Customer Reviews

Poser Figure Artist [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I purchased Poser Artist after first downloading the demo offered at e-frontier website. Here's a review of some of the features. The program is loaded with LOTS of goodies too many to really get into so consider this an overview of the most outstanding items.

After startup, the program is like an open book on the screen. There is a figure, `James' on the left hand side, which is the default that can be changed to something else. Below the figure are the controls for lighting, movement of the figure and camera. On the right hand side are tabs and choices for different figures, poses, clothes, props, etc. Even at the basic level you pick a figure, pick a pose, render the scene and start drawing. The figure `renders' in a beautiful photographic style. The rendered scene even on my laptop looks very realistic. I was amazed the first time I rendered a scene at the amount of detail and shading seemed life-like. I usually save the render to a jpg and open it up with the pc's photo viewer. I can then zoom in or out and see all the details.

There are several figures that come with the program, James, the male, Jessie, the female, a young girl and a young boy. James and Jessie both come with different ages, 30, 50, 75 as well as a `heroic' James and a thin Jessie. Also, which I like a lot are the skeleton and `stick figures'. I still do stick figure drawings to see the basic body movement, even after 30 years of sketching. There are various props included for the figures to stand on or by. As well as clothes and clothing items. As for the figures be all the same color, I don't find that to be that to be limiting since I know what other races look like I can easily change a skin tone or specific race feature.

I like the way multiple figures can be added to a scene. And the figures are in perspective. With the moveable camera angles and lengths you can setup scenes to show foreshortening and correct perspective. The figures can be placed so that they look like there is interaction between them. You can place figures in conversations, walking past or with each other. There is a movable horizon line and perspective lines which you can turn on or off.

One of the great features is the Poses. Several types are included from the classic poses, to common activities as brushing teeth. There are even comic book action hero poses which I found to be really fun to work with. It's an easy thing to freeze to figures in the middle of a fist fight and then sketch out the action. You have the ability to change a pose to suit what you're looking for. All the figures are easily moveable and move in a realistic manner. They have a center of gravity, if you move a leg, the hip moves to balance it self as real person would. This makes for much more realistic looking drawing. You can rotate the figure, move in or out. Move the camera around to various angles just like on a movie set.

There is tool where you can change body form. All the include figures are in excellent condition. With the `Magnet' tool you can make a figure add on the weight. This does take some practice to understand how it works, but I've created figures and saved them for later use. The poses will work with self created figures, but you have to adjust the pose for the new figure. All poses and figures can be saved for later. There an online manual and tutorials. I read the manual after working with the program some to learn more about how to do something. But basically once I started the program I found it easy to use.

The software has replaced my mannequins and photo references I've collected over the years. I can even print out a pose, but I usually just work from the screen since I can zoom in and get a better view. It's saved me money on finding a model or joining a class. I don't have to worry about finishing a drawing before time runs out. I can set down and do a quick sketches or a finished painting at my leisure.

Poser Figure Artist is for the artist who draws, paints, sculpts, or uses a stylus and needs a model. It's not a useful 3D art creation tool. Do you ever flip through the pages of your figure drawing book looking for the desired pose, the correct hand position, the angle you want? Poser Figure Artist allows you to position the human body in any way imaginable.

Upside:
The most obvious benefits of Poser Figure Artist is that it gives you a model that is more lifelike than a wooden model, more visual and adaptive than a drawing book, and Figure Artist allows you to work with implausible poses a live model would never agree to.

There are aspects of the software that are very useful, such as the basic packaged poses that include running, throwing, etc. and you can adjust them to exaggerate the motion.

You can also pose as many figures in one scene as you like. The camera angle is fully adjustable in free space.

Lighting color, and position can be adjusted.

Fortunately each model has variations that make them more muscular or thin, and changes their proportions.

The downside:
Of course you can't design anything, including clothing.

The package does not include a wide variety of models. You only receive four models a man, woman, boy, and girl.

The boy and girl models, Ben and Kate apparently don't have hair, their hair is not included on the installation CD, so they're oddly bald. It must have been a mistake. Their clothing options are also very limited.

Poser Figure Artist also claims to provide multiple ethnicities but sadly they have to be purchased separately through the content website. Additionally you won't find any diverse selection of faces to draw.

While Figure Artist comes with various facial expressions, they can't be adjusted.

Limits to the motion of the figures are wacky, even when at their strictest a body can be twisted to unrealistic limits,...which brings me to my next qualm.

Multiple undos or a history pallet is an option that is missing and is needed when you over manipulate a figure and can't go back.

Summary:
Poser is suited for the traditional artist. I use Poser Figure Artist only for getting the Pose I want, and that's what it excels at and was designed for.

I am not sure what is up with those other reviews, but I had no problems with this product. I am a fine artist, an oil painter working on her BFA, and even though I am not a "computer person" it was very easy to install this program on my computer and use it. I only paint from live models so at first I was really skeptical about using a virtual one but it turned out to be really great! The model is 3D so it totally works to paint from, and you can move all the way around it, zoom in, everything. And I didn't have to worry about taping and all that to get the pose back after the model takes a break. I use my knowledge of anatomy to help me while I am painting and I can make adjustments as I work. The company has all sorts of other things you can get to go with this too, like more clothes, furniture, different models (of different ethnicities), tons of stuff. It really is pretty cool, and it costs a lot less than paying a live model to pose for a painting!

When I expressed my displeasure with this product to e-frontiers, a man named Laslo who claimed to be the "creator" of PFA graciously offered me a refund, even though he was under no obligation to do so whatsoever. I accepted the refund. This was on January 4th of this year. Apparently Laslo is no longer with the company, and the support staff has made me jump through hoops to get my refund, delaying for weeks at a time, "forgetting" to process the paperwork, blaming it on accounting who conveniently is on vacation for the next two weeks, and as of 2/23 I was told it would be well into March before I can expect my refund. They are either purposely delaying the refund in hopes I'll forget or let it drop, or they are incredible inept and inefficient. I expect I will have to follow up at least two or three more times before the matter is resolved.

In defference to Laslo I will say that the product does have some useful features, but it is not what it is advertized to be, and I found it unusable for my purposes. I strongly suggest you try the demo before you purchase this product to see if it is useful to you, as the advertizing is misleading. I wish I had....

The software is genial, but there are some little problems. For example the quality of the male figure is not very high, there are more free models online that are better.

They say on the site that there are more hair for the models, but for the child there's only one. Some poses are not accurate.

I would try the free software DAZ Studio before to buy this software: perhaps it could be a good start.

I find the support from the site not very good.

Figure Artist is a great software to create and pose male, female, child human figures (or animals). You can create a photorealistic render and export it directly to Photoshop or other image editing software.

You can add and pose figures into any of your existing photographs!

Figure Artist is also a great learning tool for those who want to draw or paint human figures.

I've only had time to play with the product a little, but it looks cool. Somewhat complicated, but has tutorials.