What is Poser 3D Animation & Rendering Software?

Series Summary

Poser is a 3D rendering program popular with fine art and commercial artists, who use it to create realistic human and animal figures for everything from product packaging to magazine covers. The program is set up as a virtual studio with lights, backgrounds, props, and wardrobes. Although it is compatible with a number of other 3D animation programs, Poser has limited animation capabilities of its own. Users choose from a basic library of human, animal and robotic figures to build their files, as the program cannot model figures from scratch. Poser also includes a variety of stock poses, textures, hair pieces and facial expressions to be used with the figure. Many third party merchants sell similar content which expands the possibilities of Poser-created figures.

In this free series of instructional videos, our computer rendering expert gives you an overview of how to use Poser. He begins with an overview and describes the basics like how to set preferences and properties. You will also learn how to use the editing tools as well as the camera controls. Learn to prepare your realistic figure for animation by expert manipulation of the animation dials and graph. Make the figures even more realistic with the lighting expertise you will gain from this video.

Video Transcript

"Hi, this is John Carstarphen, for Expert Village. Poser is the leading 3-D figure design and animation solution. In addition, you can also, realistically, customize your figures, it seems, by mapping facial photos, to create realistic 3-D portraits, hair and dynamic cloths objects. Poser is a very diverse program. It's got a lot of features that, much more expensive 3-D applications, have, such as hair and cloth and yet, for a very reasonable price, the interface is easy to use and the program is actually designed for people just starting out in 3-D, originally, but it has since kind of evolved into a more complex program, with perversions available, that allow professional animators and graphic design artists, to use poser with programs like "Photo Shop" and "3-D Max" and "Cinema 4-D" and others. It's somewhat hybrid, professional/hobbyist program but the price-point, on poser, makes it attractive to a wide range of users."