"The real issue with DAZ is how they're trying to become a driving force in this medium " no. Ajax said it best in the "it's offical" thread, I believe. They are trying to become a driving force, but it's not the main issue. They want to become an Equal force -- which is a smart business move at this stage for them. The manner is sometimes annoying, but it is a smart business decision. You see, Poser folks are a great revenue stream, but they are not a growth business. So in order to grow (and companies must grow), they have to broaden their market appeal. There are at least twice as many active bryce users as Poser users out there. So, with this acquisition, Daz just doubled the number of folks that will come to it. That's a good thing. Does that mean they will suddenly make everything work with Bryce? no. Will they stop developing Poser content and only do D|S (which is DAZ | Studio, not DAZ Render) stuff? No. Simple reasons, too: they need the money still. The real poblem is that they are "DAZ". All the popular hacks for Poser -- ERC the most prominent one -- became popular because although they didn't innovate them, they did capitalize on them. That was forward thinking. That was pushing the envelope to bring the most creative products to market. Will they continue to do that for Poser? I don't think so. Based on statments like those surrounding the Mill horse, hiring decisions, and similar muck-ups on their part, it's apparent they won't. Which means if you want cool stuff from DAZ -- which is their reputation -- you'll have to switch to D|S. Which is free! Why the bitchin, you ungrateful nincompoops! To which the proper response is " you get what you pay for. " Free doesn't mean good. And, with DAZ, free means you gotta buy extra stuff to use it, lol. And, most importantly, you don't tell a bunch of artists what hey have to do. That's bad. Daz won't strip Bryce down. They may integrate it tighter with D|S -- but the same thing will happen with Shade and Poser. Wisdom shall tread twixt the two...

thou and I, my friend, can, in the most flunkey world, make, each of us, one non-flunkey, one hero, if we like: that will be two heroes to begin with. (Carlyle)