Help? Optimizing Poser models for Flash animation

[mlaurenc]

Hey all,

I'm trying to use Poser to create rotating 3D models in a Flash movie. My technique thus far has been to create the model, export it as a DXF, import to Swift 3D, recolor everything since Poser adds weird shadings to each indvidual group (any ideas how to keep that from happening?), then do the animation in Swift and export. Only problem - the final animations are HUGE. I don't know Poser well enough to know if there's a way to "down-sample" the models so they contain fewer polygons, or a way to optimize them in Swift without destroying their metrics.

Any ideas or help out there? Or is there a better, easier way?

Thanks very much in advance,

Matt

[BlinkOk]

if the animations are vector you could try rendering them at 1/2 to 1/3 their intended aspect at low quality. you could also optimize the output using optimaze.
if you can post your render setting it would make things a little easier

[RUSHVision]

I'm not going to say there is no way to optimize Poser models in Swift3D, but there is certainly no easy way. Pretty much the only way to reduce the number of polygons in the model is to weld individual vertices so you reduce the amount of detail in the model structure. This would be so mind-bogglingly time-consuming that it's just not a feasible option.

Also, I would recommend exporting as .3DS instead of .DXF. Your files sizes should be under a meg for a single model as opposed to several megs if you use .DXF. And it's you choosing to have each group exported separately that is giving you all the 'weird shadings' that you are experiencing. You do this if you want to be able to apply separate materials to different portions of the body, but if that's not important to you then just don't choose that option when you export from Poser.

Now that Swift3D has the Advanced Modeler (AM) you can take the model in there and assign Surface Groups to the polys in whatever manner you desire. Speaking of that, you should be able to take your multi-colored model into the AM, select all the faces, then go to the Surface Groups page and hit the Group Selection button. This will make the entire model the same color. You can do the same thing with individual polys is you want a different color on just part of the model like the eyes, hair, whatever.