Vanishing Point: Item Guidelines

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Item Guidelines

Note: These guidelines take effect starting May 15, 2006. Any item submitted after this date will be required to follow these guidelines.

Product Guidelines

All items must be in FINAL quality. It is very important that you double and triple check your product files to make sure all the files are correct. Please do not send us an updated product file the next day because you "forgot something". This makes you, the merchant, look bad for forgetting a file, and it makes us, the store, look bad for allowing the product to be uploaded for sale without the file.

Minimum pricing #1: Unlike other stores, we do not have a store-wide minumum price requirement of $5.00: you are allowed to price your items below $5.00 if you wish.

Minimum pricing #2: To encourage merchants to price their items according to market value, we now require a minimum product price of $0.50 per megabyte. For example, a 2M product would have a minimum price of $1.00, a 10M product would have a minimum price of $5.00, and a 30M product would have a minumum price of $15.00. You are certainly free to price your product above this limit, but not below.

Only one product is allowed per zip file. You are allowed (and encouraged) to have multiple models or items within your product, but do not include multiple zip files within your product zip file.
If you are offering multiple versions of your product (such as a Poser version and a Vue version), please make these separate products, complete with their own sales images, price, and description. This way, customers only need to purchase the version they want, without needing to download a larger zip file which includes both versions. And this way, you will now have two products to add to your inventory.

You must include a file listing (in plain text format), which lists all of the files included in your zip file.
Optional: You may include your file listing within the readme file.

All Poser models must use externally-referenced obj files. This includes figures, props, and hair. Props with internal geometry information (and no obj file) will be rejected.
NOTE: You MUST use unique names for your obj files or Poser may get confused and use the wrong file. For example, if you have two products which include a file called "base.obj", it is HIGHLY likely that Poser will load one of the models incorrectly. Please name your files with a more descriptive name, such as "baseGarage.obj" (for a Garage model).
This issue has been fixed in Poser 7, but a large percentage of people still use Poser 6 and below.

Textures must not show seams when rendered. We will test for seam lines and let you know about any problem areas.

As a general rule, we do not accept Poser Scene files (pz3) as product files.
The only exception to this rule is if you are submitting an "environment" product. You should still provide the parts and pieces as separate figure or prop files. You should also use your own light set and not the default Poser lighting.

All Poser products must be zipped from the Runtime folder. This means that the "Runtime" folder should be first. For example, do use the following format:
   "Runtime\Libraries\Character\"
   "Runtime\Textures\VP\"

Do NOT use the following formats:
   "JHoagland\Runtime\Libraries\Character".
   "Program Files\e-frontier\Poser 6\Runtime\Libraries\Character".
   "Documents and Settings\Local Settings\JHoagland\Runtime\Libraries\Character".

All Poser files should include relative pathing information within them and should include colons (:) and not slashes (\).
Do not use the following format:
"E:\Graphics\Programs\CuriousLabs\Poser 4\Runtime\Libraries\Textures\VP\Blackhawk\BlackhawkBody.jpg"

Instead, use the following format:
":Runtime:Libraries:Textures:VP:Blackhawk:BlackhawkBody.jpg"

You can change the pathing information by opening the file in a text editor and doing a search & replace.

August 2007 update: We are are now allowing merchants to place their product files in a single folder. This means, that if you make a Poser figure file, you can put all of the files in the "Runtime\Libraries\Characters\(your folder)" folder. This includes both the obj file (normally found beneath the Runtime\Geometries folder) and the texture maps (normally found beneath the Runtime\Textures folder).
Note that Poser files must still go in their respective folders: figures in Runtime\Libraries\Characters, poses in Runtime\Libraries\Pose, props in Runtime\Libraries\Props, etc. or else Poser won't "see" the files.

Do not use special characters in your folder names... this includes using the "!" as a way to get your folder to the top of user's Library.

All Poser products which are meant for use with the Poser people, should be scaled appropriately.
For very large vehicles, such as cruise ships, we recommend building the model at a reasonable scale and then using the model's BODY's Scale dial to resize to the scale of the Poser people. This way, customers can load the model into the scene and use it with the Poser people or they can reset the Scale dial back to 100% and create scenes without the Poser people.
The exception to this rule is if your models are not meant to be in the same scene as the Poser people, for example: a large spaceship or planet.

All Poser models should be named appropriately inside of Poser. This means changing the name from "Figure 1" to a more descriptive name.
For more information on how to rename a figure file using a text editor, please see: JCH Digital Designs - General Tips & Information: Changing Figure Names (opens in new window).

If you are including additional textures not attached to your model, you must include MAT poses so users can quickly apply the textures.
If you do not know how to make MAT poses, just ask- there are plenty of resources available to assist you.

If your product is a model, texture template files are required, either in your product zip file or available as a separate, free add-on. These can be in BMP, JPG, or GIF format. If your model has a complex shape, you may want to consider creating a "super-seam guide" as a free add-on for your product.

Please use appropriate names for your texture maps. Do not use generic names like "1.bmp" or "red.jpg". Even though your model's "1.bmp" texture may be in the correct folder, Poser may use the first file named "1.bmp"... whether or not it fits your model.

Please keep your file names as small as possible and use sub-folders when necessary. There is really no reason to use a texture name like "JohnsModel_LeftWall_Texture1_WallpaperStyle3_RedPattern091.jpg".

Please remove the "thumbs.db" file(s) from your zip file. The "thumbs.db" file is a Windows system file which stores information about file thumbnails. It is not needed and takes up extra space in the zip file.

You are encouraged to use nested folders to organize your product files. This means that you can place your items into your own folders beneath the 'root' folders. For example, it is now acceptable to store your files in a folder called "Runtime\Libraries\Character\VP\Helicopters".

Please do not use compressed versions of Poser files since these files are harder to test. These files end in "z" instead of "2", for example: pzz instead of pz2, crz instead of cr2, etc.

You may use material collection (mc5) files instead of MAT poses. Material Collection files do exactly the same thing as MAT poses, except that they can only be applied in the Material Room.

ALL products must include the following files:

ONE (1) to NINE (9) sales images, 600x600 pixels in size, JPG format.
Please note that this size is not a "recommendation" nor a "suggested size": this is a requirement. Products may be delayed (or declined) if the images are not the correct size. For more information about sales images, please see the Image Guidelines page. Remember that your sales images are the best way to show off your product.

May 8, 2008 update: Content Paradise has requested that merchants render the first sales image in the program for which the product is designed for. As an example, if you are selling a Poser product, please make sure the first sales image was made in Poser. You are welcome to use other software programs to make additional images, though it may be a good idea to put a small note on the bottom of the image saying which program was used.

Thumbnail images (150x150 pixels for Vanishing Point and 80x80 pixels for Content Paradise) are optional.

Product file, in zip format.
At this time, we do not accept .rar, .ace, or other types of compressed files. Note: For the courtesy of dial-up users, please try to keep your file below 25M in size.

Readme file, in plain text format.
This file contains instructions on how to extract the product files, instructions on how to load or use your product, and any additional information.
You may also include your own usage guidelines in this file. For example, do you allow for commercial uses? Do you encourage people to make textures for your models?
If you use any resources made by other people, make sure to state this in the readme file. A letter of permission which permits your usage may also be needed.
Please name your readme file "!readme.txt". The exclamation mark will cause the file to be listed first in the zip file and using the standard name of "readme" won't require the customer to figure out which file is the readme file.
Please see the Sample Readme page for more information.

File listing, in plain text format.
This file lists all of the files that you are including in your product's zip file.

Product description, in plain text format; may contain limited HTML (center, bold, etc).
We reserve the right to edit product descriptions for spelling, grammar, or clarity.
Note: This is the second-best way to show off your product. Talk about the features and benefits and why people should purchase your product.
Note 2: You may link to off-site products if the item is required to use your products. You do not need to provide links to similar products on Vanishing Point or Content Paradise: we will do this for you.

Price: how much do you want to charge for your item? Please try to price your product at a reasonable price: if it's too high, people may be turned off by the high price. If your price is too low, people may think you're under-valuing your product.
If you need help determining a price for your product, please ask us.

Vanishing Point license file.
You can download it by clicking here: license.txt. When you add the license file to your product, please do not change the name of it.

Number of polygons (models only).

Texture templates (models only). These can be in BMP, JPG, or GIF format.

Optional: We also accept additional media files that show off your product. For example, an animation showing the motion of the object may be helpful to customers.
In fact, if you have an animation that shows off your product, we highly encourage you upload it to YouTube, since they are the leaders in delivering video files over the Internet. Then, send us the link and we'll add it to your product's description.

Note: If you choose to sell your products on Renderosity (or other sites who are also Content Paradise partners), make sure to uncheck the option called "Product Syndication" or "Co-Branding" (located on their "Product Upload" page). This will avoid duplicate listings of your product by multiple partners.

We have provided a Product Checklist for you to quickly check which files are needed.

Free Item Guidelines

Starting February 2006, we will try to host all new free items will on Vanishing Point.
We will download a copy of your item and re-upload it to the Vanishing Point server. The main reason we are hosting the files is to provide better customer service to the users.

You (the artist) don't have to send people to a "file serving" site where they will be innundated with banners, pop-up ads, cookies, and other nasties. Plus, some "file service" sites may require visitors wait a certain amount of time before the download link becomes active... this may be good for advertisers, but is poor customer service.

Additionally, some artists try to link to an image which is not on their own site (such as Renderosity). Sometimes, this image can't be linked-to... which creates an ugly "no image" empty space on our site. By hosting the file on our site, we no longer have to worry if an outside site will or will not serve the image.

In exchange for hosting your items, we ask that you follow these guidelines:

All items must be final, "ready-to-use" quality. We simply do not have the time to test, fix, repair, re-zip, and re-upload free items.

We allow (and encourage) artists to upload items that are considered "fan art". These items could range from Star Wars vehicles to Battle of the Planets outfits to Tron textures.
Please be sure to include proper copyright information in your readme file, for example: "X-Wing Fighter likeness is copyrighted Lucasfilm".

As a general rule, we do not accept Poser Scene files (pz3) as a free item.
The only exception to this rule is if you are submitting an "environment". You should still provide the parts and pieces as separate figure or prop files. You should also use your own light set and not the default Poser lighting.

All Poser files should include relative pathing information within them and should include colons (:) and not slashes (\). For example:
Do not use the following format:
"E:\Graphics\Programs\CuriousLabs\Poser 4\Runtime\Libraries\Textures\VP\Blackhawk\BlackhawkBody.jpg"

Instead, use the following format:
":Runtime:Libraries:Textures:VP:Blackhawk:BlackhawkBody.jpg"

You can change the pathing information by opening the file in a text editor and doing a search & replace.

Do not use special characters in your folder names... this includes using the "!" as a way to get your folder to the top of user's Library.

All items meant for use with the Poser people, should be scaled appropriately.
For very large vehicles, such as cruise ships, we recommend building the model at a reasonable scale and then using the model's BODY's Scale dial to resize to the scale of the Poser people. This way, customers can load the model into the scene and use it with the Poser people or they can reset the Scale dial back to 100% and create scenes without the Poser people.
The exception to this rule is if your models are not meant to be in the same scene as the Poser people, for example: a large spaceship or planet.

If you are including additional textures not attached to your model, please include MAT poses so users can quickly apply the textures.
If you do not know how to make MAT poses, just ask- there are plenty of resources available to assist you.

If your item is a model, please include texture template files. These are not required for free items, but we highly encourage you to include them with your model.

You are encouraged to use nested folders to organize your files. This means that you can place your items into your own folders beneath the 'root' folders. For example, it is now acceptable to store your files in a folder called "Runtime\Libraries\Character\VP\Helicopters".

You may use compressed versions of Poser files at your own discretion. These files end in "z" instead of "2", for example: pzz instead of pz2, crz instead of cr2, etc.

You may use material collection (mc5) files instead of MAT poses. Material Collection files do exactly the same thing as MAT poses, except that they can only be applied in the Material Room.

ALL hosted free items must include the following files:

ONE (1) 150x150 pixel thumbnail image, JPG or GIF format, less than 15k in size.

Optional: ONE (1) 600x600 pixel large image, JPG format, to show your item in more detail.

Item file, in zip format.
At this time, we do not accept .rar, .ace, or other types of compressed files. Note: The maximum file size for free items is 2.5M. If your item is larger than this, please split the zip file into two (or more) items or contact us.

Readme file, in plain text format.
This file contains instructions on how to extract the files, instructions on how to load or use your item, and any additional information (such as additional copyright notices).
You may also include your own usage guidelines in this file. For example, do you allow for commercial uses?
If you use any resources made by other people, make sure to state this in the readme file. A letter of permission which permits your usage may also be needed.
Please name your readme file "!readme.txt". The exclamation mark will cause the file to be listed first in the zip file and using the standard name of "readme" won't require the user to figure out which file is the readme file.
Please see the Sample Readme page for more information.

Item description, in plain text format; no more than 3 sentences.
We reserve the right to edit the descriptions for spelling, grammar, or clarity.

Does this free item require the previous purchase of a product? If so, which product?

We have provided a Free Item Checklist for you to quickly check which files are needed.