'Poser 7 Revealed': Access Content Paradise

This is the next in a new series of excerpts from the Thomson Course Technology book Poser 7 Revealed: The e frontier Official Guide. In the next few months, VFXWorld readers will develop the skills needed to create, render and animate scenes and projects using the amazing tools offered by Poser 7. We will offer step-by-step tutorials for each task, followed by projects that allow readers to apply each new skill.

What You'll Do

In this lesson, you learn how to access and use Content Paradise

If you've used all the presets in the Library and you're ready for some new content, you can open the Content Room, which gives you access to a ton of new content via an online connection and the Content Paradise website, as shown in Figure 1. Old figures can be revitalized with new hairstyles or a new set of clothes.

Setting Up an Account

Although you don't need to be a member to browse the site, it is helpful, and you can receive promotional information via e-mail if you choose. If you're a member of Content Paradise, you can take advantage of the site's weekly freebies and special offers. To set up an account on the Content Paradise website, click on the Sign Up link above the Featured Image on the left.

Then fill out the information presented on the site and click on the Submit button. As part of the sign up options, you can choose to disable the display of nudity on the site.

Caution: When you're browsing the Content Paradise site in the Content Room, the Tab button doesn't work, which makes it tough to fill out forms.

After you've signed up to be a member, a confirmation e-mail will be sent you. You'll need to click on a link in this e-mail before you can log into the site.

Caution: On Macintosh systems, Content Paradise opens within a separate window, and the Auto Install feature is not available.

Logging in to Content Paradise

After your account has been verified, you can log in to the site using the username and password that you entered as part of your setup. After logging in, your username appears at the top of the site along with a new link in the QuickLinks section to View My Stuff. The My Stuff page lets you see a synopsis of the support tickets you've created, your recent purchases, a wish list, a list of your favorite vendors, your active subscriptions and any membership rewards you've earned. You can log out of the site by clicking on the Exit door icon to the right of your name.

Browsing the Site

Along the top edge of Content Paradise are tabs that you can use to access different parts of the site. The tabs include the following:

• Members: Includes the Sign Up pages, links to the Forums, Passport (which is a discount program for purchasing Poser content) and Gift Certificates.

• Software: A shopping site for purchasing e frontier products, including Poser, Shade, Anime Studio, Manga Studio, Amapi, Vue, MotionArtist and Utilities.

• 3D Content: Includes a broad range of 3D models and props for several different e frontier products, including Poser, Shade, Amapi, Vue and Others. Figure 2 shows the 3D Content tab for Poser.

• 2D Content: Includes 2D assets for MotionArtist, Manga Studio and Anime Studio.

• Audio: Several categories of sound files, including Ambient, Loops, Collections and Podcasts.

• Resources: Includes sections covering various Poser-related resources, including Tutorials, Books, Characters, Featured Partner, Gift Certificates and Press Info.

Searching Content Paradise

To give you an idea of the amount of content available in this paradise, my browser is set to display 25 items in one page, and the 3D Content tab for Poser shows more than 480 different pages or close to 12,000 items.

With this many items, it can be difficult to find exactly what you're looking for. Luckily, the site's search engine is pretty powerful. If you click the Advanced Search button in the QuickLinks section, a search page appears where you can filter the search by keyword, category, software package and partner, as shown in Figure 3.

Selecting and Purchasing Content

Below each object is the object's cost. Clicking the thumbnail displays a page with more detailed information on the selected object, such as the one in Figure 4. To purchase the item, click the shopping cart icon to add it to your cart. Clicking the Cart tab in the top-right corner lets you check out and pay for your selected objects. You need an account in order to purchase content online.

After you've made your purchase, you'll receive an online invoice that includes a Download button. Clicking on this button begins the download and installation.

Search Content Paradise

• 1. Open Poser with the default man visible.

2. Click on the Content tab to open the Content Room where Content Paradise is visible.

3. Click on the Sign Up link to create an account. A confirmation e-mail is sent to you. Click on the e-mail link to verify and activate your account.

4. Log in to the site using the username and password that you've been set up with.

5. Click on the Advanced Search link. Enter the keyword for the type of content you want to find and click the Search button.

• 6. To purchase any of the searched items, click on the Add to Shopping Cart button. Then proceed to checkout, where you can enter your payment method.

After you complete your purchase, an invoice for the purchase is displayed that includes a download option, as shown in Figure 5.

Find out more about how to put the power of Poser 7 to work as you learn how to use the new Talk Designer to automatically sync facial animations to an audio track, combine the power of Poser 7 with other software packages, create new motions using the new animation layers feature and much more. Check back to VFXWorld frequently to read new excerpts.

Poser 7 Revealed: The e frontier Official Guide by Kelly L. Murdock. Boston, MA: Thomson Course Technology, 2007. 592 pages with illustrations. ISBN 13: 978-1-59863-296-5; ISBN 10: 1-59863-296-5 ($29.99).

Kelly L. Murdock has a background in engineering, specializing in computer graphics. He has worked on several large-scale visualization projects, created 3D models for several blockbuster movies and has worked as a freelance 3D artist and designer. Murdock is the author or co-author of several books, including seven editions of the 3ds Max Bible, two editions of the Illustrator Bible, Adobe Creative Suite Bible, Maya 7 Revealed, LightWave 3D 8 Revealed and Poser 6 Revealed. He works with his brother at his co-founded design company, Logical Paradox Design.