Babel is a helper application that documents the materials used in a Poser scene file. It generates a detailed report on all material assignments in the scene and can also collect the referenced texture, bump and transparency maps and copy them to a convenient location. Babel helps you to easily identify which Poser materials to combine in Grouper.

Why do I need it?

If you render with Poser, you probably don't unless you're doing very complicated textures. If you're exporting Poser objects to another application, the reports that Babel generates can save a lot of time when you're setting up the materials in the rendering application.

When I export Poser figures to Bryce or Carrara it's always tedious working out the material assignments. I usually have to have a copy of Poser open so I can check the material details. For complicated scenes, I usually have to write down the assignments or load them in a spreadsheet to figure out the best assignments for Grouper. Then, since Grouper doesn't handle transparency maps, I have to locate and copy those manually. With Babel, creating a reference report and copying all the maps is done in less than a minute no matter how complicated the scene.

How is it different from Grouper?

Babel reads and interpets the information in the native Poser file format. Grouper (by definition) is only permitted to work with the (incomplete) information passed to it through the OBJ file format. Grouper is more generic, it works with any application that can generate an OBJ file. Babel only works on PZ3, Poser scene files.

Since Babel has access to all the information Poser stores about materials, it can generate much more detailed reports. The two compliment each other. Babel can tell you how best to setup your maps most efficiently in Grouper and collect all your maps (including transparency). The OBJ format doesn't support transparency so if you're only using Grouper, you need to hunt down those files manually.

Does it work with Poser 5?

Probably. Babel has not been extensively tested with Poser 5 but it appears to be interpreting these files correctly.

Version History

Version 1.0 rev 2

  • Enhancement: Pretty icons installed.
  • Fix: Report only issue where "C:\" was mistaken for a Mac path and translated to "C\\".
  • Fix: Corrected handling of prop customMaterials that were previously tagged as unreferenced.

Known Issues

  • This version has not been fully tested with Poser 5.

Download

This software is distributed as "freeware" and is currently available only for Win95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP computers, it is distributed "as is" without warranty or acceptance of liability. It may not be distributed as part of a commercial software package without prior consent.

Unzip the distribution file into a folder and click on "setup" to install.

If you want to be notified of future releases, sign the guestbook at Renderosity.

Babel 1.0 rev 2

Documentation

Babel includes an online reference and workflow tutorials. To view the reference documentation, click here.

Questions and Comments

Send your questions and comments about Grouper to babel@castironflamingo.com.

Copyright © 2003 - CJC, all rights reserved

Home | Tutorials