Since i got poser 5 i always use the firefly render. I setup a bit complex scene today and after i got tired of the long rendertimes i switched back to p4 render in poser 5. and rendering the same scene took 2 min in p4 renderengine versus 20 min in firefly,no more swapping like crazy to the hd and waiting 2 min after rending till poser recovers. ( i have a AMD 2400XP and 768 mb ,so no weak machine) So, why is firefly swapping to the hd like crazy. Seems its more busy with swapping than with calculating,and why does the p4 render needs no swapping. for he images decide which is ff and which is p4. modells: hanksters temple ruins (great model, dodgers dungeonlights,and moonprop free from nerd

this is p4

I love the firefly render for the shadow map, it's much better than P4. And for very complex scenes I can use ray trace shadows (like your scene) to save some render time. Btw I purchased the temple ruins too, an outstanding product :) Mazak

Honestly, I think it depends what you're rendering. On any scene including anything metallic (and most scenes which use Material room textures without any imagemaps attached to the nodes) the firefly renderer looks better. Most of my custom props are textured entirely using P5 Material nodes, not image maps, and I almost always use Skin nodes on my figures now (which I don't believe the P4 renderer can handle), so I see much more benefit in using the firefly renderer exclusively.

I've found that I can make better skins half the time than the nodes can do... which means that raytracing and dynamics (hair and cloth) are the only REAL reasons for me to use the Firefly... PLUS I've run into some other interesting things with Poser5's new render machine. Anyone else experiencing black lines through flat square objects or bloating of other props??? Check this out - A sword prop I've been using for months in P4 now renders with the ricasso (leather wrapped handgrip above the blade) bloated out like a balloon... It renders fine in the P4 render... Sorry the swords are going through the victim, so it gets an adult content warning... but regardless I'd love to know if this is me, or everyone. I run a 1.4 ghz processor with a gig+ of RAM, P5 with the SR-3, so I'm totally up to date...

you can fix the bloating by selecting the item and uncheck the "smooth" button in the properties.

Setting the "Post Filter Size" to maximum (4) can sometimes create black lines.

"I've found that I can make better skins half the time than the nodes can do... " dieterderblau, the skin nodes only enhance already good textures when properly used, by helping to simulate the way light reflects off real flesh. It immediately removes the "plastic look" that is seen on so many Poser renders. I'm guessing you're adding a blank Skin node to the "Alternate Diffuse" value. Try dropping the "Diffuse" texture to black, linking your skin node to the "Alternate diffuse", setting the first value in the skin node to white and linking your texture map to that value. The results are very impressive, and only get better when you play with the rest of the values. I used to just throw a Skin node on the "Alternate Diffuse" without touching any of the other settings. Man, did I find out what I was doing wrong- wish I could remember which thread it was that showed me how to do it right.

Nope, no blank skin nodes ANYWHERE... Don't have post filter set to 4... I've noticed that the black lines appear on the "old" P4 square default object and one or two other "flat" props I've used, but not on the "new" P5 high rez square (cloth object), nor on other figures or things... The rest of the suggestions already mirror my methods, thank you, altho' I don't use a lot of alternate diffusing, but link white diffuse socket to image maps, as is normal, for a lot of objects. I hadn't thought of the smooth option, the sword was a straight prop, and is only being affected in one material area, though the hilt almost looks a little goofy as well.

Also, (sorry to P.S.) my skins only look "plastic" when that's the look I'm aiming for. I've not acheived total photo-realism in much of my art, but that's not my necessary aim either... Sorry no one sees my art on this site, but most of it's too graphic in one dimension or another for Renderosity's rules... Check my gallery at Renderotica!

Just to clarify my earlier comment... any increase in "Post Filter Size" from the default (1) setting causes a very feint black line effect in some renders which becomes more severe as the post filter size is further increased. I can see the severe black lines you refer to on the primitive square, but these disappear if you check the option to "Remove Backfacing Polygons".

Thanks for the Clarification... doesn't the remove backfacing polygons screw up other things??? Like ray-tracing back facing polygons?