Poser is a program that adapts to your skill level. If you are a skilled user, you can deep dive into complex systems of animation, morphs, lighting and rendering. Beginners can simply drop-and-drag a character, choose a pose and then render. It's as simple as that.
But if you are starting out with Poser, what resources are there for you to learn and develop your skills? This short article will point you to where you can find these resources.
The Manual
Poser 13 (the current version of Poser) has a 900+ page manual which is the first place to go when you are just starting out with Poser. This manual is written in a way that is easy to understand. And it covers every possible task you can undertake when using Poser 13.
Another feature of the Poser 13 manual is that it is hyperlinked meaning that all you have to do is click the feature you are interested in learning and you will be taken to that section. Note that the hyperlink topics are on the left and the actual text is on the main screen. Also, you can download the pdf version of the manual for use offline.
The Poser 13 manual features 8 main sections and 300+ subsections. The main sections are:
- Poser Introduction
- Building Scenes
- Materials
- Rendering
- Customizing Content
- Developing with Poser Python
- Sharing Data with Other Apps
- Appendices
The manual also features hundreds of diagrams, screenshots, and graphics to help you understand the function it is explaining. Each subsection is also hyperlinked so you can quickly jump to a term or feature you want to know more about and then come right back to where you left off.
Under the "Support' section of the main Posersoftware.com homepage, you'll find a drop-down menu where you can download the Poser 13 and Poser 12 manuals either as an online document or as a pdf. They are free and we encourage you to them.
By the way, on the "Support Center" homepage you'll find a large collection of "Knowledge Base" Articles that answer many common questions about Poser and its functionality.
The Tutorials
Over the many years of Poser's development, literally thousands of tutorials have been created. Of course, tutorials covering the early versions of Poser are likely out of date. But you can still find use in tutorials from Poser 11 on up to Poser 13.
Under the support page, you'll find a list of tutorials for Poser 13, Poser 12 and Poser 11. Poser also has a youtube channel that features dozens of video tutorials that are quite useful.
Renderosity, which has a very large Poser community, has a collection of Poser tutorials that you can access. Membership is free at Renderosity.
A simple web search will steer you toward other sites with Poser tutorials that can prove useful, but the best ones are at the main sites listed above.
Summing Up
Poser 13 is an easy program to use. You can find learning resources right at the posersoftware.com website under "Support". The Poser 13 manual is the place to start. And don't forget that Poser Software offers support for users. Simply click "Support Center" from the drop-down list.
We hope you will consider Poser 13 for your 3D needs. There is an excellent demo available for you to try out. Simply click the button below.