Poser 7 Tutorial Manual

Tutorial Manual
for Windows and Mac OS X®

TRADEMARK & COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Program copyright 1991-2006 e frontier America, Inc. and e frontier, Inc. All rights reserved. Interface copyright
1994-1999 Metacreations Corporation and 2000-2006 e frontier America, Inc. All rights reserved. e frontier is a
trademark and Poser is a registered trademark of e frontier America, Inc. and e frontier, Inc. All other trademarks
or registered trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. Technology and/or code contributed by the
corporate contributors listed above is owned and copyrighted by the corporate contributors.
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This manual as well as the software described herein is furnished under license and may only be used or copied
in accordance with the terms of such license. Program copyright 1991-2006 by e frontier America, Inc. and
e frontier, Inc., including the look and feel of the product. e frontier Poser 7 Tutorial Manual copyright 2006 by
e frontier America, Inc. and e frontier, Inc. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any
means without prior written permission of e frontier America, Inc.
Before using this software or reading this document, make sure you have read, understood, and agreed to the
license contained in the Poser 7 End User License Agreement (EULA) in the Poser 7 Reference Manual.
Licensed product.

CONTENTS

P A R T 1 3D B A S I C S
C H A P T E R 1 : 3D B A S I C S 2
About 3D Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Cartesian Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Global vs. Local Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

C H A P T E R 2 : B A S I C 3D E L E M E N T S 10
Vertices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Splines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Polygons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

CHAPTER 3: MORE 3D ELEMENTS 12
The Poser Figure Artist Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Normals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Keyframing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

CHAPTER 4: GROUPS 15
Hair Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Cloth Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

CHAPTER 5: MULTI/SUB-OBJECT MATERIALS 19
Why Multi/Sub-object Materials? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
About Maps & Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Bump Maps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Transparency Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Reflection Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Displacement Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Texture Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Procedural Shaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Putting It All Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

PART 2 BASIC POSER 7 OPERATIONS

CHAPTER 6: POSER 7 OPERATIONS TUTORIAL 27
The Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Lesson 1: Working with Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Lesson 2: Tracking Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Working with Lights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Lesson 1: Using the Light Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Using Poser 7’s Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Lesson 1: The Parameter Dials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Lesson 2: The Rotate Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Lesson 3: The Twist Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Lesson 4: The Translate Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Po ser 7 Tutorial Manual

Posing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Lesson 1: Creating Poses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Lesson 2: Adding Poses to the Poses Library . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Lesson 3: Posing Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Advanced Tutorials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Character Creation and Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Lesson 1: Creating a Clown from Scratch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Lesson 2: Making the Clown Walk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Lesson 3: The Walk Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Lesson 4: Keyframe Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Lesson 5: Adding the Final Touch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Lesson 6: Setting Animated Cameras and Test Rendering . 95
Lesson 7: Final Render . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

C H A P T E R 7: C O N T E N T M A N A G E M E N T 98
The Library Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Adding New Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Adding New Runtimes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Content Paradise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Content Collections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

C H A P T E R 8: F I R E F L Y R E N D E R T I P S 103
Automatic vs. Manual Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Scene Settings and Specifics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

C H A P T E R 9: C R E A T I N G AND ASSIGNING TEXTURES 109
Creating Texture Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Creating and Using Texture Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
The Head Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
The Body Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Creating and Using Bump, Reflection, and
Transparency Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

PART 3 ADDING REALISM

C H A P T E R 10 : T H E F A C E R O O M 117
Getting Ready for Your Face Room Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Choosing and Preparing Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Important Notes about Photo Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Improving Photos with an Image Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Adding Symmetry to the Front Photo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Task 1: Import the Photos to the Face Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Importing the Front Photo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Importing the Side Photo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Task 2: Moving, Scaling, or Rotating the Head Guides . . . . . 135
Adjusting Front Scaling and Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Adjusting Side Scaling and Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Compensating for Head Tilt or Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Task 3: Fine-Tuning the Texture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Refining the Front View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

CONTENTS

Refining the Side View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Adding Texture Variation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Saving Your Texture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Task 4: Refine the Head Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Creating a Random Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Changing the Face Shape Interactively . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Changing the Face with Morph Dials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Task 5: Completing Your Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Creating a Permanent Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Using Third-Party Textures with the Face Room . . . . . . . . 163
Creating a Morphable Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

C H A P T E R 1 1: T H E C L O T H R O O M 167
Task 1: Creating Still Images with Dynamic Clothing . . . . . . . 168
Task 2: Controlling How Clothing Acts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Task 3: Using Different Materials in Clothing (Part 1). . . . . . . 183
Task 4: Using Different Materials in Clothing (Part 2). . . . . . . 189
Task 5: Saving Dynamic Clothing to a Library . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Task 6: Adding Wind to Your Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Adjusting Dynamic Clothing to Fit Other Characters . . . . . . . 199
Fitting a Heavier Body Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Fitting a Lighter Body Shape. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

C H A P T E R 1 2: T H E H A I R R O O M 206
Task 1: Quick Start to Creating and Styling Hair . . . . . . . . . . 209
Adding Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Growing the Hair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Adding or Removing Curliness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Styling the Hair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Creating Multi-Grouped Hair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Using a Modeling or UV Mapping Program . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Using Poser 7's Group Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Task 2: Growing and Styling Multi-Grouped Hair . . . . . . . . . . 243
Saving Your Hair to the Library. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Setting Hair Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Creating and Changing the Hair Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Hair Coloring Tip! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

C H A P T E R 1 3: B U I L D I N G A BASIC SKIN SHADER 267
Note on Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Advanced Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Bump Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Specularity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Diffuse Skin Shader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Some Notes on Eyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

C H A P T E R 1 4: I M A G E B A S E D L I G H T I N G 276

PART 4 POSING AND ANIMATION

Po ser 7 Tutorial Manual

C H A P T E R 15 : U S I N G T A L K D E S I G N E R 284

C H A P T E R 16 : A N I M A T I O N L A Y E R S 288

C H A P T E R 17 : A D V A N C E D P O S I N G AND ANIMATION 297
Auto Balance and Posing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Motion Capture and Animations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Importing and Exporting Motion Capture Files . . . . . . . . . . 299

PART 5 FIGURE SHAPING AND CREATION

C H A P T E R 18 : M O R P H T A R G E T C R E A T I O N 301

C H A P T E R 19 : A D V A N C E D B O D Y S H A P I N G 307
Morph Targets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Setting Up Morph Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Morph Target Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Figure Joints and Blend Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Editing Joint Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Using the Joint Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Interactively Editing Joint Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Joint Attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
Spherical Falloff Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329

C H A P T E R 20 : B A S I C F I G U R E C R E A T I O N 331
Example One: Wormy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Example Two: Goldy the Robot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
C H A P T E R 21 : A D V A N C E D F I G U R E C R E A T I O N 335
Creating Figure Models. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Model Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Grouping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Creating Hierarchy Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
Hierarchy File Explained . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Converting Hierarchy Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
Verifying Hierarchy Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
................................................ 344
Setting Up a Standard Figure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Applying the Standard Hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Applying the Standard Rotation Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Adjusting Joint Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Setting Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
Setting Favored IK Angles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Memorizing Default Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Setting Surface Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Adding Morph Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Setting Body Part Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Saving new figures to the library. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Tutorial - Poser Figure Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348

POSER 7 TUTORIAL MANUAL

Chapter 1: 3D Basics

T
his part describes basic 3D concepts. The following discussion centers on Poser
Figure Artist, however most of these concepts apply to all 3D applications.
Novice 3D artists should read the entire chapter to gain valuable “behind the
scenes” insight that will help in learning and using Poser Figure Artist. Veteran 3D users
can use this chapter as a handy reference or refresher.

ABOUT 3D SPACE
Let’s begin by defining the three dimensions:
Zero dimension: A point is an example of a zero-dimensional object. It defines a point
in space but has no length, height, or width.
First dimension: A one-dimensional object is a single line. It has length but no height
or depth.
Second dimension: A two-dimensional object has any two of the following three
dimensions:
Length
Height
Depth
Pick any one of the three dimensions and call it A. Now pick
either of the remaining two dimensions and call it B. In the
graphic, the arrows represent the two dimensions and the
rectangle represents a two-dimensional object. You will
immediately notice that all two-dimensional objects are perfectly
flat, like the surface of a sheet of paper. Two-dimensional objects
are called planes.
Third dimension: Three-dimensional objects use all three of the dimensions (length,
height, and depth).
As you can see from the graphic, the cube is a three-
dimensional object. It has length, height, and depth.
That’s pretty simple, right? Here’s the hard part: You
create 3D data using two-dimensional tools. Your
computer screen is a two-dimensional object and your
mouse can move in two dimensions; it can report left-
right and front-back motion but cannot report how far

2

3D B A S I C S

above or below the desk it is. Furthermore, your output will always be two-
dimensional. Look at the above graphic: It does not have depth. It does, however,
represent three dimensions using a simple optical illusion called perspective, which is
defined as the tendency of objects to appear progressively smaller the farther away
they are until they disappear on the horizon at a location called the vanishing point.
You can see this by standing at the corner of a long building and noticing how the
roofline appears to get closer to the ground the farther away you look. Given these
limitations, you ask, how can one create 3D information?

The short answer is that all 3D applications, Poser
Figure Artist included, create a “virtual” 3D space.
Look at the above graphic again. We can view and
manipulate the cube in three dimensions by separating
them into separate workspaces called views. One view
will display the A and B dimensions, the second will
display the A and C dimensions, and the third will
display the B and C dimensions. You will also have a
fourth view that displays all three dimensions. This
graphic shows how the four views might look in a 3D
application such as Poser Figure Artist.
Let’s look at the same graphic again, only this time let’s substitute a simple boat for the
cube to better illustrate the concept. One of the benefits of this system is that it becomes
possible to precisely control your 3D model. For example, you can determine the length of
the boat using the AB or AC view, the width using the AB or BC view, and the height
using the AC or BC view. Which view you use depends on what you are trying to
accomplish. For example, to create the stern, you would probably use the BC view, and
would probably use the AB view to create the overall shape.

3


In these examples, the A, B, and C dimensions are collectively called axes. Taken
individually, each dimension is called an axis. So far, we have used each axis to describe
one of the three dimensions without caring about which axis describes which dimension.
The A dimension could describe any of the three dimensions with B describing either one
of the remaining two dimensions and so forth. We did this to illustrate the most basic
theory behind 3D applications such as Poser Figure Artist. Let’s expand on that.
It should be obvious that the AB, AC, and BC views lack perspective. Two-dimensional
views without perspective are called orthographic views. Each three-dimensional object
has six orthographic views: Top, Bottom, Left, Right, Front, and Rear. Pick up any object
you like and look at it from all angles; you will see that this always holds true. So, while
the boat example above shows the Top (AB), Left (AC), and Rear (BC) views, it could just
as easily show any three of the six possible views. This is important because, like the boat,
not all three-dimensional objects are symmetrical.
Now that you understand this fundamental concept, let’s learn how it’s used in the real
world. To recap, the three dimensions are width, length, and height or depth, each
dimension is represented by an axis, and we can view each pair of axes in two ways to
generate a total of six possible views. So far so good, except for one small problem: If
everyone used an arbitrary system of axes to define the three dimensions, then it would be
difficult to pass data back and forth. In the above example, we are using the AB as the Left
view. Someone else could just as easily define AB as any of the six available views. You
can see the chaos that could ensue. To prevent this, both 2D and 3D objects conform to a
standard system of axes called the Cartesian coordinate system. The term Cartesian is
used in honor of the French mathematician and philosopher Rene Descartes (1596–1650),
who was one of the first to employ such coordinate systems.

4

3D B A S I C S

CARTESIAN COORDINATES
Before getting too far into Cartesian coordinates, let’s
pause for a quick math review: If you arranged all of
the numbers from negative infinity to positive infinity
along a line, the number 0 would be in the center of
that line. Negative numbers would be on the left side
of 0 with –1 being the closest to 0, and positive numbers would be on the right side of 0
with +1 being the closest to 0.
Negative numbers being on the left (or front) works for horizontal lines or axes. For
vertical lines, negative numbers are beneath 0 with positive numbers above 0. This stands
to reason, since negative numbers are literally less than 0. When dealing with coordinate
systems, we assume that each dimension is infinite, with zero representing the
dimension’s center or origin.
The Cartesian coordinate system goes one step further by defining three axes, called X, Y,
and Z. In our previous examples, we deliberately used the arbitrary letters A, B, and C to
illustrate the concept of axes and avoided using the actual letters because we wanted to
familiarize you with the general idea of axes and dimensions before focusing on how they
are actually used. In the Cartesian coordinate system, the axes correspond to dimensions
as follows:
X: Width
Y: Height
Z: Depth
Let’s combine the origin with the Cartesian axes as
follows. As you can see, the Cartesian coordinate system
uses three axes to represent each of the three dimensions:
X, Y and Z. The positive X axis points to the right, the
positive Y axis points up, and the positive Z axis points
towards the front of the scene. The center of the 3D space
is a single point, which is the midpoint (origin) of the
three axes. Thus, the 3D space extends to infinity in both
negative and positive directions along all three
dimensions. You can see the origin in any of the Poser Figure Artist views.
Now that we have a standard system for defining 3D space and objects within that space,
we can use coordinates to define the object’s shape. Remember that coordinates are
always listed in XYZ order. Coordinates themselves are defined as the distance from the
origin along each of the three axes. For example, the coordinate {1,1,1} signifies a point
that is 1 unit to the right of the X origin, 1 unit above the Y origin, and 1 unit behind the Z
origin.

5


NOTE
THE FORMAT OF LISTING THE X, Y, AND Z COORDINATES WITHIN BRACES AND SEPARATED
BY COMMAS IS THE STANDARD SHORTHAND USED WITH THE CARTESIAN COORDINATE
SYSTEM.

Remember the box we used in the previous 3D example?
We can use Cartesian coordinates to define its corners.
What if we move the box over somewhat? The graphics
on the right show how that might affect the coordinates.
As you can see, Cartesian coordinates serve to define an
object’s shape, size, and location in 3D space.

PLANES
As we discussed earlier, 3D applications must depict and
manipulate 3D data using a series of 2D views and tools.
You already know that 2D objects are planar because they
exist on a mathematically defined plane. A plane is a
formula defining the relationship between two
dimensions, such as XZ. Combining these two facts with
what we just learned about the Cartesian coordinate
system and a quick glance at our monitor, we find that 3D
applications like Poser Figure Artist use three views
aligned with coordinate planes to help you locate points in
3D space.
You can change the Poser Figure Artist Document window to
show several cameras, including the orthogonal views (Left,
Right, Front, Back, Top, Bottom) and perspective views (Main,
Auxiliary, Face, Hand, Posing). Please refer to the Poser Figure
Artist Reference Manual, “The Document Window” for a
description of the Poser Figure Artist Document window. The
graphic shows a quick rendition of three orthogonal views:

GLOBAL VS. LOCAL COORDINATES
There is one last wrinkle to the Cartesian coordinate system. To explain this wrinkle, let’s
use the example of a motorcycle rider leaning into a turn. What just happened? For the
sake of argument, let’s assume that the headlight is 30 inches above the ground when the
motorcycle is upright. If the rider leans the motorcycle 45 degrees to the left, then
headlight will now be 21.2 inches to the left of center and 21.2 inches off the ground.

6

3D B A S I C S

NOTE
FOR ANYONE INTO TRIGONOMETRY, WE FIND THE NEW LOCATION BY MULTIPLYING THE
ORIGINAL LOCATION BY THE SIN AND COSINE OF THE ANGLE. IN THIS CASE, SIN(45) = COS(45)
=.707, AND.707*30= APPROX. 21.2.

Thus, the headlight’s coordinates will have changed from {0, 30,0} to {21.2, 0, 21.2}.
However, nothing has changed about the motorcycle itself. The headlight is still in the
exact same position relative to the rest of the machine. To demonstrate this, let’s create a
second 3D space using the motorcycle’s center of gravity (balance point) as the origin.
Let’s further say that the headlight is 12 inches above and 30 inches in front of the center
of gravity. This means that the headlight’s relative coordinates are {0, 12, -30}, and these
relative coordinates do not change because the headlight does not move relative to the
center of gravity. But what do we mean by relative?
Has the motorcycle leaned 45 degrees to the left, or has the world leaned 45 degrees to the
right? To an observer standing on the ground, the motorcycle has leaned over 45 degrees.
To the rider, s/he is still on top of the motorcycle and it is the world that has leaned over 45
degrees. Further, the rider maintains her or his relationship to the motorcycle, meaning
(for example) that her or his head is still 30 inches behind and 32 inches above the
headlight. Thus, while the motorcycle’s world coordinates have changed, its object (or
local) coordinates have remained the same.
If this seems a bit complex, bear with us as we
use a far simpler example. Each object in Poser
Figure Artist has its own object coordinate
system. When an object is first created, its center
and orientation are the same as the world’s. As
described above, this changes when the object
moves. The world’s center and orientation are
still the same, but the object’s center and
orientation may have changed. Look at the
square in the graphic. Say the upper-left corner is
located at {-5,5,0}. When the object is first
created, that point is the same in local and global
coordinates because the object’s center is at {0,0,0}. If we move the object +7 along the X
axis and +3 along the Y axis, the upper-left corner would now be at {2,8,0} in global
coordinates but would remain at {-5,5,0} in local coordinates, that is, relative to the
object’s center. In other words, any point can be specified relative to its object’s local
coordinate system (object space) or relative to the global coordinate system (world space
or global coordinates) shared by all objects.

7


TRANSFORMATION
So far, you have learned about 3D objects, the Cartesian coordinate system, and the
difference between object space and world space. Let’s move on and learn how we can use
XYZ values to define an object’s transformation in addition to its size, shape, and
position.
An object’s transformation describes an object’s position (translation), orientation
(rotation), and size (scale) in 3D space. When an object is first created, its transformation
is set to align with the global coordinates. Its position is set to {0,0,0}, its orientation is set
to {0,0,0}, and its size is set to {1,1,1}. An object’s transformation values are almost
certain to change as you work with the object.
Translation
An object’s translation describes its position in 3D space relative to its center and is
measured in defined grid units. Let’s take another look at the box we used in an earlier
example:
As you can see, the box’s center is the same as the origin ({0,0,0}). What happens if you
want to move the box? You can move each one of the points, delete the existing box and
draw a new one in its new location, or simply translate the box. For example, setting a
Translate value of {2,2,2} would move box’s lower left corner to {0,0,0} since (-2)+2=0.
Again, the Translate value refers to the location of the center of the object relative to world
space.
Rotation
An object’s rotation value refers to its orientation in 3D
space measured in degrees. As you probably know, any
actual object will revolve around its center of gravity
(balance point). Objects in Poser Figure Artist have no
mass and no center of gravity, so you can set the object’s
center wherever you like and the object will rotate
around that point.
Let’s think back to the motorcycle example. If you model a motorcycle and decide you
wish to lean it 45 degrees, nothing is stopping you from performing trigonometric
calculations to determine the new location of each part. Remember that each part of the
motorcycle will move in at least two dimensions as the whole machine rotates. In this
case, since the motorcycle is rotating about the Z axis, you could simply enter a rotation
value of {0,0,45}. The trigonometric calculations will still need to be performed, however
Poser Figure Artist will get stuck with the job instead of you.

8

3D B A S I C S

Scale
An object’s scale value refers to its size in relation to itself and is measured in percent. In
this case, a value of 1 corresponds to 100%. Take the example of a circle. As with all other
Poser Figure Artist objects, it is initially created with a scale value of {1,1,1}, meaning
that it is 100% of its original size in all three dimensions.
Now that your perfect circle is in
place, you realize you need to
double its height on the Y axis.
Simply enter a scale value of
{1,2,1} and the circle will turn into
an ellipse that is twice as long on
the Y axis as it is wide. To stretch it
on the X axis, you would enter
{2,1,1}.
To compute every point on a model, multiply the original coordinates by the X, Y, and Z
components. With this in mind, it becomes easy to see how different values can change the
size of your object. For example, entering a scale value of {2,2,2} would double the
circle’s size. Poser Figure Artist allows you to set each scaling factor independently in
order to obtain squashing and stretching effects. This is called differential scaling.

9


Chapter 2: Basic 3D Elements

N
ow that you’ve learned about 3D objects, Cartesian coordinates, object space vs.
world space, and object transformations, let’s go ahead and learn more about 3D
objects themselves.

VERTICES
A point is a zero-dimensional (0D) object in 3D space. It has a set of coordinates to define
its location but has no length, width, or height. It is nothing more than a location in
Cartesian space. However, we can connect points to create edges or polylines. An edge is
part of a polygon between two vertices, and a polyline connects two vertices together that
are not part of a polygon. At its root, 3D modeling consists of nothing more than
connecting a series of vertices together to create 3D objects.
A group of vertices used to define a 3D object is called a point cloud. Each point in a cloud
is usually called a vertex and is used to define one of the corners of a polygon. Points used
to define a spline (see below) are called control points. We’ll define these terms a little
later.

SPLINES
Splines are lines that are defined
by multiple control points. The
following graphic shows three
basic types of splines. The
simplest type of spline consists
of a set of control points
connected by straight lines,
called a linear spline (shown on
the near right). The other two
splines are curved. You can curve a spline by adjusting its basis, or method used to
compute the spline. Splines can be divided into interpolating and approximating.
An interpolating spline will always touch the points that define it. In the above graphic,
the two splines on the left are interpolating. This gives them a more drastic skin-like bend
than approximating splines. Approximating splines, such as the rightmost example in the
above graphic, have a softer curve because they don’t necessarily touch the points that
define them. Either type of spline requires three or more control points in order to show
any curvature. Poser Figure Artist uses interpolating splines for such things as the Walk
Designer and the Animation palette.

10

3D B A S I C S

POLYGONS
Polygons are multiple-sided surfaces that use vertices to
define their corners and edges to define their limits. Most 3D
applications use triangles (3-sided polygons) and/or
rectangles (4-sided polygons). Groups of polygons form a
polygonal mesh, which alone or with other meshes defines a
mesh object. Let’s reexamine the box example we used above:
In this example, the point cloud consists of eight vertices.
These eight vertices are connected by 12 edges, which define
six rectangular polygons. Had we used triangles, the eight
vertices would be connected by 18 edges, which would define
12 polygons.

11


Chapter 3: More 3D Elements

W
e have just a few more basics to cover before diving into the actual tutorials.

THE POSER FIGURE ARTIST WORKSPACE
The Poser Figure Artist workspace (you’ll see this referred to throughout this manual) is
the virtual 3D world in which you build your scenes. This world contains an origin and the
three axes.

The Document window acts as the viewfinder for the currently selected camera. By look-
ing through this viewfinder, you can see the workspace. Please refer to the Poser Figure
Artist Reference Manual, “The Document Window” for more information about the Docu-
ment window.

NORMALS
A surface normal is a line (vector) that points
perpendicular to (away from) the surface it
originates from. Since models have more than
one surface, knowing which way the normals
are facing can help you understand how a
particular function will affect a model. This is
important when rendering a model or for
calculating other operations such as a collision
(determining if two objects are residing in the
same 3D space). If a model’s normals are
inverted, certain routines may behave erratically or your model may render incorrectly.
Poser Figure Artist allows you to control the direction of the normals and automatically
performs these calculations for you.

CAMERA
The Camera is a default object. This means that it always exists and cannot be deleted.
However, the camera is an object like any other and can be moved and animated.
Additionally, you can apply many different settings to the camera including its position,
angle, perspective, and focal length. These are standard photography terms. Object
animation rules apply to the camera.

12

3D B A S I C S

LIGHTS
A light source is a special kind of primitive. When Poser Figure Artist launches, it places
three default lights in your scene. You can add, edit and remove lights in your scene and
can also control and animate many settings such as color, intensity, position, shaders
(gels), etc.

HIERARCHY
You may group objects in a hierarchy in order to
facilitate manipulation. The original object is known as a
parent, and each object linked to it is known as a child.
The graphic shows an example of a simple hierarchy. In
this example, the trunk is the parent. The branch is a
child of the trunk, the twig is a child of the branch, and
the leaf is a child of the twig. Selecting and moving the
trunk will also move the branch, twig, and leaf. Moving
the branch does not affect the trunk but moves the twig
and leaf, and moving the twig moves the leaf without
affecting the branch or trunk. Selecting the leaf only
moves the leaf.
Let’s try another example: Bend your arm at the shoulder. Notice that your shoulder
rotation moves your upper arm, lower arm, wrist, hand, and fingers. In this case, your
upper arm is a child of your shoulder and so forth. Now try bending a finger. Your hand,
wrist, arm, and shoulder do not move.

ANIMATION
Poser Figure Artist lets you animate virtually everything in your scene including objects,
lights, materials (which can have a shader tree containing one or more nodes), and the
camera. Each scene item has different settings (parameters) that can also be animated. For
example, you can animate an object’s scale, rotation, translation, and shape, or a light’s
color, position, and intensity (Poser Figure Artist calculates shadows). You can animate
any component of an object’s material. Plus, you can animate the camera’s position and
rotation. Creating animations involves making changes to these parameters over time and
assigning these changes to keyframes.

KEYFRAMING
Animations are made up of individual images known as frames. An animation is created
when a series of frames that vary slightly from one frame to the next are displayed one
after another over time.

13


Keyframing is the core of computer animation and involves the following general process:
First, a starting frame is created on a timeline and all parameters for each object in a scene
are assigned to that frame. Next, an ending frame is created later on the timeline and all
changes to any parameters are assigned to this frame. Poser Figure Artist then compares
the parameters assigned to the starting and ending frames and calculates all of the
intermediate frames that occur between the starting and ending frames. This calculation is
called interpolation.
For example, if you tell Poser Figure Artist that an object is large and red at Frame #1 then
small and blue at Frame #10, then Frames 1 and 10 become the keyframes. Poser Figure
Artist then calculates the intermediate values for all of the frames in between the
keyframes. Thus, as the animation moves from Frame 1 to Frame 10, the large red ball
will gradually shrink and turn blue with each passing frame until it reaches the values you
set for it at Frame 10. Keyframing and interpolation allow you to create complex
animations with a minimum amount of work.

14

3D B A S I C S

Chapter 4: Groups

T
his section describes how Poser Figure Artist differentiates between body part
groups, material groups, and other group types on a figure or prop. This
explanation is specific to Poser Figure Artist, however it will provide you with the
background information you need in order to understand groups in general.
The following examples use the Poser 4 Casual Woman figure (available in the Library
palette’s Figures category. Add this figure to your scene by clicking the Change Figure
or Add Figure button at the bottom of the Library palette, as described in the Poser
Figure Artist Reference Manual, “Using Objects from the Library Palette”). Please
remember that each figure/prop is different, having different body parts, materials, hair,
and cloth groups. Further, the groups themselves may be arranged in different orders.
However, the concepts explained here are the same for each figure/prop.
Poser figures consist of named body parts that can
be selected and articulated (or posed). Props
normally consist of a single part that cannot be
articulated, although poseable props do exist. The
following graphic depicts an example of Poser body
parts:
The example displays several body parts: head, left
eyeball, right eyeball, neck, chest, left collar, and
right collar. Each of these body parts can be
articulated (posed).
Each body part consists of one or more polygons.

As hinted above, there are several different types of
polygon groups, and one polygon can belong to
more than one type of group. For example, each
polygon “belongs” to either a body part or a prop
and may also “belong” to material, hair, and/or
cloth groups. A polygon can only be in one group
of each type at a time. Thus, the following group
combinations are possible:
One body part may have one material assigned
to it. For example, the neck will probably have
the “skin” material.

15


Two or more body parts may use the same material. For example, the fingers may all
use the “skin” material.
One body part may use more than one material. For example, each eyeball may have
separate materials for the eyeball, iris, and pupil.
In addition to the above, a polygon may be part of a hair group and/or a cloth group.
Since body parts and materials are the most
obvious forms of grouping, let’s use them to
illustrate grouping as a whole since the same
concepts apply to hair and cloth groups as well. The
graphic displays the material assignments for the
above-displayed body parts.
You can see that the head, neck, and portions of the
chest use the skin material. The chest and collars
use the shirt material. The eyes use eyeball, pupil,
and iris materials. The head uses several materials
including skin, lips, and eyebrows.
The important things to remember are:
Poser Figure Artist groups polygons by body part, material, hair, and cloth, and these
groups are independent of each other.
Each material in a figure/prop gets assigned a unique numbered ID, and that ID is in
turn used by a polygon to specify which material should be applied to that polygon.
For example, the skin material may have ID 1, the shirt ID 2, etc. Each polygon in a
figure/prop includes the ID number of the material assigned to that polygon. Changing
a material itself will affect the appearance of all polygons that have the corresponding
material ID. For example, if one made the skin green, then all polygons with the “skin”
material ID would turn green regardless of the body part.

16

3D B A S I C S

The following table depicts a partial list of the relationships between body parts and
materials in the Poser 4 Casual Woman figure:

Body Part Assigned Material(s)
Head skin
eyeBrow
lashes
lips
innermouth
tongue
teeth
inmouth
Eyeballs (left and right) eyeBall
pupil
iris
Neck skin
Collars (left and right) shirt
Chest skin
shirt

Again, the only relationship between the body parts, materials, hair, and cloth is that
defined by the figure’s creator. Poser Figure Artist does not mandate any such
relationship.
Now that we have differentiated between body part and material groups and mentioned
hair and cloth, let’s describe hair and cloth groups in more detail:

HAIR GROUPS
Hair groups are groups of polygons that can also belong to any body
part, prop, and material group. Polygons that are part of hair groups
can have real 3D hair grown on them. Please refer to the Poser Figure
Artist Reference Manual, “Chapter 28: The Hair Room” for more
information about the Hair room.

CLOTH GROUPS
Poser Figure Artist’s Cloth room allows you to create realistic cloth that you can use for
almost any purpose in your scene. Cloth groups are actually vertex groups, meaning that
they are groups of vertices instead of polygons, however this makes little difference in the
overall discussion. Vertices belonging to a cloth group cannot belong to a body part group.

17


Here is an example of a figure wearing dynamic
cloth, which consists of props with named
groups. See how the cloth realistically drapes
and moves as the figure moves:
Please refer to the Poser Figure Artist Reference
Manual, “Chapter 29: The Cloth Room” for
more information about the Cloth room.

18

3D B A S I C S

Chapter 5: Multi/Sub-object
Materials

E
ach figure/prop has its own unique material list containing
individual materials within that list. You can see this for yourself
by creating a Poser Figure Artist scene with two or more figures/
props and opening the Material room.
This sample scene has two figures (Casual Woman and Business Man)
and two props (Female Hair and Male Hair). The Material room therefore
displays the following selections:
As you can see, the two
figures in this image each have different
materials lists. Each object in a Poser Figure
Artist scene has its own list of materials,
which is different for each object. These lists
of materials behave like a multi/sub-object
material list/table.

Figure 1: Woman Figure 2: Man

WHY MULTI/SUB-OBJECT MATERIALS?
The purpose of having more than one material per figure (multi/sub-object materials) is to
provide each polygon with a different or shared material property with other polygons.
This gives you control over material properties down to the polygon level.
A side benefit is that multi/sub-object materials also allow great flexibility. For example,
if you have a scene with multiple figures, each figure can have its own skin and clothing
colors. Selecting one figure or prop displays only the materials assigned to just that figure/
prop, which organizes your materials and prevents possible confusion. Also, if you save a
figure or prop to the Library palette, its materials will be saved as well, thereby
preserving your work.

19


COLOR
Color is easy. By applying a color to an object or material group, you are essentially
dumping a bucket full of paint on that object or group. Color goes a long way toward
establishing the final look of your object but it doesn’t tell the whole story. For example,
painting an apple red is obvious, but the simple red color does not contain the other colors
and shades, nor does it portray the apple’s small imperfections and other features. Thus, a
material that simply uses color ends up looking plastic.

ABOUT MAPS & TEMPLATES
Look at your own skin. Notice the differing colors, hairs, veins, moles, and other features.
Look at any object. Is it smooth or rough? Opaque or transparent? If transparent, does it
have the same transparency all over or in portions? Is it matte or glossy? Is it reflective?
What sort of texture or pattern does it have? Now look at the objects around you. They all
have different material properties. How can you capture these properties in your 3D
objects? One answer is mapping. Each object in your Poser Figure Artist scene can have
its own maps, which are used for specifying various attributes. Maps provide an efficient
way to add advanced effects to your objects. For example, if you had to model every
wrinkle, mole, eyelash, hair, or other feature, your object’s polygon count (number of
polygons) would quickly become prohibitive. In fact, most of the 3D figures and other
objects you see in feature films have relatively low polygon counts and make extensive
use of mapping.
As you know, most maps are two-dimensional representations of 3D surfaces. Each point
on the Earth’s surface that lies within the map’s area of coverage corresponds to a point on
the map. Depending on the area being mapped and the mapping method used, the map
may or may not resemble the actual surfaces it represents. This effect is called distortion
and is most easily seen on world maps created using the Mercator projection. We could
spend a lot of time on this, but the important things to remember are that:
Maps are 2D representations of 3D surfaces.
Each coordinate (location) on the 3D surface corresponds to a location on the map.
The map may or may not resemble the 3D surface.

20

3D B A S I C S

Here is a sample map template for a Poser figure:

The grid-like lines on the map correspond to the polygons on the figure mesh object itself.
Blank areas do not correspond to any part of the figure and are ignored. Thus, you can
“color outside the lines” without ill effect, since only color falling within the lines actually
appears on the figure.
Maps used for figures normally use the UV coordinate system where the upper left corner
corresponds to 0,0 and the bottom right corner to 1,1. Thus, the exact center of the map
would be at 0.5,0.5. For any given object, you start with the blank template shown above
and modify it depending on the type of map you are creating.

BUMP MAPS
A bump map is used to simulate roughness on a surface. Bump maps are grayscale images
where dark gray/black signifies lower areas and bright white/light gray areas signify

21


higher areas. They work by shifting the object’s normals to give the illusion of depth. On a
human figure, a bump map allows you to simulate wrinkles and other imperfections/
textures.

TRANSPARENCY MAPS
A transparency map is like a bump map in that it is a grayscale image. Transparency maps
regulate the amount of opacity in a given location. The darker the color is, the greater the
transparency, and vice versa. Here’s a sample transparency map for eyelashes.
Look at the bump map, above. The lighter
colored areas around the eyelashes indicate
that they should have height, that is, they
should stand out from the figure itself. The
texture map (see page 24) specifies the
lashes’ color as rough smears. The transparency map above allows only those portions of

22

3D B A S I C S

the texture map corresponding to the lighter areas to show through. The combined effect is
eyelashes that stick out from the eyes. Where there are no eyelashes, you can see the skin
beneath them. This is a great example of how combining maps can create very realistic
effects.

REFLECTION MAP
Reflection maps are also grayscale. As the name implies, they are used to differentiate
areas of varying reflectivity. The use of reflection maps allows you to, for example, create
a patterned mirror where the patterns have a higher or lower amount of reflection.

DISPLACEMENT MAP
Displacement maps are very similar to bump maps but with a key difference: Instead of
simply shifting normals, displacement maps actually move (displace) an object’s
geometry. Thus, displacements provide more “real” depth than bump maps. Displacement
occurs at render time, meaning that objects will look smooth until rendered.

TEXTURE MAP
All map types (bump, transparency, etc.) are 2D representations of 3D objects, and texture
maps are no exception. Texture maps are the primary way of making 3D objects look real.
Texture maps make skin on your Poser figure look real, add realistic grain to wood, etc.
The following example shows a texture map for one of the Poser figures:

23


You can use shader elements such as color to get an effect without using texture maps, but
you won’t be able to precisely place features where you want them (such as painted
fingernails on the ends of the fingers).

NOTE
TEXTURE MAPS ARE FULLY COLORED, UNLIKE THE GRAYSCALE EXAMPLE SHOWN ABOVE.

24

3D B A S I C S

PROCEDURAL SHADERS
Poser Figure Artist’s FireFly rendering engine supports the use of procedural shaders (or
shaders for short). Shaders consist of a root node that can be modified by adding
additional nodes that modify one or more of the root node’s values. A node’s output can
modify one or more nodes, and you can use more than one node to influence another. You
can include all of the maps we’ve discussed above when building shaders. You can also
create realistic materials that don’t require any maps at all, or you can have other nodes
modifying any maps you decide to use. Thus, shaders are a second method of creating
materials that may or may not integrate maps. Please refer to the Poser Figure Artist
Reference Manual, “Chapter 26: The Material Room” for information about Poser Figure
Artist’s Material room.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
The following image demonstrates the results you can achieve by combining the various
types of maps:

25

PART 2
Basic Poser 7
Operations

BASIC POSER 7 OPERATIONS

Chapter 6: Poser 7 Operations
Tutorial

W
elcome to the Poser 7 Operations Tutorial. This tutorial is designed to introduce
all the major features and functions in Poser 7. Its main goal is to teach you the
techniques you need to know to create realistic poses and animations.
This Tutorial chapter is divided into two sections:
The Basics, which contains a basic tutorial to help you get started using Poser 7.
Advanced Tutorials, which lead you through figure modification and animation.

THE BASICS
The following set of lessons is designed to help you learn the basic operations in Poser 7.
They cover topics such as working with posing and scene development tools.

LESSON 1: WORKING WITH CAMERAS
You can access the cameras in Poser 7 in several different ways. An often overlooked
method of selecting a camera is by using keyboard keys. Learning a few key commands
can make viewing a figure much easier.
There are two types of cameras in Poser 7: Conical and Isometric. Conical cameras (such
as the Main, Hand and Face cameras) act like real-world cameras in that they display
perspective. Isometric cameras (such as From Top, From Left, etc.) have no perspective.
When you view figures using Isometric cameras you won’t be able to rotate around the
workspace.
Each camera has its own center; it centers on and rotates around an object. For example,
the Right Hand camera rotates around the Right Hand, and the Face camera rotates around
the face. Both cameras face the center directly unless you intentionally redirect them.
Refer to the Poser 7 Reference Manual, “Cameras” for more on cameras.
In this lesson you’ll explore the Poser 7 workspace using the various cameras.

NOTE
UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE, THE TUTORIALS IN THIS SECTION USE THE POSER 4 CASUAL
WOMAN FIGURE.

27


To view your figure using the Main camera:
1 Hold down the Command/Ctrl-M. The view switches to the Main Camera.

The view from the Main camera.

2 Move your cursor over the Trackball in the Camera controls.
3 Click and drag from left to right over the Trackball. Then drag
from right to left.

The new view of the workspace.

You’ll notice that the Main camera points at the center of the workspace. You can change
this default behavior by linking the camera to an object in the workspace.
To link a camera to an object:
1 Make sure that the Main Camera is the currently selected object.
Check the Current Figure and Current Actor menus at the top of the Document
window. They should list Figure 1 and Main Camera. If not, click the menu and select
the Main Camera.
2 Choose Object menu>Point At.
The Choose Actor dialog appears.
The dialog shows a visual list of all the objects in your scene.

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Scroll down until you see the Head element.
3 Click Head in the list and click OK.
The Main camera now points at the Head. Note the new parameter dial called Point At
appears at the top of the list of dials.

The view of the workspace with the Point At behavior applied.

4 Move your cursor over the Move XY tool on the Camera controls and drag down
until the camera moves behind the figure.

The new view of the workspace.

No matter where you move the camera, the Head remains in the view.
With the Point At behavior the camera always points at the target object, without changing
its position.
By changing the camera’s parent, you can automatically move the camera whenever you
move the figure.
To change a camera’s parent:
1 Choose Object menu>Change Parent.
The Choose Parent dialog appears.

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2 Choose Body from the list.
3 Click OK.

The new view from the Main camera using Body as its parent.

4 Press Command/Ctrl-T to switch to the Top camera.

The view of the workspace from the Top camera.

5 Click the Translate tool.

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6 Select the figure ring around the Body and move it anywhere in the Document
window. Do not click directly on the body or you will alter the pose.

The repositioned Body.

7 Press Command/Ctrl-M to switch back to the Main camera

The view of the workspace from the Main camera.

Notice that the view from the Main camera remains the same. That’s because the
camera moved with the Body when you repositioned it.
Try moving the figure’s body again using another camera and switch back to the Main
camera. The Main camera returns to the same position.

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To view the figure using the Face camera:
1 Press Command/Ctrl-(=) to switch to the Face Camera.

The view from the Face camera.

2 Click and drag left over the Trackball.
Notice that Face camera always stays with the selected figure, no matter where you
move the figure.
The Face Camera is ideal for making animations that center on a single figure.
To view the figure using the Top camera:

The view of the workspace from the Top Camera.

The Top camera, like the Left, Right and Front cameras, is an Isometric camera,
meaning that it doesn’t show perspective.
It is designed specifically for viewing a pose rather than rendering poses. This camera
is very useful for placing figures, creating animations, and locating Figures and
Spotlights you may have lost in the workspace.

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2 Set the Top camera Scale Parameter Dial to 400% or more to get a wide view of the
Poser 7 workspace.

The expanded view of the workspace.

A Note on Focal Lengths
Poser 7’s default cameras are set to 25mm and have all the attributes of a real-world 25mm
Wide Angle Lens. You can experiment with other focal lengths such as 50mm, which
resembles the human eye’s view, and 100mm, a lens favored by Portrait Photographers.
Each time you set the focal length, the Scale will also reset. Scaling down from 100% to
25% zooms in, while scaling up from 100% to 1000% zooms out.

LESSON 2: TRACKING MODES
A tracking mode determines how the figure looks as you move it. Box Tracking mode
displays the figure as boxes all the time. Fast Tracking mode displays the figure as boxes
during movement, and uses the currently selected display style when the figure is still.
Full Tracking mode displays the figure in the current display style at all times.
Tracking modes help you overcome the limitations of your computer’s processing speed
when posing. Faster computers can display better tracking, while slower machines benefit
from less complex modes.
In this lesson you’ll learn how to choose a tracking mode.
To set a tracking mode:
1 Click one of the Tracking Mode icons located in the pop-up menu at the
bottom left of the Document window.
1 From the top to bottom they are: Box Tracking, Fast Tracking, and Full
Tracking.
2 Click each of the mode icons and adjust the figure’s pose. Observe how different
modes affect response time.

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3 Use the mode that doesn’t slow down your computer’s response time.

WORKING WITH LIGHTS
Lights are one of the most necessary and least understood part of any 3D Program. Often
they’re difficult to use. Poser 7’s remedy is unique Lighting controls that let you
intuitively manipulate lights.
There are four types of lights available in Poser 7: Infinite lights, Point lights, Spotlights,
and Diffuse Image Based Lighting (IBL). To use them effectively, you first need to
understand the differences between them. Infinite light illuminates one side of everything
in the scene in the same way sunlight does. Point lights emit light from a single point
outward in a 360-degree radius. Spotlights point in a single direction and illuminate
everything that falls within the cone of light they produce. Diffuse Image Based Lighting
uses a 360-degree light distribution map, or light probe, to illuminate the scene. Poser 7
uses infinite lights by default.

LESSON 1: USING THE LIGHT CONTROLS
You’ll begin this lesson by deleting two of the three default lights in the Poser 7 scene and
learning the controls.
To use the Light controls:
1 On the Light controls, select the circle for the light you want to delete.

Each light in the workspace is represented by a circle on the Light controls. This example shows a
selected light.

2 Click the Delete Light icon.
3 The selected light is deleted.
4 Select another light and repeat step 2.
5 Select the remaining light.

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6 Click and drag over the control from left to right.

The Light Ring in the Document window.

Note how the Light Indicator (representing the global light) revolves around the figure.
The arrows of the indicator show the direction from which the light comes.

NOTE
YOU CAN USE THE ROTATE TOOL TO MANIPULATE THE LIGHT INDICATOR DIRECTLY IN THE
DOCUMENT WINDOW.

The Light Intensity slider on the Lighting controls has a range from 0% to 100%. It acts
as the brightness control, or dimmer. The midway point of the slider is 75%.
The parameter dials also let you control some of the light’s parameters. Refer to the Poser
7 Reference Manual, “Lighting” for more on lights.
Next you’ll add a spotlight to the workspace.
To add a spotlight:
1 Click the Create Light icon.
1 A new light appears on the Light controls.
2 Drag the new light’s circle to locate it approximately front and
center. This places the light in front of the figure.

The position of new light on the Lighting controls.

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3 Set the Light Intensity slider to approximately 75%, or the middle of the slider.

The Light Intensity slider set to 75%.

4 Click the Light Properties icon.

The Light Properties icon.

The Light Properties palette appears.
5 Enable the Spotlight option.

The Spotlight option on the Light Properties palette.

You now have a new spotlight, you can control how it behaves by applying the Point At
function to it.
To apply the Point At behavior to a light:
1 Make sure your new spotlight is the selected element.

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The Choose Actor dialog appears.
3 Choose Head from the Select a Scene Element list.
4 Set the yTrans parameter dial to between 0.900 and 1.000.
5 Set the zTrans dial -1.0.
The spotlight’s Indicator moves out from behind the camera to behind the figure.
Notice how it always remains pointed at the Head.

The Spotlight’s indicator in the Document window.

6 Adjust the values of the x, y or zRotate parameter dials.
You’ll notice that the spotlight doesn’t rotate like an infinite light. Infinite lights rotate
around the center of the workspace. Spotlights rotate around the center of the light
object.

USING POSER 7’S TOOLS
The lessons in this section teach you how to work with the most commonly used Posing
tools and the parameter dials.

LESSON 1: THE PARAMETER DIALS
The simplest way of posing a figure is by selecting each individual part, and using the
parameter dials to move it into the desired position.
A much faster way of posing is to use the four main posing tools directly on the figure in
the Document window. However, this method requires considerable practice.
This lesson leads you through the process of posing a figure using the parameter dials.
To pose by typing in numerical values:
1 Click the Translate/Pull tool.

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2 Select the Right Shoulder in the Document window.

The Right Shoulder selected on the figure.

A series of parameter dials appear.
3 Click the value on the Bend dial.

The Bend dial.

4 Type 80 in the field that appears.

The Bend dial.

The whole right arm should now be at the figure’s side.

The new position of the right arm.

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To pose using the dials:
5 Select the Left Shoulder

The left shoulder selected.

6 Select the Bend dial.
7 Drag the dial right to left until the value shown is at or near -80.
The left arm should be at the figure’s side.

The new position of the left arm.

Notice that for the left shoulder, the downward bend value is negative, for the right
shoulder, the value is positive. This is generally true when working with a figure; left is
negative and right is positive. Try this with the Front-Back dial on both shoulders.

LESSON 2: THE ROTATE TOOL
The Rotate tool is probably the most useful tool for directly manipulating your figures.
Unlike the Translate tools, it only affects the individually selected part.
In this lesson you’ll use the Rotate tool on the Forearms.

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To pose using the Rotate tool:
1 First, switch to the From Left camera by pressing Command/Ctrl-( ; ). This makes
rotating easier.

NOTE
BECOMING USED TO QUICKLY CHANGING CAMERAS MAKES POSING A MUCH SIMPLER TASK

You are now looking at the figure’s right side.
2 Click the Rotate tool.
3 In the Document window, select the Right Forearm.

The selected Right Forearm.

4 Place the cursor directly over the selected forearm, then click and drag to the right until
it is extended in front of the figure.

Drag to the right until the arm is in the position shown.

5 Press Command/Ctrl-( ’ ) to switch to the From Right Camera.

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You are now looking at the left side of the figure.

The figure shown through the From Right Camera.

6 Select the Left Forearm with the Rotate tool.

The selected Left Forearm.

7 Place your cursor behind the figure and drag to the left.
The Forearm bends up.

Drag left until the forearm is in the position shown.

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8 Place the cursor to the left of the figure and drag up. The Forearm follows.

Drag up until the forearm is in the position shown.

Now you have used two methods of working with the Rotate tool. You can use the tool
directly on the selected part, or you can drag the tool across the workspace and the part
will follow. This is true of all four main Posing tools: Rotate, Twist, Translate/Pull and
Translate In/Out.

LESSON 3: THE TWIST TOOL
The Twist tool does exactly what its name implies, it twists body parts. This is
accomplished by selecting the part and drawing the tool across the screen. It is an
extremely useful tool for creating realistic poses quickly.
To use the Twist tool:
1 First, press Command/Ctrl-M to switch back to the Main Camera. Select
Edit>Restore>Figure to reset the figure to the default position.

The figure shown through the Main Camera.

2 Select the Twist tool.
3 Move your cursor over the faint circle that surrounds the figure. When you’re directly
over it, the circle turns white.

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4 Click and hold the highlighted circle; it turns red.

A figure with the Figure ring highlighted.

5 Move your cursor to the left side of the Document window and to the right until you
see the figure at a three quarter face.
Check the yRotate dial value. It should be at about 45 degrees.

The rotated figure.

6 Select the Hips with the Twist tool.

The Hips selected with the Twist tool.

7 Drag to the left until the figure is once again directly facing the camera.

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8 Select the Neck and drag to the left.
The Twist dial should be near -16 degrees.

The selected Neck.

9 Select the Head and drag to the left.
The Twist dial should be near -16 degrees.

The final position of the Head.

LESSON 4: THE TRANSLATE TOOLS
The Translate/Pull, and Translate In/Out tools are some of the most powerful direct
posing tools available to you. Used together, they can quickly generate any pose. Once
you have a pose, you can then fine-tune the pose using the parameter dials. In this lesson,
you’ll explore posing using just these tools.
To pose using the Translate/Pull tool:
1 First, save anything you wish to keep from the last tutorial, and create a new document
(File>New).
2 Select the Translate/Pull tool.

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3 In the Document window, select the Hips.

The selected Hips.

4 Drag up to lift the figure.

Drag up until the figure is in the position shown.

Notice that the feet begin pointing down until it looks like the figure is completely in
the air. This is because IK (Inverse Kinematics) is applied to the legs.
Basically, IK sets up dependencies between parts of a figure to simulate more realistic
movement. In this case, each part of the leg is dependent on another to determine
movement. for example, when the Thigh moves, the Shin follows. You can turn IK on
and off depending on your needs. Refer to the Poser 7 Reference Manual, “Posing
Figures” for a complete discussion of IK.

45


5 With the Hips selected, lower the figure so that its toes touch the Ground plane.

Drag down until the figure is in the position shown.

6 Select the Right Forearm.

The selected forearm.

7 Pull the Forearm to the right, then up and down.
Notice that this movement affects more than just the Forearm. You’re pulling the figure all
the way down to the Abdomen.
Next, you’ll explore using the Translate In/Out tool.
To use the Translate In/Out tool:
1 Click the Translate In/Out tool.

46


2 Select the Right Foot.

The Right Foot selected.

3 Drag up.
The Right Foot and leg move away from you.

The position of the Right Foot after the move.

4 Select the Chest.
5 Drag down.
The figure appears to bow.

The new position of the Chest.

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6 Press Command/Ctrl-Z to undo the last command.
7 Choose Figure>Use Inverse Kinematics>Left Arm then choose Right Arm to turn
IK on in the arms. IK is enabled when a checkmark appears next to a menu item.
8 Select the Chest again and drag down.
With IK turned on, the Hands resist movement when you translate a body part that
affects them. It appears as if they are holding onto something.

The position of the figure with IK turned off.

POSING
In this section you’ll learn several ways of posing that expand on what you have learned in
the previous sections.

LESSON 1: CREATING POSES
In this lesson, you’re going to use everything you’ve learned so far about Poser 7’s tools to
create a simple, yet realistic pose: Hands on Hips.
You’ll use the tools as well as the Symmetrical command to quickly set-up the pose. Keep
in mind that although the human body looks symmetrical, it’s rarely positioned in a
symmetrical manner. Even a very symmetrical pose like placing both hands on your hips
may not look entirely natural if you just reverse the values from left and right. That’s why
you’ll also use the tools to set up a more natural position for the figure’s limbs.
Posing using the Editing Tools can be somewhat imprecise for the new user; you may
want to use the parameter dials to reposition body parts. The parameter dial values used in
the pose are listed so you can duplicate it using only the dials.
Once you achieve the pose described here, use what you’ve learned to make additional
adjustments so that the final pose looks right to you.
To position the right arm:
1 Select the Twist tool.

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1 Select the figure’s Right Shoulder.
2 Place the Twist tool over the background in the Document window.
3 Drag right so that the arm twists to 45°.
The Right Shoulder’s Twist parameter should be set at approximately 45°.

The Right Shoulder should be in the position shown.

4 Select the Right Forearm and drag right.
The Twist dial should be at 14°.

The Right Forearm should be in the position shown.

5 Select the Right Collar and drag right.
The Twist dial should be at 25°.

The Right Collar should be in the position shown.

6 Select the Rotate tool.
7 Select the Right Hand.
8 Move the Rotate tool to a blank area of the Document window and drag right to bend
the Right Hand.

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The Bend dial should read about -75°.

The Right Hand after positioning.

9 Select the Right Forearm.
10 Set the Bend dial to 95°.
11 Set the Side-Side dial to 5°.

The new position of the Right Forearm.

12 Using the Rotate tool, select the Right Shoulder.
13 Set Bend to 26°.

The new position of the Right Shoulder.

14 Select the Right Collar.

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15 Set Bend to 25°.

The repositioned Right Collar.

Once you’re done, your parameter dials should read as follows:
Right Collar:
Twist = 25°
Bend = 25°
Right Shoulder:
Twist = 45°
Bend = 26°
Right Forearm:
Twist = 14°
Side-Side= 5°
Bend = 95°
Right Hand:
Bend = -75°

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To apply the right arm pose to the left arm:
1 Choose Figure menu>Symmetrical>Right Arm to Left Arm.

The symmetrical pose.

2 A dialog will appear asking if you want to copy the joint zone’s setup also. Click No.
3 Save the file.
Your pose is almost finished, but it still looks a little unnatural. Next you’ll shift the
figure’s weight.
To achieve a natural standing position:
2 Select the Right Foot.
3 Drag left so that the figure appears to be placing its weight on the left leg.

The repositioned foot.

4 Choose Figure menu>Use Inverse Kinematics>Right Arm.
5 Choose Figure menu>Use Inverse Kinematics>Left Arm.
6 Click the Twist tool.

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7 Select the Abdomen.
8 Drag left so that the Twist dial reads -10°.

The repositioned Abdomen.

9 Select the Chest.
10 Drag left so that the Twist dial reads -10°.

The finished pose.

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LESSON 2: ADDING POSES TO THE POSES LIBRARY
Once you create a pose, you can add it to the Library for future use. For easy access,
you’ll also create a new category for your custom poses.
To add a pose to the library:
1 Press Command/Ctrl-Shift-B to open the Library palette.

2 Click the Poses button.

The Poses subcategory folders are listed.

54


3 Click the down arrow to the right of the Poses title at the top of the Poses Library.
This opens the Library Options menu. From this menu, choose Add New Category.

The Sub-Category menu.

A Save dialog appears.
4 Enter a name for your personal Library subcategory and press Enter.
5 A dialog appears asking if you want to save a single frame or a multi-frame animation.
Select single frame and click OK.
A new category appears in the palette.
6 Click the Add to Library (+) icon at the bottom of the palette to add a custom pose.

The Add to Library icon.

7 Enter a name for the pose, such as Hands on Hips or Posed Arms 01.

55


8 Press Enter.

The pose saved into a personal category.

Poser 7 creates a Library entry which you can use as the base for other poses on other
figures. However, if you use a figure other than the Poser 4 Casual Female, you may
need to make subtle adjustments to make the pose work correctly.

LESSON 3: POSING FACES
Facial expressions are created using morph targets. These targets alter the shape of the
polygon mesh that makes up the figure.
Many of the parameter dials on the Face have morph targets associated with them.When
you work with facial dials, you’re moving the figure’s geometry towards one or more
morph geometries. Refer to the Poser 7 Reference Manual, “Modifying Figures and
Props” for more on morph targets.
The Scale, Translation, Rotation and Taper dials for the Face are not morph targets.
To apply preset expressions:
1 Press Command/Ctrl-N to start a new document.
2 Press Command/Ctrl-(+) to switch to the Face camera.
3 Press Command/Ctrl-Shift-B to display the Library palette.
4 Click the Expression button to open the Facial Expressions category.

56


5 Select the appropriate subcategory to see expressions for the current figure. (The
expressions displayed below are located in the P4 Basic Expressions folder.)

The Expressions library.

6 Select the figure’s head in the Document window.

The selected head.

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7 Apply each expression preset by double-clicking on the library thumbnail.

An expression preset applied to the figure.

As you apply each face, pay attention to the Head’s parameter dials. Notice how they
change, interacting with each other to achieve a desired expression.
When you examine the dials you’ll see that the mouth has more targets than any other
part of the face. That’s because the mouth can be precisely posed to create subtle
expressions.

Parameter dials for the mouth.

Keep in mind that dials such as Smile affect primarily the upper lip, as opposed to the
Frown dial which affects the lower lip. Slightly fewer dials apply to the brows—three
for each.

NOTE
YOU’LL NOTICE THAT FOR SOME FIGURES, SUCH AS THE POSER 4 CASUAL WOMAN, THERE IS
NO TARGET FOR A FURLED BROW. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS, SELECT THE WORRY LEFT AND
WORRY RIGHT DIALS AND ENTER NEGATIVE 0.5 IN EACH.

After exploring the facial controls, you’re ready to create your own expression. Next,
you’ll create the face of an angry woman using the target dials.

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To create an expression:
1 Select the head.
2 Enter Open Lips= 0.431 to tighten the lips.
3 Set Smile= -0.128.
4 Set Mouth F= 0.152. This pulls in the lower lip.
5 Set Mouth M= 0.234 to tighten the lips laterally.
6 Set Blink Right and Blink Left = 0.2 to narrow the eyes slightly.

NOTE
BE SURE TO USE THE DECIMAL POINT IN EACH OF THESE NUMBERS. IF, FOR INSTANCE, YOU
ENTER -431 INSTEAD OF -0.431 FOR THE OPEN LIPS, YOU WILL SEVERELY DISTORT YOUR
FIGURE—SHE’LL BE VERY ANGRY.

The completed expression.

7 Click the Add to Library (+) button at the bottom of the Library palette to save the
file to the Expression library.

RENDERING
Rendering is the process of converting your 3D figure into a 2D image or animation.
There are several options you can set for a rendering session. All available options are
displayed in the Render Settings window.
To set up a rendering session:
1 Choose File>Open.
2 Locate the file paper-airplane.pz3 in the Tutorials/BasicPoserOperations folder
accompanying your Poser 7 installation.

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The paper-airplane file in the Document window.

3 Press Command/Ctrl-Y.
The Render Settings window appears.
4 Click on either the FireFly or Poser 4 render engine tab.

NOTE
THE IMAGES SHOWN IN THIS TUTORIAL WERE GENERATED USING THE POSER 4 RENDER
ENGINE.

5 If using the Poser 4 renderer, make sure the Anti-Alias box is enabled.
This gives you a clean render, but may bog down slower machines.
6 Disable the Cast Shadows option.
This will speed things up.
7 Click Render Now.

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In true WYSIWYG fashion, what you see in the Document window is exactly what is
produced.

The rendered file.

Depending on where the main camera was positioned when you saved the scene, this
may serve as your final render. However let’s assume you’re not satisfied with the
results.
To reposition the camera:
1 Select the Main Camera.

2 The Choose Actor dialog appears.
3 Select the Teacher figure’s Head element from the list, then click OK.

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4 Use the Scale parameter dial to rescale the camera so that both figures fill the screen.

Both figures in the scene.

5 Move the camera using the Move XZ tool on the Camera controls.
The camera will always point at the Teacher.

The view through the repositioned camera.

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6 Use the Move XY tool to adjust the elevation of the camera.

The view through the elevated camera.

7 Render the file again.

The test render

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8 When the test render produces good results, enable Cast Shadows in the Render
Settings window (Command/Ctrl-Y) and render the file once more.

The final render.

There is no set rule for what makes a good render. Success is subjective. Poser 7 can
produce varied results using its custom rendering engine. Try exploring other rendering
options using this file and other personal files.

ADVANCED TUTORIALS
The following tutorials are designed to be both challenging and rewarding. Do not plan on
completing these tutorials quickly; work methodically so that you become comfortable
exercising Poser 7’s most powerful features.
The scenes you create in these tutorials can be dropped into most contemporary films, or
can be the centerpiece of a major production. The goal is to provide you with experience
using Poser 7’s animation tools that will enable you to produce increasingly complex and
extravagant scenes.
At any time while working with these tutorials, feel free to experiment. Each section
overlaps and explores different features, as well as different aspects of the same features.
This allows you to develop a well rounded understanding of how to accomplish desired
effects.

64


CHARACTER CREATION AND ANIMATION
LESSON 1: CREATING A CLOWN FROM SCRATCH
Use of props and texture maps are essential to creating a good character. This lesson walks
you through the processes of scaling body parts, applying props, and texture mapping to
create a basic clown figure from scratch.
You’ll also animate your clown and place him in a scene to interact with props and other
figures.
To select a base figure:
1 Click the Figures button on the Library palette.
Select the Poser1-4>Poser 4 Hi subcategory.
2 Double-click the Business Man thumbnail to load the figure.

The Business Man thumbnail.

To set figure color:
1 Click the Smooth Shaded document style icon from the Display Style controls.

The Business Man displayed using the Smooth Shaded document style.

2 Click the Color tool.
3 Click a body part and choose white from the palette that appears.

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4 Make all the parts of the figure, including the clothing, white.
Some of the smaller parts of the figure (such as Brows, Lashes, Shoes, Lips) may be
difficult to color quickly. Try using the Face, or Hand cameras to get better views of
these areas.

The colored figure.

If there are still colored areas, click and hold the tool over the colored element and
choose white from the palette that appears.
To apply a texture map:

NOTE
THE FOLLOWING TUTORIAL DESCRIBES THE PROCEDURE FOR APPLYING A TEXTURE MAP
USING THE ADVANCED TAB OF THE MATERIAL ROOM’S SHADER WINDOW. THIS PROCESS IS
ALSO POSSIBLE USING THE SIMPLE TAB.

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To apply a custom texture map to a prop or figure in Poser 7, you will need to enter the
Material room.

1 Select the object or figure to which you want to apply the texture, in this case the
clown, and click the Material room tab.
The Material room’s Shader window appears, and the Document window will
appear at a reduced size to the left of the screen.
2 Click the Advanced tab at the top of the Shader window, to display the PoserSurface
node.
3 Make sure that the figure or prop you wish to use is selected in the Object menu. For
the purposes of this tutorial, the name will be “Figure 1”.
4 Select the particular material you wish to modify from the Material menu. We will use
the clown’s “Jacket” material.
As there is already an image map associated with this material, you will see a line
linking one or more of the channels in the PoserSurface node to a Color_Texture node.

NOTE
IF NO COLOR_TEXTURE NODE EXISTS, CLICK ON THE PLUG ICON TO THE RIGHT OF A GIVEN
CHANNEL ON THE POSERSURFACE NODE, AND DRAG TO THE RIGHT TO CREATE A
CONNECTION. POSER 7 WILL PROMPT YOU TO SELECT A NODE TYPE. SELECT 2D
TEXTURES>IMAGE_MAP.

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5 Click the white file name next to the Image_Source listing in the node. The Texture
Manager dialog will appear.

6 In the Texture Manager, browse to the image file clown01.tif in the Tutorials/
BasicPoserOperations folder of your Poser 7 installation, and click OK. Then select
“Apply to all” from the Options menu at the top right corner of the Shader window.
7 Select the Texture Shaded option from the Document Display Style tool to see
the results of your texture image in the Document window

The new texture map applied to the figure.

To add a prop:
1 Click the Props button at the top of the Library palette.
2 Select the Primitives subcategory.
3 Double-click the Ball thumbnail to load the Ball object.

The Ball thumbnail.

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4 Click the Color tool.
5 Click the ball and make it red.
To position the prop:
1 Drag to the right over the Camera controls until the From Left camera icon appears.

The From Left camera icon.

3 Position the ball in front of the clown’s face, as shown to the right.
4 With the ball selected, set the Scale dial to 22%.

The scaled ball.

5 Use the Translate/Pull tool to move the ball over the clown’s nose.

Position the ball over the nose as shown.

6 Press Command/Ctrl-F to switch to the Front camera.

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7 Check the lateral position of the ball on the nose.

The clown displayed using the Front camera.

To set the prop parent:
1 Choose Object menu>Change Parent to display the Choose Parent dialog.
The dialog shows a visual list of all the objects in your scene.
2 Select Head from the list and click OK.
3 Press Command/Ctrl-M to switch to the Main camera.
4 Review your work from several angles.
5 Save the clown to the Figures library in the Library palette. Refer to “Lesson 2:
Adding Poses to the Poses Library” on page 54 for instructions.

LESSON 2: MAKING THE CLOWN WALK
This lesson leads you through the process of creating and editing keyframes to create a
walking motion.
You can use this animation later with the Walk Designer.
Setting the First Walking Frame
To begin you need to set up a starting pose.
To set up a starting pose:
1 Make sure your clown document is still open.
2 Double-click the handle at the bottom of the screen to open the Animation controls.

The Animation controls.

3 Make sure the frame counter is set to 1 of 30.

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5 Select the Right Shoulder.
6 Set the Bend value to 78°.

The bent Right Shoulder.

7 Select the Left Shoulder.
8 Set the Bend value to -78°.

The adjusted Left Shoulder.

9 Select the Abdomen and set Side-Side to 3.

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10 Select the Chest and set Side-Side to 3.

The adjusted Abdomen and Chest.

11 Press Command/Ctrl-(’ ) to switch to the From Right camera.
13 Select the Left Foot and move it forward.

The re-positioned Left Foot.

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14 Select the Right Foot and move it back.

The final pose.

NOTE
FOR FUTURE REFERENCE, A VARIATION OF THIS POSE HAS ALREADY BEEN SAVED FOR YOU
IN THE TUTORIAL SUBCATEGORY OF THE POSES LIBRARY, UNDER THE NAME
“CLOWNSTART”.

Adding Keyframes
Once you have a starting point, you’ll create an action by changing the pose over time and
saving the changes as keyframes. A keyframe stores a point in time where action occurs.
Here you’ll store changes in foot positions as keyframes to create a walking motion. Refer
to the Poser 7 Reference Manual, “Adding and Removing Keyframes” for more on setting
up keyframes.

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To add frames:

The clown viewed from the Main camera.

2 In the Animation controls, drag the small triangle (called the Scrubber) to Frame 16.

The Scrubber at Frame 16.

3 Choose Figure>Symmetry>Swap Right and Left.
The figure’s left foot moves back and the right foot moves forward.

The left foot position swapped for the right foot position.

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4 Click the Add Keyframe (+) button to keyframe the new position.

The Add Keyframe button.

5 Move the Scrubber to Frame 15.
6 Click the Add Keyframe (+) button to insert a keyframe.
Editing Keyframes
Now that you have a number of keyframes, you’ll learn how to edit them in the
Animation palette to create more realistic motion.
To edit frames:
1 Click the Edit Keyframes button.
The Animation palette appears. The palette displays all the animatable attributes in
the workspace and all the keyframes you’ve created. Refer to the Poser 7 Reference
Manual, “Chapter 11: Animating With Poser 7” for more on this palette.

Scroll bar

The Animation palette.

2 Drag the scroll bar all the way to the top.
3 Click the green keyframes for Frame 15 and drag all the way to the bottom to select the
keyframes for all the attributes. The selection is bordered with a white line.

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All the Frame 15 keyframes selected.

Be sure only the green keyframes of Frame 15 are selected. Be very careful not to
select anything but Frame 15.
4 Drag all of selected keyframes to Frame 30.

Frame 15 keyframes moved to Frame 30.

5 Click the close box in the upper-left corner of the dialog.

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6 In the Animation controls, move the Scrubber to Frame 30.

The Scrubber at Frame 30.

7 Choose Figure>Symmetry>Swap Right and Left.
8 Click the Play button to check your work.

The Play button.

The figure should appear to walk in place.
Saving the Walk
You can save animations as poses to the Library palette. Next, you’ll save your
completed walk to the Poses library.
To save an animation to the Library:
1 Open the Library palette.
2 Click the Poses button.

The Poses icon in the Library palette.

3 Click the subcategory menu and choose Walk Designer.
4 Click the Add to Library (+) icon.

The Add to Library icon.

The Add New Set dialog appears.

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5 Enter the name “Clown Walk” for your animation and click OK.
A Save Frames dialog appears.
6 Enable the Multi Frame option and click OK.

The Save Frames dialog.

7 Your animation is saved as a 30 frame preset in the Walk Designer category.

The clown in the Library palette.

LESSON 3: THE WALK DESIGNER
The Walk Designer lets you set up various parameters to automatically create a realistic
walking motion. In this lesson you’ll use the file you created in the previous lesson in
conjunction with the Walk Designer to make your clown move.
To set up the walk animation:
1 Choose File>New to start with an empty file.
2 Open the Library palette and click the Figures icon.
3 Double-click the clown figure you saved earlier.

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The default figure is replaced with the clown.

The clown figure in the Document window.

4 Choose Figure menu>Create Walk Path.
A new path appears in the Document window. You may need to adjust the camera
view in order to see the entire path. You should use the “Move Y and Z” tool on the
Camera palette to adjust the camera.

A new Walk Path in the Document window.

5 Make sure the Scrubber in the Animation controls is at Frame 1.
6 Open the Library palette and click the Poses icon.
7 Click the subcategory menu and choose Tutorial.

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8 Double-click the Clown-Start pose to apply it to the clown.

The Clown Start pose in the Library.

9 Display the Animation palette.
11 In the Library palette, double-click the Clown Finish pose to apply it.

The Clown Finish pose in the Library.

12 Click the Current Actor popup at the top of the Document window and choose
Cameras>Top Camera.

The Current Actor menu.

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The clown viewed from the top.

13 Set Scale to 400%. You should able to see the entire scene.

The scaled view of the clown.

14 Move the camera up or down to see the whole path.
15 Select the Walk Path using the Translate/Pull tool.
It looks like a slight backward “S” extending out in front of the figure.

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The path has several small white squares along the gray walk path called nodes.

Nodes on the Walk Path.

16 Select each of the middle two nodes and move them so that the path becomes straight.
Notice how the pointer changes when you position it over the path.

Your path should look like the one shown.

17 Make sure the Scrubber is at Frame 30.
18 Click the Current Actor menu at the top of the Document window and choose Body.
19 Drag the clown to the end of the Walk Path.
Make sure the red figure ring appears before you start dragging. The ring indicates that
the whole figure is selected. Do not click directly inside the Figure ring or you will
move the figure’s parts instead of the entire figure.

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Place the clown over the end of the gray path.

The repositioned clown on the path.

To set up a walk in the Walk Designer:

NOTE
IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THIS PORTION OF THE TUTORIAL, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT THE
CLOWN WALK STYLE IS IN THE RUNTIME>LIBRARIES>POSE>WALKDESIGNER FOLDER. IF
THAT IS NOT THE CASE, YOU NEED TO COPY IT THERE FROM THE FOLDER TO WHICH YOU
SAVED IT EARLIER.

1 Press Command/Ctrl-Shift-S to open the Walk Designer.

The Walk Designer.

2 Click the Walk button to see the current walk style in action.
Click the Stop button to stop the action.
3 Scroll the Blend Styles section of the dialog until the Clown walk is visible.
4 Set Clown to 100%.

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5 Click Apply.
The Apply Walk dialog appears.

The Apply Walk dialog.

NOTE
YOU ARE ABOUT TO APPLY THE WALK TO THE FIGURE. ONCE YOU’RE DONE WITH THE WALK
DESIGNER, THE ONLY REAL WAY TO FIX ERRORS IS TO START FROM SCRATCH (BEGINNING
FROM LESSON 3).

6 Make sure the following defaults are set in the dialog:
Start Frame = 1
End Frame = 120
Figure = Figure 1
Walk In Place = Disabled
Cycle Repeat = Empty
Path = Path_1
Always Complete last step = Enabled
Transition from pose at path start in 15 Frames = Enabled
Transition to pose at path start in 15 Frames = Enabled
Align head to = Disabled
7 Once all parameters in the Walk Designer are set, click OK.
8 Click Done to close the Walk Designer.

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The new walk is applied to the clown.
9 Save the file with the name: CLOWN-ANI.

LESSON 4: KEYFRAME EDITING
So far, you’ve created a waddling clown that appears to fall over something invisible at
the end of the Walk Path. There are two missing elements: the object the clown fell over,
and the cause of his fall. By editing the animation and adding props, you can create the
story behind the clown’s actions.
First. you’ll create a back up file to preserve your work so far.
To create a back up file:
1 Open the file you saved at the end of Lesson 3.
2 Choose File>Save As.
3 Rename to the file to CLOWN-ANI01.
Now you have a back-up of your original animation.

NOTE
CONSIDER USING A COMPRESSION UTILITY TO ARCHIVE THE ORIGINAL CLOWN-WALK.PZ4
FILE. THIS WILL SAVE HARD DRIVE SPACE AND PREVENT FUTURE HEADACHE’S. YOU CAN
CONTINUE TO ADD COMPLETED LESSON FILES TO THE ARCHIVE AS YOU WORK THROUGH
THE REST OF THE TUTORIAL.

Next, you’ll set up an animated expression for the clown.
To set up an animated expression:
1 Click the Edit Keyframe button on the Animation controls.

The Edit Keyframes button.

The Animation palette appears.

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2 Click the Head label on the left side of the dialog.

The Head element selected.

3 Select all the keyframes from 2 to 105.

Head keyframes selected.

4 While still pressing the mouse button, drag up one line to include the Neck frames in
your selection.

Both Head and Neck keyframes selected.

5 Press Delete.

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6 With the frames still selected, click the Linear Section button.

Linear Section button.

This is important for any expression changes applied face during the animation.
7 Select Head keyframe 1.

Head keyframe 1 selected.

8 Close the Animation palette.
9 Open the Library palette.
10 Click the Expression button at the top of the palette.

The Expression icon on the Library palette.

11 Click the Library category popup menu and choose Add New Category.
The New Category dialog appears.
12 Enter Clown Faces and click OK.

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13 Click the Add to Library (+) button to add the clown’s face into the library.

Your clown face in the library.

15 Apply the face preset you just saved to the clown.
Next, you’ll add another actor to your scene.
To import a Poser 7 document:
1 Choose File>Import>Poser Document.
An Open dialog appears.
2 Locate the file Trapeze Artist Walk.pz3 in the Tutorials/BasicPoserOperations
folder accompanying your Poser 7 installation.
A new figure appears in the Document window.

The imported document in the Document window.

3 Click the Current Actor menu at the top of the Document window and choose Top
Camera.

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4 Set Scale to 400%.

The figures viewed from the Top Camera.

5 Click the Box Tracking icon, as shown to the right.
6 Click the Play button on the Animation controls

The Play button.

While the animation plays, watch the relative positions of the figures as they pass each
other. At the beginning, they’re walking past each other on the right. Then, the clown turns
his head to face the new figure as he walks.
To align the figure’s face:
1 Make sure the Scrubber in the Animation controls is at Frame 1.

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The scene from the Top camera.

3 Use the Twist dial to align the clown’s head to face the Trapeze Artist figure.

The clown’s head rotated to face the Trapeze figure.

NOTE
IF YOU’RE HAVING A HARD TIME SEEING THE POSITION OF THE CLOWN’S HEAD, TRY
EXPANDING THE SIZE OF THE DOCUMENT WINDOW USING THE RESIZE CONTROL IN THE
BOTTOM-RIGHT CORNER OF THE WINDOW.

4 Divide the Twist value in half and reset the Twist dial.
This creates the starting pose for the clown’s head.
5 Select the clown figure’s Neck.

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6 Use Twist to align the Neck so that the clown’s face is looking at the Trapeze Artist
figure

The head and neck rotated.

8 Repeat steps 2-6 for Frame 50.
In Frame 55, the Trapeze Artist and the Clown are in the process of passing each other.
The Clown’s chin should be in-line up with his shoulder, and his silly grin should be
intact.
10 Repeat step 2 to 6 for Frame 55.
Next, you’ll twist other body parts to keep the Clown facing the Trapeze Artist. You’ll use
the same twisting method you used on the Head to re-align the Chest and Abdomen.
To align the figure’s body:
1 Click the Edit Keyframe button to open the Animation palette.

The Edit Keyframe button.

2 Select keyframes 56 through 105 of both the Clown’s Abdomen and Chest.
3 Press Delete.
4 Close the Animation palette.

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The scene view through the Top camera.

7 Click the Current Actor menu and choose the Chest.
8 Use the Twist dial to align the clown’s chest so that its Head faces the Trapeze Artist.

The re-aligned chest and head.

Twist should be set to approximately -46.
9 Divide the value of the Chest’s Twist dial in half and reset Twist to the resulting
number.
10 Click the Current Actor menu and choose the Abdomen.
11 Use the Twist dial to align the abdomen so that the clown faces the Trapeze Artist.

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The re-aligned abdomen shown through the Main camera.

NOTE
THESE ARE MORE REFINEMENTS YOU CAN ADD TO THIS FILE TO MAKE THE ACTION MORE
REALISTIC:

HAVE THE CLOWN’S EYES FOLLOW THE TRAPEZE ARTIST AS HIS BODY FINISHES
TWISTING.

ADD HAND GESTURES TO BOTH FIGURES.

USE THE SKILLS YOU’VE LEARNED IN THE EARLIER PARTS OF THE TUTORIAL TO CREATE
THESE EFFECTS.

LESSON 5: ADDING THE FINAL TOUCH
At the end of the Clown animation, the Clown seems to trip and fall over an invisible
object. To complete the scene you’ll need to add a prop.
To add a prop:
1 Display the Library palette.
2 Select the Props category, as shown.
3 Choose the Tutorial subcategory from the menu.

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4 Click the Circus Ring.

The Circus Ring prop in the scene.

The prop is added to the scene.
Now that you have a prop, you can adjust the character’s movements to interact with it.
To add an animation to your scene:
1 Click the handle at the bottom of the screen to display the Animation controls.
The center of the Animation controls displays the current frame and the total number
of frames.
2 Click the total number of frames field.
3 Enter 130 to add ten frames.

The total number of frames field.

4 Click the current frame display and enter 121.

The current frame field.

5 Select the Poses category in the Library palette.
6 Click the subcategory menu and choose Tutorial.

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7 Click the Clown Flop pose.

The Clown Flop pose in the library.

This ten frame animation will be added to your the animation.

NOTE
WHEN YOU’RE SETTING UP AN ANIMATED POSE LIKE CLOWN FLOP TO APPEND TO A WORK IN
PROGRESS, BE SURE NOT TO MOVE THE ENTIRE BODY. ADJUST THE HIPS INSTEAD TO GET THE
PROPER MOTION IN RELATION TO THE LAST POSE CREATED.

LESSON 6: SETTING ANIMATED CAMERAS AND TEST RENDERING
In this lesson you’ll use the Dolly camera (the only free floating camera in Poser 7) to
render the scene. You could use any camera to render, the Main, Auxiliary, Posing, and
Head cameras are all good choices for rendering. However, the advantage of the Dolly
camera is that it stays true to its own center, making it useful for animations.
When you’ve completed the lesson, try experimenting with the other cameras, especially
the Head and Posing cameras.

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To position the Dolly camera:
1 Select the Dolly Camera from the Camera controls.

The Dolly camera icon.

2 In the Animation controls, move the Scrubber to frame 120.
3 Using the Move X and Y control, move the camera back until the Clown is in full
view.

The readjusted view.

4 Choose Animation>Make Movie.
The Make Movie dialog appears.
5 Click the Resolution menu and choose Quarter.
6 Click the Renderer menu and choose Preview.
These settings should give you a good test render.

NOTE
REDUCE THE RESOLUTION FOR THE TEST RENDER, AS FULL RESOLUTION RENDERS ARE TIME
CONSUMING. EVEN AT THIS RESOLUTION, THE ANIMATION WILL NOT RENDER QUICKLY.

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7 Click OK. The Save dialog appears.
8 Choose a save location for the QuickTime (MAC) or AVI (PC) file and click OK.
The Video Compression dialog appears.
9 Use the default settings and click OK.
Poser 7 starts rendering.

LESSON 7: FINAL RENDER
After one or more test renders, you’re ready to start the final rendering.
To render your final animation:
1 Choose Render>Render Settings.
2 Select a render engine (FireFly or Poser 4) and adjust the Render Settings as needed.
Enable Shadows and Anti Aliasing to produce the best results.
3 Click Render Now.
Depending on the image size and computer system, the final render may take between
45 minutes to two hours.
Poser 7’s animation toolset is its single most powerful feature. Creating animation is
challenging, even for the most experienced user. Patience is key in using all 3D
applications, and Poser 7 is no exception.

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Chapter 7: Content Management
by Lisa Ahrens
Poser 7 offers a variety of powerful tools to assist you with storing, organizing, and
obtaining more Poser content. This tutorial will walk you through the benefits available to
you from Poser 7’s Library palette, Content Paradise, Download Manager, and new
content Collections.

THE LIBRARY PALETTE
The Library palette, shown to the right, is your content management
center. The Library allows you to store content in various categories
and subcategory folders, for easy access when building your scenes.
The Library palette contains nine content categories: Figures, Poses,
Expression, Hair, Hands, Props, Lights, Cameras, and Materials.
Each of these categories holds various subcategory folders, which in
turn contain icons for specific content items. Selecting an item, and
then clicking either the Change Figure or the Create New
Figure / Apply Library Preset icon at the bottom of the Library
loads the item into your Poser 7 scene.

NOTE
THE MATERIALS LIBRARY CATEGORY IS ONLY VISIBLE WHEN YOU ARE
IN THE MATERIAL ROOM.

ADDING NEW CONTENT
You can also save items, poses, etc. from your scene into the Library. Here’s how:
1 Navigate through the Library categories, until the folder to which you want to add the
item is open.
2 If you want to add your content to a new, custom Library subcategory folder, click on
the Library Options menu icon, which is the downward facing arrow at the top right
of the folder section on the Library palette. The Options pop-up menu will appear;
select Add New Category from this list. Enter your new subcategory name in the
Library Name dialog, and then click on the icon for your new subcategory within the
Library palette, to open it.
3 Select the item you wish to save in the Document window’s Current Actor menu. If
you are saving a pose, select the figure in the Select Figure menu, and Body in the
Current Actor menu.

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ADDING REALISM

4 Click the Add to Library icon at the bottom of
the Library palette. You will see an icon for your
new content appear in the Library palette.
For more information about the dialogs that may appear
when saving various types of content to the Library,
please refer to the Poser 7 Reference Manual, “The
Poser 7 Library”.

ADDING NEW RUNTIMES
In addition to the standard Poser 7 content Library, you
can install your own custom Runtime Libraries, and
access them through the Library palette. Navigate to
the top, or Library, level of the Library palette
hierarchy, and open the Options menu as described above. Select Add New Runtime
from the list, and select your custom content library folder from the Browse For Folder
dialog that appears. When you have selected a folder and clicked OK, the folder will be
added to the Library palette as a new Runtime Library. You will then be able to switch to
your custom Library any time either by navigating to the top level of the Library palette
and selecting the runtime folder icon, or by selecting it directly from the Current
Runtime pop-up menu, which appears directly over the subcategory folder portion of the
Library palette when it is in its expanded state.
When adding a new Runtime Library, you have the option of creating a new folder directly
from the Browse For Folder dialog. Browse to the location in which you want to create
the folder, and click the Make New Folder button. A new folder will appear, and will
automatically be populated by a Libraries subfolder, containing the appropriate folders for
Poser 7 content categories. Before clicking OK, you will want to rename your new Library
folder; just right-click on the new folder within the Browse For Folder dialog, and select
Rename. Enter your new Library name, hit return, and then click OK on the dialog. Your
brand-new custom Runtime Library will appear in the Poser 7 Library palette. Then all
you need to do is populate the subcategory folders with content, and you’ll have created
your own Poser 7 Library!

CONTENT PARADISE
If you want to add to your personal Library from the extensive additional Poser content
that has been created by e frontier as well as other 3D content creators, visit the Content
Paradise website. The easiest way to access Content Paradise is to click on the Content
tab within Poser 7. The Content room contains a direct link to Content Paradise, which
allows you to browse for the content you need, download it to the Library, and then add it

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to your scene, without ever having to leave Poser 7. Alternately, you can visit Content
Paradise any time via a standard web browser, at www.contentparadise.com.
When you access Content Paradise from the Content Room, Poser 7’s Download
Manager automates the process of downloading and organizing content for you, so you
don’t have to interrupt your workflow to figure out correct file placement. Just add the
items you want to your shopping cart in Content Paradise, complete the purchase
transaction, and download the content files. Download Manager will do the rest--your
content will automatically be installed into the appropriate content folders in your Poser 7
Runtime folder, making it accessible from your Library palette.
If for some reason Poser 7 doesn’t recognize the content files you are downloading, you
may have to manually add the content to the Poser 7 Runtime folder. See the Poser 7
Reference Manual, “Content Room” and “Appendix B: Poser 7 File Structure” for
information about downloading and installing files, and Poser 7 file types and locations. If
you wish to read another tutorial that covers manual content installation specifically,
please refer to the “Installing New Content Into Poser” tutorial on the e frontier website
(www.e-frontier.com), in the Training > Tutorials > Poser > Content Management section.

CONTENT COLLECTIONS
New in Poser 7 is the Library Collections tab. This portion of the Library houses content
Collections, which are customized subsets of items from the Library categories. Content
Collections can contain items from any category, and from any Runtime Library, which
makes scene creation and population really simple. Just navigate once through the
Library palette, selecting the items you want to use and adding them to one or more
Collections. Then, when you’re ready to put those items into a scene, just click on the
Collections tab, open the Collection folder, and voila! All your selected items will be
there in one place, ready to go.
For example, say you wanted to create a basic scene of Jessi going to the beach. First, you
need to create the content Collection to hold the various content items you will need for
the scene. From within any category folder within the Library palette, righ-click on a
content item. This opens the Collections menu, which lists all the available content
Collections, and includes an option to create new Collections. As we are creating a new

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ADDING REALISM

Collection, select the Add New Collection option from the menu. Your new content
Collection will appear in the Collections tab, as shown:

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Then, browse through the Library palette categories, selecting
the various items you will want to place in the scene, such as:
Jessi, a hairstyle, a walking pose, bathing suit, sunglasses,
sandals, hat, a ball and torus for beach toys, and materials for
the props and background. If you want to include customized
items, such as a custom pose or material, create them as you
normally would and add them to the Library as described
above. Then you can add them to your Collection. When you
select each item that you want to include, again right-click on
the item, and select the name of your new content Collection
from the Collections menu. The content items will be added to
the Collection.
Once you have created the Collection, whenever you are ready
you can go ahead and create your scene.

If you are working on a multiple-scene animation, you can create a separate Collection for
each scene, almost like storyboarding the scenes, and then go through and build the actual
scenes from the Collections folders. Because content Collections contain links to the
actual content items, rather than containing the items themselves, you can include the
same content in multiple Collections. However, remember that moving a content item to a
different folder within the Library hierarchy will break the links in any content
Collections to which it has been added. The next time you try to access that content item
from a Collection, you will be asked to specify its new location.

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BASIC POSER OPERATIONS

Chapter 8: FireFly Render Tips
by Colin Gerbode

T
he FireFly render engine, introduced in Poser 5 and refined in subsequent
versions, provides Poser 7 users with a high-quality micropolygon rendering
engine capable of extremely accurate, photorealistic output. FireFly is a sensitive
beast, however, and its many settings and options can be somewhat daunting to the
beginning user. In this tutorial I’ll explain how to get high-quality results from FireFly
without “stress-testing” it; often, turning the settings all the way up to the maximum uses
system resources with no improvement in image quality.

AUTOMATIC VS. MANUAL SETTINGS
FireFly’s Auto render settings provide a good range of options, and many people will find
them sufficient for their rendering needs. A few tips are appropriate here. First, for test and
draft renders done to check overall scene composition, camera angles and basic lighting,
use the lowest Auto Setting to save time. To make things go even faster, use the Quick-
Scale pop-up menu to set the size of the test render to half or 1/4 of the final size--see
below.

Quick-Scale Menu

As you refine your scene, you can increase the render settings to utilize various features of
the render engine. Most scenes will not, however, benefit from setting the render presets to
their maximum levels, as most scenes do not fully take advantage of the particular features
that are activated in these settings. Unless the particular scene requires a large number of
raytrace bounces, for example, the only thing that using the maximum settings will do is to
increase the load on the system and increase render times without improving quality. The
third-to-last setting should be more than sufficient for final renders of the vast majority of
Poser 7 scenes.

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Final Render Settings

Now, if you need to go beyond the presets, you can delve into the Manual Settings and
achieve a high degree of control over exactly which options are active and to what degree;
which can allow you to produce a very high-quality render without wasted time, or to
check particular features of your scene with a quick render.

SCENE SETTINGS AND SPECIFICS
When you set up your scene, there are several factors which will affect the rendering
speed and quality. First, think about the lighting in your scene. For each light in the scene
that is set to cast shadows, FireFly has to create a shadow map, or raytrace the shadows.
This takes time and adds to memory usage; you can speed up your renders and improve
stability by turning off shadow-casting on fill lights and lights used for edge highlights.
For quicker test renders, turn off (uncheck) Cast Shadows in the Render Settings dialog.
If your scene has no transparent surfaces in it, you can turn on the Hide Backfacing
Polygons option; this will allow Poser 7 to ignore polygons whose normals face away
from the camera, thereby reducing the load on the render engine. However, you may wish
to leave this feature disabled unless you really need the performance advantage, because
there is the possibility that if there are issues with the geometry of any objects in your

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scene, such as flipped surface normals, you may see holes in the surface when Hide
Backfacing Polygons is enabled.
The Smooth Polygons setting tells FireFly to round the edges of polygons, to give a
smoother, more natural look. This can cause problems with objects that are supposed to
have sharp angles. Fortunately, polygon smoothing can be turned on or off for each object
in the scene, by using the Properties palette. Turning Smooth Polygons on globally and
then off for each specific object that needs it is a good way to apply polygon smoothing
only to specific objects within the scene. Additionally, polygon smoothing will not
override hard edges specified by the Crease Angle setting in the General Preferences
dialog, or by smoothing groups set up with the Group Editor. So you can use Smooth
Polygons as a global setting, and still specify hard edges definitively using crease angles
or smoothing groups

NOTE
IF YOU ENCOUNTER A “BALLOONING” EFFECT ON AN OBJECT’S SURFACE, YOU SHOULD
LOWER THE CREASE ANGLE SETTING FOR THAT OBJECT IN THE PROPERTIES PALETTE.
DOING SO SHOULD CORRECT THE PROBLEM.

Texture Filtering is used to improve the appearance of fine-grained textures, and to
reduce moiré patterns when a texture repeats and scales (imagine a checkerboard-
patterned floor receding into the distance).Poser 7’s FireFly engine generates better
performance with texture filtering enabled, hence texture filtering is active by default.
This does result in some additional memory usage but since Poser 7’s FireFly engine

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manages texture memory so efficiently, the amount of memory used is minimal and will
be more than covered by the performance benefits of texture filtering.

In Poser 5 or 6, reducing the maximum texture size allowed users to control memory
usage while producing high quality renders. In Poser 7, improved texture memory
management makes this unnecessary, as textures no longer require large amounts of
memory on loading.
Poser 7 introduces Irradiance Caching, an improvement to the Ambient Occlusion
calculation process. By default, this feature’s slider is set to 50%; higher settings provide
increased precision and image quality when Ambient Occlusion is used, while lower

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settings increase render speeds at a slight cost in image quality. In the images below, note
the shadows around the ear as an example of the effects of the quality settings.

The Minimum Shading Rate tells FireFly how fine a level of detail to render for each
sample--higher numbers give a “coarser” render that proceeds faster, while lower numbers
give a finer render but take longer. A good setting for a draft render might be 4-8, while a
really high-quality production render might use 0.3 or even 0.1 if there are fine surface
details like fur to resolve.

High vs. Low Shade Rate Render

The Bucket Size tells FireFly how many pixels to render at once--bucket settings have no
impact on quality but will affect the speed of rendering, with high bucket numbers giving

107


faster renders that take more memory and low bucket numbers allowing a render in low
memory situations that will take longer. While Minimum Shading Rate trades resources
for quality (with an impact on speed), Bucket Size trades resources for speed with no
impact on quality.

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Chapter 9: Creating and Assigning
Textures

C
reating your own textures for figures and/or props requires a solid grasp of the
concepts explained in Part 1: “3D Basics” on page 1 and knowledge of one or
more 2D graphics tools such as Adobe Photoshop. The process of creating
textures is very similar if not identical for many 3D applications. While it’s impossible to
cover the entire process in this book, we can give you enough information to understand
the basics and begin creating your own maps.

NOTE
THIS SECTION COVERS CREATING MAPS. PLEASE REFER TO THE POSER 7 REFERENCE MANUAL,
“PART 4: MATERIALS” FOR INFORMATION ABOUT APPLYING MAPS TO SHADERS.

CREATING TEXTURE TEMPLATES
If you use the figures and props that came with Poser 7 (or if you buy figures from most
third-party vendors), they probably come with one or more ready-made texture maps and
one or more blank templates. If you need to create a new texture template, you’ll need to
follow a process that is roughly similar to the following:
1 Create your mesh object in your preferred 3D modeling application.
2 Export the mesh in a format supported by Poser 7 (see the Poser 7 Reference Manual,
“Importing 3D Objects” for a list of supported formats).
3 If your 3D modeling application supports exporting your mesh object with UV
mapping data, be sure to do this, as this will probably create your template for you.
Please refer to your 3D modeling application documentation for information.
4 If your exported object does not have UV information, you’ll need to use an
application such as UV Mapper (http://www.uvmapper.com) to create the UV
information and a blank template that can be used for any sort of map (texture, bump,
transparency, reflection, displacement, etc.). If you use a third-party application to
create texture templates, please refer to that application’s documentation for
information on using that application. Also, should you require technical support,
please contact the application’s creator or vendor. e frontier cannot provide support for
third-party applications.

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CREATING AND USING TEXTURE MAPS
This subsection contains a brief tutorial on creating texture maps. The proper use of maps
can create stunning results such as the scene below:

If you’ve seen some computer-animated movies lately, you were probably astounded by
the realism of the characters; this high level of believability was achieved using high-
quality 3D models and image maps. The fact is, image maps can make or break a model’s
believability. What may surprise you is that Poser 7 can generate equally realistic results
for you. We are going to give you some pointers on how you can do this yourself using
Poser 7 and a 2D graphics application such as Adobe Photoshop. The primary topic for
this tutorial is texture maps, however the same principles apply to all types of image maps.
Please refer to “About Maps & Templates” on page 20 for information about the various
types of image maps.

NOTE
POSER 7’S MATERIAL ROOM CAN CREATE COMPLETE MATERIALS WITHOUT NEEDING ANY
IMAGE MAPS. TO OBTAIN PRECISE RESULTS, HOWEVER (SUCH AS A TATTOO IN A SPECIFIC
LOCATION), YOU WILL NEED TO INCLUDE IMAGE MAPS IN YOUR SHADERS FOR TEXTURE,
BUMP, TRANSPARENCY, ETC. IMAGE MAPS ARE ADDED TO NODES USING THE MATERIAL
ROOM. ALSO, THE FACE ROOM CAN CREATE CUSTOM HEAD TEXTURES FOR THE POSER
FIGURES FROM IMAGES OR EVEN FROM SCRATCH!

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A texture map looks like a skinned 3D model spread
out onto a flat surface. Imagine peeling an orange
and flattening the peelings on a table- that’s a
texture map. When creating a texture, remember
that it will ultimately be wrapped around your
object and that you’ll need to pay special attention
to the edges, which will be seams when the texture
is rendered.
Texture makers use a UV map (template) to place
the texture’s major pieces. A UV map provides grid-
like lines that correspond to the object’s geometry,
provides a coloring book approach to making
textures, and only requires a good graphics editing software package such as Adobe
Photoshop. Like a coloring book, items not placed properly within the grid lines render
askew, and anything bleeding over the edge of the grid does not appear at all when
rendered. This is one time where you definitely want to stay between the lines! The texture
maps for the figures and props that are included with Poser 7 are located on the content
CD. Because realistic human textures are the hardest to achieve, we decided to describe
creating one for this section. The same principles apply to any texture you are creating, be
it a brick wall, animal fur, a plant- any figure or prop for which you want to use texture
mapping.
The brief explanation that follows is courtesy of Ms. Syyd Raven, who created the
textures used by the default Poser 5 figures:
“Save often and under different filenames to preserve each step of your work.
Maps of 1500-3000 pixels provide an ideal realism/performance balance. Some third-
party textures can be 4000 pixels or more, however these can slow Poser down
because they require additional computing resources.”
The figure used for these renders requires two maps, one for his head, and one for his
body. Different Poser figures may use one or two texture maps, depending on the figure.
The following sections address each map separately, and the same principles apply to
figures that only use one map.

NOTE
AS DISCUSSED ABOVE, CREATING MAPS IS AN ADVANCED PROCESS THAT CAN REQUIRE ONE
OR MORE THIRD-PARTY TOOLS. E FRONTIER CANNOT PROVIDE SUPPORT OR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION ON CREATING TEXTURE MAPS BEYOND THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS THAT
DIRECTLY INVOLVE POSER 7. THE MATERIAL PRESENTED IN THIS SECTION IS FOR
INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.

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THE HEAD MAP
Photos used for the basis of your texture should roughly match the final texture map
size.
Work on one side at a time.
Set the photograph’s opacity to approximately 50% so you can use the underlying
template to align it; scale, rotate, and clone individual facial features to perfectly fit the
map.
With your image editor running, launch Poser 7 and apply the head texture to the figure:
Set the figure’s material color to white and highlights to black in the material editor.
Render the model with white lighting, no shadow, and antialiasing enabled to test
texture alignment.
Test various morph targets on the face to verify that the texture remains in alignment.

Make changes in your image editing software and test render in Poser 7 as many times
as you need.
Once you are satisfied with your map, mirror the completed side by copying and
pasting into a new layer and flipping the new section.
After mirroring the texture, you may notice a line down the center. Remove this line by
cloning an area with a matching color, cutting and pasting small photo pieces from the
original source image, using the blend tool, or any combination of these methods.
Change and add various details (lines, moles, etc.). No face is perfectly symmetrical!
Continue expanding the skin to a bit beyond the template edge.
While testing, rotate the head to see the ear and side of the neck; you will need to pay
close attention to these areas to ensure that there are no seams.

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Cut out and place individual teeth, giving the front six (top) and eight (bottom) the
most detail. Realistic teeth are somewhat gray/yellow, not white.
Photograph a tongue and apply it directly to the map. Pay attention to the deep grooved
center line; this adds credibility to the texture when the model’s mouth is open.
The inner mouth looks reminiscent of a rib cage surrounding lungs.
Lachrymal glands (tear ducts) have wetness and roundness.
Take close-up photos of eyes.
Paying attention to eye reflections dramatically increases the realism of your renders.
Have the model hold their eyes wide open to show the whites and roundness of the iris.
Make the veins thin and not overly red to avoid bloodshot-looking eyes.

THE BODY MAP
The body’s fine details (hair, moles, etc.) require
larger maps to avoid blurring and pixilation. Many
third-party body maps are double the size of the
corresponding head map.
It’s difficult to use complete photos for textures
since they will not align correctly. Size and
rotate working images or photos using separate
layers.
Lay out the entire body first, without worrying
about matching edges to get major portions in
place, then finesse the edges with ever-
increasing detail.
Male maps require more detail than females because of body hair.
Photograph small areas, treating arms as 4-sided objects; concentrate on elbow
creases.

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Male necks can include beards or stubble, which can be problematic due to different
resolutions between the head and body textures.
Nipples can be tricky due to low resolution and may require fine-tuning, especially on
female maps due to breast morphs.
Hands are also important; get close-ups of both sides.
Take care to include hand veins on the final texture as well as creases that match the
model’s geometry.
Use the same map for the left and right hand, then add asymmetrical features. Repeat
this for the feet.
Cut individual fingernails and toenails from your photographs and fit them into the
template.
Make sure you test all your work-in-progress in Poser 7.
When the body is complete, correct the head and body color to make them the same
shade/hue. Writing down your color values can be a big help.

CREATING AND USING BUMP, REFLECTION, AND
TRANSPARENCY MAPS
To be fully realistic, many textures also need transparency and bump maps. For example,
the eyelash area template needs to be white where you want the object or eyelash visible.
Consequently, you will start with a black background and draw in white where you want
the eyelashes to appear when rendered. A graphics tablet works well for this, since
eyelashes require a natural curved line that tapers to a point, which can be hard to achieve
with a mouse. If you don’t own a graphics tablet, you can begin with a very large map and
reduce it to the proper size later. The larger map will make it easier to draw the lines with
accuracy.

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Bump maps add further realism to skin pores, scars, or moles. For photorealistic skin, it’s
imperative to deal with major landmarks (moles, birthmarks, etc.) using a bump map. The
quickest way to create bump maps is to copy the finished texture, desaturate it (that is,
remove all the color leaving only the black and white components), and invert it. Then
convert it to grayscale. This reduces the file’s size and memory requirements.
Poser 7 allows you to adjust the bump maps’ height, so it’s a good idea to design them
with very high contrast (or the most bump). Most graphics packages have automatic
contrast controls; this is a great way to quickly get the widest range of bump for your
maps. If needed, you can decrease the bump height within Poser 7 before render time.
White areas of the bump map are high, and black areas are low. In order for your texture to
make a plausible map, you will have to invert it before you can use it. If you forget to do
this, it may take you a while to figure out why your test renders look a bit odd. A good
example of this would be whiskers pushing in instead of outward.

NOTE
BUMP MAPS SIMPLY DISTURB AN OBJECT’S NORMALS. IF YOU APPLY A BUMP MAP TO A
SPHERE, THE SURFACE WILL SEEM ROUGH WHILE THE EDGES REMAIN SMOOTH. POSER 7’S
MATERIAL ROOM CONTAINS A DISPLACEMENT CHANNEL, ALLOWING YOU TO USE BUMP
MAPS TO ACTUALLY ALTER THE GEOMETRY. FOR EXAMPLE, APPLYING A DISPLACEMENT
MAP TO A SPHERE WOULD MAKE THE EDGES APPEAR ROUGH.

Once you’ve adjusted the contrast and desaturated your texture, you can start modifying it
to suit your particular needs. Go ahead, give it a shot: You might be pleasantly surprised
with your results!

Armed with these tips, you should be well on your way to making your own textures.
Please refer to the Poser 7 Reference Manual, “Third-Party Forums” for links to various
Poser 7 galleries and resources with information on creating your own Poser textures.

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ADDING REALISM

Chapter 10: The Face Room
by Denise Tyler

T
he Face room allows you to create custom faces and textures for your Poser
figures in several different ways. When you first open the Face room, it appears as
shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: The various areas and controls in the Face room

The areas contained in the Face room allow you to perform the following tasks:

Photo Lineup Allows you to import front and side photos of a
person, and use the photos to generate a face
shape and texture. This area also contains several
tools that assist in aligning the head geometry to
the photos that you use. The Apply Shape button
generates head geometry that matches your
photos.

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Texture Variation Click the Texture Variations tab to display
options that allow you to modify the appearance
of your texture. You can add facial coloring for
beards, eye sockets, and eyebrows, and also
modify the texture to add ethnicity, age, and
gender differences.

Face Sculpting Window Displays a textured preview of your 3D head.
Camera controls are located above the top right
corner, allowing you to rotate, pan, and zoom in
or out. You can also push or pull selected vertices
to reshape the head.

Action Buttons Contains buttons that apply the head shape and or
texture to your current character in several
different ways, with or without the generated
texture.

Face Shaping Tool Contains parameter dials that allow you to shape
the head and facial features further. The dials are
similar to those in the Parameters palette of the
Pose room.

Caricature Dial Adds character to your face by enhancing the
features. Negative values de-exaggerate head and
facial features, while positive values over-
exaggerate them.

Reset Face Room Button Restores the default head shape and texture map
and undoes all previous Face room work.

Texture Preview Window Shows a preview of your texture while you are
working on a photo-generated face, and allows
you to load or save face texture maps.

Random Face Button Randomizes the Face Shaping Tool morph
settings to generate a new face as a starting point.
Use this feature with caution, as it erases any
work that you have previously completed.

In this tutorial section, you'll learn about each of these Face room areas, and will step
through a real-world project that will create a female character and head. The topics you'll
learn are as follows:

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Getting Ready for Your Face Room Project
Choosing and Preparing Photos
Task 1: Import the Photos to the Face Room
Task 2: Adjust Size, Position, and Rotation
Task 3: Adjust Feature Points
Task 4: Refine the Head Shape
Task 5: Apply to Your Figure

GETTING READY FOR YOUR FACE ROOM PROJECT
Though their heads are shaped and sized a bit differently, Don, Judy, Will, and Penny have
one thing in common. They all share the same head geometry. As a result, the Face room
morphs work on all of them. It has to do with the face geometry.
In order for any figure to work in the Face room, it must use the same head geometry that
Don, Judy, Will and Penny use - otherwise, the morphs will be incompatible. Seeing as the
main reason for the Face room is to create customized characters, the morphs are vital to
this process. Unfortunately, this means that there are many other Poser figures that will not
be compatible with the Face room, because their head geometry is entirely different.
So, go to the Pose room and load Don, Judy, Will, or Penny onto the stage. When you do
this is not really important, but you'll definitely want to make sure you have the right
character there before you apply your custom head to the figure. For the purpose of this
tutorial, add Judy in the Pose room as shown in Figure 2. If you're creating a male texture
instead, choose Don.

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Figure 2: Load the proper figure into the Pose Room, so that it is ready for you to apply your
custom head.

NOTE
THOUGH YOU CAN CREATE HEADS AND TEXTURES FOR WILL AND PENNY, THE GEOMETRY
ADJUSTMENTS AND MORPHS THAT YOU CREATE IN THE FACE ROOM MAY CAUSE THE HEADS
TO BE LARGER.

NOTE
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO USE THE FACE ROOM TO CREATE A HEAD TEXTURE, YOU CAN USE A
THIRD-PARTY TEXTURE TO DEVELOP YOUR CHARACTER. FIRST, USE THE MATERIAL ROOM
TO APPLY YOUR FAVORITE TEXTURE TO DON, JUDY, WILL, OR PENNY. THEN GO TO THE FACE
ROOM, AND CLICK THE "IMPORT ORIGINAL FIGURE HEAD TEXTURE" BUTTON IN THE ACTIONS
AREA. THE HEAD TEXTURE FROM THE FIGURE IN THE POSE ROOM WILL BE APPLIED TO THE
HEAD IN THE FACE SCULPTING AREA.

CHOOSING AND PREPARING PHOTOS
NOTE
THE FACE ROOM ALLOWS YOU TO IMPORT PHOTOS IN THE FOLLOWING FILE FORMATS: BMP
(WINDOWS BITMAP); GIF (COMPUSERVE GIF FORMAT); JPG (JPG FILES); PCX (ZSOFT
PAINTBRUSH FORMAT); PNG (PORTABLE NETWORK GRAPHICS FORMAT) AND TIF (TIFF FILES)

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ADDING REALISM

Though Poser 7 does allow you to work with mismatched photos, or photos that are not
perfectly aligned, you get the best results if you follow certain guidelines.
It helps matters if you keep the following points in mind when you shoot photos for the
Face room. The closer your photos are to these guidelines, the better your results will be.
Position the camera so that it is level with the subject's face. It should also be close
enough to capture the entire face with the maximum amount of detail. Take the front
and side photos at the same distance.
If your camera has a white balance feature, have your subject hold a piece of white
paper in front of his or her face, and adjust the white balancing accordingly before you
shoot the photos (or for each view if you adjust the lighting between shoots). This is
essential to achieve photos that are natural in color.
Lighting should be all white. Colored or unnatural lighting colors affect color fidelity.
Adjust the lighting so that you achieve the maximum amount of detail without
washing out the subject. Lighting that is too dark will not show enough detail, while
lighting that is too bright will wash out the subject.
The subject should remove glasses or other adornments that are unwanted in the final
texture.
The subject should have a neutral facial expression, with closed mouth.
Ears should be clearly visible. Comb or pull back the hair to show as much of the ear
as possible.
For the front photo, the subject should directly face the camera without tilting the head
upward or downward.
For the side view, the subject should face 90 degrees away from the camera, preferably
facing toward the right. (Poser 7 can flip photos that face toward the left).

IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT PHOTO SIZE
By default, Poser 7 creates a 512 by 512-pixel texture. You can, however, create a face
texture that is of higher resolution. However, in order to do so, there is a slight catch in
regards to the size of the original photos: the dimensions of the source files must be a
power of 2.
What this means to you is that if you want to create a head texture that is about 1500 x
1500 pixels, you can't use a photo that is that size. The next-highest power of 2 is 2048 x
2048. Your source photos should be 2048 x 2048 to result in a face texture that is 2048 x
2048. You would then need to resize your texture in a photo editor to get the desired size
of 1500 x 1500.

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For quick reference, the following table shows dimensions that are powers of two:

512 x 512 1024 x 1024

2048 x 2048 4096 x 4096

If your photos do not come near the sizes listed above, you can use a photo editor to add
pixels around the outer edges of the photo until you arrive at the recommended
dimensions.

IMPROVING PHOTOS WITH AN IMAGE EDITOR
If your photos are not quite perfect, you can use an image editing program to help the
situation. Here are some tips for you.
Adjust color, hue, saturation, or contrast until your photos look their best and
maintain consistency in color and brightness. Try to make your front and side photos
look uniform in this regard.
Size the front and side photos uniformly, so that the eyes, nose, mouth, and chin
match up to each other. What can help in this process is to open one of the photos in an
image editor that supports layering (such as Photoshop, Painter, or Paint Shop Pro).
Copy the larger photo to a layer above the first photo and reduce the transparency so
that you can see the smaller image beneath it. Then, rescale the larger photo so that the
eyes, nose, mouth corners, and chins are on the same horizontal plane as shown in the
next figure. Guides can also help in this process. An example of this process is shown
in Figure 3.

NOTE
PHOTOS USED IN THIS TUTORIAL APPEAR WITH THE PERMISSION OF PETER LEVIUS, HOST OF
HTTP://WWW.3D.SK. THIS SITE MAKES THOUSANDS OF HIGH QUALITY PHOTOS AVAILABLE TO
TEXTURE ARTISTS FOR A VERY REASONABLE FEE. CHECK IT OUT!

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 3: Use an image editor such as Photoshop to align and straighten the front and side
photos.

Fix photo imperfections. If you have multiple shots, you can use parts of one photo to
help fix imperfections in another. For example, let's say you have a perfect straight-on
shot that is facing directly toward the camera. The photo shown in Figure 4 is perfect
for a straight-on view, with one small exception: the subject's mouth is slightly open.
To remedy this problem, locate another photo that has a perfect mouth. Create a
feathered selection around the good mouth and paste it into a layer above the less-than-
perfect one. Adjust the brightness and tone until it they match perfectly. If done
properly, you'll hardly know the difference, as shown in Figure 5.

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Figure 4: Use portions of other photos to fix imperfections in a shot that is almost perfect.
Here, a different mouth is selected to cover the opened mouth in the photo.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 5: After minor adjustments in brightness and sizing, the new version of the photo has
a closed mouth that is more suitable for texturing in the Face room.

ADDING SYMMETRY TO THE FRONT PHOTO
Sometimes, for one reason or another, your photo isn't perfectly symmetrical on the right
and left sides. The photo shown in Figure 6 is a good example of this, because the subject's
head is turned slightly toward your left.
One way around this is to use your image editor to make the photo symmetrical. Here, I
take advantage of Photoshop's ability to make guides, and then snap selections to them.
Here, I pull a guide from the left ruler onto the image, and place it through the center of
the face. If your photo is not perfectly straight, the guide helps you notice and correct it.

125


Figure 6: A vertical guide placed through the center of the face helps you align and divide
the face in half.

The right side of the preceding photo (facing us) is rounder, and it is more likely that it
will result in a smoother transition from front to side. Create a selection, starting from the
top end of the guideline and including the entire right side of the photo (see Figure 7).

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 7: A selection is made to include the right side of the image, from the guide line to the
right edge.

Copy the selection to a new layer. Flip the copy horizontally, and then align the two sides
together. The left side should snap to the guideline. Also, make sure that the two sides
exactly mirror each other so that one half is not higher or lower than the other half. Figure
8 shows the finished result. Save the new image under a different file name, so that you
don't overwrite the original version. Use the new image for the front photo and you should
have an easier time of making facial adjustments that are symmetrical.

127


Figure 8: A copy of the right side is flipped and matched at the center guide line.

TASK 1: IMPORT THE PHOTOS TO THE FACE ROOM
With the figure loaded, you can click the Face tab to open the Face room. Let's take a
close look at the Photo Lineup area, shown in Figure 9. This area of the Face room
allows you to use photos to generate a head texture and associated head shape.
The Photo Lineup controls appear on the left side of the Face room, as noted in the
following figure. Their primary function is to help you position and shape the head
geometry while you align it to the photos that you import. You'll use these controls later,
after you import some photos.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 9: The Photo Lineup area allows you to import photos and position the head geometry
to match them.

IMPORTING THE FRONT PHOTO
After you've selected and prepared your photos, you import the front and side photos into
the Face room. To import the front photo, proceed as follows:

1 Click the Load icon for the front view. The Load Front Face Image dialog
appears.
2 Use the Look In drop-down list to locate the folder on the CD that contains the front
image.
3 Highlight the file name of the image you want (which is SimonaFront.jpg in this
example). Click Open, or double-click the filename.
4 Poser 7 displays the screen shown in Figure 10, which prompts you to click your
image on the corner of your model's right eye. Click the location as noted.

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Figure 10: When you load the front photo, you are prompted to click the corner of the model's
right eye.

5 You are automatically advanced to the screen shown in Figure 11, when Poser 7
prompts you to click the image on the left corner of the lips. Click the location as
noted.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 11: Next, Poser 7 prompts you to click the left corner of the mouth.

After you pick the points Poser 7 returns you to the Face room as shown in Figure 12. The
upper portion of the Photo Lineup area displays the photo that you imported. The lower
portion of the Photo Lineup area displays an outline of a head facing toward the right (for
your side photo). The Face Sculpting area displays a 3D textured preview of your head,
and the Texture Preview area displays a 2D preview of your texture as it appears thus far.
At this point, don't attempt to make any adjustments to the photo lineups. It is best to
proceed to importing the side photo, which follows in the next section.

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Figure 12: After the front photo is imported, you see previews in the Photo Lineup area.

NOTE
IF YOU AREN'T HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS YOU GET, IT MIGHT HELP TO TRY THE PROCESS
AGAIN, AND MAKING SLIGHT ADJUSTMENTS TO THE POINTS THAT YOU PICK WHEN YOU
IMPORT THE PHOTO. CLICK THE LOAD ICON AGAIN TO REPEAT THE PROCESS. YOU CAN ALSO
CLICK THE CLEAR ICON TO DELETE THE PHOTO FROM THE SELECTED VIEWPORT.

THERE ARE ALSO CONTROLS THAT ALLOW YOU TO REPOSITION OR RESCALE THE FACIAL
OUTLINES. YOU'LL LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE CONTROLS IN TASK 2.

IMPORTING THE SIDE PHOTO
When you import the side photo, the steps are nearly similar to those you followed for the
front photo. Follow these steps:

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ADDING REALISM

1 Click the Load icon for the side view. The Load Side Face Image dialog
appears.
2 Use the Look In drop-down list to locate the folder that contains the front image. If
you are performing this task immediately after loading the front image, Poser 7
defaults to the same folder that you previously selected.
3 Highlight the file name of the image you want (SimonaSide.jpg in this example) and
click Open, or double-click the filename.
4 Poser 7 displays a screen that prompts you to click your image at the top of the right
earlobe. If your figure is facing in the opposite direction of the guide image, click the
Flip icon that appears beneath the photo.
5 Click the photo at the top of the right earlobe as shown in Figure 13.

Figure 13: Click the top of the ear for the first side point.

6 Next, Poser 7 prompts you to click the front of the chin as shown in Figure 14.

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Figure 14: Click the front of the chin for the second side point.

After you pick the points for the side image, Poser 7 again returns you to the Face room.
The lower portion of the Photo Lineup area now displays the side photo beneath an
outline of the head. The texture previews in the Face Sculpting area and Texture Preview
area now appear a little more complete. Refer to Figure 15 for an example.
You'll probably find that your texture doesn't line up perfectly, and the outline of the
profile might look really strange and out of proportion. When you zoom in, the eyes may
not be aligned correctly. The mouth may need adjustment. The ears may not fall in the
right place. You might have a big wide spot in the back of the neck. You can remedy all of
these texture problems by adjusting the scaling and positioning of the red lines as
described in Task 2, and by adjusting the green control points as described in Task 4.
Continue on with these tasks to complete your texture.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 15: Front and side photos are loaded and the texture preview is more complete.

TASK 2: MOVING, SCALING, OR ROTATING THE HEAD GUIDES
After you complete Task 1, you may notice that the texture does not align perfectly with
the character's features. There are several controls in the Photo Lineup area that allow
you to fine tune the photo placement on the texture. Other controls help you align the head
geometry so that it better matches the photo. This task shows you how to make these
adjustments.

NOTE
IF YOU DID NOT COMPLETE TASK 1, YOU CAN OPEN THE FACEROOMTASK2.PZZ FILE FROM THE
TUTORIALS/FACEROOM FOLDER IN YOUR POSER 7 INSTALLATION TO FOLLOW ALONG FROM
THIS POINT.

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ADJUSTING FRONT SCALING AND POSITION
You'll notice in Figure 15, shown previously, that the red outlines don't match the overall
shape of the head. You can move or resize the overall head geometry to improve the
position of the outlines over the photograph. Each view has a Move tool and a Rotate tool
that help in this regard. When you resize the red outlines of the geometry, it also affects
how features are positioned. As a result, you'll have to alternate between scaling and
positioning for best results.

NOTE
WHEN RESIZING AND REPOSITIONING THE RED OUTLINES IN THE FRONT VIEW, PAY CLOSE
ATTENTION TO THE PLACEMENT OF THE EYES AND MOUTH. BY DOING SO, YOU WILL SET
YOURSELF UP TO MAKE THE REMAINING ADJUSTMENTS EASIER.

Begin by placing your mouse over the Move icon in the front view. Use the eyes
and mouth as a guide for placing the outline in the right area. Step by step, here's how you
can approach the front of Simona's face:

1 To adjust the Front view, place your mouse over the Move icon . Move the center
line of the outline's mouth over the center line of the photo's mouth.
2 At this point, you'll probably notice that the eyes don't quite line up correctly, because
the spacing is a little bit off. So, drag the mouse over the Scale icon , and drag it
right or left as necessary to get the eye spacing closer.
3 If necessary, alternate between the Move and Scale icons until the eyes and mouth
both appear as they should. Don't worry about the nose at this point, we'll get to that
later!
An example of what you are looking for in the front view is shown below in Figure 16.
Notice that the spacing between the eyes is pretty close and the center lines of the mouth
match up. We can improve upon this further by adjusting the tilt and turn of the head.

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Figure 16: Scale the head geometry so that the eyes and the center of the mouth align with the
photo.

ADJUSTING SIDE SCALING AND POSITION
When you adjust the scaling and positioning in the side view, it affects the position of the
ears and chin on the texture map.
1 Use the Move tool in the side view to place the ear outline over the ear.
2 Drag the Scale tool downward as necessary to increase the size of the ear.
3 Alternate between the Move tool and the Scale tool until the texture of the ear appears
in the proper place on the Face Sculpting preview. At the same time, try to achieve the
best possible balance between ear and chin placement.
4 Drag the tool left to decrease the depth of the head, or right to increase the depth of the
head as necessary. The final result is shown in Figure 17.

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Figure 17: Move and scale the side outline to match the height ratio of the ear and the chin.

COMPENSATING FOR HEAD TILT OR ROTATION
Photos aren't always perfect, and you may find yourself with some that show the subject
with his or her head tilted or turned slightly. In fact, the photos that we are using for this
tutorial have a slight problem in this regard. When you look at the front photo, her right
cheek is fuller than her left, indicating that her face is turned slightly.
The Rotate tool can help remedy situations when your subject is looking directly at the
camera but has his or her head tilted or turned slightly toward the left or right. It is
important to note, however, that the Rotate tool won't work well for heads that are more
than a slight variance from center.

NOTE
THERE IS NO UNDO FOR THE ROTATE TOOL. BEFORE YOU USE IT, YOU MIGHT WANT TO EXIT
TO THE POSE ROOM AND SAVE YOUR PROJECT UNDER A FILE NAME YOU CAN REMEMBER

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(SUCH AS WORK IN PROGRESS.PZ3) DOING SO WILL SAVE THE ENTIRE PROJECT, INCLUDING
THE STATE OF THE FACE ROOM TEXTURE AND HEAD SHAPE. AFTER YOU SAVE THE PROJECT,
RETURN TO THE FACE ROOM TO USE THE ROTATE TOOL. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE RESULTS
YOU CAN USE THE FILE > REVERT COMMAND TO RETURN TO THE PREVIOUSLY-SAVED
VERSION.

The Rotate tool for the front view tilts the head geometry along the Z (side to side) axis.
When you drag the mouse upward or toward the right with the Rotate tool, the head tilts
the right side of the red outline downward. However, you'll notice the left side of the
texture tilt downward in response. Similarly, drag the mouse downward or toward the left
to tilt the left side of the red outline downward. The right side of the texture tilts
downward in response.
The alignment of the head tilt appears to be just fine, as shown in Figure 18. The eyes line
up quite well as they are, so we don't need to make any adjustments to the tilt of the head.

Figure 18: The tilt of Simone's head does not require adjustment.

We do have another problem with our front photo, however. The head is turned slightly
toward our left, making the right cheek appear more full. To remedy this, press the Alt key
while you use the Rotate tool in the front view. This turns the head geometry along the Y
axis.
Proceed as follows with Simone's face project:
1 From the Front view, press the Alt key while you drag the Rotate tool toward the right
to turn the geometry a bit. A couple of "notches" should do it, it only takes a slight
adjustment.

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2 If necessary, make adjustments with the Move and Scale tools to further improve
texture placement in the Face Sculpting area. As you can see in Figure 19, the
placement of the eyes is even better still!

Figure 19: After we Alt-click and drag the Rotate tool for a slight head turn, the eyes are centered
better.

TASK 3: FINE-TUNING THE TEXTURE
NOTE
TUTORIALS/FACEROOM FOLDER IN YOUR POSER 7 INSTALLATION TO FOLLOW ALONG FROM
THIS POINT.

After you adjust the geometry with the preceding tools, you can use the green feature
points and red outlines to make more refined changes to the geometry and texture. Though
the texture placement is acceptable over the eyes and mouth at this point, the green feature
points will allow you to fine-tune and smooth the texture around the forehead, mouth,
eyes, and chin.

NOTE
AN "APPLY SHAPE" CHECKBOX APPEARS BETWEEN THE FRONT AND SIDE PHOTOS IN THE
PHOTO LINEUP AREA. WHEN CHECKED, THE GREEN CONTROL POINTS AND RED OUTLINES
AFFECT BOTH THE HEAD GEOMETRY AND THE TEXTURE - IN OTHER WORDS, THE SHAPE OF
THE HEAD WILL CHANGE AS YOU MOVE THE GREEN FEATURE POINTS OR RED OUTLINES. IF
YOU DO DECIDE TO USE THIS FEATURE, MAKE SURE THAT YOU KEEP THE GREEN FEATURE
CLOSE TO THE FEATURES THAT THEY CONTROL WHEN POSSIBLE. OTHERWISE YOU WILL SEE
STRANGE BENDS, TWISTS, AND OVER-EXAGGERATIONS IN THE GEOMETRY.

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A BETTER APPROACH IS TO LEAVE THE "APPLY SHAPE" CHECKBOX EMPTY. THIS WAY, THE
CONTROL POINTS AND OUTLINES WILL ONLY AFFECT TEXTURE PLACEMENT. THIS ALSO
ENSURES THAT YOU GET THE BEST TEXTURE RESULTS. YOU CAN THEN USE MORPHS IN THE
FACE SHAPING TOOL AREA TO FINE-TUNE THE HEAD SHAPE AND FEATURES AFTER THE
TEXTURE IS COMPLETE.

REFINING THE FRONT VIEW
You'll start by making adjustments to the feature points in the Front view. If you adjust the
feature points in specific order, you'll find that results will be pretty consistent. Basically,
you start with the overall shape of the head and work your way inward to the finer detail
points.
1 Adjust top, bottom, left and right feature points. Try to maintain the best outline of
the head, while matching the eyes as closely as possible. Watch the 3D preview in the
Face Sculpting area while you adjust the points as follows:
Adjust the Top feature point to achieve proper height of the eyebrows and eye folds.
Adjust the Bottom feature point to place the texture for the lower lip and chin in the
best possible location.
Adjust the Left and Right feature points to create a smooth transition along the upper
cheeks.
2 If necessary, use the Move tool to reposition the head geometry for better texture
placement. Figure 20 shows the results after the four control points have been
adjusted.

NOTE
DO NOT MOVE GREEN FEATURE POINTS TO AN EXTREME POSITION TO ADJUST A RED
OUTLINE. E FRONTIER RECOMMENDS THAT YOU PLACE THE GREEN FEATURE POINTS
DIRECTLY ABOVE THE FEATURES, WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT THE RED OUTLINES.

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Figure 20. Top, Bottom, Left and Right control points help define the height of the eyelids and brows,
as well as the cheek and chin areas.

3 Adjust forehead and jaw. The forehead points affect placement and spacing of the
hairline around the forehead, as well as the spacing of the eyebrows. Adjust the
forehead feature points to maintain the same relative distance along the top semi-
circle. For the jaw, keep all adjacent feature points along the lower jaw at roughly the
same distance from left to right, while you watch the placement of the shadow along
the jawline. Figure 21 shows the result after the forehead and jaw feature points have
been adjusted.

Figure 21. After adjusting the forehead and jaw feature points, the eyebrows and chin are in
position.

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ADDING REALISM

4 Adjust the eyes. Match the eye points carefully. This is a little tricky and can be time
consuming. Also note that when you make adjustments to the right eye, the left eye is
also moving somewhat. You have to strive for a compromise between the two eyes,
and the points may not be exactly the same on each of the eyes. If you don't get them
perfect, you can always come back to adjust the eyes in the front view after everything
else is done. Figure 22 shows the result of one round of eye adjustments.

NOTE
WHEN ADJUSTING THE EYES, REMEMBER THAT THE PLACEMENT OF THE FACE AROUND THE
EYES IS WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT HERE. IT IS MUCH EASIER TO CREATE NEW EYE TEXTURES
THAN IT IS TO MAKE A FACE TEXTURE THAT IS PLACED CORRECTLY, SO IT IS NOT SO
IMPORTANT WHAT THE "EYEBALLS" LOOK LIKE. INSTEAD, PAY ATTENTION TO THE
PLACEMENT OF THE EYE FOLDS, EYE LIDS, AND LACHRYMALS.

Figure 22. After some eye adjustments, the eyes are lining up very well!

5 Adjust the mouth. The placement of the mouth opening and corners appear to define
the shape of the mouth. First, move the corners to get the proper width. Adjust the top
center point until the upper lip looks correct. Then, adjust the lower center point so that
the mouth opening appears in the right place. Figure 23 shows our progress so far.

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Figure 23. For best results, make sure that the mouth opening is in the right place when you adjust
the mouth feature points.

6 Adjust the nose and nose tips until you see that the texture falls in the right place in
the Face Sculpting window. Figure 24 gives you an idea of the result around the nose.
Adjust the side points until the wings of the nostrils fall in the right spot. Be careful
when adjusting the wings: too much adjustment can cause the head to tilt left or right.
Then adjust the middle feature point to place the inside of the nostrils.

Figure 24: Adjust the nose and nose tips to place the folds of the nose in the right spot.

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REFINING THE SIDE VIEW
With the feature points completed for the Front view, your texture should be looking pretty
good from the front by now! At this point, we have to fine-tune things in the side view.
But the rule of thumb with the side view is, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", most especially
if you are using the Apply Shape feature. The profile feature points go a long way in
adjusting the geometry, so take it in small baby steps if you are applying the shape to the
head.
Before you begin, return to the Pose room and save your project before proceeding so that
you have something to revert back to in case you are unhappy with the results. And
remember, don't move feature points unless you think they will help to improve your
texture or character.
If you have to adjust the feature points in the side view, proceed in this order:
1 Adjust the top feature point. The top feature point in the side view controls the
placement of the hair on the crown. Adjust as necessary to get a nice smooth texture as
shown in Figure 25.

Figure 25. Adjust the top feature point in the side view to affect the hair on the crown.

2 Adjust the feature point on the back of the head. Use the best possible compromise
between the back of the head and the neck. Too much adjustment here affects the
forehead and eyebrows. If you have the Apply Shape option checked, try to achieve
the best head shape rather than trying to get the texture right. If you don't have the
option checked, move the back feature point to cover the back of the neck as much as
possible without distorting the rest of the texture placement, as shown in Figure 26.
Pay attention to the texture around and behind the ears while you do this feature point.

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Figure 26: Adjust the feature point at the back of the head to fill in the neck. If you have the
Apply Shape option checked, you'll have to achieve the right balance between head shape and
texture.

3 Adjust all of the profile points if necessary. Starting from the top of the forehead,
adjust the profile of the head as necessary to improve the texture or the shape of the
head. Notice in Figure 27 how the profile follows the photograph to a reasonable
degree. The feature points affect the following areas, but you may need to adjust one or
more of them simultaneously to get the effect you want:
The upper forehead feature point controls the forward/backward position of the
hair on the crown; it also controls the shape of the forehead if you have the Apply
Shape button on.
The next feature point down controls placement of the eyebrows. It also affects the
forward/backward tilt of the head to a small degree.
The third feature point affects the indentation of the sellion (nose indentation)
when the Apply Shape button is on. It also affects the shape of the inner eyes and
nose area on the texture.
The fourth and fifth feature points control the tip and bottom of the nose. Observe
the placement of the nostrils while you adjust these.
Adjust the points of the mouth to improve the texture where necessary. If you have
the Apply Shape option checked, adjust the points until you are satisfied with the
shape of the mouth. You may also need to adjust points in the front view to realign
the texture.
Adjust the top and front of the chin to shape the area beneath the mouth.

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Figure 27: Starting from the hairline at the forehead, adjust all profile points down through the chin
to further define the character and texture.

4 Adjust the eye. As you reach the end of the feature point list, you will probably find
that you'll have to go back and tweak previous points in order to place the remaining
ones. What matters for the corner of the eye is the height of the feature point. This
makes a big difference in the shape of the eyelids on the 3D model.

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Figure 28. Adjust the eye feature point to achieve the correct texture placement around the eyes. The
feature point controls the tilt of the eyelids and eye corners.

5 Adjust the cheek. Place the cheek feature point at about the same height as the tip of
the nose. If you have the Apply Shape feature on, move the cheek feature point
toward the front of the head to create puffier cheeks, or toward the back of the head to
create a more gaunt face.
6 Adjust the neck, jaw, and ear. The primary focus for this part is to get the texture
correct. A little goes a long way, especially in shaping the head and ear - so focus on
the texture placement at this point. You may also find it helpful to use the Move tool to
reposition the outline on the photo. Figure 29 shows our progress. While the profile
around the mouth and chin doesn't quite follow the photo, the texture looks nice and
clean.

NOTE
THE FEATURE POINTS AND OUTLINES IN THE FOLLOWING FIGURE DO NOT EXACTLY MATCH
THE PROFILE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS. WHILE A RESULT LIKE THIS CREATES A GOOD TEXTURE,

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ADDING REALISM

IT WILL DISTORT THE GEOMETRY IF THE APPLY SHAPE CHECKBOX IS CHECKED. THE REASON
FOR THIS IS BECAUSE THE GREEN CONTROL POINTS ARE STRETCHED FAR FROM THE RED
OUTLINE IN SPOTS.

Figure 29. With all points adjusted in the front and side views, the texture looks nice and clean.

If desired, you can go back through all of the feature points and give them little tweaks to
improve your texture further. However, if you're happy with it for the time being, leave it
as is ... you can always clean up the texture in an image editing program such as
Photoshop!

NOTE
NOW THAT THE TEXTURE IS COMPLETE, IT MIGHT ALSO BE A GOOD TIME TO GO TO THE POSE
ROOM, AND SAVE YOUR PROJECT SO THAT YOU DON'T LOSE ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK. THE
NEXT STEP IS TO REFINE THE SHAPE OF THE HEAD.

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ADDING TEXTURE VARIATION
You can use the Face room's Texture Variation area to enhance your Face room texture
in various ways. This includes adjusting the facial color to darken eyebrows and eye area,
and adding shading for beards. You can also vary the texture to add ethnicity, age, or
gender differences.
To add texture variation, click the Texture Variation tab that appears to the right of the
Photo Lineup tab. Figure30 shows all of the options you can add to your texture.

Figure 30: The Texture Variation area allows you to adjust shading of the texture to achieve
various enhancements to the Face Room texture.

To add variation, simply move a parameter dial left or right, or enter a numerical value in
the appropriate field. For purposes of demonstration, Figure 31 shows an example of how
the Beard parameter dial affects the texture.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 31. A beard is added to the texture using the Texture Variation options.

SAVING YOUR TEXTURE
After your texture is complete, you can save a copy to your hard drive by using the
controls located at the side of the Texture Preview area. Follow these steps:
1 Click the Save icon that appears at the right of the Texture Preview area, as shown in
Figure 32.

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Figure 32. To save your texture, click the Save icon at the right of the Texture Preview area.

2 Poser asks if you want to change the texture resolution. Choose No to leave the texture
at its default resolution of 512 by 512, or Yes to save a higher-resolution texture (in
this case, 2048 x 2048).
3 Next, Poser asks if your texture will be for a male or female. If you created a male
texture, choose Yes. If you created a female texture, choose No.
4 Finally, the Save As dialog appears. Locate the folder to save your texture. Then
choose a file format from the Save As Type dialog. Some file types will also require
that you choose a compression setting. If you plan to edit and enhance the texture in a
graphics program, it's usually best to choose a file format that does not compress the
image.
5 Click Save to save your new texture.

TASK 4: REFINE THE HEAD SHAPE
The Face Shaping Tool, shown in Figure 33, provides several morph dials that allow you
to change the facial features of your character. There are basically three ways you can
reshape the face, and you can use all or some of them to achieve a wide variety of
characters:
Automatically create a face using the Random Face button that appears beneath the
Face Sculpting area.
Click on the face in the Face Sculpting area to locate a green feature point, and drag
the mouse to adjust the shape of the face. Changes are applied to the face
symmetrically where applicable.
Use the Facial Morphs in the lower section of the Face Shaping Tool.
Let's take a look at each of these procedures individually.

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NOTE
TUTORIALS/FACEROOM FOLDER IN YOUR POSER INSTALLATION TO FOLLOW ALONG FROM
THIS POINT.

Figure 33. The Face Shaping Tool allows you to change the appearance of the facial
features.

CREATING A RANDOM FACE
The Random Face feature helps you generate a character that serves as a great starting
point for your final character. The character you generate can be as realistic or as
outrageous as you choose. The Random Face button, located beneath the Face Sculpting
area, allows you to generate a completely random face with the click of a button.
Additional controls in the Face Shaping Tool control how much effect the Random Face
button has on the head geometry. These controls are shown in Figure 34.

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Figure 34. Controls in the Face Shaping Tool affect the results of the Random Face button.

The controls shown above are used for the following purposes:

Morph button The yellow button at the top of the Face Shaping Tool allows
you to reshape the face by pulling or pushing a control point with
the mouse.

Pin button After you adjust a feature point to the shape you want, click the
Pin button, and then click the desired control point to lock it into
place.

Clear Morphs Click this button to revert the head shape back to its original
default shape. DO NOT use the Reset Face Room button unless
you also want to lose your current face texture.

Clear Pins Click this button to remove the pins that keep the morphs from
affecting your facial morphs. This removes all, not some, of the
pins.

Caricature Adjust this dial, plus or minus, to add or remove the amount of
exaggeration in the final face. A Caricature setting of -1 turns all
morph dials completely off, and the Random Face button will not
work. Set the Caricature dial between -1 and 0 to achieve faces
that are more realistic; the closer they are to -1, the more realistic
they will be. Settings between 0 and 1 create characters that are
more "cartoony" or fantasy-like.

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ADDING REALISM

Exaggeration Min Adjust this dial to the minimum amount of affect that you want
each of the facial morphs to have. The default setting is -1.5. If
you don't want any of the facial morphs to work in a negative
setting, you can set this at 0. If you want the Random Face
button to have a smaller effect on the overall shape of the face,
you can decrease this setting to -.15. This results in random faces
that are a bit more realistic and less characterized.

Exaggeration Max Adjust this dial to the maximum amount of effect that you want
each of the facial morphs to have. The default is 1.5, but setting it
at a smaller value (such as .15) results in random faces that are a
bit more realistic and less characterized.

Use Morphs There are three Use Morphs options: Both (the default),
Symmetry, and Asymmetry. When Both is selected, the morph
dials will make symmetrical and asymmetrical changes to the
face. With Symmetry selected, the only changes made to the face
will be symmetrical changes. With Asymmetry selected, the only
changes made to the face will be asymmetrical.

To create a random face, follow these steps:
1 Set the Caricature dial, if desired, to a value other than -1. For more realistic
characters, set this value closer to -1. For more extreme characters, move the setting
more toward 1. A good compromise is -.5. You can also adjust the dial left or right at
any time to affect the amount of caricature after you use the Random Face button or
other morphs.
2 Set the Exaggeration Min and Exaggeration Max dials to the lowest and highest
values (respectively) that you want the morph dials to target. A min value of -.15 and a
max value of .15 creates very good starting points for realistic characters.
3 Decide whether you want the morphs to affect Symmetry (same changes right and
left), Asymmetry (differences in right to left), or both.
4 Press the Random Face button under the Face Sculpting area until you get a face that
you like. Figure 35 shows some examples achieved with Caricature at -.5,
Exaggeration Min at -.15, Exaggeration Max at .15, and "Both" selected for Morphs
options. As you can see, the faces truly are random and offer a great starting point for
characters. You can also go back and adjust the settings you selected in steps 1 to 3 to
get even more varied results.

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Figure 35. Random faces created in the Face room offer great starting points for Poser characters.

CHANGING THE FACE SHAPE INTERACTIVELY
Whether you start with a random face or the default face, the feature points that you work
with in the Face Sculpting area allow you to visually adjust the Facial Morphs in the
Face Shaping Tool. As you click and drag one or more of the feature points, you notice
that the morph dial settings in the Face Shaping Tool respond to the adjustments. As a
result, the adjustments you make to the face are limited to the morphs that you find in the
Face Shaping Tool.
That being said, it's very easy to reshape the face with feature points:
1 Because the sculpting tool moves vertices relative to the way that you are viewing the
model, you will need to adjust the mini-camera controls at the top right corner of the
Face Sculpting area to rotate or zoom into the area you want to work with.
2 Click on the face in the Face Sculpting area to locate a feature point, which appears as
a green dot similar to those you see in the Photo Lineup area.
3 Move the mouse to reshape the face. Changes are made symmetrically when
applicable. Figure 36 shows an example of an adjustment in progress.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 36. Use the green feature points to adjust the face in the Face Sculpting area.

4 Once you adjust an area to the shape that you like, you can "freeze" the associated dial
setting into place. This prevents the dial setting from changing while you work on
other areas of the face. To apply a pin, click the Pin button (the yellow button at the
top of the Face Shaping Tool). Then, click the area that you want to freeze. Pins are
shown with a red dot. Then reselect the Morph button to continue working on other
areas of the face.

NOTE
TO DELETE A PIN, SIMPLY MOVE OR CLICK IT WITH THE MOUSE. TO DELETE ALL PINS, CLICK
THE CLEAR PINS BUTTON AT THE TOP OF THE FACE SHAPING TOOL.

CHANGING THE FACE WITH MORPH DIALS
The Face Shaping Tool comes with a host of facial morphs that control various facial
features and head shapes. Facial morphs are divided into several different categories:
Brow Ridge, Cheekbones, Cheeks, Chin, Eyes, Face, Forehead, Jaw, Mouth, Nose,
Templates, and Ears. There are also additional morphs that affect ethnicity, age, and
gender, or morphs that apply the shapes of the Poser default characters (Don, Judy, Will
and Penny).

NOTE
THERE ARE ADDITIONAL MORPHS IN THE POSE ROOM. WHILE MOST DEAL WITH FACIAL
EXPRESSION, SOME OF THEM ARE ALSO GOOD FOR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. BE SURE TO
CHECK THOSE OUT AFTER YOU APPLY YOUR FACE ROOM HEAD TO YOUR CHARACTER.

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Earlier, we covered how to prevent movement of morphs by using pins. Somewhat related
to pins, you can also enable or disable individual morphs from working. Beside each
morph in the Face Shaping Tool is a green bullet point, as shown in Figure 37. When a
lock icon appears beside the morphs they will not change. To lock morphs, click the green
bullet point beside an entire category (such as Cheekbones). This prevents an entire group
of morphs from being affected. To unlock the morph, click the padlock icon to change it
back into a bullet. You can also click a single morph (such as high/low or thin/wide) to
prevent it from being affected.

Figure 37. You can lock morph dials to keep them at their current settings. Click beside a
group name to lock or unlock all morphs beneath it, or click a single morph name to lock or
unlock it.

If you have used the Random Face feature, or the morph tool and pins, you'll probably
see some of the dials have already been adjusted beyond the default setting of 0. Using the

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morph dials is very straight-forward. Move the parameter dial to the left to reduce the
effect of a morph or dial it into the negative range. Move the parameter dial to the right to
increase the effect or dial the morph into the positive range.

NOTE
THERE ARE QUITE A FEW MORPHS THAT HAVE THE WORDS AXIS, TWIST, ASYMMETRY,
TRANSVERSE, DISPARITY, BEND, OR SHEAR IN THEM. FOR THE MOST PART, THESE MORPHS
ADD ASYMMETRY TO YOUR CHARACTER, MAKING THEM APPEAR A LITTLE MORE REALISTIC.
EVEN A LITTLE BIT OF THESE MORPHS GOES A LONG WAY TOWARD ADDING REALISM TO
YOUR CHARACTER.

It took several morphs to create the face shown at the right in Figure 38. Rather than
include all of the settings in this tutorial, you can find the project file in the Tutorials/
FaceRoom folder in your Poser installation. The file is named FinishedCharacter.pzz

Figure 38. The final face (right), found in FinishedCharacter.pzz, uses several of the morphs in
the Face Shaping Tool. Differences in the forehead, eyes, and cheekbones are more feminine
than the default head (shown at left).

TASK 5: COMPLETING YOUR CHARACTER
The Actions area of the Face room, shown in Figure 39, provides several buttons that
allow you to apply the head, texture, or both to the currently selected character in the Pose

159


room. The button you choose is dependent upon how you want to apply the head and
texture:

Apply to Figure Click this button to permanently apply the head shape and
texture from the Face room to the figure in the Pose room.
If multiple figures are on the stage, the changes apply to the
currently selected figure.

Apply Shape Only Click this button to permanently apply the head shape only
to the figure in the Pose room.

Apply Texture Only Click this button to apply the texture only to the figure in
the Pose room.

Spawn Morph Target Click this button to add the head and eyes as morph targets
to the figure in the Pose room.

Import Original Figure Click this button to apply the head texture that is currently
Head Texture on your Pose room figure to the head in the Face Sculpting
area.

Figure 39. The Actions area provides several buttons that complete your character in
different ways.

CREATING A PERMANENT CHARACTER
The Apply to Figure button creates a permanent modification to the character in the Pose
room. The head effectively replaces the default head provided with Don, Judy, Will or
Penny. The texture can be applied with or without color adjustments to match your head
texture to the default body texture. After you create your character, you can save it to your
Figures library for future use.

NOTE
THE EDIT > RESTORE > ELEMENT AND EDIT > RESTORE > FIGURE COMMANDS WILL NOT
RESTORE THE DEFAULT CHARACTER HEAD AFTER YOU APPLY THE FACE ROOM HEAD TO

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YOUR FIGURE. THERE IS ONE WAY TO GET THE DEFAULT HEAD BACK. FIRST, SAVE YOUR
CURRENT PROJECT SO THAT YOU CAN REVERT BACK IF THINGS GO WRONG.

NEXT, RETURN TO THE FACE ROOM, CLICK THE CLEAR MORPHS BUTTON IN THE FACE
SHAPING TOOL. GO TO THE STANDARD FIGURES > POSER CATEGORY OF THE FACE SHAPING
TOOL, AND THEN DIAL THE APPLICABLE CHARACTER MORPH (SELECT FROM THE DEFAULT
CHARACTER MORPHS) TO 1. THEN CLICK THE APPLY TO FIGURE BUTTON THAT APPEARS IN
THE ACTIONS SECTION OF THE FACE ROOM.

To create a permanent character with a new head and face texture, follow these steps:
1 Go to the Pose room, and add or select the figure that you want to apply the head shape
to.
2 Return to the Face room. Click the Apply to Figure button in the Actions area. Poser
asks if you want to change the texture resolution to apply.
Choose No if you want to keep the default texture resolution of 512x512. This
results in a smaller file, and is suitable for distant renders.
Choose Yes to create a higher resolution texture (1024 x 1024 or larger).
3 Poser informs you that it is creating an alpha map and then creates the texture. Next,
Poser asks if you want to change the face color to match the figure color.
Choose No to retain the coloring of the face texture exactly as you see it in the
Face room. This choice would apply if you also intend to use another graphic
program (such as Photoshop) to create a matching body texture. Figure 40 shows
an example of this option.
Choose Yes to instruct Poser to adjust the coloring of your Face room texture to
match the existing body texture. Figure 41 shows an example of this option.
4 Open the Figures library and save your new character so that you can use it in other
projects.

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Figure 40. Here, the head and face texture have been applied to the figure without adjusting
the color of the texture, keeping the original colors of the photographs. Choose this option
when you plan to create a matching body texture.

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Figure 41. Here, the head and face texture have been applied to the figure while adjusting
the color of the texture. Choose this option when you use the default body texture.

USING THIRD-PARTY TEXTURES WITH THE FACE ROOM
There are many textures available in the Poser community, many of which will work on
any applicable Poser 5 or later figure. There is a two-part process to using third-party
textures with the Face room. You will need to add the third-party texture to the Face room
to get an accurate view of how your face shape will look when done. You'll also have to
apply only the head shape to the figure in the Pose room after you create your head shape.
The steps are as follows:
1 Use the Material room, or MAT poses provided with your third-party texture, to apply
the third-party texture to your figure.
2 Make sure that the figure is selected in the Pose room, and then click the Face tab to
enter the Face room.
3 Click the Import Original Figure Head Texture button in the Actions area. You can
do this before or after you develop your head shape.

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4 After you morph your head in the Face room, click the Apply Shape Only button in
the Actions area of the Face room. This applies the head to the character without
affecting the texture that you purchased.
5 Go to the Pose room to view the result, as shown in Figure 42.

Figure 42. Use the Import Original Figure Head Texture and Apply Shape Only options to
use third-party textures in the Face room.

CREATING A MORPHABLE FACE
You may not want to use this character all the time; or, you may want to store several
different characters in one Library file. In cases like these, the Face room allows you to
apply the head and eye morphs as a morph target. This will allow you to "dial in" the
amount of character you apply to the default character. It will also allow you to mix and
match between other characters that you create in the Face room.
When you choose Spawn Morph Target from the actions area, the morph appears in the
list of morphs in the Pose room. By saving your character to the Figures library after you

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spawn one or more morph targets, you can dial in any character, or combination of
characters, any time you choose.
To apply the head and eyes from the Face room to the Pose room as a morph target, follow
these steps:
1 Go to the Pose room and add or select the figure that you want to apply the texture to.
2 Return to the Face room and click the Spawn Morph Target button in the Actions
area.
3 Go back to the Pose room. If necessary, choose the Window > Parameter Dials
command to open the Parameters palette.
4 Select the head of your character, and expand the Morph section of the dials. Scroll to
the bottom of that section, where you will see a new morph named "head" as shown in
Figure 43. Dial this to 1 to apply your head morph target.

Figure 43. When you spawn your head room morph, the morph appears in the "Morph"
section of the Parameters palette, and it is named "head."

5 The eyes look a little odd at this point, don't they? That's because you also have to do
the same for the left eye and right eye. Click one of the eyes, and go to its morph

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section. In this case, there is already a morph named "rightEye", so the new morph that
you created is named "rightEye 1" as shown in Figure 44." Dial that to 1 to apply your
Face room morph.

Figure 44. The Face room morphs appear as "leftEye 1" and "rightEye 1" for the eyes.

6 Repeat step 5 for the opposite eye.
Now that you know how to use the Face room to its fullest potential, we can continue with
our exploration of the Cloth room. Save your character before proceeding.

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Chapter 11: The Cloth Room
by Denise Tyler

T
he Cloth room helps you create dynamic clothing that drapes naturally, and that
responds to movement and wind forces during an animation. You will find
dynamic clothing in the Poser 7 Props library.
The Cloth room contains four main areas:
Cloth Simulation (area 1). This area creates and defines settings for a new cloth
simulation.
Cloth (area 2). This area allows you to turn an object into "cloth", and specify which
objects the cloth will respond to when they collide.
Cloth Groups (area 3). This area allows you to assign dynamic, choreographed,
constrained, or decorated groups to your cloth object.
Dynamics Controls (area 4). This area allows you to assign properties that affect how
the cloth behaves in the simulation.

Figure 1. The Cloth room consists of four main areas.

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TASK 1: CREATING STILL IMAGES WITH DYNAMIC CLOTHING
In this task you will create a still image. Even though the final goal is a still, you have to
create an animation to drape and settle the clothing to the correct position. By default,
Poser 7 creates a 30-frame animation, which will be perfect for our needs. We will pose
the character in the first frame, and use the remaining frames to let the cloth settle.
The ClothRoomTask1.pzz file has Jessi loaded into the scene. She appears in the default
position and the inverse kinematics settings are turned off for the arms and legs.

NOTE
TO TURN INVERSE KINEMATICS OFF, CHOOSE THE FIGURE > USE INVERSE KINEMATICS
MENU OPTION, AND UNCHECK ALL OPTIONS.

AFTERWARD, THE EASIEST WAY TO PLACE A CHARACTER IN THE DEFAULT POSITION IS TO
OPEN THE JOINT EDITOR PALETTE (WINDOW > JOINT EDITOR). THEN CLICK THE ZERO
FIGURE BUTTON TO ZERO OUT ALL OF THE JOINTS. (IF THE ZERO FIGURE BUTTON IS GRAYED
OUT, CLICK ANY BODY PART FIRST.) AFTER YOU CLOSE THE JOINT EDITOR, DOUBLE-CHECK
IN THE PARAMETERS PALETTE TO VERIFY THAT THE X, Y, AND ZTRAN SETTINGS ON THE HIP
AND BODY ARE ALL AT ZERO.

In the following example, we will use one of the clothing items from the Props library for
Jessi.
1 Open the ClothRoomTask1.pzz file, which you will find in the Tutorials/ClothRoom
folder in your Poser 7 installation. This scene contains Jessi, who is placed in the
default position.
2 Now, navigate to the Tutorial subcategory in the Props library. Open the Dynamic
Clothing subcategory folder. Select the JessiEveDressRaw dress shown in Figure 2
(the one with the red dot in the icon), and add it to your scene.

NOTE
THE JESSIEVEDRESSRAW DRESS CONTAINS AROUND 10,000 POLYGONS. IF YOU HAVE LIMITED
SYSTEM RESOURCES, USE THE JESSIEVEDRESSLO VERSION (THE ONE WITH THE YELLOW
DOT), WHICH CONTAINS LESS THAN 3000 POLYGONS. IT WILL NOT BEND AS SMOOTHLY, BUT
WILL STILL SERVE THE PURPOSE FOR THIS TUTORIAL.

NOTE
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE JESSIEVEDRESS AND JESSIEVEDRESSRAW IS THAT THE
RAW VERSION DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY CLOTH ROOM CLOTH GROUPS. USE THE RAW
VERSION FOR THIS TUTORIAL.

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Figure 2. Select the JessiEveDressRaw file, which does not contain any cloth groups.

3 To attach the clothing to the figure, you’ll need to assign the character’s Hip as the
parent to the dress. With the dress selected as the current object, choose Object >
Change Parent. The Choose Parent dialog appears. Choose either the Hip or the
Body, as shown in Figure 3, then choose OK to return to the Cloth room.

Figure 3. Choose the figure's Hip as a parent to the dynamic clothing prop.

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4 Verify in the Animation controls that you are on Frame 1, as shown in Figure 4. Then
click on Jessi to select her as the current figure.

Figure 4. Verify that you are on Frame 1 of your project file.

5 Open the Tutorial folder in the Poses library, and choose the JessiWalk01 pose. Then
click the Apply Library Preset check mark at the bottom of the Poses library. Jessi
should now be posed as shown in Figure 5. Note that the dress does not automatically
conform to the figure in the way that clothing from the Figures library does. The
reason for this is that the dress is a prop that was designed for the Cloth room. It does
not contain groups that automatically respond to the groups in the figure.

Figure 5. The character is posed in Frame 1, but the dress does not pose with it.

6 Now, click the Cloth tab to enter the Cloth room. You will step through the sections
quickly in this first tutorial. Later in this section you'll learn more about what each of
the settings do.

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7 Initially, only one button in the Cloth room is enabled. Click the New Simulation
button in section 1, shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6. Click the New Simulation button to create a cloth simulation.

8 In the Simulation Settings dialog box (shown in Figure 7) enter Dress for the
Simulation Name. Check the Cloth self-collision option so that the dress won't fold
over onto itself during the cloth simulation. Then enter 10 in the Drape Frames field.
This setting adds ten frames before the animation begins, to drape the dress naturally
on the character before the dynamics calculations start. Press OK to create the
simulation.

Figure 7. The Simulation Settings dialog box.

9 After you create a simulation, the next step is to turn your prop into a cloth object. To
do this, first click the Clothify button in section 2 of the Cloth room, shown in Figure
8.

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Figure 8. The Clothify button turns the prop into a cloth object.

10 When the Clothify dialog opens as shown in Figure 9, expand the Props popup-menu,
and choose the dress prop as shown in the following figure. Then click the Clothify
button to turn the prop into cloth.

Figure 9. Choose the dress from the Props pop-up menu.

11 The Collide Against button should now be active in the Cloth section (section 2).
Click this button to open the Cloth Collision Objects dialog shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10. The Cloth Collision Objects dialog lets you select the objects that will cause the cloth to
respond when they collide.

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ADDING REALISM

12 Click the Add/Remove button to open the Hierarchy Selection button shown in
Figure 11. By default, nothing is selected. Because this is a small scene that should
calculate very quickly, you can select (or check) Figure 1 (or the number of the figure
you want to dress). This automatically selects the entire tree beneath it. Click OK to
return to the Cloth Collision Objects dialog.

NOTE
IN THE CASE OF LARGER SCENES, YOU MAY WANT TO LIMIT THE SELECTION TO ONLY THOSE
BODY PARTS OR OTHER ITEMS THAT YOU EXPECT WILL COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE
CLOTH OBJECT. THIS WILL REDUCE CALCULATION TIME DURING THE DYNAMICS
CALCULATIONS.

Figure 11. Select the object or objects that you expect will come in contact with the cloth object.

13 You should now notice that additional options are enabled in the Cloth Collision
Objects dialog. For purposes of this tutorial we will leave the default values. The
important setting to note, however, is that Start Draping from Zero Pose is checked
in the Figure Collision Options dialog, as shown in Figure 12. This setting is
applicable because the first frame of the animation has the figure in the zero "Default"
pose. Press OK to return to the Cloth room.

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Figure 12. Verify that the "Start draping from zero pose" option is checked.

14 The Dynamic Controls settings in section 4 are sufficient for the purpose of this brief
tutorial. Click the Calculate Simulation button located at the top of the Dynamics
Controls section (section 4). This button is shown in Figure 13.

Figure 13. Click the Calculate Simulation button.

15 After a brief wait, Poser 7 should drape the dress over the figure as it moves toward the
pose you selected. During the draping, it will appear as if the clothing is always one
frame behind the final result. Once Poser 7 completes the draping calculations and
starts calculating dynamics, the dress should be posed correctly. During the dynamics
calculations the cloth will settle a little bit. This will be more noticeable when clothing
is fuller. The final result of the simulation, shown at Frame 30, is shown in Figure 14.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 14. The final result using cloth dynamics.

With Frame 30 (or the frame of your choice) selected as the current frame in the Cloth
room, click the Pose room tab. You can add items to the scene, change lighting, or
whatever else needs to be done to complete the scene. Then render it to any size you like,
just as you would any other still image. You can even adjust the hand on her left leg so that
the fingers don't poke through the clothing. The only thing you really can't do is move her
pose in any way that would affect the draping of the clothing. If you do, you would have to
enter the Cloth room again, and click the Calculate Simulation button again to re-
calculate the cloth simulation.

NOTE
THE STEPS TO CREATE AN ANIMATION THAT USES DYNAMIC CLOTHING ARE PRETTY MUCH
THE SAME AS OUTLINED ABOVE. YOU SIMPLY ADD KEYFRAMES THAT POSE YOUR
CHARACTER IN VARIOUS FRAMES THROUGHOUT THE ANIMATION, AND THE CLOTHING
DYNAMICS WILL MOVE IN RESPONSE TO THE CHARACTER'S MOTION.

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TASK 2: CONTROLLING HOW CLOTHING ACTS
Sometimes, results don't come out quite as you expected. For example, you might want to
create a still image of a woman sitting in a chair, wearing a full dress. You put the figure in
its default position in the first frame, and add the dress and chair. In a later frame, you pose
the figure in its final position, sitting down in the chair. When you calculate the dynamics,
things don't appear the way they should. As the figure sits down, the dress bunches
beneath her and doesn't fall properly when she sits. The dress overlaps the chair during the
calculations, and creates a jumbled mess. How can you prevent that?
Think about the actions that a woman performs while wearing a dress. When she sits down
in a chair, she uses her arms and hands to pull a dress toward her while she moves toward
the chair to sit. That prevents the dress from bunching up and getting wrinkled.
You can accomplish similar results in Poser 7 for your dress. There are actually a number
of different ways you can accomplish this:
You can animate the character's arms in the same way they would move in the real
world. This would probably be the best solution for an animation, but it seems a lot of
work for a still image.
Use a prop, such as a bar or half-donut shape, to push the dress forward while the
character moves toward the sitting position. After the dress is in place you can move
the prop out of the view of the camera.
Animate the chair in such a way that the chair itself pushes the dress forward as
needed. This approach will be demonstrated in the following tutorial.
The file ClothRmTask2.pzz, located in the Tutorials/ClothRoom folder in your Poser 7
installation, contains Jessi in a mid-length dress. There is also a chair in the scene. The
simulation is set as follows in the Simulation Settings dialog:

Simulation Name Dress

Start Frame 1

End Frame 30

Additional Cloth Collision Objects Cloth self-collision

Drape Frames 10

Cloth Collision options are also important when you want the clothing to react to props.
In addition to selecting Figure 1 for collision objects, the project file is also set to respond
to the chair, as shown in Figure 15.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 15. The cloth will react to the figure and the chair during collision.

The chair appears just behind her in Frame 1. Note how the dress intersects with the chair
in Figure 16. This is a situation that you must avoid, as it can create a tangled mess as well
as excessively long calculation times. We will correct this problem in the tutorial.

177


Figure 16. The chair is placed directly behind the figure, but the dress intersects the chair.

Move forward to Frame 15, and you will see Jessi sitting in the chair. The dress tilts to
respond to the position of her body as shown in Figure 17.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 17. Jessi sits on the chair in Frame 15.

For demonstration purposes, click the Calculate Simulation button in section 4 and
observe what happens with the project settings as they are now. Poser 7 drapes the dress
over the standing figure. Then, as the figure begins to drape, and then sit, you notice the
back of the skirt begins to bunch up over the chair, as shown in Figure 18.

179


Figure 18. At the beginning of the calculations, the dress begins to bunch up over the chair.

As the animation progresses further, the calculations take longer to complete in each
frame. This is usually an indication that things are getting bunched up and faces are
starting to overlap. When the calculations are complete, the dress appears really bunched
up under the character as shown in Figure 19. While it doesn't look objectionable, you can
also improve it.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 19. When the calculations are finished, the dress is very bunched up.

To remedy some of these problems, try these steps:
1 Use the Animation controls to return to Frame 1.
2 If the Parameters palette is not opened, choose Window > Parameter Dials to
display it.
3 Click the chair to select it. Notice that the zTran value is set at -1.746. To move the
chair farther away from the character, decrease the value to somewhere around -3.7 as
shown in Figure 20.

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Figure 20. Move the chair farther away from the character by decreasing the ZTran value.

4 Advance to Frame 15 and make sure that the chair is in its final position, and that Jessi
is sitting on it properly. If not, adjust the position of the chair as needed.
5 Click the Calculate Simulation button again. This time, the dress drapes naturally
over the character before the chair starts to move toward the character. As the chair
moves toward its final position, it moves the dress forward and underneath the
character, in much the same manner as the dress would fall naturally. The final result is
shown in Figure 21. Notice that the dress isn’t quite as bunched up now.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 21. After animating the chair into place, the dress appears more natural.

TASK 3: USING DIFFERENT MATERIALS IN CLOTHING (PART 1)
After you "clothify" an object (or turn it into cloth), Poser 7 assigns all of the vertices in
the clothing to a group named _default_. What this means to you is that the entire object
will behave as if it is all made of the same type of cloth.
What if you want your clothing to behave as if it were made of two different types of
cloth? Cloth groups allow you to assign vertices to different areas of your clothing object.
First, however, it helps if you assign different materials to the clothing object first, and
then use the material zones to define the cloth groups.
There are other reasons for using different groups in your dynamic clothing object. For
example, your clothing may also include buttons or laces that decorate the clothing. If you
keep everything in the _default_ group, your buttons will stretch and bend the same as the
cloth in your object. In addition, they might even fall off onto the floor during the
calculations. In the case of buttons, you can assign them to a rigid decorated group in
section 3 of the Cloth room. Lacings or belts might be assigned to a soft decorated group.

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For example, the top of a dress can be made of sequins, and the lower part made of satin.
Sequins are stiff and satin flows very easily. In that case, you need to create a new dynamic
group, and assign the "sequin" vertices to it. Then, you use the Dynamic controls in
section 4 to cause the sequin dynamic group to behave differently.

NOTE
YOU CAN ASSIGN MATERIALS TO YOUR OBJECTS IN A MODELING APPLICATION (SUCH AS
LIGHTWAVE, 3D STUDIO MAX, WINGS, OR SIMILAR APPLICATIONS). YOU CAN ALSO USE UV
MAPPING PROGRAMS SUCH AS UV MAPPER CLASSIC OR UV MAPPER PRO TO ASSIGN
MATERIALS. YOU CAN EVEN USE THE POSER 7 GROUP EDITOR TO ASSIGN MATERIALS TO
YOUR OBJECTS.

There are five types of cloth groups in Poser 7, all accessible in section 3 of the Cloth
room:

Dynamic cloth groups Assign vertices to this group when you want the
cloth to be of a different "fabric" than the rest of the
clothing. Later, you define the behavior of that fabric
in the Dynamics Controls section of the Cloth
room. An object can contain more than one dynamic
cloth group.

Choreographed groups Only one choreographed group is allowed per object.
Assign vertices to a choreographed group when you
want to keyframe their movement. You can also use
choreographed groups to prevent faces from being
used in the cloth simulation.
To cite an example, imagine that you have a sheet
lying on top of a bed. You define a small circle of
vertices located at the center as a choreographed
group. You animate the choreographed vertices
upward and away from the bed, and the remaining
vertices respond to gravity and motion ... and the
sheet now looks like a ghost flying across the room.

Constrained groups Assign vertices to a constrained group when you
want them to "stick" to the underlying faces. For
example, if you have a strapless top on a character,
you can assign the very top row of vertices to a
constrained group so that the top will not slip off and
fall to the floor. Only one constrained group is
allowed per object.

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ADDING REALISM

Soft Decorated groups Assign vertices to this group when you want them to
flex and move with the underlying cloth. Belt
buckles, belts, and shoelaces would be good
examples of the types of vertices that would belong
to this group. One object can have two decorated
groups: one soft and one rigid.

Rigid Decorated groups Assign vertices to this group when you want them to
move with the underlying cloth, but not bend or flex.
Buttons, pins, jewelry, belt buckles, and other
similar items are good examples here. One object
can have two decorated groups: one soft and one
rigid.

Let's put these points into practice with a simple example. The dress we used in the
previous task does have a couple of problems:
In certain positions, the straps of the dress slip off her shoulders. To prevent this, we
can assign some of the vertices at the top of the strap to a constrained group.
The top of the dress is also a bit too stretchy. We can create a new dynamic group that
includes all of the vertices from the waist up. Later, we can use Dynamics Controls to
make the sequin group a little less stretchy, and a little less soft.
The best approach is to add vertices to a new dynamic group first, and then select a small
amount of vertices from the top of the straps afterward. The following task demonstrates
how you can assign these cloth groups to the dress:
1 Open the project file named ClothRoomTask3.pzz from the Tutorials/ClothRoom
folder in your Poser 7 installation. This file begins where Task 2 left off.
2 Click the Cloth tab to enter the Cloth room if necessary.
3 The project should open with the Dress simulation displaying as the current cloth
simulation. In section 3, _default_ appears as the current dynamic group. To add a new
dynamic group for the top of the dress, click the New Dynamic Group button shown
in Figure 22.

Figure 22. The New Dynamic Group button.

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4 A dialog opens, and prompts you to enter a name for the new dynamic vertex group.
Enter Sequins, as shown in Figure 23. Click OK to continue.

Figure 23. Create a new dynamic group named Sequins.

5 Note that Sequins now appears as the currently selected dynamic group at the top of
the Cloth Groups section. Click the Edit Dynamic Group button shown in Figure 24
to assign vertices to this new group.

Figure 24. Click the Edit Dynamic Group button to add vertices to the new group.

6 The Group Editor window opens, and Sequins displays as the current group name.
Now, you can use the mouse to select the upper portion of the dress, down to the waist
as shown in Figure 25. Rotate the camera to make sure that you include all vertices
from the top of the dress.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 25. Use the mouse to add vertices from the upper portion of the dress to the sequin group.

7 To verify that you have included all of the top vertices, switch back to the default cloth
group, using the group selection box at the top of the Group Editor (shown in Figure
26). If some of the vertices in the top still appear in the default group, you can reselect
the Sequins group again to add them in.

Figure 26. Alternate between the default group and the Sequins group to make sure that you have
selected all of the top vertices for the Sequins group.

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8 With the Sequins group completed, we will now select some vertices to prevent the
straps from falling over her shoulders. Click the Edit Constrained Group button in
the Cloth Groups section, shown in Figure 27.

Figure 27. Click the Edit Constrained Group button to select some vertices in the straps.

9 Using the mouse, draw a selection around the top portion of the dress straps, as shown
in Figure 28. Again, rotate the camera to make sure that you select enough vertices. to
prevent the straps from slipping down.

Figure 28. Select vertices near the top of each strap to add them to the Constrained group.

NOTE
THERE IS ANOTHER APPROACH THAT YOU CAN USE TO ASSIGN VERTICES TO CLOTH GROUPS.
USE YOUR MODELING PROGRAM, OR A UV MAPPING PROGRAM (SUCH AS UV MAPPER PRO), TO
ASSIGN MATERIALS TO THE DIFFERENT CLOTH GROUPS. FOR EXAMPLE, YOU COULD SELECT
THE TOP OF THE DRESS AND CREATE A MATERIAL NAMED "SEQUINS." USE THE GROUP
EDITOR IN THE CLOTH ROOM TO CREATE THE SEQUINS DYNAMIC GROUP AS DESCRIBED IN
THE PREVIOUS EXAMPLE. THEN, CLICK THE ADD MATERIAL BUTTON IN THE GROUP EDITOR
TO SELECT THE SEQUINS MATERIAL.

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ADDING REALISM

TASK 4: USING DIFFERENT MATERIALS IN CLOTHING (PART 2)
In the previous task, you created a couple of different cloth groups. The dynamic cloth
group named Sequins will behave differently than the bottom of the dress, which uses the
default cloth settings. The purpose for these different groups is to demonstrate how you
can create a garment that uses more than one type of material.
The Dynamics Controls section of the Cloth room controls how fabrics behave. The
settings you choose here may be different, depending on whether you are doing a still or
an animation. Low settings may make a dress drape naturally for a still image of a sitting
figure; on the other hand, that same setting could wreak havoc during animation and cause
the fabric to fly and stretch much more than it would naturally during movement.
In cases like this, the settings in the Dynamics Controls section can help you create cloth
that behaves in a manner that is more typical of the type of cloth you are trying to
simulate. In brief, the settings are as follows:

Fold Resistance This setting controls how much or how little the fabric
(Default 5.000) will fold or bend. Settings can range from 0 to 1000,
with a setting of 5 being the default setting. Lower
settings produce cloth that flows and drapes more easily,
like silk or satin. Higher values create cloth that is more
resistant to folding and bending, such as a heavy wool or
leather coat.
Shear Resistance This setting controls how much or how little the cloth
(Default 50.000) will bend from side to side or collapse on itself, as the
corners of a tablecloth or bedspread would behave when
draped over the table or bed. Softer materials will have
higher Shear Resistance values than more rigid
materials.

Stretch Resistance This setting controls the stretchiness of your material.
(Default 50.000) Materials such as coat leather don't stretch much at all.
Glove leather stretches a little bit more. A knitted
sweater is even stretchier still ... and spandex is
extremely stretchy. Use lower Stretch Resistance
settings here to increase the stretchiness. The default
setting of 50 is suitable for cotton.

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Stretch Damping Stretch Damping is most obvious during an animation.
(Default 0.0100) This setting controls how slowly or rapidly the fabric
stops moving while it stretches. Low settings cause the
cloth to flap excessively, whereas high values make the
cloth move in slow motion. A setting of .01 is suitable
for most purposes.

Cloth Density The Cloth Density setting controls how heavy the fabric
(Default 0.0050) is, and represents the weight of a 1 cm by 1 cm piece of
cloth. Therefore, lighter fabrics such as silk or rayon
will have a lower setting than heavier fabrics like wool
or corduroy. Heavier fabrics will tend to weigh the
garment down more and will cause more stretching.

Cloth Self-Friction This setting controls how easily cloth moves over itself.
(Default 0.0000) For example, wool creates more friction against itself
than silk, which is very slippery. Increase the setting to
create more friction.

Static Friction This setting controls how much force it will take to
(Default 0.5000) make a stationary cloth move against another solid
object. Using the example from the Poser 7 Reference
Manual, nylon over smooth plastic will have a very low
amount of Static Friction while denim over wood will
have a high amount.

Dynamic Friction This setting controls the amount of surface friction
(Default 0.1000) between the cloth and an object when the cloth moves
over the object. Again using the example from the Poser
7 Reference Manual, Silk moving over a steel surface
has low resistance, while cotton moving over skin or
coarse sandpaper over rough wood has high resistance.
Air Damping This setting controls how easily the cloth moves through
(Default .0200) the air. Cloth that is woven very tightly has a higher
resistance than loosely woven cloth. Values that are too
excessive can cause unpredictable results.

Collision Friction Set Collision Friction to On if you want to calculate
(Default Off) friction when the cloth collides with other objects.

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ADDING REALISM

1 Continue from the previous task, or open the file named ClothRmTask4.pzz which
starts where Task 3 left off. This file already has the Sequins dynamic group and the
constrained group. The ClothRmTask4.pzz file can be found in the Tutorials/
ClothRoom folder in your Poser 7 installation.
2 If necessary, select Sequins as the current dynamic group in Section 3, as shown in
Figure 29.

Figure 29. Select Sequins as the current dynamic group.

3 If the Group Editor is open, click the square at the upper-right corner (see Figure 30)
to close it.

Figure 30. Close the Group Editor after you finish your selections.

4 To make the top material a little less stretchy, increase the Stretch Resistance setting
to 500 as shown in Figure 31. Increasing this setting means that the fabric will stretch
less than the default setting of 50. The maximum setting is 1000.

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Figure 31. Increase the Stretch Resistance setting to 500.

5 After you change the Stretch Resistance setting, press the Calculate Simulation
button to view the results. Notice that the top does not stretch as much now. The top of
the dress does not stretch beyond her waist, and there is also not as much stretching
beneath the armpits as shown in Figure 32.

Figure 32. The top of the dress now stretches much less.

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ADDING REALISM

TASK 5: SAVING DYNAMIC CLOTHING TO A LIBRARY
Because dynamic clothing is different from conforming clothing, you cannot save it to the
Figures library. The main reason conforming clothing is saved in the Figures library is
because it contains group names that correspond to the figures that the clothing is
designed to fit.
Dynamic clothing is basically a prop with specialized groups, so you save it to the Props
library. The procedure to save dynamic clothing is as follows:
1 If you have not completed all of the previous tasks, open the file ClothRmTask4.pzz
from the Tutorials/ClothRoom folder in your Poser 7 installation.
2 To add the dress to the library, first open the Props library, and select or create a new
subcategory in which to save the dress.
3 Click the dress to select it as the current object, and then press the Add to Library
button shown in Figure 33.

Figure 33. Click the Add to Library button to save the dress to the Props library of your choice.

4 When the Set Name dialog appears, enter a name for the dress in the New Set Name
field, shown in Figure 34.

Figure 34. Assign a name in the New Set Name field.

5 Click the Select Subset button (shown above in Figure 34) to open the Hierarchy
Selection dialog. Choose dress as the object to save as shown in Figure 35. Then click
OK to return to the Set Name dialog.

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Figure 35. Choose the dress in the Hierarchy Selection dialog.

6 Click OK to save the clothing object to the current Props library. Poser 7 saves the
dress with the groups and settings that you created.

NOTE
WHEN YOU ADD THE DYNAMIC CLOTHING FROM THE LIBRARY TO THE SCENE, YOU MUST
CREATE A NEW SIMULATION.

TASK 6: ADDING WIND TO YOUR PROJECT
Poser 7 provides the capability of adding wind forces to your scene or animation.
Dynamic clothing and dynamic hair react to the wind forces, which can simulate gentle or
strong gusts as well as strong, forceful winds.
The Object > Create Wind Force command adds a wind force object to your scene. It
resembles a small fan, with the wider end containing blades that should point in the
direction that the wind blows.
Wind force objects have the following key properties in the Parameters palette:

Amplitude Adjust this setting to control the strength of the wind
force. Low settings create gentle winds, and high
settings create strong winds.

Spread Angle Adjust this setting to control the area that the wind
effects. Small Spread Angles create winds that target a
specific area, such as when a person blows out a candle.
Large Spread Angles create winds that affect a wide
area, such as a storm.

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ADDING REALISM

Range Adjust this setting to control how far the wind can affect
objects. Small Range settings will only affect close
objects, whereas larger Range settings affect objects in
the distance.

Turbulence Adjust this setting to control the amount of irregularity
in the wind.

The file ClothRmTask6.pzz, located in the Tutorials/ClothRoom folder in your Poser 7
installation, will help to illustrate how wind forces work. Rather than demonstrate with
clothing, this file contains a wall with an opening. Curtains hang from a rod on the
"inside" of the wall. Figure 36 shows the "inside" view, as seen through the Main camera.

Figure 36. Curtains hang over an opening in the wall.

The cloth simulation for this file is already configured for you. Some of the important
things to note in regards to this simulation are:
There are a total of 60 frames in the animation.

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The Simulation name is Curtains. The simulation is set to start at Frame 1 and end at
Frame 60. Cloth self-collision is checked, and there are 10 drape frames.
The Cloth object is named Curtains. The curtains are set to collide against the Wall and
the Curtain Rod.
The default dynamic group is the only group used in the curtains.
1 Choose the Display > Camera View > From Back command, to view the items from
the back side. Here, you will see a Wind Force object that has already been created for
you.
2 Click the Wind Force object to select it. Open the Parameters palette (Window >
Parameter Dials) if necessary.
3 Note that the Wind Force object is not in its default position. In order to position the
wind force correctly on the other side of the window, the yRotate setting was changed
to 180 degrees (to face the wind in the proper direction). The xTran, yTran, and zTran
settings are set to .447, 4.662, and -5.736 respectively.
4 The settings that affect the wind force (or its forcefield) appear in the Other and
Dynamics portions of the Parameters palette. They are Amplitude, Spread Angle,
Range, and Turbulence, as shown in Figure 37.

Figure 37. The Amplitude, Spread Angle, Range, and Turbulence settings affect the force of the
wind.

5 Now, let's take a look at one of the settings that is important in this project: Range. To
adjust the range of the wind force, first choose the Left camera (Display > Camera
View > Left Camera). The range is represented by the length of the two "arms" that
stick out from the wind force fan. They currently end well before the wall, as shown in
Figure 38.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 38. The range of the wind force is represented by the length of the two "arms" that stick out in
front of the fan.

6 Move the Range slider until the arms extend beyond the curtain. The setting should be
around .700.
7 Now, let's adjust the Spread Angle, which controls the width of the wind force. The
default of 45 degrees is too wide, as it goes above and below the window and wall.
Reduce the Spread Angle setting to about 23 degrees. At the same time, adjust the
yTran setting of the forcefield to around 4.955 so that the wind force is centered better
in the window. Looking through the Aux camera, here is the result thus far, shown in
Figure 39.

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Figure 39. The Range and Spread Angle have been adjusted to fit the window.

8 For now, leave the Amplitude setting at 1, and the Turbulence setting at 0 (their default
settings). Press the Calculate Simulation button and view the effects. If desired, use
the Animation > Make Movie command to generate a movie of the test so that you
can see the effects more easily.
9 Verify that you are in Frame 1, and increase the Amplitude setting to 10. Calculate
another simulation and you will notice that the curtains move more in response to the
stronger wind. Though the curtains move more, they still move very gracefully as if
being blown by a gentle wind.
10 To demonstrate what Turbulence does, again return to Frame 1. Adjust the Turbulence
setting to 1 (full strength), and calculate your simulation again. Now, the curtains react
to "gusts" of wind that are not all at the same strength.

NOTE
YOU CAN ALSO ADD KEYFRAMES BEYOND THE FIRST FRAME, OR USE THE ANIMATION
GRAPH TO VARY THE FORCEFIELD SETTINGS THROUGHOUT THE ANIMATION.

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Now that you know the basics of wind force objects and how they affect clothing, you can
experiment with dynamic clothing as well as dynamic hair. Both react to wind force using
the same principals that you learned here.

ADJUSTING DYNAMIC CLOTHING TO FIT OTHER CHARACTERS
Poser 7 allows you to morph a character so that it has a different body type. This is done
with magnets, or with morph dials that are already built into the character for you.
But dynamic clothing won't fit a customized character "right out of the box". Fortunately,
the Cloth room can fit the clothing for you. The approach is different, depending on
whether the target character is lighter or heavier than the default body shape.
The following examples show how you can use the Cloth room to adjust clothing to fit a
morphed body. Though this example uses DAZ Stephanie Petite, the same principals can
be used with other models that are morphed to a different body shape.

FITTING A HEAVIER BODY SHAPE
To begin, load the character that you want to morph from the Figures library. Then, add an
item of dynamic clothing from the Props library. Use the Object > Change Parent
command to choose the Body of the figure as the parent to the clothing, as shown in
Figure 40.

Figure 40. Choose the Body as the parent to the clothing item.

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Using the default of 30 frames for your animation, advance to Frame 15. This will leave
the last 15 frames in the animation for the clothing to settle and drape naturally after it
resizes. Once you get to Frame 15, morph the character into the desired body shape. For
example, in Figure 41, you see Stephanie Petite with the Pear Figure body morph set to 1.

Figure 41. In Frame 15, the Pear Figure body morph is applied to the figure.

Go to the Cloth room, and create a New Simulation, as shown in figure 42. Set the
simulation to run through all 30 frames of your project file, allowing the remaining 15
frames to settle the cloth. You don't need to set the drape frames.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 42. Create a new simulation for the clothing.

Clothify the clothing as outlined in the previous tasks, and set it to collide against the
figure as shown in Figure 43. The Start Draping from Zero Pose setting can either be
checked or unchecked.

Figure 43. Set the cloth to collide against the figure.

Press the Calculate Simulation button. As the simulation progresses, you should see the
character gradually morph through the first 15 frames until it reaches the desired shape in
Frame 15. The dress should also morph accordingly. Then, when calculations run through
Frames 16 through 30 you should see the dress settle. Figure 44 shows the result.

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Figure 44. The final fit on the Pear Figure Stephanie is much better!

FITTING A LIGHTER BODY SHAPE
The process to fit a lighter body shape is slightly different than the previous example.
Basically, if you use the previous steps to apply the dress to a lighter figure, the dress will
appear too large.
The way around this is to scale the body smaller in the first frame, and let it "grow" into
the dress on Frame 15. In this example, we start Stephanie Petite at her default body size
in Frame 1. In Frame 15, she is set to "Emaciated" (to show an extreme), as shown in
Figure 45.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 45. Stephanie Petite, set to "Emaciated" in Frame 15.

Just to illustrate what we are trying to avoid, here is what the dress looks like if you use
the same procedure as that used with a heavy figure. Notice in Figure 46 how Stephanie is
swimming in that dress! Not only is it dragging on the floor (not shown), but it's hanging
off her, most noticeably in the back.

Figure 46. Emaciated Stephanie Petite is swimming in the dress.

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To prevent this from happening, follow the same steps as outlined for the heavy figures.
But, before you calculate the simulation, return to Frame 1. Select the Body of Figure 1
(your character), and adjust the xScale and the zScale to 90% (This figure may vary,
depending on how skinny the figure is. This is an extreme example). Leave the yScale
setting as is, otherwise you will affect the length of the dress in the simulation. Figure 47
shows the location of these settings.

Figure 47. Set the BODY xScale and zScale to 90%.

Next, go to Frame 15, or the same frame that has the body morph set to 1. Set the xScale
and zScale for the body back to 1, as shown in Figure 48.

Figure 48. At Frame 15, set the BODY xScale and zScale back to 100%.

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ADDING REALISM

Once you finish this additional step, you can calculate the simulation. The clothing will
probably fit better this time around!

NOTE
IF YOU ARE SCALING MULTIPLE PIECES OF CLOTHING TO FIT THE SAME BODY SHAPE, YOU
WILL NEED MULTIPLE SIMULATIONS. FOR EXAMPLE, LET'S SAY YOU WANT TO FIT A SHIRT,
PANTS, SHOES, AND A JACKET. THE SHIRT TUCKS INTO THE PANTS, THE PANTS DRAPE OVER
THE SHOES, AND THE JACKET GOES OVER THE SHIRT AND PANTS.

GIVEN THAT SCENARIO, YOU PROBABLY WON'T "CLOTHIFY" THE SHOES, AS LEATHER IS NOT
VERY FLEXIBLE. HOWEVER, YOU DO WANT THE PANTS TO DRAPE OVER THE SHOES
APPROPRIATELY, SO MAKE SURE YOUR FIGURE IS WEARING THE SHOES.

FIRST CREATE A CLOTH SIMULATION FOR THE SHIRT, AND SET IT TO COLLIDE AGAINST THE
FIGURE. CALCULATE ITS SIMULATION.

NEXT, CREATE A CLOTH SIMULATION FOR THE PANTS, AND SET IT TO COLLIDE AGAINST THE
FIGURE, THE SHIRT, AND THE SHOES. CALCULATE ITS SIMULATION.

FINALLY, CREATE A CLOTH SIMULATION FOR THE JACKET, AND SET IT TO COLLIDE AGAINST
THE SHIRT AND THE PANTS.

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Chapter 12: The Hair Room
by Denise Tyler

Y
ou have no doubt seen furry creatures in animated movies such as Shrek or
Monsters, Inc., and observed their hair blowing in the wind, or reacting to gravity
or other movement when the characters change position. The hair on those
characters uses a technique that is similar to what you find in Poser 7's Hair room.
To begin, notice that Poser 7 uses three different types of hair, each of which have
strengths and weaknesses. The first type of hair uses an HR2 or HRZ extension. This type
of hair uses a geometry file, a texture map, and a transparency map, and can look quite
realistic. HR2 files are usually configured as a smart prop that automatically attaches itself
to a figure's head. You can also attach them yourself with the Figure > Set Figure Parent
or Object > Change Parent commands.
Though HR2 hair does move along with the character as far as positioning goes, it requires
morphs to make it pose correctly when the head bends in any direction. For example, if
you add long hair to a character and then bend her head forward, the bottom of the hair
sticks out. In many cases, morphs are added to make the hair bend appropriately, as shown
in Figure 1.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 1. Hair from the Hair library attaches to the figure's head. It requires morphs to bend and
style it.

The second hair type uses a CR2 or CRZ extension. This type of hair works the same way
as conforming clothing. You attach it to the figure using the Figure > Conform To
command, and then it automatically bends to follow the pose of the character. For
example, if you put a long hair object on a figure and then bent her head forward, the parts
on the head and neck bend accordingly, as shown in Figure 2. Conforming hair also
utilizes morphs to style and animate the hair.

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Figure 2. Conforming hair, found in the Figures library, moves with the character like conforming
clothing does.

While prop hair and conforming hair can look quite realistic in still images, they are
difficult to use in animation. You need many keyframes and extensive morphing to make
them move realistically. Strand-based hair, found in Poser 7's Hair room, is the ideal
solution for realistic hair animation. Strand-based hair looks more lifelike, and reacts to
movement and wind forces in much the same way as dynamic clothing.
There are four basic steps to creating dynamic hair:
1 Create a skull cap and divide it into hair growth groups.
2 Define the length and amount of pull in the hair.
3 Configure the density and amount of curl in the hair, and style it.
4 If using the hair in an animation, specify how the hair reacts to gravity, air, bending,
and change of position, and calculate the dynamic properties.

NOTE
DYNAMIC HAIR CONTAINS MANY FACES. AS A RESULT IT NEEDS A LOT OF COMPUTING
POWER DURING DYNAMIC CALCULATIONS AND CAN AFFECT THE PERFORMANCE OF YOUR
SYSTEM.

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ADDING REALISM

A good way to approach hair is to first add all of the hair groups to the skullcap, using the
Group Editor. Then, start with the bottom-most layer, growing and styling the hair on it.
As you work your way up to the crown, you continue to add hair.

TASK 1: QUICK START TO CREATING AND STYLING HAIR
Let’s take the basic steps of hair creation one step farther. In this quick start tutorial, you’ll
create hair from a skull cap that only has one group. You’ll create a nice, soft hairstyle
with a little bit of curl and styling.

NOTE
THOUGH YOU CAN ADD HAIR DIRECTLY TO A CHARACTER'S HEAD, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO
DISTRIBUTE IT WITHOUT THE CHARACTER, OR USE THE HAIR WITH OTHER CHARACTERS. THE
ONLY WAY YOU CAN SAVE A CHARACTER, WITH HAIR, IS TO SAVE THE ENTIRE PROJECT. THIS
MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO USE THE SAME HAIRSTYLE ON ANY CHARACTER.

ADDING GROUPS
To style your first hair style, follow these steps:
1 Open the project named JessiHairRoom01.pzz from the Tutorials/HairRoom folder in
your Poser 7 installation. This file has Jessi in the default pose, wearing a red and
black cocktail dress. She is also wearing a skull cap that has no hair groups defined.
The skull cap appears as a transparent object on the head.
2 Enter the Hair room. If necessary, choose the Face Camera so that you can see Jessi
as shown in Figure 3.

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Figure 3. Jessi appears in the Hair room wearing a skull cap.

3 Click the skull cap on Jessi’s head to make it the current object.
4 Find the Hair Growth Groups section of the Hair room (section 1, in the upper-left
section), and click the New Growth Group button shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4. The New Growth Group button creates a new hair group.

5 Name the new growth group All, as shown in Figure 5, and click OK to continue. The
other buttons in Section 1 of the Hair room should now be available for use.

Figure 5. Name the new growth group All.

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ADDING REALISM

6 To define which faces belong in the new growth group, click the Edit Growth Group
button shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6. Click the Edit Growth Group button to select faces for the new hair group.

7 The Group Editor opens in the Hair room. To add all of the faces to the All hair
group, click the Add All button, shown in Figure 7. All of the faces in the skull cap
should turn red.

Figure 7. Click the Add All button to add all faces to the current growth group.

8 Click the square in the upper-right corner of the Group Editor palette to close it and
return to the Hair room. You have just completed your first hair growth group … the
only one necessary for this tutorial.

GROWING THE HAIR
You should now notice that the Growth Controls in section 2 are enabled. These controls
are shown in Figure 8, and provide the following functions:

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Figure 8. The Growth Controls define the length and natural behavior of the hair.

Grow Guide Hairs Press this button to grow some guide hairs on the
current hair growth group. Guide hairs are
representative strands that allow you to style the hair
without having to view all of the hairs on the head. You
can view all hairs when you render, or if you check the
"Show Populated" option in Section 3 of the Hair room.
Hair Length The Hair Length dial controls the length of the guide
hairs, and the populated hairs, in the current hair growth
group. The default value is .3440, which creates hairs
that are about equal length to Judy's neck. A value of 0
produces a good representation of 5 o'clock shadow
stubble. A value of about 2.5 to 3.0 creates hair that
reaches out at about arm's length.
Length Variance The Length Variance creates hair that is uneven in
length, creating a more natural look. A value of 0
creates no variation in length, making all hairs in the
current group even (like a blunt cut). A value of one
creates unevenness that is about equal to the length of
the neck. A value of .1 produces fairly natural results,
somewhat like a feathered cut.

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ADDING REALISM

Pull Back Not to be confused with pulling back from styling, the
Pull Back setting controls how the hair in the hair group
is naturally pulled back. For example, men's short hair
pulls back naturally from the hair line. A value of 0 does
not pull hair back at all. Increase values above 0 to pull
hair backward, and decrease values below 0 to push hair
forward.

Pull Down The Pull Down setting controls how much the hair
naturally pulls down because of gravity or length. Long
hair weighs more than short hair, so its natural tendency
to pull downward is greater. Increase the setting to pull
the hair downward, and decrease the setting below 0 to
create hair that sticks up. A value of .005 creates a nice
natural bend for medium to long hair.

Pull Side The Pull Side setting controls how much the hair
naturally pulls to the right or left, such as when the hair
is parted. Numbers above 0 pull the hair toward the
character's right, while numbers below 0 pull the hair
toward the character's left side.

1 Click the Grow Guide Hairs button. Initially you’ll see the wild style shown in Figure
9. There are two things to point out here: first, the hair that you see in the render will
not be as thin as what you see in the window here. These are only representative guide
hairs that help you style the hair without having to wade through thousands of hairs at
once. Secondly, all of the hairs you see on the head are roughly the same length all
across the head. For this style it’s okay, but later you’ll learn how you can control hair
lengths a little better.

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Figure 9. After you click the Grow Guide Hairs button, you see a wild hair style.

2 We’ll adjust a couple of the controls to tame that hair a little bit. Set the following
growth controls in Section 2 to the values shown below. Your hair should look as
shown in Figure 10.

Hair Length 0.3440 (default)

Length Variance 0.0000 (default)

Pull Back -0.00011

Pull Down 0.00043

Pull Side 0.00000 (default)

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 10. After some adjustments in the Growth Controls section, the hair is a little tamer.

ADDING OR REMOVING CURLINESS
Take a look next at the Styling Controls in section 3. These controls define how thin/thick
or how naturally straight or curly the hair is. They serve the following purposes:

Style Hairs Click this button to open the Hair Style Tool (described
later in this task).
Show Populated Check this option to see the density of the hair as it will
be rendered. Unless you have a good amount of
computer resources, it is best to leave this option
unchecked. A good time to use it, however, is when you
set the Hair Density setting described next.

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Hair Density For best results, adjust this setting with the Show
Populated option checked until you cover the head
sufficiently. Too high a setting affects system
performance.

NOTE
HAIR TENDS TO LOOK BETTER WHEN IT ISN’T QUITE AS DENSE. HOWEVER, IN POSER 5, THE
ONLY WAY TO PREVENT THE SCALP FROM SHOWING THROUGH WAS TO INCREASE THE HAIR
DENSITY SETTING. THIS PUT A HUGE STRAIN ON SYSTEM RESOURCES.

TO HELP REMEDY THIS ISSUE, POSER 7 OFFERS THE OPAQUE IN SHADOW OPTION FOUND IN
THE HAIR MATERIAL NODES. THIS OPTION IS EXPLAINED MORE FULLY LATER IN THIS
TUTORIAL SECTION.

WHEN THE OPAQUE IN SHADOW OPTION IS CHECKED ON THE CURRENT HAIR MATERIAL (AS
IT IS IN THE CURRENT PROJECT FILE), YOU DO NOT HAVE TO MAKE THE HAIR REAL DENSE TO
HIDE THE SCALP. INSTEAD, THE HAIR GETS MORE OPAQUE AS IT RECEDES INTO THE
SHADOWS, AND GIVES THE IMPRESSION THAT THE HAIR IS FULLER. THIS SAVES VALUABLE
RESOURCES AND ALLOWS YOU TO CREATE HAIR THAT RENDERS MUCH FASTER.

Tip Width This setting controls the thickness of the hair at the end
of the hair, and should be lower than the root width,
which follows.
Root Width This setting controls the thickness of the hair at the base
of the head, and should be higher than the tip width,
above.
Clumpiness Increase this setting for hair that clumps together, such
as in dreadlocks or heavy curls. Decrease for fine, thin
hair.
Kink Strength Increase this setting for curlier hair; decrease for
straight hair.

Kink Scale Increase this setting for tighter curls, and decrease it for
looser curls. This setting is also affected by the Verts per
Hair setting below.

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ADDING REALISM

Kink Delay Controls the distance between the root of the hair and
the point at which it begins to curl. Higher numbers
cause the curls to start farther away from the head.

Verts Per Hair Controls the number of vertices that are in each hair
strand. Higher values create smoother hair but increase
system resources. Lower numbers are easier on your
resources but it is better to use them in straight styles.

Starting from the top setting, we are going to make the hair a little more dense than the
default setting. . We’ll also make the hair less clumpy, because it is straight and fine. To
create hair that is straighter, we will decrease the Kink Strength, Kink Scale, and Verts per
hair settings, and increase the Kink Delay. Try these settings to get the results shown in
Figure 11:

Hair Density 2500. With the Opaque in Shadow option set in the
hair material node, this setting strikes a perfect balance
between fullness and system resources.

Tip Width 4 (default)

Root Width 1 (default)

Clumpiness 0.100

Kink Strength 2 (Straightens the hair a little bit)

Kink Scale 50 (Makes hair less kinky)

Kink Delay 1.00 (Straightens hair further)

Verts Per Hair 10 (Reduces system resources for straighter hair)

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Figure 11. After some styling control adjustments, the hair is a little straighter.

STYLING THE HAIR
1 Now for the fun part. Click the Style Hairs button in section 3 to open the Hair Style
Tool shown in Figure 12.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 12. Click the Style Hairs button to open the Hair Style Tool.

Select Hairs Use this tool to select the guide hairs that you want to
style.

Translate Hairs Drag the mouse left or right to move hairs.

Curl Hairs Curls hair upward in a flip style of under toward the
head.

Scale Hairs Moves vertices farther away or closer to each other
along the horizontal axis.

Deselect Hairs Deselects the currently selected vertices. You can also
Command-Click (Mac) or Ctrl-click (Windows) with
the Select Hair tools to achieve the same thing.
Translate Hairs In-Out Moves the selected vertices toward you or away from
you.

Twist Hairs Twists the hairs, somewhat like the shape of a tornado.

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2 Click the Select tool, and select the vertices along the bottom of the hair. Be sure to
rotate the camera and select them all the way around the head if necessary. Figure 13
shows the bottom four rows selected.

Figure 13. The bottom four rows of vertices are selected.

NOTE
THE SELECT TOOL ADDS VERTICES TO THE CURRENT SELECTION. TO REMOVE VERTICES
FROM THE SELECTION, PRESS THE COMMAND (MAC)/CTRL (WINDOWS) KEY WHILE DRAWING
A SELECTION BOX AROUND THE VERTICES YOU WANT TO REMOVE. TO REMOVE ALL
VERTICES FROM THE SELECTION, CLICK THE CLEAR SELECTION BUTTON IN THE HAIR STYLE
TOOL.

3 Now that a selection is made, the remaining tools should be enabled. Select the Scale
tool (last tool on the top row) and bring the vertices in closer to the neck. The direction
of scale depends on which way the camera is facing. View the model from the front.
Place the cursor in the center of the selection, and drag the mouse toward the left to
bring the selection in toward the neck, as shown in Figure 14.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 14. Scale the lower hairs in toward the neck.

4 Rotate the camera so that you are looking at the character from the side. Select the
Move tool (second tool on the top row) and bring the selection in closer to the neck, as
shown in Figure 15.

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Figure 15. Move the vertices closer to the neck.

5 Click the Clear Selection button in the Hair Style Tool. The yellow vertices should
become deselected.
6 Now, select the group of vertices above those you just worked on, as shown in Figure
16. If necessary, use the Deselect tool or press Command (Mac)/Ctrl (Windows) while
you use the Select tool to remove the previous vertices from the selection.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 16. Select another set of vertices above the previous selection.

7 Adjust the Lengthen slider in the Hair Style Tool until your guide hairs are
approximately the same length as the previous layer, as shown in Figure 17.

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Figure 17. Use the Lengthen slider to increase the length of the selected strands.

NOTE
AFTER YOU GROW AND STYLE GUIDE HAIRS, IT IS BETTER TO USE THE LENGTHEN SLIDER IN
THE HAIR STYLE TOOL TO MAKE HAIR LONGER OR SHORTER. IF YOU USE THE HAIR LENGTH
SETTING IN THE GUIDE HAIRS SECTION IT WILL RESET ALL IN THE GROWTH GROUP (IN THIS
CASE, ALL HAIRS) TO THEIR PRE-STYLED STATE..

8 Again, use the Scale tool and the Move tool until you see results that are similar to
those shown in Figure 18. You can also adjust the Falloff slider more toward the root
to move the affected region more toward the base of the head rather than toward the tip
of the hair strands.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 18. Scale and move the strands closer to the head.

9 Use the Select tool to draw a selection around both sets of bottom vertices. Then,
uncheck the Constrain Length checkbox in the Hair Style Tool. Use the Move and
Scale tools to adjust the length up or down until you get a length that you like. An
example is shown in Figure 19.

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Figure 19. Adjust the length of all strands you have worked on thus far.

10 Finally, clear the current selection, and select the top portion of the head. Use the Scale
and Move tools to bring the hair in closer to the head, keeping the bangs at a proper
length. The results should look similar to that shown in Figure 20.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 20. Scale and move the top layer of vertices to finish the style.

11 Render your style to see how it looks, and if it needs any other adjustments. If the hair
looks too thin, go to the material room and check the material settings for the hair. If
necessary, check the Opaque In Shadow option in the hair node. You can also
increase hair density settings, but try not to increase it too much.

NOTE
THE TWO SETTINGS THAT AFFECT YOUR RESOURCES THE MOST ARE THE HAIR DENSITY
SETTING AND THE VERTS PER HAIR SETTING. KEEPING THEM BOTH AS LOW AS POSSIBLE WILL
CREATE HAIR THAT RENDERS MUCH FASTER.

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Figure 21. Render the hair and make any adjustments you feel are necessary.

CREATING MULTI-GROUPED HAIR
Though the hair in the previous example is a good start, you get more control over styling
if you use a skull cap that has more than one hair group. As a case in point, you’ll have
more control over the top of the head if you create hair groups that focus on the crown, or
on right and left sections so that you can create hair with a center part.
If you have ever worn or seen a real wig, you may have noticed that the hairs are sewn on
a cap made of netting. This is known as a skull cap. Poser’s skull caps serve the same
purpose: you attach the hair to a base part called a skull cap. Poser 7 comes with some
skull caps for you to start with, but in order to share with other users you should make
your own to avoid copyright issues. You can also create your own in a modeling program
such as LightWave, as shown below.
Though skull caps can be rescaled to fit a figure, you'll no doubt obtain the best results if
the skull cap is designed specifically for the character. For example, the position and shape

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ADDING REALISM

of Judy's head (the Poser 5 female) is different than Jessi’s (the Poser 6 female), and DAZ
3D’s Victoria also has a head that is different from Jessi’s or Judy's.
You can actually create a skull cap very easily in Poser 7’s Pose room. Click the figure’s
head to make it the current selection. Then select the Grouping tool from the Editing
tools shown in Figure 22.

Figure 22. Select the character’s head, then open the Group tool.

With the head selected, create a new group named Skullcap. Use the tools in the Group
Editor to select the polygons that you want to include in the skull cap. It helps to view the
head in Wireframe mode while you do this (Display > Document Style > Wireframe). It
also helps to view the head with the Left or Right Camera while you select the faces, as
shown in Figure 23. This helps you get a symmetrical selection.

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Figure 23. Create a Skullcap group and select faces to include in the new group.

After you have the faces selected, click the Create Prop button in the bottom section of
the Group Editor. Poser 7 prompts you to name the prop (Skullcap). It leaves the original
head intact, but creates a skull cap that uses the same texture that was assigned to the faces
you originally selected. You can then use this skullcap to create your hair.
On the other hand, if you intend to share your hairstyle with others, you cannot distribute
any of the geometry from your Poser character. In the case of distributing or selling hair,
you will need to create your own skull cap in a 3D modeling program. For example,
Figure 24 shows a skull cap in progress for Will (the Poser 5 boy).

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 24. A skull cap designed in LightWave.

As you learned in the previous example, hair is initially all the same length when you
create it. In reality, when you look at your own hair, this is typically not the case. For
example, think of a girl with long, shoulder-length hair that appears to be all one length,
bangs and all. In reality, the hair at the base of the neck is much shorter than the hair at the
crown of her head.
The easiest way to simulate this in the Hair room is to create more than one hair group in
the skull cap. When it comes time to "grow" the hair, you can create shorter hairs on the
lower layers, and longer hairs on the upper layers, giving everything a smooth, uniform
look. In addition, if you want the hair to part in the middle, or even to the right or left, you
can anticipate this with the hair groups.
You can assign hair groups in a modeling program, a UV mapping program, or in Poser 7's
Group Editor. The following sections explain how.

USING A MODELING OR UV MAPPING PROGRAM
One way to approach hair groups using a modeling or UV mapping program is to assign
different material zones to the skull cap. Figure 25 shows several different material zones,
colored for clarity, that are created in a skull cap.

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The groups shown in the following figure allow you to create a wide variety of hair styles.
Three layers in the back can each be different lengths. The lower layers can be closer to
the head, while the upper layers can be farther away. Three crown layers (Crown, Top
Right, and Top Left) allow you to gain more control over the hairs at the top of the head,
allowing you to pull part of it toward the back, and part the upper part in the middle or on
one side or the other. The two side zones, top and bottom, give you more control over
longer hair that might fall in front of the shoulder.

Figure 25. Divide the skull cap into several material zones using a modeling or UV mapping
software.

After you assign the material zones and save the object as a Wavefront OBJ file, import
the OBJ file into Poser 7 and position it properly over the character's head. You can use the
material zones to create the hair growth groups by using the following procedure:
1 Choose File > Import > WaveFront OBJ. Select the skull cap with materials
assigned, and click Open.
2 The Prop Import Options dialog appears. As long as the OBJ file is the correct size
and in the correct position, you don't need to check any options. Leave them all
unchecked and press OK to continue.
3 With the object imported, click the Hair tab to enter the Hair room.

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4 Click the New Growth Group button in section 1 of the Hair room, shown in Figure
26.

Figure 26. Click the New Growth Group button to create a hair group.

5 A dialog prompts you to enter a group name. Enter a name that is representative of the
section you want to grow. In this example, I enter TopLeft and click OK.
6 Click the Edit Growth Group button. The Hair room Group Editor shown in Figure
27 appears.

Figure 27. The Hair room Group Editor allows you to select faces for your new group.

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7 Because the OBJ was divided into separate material zones, you can use the Add
Material button to choose which material to add to the TopLeft group. To begin, click
the Add Material button, shown in Figure 28. The Add Material dialog appears.

Figure 28. You can add all faces assigned to one or more materials to the current group.

8 Click the arrow to reveal the materials contained in the skull cap. Choose TopLeft, as
shown in Figure 29. The TopLeft faces turn red.

Figure 29. Choose the TopLeft material for the TopLeft hair group.

9 Proceed through the remaining material zones in the skull cap to add all the other
groups. To add the next group, click the New Group button at the top of the Group
Editor. A dialog prompts you to enter a new name. The Group Names in the table
below are added one by one. The Add Material process adds the appropriately named
material zone to the selected faces. Continue in this manner until all of the following
groups are assigned.

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ADDING REALISM

GROUP NAME MATERIAL NAME

BackMiddle BackMiddle

BackTop BackTop

Crown Crown

SidesTop SidesTop

SidesBottom SidesBottom

BackBottom BackBottom

TopRight TopRight

10 Before you close the Group Editor, check the Show Non-Grouped Faces option to
see if any faces show up highlighted in red. If there are any, you forgot to create and
assign some material faces. You should see everything in black, as shown in Figure 30.

Figure 30. The Show Non-Grouped Faces option highlights unassigned faces in red. If all faces are
assigned you should see all black.

11 Sometimes, an object is imported with a default group that is generated in your
modeling or UV mapping software. In that case, move through the list of groups in the

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Group List to determine if any exist. In the case of the example shown in Figure 31, a
group named Object__0 is found. Press the Delete Group button to delete the group. If
there are other unwanted groups, delete them as well. Then close the Group Editor.

Figure 31. Delete any groups that you did not create yourself.

USING POSER 7'S GROUP EDITOR
As you saw in the previous lesson, it is very easy to add hair groups if material zones are
defined for you ahead of time. If the object does not have material zones defined already,
you can use the Group Editor in the Hair room to define each Hair Group and the faces
that are included in it. This approach takes a bit more time and care, but it still achieves the
same results.
The basic steps start similar to the previous method, but you'll use the selection tools in the
Group Editor to select the faces. You may also find it easier to see the boundaries of each
face if you change the Poser 7 display mode.
1 Choose File > Import > WaveFront OBJ. Select the skullcap OBJ file and click
Open.
2 The Prop Import Options dialog appears. Leave all options unchecked and press OK
to continue.

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3 It will be much easier to view the skull cap in a manner that shows you where the faces
are when you enter the Group Editor. For this reason, choose Display > Document
Style > Wireframe. The skull cap should now look as shown in Figure 32.

Figure 32. The skull cap is shown in Flat Shaded Lined mode. This helps you select faces more
easily.

4 In the Hair room, click the New Growth Group button in section 1.
5 A dialog prompts you to enter a group name. Enter TopLeft and click OK. This
section will create a part in the middle of the crown.
6 The Edit Growth Group button should now be enabled. Click it to open the Group
Editor.
7 Choose the Top Camera (Display > Camera View > From Top) and adjust the view
so that you can see the skull cap more closely. Select four rows of polygons from the

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center of the skull cap to the left side of the skull cap (which is on your right facing
you). Figure 33 shows an example of the selected faces highlighted in red.


NOTE
IF YOU SELECT TOO MANY FACES, OR ACCIDENTALLY INCLUDE FACES THAT DO NOT BELONG
IN THE GROUP, PRESS THE COMMAND (MAC)/CTRL (WINDOWS) KEY WHILE YOU CLICK A
SINGLE FACE OR USE THE SELECTION TOOL TO SELECT MULTIPLE FACES TO REMOVE.

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8 Now we’ll create the other side of the part. Click the New Growth Group button
again, and create a new growth group named TopRight. Confirm that it is the current
group selected in the Group Editor, then select the faces shown in Figure 34.


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9 Choose the Right Camera (Display > Camera View > From Right) and move the
skull cap closer to your view. Settings to get the view shown in Figure 35 were Dolly
Y 53.658, DollyX 1.258, and Scale 11%.

Figure 35. Use the Right Camera to look at the side of the skull cap.

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ADDING REALISM

10 Click the New Growth Group button to create a new growth group named FrontTop,
and add the faces shown in Figure 36 to the selection. Because you are viewing the
model in wireframe view, the faces on the opposite side will also be selected for you.

Figure 36. In Wireframe view, both sides of the model's faces are selected at the same time.

11 Continue as above, creating the remaining groups and selecting appropriate faces.
Figure 37 shows the remaining group names along with the selections that went along
with them.

Figure 37. Create the remaining hair groups and assign faces to them.

12 After you assign all polygons to your hair groups, you might want to double-check a
couple of things. First, check the Show Multigrouped Faces option to see if you have

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accidentally assigned faces to more than one group. If so, they appear in red as shown
in Figure 38.

Figure 38. Faces that are assigned to more than one group appear in red.

13 The reason all faces are shown in red is because modeling programs and UV mapping
programs sometimes assign all faces to a group during export. In the case of the
example in Figure 39, there is a group named Cap. After you uncheck the Show
Multigrouped Faces option, use the arrows beneath the group name list to advance to
the Cap group, and delete it with the Delete Group button.

Figure 39. Delete the Cap group from the list.

14 In a similar manner, check the Show Non-grouped Faces option. Any faces that have
not yet been assigned to a group will appear in red. Uncheck the option, and select the
group that should contain some or all of the missing faces, and add them to the group.

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15 As Figure 40 shows, you can sometimes accidentally have faces in a group that you
don't want. Here, we see faces from the side of the head included in the TopLeft group.
Simply press the Command (Mac)/Ctrl (Windows) key while you select the faces to
remove them.

Figure 40. Remove stray faces by pressing the Command (Mac)/Ctrl (Windows) key while you select
the faces to remove.

NOTE
IF SOME FACES ACCIDENTALLY GET ASSIGNED TO MORE THAN ONE GROUP, DETERMINE
WHICH GROUPS SHARE THE COMMON FACES. THEN, SELECT THE GROUP THAT YOU WANT TO
KEEP THE FACES IN. CLICK THE REMOVE GROUP BUTTON TO CHOOSE THE GROUP THAT
INCORRECTLY SHARES THE FACES.

NOTE
THIS TASK SHOWS THE BASIC STEPS TO ASSIGN FACES WITH THE GROUP EDITOR. FOR MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT THE GROUP EDITOR, REFER TO THE POSER 7 REFERENCE MANUAL.

TASK 2: GROWING AND STYLING MULTI-GROUPED HAIR
When you divide a skull cap into different hair groups, it gives you greater control over
the way hair falls over the skull cap. Though you have more hair groups to work with, the
process is very similar to the method used in Task 1.
There is one main difference when using multiple hair groups. Think about how a
hairdresser cuts women's hair in the salon. If a customer has long hair, the hairdresser piles
all of the hair on the top of the head, except for a section at the bottom. The bottom hair is
trimmed and styled, and then the hairdresser pulls another layer down to style over the hair
that has already been cut.
You will find it easiest to approach your Hair room style in the same manner. You’ll find
it easier to grow and style the bottom hair group first. Then, choose the next highest hair
group, and grow and style it.

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In the following tutorial, you’ll step through the process very quickly, using the skills you
learned in the previous hair tutorial. For the sake of brevity, this tutorial will not
incorporate the Hair Style Tool.
1 Open the file JessiHairRoom02.pzz from the Tutorials/HairRoom folder in your Poser
7 installation. This project contains Jessi with the same skull cap used in the previous
exercise, except that it has been divided into the following hair growth groups:
Crown
TopLeft
TopRight
Sides
UpperBack
MiddleBack
LowerBack
2 Enter the Hair room and select the skull cap. Use the Current Group list to select the
LowerBack growth group, as shown in Figure 41.

Figure 41. Select the LowerBack layer first.

3 In the Growth Controls section, set the values as shown below, and click the Grow
Guide Hairs button. Where settings differ from the default, the reason for the change
is noted in the following table.

Hair Length 0.6000 (makes hair longer)

Length Variance 0.0000

Pull Back 0.00015

Pull Down 0.00200 (weighs hair down more)

Pull Side 0.0000

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4 In the Styling Controls section, set values as follows:

Hair Density 2500.00 (Increases the number of hairs for each guide
hair). This setting can be much less if you check the
Opaque in Shadow option on the hair material.
Tip Width 0.40000
Root Width 1.00000
Clumpiness 0.200
Kink Strength 20.00 (Makes hair curlier)
Kink Scale 100.00

Kink Delay 0.30

Verts Per Hair 30 (Makes curls softer, but greatly increases resources.
This is a very brave setting for dynamic hair. If it bogs
your system down, cut this setting back until you get a
balance between softness and resources. Always use the
lowest possible setting for this parameter that still looks
good. This setting, together with the Hair Density
setting, is the most “expensive” when it comes to
system resources.)

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5 If desired, render the first layer. Your results should look similar to Figure 42.

Figure 42. After rendering, the bottom layer of hair

6 Next, select the MiddleBack layer, and in a similar manner, grow the hair and set
controls as follows:

GROWTH CONTROLS (Section 2)

Hair Length 0.7000 (makes hair longer)


Pull Back 0.00015


Pull Side 0.0000

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STYLING CONTROLS (Section 3)


Tip Width 0.40000

Root Width 1.00000

Clumpiness 0.200


Kink Scale 100.00

Kink Delay 0.30

Verts Per Hair 30 (Makes curls softer, but increases resources)

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7 Click the Style Hairs button and select the vertices in the MiddleBack layer. Use the
Scale tool to bring the vertices closer to the head, as shown in Figure 43. Click the
Clear Selection button in the Hair Style Tool when you are finished.

Figure 43. Scale the MiddleBack layer closer to the head.

8 Close the Hair Style Tool, and select the UpperBack layer as the current group. Grow
the hair and set the controls as follows:


Hair Length 0.6000 (makes hair shorter than the previous layer)


Pull Back 0.00015


Pull Side 0.0000

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Tip Width 0.40000

Root Width 1.00000

Clumpiness 0.200


Kink Scale 100.00

Kink Delay 0.30


9 Now select the Sides section. This section of hair affects the hair that is above and in
front of the ears. We’re going to pull this layer toward the back a little. To do so, use
the following settings after you grow the hair. Figure 44 shows the progress after you
complete this step.




Pull Back 0.00600 (pulls the hair toward the back of the head)


Pull Side 0.0000

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Tip Width 0.40000

Root Width 1.00000

Clumpiness 0.200


Kink Scale 100.00

Kink Delay 0.30


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Figure 44. The sides are added to the figure.

10 Choose the Crown section and grow hair with the following settings, so that the crown
blends in well with the existing hair:




Pull Back 0.00015

Pull Down 0.00100

Pull Side 0.0000

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Tip Width 0.40000

Root Width 1.00000

Clumpiness 0.200


Kink Scale 100.00

Kink Delay 0.30


11 Now for the top sections. You’ll use the Pull Side control in section 2 to pull each top
section to the appropriate side, keeping the bangs off the forehead. For the TopLeft
section, use the following settings:


Hair Length 0.2500 (the bangs are shorter than the rest of the hair)


Pull Back 0.00050 (pulls the hair back away from the forehead)

Pull Down 0.00005 (Because the hair is shorter, it doesn’t weigh
the strands down as much)

Pull Side -0.00050 (negative numbers pull toward the character’s
left side)

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Hair Density 4000.00. This setting can be much less if you check the

Tip Width 0.40000

Root Width 1.00000

Clumpiness 0.000 (Hair does not stick together in the front)


Kink Scale 100.00

Kink Delay 0.30


12 For the TopRight, the settings are almost the same as the TopLeft. The only difference
is the PullSide setting, which is now a positive number:


Hair Length 0.2500 (the bangs are shorter than the rest of the hair)


Pull Back 0.00050 (pulls the hair back away from the forehead)

Pull Down 0.00005 (Because the hair is shorter, it doesn’t weigh
the strands down as much)

Pull Side 0.00050 (positive numbers pull toward the character’s
right side)


Hair Density 4000.00. This setting can be much less if you check the
“Opaque in Shadow” option on the hair material.

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Tip Width 0.40000

Root Width 1.00000

Clumpiness 0.000 (Hair does not stick together in the front)


Kink Scale 100.00

Kink Delay 0.30


13 Render the hair to see your result. It should look similar to the hair style shown in
Figure 45.

Figure 45. After all layers are grown, the hair could use a little styling with the style tools.

14 I’ve omitted using the Hair Style Tool in this tutorial, in favor of showing you how to
add hair to each layer. If desired, you can revisit each hair group in the order you
created them, and use the Hair Style Tool to twist, curl, or scale hairs into place as

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desired. For example, you can move the bangs from the TopLeft and TopRight sections
inward a little more, or scale and move the sides of the Crown section in closer to the
face. Figure 46 shows what the hair looks like after each of these changes are made.
Now that you know the basics of hair styling you can experiment further to get
different results.

Figure 46. After the Styling tools are used on the TopRight, TopLeft, and Crown sections, the hair
looks much better!

SAVING YOUR HAIR TO THE LIBRARY
When you save dynamic hair to the Library, you must also tell Poser 7 to save the hair
strands along with it. This process is very easy to accomplish, but it takes a few extra steps
than it does to save other items to the Library. The procedure is as follows:
1 Click the skull cap, or choose it from the selection menu at the top of the Document
window.
2 Select or create a folder in the Hair library.
3 Click the + button at the bottom of the Library palette. The dialog shown in Figure 47
appears. Click OK to continue.

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Figure 47. Poser 7 advises you to save the hair groups along with the prop (skull cap).

4 The Set Name dialog prompts you to assign a name to the new hair. Before you click
OK, you need to choose the objects that make up the dynamic hair. Basically, you need
to select the skull cap and any hair growth groups that are attached to it. Click the
Select Subset button as shown in Figure 48.

Figure 48. Click the Select Subset button to choose the hair parts.

5 In the Hierarchy Selection dialog, place a check mark beside the parts that make up
the hair. In Figure 49, we select the skull cap and seven growth sections. Then click
OK to return to the Set Name dialog.

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Figure 49. Choose the skull cap and all growth groups from the Hierarchy Selection dialog.

6 Make sure that you have entered a name for the hair, and click OK. Your hair should
appear in the Hair library that you selected.

SETTING HAIR DYNAMICS
There is one more aspect to dynamic hair that we have yet to cover. You have to calculate
the dynamics in order for the hair to react to animation. Dynamics are the forces that the
hair has to work against: gravity, springiness, air, bending, and so on. In addition, you will
also be concerned with collision detection. That is, you don’t want the hair to go through
objects, you want it to bounce off of them.
In order for collision detection to work, you have to turn it on with the Do Collisions
option. You also have to think ahead about the body parts or objects that the hair will
collide against. For each of those parts, try the dynamic calculations first without the “Do
Collisions” option turned on. If the desired quality isn’t achieved due to intersections with

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the body, turn on the Do Collisions option for the offending body parts only. This saves
system resources.
The process is as follows:
1 Select a body part that you know intersects with the hair.
2 If the Properties palette is not open, choose Object > Properties to display it (or, if
the Parameters palette is already open, click the Properties tab to switch the view).
3 Check the Collision Detection check box, shown in Figure 50 if previous calculations
caused hairs to intersect with the body.

Figure 50. Check the Collision detection option for each body part that will make contact with the
hair.

4 Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each body part that the hair intersects with.
5 After you generate your hair groups and create the hair, as described in the previous
tasks, select the first section of hair that you want to calculate. Once you select the

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growth group, set the controls in the Dynamics Controls section of the hair room. The
controls are as follows:

Gravity Controls how the hair is affected by gravity. Higher
numbers weigh the hair down more, while lower
numbers cause the hair to fly out more easily.

Spring Strength Controls how much the hair bounces. Higher values
create hair that is more bouncy (appropriate for fine
hair), while lower values bounce less (more appropriate
for very curly, thick hair).
Air Damping Controls how much resistance the hair has against air.
This setting should be used with caution. Higher values
are more appropriate for longer hair, and lower values
are more appropriate for short hair.

Spring Damping Controls the elasticity, or stretchiness, of the hair.
Higher values are more stretchy, while lower values
remain constant.

Bend Resistance Controls how much you want to allow the hair to bend
or fold upon itself. Higher values are more resistant to
bending.
Position Force Controls how much or how little the hair vertices are
allowed to move from their choreographed positions.
Higher settings create less of a dynamic effect.
Root Stiffness Controls how stiff the hair is at its root (the base of the
object that has hair).
Root Stiffness Falloff Controls the amount of distance between the root and
the tip before the stiffness of the hair begins to decrease.

NOTE
THE DEFAULT SETTINGS IN THE DYNAMICS CONTROLS SECTION WORK WELL WITH THE
CURLY HAIR STYLE THAT IS COVERED IN TASK 2.

6 Check the Do Collisions checkbox, shown in Figure 51. This prevents the hair from
breaking through the head. However, make note that dynamic calculations take longer
to complete when collisions are calculated.

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Figure 51. Check the Do collisions option to prevent hair from penetrating the head or other objects.

7 Press the Calculate Dynamics button to calculate the first section of hair.
8 Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each additional section of hair in your object, working
your way up to the top sections in the head.

CREATING AND CHANGING THE HAIR COLOR
It is very possible to get realistic looking hair colors in the Poser 7 Material room. One
easy way to generate nice hair colors is to find a color photograph with the hair color you
want to emulate. Pick a dark color from the photograph for the root color, and a middle or
light color for the tip color.
Here's an example:
1 Click the Material tab to enter the Material room.
2 Drag your mouse over the preview window. The cursor turns into an eyedropper. Use
the eyedropper to select a hair growth group. The Shader window should display the
hair material in the Advanced tab, shown in Figure 52.

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 52. Select a hair section to display its material.

3 Find a photograph that shows a person with the color hair that you would like to
reproduce. A photo that shows nice variations between light and dark will produce the
best results. Open the photo up in an image editing program that will allow you to
select a color and display its Red, Green, and Blue color formula. For example, Figure
53 shows a hair photo in Photoshop. The area beneath the eyedropper shows a Red,
Green, Blue color formula of 84 (red), 42 (green), 26 (blue).

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Figure 53. Open a photo in an image editor that allows you to view color formulas.

4 Find three representative colors for the hair: one for the darkest color, one for a middle
color, and one for the lightest color. Write down the color formulas for each. For
example:
Dark blonde: Red 84, Green 42, Blue 26
Middle blonde: Red 140, Green 100, Blue 74
Light blonde: Red 196, Green 168, Blue 144
5 Return to the Material room, and locate the Hair node. You’ll see three colors: Root
Color, Tip Color, and Specular Color. First we will use the dark color for the root color.

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Click the Root Color color square to open the Poser 7 color palette shown in Figure 54.
Then, click the tri-colored square in the upper-right corner.

Figure 54. Click the tri-colored square in the Poser 7 color palette to open the standard color
dialog.

6 When the standard color dialog opens, enter the Red, Green, and Blue color values for
your dark hair shade, as shown in Figure 55. Then click OK to return to the Material
room..

Figure 55. Enter the Red, Green, and Blue values for your dark hair shade.

7 In a similar manner, click the Tip Color color square. For this hair color entry, use the
middle color value that you selected from your hair sample (Red 140, Green 100, Blue
74 as shown in this example).
8 There’s a little bit of a twist to the specular color. You want to start with the lightest
color sample that you selected (Red 196, Green 168, Blue 144).
9 After you plug the light values into the Specular Color, click its color square again to
open the Poser 7 color mixer. Now, desaturate the light color a bit by moving your
mouse downward along the color bar on the left side, as shown in Figure 56. This
desaturated color softens the highlights so that they look less shiny and plastic.

Figure 56. Desaturate the specular color to soften the highlights.

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10 Once again returning to the Hair color node, check the Opaque_In_Shadow option at
the bottom of the hair node. You can see this setting in Figure 50, after step 2 above.
This new option makes hair look more opaque in shadows. This helps the hair look
fuller without having to raise the Hair Density settings, and makes rendering a lot
easier on system resources.
11 Before you leave the Material room, save your new material so that you can apply it
to the remaining hair sections. Locate the Materials library in which to save the new
material. Then click the + button at the bottom of the Library window. The New Set
dialog appears.
12 Enter a name for your material (such as Medium Blonde, shown in Figure 57), and
check the Single Material option. Then click OK to save the material to the library.

Figure 57. Name the material, and save it to the library as a single material.

13 Use the object selector at the top of the Material room window (shown in Figure 58)
to select each growth group, one at a time. Then double-click the material icon that
you saved to the library. This changes the current growth group to your new color.
After they are all assigned, render your hair to see the results!

Figure 58. Make sure you assign the new color to all hair growth groups.

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ADDING REALISM

HAIR COLORING TIP!
You’ll notice that the default hair color uses noise to vary the colors of the hair a little bit.
You can also use a bitmap to accomplish the same thing. This allows you to create hair
with streaks, or to control the coloring of a fur coat, or a leopard. Basically, the hair will
take on the color of the underlying bitmap.
To illustrate this, open the file CheckerBoardHair.pzz from the Tutorials/HairRoom folder
in your Poser 7 installation. In this example, a checkerboard material is applied to the
underlying prop with the Diffuse Color node. Note that the color beneath the hair
generates the color of the hair that grows upon it, as shown in Figure 59. This has great
possibilities. For example, you can create hair that has streaks in it, or use an animal’s
texture map to use as the underlying color for fur on the animal.

Figure 59. With a checkerboard material assigned to a prop, the hair takes on the color beneath it.

In cases where you don’t want the underlying geometry to use the same color as the hair
texture, you can use the approach shown in CheckerBoardHair2.pzz (also in the Tutorials/
HairRoom folder). In this example, a hair node is attached to the Alternate Diffuse
channel. The Root and Tip colors are then output to the tile shader (or, a bitmap, or another
color source). Note that in this case in Figure 60, the underlying geometry retains its own
color and material, and the texture only affects the hair.

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Figure 60. You can also use a hair node in combination with another color source on the Alternate
Diffuse channel.

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Chapter 13: Building a Basic Skin
Shader
by Kiera Wooley

A
NOTE ON WORKFLOW

There is a definite relationship between the FireFly render options, the Material room,
and the lighting in any Poser 7 scene. Changes to any one of these elements might
necessitate changes to the others. When developing a scene that will be rendered as a still
image, it is generally easiest to compose the scene, create an appropriate lighting
arrangement, and then tweak materials to suit the environment. Polishing the render will
generally involve making adjustments to the lights, materials, and render options all at
once. Because of these workflow concerns, any tutorial involving the Material room
should be viewed as a general guideline rather than a definite recipe for a specific result.

ADVANCED MATERIALS
For the purpose of this tutorial, we will be using the Advanced tab to take advantage of
the more complex nodes and their ability to interact more deeply with scene lighting and
the FireFly renderer. If you are unfamiliar with the basic operation of shader nodes in
Poser 7, please review the Materials section in the Poser 7 Reference Manual.

GETTING STARTED
We will use James for this tutorial. Load James from the Figures library and switch to the
Material room. Select the Advanced tab. Mouse over the miniature Document window
and use the eyedropper to select any part of the skin to display the basic shader. Connected
to the Diffuse_Color node is James’ texture map, which defines the color of his skin when
displayed under a pure white light. We shall use this map (and his other texture maps) as
the basis for our skin shader.

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Leave the texture map connected to the Diffuse_Color node, but change the Diffuse_Value
to 0.

Figure 1: Diffuse_Value set to 0

This eliminates the influence of the Diffuse_Color node on the rendered output but
preserves the texture in Shaded document preview. For our purposes we shall employ the
Alternate_Diffuse node, which allows us to access the more complex and realistic lighting
models available under the lighting submenu. We will get to that part a bit later. First we
will deal with bump mapping and specularity.

BUMP MAPPING
Basic bump maps are often created in a paint program by desaturating the texture map to
generate a greyscale version. For basic skin shading, this method is adequate and provides
enough roughness to approximate realism. We can create the same effect without a
separate map or a paint program using basic shader math right in the Material room. To
do this, drag a Math_Functions node (New node | Math | math_functions) out from the
Bump section of the PoserSurface root menu. Connect Value_1 to James’ texture map, and
leave all the other values alone. Instant greyscale! This is an extremely useful technique

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that you will find yourself returning to again and again for reasons we shall discover
shortly. To finish off the bump mapping, change the value of Bump to .003.

Figure 2: Bump value set to .003

At this value, the bump is subtle but noticeable. For stronger bump, increase this number
in small increments.

SPECULARITY
Specularity describes the shininess of a surface. Extremely smooth surfaces tend to have
small, sharp highlights while rougher surfaces tend to have large, soft highlights. The
specularity of skin varies depending on a variety of factors: whether it is wet or dry, oily or
rough, young or old, and so on. For our purposes, we will assume that James has normal
skin with a hint of sheen.
Selecting a Specular_Color is something of an art because a number of factors affect the
rendered output: lighting, texture color, and so on. Ultimately, it’s a matter of taste. Try a
dark blueish tint, RGB 52 52 82. (CTL or CMD click on the color swatch to bring up the
color picker.) The general rule of thumb is that the darker the color, the less specular the
surface appears. If we use the value of the color to determine how shiny the surface is, we
can have fun with the Specular_Value node.
In a perfect world, we would use a paint program to create a greyscale map to indicate
different levels of shininess for different areas of skin. White areas of the map would
indicate the shiniest parts and black areas would be the dullest parts. A specularity map for
the face would probably be light throughout the oily T-Zone area and dark elsewhere. But
this is the Basic Skin Shading tutorial, so we will take a shortcut. Remember that
greyscale version of the texture map we created using math nodes earlier? We will use it
again here. Set the Specular_Value to 1 and connect it to the Math_Functions node that we
are using for the bump map. This will add some realistic shiny variation across the face

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and keep the sheen from looking too uniform and plasticine. Highlight_Size controls how
much of the surface area is shiny. Change the value to 0.1.

Figure 3: Skin Specularity settings

DIFFUSE SKIN SHADER
Now we’ve reached the heart of our skin shader. Here we will combine the glancing light
effects of Fastscatter with the more subtle lighting model of the Skin shader. One way to
do this is through the use of a Blender node. Drag a Blender node out from the
Alternate_Diffuse section (New node | Math | Blender.)
Let’s start with the Skin node. The Skin node offers a more realistic lighting model than
the standard connection to Diffuse_Color. Drag a node from one of the Blender inputs and
connect it to a Skin node (New node | Lighting | Special | Skin.) Change SkinColor to
white and connect it to James’ texture map. Change the SheenColor to a very pale blue
(RGB 235 244 255) related to the Specular_Color we set earlier. Connect this to James’
texture map as well. Change the skin Thickness value to 1 to get a brighter, more natural
looking skin tone. The rest of the values may be left alone for most renders, but it is
important to be aware of the Ka (ambience) value and how it affects rendered output. This

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value will need to be adjusted down for any render that requires parts of the body to
appear in total darkness. For normal lighting, however, the .25 value renders nicely.

Figure 4: Application of a Skin node

The FastScatter shader allows us to use glancing lights that emulate that bright backlit
subsurface scattering effect. It’s not true subsurface scattering, so we don’t have to wait
for a time consuming calculation prior to rendering. It’s cheap in terms of time and
effective. To use it, drag a node from the remaining Blender input and create a FastScatter
node (New node | Lighting | Special | FastScatter.) Connect the Color section of that node
to an Edge_Blend node (New node | Math | Edge Blend.) We do this so we can tint the skin
affected by the FastScatter effect if we so desire. The Outer_Color refers to the edges and
the Inner_Color refers to interior areas. To visualize how this works, change the
Outer_Color to a bright orange and the inner color to a bright green and watch the effects
in the Material preview. It’s not generally necessary to tint the skin, but it’s handy to have

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the option. For now, leave the base colors white and connect the nodes to the Skin node we
created earlier.

Figure 5: FastScatter node settings

That’s it for the basic skin shader. To apply the same settings to other parts of the body,
right click anywhere in the Shader window and “select all”, then copy the selected nodes.
Then choose another part of the body to apply these settings to, right click in the Materials
window, and “paste.” Make sure that the Image_Map is calling for the proper texture; the
body would require the James_Body texture map, and so on. Also keep in mind that a
material collection recalls the location of the nodes in the Shader window; arranging the
nodes neatly will make later adjustments simpler.

SOME NOTES ON EYES
They say that the eyes are the window to the soul, and so we must pay special attention to
shading them. Dull, flat eyes can decrease the impact of a render, so most of the shader
work for eyes is in specular highlighting and reflection.
The geometry of James’ eyes is fairly straightforward and anatomically realistic. Because
of the way the eyes were modeled, we can do some interesting things in the Material
room. The EyeBall material zone actually covers the entire eye, so we will use this
material zone to create most of the specular and reflective effects. By default there is a
transparency map applied to the eyeball; this will have no effect on the specularity of the
eyes. To simulate the shininess of tears over the sclera and iris, we will use all of the
specular nodes available to us.
The default values for Specular_Color, Specular_Value, and Highlight_Size are actually
fine. They can be zeroed out or left they way they are for most renders. To add a bit more

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drama, though, we can add to these values by making use of the Alternate_Specular
section of the root node. Here we may take advantage of additional specular lighting
models, such as glossy, anisotropic, or phong, and the Color_Math node can be used to
combine specular lighting models. Drag a Color_Math node (New node | Math |
color_math) from the Alternate_Specular section of the root node.
Now we’re going to combine Glossy and Anisotropic nodes using the Color_Math node
we just created. Anisotropic shading is useful because it can create irregular specular
highlights that are more or less pronounced depending on the angle of the light. Drag an
Anisotropic node from one of the Color_Math values (New node | Lighting | Specular |
Anisotropic.) It can be effective to adjust the u_Highlight_Size (horizontal) and
v_Highlight_Size (vertical) according to the lighting in the scene. For example, larger
u_Highlight values create a nice horizontal glancing effect in side-lit scenes.
Drag a Glossy node from the remaining Color_Math value (New node | Lighting |
Specular | Glossy.) The glossy node is valuable for wet or slick surfaces. It produces a
large highlight that can be adjusted for sharpness and size. We can use this highlight to
create a light reactive reflective appearance to the pupil area without using time true
reflection or reflection maps. In a paint program, I used a photograph to create an image to
use as the basis for this faked reflection. It is beyond the scope of this tutorial to describe
the exact methods for doing this, but it should suffice to say that a slightly blurred, high
contrast, black and white photo works well for this purpose. For more realism I added
some eyelash marks to the top of the photo and aligned it to the iris location on the eye
texture map. Connect this reflection image to the Ks section of the Glossy node.
Combined with the Anisotropic node we created earlier, the result is a sharp light reactive

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highlight with a hint of realistic irregularity that suggests that the eye is reflecting an
environment.

Figure 6: Eye shader settings

CONCLUSION
This walkthrough was just a demonstration of one approach to skin shading. It’s not the
right way or the only way, and may not be useful for every situation. I encourage everyone
to study all of the shaders supplied with Poser 7 and to experiment with their own ideas
about what makes for great skin rendering. Happy posing!

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ADDING REALISM

Figure 7: Completed basic shader results

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Chapter 14: Image Based Lighting
by Colin Gerbode

O
ne of the useful features in Poser 7 is its ability to use image-based lighting, in
which the lighting values for the scene are computed based on the brightness
values of an image which is “wrapped” around the scene. This allows a realistic
lighting model to be applied quickly and easily without having to place and fine-tune
multiple lights in a scene.
The process for using image-based lighting in a Poser 7 scene is fairly simple. Select a
light, either from the Current Actor menu at the top of the preview window or by
clicking on one of the light controller “pins” (see below.)

Now, get the properties for that light by selecting Properties from the Object menu. Click
the Diffuse IBL radio button and then the Advanced Material Properties button to pick
an image to use for your lighting. You’ll be taken to the Material room with the light
selected and its shader information available. Once you’re in the Material room, you
should attach an image map node to the light’s shader. Click and drag from the little plug
icon in the light’s shader to bring up a menu; select New node > 2D textures > image_map
as shown.

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Now click in the Image Source section of the new node and open one of the supplied light
probe files--for this tutorial we’ll use the sunRight.jpg file, found in Poser 7/Runtime/
textures/Poser 6 Textures/LightProbes. This is a regular JPEG file shot with a digital
camera using a mirrored ball as the light probe. If you want to create your own light
probes, you will need a mirrored ball to allow the image to contain lighting information
for as much of the environment as possible. A good mirrored gazing ball will do nicely--
these are available for around $70 from garden supply stores--but we have seen people use
reflective Christmas ornaments in a pinch. The larger your ball and the higher your image
resolution, the better the lighting quality will be. With the sunRight image selected, the
shader should look something like this:

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Now, we can build a scene to make use of this lighting. I’ve used a high-res ball prop, a
cube and a cone on its side--not terribly interesting but together they show how the light
affects different surfaces. The components of the scene are clustered rather closely
together to show off the shadowing abilities of image-based lighting. A render using basic
settings gives this result:

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This is OK, but we should have shadows here. First, we should turn the render Auto
Settings up to the point where Raytracing is used; this will increase render times but down
the road will definitely improve quality, as shown below:

Now, that’s better, but there is still room for improvement. The shadows in particular are
not terribly realistic. The trick here is to turn on Ambient Occlusion--a feature of Poser 7
that lowers the ambient light when objects are close together, as they are in this image.
Turning Shadows off and Ambient Occlusion on in the light’s Properties allows us to
render once again, with this result:

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Note that this render was done with the render Auto Settings at about half of maximum
quality; this setting (shown below) should be quite sufficient for most high-quality
rendered images. Certain specific situations will require a higher quality setting, and often
in cases like these using custom render settings will provide the best balance between
quality and performance. As noted, for Ambient Occlusion effects to appear, Raytracing
must be used; for a discussion of FireFly render settings and parameters, see Chapter
8: “FireFly Render Tips” on page 103.

A diffuse image-based light by definition does not contribute any specular light. This
means that there will not be any highlights in a scene lit solely by one Diffuse IBL. To
ensure that surfaces with specularity (such as a figure’s eyes) appear as glossy as may be
desired, you might want to consider adding a specular-only light source. The Set Up Light
Style wacro in the Material room can assist you with creating such a light. The following

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images show which option to select in the Choose Light Sytle dialog, and how a specular-
only light is configured.

Once you have finished adding your specular-only light, position it so that it is located
roughly in the same location as the brightest spot in your light probe.
Poser 7 introduces support for High Dynamic Range Images (HDRI) in image-based
lighting, which allow even more realism and accuracy in lighting calculations. High
Dynamic Range Images capture more detail in the very dark and very light portions of the
image, so that details don’t get lost. HDRIs are typically either in EXR or HDR format;
Poser 7 supports either of those formats, as well as 16-bit-per-channel TIFF and PNG
images. (Of course, standard Low Dynamic Range TIFF and PNG images can also be
used, as well as JPEGs, but these are not HDRIs.) When using Low Dynamic Range
images for IBL, the IBL Contrast setting in the Advanced tab of the Material room can
be set to 2 or 3. Whe using HDRI in image-based lighting, remember to adjust the IBL
Contrast setting to 1 as shown, to preserve the subtleties that HDRI allows.

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The following image demonstrates the difference in lighting quality between renders
generated using Low Dynamic Range and High Dynamic Range Images for image-based
lighting.

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Chapter 15: Using Talk Designer
by Colin Gerbode
Poser 7 introduces the Talk Designer--an easy way to get your Poser figures talking
naturally without recourse to outside programs or tedious keyframing by hand. Using Talk
Designer is simple. First, select a Poser figure which includes phoneme morphs; these are
facial morphs that allow the figure to make the mouth shapes required for speech, and
many Poser figures have them already installed. To see if the figure you want to use has
phoneme morphs installed, bring the figure into the scene and select its head in the
Current Actor menu. In the Parameters palette (select Parameter Dials from the
Window menu if need be) look for Phonemes in the Morph dials to ensure that your
figure has phonemes available, as shown.

Once you have a figure with phoneme morphs ready to use, you’ll need a sound file. Talk
Designer works with AIFF (Mac) and WAV (Windows) files. There are a number of
audio-conversion and editing applications available that can translate other file formats
(MP3, etc.) into AIFF or WAV, or allow you to record your own speech on the computer.
When you have your sound file ready to go, select Talk Designer from the Window menu
to see the Talk Designer palette.

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POSING AND ANIMATION

Click the Sound File button as shown in this
image to load the chosen WAV or AIFF. To
help Talk Designer create accurate mouth
movements, users can also load a text version
of the speech into Talk Designer (by clicking
the Supplemental Text entry-box widget as
shown and directly keying in text, or by
clicking the button to load an existing text
file). You don’t have to load supplemental
text, but including it makes a significant
impact on your final animation. Talk
Designer uses viseme map files for mapping
speech sounds to visemes, which are
essentially morph targets or settings that
correspond to specific speech sounds. Take a
look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viseme
for a quick definition and explanation of
visemes. The Viseme Map File pop-up menu includes viseme map files for most of the
Poser figures included with your Poser 7 installation that have phoneme morphs. Be sure
to select the appropriate file for the figure you have selected. If for some reason your
selected figure does not match one of the viseme map files included in the menu, the
Viseme Map File button allows you to load an alternate viseme XML file (if one is
available). If you aren’t sure whether your figure has a viseme map file associated with it,
contact your content provider.
Talk Designer also allows you to apply other head movements including eye blinks, and
to control the figure’s expression during the speech. Live actors don’t hold their heads
perfectly still while talking, and you’ll most likely want your Poser figures to look natural
as they speak. Talk Designer helps to make this easier. The Eye Blink Rate slider and
Create Eye / Head Motion checkboxes allow you to tell Poser 7 to apply intermittent
small movements to the figure’s head and eyes over time. Setting the Emotional Tweaks
sliders applies expression morphs over the course of the speech animation; configure these
sliders to customize facial morphs to match your specific sound file.
One other tool that Talk Designer provides is the Enunciation slider--this control affects
how strongly the facial morphs are applied, with higher settings giving a more extreme
application of the facial morph. The degree to which morph targets are manipulated is
controlled by the energy of the phonemes in the imported sound file, with louder or higher
energy sounds applying more pronounced morphs. However you may want to adjust the
Enunciation slider to exaggerate or diminish the morph effects a bit, for example if the
figure is whispering but you want their mouth movements to be more distinct, or if the
figure is mumbling.

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Talk Designer takes advantage of Poser 7’s new Animation Layers feature, which lets
you store keyframed animation data for different actions or body parts as separate layers,
which can be edited separately and then blended to produce the final animation. Talk
Designer lets you save the speech animation into its own separate layer--or into any other
existing layer, if for example you already have some facial animations to which you’d like
to add speech. If you have more than one figure speaking in your animation, putting each
sentence into a separate layer with individual start and end frames can help keep your
animation organized. For more information about Animation Layers in Poser 7, see
Chapter 16: “Animation Layers” on page 288. You can also save the animated speech
directly into your Expressions library for later use.
Once you have created the proper settings, click the Apply button to generate the
animated facial pose and merge the sound into the Poser 7 scene. If you check the
Keyframe palette, you’ll see the new keyframes for the head--simply select the layer into
which you saved the speech animation as shown in the following image.

Once you have your speech applied and are ready to generate a movie clip you may want
to make one more adjustment to add to the realism of your animation. One trick animators
commonly use to sync sound to animated movement, is to shift the animation three (3)
frames ahead of the sound, instead of having them line up exactly. While doing so is not

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POSING AND ANIMATION

necessary, it creates subtle anticipation that adds to the level of realism. An easy way to
achieve this is to locate the blue Play Range bar at the bottom of the Animation palette,
click on the blue arrow at the start of the blue bar and drag it forward two or three frames.
Now the sound will have a slight delay, and have a more natural look when you create
your movie clip.

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Chapter 16: Animation Layers
by Colin Gerbode
New with Poser 7 is the Animation Layers feature. This allows animators to save
different animation information to separate layers--a walk could be saved to one layer
while facial expressions are saved to another, and hand and arm movements are saved in a
third layer, allowing each set of movements to be edited separately and blended in a
controlled fashion. Using animation layers is simple. When applying a pose or using the
Walk Designer or Talk Designer, Poser 7 asks the user whether to place the animation
information into the Base layer or into a new layer, which can then be edited to meet your
specific needs. Poser 7’s Animation palette has a new Layers tab, which allows users to
choose which layer to edit and to specify how the layers should interact.

Let’s suppose we want to create an animation in which Jessi walks along and waves and
smiles. This is pretty simple, and we can actually do this in Poser 7 without using layers;
but using layers allows us to edit keyframes non-destructively, so we have more control.
We’ll start by bringing Jessi into an empty scene. Now, we open up the Animation palette
(choose Animation Palette from the Window menu, or click the button at the bottom of
the screen with the little key on it) and select the Layers tab as shown above. We can click
the New button to create a new layer; rename it if you like by entering a new name in the
Layer Name field and hitting Enter. Now, click the Keyframes tab; we’re looking at the
scene in frame #1, with only the initial keyframes set. Select the new animation layer we
just created by choosing it in the Layer drop-down menu; click the appropriate square on
the chart for the element you wish to pose and the point in time at which you want it to be

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posed. In this case we’ll pose the right shoulder, forearm and hand to make Jessi wave.
Pose the part(s) to create the new keyframe(s) in the new layer; continue this process until
you have a decent wave motion. Keyframes should appear something like this:

Note that the keyframes (the brightly lit green frames) in the above image are spaced far
enough apart to allow sufficient tween frames in between for Jessi to move from one of
your designated poses to another. Poser 7 will calculate the tween frame poses for you, but
for more realistic animation it is important to allow enough frames between your
keyframes for natural movement.

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We now have the keyframes for the wave stored on their own layer. Now, we can repeat
this process for Jessi’s wink and smile. Click the Layers tab and create a new layer; call it
Expressions as shown:

Go back to the Keyframes tab at Frame 1 and proceed down the timeline, adjusting Jessi’s
facial morphs to change her expression. Bear in mind that animating facial expressions
usually requires some corrections to the tween frames, so you may need to iterate over
your facial animation until you are satisfied with the results. (For more information on
tween frames and animating facial expressions, please refer to the “Poser Animation 101”

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ADDING REALISM

tutorial on the e frontier website, www.e-frontier.com, in the Training>Tutorials>Poser
section.) Your Expressions layer should look somewhat like this:

Continue setting keyframes and facial morphs until you have completed the smile and
wink animation. When finished, you will have keyframes for the facial expressions in the
Expressions layer and keyframes for the wave in the Hand Gestures layer:

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We can now use Walk Designer to lay down a walk in the Base layer, then combine them
all to create a finished animation.
From the Figure menu, choose Create Walk Path; edit the path by dragging its control
points around, or leave it as given. Select Jessi and open the Walk Designer from the
Window menu; set walk parameters (or use the defaults) and click Apply to have Walk
Designer generate keyframes for the walk. For more information on using the Walk
Designer to animate a walk, see the tutorial in “Character Creation and Animation” on
page 65. If these keyframes go into the Base layer, that’s fine; if they go into a new layer,
that’s okay too--in that case call the new layer Walk.

And there you are! When Poser 7 renders or displays the animation, if the Composite
Method on the Layers tab is set to Replace (the default setting) then keyframes in upper

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layers replace corresponding keyframes in lower layers--but lower keyframes for which
there are no corresponding upper keyframes remain untouched, as shown below:

Consequentially, if you are using a Poser tool like Walk Designer, which generates
keyframes for every element of a figure, it may be necessary to select and create
keyframes for additional parts of a figure aside from the specific part you’re animating.
For example, setting an arm to wave is a simple task, but just manipulating one parameter
(like the Bend value) creates keyframes only for that parameter of the selected part--if
Walk Designer has the character’s arm moving back and forth past his hip, then just
applying an additional layer with the forearm’s Bend parameter changing won’t give you
a good wave at all. To fix this, first think through what other animation you’re using on
other layers. Figure out which body parts will need to be keyframed in order to make the
motion look right.

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To make a character wave while walking, we’d need to apply keyframes for all parameters
of the collar, shoulder and forearm, in order to override the keyframes that Walk Designer
will apply (see screenshot above). This is easily done: in each frame in which you move
the forearm, select the shoulder and click the Add Keyframe button on the Animation
palette. Do the same for the forearm and hand. It isn’t necessary to select any particular
parameter, just choose the whole body part from the Current Actor menu, or by clicking
on it, and add the keyframe; that will set keyframe data for all parameters, which will then
be available to override unwanted keyframes in underlying layers.
Setting the Composite Method to Add produces more complex interactions. Specifically,
if a certain body part has a keyframe at some point in the timeline in one layer, and that
same body part also has a keyframe at that point in another layer, the values for those keys
will be added together. For example, if Jessi has a keyframe set for her right forearm that
bends it +15 degrees in frame #10 of the Base layer, and we apply a pose that, in frame
#10, has a bend value of 20 degrees for the same right forearm, then when these layers are
composited together the net value for the bend will be 35 degrees at that point. As you can

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ADDING REALISM

imagine this can produce some odd effects especially when using poses in combination
with Walk Designer, which provides keyframe values for everything in every frame--so
we suggest that the Add method be used sparingly and with careful thought as to its
effects.
Remember, when looking at the Graph palette or the Keyframes tab in the Animation
palette, you'll only see values for the current layer- although in order to help visualize the
net effects of changes made over the various layers, the Graph palette now has an
additional display--a grey or dotted line- which shows the value of the current parameter
taking into account the various layers and Composite Modes. Thus, if the dotted line is the
same as the solid red one on the graph display, the Composite Method is most likely set to
Replace, and any frames with data (keyframes or tween frames) will replace frames in
layers below them. If the dotted line diverges from the solid red one, the Composite
Method is set to Add, and underlying frame data is affecting the final result.
There are a couple of things to be aware of when using animation layers that have to do
with the way in which keyframes are applied, viewed and modified as you work in the
various layers. Certain animation tools display all the layers--the Document window, for
example--while others show only the current layer regardless of setting, like the
Parameters and Graph palettes, as well as the Keyframes tab of the Animation palette.
Don't be surprised if certain keyframes that you have set seem to 'disappear' if you switch
layers--this is normal, the keyframes are still there, they're just not on the current layer.
A layer begins at its start frame but may contain keyframes that exist 'after' its end frame;
the end frame merely determines the point at which the frames in the layer are no longer
applied or viewed; frames after the end frame are still in existence but are ignored.
Moving the start frame, then, will change the position of any keyframes in the layer, while
moving the end frame won't (but may reveal or obscure keyframes that have already been
set.) Moving a layer forward or back along the timeline in the Layers tab of the
Animation palette does reposition the keyframes in that layer along the timeline; their
spacing relative to each other won't be affected. Think of each animation layer as a piece
of film laid atop other pieces of film- everything on a given bit of film moves together.
Adding a keyframe to a layer in a frame that's outside the frame range of that layer will
automatically extend the layer to include the new frame(s). This can change the start
frame of the current layer! For example, suppose we have a layer that begins on frame
10. While working on that layer, we add a keyframe in frame 5--the layer's start frame will
now be 5, although the other keyframe values in that layer will not move. If you now need
to adjust your start frame for that layer, it will reposition the existing keyframes- you'll
need to select them in the Keyframes tab and move them back into position by hand if
necessary.

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A note about applying Library poses: The first time you change a pose in a layer, if
there aren't already keyframes at the beginning and end of the layer, they will be created.
Thus, your keyframed change won't just 'pop' into existence in the scene, rather the actor
being posed will move into position over the timespan of the layer, and then hold its
position. However, applying a pose from the library does not create these new keyframes;
applying a library pose only adds the specific keyframes stored in that pose, so if your
library pose isn't an animated pose then you'll want to set keyframes at the beginning and
end of the layer, to avoid having the pose 'pop up' and then disappear.

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Chapter 17: Advanced Posing and
Animation

F
rom previous chapters within this manual, you should now have a grasp of the
basic procedures involved in posing and animating figures within Poser Figure
Artist. This chapter introduces several Poser Figure Artist features that will enable
you to refine your techniques, to create more realistic images and animations.

AUTO BALANCE AND POSING
The Auto Balance feature can be a valuable tool for creating realistic poses. When the
feature is enabled, Poser Figure Artist calculates what the mathematical “weight” for a
figure is and then tries to maintain it. In this mathematical model, there is more weight in
the hip or center portion of the figure, than there is in the upper torso.
As you move figures, Poser Figure Artist automatically adjusts body parts to attempt to
maintain the original weight distribution. This results in more natural looking poses,
without the need to make several position adjustments.
To further affect the weight distribution and compensation calculations, you can reposition
the Center of Mass Control Object (red outlined ball) at the base of the figure. This
control object is adjustable along the X and Z axes in the ground plane. Moving the
Center of Mass Control Object also adjusts the Center of Mass Indicator, which
appears as a shaded sphere in the XZ (ground) plane under the figure. This Indicator

297


shows the position above which the current center of mass is located., as calculated from
the body part weights and the position of the Control Object.

Example of posing using Auto Balance.

When posing using Auto Balance, small, subtle motions result in better poses, than do
large motions. Large motions may create drastic results. When this happens, use the
multiple Undo or the Restore feature to reset the position of body parts.
To enable the Auto Balance feature:
Choose Figure menu>Auto Balance.

MOTION CAPTURE AND ANIMATIONS
Poser Figure Artist can read stored motion capture files, known as Biovision or BVH files.
These files let you apply stored human motion to your 3D models. BVH files create
incredibly realistic motion without you having to set up a large number of keyframes.
BVH files are created using motion-capture hardware. Reflectors are attached to a
person’s joints. As the person moves, the position and rotation is captured in 3D space at
different points in time. Each point of time is then keyframed together to create a smooth
animation. Since this process creates literally thousands of keyframes, there is no
interpolation needed to create smooth motion.

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IMPORTING AND EXPORTING MOTION CAPTURE FILES
BVH files can be imported and exported like any other file type. Sample BVH files are
stored in the Tutorials>Motion Capture folder that is included with your Poser Figure
Artist installation.
To import a BVH file:
1 Choose File menu>Import>BVH motion.
The Import dialog appears.
2 Locate the desired file and choose Open.
To export a BVH file:
1 Choose File menu>Export>BVH motion
This may take several minutes, depending upon the complexity of the file.
Setting the align axis
You can set whether the figure’s arms are aligned to the X or Z axis during the import
process. The align axis is determined at the time of recording. It’s important to choose the
right axis or else your figures look incorrect.
To determine the correct axis for BVH files, please read the documentation supplied by
your content provider.
Editing keyframes
The BVH keyframes are applied to the current figure when imported. You can edit BVH
keyframes as you would any other animation.

BVH file in the Animation palette.

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PART 5
Figure Shaping
and Creation

FIGURE SHAPING AND CREATION

Chapter 18: Morph Target Creation
by Lisa Ahrens

T
he Create tab on the Morph Editor palette contains controls that allow you to
create new morph targets by selecting and modifying the mesh vertices on any
object within your scene that has a mesh. If you have a project that requires actual
modeling work, you can create morphs in a 3D modeling application and then import them
into Poser 7 (see “Morph Targets” on page 307 for more information).You can access the
Morph Editor by clicking the Morphing Tool within the Editing Tools display.
Before starting work with the Morph Editor, make sure to select the
object (prop or body part) you wish to modify in the Current Actor
menu. When you then mouse over the selected actor with the
Morphing Tool enabled and the Create tab displayed, you will see a
multi-colored display overlaid on the mesh. This display serves as a
visual preview of the impact region for any of your modifications.
The red area of the impact region will be directly affected, with the
orange-yellow-green surrounding areas indicating the gradiated
falloff region for the modifications.

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You can adjust the impact region by selecting from five
different brush styles, all with varying degrees of direct impact
vs. falloff. Falloff specifies the degree to which vertices
towards the outer edges of the impact region will be affected
by your modifications. Falloff can be a gradual lessening of impact as you move out from
the center of the impact region, or an abrupt drop in effect, depending on the brush style
you select. The leftmost brush style affects only a single vertex on the mesh. The other
four brush styles all affect a region of the mesh, with the size of the falloff region
decreasing, until the rightmost brush style represents a region with zero falloff, so that all
vertices within the region are impacted equally. Your specific task will determine which
brush style you should select. For highly detailed work such as fixing geometry issues,
you may wish to work with one or two vertices at a time. For other tasks like creating
facial expressions or improving cloth simulation results, you may find that one of the
regional brush styles suits your purpose better.
Once you have selected the brush style with which you wish to work, you can adjust the
Radius dial, which will increase or decrease the size of the impact region. Note that
regardless of how large you set the impact region, only the selected Current Actor will be
affected by your modifications.

NOTE
THE RADIUS DIAL CONTROLS THE SIZE OF THE IMPACT REGION, WHILE THE VARIOUS
REGIONAL BRUSH STYLES DETERMINE THE DEGREE OF FALLOFF WITHIN THAT IMPACT
REGION.

You can also adjust the Magnitude dial, which will change how much effect the
Morphing Tool will have within the specified impact region. High Magnitude settings
make for more dramatic changes, while low Magnitude settings are better for precision
work.
After setting up the impact region and Magnitude to your liking, go back up to the top of
the Morph Editor palette, and specify the type of action you wish to use when you
modify the mesh. Your options are Push, Pull, Smooth and Restore. Push moves the
vertices inward from the original mesh surface to create concavities, Pull draws the
vertices outward from the original mesh surface to create bulges or bumps. The Pull
option is especially useful for fixing issues with body parts poking through conforming
clothing, as shown in the images below. Just select the clothing item, and pull it out past

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the bit of showing skin. You can also use Push and Pull to add details on existing surfaces,
such as moles or dimples, creases or edges.

The Smooth action gradually reduces variation in the mesh surface; use this with care, as
it tends to reduce definition in the surface of the object. It’s great for smoothing out highly
variable surfaces, to create a more consistent surface texture. Restore is a great tool to use
if you make modifications that go a little beyond what you were hoping for. Restore
gradually reverts your modifications, taking the mesh back towards its unmorphed state.
Thus, it allows for a gradual “backing off”, rather than simply undoing your changes and
having to start over.
Select your desired action, and then specify whether you wish your modifications to be
made relative to the mesh surface, or the screen, by selecting either the Surface or Screen
radio buttons. When working in Surface mode, all changes will be made in the direction
of the surface normal of the mesh at the point of impact. Screen mode allows you to
modify the mesh in any direction, but requires you to rotate the figure relative to the
camera in order to deform the mesh in different directions. When first starting to use this
tool, I recommend working in Surface mode, as it will probably meet most of your mesh

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sculpting needs, and frees you from having to worry about how your figure and camera are
positioned.

Three other options to consider before you start to make your modifications are the
Accumulate, Stroke and Group options. Enabling Accumulate means that so long as
you continue with a single click-and-drag movement with your mouse, the changes to the
mesh will continue to accumulate. This lets you work faster, as you can do more with each
click-and-drag movement. However, it increases your chances of taking your
modifications too far. Disabling Accumulate gives you more precise control, but requires
a new click-and-drag motion for each modification. Play around with enabling and
disabling the Accumulate option, and with combining Accumulate with different
Magnitude settings, to find the mode that lets you work most comfortably and efficiently.
Like Accumulate, the Stroke option also will have a direct affect on how your changes
impact the mesh. Enabling Stroke means that all changes are restricted to the original
impact region only, and the mouse movement controls the degree of the change. Disabling

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Stroke means that as you move the mouse, your modifications will affect the vertices
along the trajectory of your mouse stroke.

The Group option is useful if you want to restrict your modifications to polygons within a
specific group. This can be helpful for increased control on a mesh that has multiple
groups within the selected actor. Even if your mesh does not include groups, you can
create one for the specific purposes of limiting modifications to specific polygons on the
currently selected actor. For more information about groups, and creating groups, see <add
x-ref to Ref Manual>.
Once you have configured the Morphing Tool settings as described above, go ahead and
make your mesh modifications. As you work, all of your modifications will automatically
show up in a “Custom Morph” target, which can be found on the Parameters palette for
the currently selected actor. This morph target is basically a container for the current state
of the mesh for that actor; any future changes to the mesh will overwrite previous
modifications held within this morph target. Therefore, if you wish to save any particular
mesh state, use the Save a Copy As... button at the bottom of the Create tab to create a
new, separate morph target.
Remember, if any of your changes are more than you wanted, you can either Undo to
erase your change(s) and do them over, or you can change to Restore mode to gradually
back your change off to the point where you wanted to stop.
As you work, feel free to experiment with the various display settings included on the
Create tab. Display Mesh will show the mesh overlaid on the surface of the object,
regardless of which Display Style option you are using. Display Brush enables and
disables the impact region preview display. Work with Current Morphs allows you to
visualize or hide the current state of any other morph targets. Disabling this option simply
reverts the mesh to its neutral state temporarily; it doesn’t actually change the state of

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those other morph targets. So when you leave the Morph Editor, those morph targets will
revert to their current states automatically.
The bottom portion of the Create tab contains several buttons that you may wish to make
use of in the course of your work. The Mirror button allows you to make modifications to
one portion of a mesh, and then to directly mirror those changes on the other half of the
mesh, along a specified axis such as -x to +x or +y to -y. Note that Mirror only translates
changes across the mesh of the actual selected actor. It will not translate changes from one
actor to another.

The Zero Morph button resets the mesh, if you wish to remove all of your modifications
and start over from the undeformed mesh. If you accidentally click Zero Morph before
saving your changes, don’t worry. You can use Undo to restore your changes, and then
save a copy before proceeding.

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

Chapter 19: Advanced Body Shaping

B
esides the basic body shaping tools like the Scale and Taper tools, Poser 7
provides two features for customizing the shape of figures: Morph Targets and the
Joint Editor.
Morph targets let you add additional parameters to a body part that allow you to gradually
reshape it. Joint Parameters let you set up how the joints in your figure move.

MORPH TARGETS
One of the most powerful features in Poser 7 is the ability to add user-defined morph
targets. Morph targets are transitional changes in the geometry of the figure that can be
animated over time. Morph targets can be created directly within Poser 7 using the Create
tab of the Morphing Tool (see Chapter 18: “Morph Target Creation” on page 301 for more
information). Or, if your project requires more advanced modeling work, you can create
the morphs in a 3D modeling application, and import them into Poser 7. This process will
be described in detail in the following section.
The figure’s geometry can move from the original shape of the model to the geometry of
the morph target. During the course of an animation, the model begins to change shape
until it reaches the morph target geometry.

A Morph Target used to alter figure geometry.

If you want to see an example of how morph targets are used, take a look at the Head
parameters of a Poser human figure. All the facial parameters, like Mouth and Tongue
settings, were created using Morph Targets.

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SETTING UP MORPH TARGETS
Morph targets are assigned to individual body parts. When you set up a morph target, a
new parameter dial is added to the body part’s parameters. The dial lets you control the
amount of morphing applied to the body part.
In order to add a morph target, you need to create a morph target geometry. This geometry
represents the end-point of the morphing. The morph target geometry must contain the
same number of vertices as the original body part, that’s why you’ll usually use the
original body part as a starting point.
A morph target geometry can be created in any 3D modeling application that allows you to
save a file in OBJ format.
To add a Morph Target in Poser 7:
1 Select the body part to which you want to add a morph target.
2 Choose Object menu>Properties to display the Properties palette.

Properties palette.

3 Click the Load Morph Target button.

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

The Load Morph Target dialog appears.

Load Morph Target dialog.

4 Click the Browse (“...”) button to find the geometry file you want to use as a morph
target.
The name of the file appears in the Geometry field. The file must be in OBJ format
with the same number of vertices as the original body part.
Do not use a file of the entire figure. The file should contain only the body part you are
morphing.
5 Enter the name you want to attach to the parameter dial that controls the morph. This
dial is added to the parameter dials list for the selected body part.
6 Click OK to return to the Properties palette.
A new dial is added to the Parameters palette for the selected body part. Use this dial
to morph the body part from its original shape to the morph target. A value of 0.0 for
this dial is the original object. A value of 1.0 completely changes the body part to the
morph target. A value of 0.5 is a hybrid halfway between the original object and the
morph target. You can also use negative values to invert the vertices.

MORPH TARGET TUTORIAL
This tutorial assumes that you are familiar with 3D modeling applications, such as Shade,
and that you are able to use such an application to edit geometries and save files in the
Wavefront OBJ format.
To Prepare the Morph Target OBJ File:
1 Using your favorite 3D modeling application, open or generate a male human head
mesh object.
2 Add a morph target to the tip of the nose.
3 Open the Poser 7>Runtime>Geometries directory, and create a folder called
“TutorialMorph”.

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4 Save the morph target file as an OBJ file, to the Poser 7>Runtime>Geometries>
TutorialMorph folder, and name it “nosemorph.obj”.

NOTE
IN ORDER TO WORK AS A MORPH TARGET IN POSER 7, THE OBJ FILE YOU SAVE MUST HAVE
THE SAME VERTEX COUNT AND ORDER AS THE GEOMETRY TO WHICH THE MORPH TARGET IS
SUPPOSED TO BE APPLIED.

To add a Morph Target in Poser 7:
1 Launch Poser 7.
2 Display the Library palette, by clicking the handle on the right side of the screen.

The Library Palette.

3 Click the Figures category button.

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

4 Click the Poser 1-4 sub-category pop-up and choose Poser 2 Hi.

The Poser 2 Hi sub-category.

5 Double-click the Casual Man P2 preview.
The figure appears in the Document window.

The Casual Man in the Document window.

6 Close the Library palette.

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7 Click the Face Camera icon in the Camera controls.

The Face Camera icon.

8 Select the Head, and choose Object menu>Properties.
The Properties palette appears.
9 Click the Load Morph Target button.
The Load Morph Target dialog appears.

The face of the figure.

10 Click on the Browse (“...”) button.
11 Select the file Poser 7>Runtime>Geometries>TutorialMorph>nosemorph.obj.
12 Click Open.
13 Change the Label field to Nose. This assigns the name “Nose” to the new parameter
dial.
14 Click OK to return to the Properties palette, and click on the Parameters tab to
switch to the Parameters palette.

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

15 Use the rotation trackball to rotate the view slightly to the left or right.

A rotated view of the figure.

16 Click the Current Actor pop-up menu in the Document window.
17 Select the Head.
18 You can now use the Nose dial to morph the Nose. Drag it to the right towards 1.0 for
an interesting effect.

The Nose after morphing.

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FIGURE JOINTS AND BLEND ZONES
The joints on a figure control how parts bend, blend, twist, and bulge. Realistic movement
in a figure is controlled by joint settings. For example, a human knee joint can’t bend
forward.

An example of figure joints.

The bending and twisting motion in a figure is created by using transformers.
Transformers stretch, skew, or scale polygons in the transformation zones to produce
desired joint motion.
The transformation zone is defined by the inclusion and exclusion angles that are assigned
to each transformation. Polygons within the exclusion angle are not affected by a
transformation. Polygons within the inclusion angle are affected. Polygons in the area

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

between the angles, called the Blend zone, are adjusted to create a smooth transition
between the surrounding polygons.

An example of blend zones.

Joints are controlled using the Joint Editor. Blend zones are edited each time you adjust
the transformation inclusion and exclusion angles. Blend zones can be further refined
using the Spherical Falloff zones.

EDITING JOINT PARAMETERS
The Joint Editor lets you control both joints and blend zones. It lets you directly
manipulate joints and blending transformers to set how a joint works. These advanced
settings can be used in different ways:
Fine tune the bending of existing figures to suit your needs
Create new types of effects, such as imitating the comic character ‘Plastic Man’

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Customize joints and transformers for entirely new figures, imported with the Convert
Hier File command. Refer to “Creating Figure Models” on page 336 for more
information about how to create your own Poser figures.

The Joint Editor.

NOTE
BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES WITH THE JOINT PARAMETERS, BE SURE TO TURN ALL IK
CHAINS OFF. IT IS ALSO EASIER TO SEE SOME ATTRIBUTES, SUCH AS THE CENTER, IF YOU
VIEW THEM IN OUTLINE OR WIREFRAME DISPLAY MODE. IF YOUR COMPUTER IS FAST
ENOUGH, USE FULL TRACKING TO SEE THE RESULTS OF YOUR CHANGES IN REAL-TIME.

Each joint on the figure has a set of attributes, like Bend, Twist or Side-to-side. The
attributes available for editing depend upon which joint is selected. Editable attributes are
displayed in the pop-up at the top of the palette.
To edit a joint’s parameters, you first select a joint attribute and then set each of its
parameters. Each attribute has a specific set of parameters that control how the attribute
affects the joint. For example, the parameters for the Center attribute let you control the
exact position of the center point.
To display the Joint Editor:
Choose Windows menu>Joint Editor.

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

The controls available on the Joint Editor palette depend on the currently selected
body part or prop.
To edit a joint parameter:
1 Select a body part.
2 Display the Joint Editor.
3 Click the popup at the top of the palette and choose an attribute.
4 Set the attribute’s parameters.

USING THE JOINT EDITOR
The Joint Editor contains several controls you can use to set attributes for a joint. These
controls change as you select different body parts. However, here are a few controls that
are common to all:
Display Deformer: Toggles the graphical display of the joint on the figure.
Spherical Falloff Zones: Toggles on or off the Spherical Falloff Zones on the figure.
Refer to “Spherical Falloff Zones” on page 329 for more on falloff zones. The Spherical
Falloff Zones control appears on all attributes except the Center attribute.
Zero Figure: Resets to 0 the rotation (Bend, Twist, Side-Side, Front-Back) for all body
parts.
Joint Order: Defines the joint’s axes of rotation. The joint order is expressed as three
letters corresponding to the X, Y and Z axes.

NOTE
USING THE FRONT CAMERA POSITION, THE X AXIS RUNS FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, THE Y AXIS
RUNS UP AND DOWN, AND THE Z AXIS RUNS FROM THE FRONT TO THE BACK.

Curve Radio Button: Specifies the use of curve bends as opposed to the standard twist/
joint/joint bends. When you set up a joint using curves, the joint will have one twist and
one curve primitive. The curve primitive will automatically bend the body part as if it
were part of a curved chain of objects.

INTERACTIVELY EDITING JOINT PARAMETERS
When you select a joint attribute in the Joint Editor, a graphical representation of the
parameter appears on the figure. For example, when you select the Twist attribute for the
leg, a red and green line appears on the leg.
Center.
The center of a body part becomes the outline of the selected target when you can edit it.

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Twist
When you select the Twist attribute, a line with two handles appears on the figure. The red
handle represents the starting point of the twist transformation area. The green handle
represents the end. Dragging these handles increases or decreases the Twist area.

A Twist attribute displayed graphically on the figure.

Editing Inclusion and Exclusion angles
When using Bend or Side to Side/Front to Back, the red line represents the exclusion
angle, while the green lines represent the inclusion angle.
Any polygons within the exclusion angle are not affected by a transformation. Polygons
within the inclusion angle are affected by the transformation. The area between the
inclusion and exclusion angles is called the Blend zone.
You can edit theses angle by dragging their points directly on the figure. As you drag an
angle, the figure updates to show the effects of your change. When the cursor is over an
end-point, it appears as a target.
Inclusion and exclusion angles exist in three dimensions, so you can rotate the figure to
see all the areas affected by the transformation. You can also edit the angles in all three
dimensions.
If you want to make sure you’re moving an angle in only one dimension, use the
orthogonal cameras (From Top, From Front, From Left, etc.). For example, if you use the
From Front camera, moving left and right moves in x. Moving up and down moves in y.
In the From Left view, left and right move in z, and up and down move in y.

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

Bend
You can adjust the Bend transformation area by dragging the end-points of the red or
green angle. To change the center of the body part, drag the center point target.
Side-Side/Front-Back.
Both the Side-Side and Front-Back attributes can be edited like the Bend attribute, by
dragging the inclusion and exclusion angle lines.

JOINT ATTRIBUTES.
Each joint on a body part has a number of parameters that together control how the joint
moves.
Center
The Center Attribute sets the center of rotation for a selected body part. This attribute is
available for all body parts and props.

The Center attribute in the Joint Editor.

The Center attribute has the following parameters:

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Center Point: Sets the XYZ position of the center of the body part. 0,0,0 is located in the
center of the body on the floor.
End Point: Sets the endpoint for a joint with multiple children, or no child joint.
Orientation: Sets the XYZ rotation of the axis. Click and drag on these dials to rotate the
axis. You can alt-click on the dials to reset them to 0.
Align: Aligns the axis to the rotation of the body part.
Twist
The Twist attribute alters the location of the twist transformer for each body part. The
intensity of the transformation is controlled using the Twist parameter dial or Twist tool.

The Twist Attribute in the Joint Editor.

Note that there is not a Twist attribute for the hip, since the hip is the parent of the entire
figure. Twisting the parent is the same as rotating the entire figure. When IK is enabled,
twisting the hip transforms body parts included in the IK chains.

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

By default, the Twist axis runs lengthwise down the center of each body part. For
example, for arms the twist axis is the x-axis, while for legs the twist axis is the y-axis.
Moving and rotating the center of a body part can alter the position of this axis.

The Twist axes on the body.

The Twist attribute has the following parameters:
Twist Start, End: Sets the start and end of a twist area on a body part. Only the parts of
the figure within the twist area are affected by the twist transformation.
Twist areas can be set to larger than the body part to make a twisting motion appear more
natural. In most cases, you want to include the body part’s parent.

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Bend
The parameters for the Bend attribute alter the angles of the bend transformers and define
how bulges are created.

The Bend attribute in the Joint Editor.

The Bend attribute has the following parameters:
Center Point: Sets the XYZ position of the center of the body part. Bending occurs at the
center point. Changing that point changes the center of the body part.
Joint Angles: These parameters set inclusion and exclusion angles for the Bending
transformation. The values in Static A and D together set the exclusion angle. Polygons
within the exclusion angle are not affected by the bending. The values in Dynamic B and

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

C together set the area of inclusion. Polygons within the inclusion angle are affected by
the bending.

The angles of inclusion and exclusion on a body part.

Bulge Settings: When enabled, these parameters control how polygons within the bend
zone are stretched or pinched to create bulges or wrinkles.
The Apply Bulges checkbox specifies whether or not the bulges defined by the parameter
dials will be applied to the polygons in the current blend zone. Use the parameter dials to
control the bulges. Right and left dials refer to the sides of the figure. The positive dials
control how much bulging out will occur when the joint moves, and the negative dials

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control the amount of wrinkling and pinching. You can alt-click these dials to reset them
to 0.

Differences in bulges and wrinkles, when the body part center is changed.

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

Side-Side/Front-Back
The parameters for the Side-Side/Front-Back attributes control angles of the Side-Side/
Front-Back transformers and define how bulges are created.

The Side-Side attribute in the Joint Editor.

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The Front-Back attribute in the Joint Editor.

The Side-Side/Front-Back attributes have the following parameters:
Center Point: Sets the XYZ position of the center of the body part. Side-Side
transformations occurs at the center point.
Joint Angles: These parameters set inclusion and exclusion angles for the Side-Side
transformation.
Bulge Settings: When enabled, these parameters control how polygons within the Side-
Side transformation zone are stretched or pinched to create bulges or wrinkles.
Scaling
Each body part has parameters that let you scale the parent and child body parts. The
settings are similar to the Twist parameters, and follow the Twist axis of the child or parent
body part.

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

For example, the Right Collar body part of the Business Man has scaling controls for the
chest (the parent body part) along the y-axis, and scaling controls for the Right Shoulder
(the child body part) along the x-axis.

Scaling attribute displayed in the Joint Editor.

High Start/End, Low Start/End: The High and Low parameters define a blending area.
For example, when scaling the head, you might also want the top of the neck to scale as
well.
When setting this parameter, only one pair of settings—the high or the low setting—is
relevant. The unused parameter pair is automatically set to an out-of-limit number (such as

327


100.000 or 99.000). This indicates that the pair is not relevant to the area you have
selected for blending. The out-of-limit settings should not be edited.

The effects of High/Low scaling.

The end of each blending zone is represented in red, while the start is represented in green.
The effects can be uniform, or can be controlled by spherical falloff zones. Refer to
“Spherical Falloff Zones” on page 329 for more information.
Copying Joint Parameters
You can copy joint parameters from one half of the figure to the other using the Symmetry
commands on the Figure menu. Hold down the Option/Alt key while using the Symmetry
commands to include joint parameters.
Saving Joint Parameters
Changes to joint parameters effect only the current scene. If you want to save joint
parameter changes, you need to either save your scene, or save the figure as a new preset
in the Library palette. The new figure has new joint parameter settings. Refer to “The
Poser 7 Library” in the Poser 7 Reference Manual for more about saving figures to the
Library palette.

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

SPHERICAL FALLOFF ZONES
Spherical Falloff Zones are an advanced method for controlling the blending between
body parts. Two spheres, a green ‘inner’ sphere and a red ‘outer’ sphere represent the
falloff zones.

Spherical Falloff Zones.

The green sphere defines the area that is affected 100% by the transformation. The red
sphere represents the boundary of the transformer’s effect. The area between the inner and
outer sphere is the ‘blending’ zone. The effects of the transformation gradually decrease
from 100% at the boundary of the inner sphere to 0% at the boundary of the outer sphere.
When adding Spherical Falloff Zones, the default position of the sphere is 0,0,0.
Displaying Spherical Falloff Zones
Spherical Falloff Zones can be selected and displayed using any display mode. Choose
Display menu>Element style to select the desired display mode. The default display
mode for these spheres is outline.

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Wireframe mode lets you view the spheres in 3D and still see the body parts they
surround.

A Spherical Falloff Zone viewed in Wireframe mode.

Editing Spherical Falloff Zones
Spherical Falloffs can be edited using any of the Editing tools. You can reposition, scale,
rotate or twist Spherical Falloff zones.

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ADDING REALISM

Chapter 20: Basic Figure Creation

T
his section provides two examples of creating Poser figures from imported props
(geometries). Tutorial files are located in the Tutorials folder with your Poser 7
installation.

EXAMPLE ONE: WORMY
Wormy is a happy little inchworm that also happens to be a great example of how you can
rapidly create a simple figure using the Setup room.
1 Begin by launching Poser 7 and importing the file wormy.obj
from the Tutorials folder accompanying your Poser 7 installation.
Do this by selecting File>Import>Wavefront OBJ and navigating
to the folder on your system. Set both Full Tracking and the
Texture Shaded document display style. Do this by choosing Full
Tracking from the Tracking Mode menu at the bottom of the
Preview tab, followed by clicking the rightmost button in the
Display controls.
2 Enter the Setup room by clicking the Setup room tab.
3 Set a side camera, such as Right, by clicking the words Main
Camera in the Document window and selecting From Right.
Next, select the Bone tool (3rd from the right in the Editing
tools). Starting near the bottom, create the first (hip) bone going
up Wormy’s body. This hip bone is the parent for the entire figure.
Next, create three additional bones for the Abdomen, Chest, and
Head. Please refer to the Poser 7 Reference Manual,
“Chapter 20: The Setup Room” for more information about the
Setup room.
4 Click the hip joint (base of the bottommost bone), and create two more bones going
down Wormy’s tail as follows. Remember that the tailbones are children of the hip
bone (see “Hierarchy” on page 13 for an explanation of hierarchical relationships).
5 Select the Group tool (just to the left of the Bone tool in the
Editing tools), then click the Auto Group button in the Group
Editor palette to create groups of polygons and attach them to
the bone structure you created. Click the Next Group button
several times to see the groups that have been created. You can
modify these groups as discussed in the Poser 7 Reference
Manual, “Chapter 14: Figure and Prop Editors”. Close the

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Group Editor palette and exit to the Pose room. Try posing Wormy using the
Translate tool (third Editing tool from the left):
You will probably notice that there is a problem with the joints when you try to move the
tail: Wormy’s waist deforms incorrectly. Correct this by opening the Joint Editor palette,
selecting the upper tail joint, and making the following adjustments (see the Poser 7
Reference Manual, “The Joint Editor Palette” for more information about the Joint Editor
palette):
Rotation Order: Select ZYX as the rotation order.
X-Rotation: Select the X-Rotate parameter and position the
inclusion/exclusion angles as shown:
6 Close the Joint Editor palette and try moving Wormy’s tail. The
tail now bulges as if muscles were flexing, creating a far more
natural appearance. You can, of course, create any effect you
desire by tweaking the joints.
Congratulations! In just a couple of minutes, you have transformed Wormy from a static
prop into a fully poseable Poser figure!

EXAMPLE TWO: GOLDY THE ROBOT
Wormy used a simple bone structure built from scratch. Goldy the Robot was originally
created by assembling Poser props from the Props category within the Library palette
(see the Poser 7 Reference Manual, “Using Objects from the Library Palette”). For this
example, she will use a skeleton belonging to an existing library figure and be adjusted as
necessary.
1 Begin by launching Poser 7 and importing the file goldy.obj from the Tutorials folder
accompanying your Poser 7 installation.
2 Set both Full Tracking and the Texture Shaded document
display style, and enter the Setup room.
3 Select the Front camera. Goldy should now appear as follows:
4 Open the Figures library and select Figures>Poser 2
Lo>Default Guy. Click the Change Figure button to load the
skeleton. If you prefer, you can also begin at the hip and create a
skeleton from scratch, just as you did with Wormy:

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5 Select the Translate tool and position the bones on your left
(Goldy’s right) side and center (Outline display style shown for
maximum contrast).
6 Select Figure>Symmetry> Right to Left. Click Yes when
prompted to copy joint zone setups. Goldy’s skeleton should now
look something like this:
7 Goldy’s bones are now aligned side to side. Select a side camera
(or multiple pane view, as described in the Poser 7 Reference
Manual, “Single/Multiple-View Panes”) and adjust the front-to-
back alignment. As in the previous step, you can use symmetry to
save time. When you are finished, select the Main camera and fly
around Goldy to make sure that the skeleton is correctly placed.
8 At this point, you could use the Auto Group tool. However,
Goldy’s hoop will not work properly, since the Grouping tool
will assign its polygons to the hips and abdomen, causing the
hoop to distort or break as Goldy moves. To prevent this, select a
side view, select the abdomen bone, and draw a new bone
protruding from Goldy’s center to the hoop.
9 The Auto Group tool will assign some of the hoop polygons to
the bone you created, and others to the hip, thighs, etc. Simply
select the group corresponding to the bone you created in the
previous step, and add the rest of the hoop polygons to the group
to make the hoop move properly.
10 Check all of the groups to ensure that the correct polygons are
assigned to each group. Make any necessary adjustments. When
you are finished, exit the Setup room and try posing Goldy.
11 Not too bad for a few minutes’ work. Still, to make Goldy move
like a robot instead of an organic figure, you will need to adjust
the joint parameters. You may also need to adjust the bones and/
or turn off body part bending by selecting body parts and/or
disabling bending in the Properties palette. The Poser scene
Goldy_Raw.pz3 in your Poser 7 Installation’s Tutorials folder
shows Goldy just after leaving the Setup room. Goldy_Adjusted.pz3 in the same
folder shows Goldy after her joint parameters and bones have been adjusted. Notice
how she now moves like the robot she is. Load this file, select each joint, and note its
parameters. Try using the Walk Designer (see the Poser 7 Reference Manual, “Using
the Walk Designer”) and playing the resulting animation.
12 The final step is to make Goldy gold. To do this, enter the Material room and make
the Diffuse_Color, Ambient_Color, and Reflective_Color attributes gold as

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described in the Poser 7 Reference Manual, “Root Material/Hair Node”. Render the
scene to see Goldy in all her glory!

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Chapter 21: Advanced Figure
Creation

A
figure in Poser 7 is basically a 3D model that has separate parts for each moving
limb. What makes a Poser 7 model unique is how it interacts with the controls in
Poser 7. When a 3D model is within Poser 7, it has joints that move realistically.
It seems to move like a real person.
HOW DO YOU MAKE A NEW FIGURE?
Poser 7 created the ability to mirror real body movement by adding joint parameters to
each body part. This allows you to then manipulate the figure based on those parameters.
By using parameter dials and the Walk Designer you can create realistic motion.
To create your own Poser figures, you must set up your model in a way that Poser 7 can
understand. Once that is done, you can move or pose your model, just as you would any of
the models that are included with Poser 7.
This chapter describes how to create articulated bending figures in Poser 7. The Tutorial
starting with “Creating the Initial Figure” on page 348 leads you thorough the entire
process step-by-step.
Figure creation is a multi-step process:
Create a 3D model of the new figure.
Create a hierarchy file for the figure.
Convert the hierarchy file.
Locate and use the new figure file in Poser 7.
Verify the figure’s hierarchy.
Adjust the joint parameters of each body part.
Set limits.
Set favored IK angles.
Store the default position.
Set the surface materials for the figure.
Add morph targets to individual body parts.
Set part names

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Save the new figure to the Library palette.

CREATING FIGURE MODELS
Almost any geometry that is made up of polygons and has individual parts can be used as
a figure in Poser 7. What your model looks like makes no difference to how it works in
Poser 7. It doesn’t even have to look human, it just needs to be set up properly and stored
in the correct format.
Once those two criteria are satisfied you can make anything into a Poser figure. With the
right set up, you can make anything from an accordion to a zebra into a poseable figure.

MODEL FORMAT
In order to use geometry as a figure in Poser 7, it must be stored in a Wavefront (.obj)
compatible format. As well, you must use only polygons to create your model. Nurbs or
spline surfaces are not suitable.

GROUPING
Poser 7 uses a group name as the internal name of a body part inside Poser 7. Some Poser
7 features, like the Walk Designer, require specifically named body parts. The group
name is also the default name that you see when working with this body part (you can
change that at a later time).
It’s important that groups are set up to denote the individual moving sections. You can
store body parts as individual OBJ files or save the entire figure as a single file. In either
method, you need to carefully plan how you choose to separate the polygons into
individual moving parts.
You do not need to move these parts to the origin individually. You should leave them
where they naturally relate to one another. Local origins are set up later inside Poser 7.
When you store each body in a separate wavefront OBJ file you need have only one
specified group in each file. That group contains all the polygons in that file.
When you store the entire body in one Wavefront OBJ, you must use “groups” to separate
different parts of the body that represent the moving hierarchy. Saving the entire body in
one Wavefront OBJ file is usually the preferred method.
It is very important that groups do not overlap. Wavefront grouping allows polygons to be
in more than one group. If this happens, the overlapping polygons are duplicated when
you bring the file into Poser 7, each group being turned into a separate Poser body part.
For example, if you build a human-like object, you want to separate the polygons of the
model into the following groups:

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

rHand lHand head neck lCollar rCollar chest abdomen hip rThigh lThigh rShin lShin
rFoot lFoot rShldr lShldr rForeArm lForeArm
In order to use the figure in the Walk Designer you’ll have to make sure that the above
groups are used in the figure.
Before creating a hierarchy file, import your OBJ file as a prop to check that the
geometry is imported correctly.
Naming Groups
In a Poser figure file, there are actually two names applied to each body part. One name is
used internally, the other is what the you see. It is important that certain body parts use
standard internal names in order to be available for specific Poser 7 features. The user
name (specified by the “name” line of actors) can be anything you wish.
The following body part names (therefore Wavefront group names) should be used when
available:
“rHand” -- for the body part that represents the base palm of the right hand
“lHand” -- for the body part that represents the base palm of the left hand.
In order for the hand Library features to work completely, the fingers of the hand should
be broken up using the following names (working from root to tip):
rHand
rThumb1 rThumb2 rThumb3
rIndex1 rIndex2 rIndex3
rMid1 rMid2 rMid3
rRing1 rRing2 rRing3
rPinky1 rPinky2 rPinky3
lHand
lThumb1 lThumb2 lThumb3
lIndex1 lIndex2 lIndex3
lMid1 lMid2 lMid3

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lRing1 lRing2 lRing3
lPinky1 lPinky2 lPinky3

Index 1
Index 2
Index 3
Thumb 3
Mid 3
Thumb 2
Mid 2
Mid 1 Thumb 1
Ring 3
Ring 2
Ring 1

Pinky 3 Hand
Pinky 2
Pinky 1
The hierarchy applied to the figure.

Arranging Groups on the Model
When Poser 7 processes a new model’s geometry and generates a Poser 7 Figures library
entry, it automatically adds bending joints between parent and child objects as specified in
the hierarchy file.
Joints only bend polygons of the objects that are contained in the parent or child body part
at any given joint. So, all polygons that are physically located at a seam must be contained
in either the parent object group or the child object group. In other words, don't have three
groups joining at the same place.
A good rule of thumb to use when creating groups is that if two objects don't have a parent
child relationship, then they shouldn't be touching each other. It’s important to make sure
that groups are set up with this in mind, otherwise gaps appear when you start bending the
model in Poser 7.
The following example shows the connection of the abdomen, hip, and upper leg of a
horse. Since the abdomen is a child of the hip and the upper leg is also a child of the hip,

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

there is no parental attachment between the abdomen and the upper leg. Therefore there
can be no physical attachment between the abdomen and the upper leg:

Two incorrect ways, and then the correct way, to connect groups on the horse.

CREATING HIERARCHY FILES
The Hierarchy file describes how the groups in a figure are arranged. It outlines the
parent-child relationships between groups. Once created it can be imported into Poser 7
where it is converted to create a new figure file in the New Figures library.
The hierarchy file specifies four important things:
The geometry (.obj) file to use.
The hierarchical connections (parent-child relationships) of the body parts.
The desired rotation order of each body part.
A specification of each Inverse Kinematics chain to be included in the figure.
Hierarchy files can be created in any text editor that can save documents in a text-only
format.
The following is an example hierarchy file: It represents the full hierarchy for a horse --
including curve channels for the tails.
objFile:Runtime:Geometries:horseHi:horseHiP3.obj
1 hip zxy
2 abdomen zyx
3 chest zyx
4 lShldr yzx
5 lUpArm yzx

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6 lForeArm yzx
7 lWrist yzx
8 lHand yxz
4 rShldr yzx
5 rUpArm yzx
6 rForeArm yzx
7 rWrist yzx
8 rHand yxz
4 lowNeck zyx
5 upNeck zyx
6 head yzx
2lThigh yzx
3 lLeg yzx
4 lShin yzx
5 lAnkle yzx
6 lFoot yxz
2 rThigh yzx
3 rLeg yzx
4 rShin yzx
5 rAnkle yzx
6 rFoot yxz
2 tail1 zyx curve
3 tail2 zyx curve
4 tail3 zyx curve
5 tail4 zyx curve
ikChainLeftLeg lThigh lLeg lShin lAnkle
ikChainRightLeg rThigh rLeg rShin rAnkle
ikChainLeftHand lShldr lUpArm lForeArm lWrist lHand
ikChainRightHand rShldr rUpArm rForeArm rWrist rHand
There are more samples in the Tutorials>Figure Creation folder that is included with
your Poser 7 installation.

HIERARCHY FILE EXPLAINED
The following section explains the various parts of the Hierarchy file.
Hierarchy File Header
The first line of the hierarchy file contains the “OBJ File” command which specifies the
location of the OBJ file associated with the new figure.
objFile:Runtime:Geometries:horseHi:horseTex.obj

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

The file location should be defined using a Macintosh format file specification (i.e using
colons). The file location is specified relative to the Poser 7 application folder.
When the hierarchy file is converted, the text of the OBJ file is read into Poser 7 where a
geometry resource is created and linked to the OBJ file. This process results in a new
figure file.
From then on, when Poser 7 uses this figure file, the geometry resource is used to defined
the figure hierarchy relationships rather than the text stored in the OBJ file. Reading from
the geometry resource is dramatically faster.
Hierarchy File Body
The bulk of the hierarchy file contains lines similar to the one shown below:

2 abdomen zyx

Rotation Order
Body Part Name
Hierarchy Level

A typical Hierarchy file line.

The first part of the line indicates Hierarchy level, or the parent-child relationship, of the
body part. In this case, the abdomen body part is a child of the body part of the part on the
next level up. Hierarchy levels are numbered in depending order, so the next level up from
this part is 1.
In the example below, the lShin object is located on the 3rd level of the hierarchy. The
closest level 2 line above would be the lThigh, so the lShin is a child of the lThigh.

2 lThigh yzx Parent Object
3 lShin yzx Child Object
4 lAnkle yzx
Parent-Child relationships indicated in the Hierarchy file.

The indenting of the lines is not processed but is helpful visually to denote the hierarchy
levels.

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The second part of the line specifies the name of the body part. In the example the part is
called abdomen. This name must match the group name in the OBJ file.

2 abdomen zyx

Body Part Name

The body part name in a Hierarchy file line.

The 3-character string at the end of the line represents the rotation (or gimbal) order of the
body part. A rotation order defined as “zxy” means that a Z axis rotation occurs first,
followed by the X, then Y axis rotations.

2 abdomen zyx

Rotation Order

The rotation order in a Hierarchy file line.

Poser 7 uses the following XY and Z axis orientations:

Y

Z X

The X, Y, and Z planes that make up 3D space.

Assigning a rotation order is a three step process:
Always place the “twist” axis first. This axis should be placed lengthwise through the
object. If the object, like a leg, is built down the Y-axis, specify the Y first since that is
the axis along which the leg would twist.
Of the two remaining rotations, place the one most likely to become 90 degrees last.
This helps reduce rotation lock problems that occur when the middle rotation
approaches 90 degrees.
Place the remaining rotation channel second.

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

Some objects are built non-aligned to the major axes. In this case, you are able to “align”
the coordinate system of the body part later, while adjusting the joint parameters. For the
hierarchy file, pick the rotation order that seems closest to what would be desired. When
you align the part later, the twist axis you choose becomes aligned down the length of the
body part.
Linking body parts stored in separate OBJ files
If each body part were stored in a separate file, rather than all body parts being groups in a
single file, you would specify the full path name for the file at the end of each line. This
path is relative to the Poser 7 folder.
Here is an example of three links using this method:
1 link1 yzx:Runtime:Geometries:examples:l1.obj
Using Curved Transformations
The Curved flag tells Poser 7 that this link should use curve transformations. This is a
method of bending designed for the tails of the animal figures in Poser. Here is an example
used in the Horse figure:
2 tail1 zyx curve
3 tail2 zyx curve
4 tail3 zyx curve
5 tail4 zyx curve
Inverse Kinematic Chains
The last commands in the hierarchy file specify the links that compose the individual
inverse kinematic chains. Inverse Kinematic chains are defined in the following format:
ikChain chainName firstLink nextLink nextLink... endGoal
In the example above the ikChain is defines as follows:

ikChain LeftLeg lThigh lShin lAnkle lFoot

Chain Name

An ikChain line in a Hierarchy file.

The name of an ikChain cannot contain spaces.

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CONVERTING HIERARCHY FILES
Once the Hierarchy file is completed in the text editor, you can import it into Poser 7 by
converting it into a geometry resource (called a CR2 file).
This geometry resource is then used by Poser 7, in conjunction with OBJ 3D data to create
a new figure file with rotation order, and Inverse Kinematic relationships as defined by the
hierarchy text file.
On Windows, the resource is a separate file ending is RSR. On a Macintosh, the resource
is stored with the OBJ file. If you need to edit the resource on a Mac, use a resource editor
to remove the text from the OBJ file, or create a new text file by copying and pasting from
the old one.
If you make changes to the hierarchy file and then convert it again, the conversion won’t
re-create the geometry resource if it already exists in the OBJ file. So, if you are trying to
make geometry changes, you need to either delete the resource, or start with a new blank
text file that contains only the text portion of the OBJ file.
To convert a Hierarchy file:
1 Choose File menu>Convert Hier File. The Open dialog appears.
2 Locate the Hierarchy file you created in the text editor and click Open.
If there are no errors, a Poser 7 Figure library file is created.
The hierarchy conversion may take several minutes if there is a large geometry file.
The figure file that gets created references the geometry file whenever used. Its
location should be established and not moved later or the figure file cannot find the
geometry.
If the location is changed you need to edit the figure file with a text editor to designate
the new location (specified relative to the Poser 7 application in Mac format).

VERIFYING HIERARCHY FILES
Once you begin adjusting the joints you are not able to regenerate the figure file a second
time and have all your joint changes in place. Make sure that all Parent-Child relationships
are correct before editing joint parameters. You can make geometry corrections later, but
you cannot change the hierarchy without creating different joints from scratch again.

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

SETTING UP A STANDARD FIGURE
Poser 7 provides the following methods to aid you in creating standard figures.

APPLYING THE STANDARD HIERARCHY
If a figure’s geometry was created using standard body group names for human/bi-ped
figures, you can use the Hierarchy Editor to automatically apply the Poser Standard
Hierarchy to your figure, establishing parent-child relationships. Poser 7 can apply the
Standard Hierarchy to full or partial figures. Refer to “Naming Groups” on page 337 for
more about creating figures with standard body group names.
To apply the Poser Standard Hierarchy to a figure:
1 Choose Window>Hierarchy
Editor.
2 Select the Universe.
3 Click the Apply Standard
Hierarchy button.

NOTE
THE APPLY STANDARD HIERARCHY BUTTON IS NOT AVAILABLE UNLESS THE UNIVERSE IS
SELECTED.

APPLYING THE STANDARD ROTATION ORDER
If the props for human/bi-ped figures use standard body part names, Poser can
automatically apply the standard rotation settings for each prop.
To apply standard rotation to a figure:
1 Choose Window>Hierarchy Editor to display the Hierarchy Editor.
2 Select the Universe.
3 Click the Apply Std Rotation Order button to apply the standard rotation settings.

ADJUSTING JOINT PARAMETERS
When the Hierarchy file was converted into a new figure file, Poser 7 automatically added
joints between all the parent and child objects in the figure. These joints may not work as
expected as they use the default joint settings

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Before you can pose your figure, you need to adjust each body part’s
joint parameters. The Joint Editor lets you select each joint, twist,
smooth scale, and center parameter and adjust them for optimal
bending.
Refer to “Adjusting Joint Parameters” on page 345 for detailed
instructions on adjusting joint parameters.
It’s highly recommended that you work from the outside of the
figure in, making a first pass through to make sure all origins are
located as desired. If you move the origin point (center of rotations)
of a body part later, it carries along the other joint changes so the
bending characteristics change. You’ll save yourself from doing
extra work if you specify the origins (centers) first.

NOTE
REMEMBER, YOU CAN SAVE YOUR FIGURE TO A NEW FIGURE PRESET
AT ANY TIME. YOU SHOULD DO THIS PERIODICALLY AS YOU WORK SO
YOU CAN BACK UP IF YOU MAKE MISTAKES.

Keep the IK chains turned off until all adjustments are completed.
You can use the Zero Figure button to quickly set all rotations to
zero while working.

SETTING LIMITS
Limits establish a range of rotation, position and scale for a given body part. Limits can be
set for each body part on the figure. However the most commonly used, and the most
logical, limits are Bend, Twist, Side-Side and Front-Back. For these parameters, limits are
expressed as degrees. In this case, the limits define the maximum and minimum degrees of
rotation.
Limits are set by using the Edit Parameter Dial dialog.
To set limits for a body part:
1 Double-click the parameter dial for which you want
to set limits. The Edit Parameter Dial dialog
appears.
2 Enter maximum value of the parameter in the Max
Limit field.
3 Enter the minimum value of the parameter in the Min Limit field and click OK.

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

NOTE
REMEMBER, YOU CAN SAVE YOUR FIGURE AS A NEW FIGURE IN THE FIGURES LIBRARY AT
ANY TIME. YOU SHOULD DO THIS PERIODICALLY AS YOU WORK SO YOU CAN BACK UP IF YOU
MAKE MISTAKES.

SETTING FAVORED IK ANGLES
The Inverse Kinematics in Poser 7 works from the current rotations of a body part,
therefore proper IK angles need to be preset in the figure for it to work predictably.
As such, the original rotation values loaded on the joint are important to help the IK
system know which way to bend some joints.

Favored IK positions.

Before you memorize the default position of all the body parts, you should bend the ones
that are used in IK chains so that they favor their natural bending directions. For example,
a human thigh is bent slightly forward and out. The shin is bent slightly back and in.
Do this while keeping all the IK chains turned off. Only turn them on after you have set
the favored angles.

MEMORIZING DEFAULT POSITIONS
When you memorize the settings on the figure you’re setting the default values and
positions for all the figure’s joints and body parts. The next time you use this figure, the
memorized setting are used.
To memorize the figure’s settings:
Choose Edit menu>Memorize>Figure.

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SETTING SURFACE MATERIALS
Please refer to the Poser 7 Reference Guide, “Chapter 16: The Material Room” for more
information about applying surface materials to your objects and figures.

ADDING MORPH TARGETS
If you have created wavefront format OBJ files that have the identical vertex ordering as
any individual body part, you can load them as morph targets.
Refer to “Setting Up Morph Targets” on page 308 for more on setting Morph Targets.

SETTING BODY PART NAMES
The names of the groups you set up in the OBJ file and Hierarchy file may not be the most
descriptive names you can use. Once the main parameters are set for the figure, you can
change the name of each body part.
To change the name of a body part:
1 Double-click a body part. The Properties palette for that body part appears.
2 Enter a new name in the Name field.

SAVING NEW FIGURES TO THE LIBRARY
After you’re finished setting joint parameters and body part names, you can save the final
figure to the Figures category in the Libary palette where it can be recalled at any time.
Refer to the Poser 7 Reference Manual, “Chapter 5: The Poser 7 Library” for more
information on saving figures to the Library palette.

TUTORIAL - POSER FIGURE CREATION
In this tutorial, a 3D polygon mesh object is converted into a Poser figure. We assume that
you are familiar with 3D modeling applications, such as Shade, and have the ability to
generate or modify 3D mesh objects.
Creating the Initial Figure
To create the initial figure:
1 Using your favorite 3D modeling application, open or generate a female human figure
mesh object.
2 Name the body part groups in a manner consistent with Poser 7’s body part naming
format. See “Grouping” on page 336 for more information on naming groups.

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

3 Verify that none of the groups in this mesh object are overlapping, and that each
polygon is assigned to a group.
4 Open the Poser 7>Runtime>Geometries directory, and create a new folder called
“TutorialWoman”.
5 Save the file as a Wavefront OBJ file, to the Poser 7>Runtime>Geometries>
TutorialWoman folder.

NOTE
SUBSEQUENT PARTS OF THIS TUTORIAL USE THE FILE NAME “WOMANFINAL.OBJ” WHEN
REFERRING TO THE OBJ FILE YOU HAVE BEEN ASKED TO CREATE. IF YOU CHOOSE TO CALL
YOUR FILE SOMETHING ELSE, THEN REMEMBER TO REPLACE ANY REFERENCES TO
“WOMANFINAL.OBJ” WITH YOUR PERSONAL FILE NAME.

Checking geometry imports
Importing this object as a prop into Poser 7 allows you to check the import of the
geometry for errors.
This part of the tutorial illustrates potential problems you may have in your models, and
how you might fix them.
To use Poser 7 to check for geometry errors:
1 Open Poser 7.
You may need to close your 3D modeling application first in order to have enough memory.
2 Click and drag on the Translate In/Out tool to move the figure away from the camera.
3 Select File menu>Import>Wavefront OBJ.
4 Open the OBJ file you saved in the Poser 7>Runtime>Geometries>TutorialWoman
folder. Use the default import options.
5 Use the Translate tool to drag the figure up.

Draging the figure up.

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Fixing surface normals
If you notice that some areas seem to have holes or appear inverted, this is because the
surface normals are flipped. You can fix this in your 3D modeling application.
Creating the Hierarchy File
You must create a hierarchy file in order to import the figure back into Poser 7. See
“Creating Hierarchy Files” on page 339 for details on the syntax of the hierarchy file.
To create the hierarchy file:
1 Create your hierarchy file to appear as follows:
objFile:Runtime:Geometries:TutorialWoman:womanfinal.obj
1 hip zxy
2 abdomen yxz
3 chest zyx
4 neck yxz
5 head yxz
6 lEye yxz
6 rEye yxz
6 mouth yxz
4 lShldr xzy
5 lUpperarm xyz
6 lForearm xyz
7 lHand xyz
4 rShldr xzy
5 rUpperarm xyz
6 rForearm xyz
7 rHand xyz
2 lPant yxz
3 lThigh yxz
4 lCalf yxz
5 lFoot zxy
2 rPant yxz
3 rThigh yxz
4 rCalf yxz
5 rFoot yzx
ikChain lArm lShldr lUpperarm lForearm lHand
ikChain rArm rShldr rUpperarm rForearm rHand
ikChain lLeg lPant lThigh lCalf lFoot

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

ikChain rLeg rPant rThigh rCalf rFoot
2 Save the hierarchy file into the TutorialWoman folder and name it womanfinal.phi.
To scale the new figure:
1 Open Poser 7
2 Select File menu>Convert Hierarchy File.
A new figure is created in a group called New Figures.
3 Open the Library palette and click on the Figures category.
4 Select the New Figures subcategory.
5 Double-click the new figure (with the shrugging Poser 7 figure icon).
6 The figure is initially very large. Use the Current Actor pop-up menu to select the
'Body'.
7 Double-click the scale parameter dial and change the value to 4.2%.
To adjust body part color:
1 Select Figure menu>Drop to Floor.

Body parts are different colors.

2 Each body part is a different color. Use the color tool on the body parts to better
organize the figure.
3 Use a similar color for the chest, abdomen, left shoulder and right shoulder to form the
shirt.
4 Use a similar color for the hip, left pant, and right pant to form the shorts.
5 Use a similar color for each foot.
6 Color the mouth red and each eye white.

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7 Use a skin tone for the remaining body parts.

After adjusting body part colors.

8 Select Edit menu>Memorize>Figure.
9 Add the figure to the Library, naming it Womanfinal.
Setting Joint Parameters
You now need to set the joint parameters for each body part. This tutorial gives you a
general overview of how to begin setting your joint parameters. For more information, see
“Adjusting Joint Parameters” on page 345.

NOTE
BEFORE ADJUSTING JOINT PARAMETERS, ALWAYS CHECK THAT IK CHAINS FOR THE FIGURE
ARE TURNED OFF.

Your first task is to set the center of rotation for all body parts. If you change this later, it
effects all other bending parameters for parent and child body parts.
To set the hip center of rotation:
1 Switch to outline display mode.
2 Open the Joint Editor.
3 Click on Zero Figure.

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4 Start by selecting the hip.

Adjusting hip rotation.

5 Change the Center point x and z values to 0.0.
6 Set the y value to 0.9.
7 Set the End Point y value to 0.8. The x and z value should be 0.0.
To set the centers of rotation for pant body parts:
1 Select the right pant body part. Look at the center of rotation.
2 Select the right thigh body part.
3 Drag the center of rotation up towards the edge between the right pant and the hip.
This gives the effect of the thigh and the pant leg moving together.

Adjusting the right thigh body part.

4 Repeat this for the left thigh.

353


To set the center of rotation for the abdomen:
1 Select the abdomen.
2 Drag the center of rotation down, slightly into the hip.

Adjusting the abdomen.

To set the center of rotation for the chest:
1 Select the chest.
2 Drag the center of rotation up slightly, within the bottom of the chest.

Adjusting the chest.

To set the center of rotation for the arms:
1 Select the right upper arm.

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

2 Move the center of rotation towards the joint of the shoulder.

Adjusting the upper arm.

3 Repeat this for the left upper arm.
To set the center of rotation for the head:
1 Select the head.
2 Switch to the Face camera.
To set rotation values:
1 In the Joint Editor, switch from center to yrot.
2 Swap the twist start and twist end positions. You can test your settings by adjusting the
yrot parameter dial in the Parameters palette. The twist end (in green) should be above
the chin. The twist start (in red) should be below the chin and into the neck. This
blends the rotation of the head into the neck.

Blending the head into the neck.

3 Switch to the From Right camera, and zoom in on the head and neck.

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4 Switch from yrot to xrot in the Joint Editor.

Adjusting the head and neck.

5 Drag the static handle on the left (in red) down below the chin.
6 Drag the dynamic handle on the right (in green) counter-clockwise till it is also below
the chin, but still higher than the static handle you dragged in the previous step.
Notice that as the dynamic handle hits the static handle, the static handle is also moved.
7 Drag the static handle counter-clockwise until it is at the top of the back of the neck.

The static handle at the top of the back of the neck.

8 Test your settings by adjusting the xrot parameter dial.
To adjust scale values:
1 Switch from xrot to neck_scaleY. This controls the blending zone for the y-axis scaling
of the neck when scaling the head.
2 Set Low start to 5.97 and Low end to 6.14.

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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

This sets the blending to within the neck, below the chin.

Blending to within the neck, below the chin.

3 Select the mouth_scaleY.
4 Set Low start to 6.4 and Low end to 6.27.

Setting the eye.

5 Select lEye_scaleY.

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6 Drag the High end up towards 9.

Dragging the High end up towards 9.

7 Repeat this for the right eye.
8 You can now scale the head to see the effects.
You can now set limits for each body part.

To set remaining limits
1 Repeat the above procedures for the remaining body parts, such that your figure moves
and bends realistically.
See “Adjusting Joint Parameters” on page 345 and “Creating Figure Models” on
page 336 for more information.
2 Set the default IK angles. Memorize the default position.
3 Finally, save the figure to the Library.

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Poser 7 Tutorial Manual

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