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Packaging:
First thing, we check is to see if everything unzips properly and has the proper file/directory paths. If not, we test the products anyway to give a complete report back to the merchant, but the package will not go into store if the file/directory path is not corrected!
Documentation:
No
readme, or a scanty readme and it goes back to the
vendor. We simply do not have the time to experiment
with a file and try to sort out the odds and ends.
We expect the vendor to state clearly in the docs
if there's anything special that needs to be done,
any special notes on version numbers, whether it was
developed for Poser 5, ProPack or regular Poser 4,
and which version of Bryce it needs.
Also, a readme needs to have the vendors copyright and email address/contact info located clearly within it. The read-me file should be named something other than "readme". "Productname_readme" is a good example of what to name a readme file so it can be easily located later.
A "how to install" is a nice touch. A newer user may not be up on the ins and outs of poser, or on importing .obj's and .hr2's or .pz2 files into libraries. Some of them may never have read those sections of the manuals.
Special things like how to "ground" a figure in poses [if they're not designed to do so], and how to apply hair or MAT files, and parent non-parented props are a nice touch also. At least noting that you might have to adjust certain items when you apply this to a non-standard figure is important in a document.
Specifics:
Poser:
We take notes regarding all messages Poser gives us. For instance, Poser should not ask to find textures or geometry when an item is loaded/applied or tell us that we have the wrong version.
Our personal feeling is that vendors should keep a standard copy of poser in addition to ProPack or Poser 5. Poser 5 is build with its own libraries and reference files, so this item could be sold as a stand alone item. If you made an item for Poser Pro Pack, then make sure it works is Poser 4.03 too. Our testers use Poser 4.03 mainly to test the products in. If the items passes this version, 9 out of 10 times its good to go for the Pro Pack version too!
Bryce:
Objects, scenes and models are opened and imported. We then check the materials and "look" at the item by rendering from several camera angles. If it's a library file or item and it wont import - it's back to the vendor.
If an object is a model, we look at how it will retexture if we want to do so. Parts that need to be separate for texturing, like grips/stocks on a knife or gun, need to be separate. Other items need to be separate also if they're meant to be - barrels and sights etc on a gun, knobs on machinery, any thing that might need to be manipulated by a user. Image textures should wrap well. [This also applies to other models, not just Bryce]
Then we take grouped items into solo mode and tab through all the various parts to see how it's made. We also zoom into complex areas up close and render to examine how well they're fitted etc.
Skies are loaded with a basic landscape and rendered from both "Director" and "Camera" views to see if they work well from both, and how well they render from various angles. We also check to see if the thumb in the preview window looks the same as what I'm seeing onscreen. Sometimes they distort for odd reasons when added to the library.
Materials... all of the above, except we open up a testing scene and apply them to a variety of primitives and imported objects, then render them from different views and angles to see how they look. We also render them under different skies and lighting to see if they look good under the various default skies.
Poses:
We load a standard default figure that the poses are designed for, and apply a set of camera presets to let us view them from angles we like to check.
Poser people can be posed the way a real body works. Poses should not be accomplished by doing things that are generally impossible for the human body.
Figures should "ground" in the various poses, rather than hang in the air, or jump from standing to 4' off the ground unless that's what the pose was designed to do. [And if it is, then it best be clearly stated the figure should jump 4' when pose is applied]
We check fingers and hands. Fingers should not sink into body parts. Hands/fingers should not look broken or disjointed. Wrists, hands, and forearms should not cut into other body parts. Fingers do not twist in any joint (except slightly under torque). The hand does not twist, only the forearm.
We also check joint parameters and "look" of various elements. Again, limbs should not look twisted or dislocated. [unless it's a set of ambulance victim poses] Collarbones, shoulders, necks, etc should not have excessive amounts of twist that make them look "weird". That one's a close call, because sometimes the best looking poses will push a poser figure to the edges of the geometry, but necks should not look broken.
Shins and forearms do not move side-to-side (except for a few degrees under pressure) and poses using such don't look natural. Side-to-side movement of these parts of the body should be accomplished by twisting the shoulder and thigh.
The abdomen twists only a few degrees. It is really the hips and chest that twist in juxtaposed motion.
This also should include realistic limits on bends. For instance, hands do not generally bend more than about 90 degrees in either direction. Heads do not bend more than about 45 degrees forward or back, move side to side more than about 45 degrees, or twist more than about 90 degrees to either side. Superhero and contortionist poses naturally would have greater limits.
Balance is important, too. If the pose is a standing one, does it look balanced or about to topple over?
Also... A pose should NOT have morphs embedded in it! If it does, we will report and the item will be send back to vendor to fix. Poses that are specifically DESIGNED to change morphs on a character set should be named as such, and should have that noted in the documents.
Morphs:
When you make a morph remember the following.
Also make a basic morph that people can use to reset their figure.
Add-ons:
Lights, camera sets, MAT files and similar things are run through to see that they actually look like the rsr image and/or any preview images in the zip file. Also that they actually work. Pretty simple.
Face files should work with standard expression morphs and not generate geometry not found errors in the character. An error message applying a face file meant for a standard character is a fail.
Similarly, expression files should not disturb a character face pose, nor should injections for fitting a body into clothing disturb other aspects of the character morphs on the body or the face.
Props:
We check to see that they're parented properly if they need to be, and that they apply as they should to what ever figure they're designed for. Instructions in the docs for adjusting them to posette or dork if they're Mike/Vicki items is a nifty plus. Or vice versa for posette/dork items to Mike/Vicki. A vendor gets a kudos for that. Adds to the versatility of the item.
We also check textures and texture mapping to see that they apply as they should, also that the material assignments will allow someone to retexture if needed/wanted. A texture map template is a very good bonus.
Conforming items:
They should conform properly. No skin or body parts should poke through on the figures they're designed for. No exceptions - pass or fail.
They should also bend and conform properly through all the standard poses. Only breakage should be on extreme action poses, and we DO run through all of those to check. Notes in the documentation on fixes for common problems/adjustments are a definite plus for a vendor.
The textures should work properly, and any MAT files for the item should work. Non-matching seams, and texture wrapping distortion is a downgrade. On some things, it's acceptable due to the geometry distortions inherent to Poser and posing but the vendor MUST explain this in the docs. We can work around it. All that a newbie or inexperienced user will see is that it's broken and they'll complain.
Textures:
Textures should wrap properly and apply properly to the figure they're designed for. Seams should match, lips and eyes should line up, and everything needed should be there. If a bump has to be converted before use, then the docs should note that. Transmaps should do what they're supposed to. MAT files are a very nice bonus that gets good marks.
Be sure that if you use any resources in making your texture that you have the rights to use them. Please do not just take a premade merchant resource skin texture and slap a tattoo or some makeup on it or alter the hue. This is not the same as using photo resources to put together a skin texture. We expect a character texture to contain a majority of your own work. A great place to get hundreds of great photo references for texture making at a very reasonable cost is 3d.sk
Aesthetics: a texture should look good under the various default poser light presets. If it requires special lights to look good, those should be included. If it requires special reflection/highlight settings and/or reflection map settings, those should be noted in the documents.
PZ3 or Total scenes
Again make sure you tell the user in the readme where they can find the PZ3 file.
Everyone seems to save their PZ3 files elsewhere on the computer, but its important to let people know where yours is stored.
In conclusion:
As you can see we test on a lot of things, not only if the files are in the zip.
But don't use us as your beta tester. Make sure someone else tests your product before you submit it to us. If we find too many obvious mistakes in multiple products, we might send out a warning to you. There for it can take longer before your products are loaded into the store.
And, please note: Your item passing testing on another site does not guarantee it will pass our testing. Some sites have little or no testing and what passes there may fail here. We expect our customers to get more than a zip file that works. We expect them to receive a product that is worth paying for.
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