How to set up your Poser 12 workspace

The Poser workspace can be overwhelming for first-time users. It contains the entire Poser screen, controls and dials, the Document window, and other room-specific interface elements.

What do you do when you only need a few palettes to complete your render or animation?

You can easily customize your workspace so that the user interface is more suited to the way you work. You can even store your preferences for later use.

What are palettes?

Poser’s UI is geared toward streamlining your workflow. Poser's palettes contain the controls you need to create in the program. Palettes include Recent Renders, Library, Animation and even a Custom Parameter. Palettes can be docked, floated, and arranged in each of Poser’s different rooms. Then you can set up a workspace layout that meets your needs.

To dock or float a palette, simply select the desired palette from the Window pull-down menu to display it and click on the Palette Docking Control square in the upper-right corner. This will open the palette docking menu, which contains various commands that will Dock, Float and so on the palette.

When Drag-Docking is disabled, you can move the palette anywhere on the screen over the main workspace or to an additional monitor. The palette will always float until you enable drag- docking again.

When you want to dock a Floating palette (or just relocate one), drag the palette toward the area in which you want to place it. When the area becomes highlighted, release the mouse. If you drag the palette into an area that is already populated by one or more palettes, the active docking area will split horizontally or vertically to provide a location for the additional palette.

You can also resize docked or floating palettes using the resize handle or reposition them by positioning the cursor in the Title area.

Pro Tip: Some palettes cannot be reduced beyond the minimum size required to display all of the palette options and controls. For examples, see the Camera Controls or Light Controls palettes.

When you are ready to close a palette, you have several options. You can click the Close icon in the upper-right corner; use the control at the top-right corner of the palette and choose Close from the menu that appears; or choose an open palette from the Window pull-down menu to close it. Palettes that are currently open are indicated by a check mark.

What is a Custom Parameter Palette?

A Custom Parameter Palette is a persistent palette that allows you to add parameter dials from any part of your scene to a blank palette. The ability to create your own palette gives you ready access to frequently used parameters.

To create one, go to Window > Custom Dial Palette. This will create a blank palette. Simply, drag and drop any dial to that palette to create your own custom parameter dial palettes that will be saved with the scene or the content.

What are UI Memory Dots?

Once you have your UI set up the way you want it, you can save it as a UI Memory Dot. Poser will store up to nine interface configurations using the Memory dots.

Each Memory Dot retains a separate setup for your UI, which can be applied regardless of the specific scene or resolution. So if you want to quickly switch between different interfaces, you can.

Want to learn more? Watch the video tutorial below.