There’s no doubting Poser’s power, and its ability to create spectacular images in the right hands. Before you can start posing you have to wade through a list of 19 different basic figures (not including a further 21 legacy figures), sometimes choosing from three or four variants – do you pick SimonG2, SimonG2_alternate, SimonG2_Casual or SimonG2_dev? Or do you take the plunge and opt for SimonG2_Genitals? Each new additional figure, technique and prop has been added onto the increasingly lengthy list. Poser is a huge, sprawling, complex app that’s notoriously difficult for the beginner to break into. Poser’s Power Comes with a Learning Curve When there’s only one figure on the stage, this step seems wholly unnecessary. Adding clothing or hair is a simple enough matter of double-clicking the item in the Library, but that’s not enough as it won’t be attached to the figure: moving a body part will leave the clothing or hair behind, as each additional item has to be specifically told to Conform to Andy2. You can of course change him to any figure you like, but rather than taking on the new name he continues to be referred to in menus as Andy2.
To take just one example: the program launches with the bizarre androgynous stickman figure named, for legacy reasons, Andy2. Room for ImprovementĪlthough Poser has made huge leaps forward over the years, there are many perplexing behaviors that fail to be addressed with each upgrade. Pick a Robot Shark, then choose from the range of weaponized accessories. These include several doe-eyed Manga-style figures beloved of Japanese comic book artists. In addition to a dozen human figures, you get robots, several dinosaurs, a large number of animals and insects, plus skeletons, anatomical models, and a range of cartoon figures.
#Poser 7 review update
A drawback here is that each of the download files needs to be installed independently, and each installation involves clicking four buttons and typing in your password two further update files are required immediately after the installation.īut all that download space contains a vast amount of content. Nine separate download files weigh in at over 6.5 Gb, so you’ll need a fast connection. This was an area where there used to be a noticeable lag, and the speed boost is a big improvement. The whole app now feels much snappier, with speedier manipulation when multiple figures and objects are incorporated into a single scene. Multiple models and backgrounds can be combined, and it’s now easier than ever to select one and modify its pose. An optional Auto-Save allows you to set the period between saves. In addition, you can now customize hot keys to perform the tasks you choose most frequently. This is significant, as some of the figures include dozens of controls for every aspect of facial shape and expression. There have been a few more interface tweaks, including a new Actor Selection History tool that lets you step back and forth between the history states of different models, and custom parameter palettes that let you specify your favorite parameter dials so they’re always handy. Unfortunately, this also means that the task of selecting an entire head is now that much harder, as other features keep getting in the way. Interestingly, this tool also works on sub-elements such as chins and noses, which has the advantage of allowing faces to be remodeled on the fly. Users who have always had trouble with Poser’s four separate Twist, Translate, Translate In/Out, and Rotate tools will be pleased to see that the Direct Manipulation tool now includes bold arrows and rings that allow any selected body part to be moved or rotated in any direction, which is a far more intuitive approach. The new Direct Manipulation tool offers clear controls for moving a body part- but unadvertently click on a nose and you’ll move that instead.