Animating “organics” (that’s 3D talk for life forms, people animals, etc.) is the most challenging aspect of any 3D animation requirement. It doesn’t matter what software you use. Poser Pro from Smith Micro goes a long way towards making that process easier for film producers wanting to add a little life to their 3D content.
Expectation Management: Before we dive into Poser Pro, let’s clarify a couple of things. First, not to act like a wet blanket on this hot software, good animation of organics is not fast, simple or trouble-free, even with the simplification tools in Poser Pro. (There is a reason so many animated features use stylized people, insects or machines.) So, picking up this software doesn’t mean you’ll be creating photorealistic people animations 30 minutes after launching the program.
Secondly, Poser Pro is essentially Poser 7 ramped up with some production environment tools like network rendering, background rendering, production 3D software compatibility (Maya, Cinema 4D, 3DS Max) and COLLADA export functions.
Ease of Use
I suppose that I should address the ease-of-use to three camps: Those that have used Poser 7 (and earlier Poser versions) previously, those that have never used this program, and finally, those that are wanting to integrate Poser into the production softwares like Maya, 3DS MAX (Windows only) and C4D. I’ll save the “new user” info for the end of this section.
Previous Poser Users - If you’ve worked with a Poser product before, you’ll feel right at home. There aren’t any new dramatic changes that would give you pause - at least if you’re familiar with Poser 7 that is. Same interface, same room scheme, pretty much same everything which means that you can hit the ground running.
Production Level Poser Users - If this is you, it means several things. First, you have multiple computers in your studio for an ad hoc render farm. Secondly, it might also mean that you already have additional 3D software like C4D, 3ds Max, Maya or Lightwave. It means, you know your 3D stuff and aren’t a beginner. Poser Pro ships with it’s own network rendering via its Render Queue, which is administered by the Queue Manager. This is an easy-to-use, self-running application that allows you to distribute the rendering out to other computers in your network so they can collectively cook your render into a final product. It’s point-and-click ease at its best.
If you’re working with production 3D applications like those mentioned earlier, you’ll definitely like the ability of the PoserFusion plug-ins (the Lightwave plug-in is still in development) give you to bring in a wealth of pre-made content including Poser animation, textures, morphs, key frame data, and rigs. Update your scene in Poser Pro and a one click operation back in your product 3D software updates the scene. COLLADA export/import functionality means game development just got a little easier. Couple these options with BVH import/export and it will bring a smile to your face. [Reviewer's Note: This capability does not allow you to actually animate the Poser content from within your 3D production software - only import the animated content.]
