Overview

Poser is a three-dimensional character design program that allows designers to create realistic 3D characters and animations. Poser includes a large content library of predesigned human and animal figures, as well as accessories, such as props, hair, and clothing. The program also supports custom lighting and can import motion capture and sound files that can be applied to animations.

User Interface

The Poser user interface is divided into several “rooms,” which are used to complete different editing tasks. Rooms are organized by application tabs, which are labeled Pose, Face, Hair, Material, Cloth, Setup, and Content. Each room includes a preview window and a custom layout of tool palettes for the corresponding editing task. For example, the Face room includes tools specifically designed for editing facial features.

Capabilities

Poser can be used for rapid 3D character design. For example, users can drag and drop pre-rigged figures from the content library to add them to a scene. Users can automatically add movements with the WalkDesigner tool, which animates a character's walking cycles. The TalkDesigner tool syncs mouth, eye, and head motions with sound files. Character accessories, such as clothing, may be automatically scaled to the correct size.

Poser also provides advanced features for lighting and color control. It includes global illumination effects, as well as point lights and spotlights that attenuate naturally over distances. It includes tools for gamma control, tone mapping, and exposure to preserve colors and brightness for post-process rendering. The program's preview capability allows users to view light and color adjustments before fully rendering them for final production. Poser renders characters using a 64-bit engine and provides facilities to render large scenes over a network for increased speed.

User Community

Poser is used by several commercial industries, including digital art, architecture, film, and video game production. Professionals may use Poser for pre-visualization mock-ups and storyboarding, as well as producing high-quality 3D art and animations. Poser is also used to create personal art that can be published and sold via the Content Paradise website, which is maintained by Smith Micro.

Features:

• Advanced animation capabilities
• Imports motion capture files
• Auto-conform drag and drop
• Large 3D content library
• WalkDesigner and TalkDesigner technology
• Custom lighting and color control tools
• Keyword and online content search
• 64-bit rendering engine with support for network rendering

System Requirements:

Mac OS

• Mac OS X 10.5 or later
• 1.5GHz processor
• 1GB RAM
• 3GB free disk space
• 1024x768 display with 24-bit color support
• OpenGL enabled graphics card
• DVD-ROM drive
• Adobe Flash Player 9 or later
• Internet connection for Content Paradise

Windows

• Windows XP, Vista, or 7
• 1.3GHz Pentium 4 or 1.65GHz Athlon 64
• 1GB RAM
• 3GB free disk space
• 1024x768 display with 24-bit color support
• OpenGL enabled graphics card
• Internet Explorer 7 or later
• Adobe Flash Player 9 or later
• Internet connection for Content Paradise