A few months ago, Content Paradise offered a free copy to anyone who wanted it of Poser 5. Poser is a 3D art program that uses 3D objects and characters to create pictures. Of course you can do much more with it, such as create your own clothing for example. Many people, including those who have little or no experience with 3D art jumped at the opportunity to get a free copy of this software. While Poser 5 does come with several characters, with clothing and props, many of us also purchase characters, clothing, props, and environments as well. However, not everyone has money to spend on the extras. So, I’ve designed this list of websites that provide free content to be used in Poser which includes figures, props, clothing, environments, textures and hair. All of which incidentally can usually also be used in Daz Studio, a free 3D program offered by Daz Productions too.
1. Daz Productions. Before you visit anywhere else, you need to visit this website. Daz is one of the leading distributors of 3D content on the web. Once a week they offer a free item from their catalog that is only free for that week, so you have to make sure you download it during the week in question if you want the item, otherwise it goes back to having a price. They also have an extensive archive with a lot of free content. In addition they are offering the following characters for free: Victoria 3.0, Michael 3.0, and Aiko 3.0. So, you definitely want to visit this website, and then make sure you check it weekly as well. Signing up is free, and you can visit them here: http://www.Daz3d.com
2. Renderosity has by far the largest free content directory on the web. All you have to do is sign-up to be a member which is free, and that gets you access to all the free content. They have everything there, clothes, textures for clothes and hair, hair objects, and props to name a few. Their website address is: http://www.renderosity.com
3. Runtime DNA runs a very close second to renderosity and has almost as many pages of free content. Their free archive includes mostly fantasy clothing items, but if you like to create fantasy artwork, it is one of the best places to get this kind of free content. Like the other two websites, signing up is free. Visit them here:
http://www.runtimedna.com/
4. If you need hair for your characters, Kozaburo provides several free hair objects. He has short hair, long hair, hair in a bun, ponytail hair and several other style types, and he also provides fit files to each style so that you can use them on most all of your characters including the guys with only a few exceptions! You can access all his wonderful hair here: http://digitalbabes2.com/
5. Adorana is a German language (it’s still easy to figure out what is what thought) website which also offers hair objects for your characters, although only for Victoria 3.0 and Michael 3.0. No sign-up is necessary. You can visit her home on the web here: http://www.adorana.de/downloads/index.php
6. 3D Commune offers many of the same types of free content as Renderosity as well. They have over 300 pages of free content, although some of it is duplicated from the renderosity website as the creators often post in more than one place. Even so, it is well worth your while to look at the free pages at 3D Commune. After you sign-up, which again is free, you can visit them here: http://www.3dcommune.com/
7. Poser Corner is another German language website, but even like the Adorana website, you can usually figure out what is there. They have a great freebie section that includes several characters for Victoria 3.0. While you will not be able to use the morph files if you don’t have the extra head and body morph packages from Daz, you can still download these files and use the body textures, make-ups, and clothing or props that are sometimes also included. In addition there are a few free clothing files, and several texture files for free clothing objects that you can either download on their website or elsewhere. Textures allow you to change the colors and or design of Poser objects in case you are new to 3D. You can download any of the free items without signing up. Visit their website here:
http://www.poser-corner.de/
8. Studio Maya is unique in that it offers a free character named Maya Doll, as well as a clothing pak for her. Many others have also created clothing, and textures for her wardrobe as well. So, she is a very well-dressed free character, although maybe not as well-dressed as Victoria 3.0. I expect to see much more from Studio Maya in the near future. You can download Maya Doll and her clothing pak here: http://www.3digitalcrafts.net/studiomaya/index.html
9. Andi3D is one of the best freepositories on the web. Andi has 100 free items on her website some of which include a castle, a bridge, swords, tables, lamps and many other items. She is well worth a look when you are seeking new props to add to your Poser environments to make them more real. She requires you to sign-up, but that is free as are all the websites mentioned so far. Visit her gothic styled website at: http://www.andi3d.com/
10. Do you like to create pictures of fairies? Well there is a website with several free fairy props, clothing, flower hair wreaths and the like called Faerie Dreams. You need to sign-up and become a member, but once you do that you can download all past monthly freebies, and then stay current each month thereafter. To visit Faerie Dreams go here: http://www.faerie-dreams.com/
11. Aery Soul has a number of futuristic/fantasy clothing, body textures, and props to use in your Poser renders. While the body textures are a bit wild, if you are going for a science fiction or fantasy picture, they are worth downloading. No need to sign-up in order to download, you can get their freebies here: http://www.aerysoul.com/
12. Planetvixens specializes in fantasy, fetish, and sci-fi wear for your female characters. They offer 3 outfits each for the Victoria 3.0, Aiko 3.0 and The Girl characters which include a futuristic swat uniform including gun prop, a futuristic airline stewardess uniform, and a fetish outfit. Their Poser clothing is some of the highest quality on the web, and while they do not offer many Poser items for free, the rest of their clothing is reasonably priced. They are definitely worth a look for their high quality freebies! Their website address is: http://www.planetvixens.com/
There are many more websites on the internet which offer free poser content, the ones mentioned in this article are the ones which I visit regularly because they often have new free content. There enough on these websites to outfit Victoria 3.0, and Aiko 3.0 for over a year! So, if like me you are strapped for cash, check out all the free content on the web and download to your heart’s content. Just one word of warning, always read the read-me and or license of each item before using it, because sometimes free items cannot be used in commercial renders without the creator’s permission. I’ve found that most do allow commercial use, but it is always better to be ahead of the game and check first. However, if you don’t intend to use your artwork for commercial endeavors such as a book cover for example, then you have nothing to worry about. Happy downloading, and rendering!
