MachineClaw--"IF Daz holds back, plays big brother or evil empire this community of poser users will balk faster than you can spin a dial." I agree with this point. But Daz folks don't strike me as stupid, so I doubt it would come to that. I think the real risk for "cottage" artists is more along the lines of the Industrial Revolution: as a market expands, a large company can create tools and processes that make it possible to crank out high-quality goods, at a lower cost than "cottage" outfits. Customers: happy. Competition: dead. As a technologist, this is how I read DAZ' comments. Not that they are doing anything menacing, just that they can afford to develop tools and processes that will be hard to cost-effectively compete with. Combine that with their fore-knowledge of their own plans for DAZ Studio evolution... What's hard about this, is that most of the active members of this community are at least somewhat "competition" to DAZ. Yes, much uncertainty for anyone independent. Being little fish is risky, especially in changing times. But there is a plus side to all this. Maybe Daz will succeed in growing this market -- a lot. Poser has struggled pathetically its entire existence. Look for niches as the market grows. Like Anton and his "hair" - something he knows he can do well, hence be successful at. I imagine he'll eventually see some tempting opportunity, once the new landscape becomes less molten lava :-D