actually, i agree and disagree with spanki.  i think he's right about the issues of commercial threads.  i pretty much don't care either way, but i do think we should be consistent.  if people can't post their threads about any of the other products they're developing, then this shouldn't be allowed.  i think it  innovations in uv mapping and realistic shape would be have more importance to the community in the pursuit of  the "perfect" figure than rigging (since most people do simple portraits or pinups), and tons of people are interested in how to start modeling.  there are all sorts of aspects of development whose discussion would be highly beneficial to the community.  but the ptb decided that it was more important to keep this forum from being full of advertisements.  

and it's not as if the developer's forum excludes everyone but people who have 3ds max serial numbers.  if people want to know more about rigging, they should read and post there. 

conversely, i'd say a free base figure would change the nature of this thread.  i believe dodger posted his sariel threads here and they were not moved  precisely because his unimesh was going to be unavailable and the base figures made from it  were going to be free.  if this is about the development of a free product, that it will have commercial add-ons isn't the point.  but then the development of the free part should be the focus.

i will say this: i have a few things for h.e.r. because her base was free.  rikishi looks great, but i won't get him until i have a render that really calls for him.  daz made v3 and m3 free after sixus1 had had a great deal of success with the free base / commercial add-ons model.