i use 3d max. i got it under the assumption i could make a model there and throw it into poser. i was under a mishapprehention lol.  it's taking me a long time to get the hang of it. nearly finished my first head. once the full figure is done i have to take it to poser and rig it there. if i rig it in max it means i just have to rig it again anway if i wish to make it suitable for poser. all that said i love max.  i think i've been on the head for over a month now, scrapped the first two cos they looked like the elephant man. lmao. at  least this one looks semi huminoid hehe. all i can say is use any tools you get the chance to use. try and learn the hardest first. you'll find it helps when using the others. most modelling is done using poly's and splines. i think max is the best tool for these though some who use maya may disagree. spend 6 moths  getting to know max then delve into the others. max has a big learning curve but it does get easier the further round the curve you get.  lynda.com has some great cd tutorials, one for character modelling and one for texturing. they're well worth the money. an extra screen or pc helps as you can run the cd and work at the same time. once you actually get into using max it's more fulfiling than posr. i used poser for a short while but it wasn't for me. i was crap at the lighting and stuff

billy