SELECT FIGURE ELEMENTS
Each figure is made up of several distinct body parts that you can select independently. Any object that can be selected from the Actor list is an element consisting of body parts, props, lights, and cameras. Selecting specific elements is the key to being able to pose a figure.

 

 

 

 

 

Selecting from the Document Window
When you drag over an element in the Document Window, it becomes highlighted. If you click the element when it is highlighted, the element is selected and its name appears in the Actor list at the top of the Document Window, as shown in Figure 3-10, and in the title bar of the Parameters/Properties palette.

Many times, multiple elements can be positioned in the same place, making it difficult to highlight the exact element you want to select. If you right-click in the Document Window, all elements that are currently under the mouse cursor are listed in the Select menu. They are listed in order from the elements closest to the camera to the ones farther back. The element’s distance from the camera view is stored in memory in an array called the Z-Buffer. This feature is very helpful when selecting individual parts of the fingers.

 

 

 

 

Selecting from a List
Another way to select figure body parts is by selecting them from the Actor list at the top of the Document Window and in the title bar of the Parameters/Properties palette, as shown for the Chest element in Figure 3-11. Both of these lists are identical and include menu options for selecting Body Parts, Body, Props, Cameras, and Lights. Selecting the Body Parts menu presents a long list of body parts. Only one figure element can be selected at a time.

Selecting the Body option from the Actor list selects the entire figure. For some figures, the body parts list is quite long. You can also move through the Actor list using the up and down arrow keys to cycle through the various elements.

 

 

 

 

 

Naming Elements
The default names in the Actor list match the various body parts such as Chest, Right Hand, and Left Forearm, but you can use the Name field in the Properties palette, shown in Figure 3-12, to change the name of any selected element. Once an element has a new name, this name will appear in the Actor list, but Poser also maintains an internal name that it uses to coordinate the body part with its adjacent body parts. This internal name cannot be changed in the Properties panel.