I'm thinking maybe it's time I bought Poser. I have no idea where to start, what I would like I supose is a trial version to work with for a few weeks. Is this possible?

If you want to try out "Poser-like", get Daz Studio at Daz3D. It's free because it's in Beta. If you like the kind of thing it does, then get Poser. But Poser is kind of expensive to buy and then to find out a few weeks later you don't like it.

Leave DAZ Studio alone, it's so buggy that you'll have no way to make your mind 'bout Poser (btw it's very different, starting with the interface). Go to Curious Labs site and download a trial version, play with it and then make a decision!

I agree, daz studio is not so easy to use and can be very slow at times, you would be better to get the poser demo.

Don't get Poser! You'll have no money and no life! Flee while you still can! :D The only demo of Poser that's currently available is for ProPack, which is actually version 4.3 - some way behind the version 6 which is on sale now. If it's anything like the old Poser 4 demo, there's very little useful you can do with it, and not enough time to even find that out. :( But don't let me put a damper on things. ;)

well thanks folk, you are always very helpful. especialy Bob, I already am posed (parden the pun) ready for flight, but how much more time can I spend here? (sitting at my PC.) I think I'll give Curious Labs a look in, see what happens. again, thanks.

"how much more time can I spend here? (sitting at my PC.)" You're about to find out, I suspect. Welcome to Poserholics Anonymous. :D

I wouldn't discount DAZ|Studio yet, as, even though it is still in Beta, there are many resources to help work around any problems, just as there are in Poser. That said, it definitely depends on what you want out of it, and what sort of system you're running. I would say, read the specs on both programs, try both, and, figure out what you like and what your specific needs are, and ask questions in either forum to learn. Heck, even Poser 5 is still buggy once in a while, but it's still a useable program ;). MS Poser Mod

I would say, download daz studio and try it but dont assume that it is very similar to poser because it isnt.

No, don't assume Daz Studio is similar to Poser. Daz Studio is a free beta. Poser 6 is an expensive beta.

Get Poser 6 for sure and please don't be fooled by these people comparing D/S to Poser..... It's very fair to compare D/S to Poser 4, but you can't compare it to Poser 5 or 6, it's not even coming close to it. Poser 6 is way more advanced then D/S. It's just as foolish as comparing Bryce 5/5.5 to Vue 5. Many people do so, but Vue 5 is way out of Bryce's reach and so it D/S way out of Poser 6's reach.

You will not find a program that does what Poser does, and is bug free. No such program exists. I've tried Daz Studio (sucks), and read MANY tutorials, forums, etc. about all things Poser. I purchased Poser 5 about a year ago and am very happy with it....NOW.....since I've learned a lot and can actually make pretty nice looking pictures with it. You must realize that Curious Labs, Daz, and all the rest, are BUSINESSES. They're in it for the profit, not the warm glow they get because you're happy with their product. Hence, they put barely tested products on the market as soon as anyone will pay for it....not when it's finished and bug free. After 4 service release updates, Poser 5 still has MAJOR problems with memory useage as well as being poorly integrated with all its 'bolt on' parts. That being said, you can still figure it out and make some truly magnificent art. I personally wouldn't buy Poser 6 for at least a year and a couple of service releases. My advice is ....go for Poser 5...it does good work and is about the most stable and bug free program of its type.

I have had no major problems with poser 5 even with the older service releases but I know that I am in a minority. If you do buy poser 5 now, you will be able to buy poser 6 later cheaper when it is less buggy.

Just a few notes and corrections here: "You will not find a program that does what Poser does, and is bug free. No such program exists. I've tried Daz Studio (sucks)," Well, DAZ|Studio IS still in beta. It is not a "finished" product yet. "You must realize that Curious Labs, Daz, and all the rest, are BUSINESSES. They're in it for the profit, not the warm glow they get because you're happy with their product." What profit are they (DAZ) getting from a FREE product? The beta is free, and it has already been announced numerous times that the final release will be also. (And no, I do not work for, nor am I affiliated with, DAZ) "Hence, they put barely tested products on the market as soon as anyone will pay for it....not when it's finished and bug free." This is what the beta release is for. The people who download and use the beta version report problems they have back to DAZ. So, they ARE testing the product, and they DO fix bugs as they are found and reported. So that when the final version IS released it will be as bug free as possible.

Daz studio is not a finished product but it is very near version 1, according to their version numbering system and there are still a lot of things that studio doesnt have that even propack has i.e. morphs and the setup room. I dont want someone to be put off buying poser because daz studio is so basic, which is why I am arguing against daz studio.

Message edited on: 05/14/2005 04:47

"What profit are they (DAZ) getting from a FREE product? The beta is free, and it has already been announced numerous times that the final release will be also." 'Cos in this way DAZ will have secured a BIG share of people that will buy its products, Millennium Figures et al... Studio is no more that a marketing prop for Mike and Vicky.

Why recommend D/S at all. It clearly is an outdated application. It's not even as good as Poser 4 + Pro Pack (imo it's not even as good as Poser 4 is) and how old is that one? Besides that, D/S hardly comes with any content at all and it's just a way for DAZ to get you buying more stuff at their store. Poser 6 comes with a wealth of content just buy the same at DAZ and you'll be paying far more. Yes, I'm one of those who actually use the Poser content and with the new P6 content that Curious Labs has added, it's as good as Mike & Vicky, but if you want to get all the content that already is in P6 for Mike & Vicky you'll be paying a lot more money. In the end D/S even though it's free, will be a lot more expensive then Poser 6...... that is, if you're willing to use the Poser 6 content too.

"...what I would like I suppose is a trial version to work with for a few weeks. Is this possible?" As EnglishBob said, not really. It's old and doesn't really let you use the application that much. If you can find a back issue of one of the 3D magazines with Poser 3 on it, that would be a much better demo of what Poser is. "I'm thinking maybe it's time I bought Poser." Is this a whim, a notion, a deep burning desire? You say that you want a demo so I assume that you're not really sure you'll really like it and don't want to spend the money and find out otherwise. If that's the case and you've really never used any kind of 3D software before, then I'd suggest that Daz Studio is the logical choice. No, it's not Poser as many have pointed out but it's the only other program that does what Poser does, allow you to easily pose and render 3D human figures. It's free. It will let you figure out at least whether the whole idea is what you want to do. Even if you only play with it for a couple of days, you'll have a better idea of the thing and be able to have a more informed view of the various comments by those who favor one application of the other. If you hate DS, then by all means, come back and give your reasons and ask people specifically why you'll Poser better. No, it's not Poser per se but then neither is a sailboat a destroyer. Better however to take a free sailboat ride than join the Navy only to find out that you're incurably seasick. If you just have money to burn and don't care what you do with it, then give it to the poor.