Applying What Was Covered in the General Basics

In the previous section we took a look at 7 basic areas of Poser to focus on.  In this section we will cover the application of these 7 areas as we start from the beginning process and fished with a rendered image.  This walk-through assumes that you have already installed the Poser software.  Use the image at the beginning of this guide as a reference.

Step 1: Setting Up A Preferred State (Optional)

We will set the preferred state so that Poser starts  with and creates an empty scene when we click on NEW. We do this by :

1.  Deleting the current figure that appears when Poser is first opened.

2.  Click on Edit -> Click on General Preferences -> Select Launch to preferred state -> Click on Set Preferred State -> Click OK

Your poser will now start with an empty scene every time you open or create a new Poser document.  The benefit of using an empty scene is that it reduces Poser start up time and load time. It also reduces the strain on your computer resources.

Step 2: Adding A 3D Model To The Scene

Your scene is now ready for a 3D model.  You can load 3D models by clicking on the Figures Library button or the Props Library button.  In the example below we'll load a sphere from the Props Library.

1.  Click on the Props Library button.

2.  Click on the Poser folder (name of this folder is based on version of Poser you have) ->  Click on the Primitives folder -> Double Click the Ball thumbnail (this will load the ball into your poser scene).

You now have a ball loaded into the scene.

Step 3:  Adjust the Parameters for the Ball

The ball should already be actively selected.  If not then click on the ball in the scene.

1.  Click on the Parameters tab (if not active)

2.  Look for the Scale option located under Transform.  Set Scale to 300%.  This will increase the size of the ball.

Step 4: Change The Current Light Settings

Because you may have different light settings we will start by deleting the current lights and creating new ones.

1.  Delete all current lights by clicking on the smaller circle that orbits the larger sphere in the Light Controls and clicking on the trash can. Repeat this process until all lights are gone.

2.  Create new lights by clicking on the star burst icon located in the Light Controls. Create 3 new lights.

3.  Arrange these lights so that one light is at the top of the sphere, one light is at a right angle to the left of the sphere, and the last light is at a right angle to the right of the sphere.

4.  Click on the top light and go to the Properties tab and select Spot.  This will change the top light to a spotlight.

5.  Click on the left light and go to the Properties tab and select Infinite.  This will change the left light to an infinite light.  Do the same for the right light. You can change the color of the lights by clicking on the light that you want to change and clicking on the small circle to the left of the light bulb icon in the Light Controls (not the library button)

Step 5:  Creating A Quality Draft Render Setting

This step will show you how to create the recommended setting for draft renders.

1.  Open the Render Menu -> Click on Render Settings

2.  Move the render slider to the middle between Draft and Final

3.  Select Use displacement maps (Poser Pro users will need uncheck the Gamma correction box as well)

4.  Click on Save Settings, then open the Render Menu and Click on Render.

Step 6: Save Image With A Transparent Background

1. Open the File Menu -> Click Export ->  Click Image and save as a PNG file or a PSD file.

Step 7:  Save Poser Scene

1. Open the File Menu -> Click Save As

Step 8: Open a saved Poser Scene:

1. Open the File Menu and click New.  If asked to save then click no.

2. Open the File Menu and click Open and select the Poser document that you just saved.

While these steps are few and very basic, your general workflow process will be very similar to this. In reality the creative process goes back and forth between Step 2 and Step 7.  It is most likely that you'll save your Poser scene multiple times before actually saving the finally image.

Using Poser By Design's Render setting

I usually create multiple draft renders when I work on my art, so I use a render setting that will render my picture quickly and that will contain enough detail for me to have a good idea of what the final image will look like. Set your draft render settings for what is best for you.  You can use my draft render settings if you like.  Below are the draft settings that I use.

Creating Your First Poser Art Project

Poser has the ability to create different render styles so you'll need to decide on the type of style that you want to render in since this will give you an idea of what render settings, light settings, and material setting you'll need to adjust in order to create the look that you want.  By default you'll have access to 10 different sketch styles with the option to create custom sketch styles.