Posing Rigs
Later: South Pole Videos
Earlier: Metric
Been following along with Justin Chin about how to create posing rigs with SketchUp. Whereas he is using it to pose detailed 3D models (with an eye to making a comic and/or film using SketchUp), my interest relates more to orienting figures in space for paintings — placing the masses, in perspective. So far it seems promising, though I have yet to carry it through to a real painting.
Though the tools are contemporary, the approach dates at least to the 16th Century:
Later: South Pole Videos
Earlier: Metric