I'm playing around with the new revisions for the Songbird ReMix series (which will include DS native versions, support for all 4 renders (FF, SF, Iray, and 3Delight), plus improvements to older models), but first there are some even bigger changes I'd like to do.
I'm looking for customer opinion on some of these changes....
1. Format- I'm debating on having all the revised birds load preassembled. No longer would you have to select the base parts then apply material-morph setting files on top of them. You simply load the file and the bird is ready to go. The DS version will work pretty easy, all the bases get saved in the data folder and the duf "character" files simply draw from the needed base. The Poser version will be a little more tricky but think if I save the base model morphs out to .pmd files, that will streamline the .cr2 bird character files to work similar to the DS solution. I'm also revealing the invisible wing controllers in the DS version (DS doesn't accept the "Edges only" preview mode). It simply told DS not to include them in renders.
2. Library Structure- I'm going to move towards a newer library structure for both versions. Part of the reason is to not confuse the older Songbird library with new update. It's going to take 6-months to year+ to move the 1000+ birds I have to the new format, so limiting confusion over versions is important since some will need to rewritten to support the newer CR2/dufs. I'm going to be using the following library structure for both DS and Poser:
>Animals
>Songbird ReMix
>Bird Base Models (this will hold the unassembled base models for those who want to play around/or make their own birds)
>Bird Library (this is where all the birds will be)
>Manuals
>Props
The part I'm still hashing out is the Bird Library. Part of me wants to throw away the numbered volume system I've had for the last decade+ and do something radically different that makes more sense to me. If I keep the old volume system, I'd like to at least combine some volumes-- like Vultures 1/2, European Edition 1/2, etc...
Here's the two radical ideas...
One to simply list every bird by type... for example, subfolders like
- Goatsuckers & Swifts
- Hummingbirds
- Kingfishers
- Woodpeckers
- Tyrant Flycatchers
- Shrikes & Vireos
- Jays, Crows & Allies
The second idea is to use my
bird wiki library system which would sort the birds by continent/region and then type of bird. Yes, it means that a set like "Sparrows of the World" would get spread across the library but when you are looking for a sparrow for your European scene, it's going to be much easier to find. There will be some repeats since some birds are found on several continents.
So, I have three choices... keep it the same as it's always been with Volume numbers, Sort by Type or Sort by Continent and Type. Let me know what you prefer.