Actually, I don´t "need" to do anything, because I´m perfectly happy with the performance of the P4 renderer.

I´m also perfectly able to read tutorials so I have no problems using the material room.
I just refuse to waste my time with it because the results are marginal at best.

Why does everyone try to turn a hobby into a freaking competition, where the ultimate "win" is being able to do a "photorealistic" render ?

If I wanted to watch techno geeks and wannabe pros ripping each other for not using the "right" soft and hardware, and competing with their "skillz", I´d hang out at CGI-talk.

The problem is you all accept photorealism as the gold standard of CGI, and I simply refuse to evaluate my work by the time it needed to render or the money I sunk down in my equipment..

And even IF I would all of the sudden feel the ambition to create photorealistic renders, I definitely wouldn´t rely on a hobbyist programm.

Trying to beat the "Big Boys" with a programm like Poser is like trying to win NASCAR in a Volkswagen.
Makes a cool story for the movies, but quite unlikely to happen in the real world.

And even if for the sake of argument you manage to squeeze a big V8 engine in that VW, your cars value as a daily driver will be ruined.

Poser 4 is an dependable, economic and FUN programm.

Trying to make it compete with MAX or MAYA not only made it LESS dependable, LESS economic, but also for the overwhelming  majority of users LESS FUN.

I´m all for improvements, but a render engine that all of the sudden needs HOURS if not DAYS to render a single lousy still picture is NO IMPROVEMENT in my book.
Neither is a material room that needs a degree in mathematics to work properly.

If your goal in life is to create a photorealistic render in Poser, be my guest.
I think it´s foolish, but I really don´t care what you do with your computer and your time.
But don´t you dare try to impose your "standards" on everybody else.
Some of us are actually able to see through the hype.

Stahlratte