Customer Reviews

Secrets of Figure Creation with Poser 5

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Here is how you can tell if this is the right book for you. Ask yourself three questions:

1) How much time have I spent reading tutorials about Poser 5 from online sources like DAZ and Renderosity, even though they aren't very good and are written for a different version of Poser?

2) How much time have I spent editing raw .cr2 files in a text editor to make my figure come out right?

3) How much time have I spent building characters in another 3-D application, then attempting to import them into Poser?

Sum up all three times. If the total is less than 100 hours, you won't have much of a chance at this book. If the total is greater than 500 hours, this book will likely have some useful information that you can use to good advantage. Between 100 and 500 hours, be prepared for a difficult read.

The Poser 5 community is infested with a curious blindness. Imagine you unwrapped your brand new Home Nuclear Power Plant and the user manual contained information like "The backcheck feedwater solenoid control can be used to trigger the backcheck feedwater solenoid." You might wonder what the backcheck feedwater solenoid did, and when it should be triggered, but such information was omitted from the manual. You probably even guessed (correctly) that the backcheck feedwater solenoid control had something to do with the backcheck feedwater solenoid, so the information that was provided was of almost no value. The Poser 5 manual looks exactly like this, which is why many people are looking for an alternate source of information on the program.

"Secrets of Figure Creation" contains additional information, much of it of considerable value. Here you might learn something akin to: "triggering the backcheck feedwater solenoid at frequent intervals will help the reverse cyclic pump maintain optimum pressure." You still don't know exactly what the backcheck feedwater solenoid is, and may not have any idea about the reverse cyclic pump, but hey, any step forward is progress, right?

The author of this book has clearly mastered Poser. My guess is that the author learned so long ago that she has forgotten how hard the first 595 steps in the process are, and is trying to help everyone on those last 5 steps.

People who have invested heavily in Poser will likely find this an invaluable treatment. Beginners won't learn what they want. Most novices will probably not be able to follow the book, either. Unfortunately, as of this moment, there are no viable alternatives for beginners or novices. My best advice is to check out the tutorials at DAZ and Renderosity. At least they're free!

(I won't bias the rating; I'll give it an average score.)

=====Figure Theory and Practice:

The layout of the book covers a lot of abstract theory. The "practice" sections of the book had to be cut from print and placed as tutorial files on the CD, due to space limitations. I decided to put the step-by-step instructions on the CD, because they should only be needed once or twice. After you follow the steps on the demonstration models, you can apply the techniques to any model. The theory is in the book, because whatever you are working on, you may need to look something up on how to design joints or how to handle potential pitfalls in the mesh or figure construction.

The tons of theory may be helpful if you've ever tried working on customizing figures, but if you have never attempted it before, it can become confusing.

If you need to go through the whole process of figure creation, from beginning to end, use the base Norn sample figure. There are instructions in the Introduction chapter on how to follow through the process, in order, with the Norn.

Once you are more familiar with the whole process, you can read through the deep theory sections to find out why things work they way they do, and apply the theories to your own work.

The central chapter, on the CR2 and other library files, is meant to be a reference for advanced figure designers. Don't try to read through it, or you'll fall asleep! (Or get a headache!) If you end up editing Poser library files, you may wonder what a control is, what it does, and what you can do with it. When this happens, you can consult the CR2 reference chapter.

The "practice" portion of this chapter is included in the text, not the CD, because again, it is something you will want to refer to time and time again. Whenever you need to slave dials to one another or swap geometry, etc., you can flip to that section in the book for the proper code sequence to use.

=====What This Book Covers:

This book covers Poser 3 through 5, including the Pro Pack. While newer versions add tools and methods to the figure creation process (the hierarchy editor and the Setup Room), the basic methods are still valid (and, in my personal opinion, still the best).

Topics include designing the figure mesh object. This topic is very generalized, as you could be building anything from a door to a nine-headed hydra.

There are the methods for "slicing" and "Poserizing" the mesh, creating the hierarchy, and adjusting the joint parameters.

There are some basic tips and methods of UV Mapping, although nothing really on texturing, except a foray into the Poser 5 Material Room.

Morphing with Magnets is covered in detail, and there is a general overview of morphs in general: how they work and when and why they fail to work.

Finally, there is the CR2 dissection, as discussed above.

Keep in mind that the chapters of the book flow in reverse order: morphing is covered first and mesh design last. This is to give you a feel for how latter stages of development must be planned for at the outset.

My favorite part of the book is the Trouble-Shooting section. This is a collection of the most common problems and questions I've answered dozens of times on the Poser forums. If something goes wrong, the reason and the solution are most likely in this section.

=====What This Book Does NOT Cover:

Modeling. This book will not teach you how to build 3D models. Poser is not a modeling application; you'll need another program. You need to have a separate application for that -- your Maya or your 3D Studio Max, or Lightwave, Rhino, Carrera, Amapi, Animation Master, Wings 3D, Nendo, Amorphium, XFrog, sPatch, Organica, Softy 3D, Blender, Nurbana, GMax, Milkshape, ZBrush, or whatever else more expensive or more obscure you may have. And to learn how to use those to make models, you need books or tutorials specifically for your particular program(s).

The other thing this book will not teach you is how to use Poser. If you do not know how to load a figure and put clothing on it; if you don't know how to pose your figure, add props and parent them; if you don't know how to adjust and edit lights, etc., this book is NOT for you.

=====Important Links:

http://www.3dmenagerie.com/

This is my web site. Click on "The Book" in the table of contents for more information on the book, and important "addendum:" new developments that did not make it into the book.

http://www.3dcommune.com/

This is a community of 2D and 3D graphic artists, photographers and writers. Visit the Character Creators forum if you have any questions on figure creation, any trouble with your figure, or any problems or questions with the book.

I am the moderator of this forum, and I will be at your beck and call for all your personal problems. (Well, those dealing with Poser, anyway!) In addition, other figure creation pros are there as well. If you have a specific problem, you can get personalized help.

I make no bones (!) about it; my only regret was not buying this book sooner, and the folks I spend my time talking about Poser esoterica have the same reaction. But it isn't for everyone. If there is a flaw in this book, it is with the title.

First off, it covers Poser, period. Unlike many tutorials and CDs and other learning assets it doesn't restrict itself to "How to use Poser5 with these specific Poser utilities on a Win ME platform." This book concentrates on the Poser side, and tells you not what button to push on a third-party utility, but what is happening inside Poser. It is written by a geek, for the geek; for people who want to know what happens inside, and why it works, not just how to fake it with a $60 tool they bought at DAZ.

The bigger problem in the title is that apparently some reviewers were mislead by it. The majority of the Poser user base are dial-twisters. There are mysteries a-plenty in the Face Room, in creating characters, in the cross-compatibilities of a bewildering array of base figures and characters. This book has nothing to do with that subject. This is also not a book about modelling, figure or otherwise. This is about how to rig a mesh within the often arcane and even partially broken morass of Poser 3+. A very specialized task, but one fraught with unexpected difficulties.

If you've never created so much as a prop, you shouldn't start here. Everything is in the book -- add the tutorials on the CD and you can definately pick it up -- but it is gonna be a steep learning curve. But if you are a user who has figured out how to make a prop from scratch, customize a figure, you've opened up a cr2 once or twice already, and you are comfortable poking around the technical insides of things...this is the book.

For those technical users... We have a line-by-line dissection of the cr2, the format of ERC master and slave right there for easy reference, the best explanation of joint params I've seen yet, information on what is in an EasyPose figure, four different ways to deal with the sitting-skirt problem, the right format for unimbedding geometry... If you are building third-party materials for Poser; clothing, properties, new figures, this book should be at your fingertips while you work. And it makes a good read. It can help so much, when you are struggling to figure out why the dial sensitivity on your new morph keeps resetting, that others have been there and share your pain.

I have been a member of the various online Poser communities for years and I have seen B. L. Render spend hours of her time helping others successfully create content for Poser.

Creating figures for Poser is not for the faint-hearted since I've seen grown men and women cry over setting joint parameters. I have heard that it is more or an arcane art then a science. However, B. L. Render tells you all you need to know to avoid many hours of hair-pulling and banging your head against your monitor. You already need to know how to model and map a figure. If you read this book, AND follow through on the practice exercises included on the CD, you too will be able to create a poseable figure for Poser. The only way to learn is by actually trying. Reading the book alone is not going to do it for you. There is no 'one way' of 'cutting' up a figure, or setting joint parameters, etc. These are all trial-and-error processes. What works for one figure may not work for another. If the process was easy, everybody would already be doing it and there would be no need for this book.

I was very disappointed in this book! I had hoped for a book on Poser that would show me how to use character modifications on a more advanced level. Instead, I ended up with a book that is page after page of theory. I will admit it is advanced theory but theory none the less. I am not so much interested in the how and why of Poser techniques but more interested in how to apply Poser techniques.

There are a few practice sessions on the included CD (in HTML format) but not enough of them to warrent purchasing the book. A large section (about 72 pages) is devoted to Poser libraries and would help anyone interested in really understanding them.

Actually,IMHO, this book is similar to having someone explain to you the engineering behind your computer instead of showing you how to use it.

So while this might be a great book for some who likes to explore theories and gain abstract knowledge of Poesr, it is not for those more interested in learning how to apply these techniques. I lean more towards exercises and practice sessions that allow me to see how techinques work rather than just reading about them.

For some this may be a great book but for me it fell far short.

Yes, it's true: this is simply the best book on software I ever had (and read). It's so complete and well written that I hope the Author will come back soon with other interesting things about Poser. At the beginning I was a little worry: what are all this numbers?!?! Then... When I began to work to create something mine... Well... A very little treasure for all those people who are interest in learn more and more. The only thing, sometimes text is a little hard (I mean... not for real beginners) or short in explanation... But with the software in front of you, it's perfect. A great book. Please, excuse me for my english (that is not perfect).

Secrets of Figure Creation is a treasure for advanced users of Curious Labs' Poser. This book has little to offer beginners, but will prove indispensable for experienced Poser Artists.

The intended subject is figure creation, an ambitious undertaking tackled by only the most dedicated Poser user. However, the book includes technical information that will be of tremendous value to many who may never need to create a figure. There are detailed descriptions of topics that confuse all of us at some point: joint parameters, the internal workings of Poser library files, and the Poser 5 shader tree are particularly valuable. The treatment of morphing includes the best explanation I have ever seen of Poser magnets. There is little doubt, however, that the crowning jewel of this book is the extensive chapter on troubleshooting. A thorough reading of this material would resolve almost every frustration that appears over and over on Internet Poser forums.

The author is widely respected by on-line Poser community as a technical guru (gurette?). In this book she proves that point once again, and shows that she not only possesses tremendous knowledge, but also can effectively communicate it to the prepared reader.

If you are just beginning to explore Poser, you are not yet ready for this book. Instead, study the Poser manual, on-line tutorials, and informative articles at the Curious Labs and DAZ websites. However, if you are hungry for technical information and have discovered as I have that it is difficult to find in digestible form, then order this book immediately. You will not know how you survived without it.

I've been messing with Poser for a few years. I've made my own characters with more or less success (mostly less) but with this book I finally got an idea of what all those cryptic lines in a cr2 is for.

Also the book is very well written, easy to understand, even for foreign readers as myself. If you have EVER wanted to create anything by your self for Poser, this is the book!

The author spends a lot more time telling you what not to do than he does showing what to do. It's as if he thinks that by impressing the reader with theory, they won't notice if he never really says anything about how to create a figure in Poser. I found The Poser 5 Handbook far more helpful.

I usually read the readers comments before purchasing any book however in this case I went ahead and purchased thisd book. I wish I had listened to the two reviewers. I am an advanced Poser artist and had thought that this book would help me not only solve some of the problems I have with character creation but also inspire me to new levels. Well, the book did neither. It is a very hard read and the author never gets around to showing you how to create a figure. You are told about all the mistakes you can make but never shown how to do it correctly.

The contents of the book are very slim. The book explans Morphing Theory, Joint Parameter Theroy, CR2 Theory, Figure Creation Theory, and thirty or so pages are devoted to Dynamic Hair, Cloth and Shader Trees. The rest is on trouble-shooting.

As one reviewer put it, Figure Creation is still a secret even after reading the book.

Even if you are an advanced user as I consider myself, you may find some of the book useful. I did not.