""Half the things I help people with are either already explained in the manual, posted on the net in a tutorial or could be discovered via good ol' fashioned trial and error.  The problem these days is that many don't bother trying anymore. They just want a quick fix or a simple answer to not so simple questions (or...really really simple ones that barely register as serious questions). 

So, the blame can go both ways, I think. Just as we can shake a finger at the members quick to sell something, we should really shake a finger at those members who don't bother trying to resolve a question on their own first. I mean, that's why we have UNDO. We're artists, most of us anyway, experimentation is supposed to be in our nature.""

I've seen this opinion pretty often here - being one of the "new poser users" I figure I'll chime in with my perspective on it.  People will often say - go look at the manual - go read the book - google.  One person once asked me if I ever thought to look in the manual.  Well of course I have , BUT half - no more than half of the time, I don't even know what I'm looking for.  You talk about the plethora of information out there, well that's exactly the point.  I've read an entire book and manual trying to figure out at first what the heck V3 was and neither mentioned this elusive thing at all.  My google search likewise yielded confusing results.  

Next onto the trial and error part.  For me that is a daunting task - work on something for hours and remember in poser we get one undo.  (poser 6 don't know about the others).  So if something goes haywire your back to the beginning - often times at this point I will ask because I'm dreadfully afraid of losing what I have worked hours on.

I ask also because you guys are the rl experts on this.  Your not as technical as a book or manual - I can tell you that I'm new and you can understand that and word things in plain english for me.   The people here who respond to me are 100000x more valuable to me than any book or manual out there.  I think after some people do something for so long some questions begin to sound silly - its hard to remember back to a time (if there was a time) when you didn't know what simple words like: model, mesh, bump map, v3 meant.  One can reasonably deduce the meanings of most but some get pretty confusing - I still don't know what ambient occlusion is, what it refers to or where I can find it in poser - and based on some of the threads I've seen here I'm afraid to know - I'll get there eventually and when I do you can bet your butt I'll be asking the experts some questions.

For me getting advice here is no easy fix.  It typically comes after searching for hours on my own - or just out of plain and pure frustration.

On the topic which the thread started - I've actually been referred to way more free things than pay things.  The helpfulness and generosity here should truly be commended.  I always try to remember to say thank you in my first post because I'm 99% sure someone is going to come along who I am truly greatful to have heard from.

So on behalf of all newbs - I apologize if I ask too much too often - but it's only because you are the best there is.

I am:  aka Velocity3d