE viewport. I am like English Bob up above on this subject. I like my workspace to be very clean and uncluttered (which is what makes Poser so HARD for me to USE in the first place) -- I like one viewport, with as big of a space as my monitor will allow me to use. I, however, switch constantly between the cameras as I'm setting things up or placing things... lights, props, whatever, doesn't matter. I switch back and forth between cameras for this stuff. But I definitely have an intensely strong preference for SINGLE viewport ONLY.

 

[Darryl]

I use one viewport mostly, but frequently use two or three when positioning items. The combo of top and front allows me to accurately position items in a scene. I also like to make one window the final render camera and use the second one to work in the scene, that way I can see how changes are affecting the final camera view. With multiple viewports I typically use the wireframe mode to keep it from taxing my video card. There's plenty of options depending on taste or situation.

Edit: This question could be related to the number of monitors you use. Since I use two, Poser's "clutter" has not been much of an issue. I could see how using one monitor would be problematic though.

 

[English Bob]

I could see how using one monitor would be problematic though.

It's partly force of habit with me. I started off using Poser 3 on tiny screens (by today's standards). I still use one monitor at home although it's a big one - physically and in number of pixels. I could probably accomodate multiple views more easily now. I shall have to try it.

Spookily, I fired up Poser 7 shortly after my first post in this thread, only to find that it had somehow switched itself to four-port mode. I have no idea why it would do that; as recorded above I never use that mode. If Poser was haunted it would explain a lot, though.

 

[phdubrov]

F - cycle through modes?

 

[Gadget Girl]

Well, I often think I should be using the multi-port. For instance when I'm checking clothing for poke through as I move the figure rather than pose, rotate camera, pose, I know using multiple viewports would be better. However as soon as I find something that needs to be fixed I want just one viewport, and if there's a quick easy way to toggle I've never learned it. However, now I'm thinking I should explore a bit more since you can make your own keystrokes in P11, because it would be great if I could toggle between one view, and a saved split view.

 

[Miss B]

I'm with Seliah and English Bob on this issue, though I use Joe/Netherworks Camera Panel Plus to access my cameras. I prefer keystrokes, but the Camera Panel has come in handy, and it's right there above my viewport.

I've never been able to use multiple viewports in any 3D software I've played in, mostly as already stated, I like to be able to see as much as I can up close and personal. The only time I'll have 2 views open at the same time is when I'm UV mapping in Blender, and then I split the screen manually, and size it the way I want. then I can Ctrl+up arrow to go into the UV editor screen fully. When I'm through, I Ctrl+up arrow to get back to Edit mode, and then I "join" the two viewports back to one. That's the only instance where I would consider having 2 viewports open, and that's mostly because I'm using both pretty much at the same time.

 

[Faery_Light]

You can increase the size of the single view port by going to the top bar, windows, and un-checking any of those you don't need or use there.
since you can go to the part on the top of the render screen and find almost all listed there you really don't need to keep them in the view port area.
That increases the size some and by resizing your library panel a tad.
I mainly use one single view and switch to aux view if needed.

 

[Miss B]

I probably could do that FL, but the only thing I have checked in that list is the Hierarchy Editor, and I use that all the time, and I really, really, really don't like floating panels, so I'm stuck for now.

 

[Faery_Light]

All I uncheck at present is the memory dots (don't use them) and the animation controls.
If I use the cloth room, then I check animation controls.
Of course my monitor is 22" so everything is big anyway.
Now that may sound expensive but I only paid 125.00 total for it from an amazon dealer.
With my eyesight getting dimmer I need all the help I can get so bigger is better.
I also use the windows built in magnifier for text.
I can understand why so many panels in the view port can be a problem for eyes.

 

[Seebee]

Yes. Everyone has their favourite way of navigating/working etc
I tend to use the quad view as I use other..um.."serious"(?) 3D software and it's the way most 3D programs prefer.


In my example, using the quad view. Top piccy shows a setup/tute I did (some time ago)

The red dot is a light.By using the quad view I can quickly/easily move my light to
an exact height above the ground. Spot lights are easy to align too.
I can also place it closer or further away.
I can also place it to the left or to the right.
I can immediately see where it is.

Now this middle pix ( one light) might be fairly easy to do by using the Persp window only..But.

Now.
The lower picture.
I have placed lights in each tower and put them in the correct (for me) position.
I'd hate to do that by using the Perspective port only!

The quad view for me is much more efficient and a much less hair tearing experience.
A quick click on the ViewPort tool and One is back to the default setup if/when one wishes.
Toggling between these setups is pretty easy ! Try it for a while??
Thanks.

 

[Faery_Light]

I might give that a try now and then when some items are hard to pose.
It is still hard to do even in aux view.

 

[Ken1171]

I prefer single view in Poser and most other 3D software I use. Multiple views are meant to allow placing and aligning things precisely, but we have shortcuts to switch to most preset cameras, like CTRL+T for top view, CTRL+F for front camera, and then CTRL+M to return to the main camera. Poser also has specialized camera presets like CTRL+[ and CTRL+] for cameras that automatically focus on the left and right hands, or CTRL+= to auto focus on the head. There is no need to switch to multiple views. I still haven't figured out the camera shortcuts in DS, which tends to make me uncomfortable there.

One of the things I use the most in Poser are the camera memory dots. As a matter of fact, that's one of the first things I set in my renders - place the camera where I want for the final render, and hit the camera memory dots to save it. From there on I switch a lot between the preset cameras using the keyboard shortcuts. After a while I already know them all by heart, and that makes my workflow much faster and pleasing. As a matter of fact, I ever so rarely ever touch the Poser interface because I can do nearly everything by keyboard shortcuts - not only in Poser but in all programs I have.

The important part of being able to save up to 9 cameras into memory dots is that I can move the main camera all over the place when building a scene, and then restore it back to final render settings with a single click. I edit the scene, and quickly return to final scene view to check it out. The basic idea is that the only thing that matters in the scene is what will be seen from the final camera view, so scene composition depends on that. I also use the camera memory dots to experiment with variations on final render settings. I can save 2 or 3 to compare, and choose the one that better suits the render. Each dot saves not only the camera position and orientation, but also all camera parameters, like the almighty focal length.

 

[Miss B]

As a matter of fact, I ever so rarely ever touch the Poser intmerface because I can do nearly everything by keyboard shortcuts - not only in Poser but in all programs I have.

I think that's one of the things that impressed me about Blender, especially with the old 2.4x horrific UI. As someone who types roughly 100-110 wpm, using a mouse for anything just slows me down tremendously. I know, who "types" in a 3D app unless their creating 3D text, but it's the taking my fingers off the keyboard that exasperates me to no end.

 

[Ken1171]

@Miss B I think I am not alone when I say that learning the keyboard shortcuts for any program, 3D or otherwise, will tremendously increase your productivity. Having to hunt down commands hidden into layers of menus and lists can take too long and test my patience. If my figure is floating in the air and I want to drop it to the ground, I hit CTRL+D. If I need a right orthographic view of the scene, I hit CTRL+'. I am NOT going to mess around searching for the control in the interface. Poser ships with a fancy and colorful keyboard shortcut PDF chart, so there is no excuse not to learn them. And guess what - some of them also work in DAZ Studio!

 

[Miss B]

Oh a lot of shortcuts are really M$/Windows oriented, so they'll work in pretty much any software written for the Windows OS.

 

[Seebee]

Some really interesting posts here and I guess it does show the difference between Poser users and those who use the more professional, read more expensive 3D programs.
I could never just use the single "document" viewport to do anything much except for the final "view".
From my observations I see, for instance "lights placement" as a real difficulty for users in Poser.
I cannot remember any Max users ever complaining about difficulties in this very important issue.
And it is only because we use the Quad view.
How on earth..I know I'm repeating myself..but how on earth can you accurately place things by not using orthographic viewports?
Fixes of Camera views and other non orthographic tricks would send me crazy. Well, even more crazy
Great to read of other users views though. So very interesting indeed.

 

[Miss B]

Well, Poser is the only 3D software I use that doesn't allow you to place lights easily.

I've never had a problem doing it with only one viewport in Blender or DAZ Studio.