• 3D Studio. Imports geometry objects using the .3DS file format from 3D Studio Max. 

• DXF. Imports geometry objects using the .DXF file format.

• Lightwave. Imports geometry objects using the .LWO file format from Lightwave.  

• Wavefront OBJ. Imports geometry objects using the .OBJ file format.

You can learn more about these various import options for the various 3D packages in Chapter 17, “Using Poser with Other Software.”

If you have a choice of which 3D format to use, stick with the Wavefront OBJ format. It tends to provide the cleanest import models.

Setting Object Position
The Import Options dialog box, shown in Figure 4-4, appears when any of the previously mentioned formats are selected from the File, Import menu. It is used to set the initial position and scaling of the imported prop object and includes options for fixing certain problems. The Centered option causes the imported prop to appear centered about the grid origin within the Document Window. The Place on Floor option causes the lowest portion of the imported prop to be aligned on the grid floor.

Scaling Imported Objects
The Percent of Standard Figure Size option lets you scale the imported prop based on the size of the current figure. Setting this value to 100 will import the prop using a scale that is equal to the default figure, but a setting of 50 would scale the object to be half the size of the default figure. You can use the Offset value to move the prop’s initial position from the grid center.

Don’t be too concerned if the imported prop isn’t in the exact position or scaled to the right size, because you can use the Editing Tools to change its position and scale.

Reducing Duplicate Vertices
The Weld Identical Vertices option reduces the total number of vertices by combining any vertices that have the same coordinates. This is especially common for mirrored objects along the center mirroring axis. Duplicate vertices can cause trouble for some game and rendering engines. They also can increase the file size of the model.

If the imported model has a lot of details represented by vertices that are close together, enabling this option might cause the tight vertices to be combined. You would then lose any details in the model.

Controlling Normals
If the model being imported appears inside out or if some of its normals appear to be colored dark, it could be that the polygon’s normals are pointing inward, as shown for the bookcase on the right in Figure 4-5. A normal is an invisible vector that points outward from the center of the surface polygon and is used to tell the rendering engine which way a polygon is pointing. If the normal is flipped (which can happen occasionally when exporting and importing models), the back side of a polygon becomes visible and its front side becomes invisible, thus making the object appear inside out.

Using Make Polygon Normals Consistent causes all normals to point inward or outward based on the direction of the majority of the normals. If the majority of the normals are pointing incorrectly inward, you can use the Flip Normals option to change their direction.