So I'm about to be a noob to Poser 5, and I was wondering if P5 has a few things which would really make getting it worth while...

Ambient occlusion? Subsurface scattering? The basic ability of producing extremely realistic renders? How about how fast it can render? Is there anything I should download or look at to make my Poser experience easier and more fun? :)

Thanks and sorry for all the questions, but hey...we all have to start somewhere. ;)

check some previous threads..Content Paradise is giving away Poser 5 for free!

~Nancy~

getting it free is worthwhile IMVHO, even if it has few of the advanced features you'd like. once you download the free version and search the manual, you'll get 0 results for occlusion and scattering, but there are ways for an extremely advanced user to simulate those things in P5 IIRC. I'm trying to remember the name of the lady who developed the methods. catherina or mec4d - what was her name? if you've never worked with a 3D renderer, it's a steep learning curve, and the default renders will be lousy IMVHO compared to P6 or professional rendering software. check the gallery here for many bad poser renders with giant boobs, no shadows, nostril glow, limb deformities et al.

How fast P5 can render is a bit of a "how-long-is-a-piece-of-string?" question, since everything depends on what is in the scene (number of figures, size of textures, number of lights etc.), plus which renderer is used, plus which render settings are used.   There were discussions here when P6 came out as to whether P5 Firefly or P6 Firefly produced the better results (with some feeling that P5 did), although  I have always preferred P6, ever since I located a  driver to get it working.

I wouldn't claim to have produced any  extremely realistic  renders ever, but they are possible with P5.      I'd recommend a look at the products by  face_off, depending on which characters you are planning to use.

Oh, and don't worry about the "breath of fresh Mustard Gas" greeting from Miss Nancy.   That's more or less traditional around here ;¬) .

There are realistic renders that were done using poser 4, just don`t ask me for a link.

How much more worthwhile is there than "FREE"!!!   

Yes there are not many other programs as good as poser 5 that are available free.

You can do photo realistic renders using it but they are not automatic, you need to learn to use the program first and then learn the photorealistic rendering.

DPHoadley will you be downloading poser 5?  I would strongly advise you to do it, at least just to see how good it is.

Dear xantor,
Thank you for the concern.  I'm registered for P5, but so far every attempt to download has failed after half an hour, and I've had to cancell.  I've already used up three downloade on the .exe file,  and two on the 'Hero.zip'.  I 'm thinking that I'll only get it finally at twelve midnight on December 31, 2099.  For the rest of that time, I'm thinking that I'll probably spend standing CP's queue, scratching my beard.
I actually HAVE P6 installed on my computer, but I've yet to learn how to use it.  When I first got it, it so stalled my old computer that I simply gave up and went bact ot Pro Pack with a profound sense of relief.  Now that I've got a new computer, I've reinstalledit, but its GUI is just so confussing, so cluttered, with dials everywhere, and a Pose window that's miniscule by comparison to what I'm used to in Pro Pack (and with all those gadgets and doohickies, there is VERY little room to enlarge it).  I'm hoping that P5 might ber a happy median between the two.
Yours truyly,
David P. Hoadley

You will probably have to wait at least a week to download poser 5 (I am still waiting to download it also).

One of the good things about it is that the GUI is much the same as the p4/propack one, I tried the demo of poser 6 and didnt like most of the changes, I didnt find them to be any better, just different.

One of the few good things I got from P6, was Jesse, which, using the free utility here in the freebie area, I decoode to work with Pro Pack.  Now I have a nice Hi-Res character that isn't DAZ. 
Yours truly,
David P. Hoadley

PS: (Psssst. I hoping soon to get Arduino's morphs so as to activate her whatsits.  One of the nicest aspects I've doscovered about Poser is that the women don't argue, aren't ever too tired, or suffer from headaches.  How good can it get?).

hey, if you're registered to download it on 'mystuff', then just wait until the dust settles (say after the 9th or so) , and you can download it at your pleasure..;)

"...say after the 9th or so) , and you can download it at your pleasure..;)"

You mean the 90th day, ...maybe.  More probably the 90th year.  My ladt legacy to my great great grandchildren will be to finally download Poser 5.  "Here it is," they'll say, "Grandpa's last will and testament, to finally finish the P5 download.  Fifty years he waited, and now it's our duty to finish it!"

'...and so it came to pass, in the ninth decade after its general release by Content Paradise, and with the final passing away of the last survivor of that generation, Poser 5 was finally downloaded  from freestuff.  The Nation of Poser rejoiced, and the Land was at peace for forty years...'
David P. Hoadley

What is "mystuff"?

It's where your recent purchases, if you have made any, are listed on Content Paradise.   There is a "View My Stuff" icon under the Search button on the lefthand side (presumably, only if you are logged on to the site).

I believe that you can download it anytime even if it is not in mystuff.

true..but usually you have to go through the cart-continue-checkout-download route. You can download it right away (if the Gold rush ever stops), but I've tried all sorts of times of day, and can't get through.

Once you get 'registered' (have it listed in your available downloads), get the Serial number and coupon number off that page, and save them somewhere safe. As I understand it (anyone can step in here), you don't have to worry about the deadline once you get this far.

If you haven't done that much, then (last I checked), you'd best get in line  by tomorrow (unless they extend again..;) Imagine, offering something like a full version of Poser for free on a site with 100,000 members, why would there be a backup?..;)

The icon for mystuff is under search, and is a cube, if you want a shortcut.