A short tutorial of making unit graphic with Poser

[zweihander]

@Stazi so this is the tutorial you have requested.

Notice: this post is unfinished and under editing. Done.


Poser:
First, you need the software Poser, TBH, I don't know which version of Poser should you use. Kinboat use Poser 4, UtahJazz7 use Poser 5, I use Poser 6, they're all work fine, but some one has reported problems with a newer version of Poser.

The template
(sorry, I have uploaded the wrong template, please re-download it)
MTW-New Unit Setup.rar
Download this template and put it into your Poser root folder.

It is made by Kinboat, I adjust it to make it suitable for making MTW unit.

The template include the setting of camera, lighting, shadow, background, etc.

Example files:
These files are used as examples in this tutorial:

Please download the 'Complete Swordsman and Halberdier Animations' from this thread. Extract the ZIP file and put the 'Custom Poses' folder your Poser\Runtime\libraries\Pose directory.

Please download the 'A Knight in armor' from this thread. Extract the ZIP file and put the 'Runtime' folder your Poser root directory.

Step 1: open the template
Now, open Poser, then File->Open, open the MTW-New Unit Setup.pz3 you have already downloaded.

Now, you got this:


Step 2: import the figure model

Open the Library->Figures->New figures

Double click the 'Armour'

Now, the figure model is into the preview window:


Save. File-> Save as... save it as MTW-swordsman.PZ3

Step 3: import the poses

Go to the library again, now go to Poses-> Custom Poses-> Emp Sword

The swordsman poses you have already download are stored here. Now we start from the default pose, double click the 'ES Default'.

Now we adapted the standing pose to our fugure:


As you can see, the left hand is little out of the shield, because the pose is not specially design for this figure. Now click the shield in the preview window, a setting window will open, let's set the yRotate to 188.


Now you can press Fn+Prt Sc to take a screenshot, cut down the preview windoe part of the screenshot and save the image. As the edge of model in the preview window is 100% sharp--no transitional pixels around the figure, the image can be directly use to create the BIF frame.

Then we change the camera angle, click to open the main camera controler, pull down, set YOrbit to -72, take screenshot, save the image.

Change the YOrbit -108 and -144, repeat the progress above.

Step 4: Attack/Run and other poses

Open the MTW-swordsman.PZ3 you have saved in step2.

Go to the library, this time we adapt the ES Run pose.


Adjust the shield

Take screenshot

Go to frame controler, click 'Step Forward' to go the next frame, take screenshot. Repeat this until you have taken screenshots of all 15 frames, but you can skip the 4,8,12 frame.

Now back to frame 1(IMPORTANT!!!!), set the camera angle to -72, repeat the progress above.

Back to frame 1(IMPORTANT!!!!), set the camera angle to -108, repeat the progress above.

Back to frame 1(IMPORTANT!!!!), set the camera angle to -144, repeat the progress above.

Repeat ALL these progress above until you have taken screenshots of ALL 15 frames in ALL camera angles of ALL poses you need.

Step 5

Cut and paste the screenshots you have taken to the right places of 12 MTW frames.

Need great patience.

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Pleas ask me if you have any question.