I'll break the ice. Why not make it available to everyone at the same time instead of p-club members first? Isn't their goal to have the widest distribution possible?

I think that they want to say "Thanks" to all the p-club members and show them another reason to be a member, However, I don't speek for DAZ so don't quote me on that, it's just my thoughts.

I think that's pretty much the case, it's like the members only forum at Daz, just another encouragement for people to take out a Platinum Club subscription. We'll get it soon enough! :o)

They want to make PC more attractive.

I see them working, but I doubt anyone will join pclub just to get it early -- maybe I'm wrong.

I don't agree with the 'There-you-go-aren't-you-so-glad-you-joined-the-PC-club?' scenario. I get the distinct impression that DAZ are covering all their options very carefully, and I can list several reasons to back up my thinking. 1. Remember one thing - the public doesn't just mean non-PC members at DAZ or the crowd at Rosity. The public means the entire Planet Earth. DAZ are making damn sure they don't let a turkey loose on a planet-wide scale. It makes sense to keep everyone else waiting a few weeks, if they can nail down more bugs and errors. 2. And remember this too. DAZ have used it on their own systems - maybe 40 or 50 different configs? The PC members will up that number into the thousands and then the real truth will come out about hardware incompatibilities and weird system glitches. You want them to do that with the entire population of the world? 3. It's much easier to follow bug reports from a limited group of users, than from a huge mob, with everyone sending in mails, complaints, threats and penis enhancement offers with no rhyme or reason. 4. They spent a long time getting it ready, and I think that they're continuing with that same cautious policy. Let it out a bit at a time, get the general view, fix what needs to be fixed, then increase the user group. After all, it is a beta. You did know that, didn't you? mac

i'll say it: better their computers than mine ;)

Actually they made it clear taht the version they are sending to pC members is ALPHAware. We are to be guinia pigs- which is not a bad thing. Microsft selling the "oportunity" to beta test Windows 95 that was a bad thing,

As a PC member I'm glad to be able to test it first (of course) and I agree with what maclean says. It makes sense to slowly open the flood gates instead of letting it rip all at once. I've got the utmost confidence In Daz and they haven't let me down yet in service and the all important customer support! Something I lost faith in long ago with the other supplier of Poser related product.

I'll wait till a few months after it's released in its "final form." By then the bugs will be out, we'll see what is really free, and how much we'll need to pay for all the extras. There's lots of pressure here. DAZ announced the program over a year ago, and many people decided to forget about Poser 5 and wait for Studio.

That was more because Poser 5 claimed it was going to do a lot of the stuff DAZ|Studio has done, Pretty bold claim for something that isnt released yet :-)

maclean has hit the pony in the, well, you get the point - Daz is covering theirs. ;) As a PC member, I have no gripe about accepting this roughly cut jewel so that it can be polished to a flawless shimmer. This is the correct move on Daz's part. We're sort of involuntary beta-testers, but this process will allow D|S to be properly "shaken down" before being released to the general populous.

DAZ is being very open about this being an Alpha release to PClub prior to public Beta. Expect Bugs! They are releasing it now so that we can test and report back so that it can be fixed. If you don't want to be part of the testing process then don't download now. Wait until later. It's not as if anyone is being forced to use it. After all Poser works now (well mostly anyway). -- Mark

Yes they are releasing it so PClub members can report back on whether it's a Diamond or a Lemon, but they'll be doing it behind closed doors. I do hope that once the PClub members get their hands on it they post their experiences with it not just in the Locked Daz forum. I'm not saying Daz haven't done the right thing tho, release it to a small group of people first to kill the biggest bugs. But after the Poser5 testing (yes it was tested, I know at least one of the testers personally) & the secrecy surrounding it I'd rather hear about the bug killing than have it go on behind the scenes.

Unless there's a non-disclosure agreement attached to the download/use of the DAZ|Studio alpha, which I doubt, expect to hear every bloody detail in this forum. ;) Although I'm quite busy at the moment, both for work and holidays, I intend to do at least a cursory shakedown of the program, maybe putting one day aside to put it through the ringer.

"2. And remember this too. DAZ have used it on their own systems - maybe 40 or 50 different configs? The PC members will up that number into the thousands and then the real truth will come out about hardware incompatibilities and weird system glitches." Not to mention that PC members almost certainly own the largest number and variety of DAZ products, allowing them to test the widest range of DAZ products with DAZ Studio.

Thousands? I doubt that many people have jumped onto the PC bandwagon. I sure as hell haven't. I hate the idea of joining a club to get the best prices. The Poser world is turning into a virtual "Costco".

I sure as hell have. I've saved tons of money, sort of. :P The PC prices and the discounts alone more than paid back for the membership. Nevermind the bonus item packs, $5 vouchers & $10 coupons that they've given us...

"Thousands? I doubt that many people have jumped onto the PC bandwagon." Actually, he said thousands of configurations -- however many PC'ers decide to beta test, some, like myself, will be testing them on more than one system, dropping the number of PC'ers needed to test thousands of configurations. I have no idea how many PC'ers there are, but the DAZ forum currently has 37,143 members; if only 5.38% of them are PC'ers, then they actually do number in the thousands. ;-) For what it's worth, I have saved thousands of dollars with my membership. ;-)