I'm sure that sounds like a completely stupid question, but I can't seem to wrap my head around the purpose of DS. Is it simply a rendering platform for those who don't have other 3D apps? Or is it more than that? To be honest, the information on Daz's web site doesn't really explain the purpose of the software, and I'm generally dubious of "free" stuff (you usually get what you pay for, you know). I have Carrara, Bryce, Poser and numerous professional 2D apps (Adobe Pshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, etc.). What can Daz/Studio do for me? Or is it simply repeating a task better done in Carrara, Bryce, etc.? Maybe it's obvious to others, but I'm a bit older and slower. Can someone please enlighten this old dog so he can learn a new trick? Thanks!

So that newcomers can be introduced  into the 3D market without having to waste money learning how...I'm very grateful to Daz Studio for  that reason...Poser and Carrara and other paid for apps cost a lot to find out you can't manage and it's not for you..At least with DS you haven't wasted any money amd you have learned some basics BEFORE you get your hard won currency out to BUY 3D software..

D|S its a great alternative to paied Poser. I used it a lot now to create my scenes, compose my characters, export then as OBJ to use in Lightwave or Carrara.

  From my point of view.... it's many things to many people....like Incognitas and GKDantas said, you can use it to learn, you can also import/export to other app's.... you can even use it as-is as a computer generated photographic studio. Want a Christmas card?... Make your own. With content, there is a great deal that you could do. One thing it does seem to be curiously useful for, is as a means to import/export into other formats. Lou.

Okay. Thanks everyone. Let me see if I understand... Daz Studio acts as an entry-level, low-cost (or "no-cost") means of utilizing 3D content. It's not really a modelling tool, but more of a "stage" where all the various elements can be brought together and organized into a scene. In this respect, it represents Daz's attempt to make 3D more accessible to the average user. In addition, Daz Studio serves as a marketing interface for the purchase of 3D content (sort of similar to the iTunes model). Would that be an accurate description?

I think so yes...seems a fair summation.

Super! Thanks, Incognitas. Now that I have a grasp of it's purpose, I can decide how Daz Studio can fit into my workflow, or whether I'd be better off sticking with other apps. Cheers!

Great...your two questions are right: a content manager and a content seller. But you can always use free stuff from here, from Daz and many many others sites.
At the moment the good interaction with others softewares are better in beteween D|S and Bryce 6, its one click and go. But theres a export tool (paid one) to FBX format that almost all softwares can read, or the traditional way: export to OBJ collecting textures and importing into a package that can read OBJ format and MTL (materials for OBJ). Some twiick is needed to getting it work great.
D|S is free but theres are plugins in Daz site that are not free... like the very good Pantomime. But for the paid part theres a good trick: create your scene and render in D|S, post to the Daz galleries and if you are aproved you get a voucher of US$ 25 that you can spend in the Daz site ( I got almost my stuff there this way).Also you can render images with alpha channel and use it to compose others images in programs like Photoshop or Photo Impact or even on free like Artweaver and Gimp.

What is DS for, well its basically Poser, without the Poseurs....

Doesn't come with an inflated pricetag either.

Next weeks inane question, "What is PaintShopPro for?", wil be submitted  by an Adobe Shareholder...

the trouble is: you create a scene in Poser, save it as a Poser file, and you can then open that in Daz Studio, Vue, Cinema 4d (via interposer) etc.

You create a scene in Daz Studio, save as a Daz file, you can't use that for anything else. Sure, you can export as obj/fbx, but in reality thats not very practical. Now, this is not the fault of Daz, necessarily, but it limits the programs usefulness. Someone should write a "save scene as PRZ" plugin or something.

While we're on the subject, the cost was mentioned. While you can DL Studio, grab some freebees from here and make some renders, if you want to get into it properly you need the extra plugins, especially ones like pwSurface. And by the time you've bought all the plugins, you could practically buy Poser. So erm.. yeah. I love studio, don't get me wrong, the renderer is fast and good, its UI is 100% better than Poser, but they seriously need to invest in plugin creation (esp dynamic clothes/hair, and the "save for Poser" I mentioned)

just my 2c

Hi Iggy23 you are right, but there are some points here. When exporting to OBJ you can import it in anything that you want, only the transparency channel has problems (in some softwares it call alpha channel so you need to twick a little). Plugins like pwsurface make a great job but coast just a little, the more expensive is the FBX, but who is a Platinum Club could get it for 1,99 this year (yes!!). The problem with Poser will grow a litlle now that E-frontier will no longer suport his SDK to others companys, so many softwares could not import the new advanced features from Poser 7. You can do a little tricks to get it to work, but the future is dark now.
For the dynamics in D|S Daz is working with one of the best dynamics engines and they promise to launch it this year. I think that they will do (I supose) a better integration between Carrara and D|S like they did for Bryce 6... so the future is more bright to the D|S. Poser is a very good software, but the E-frontier decision to do not distribut the SDK is making many people to dont upgrade to version 7... I hope that they change your mind and come back to rescue Poser from this darkness.

DAZ studio is essentially free and its value exceeds that price.  What more is there to say?  I have Poser and more additional software than I have time to use.  However, I can remember a time when most computer software was out of my price range.  I wish that, then, I had had something like DAZ Sudio to play with. Its a boon to folks that want to exercise their creativity, but lack the resources to buy commercial software that may cost more than a monthly loan payment.

Poser version Sux and and the new Sux Plus do have some 'advanced features' that previous builds didn't have, but they also contain a large amount of deliberate 'content cripple ware', such as a revised pmd format specifically intended to prevent new poser content made by YOU from being usable in DS, and changes in erc parameters to make PSux content incompatible with DS, P5, and even high end apps that can use poser content via import plugins...

As for the 'spend the cost of poser on ds plugins' line, I havn't spent anything like that much, I don't need 'hand pose' or 'align ace' or even pwWhatever parts 1 and 2...

Morph loader, and dforms, more than sufficient...

I do have P5, I only use it for rigging content (when the text editor wont do) and making sure my freebies are p5 friendly.

I also have C4D, but I usually render in DS for figurative work, you dont use a sledgehammer to open nuts, you don't drive a tank to the grocery store...

iggy23,
Sorry can't agree with your statement "And by the time you've bought all the plugins, you could practically buy Poser"  I've purchased almost all the plug-ins available and am no where close to the price of Poser.  

I used Poser Pro Pack then Poser 5 for 4 years, til DAZ Studio and have never looked back. 
I love DS's minimal glitches & quirks (compared to Poser), fast rendering times and the interface is way beyond Poser IMHO.  Best of all it keeps getting better & better.  New version to come out soon  :- )   

First of all I am very thankful that DS is a freebie. I sculpt with clay, and the poses are a wonderful find when it comes to figuring out if my anatomy is correct. I move a preset pose  into a desired position, render all sides, save to jpg. and print. What could be easier? Now I have a drawing to look at and measure by ,to design my sculpts! I have Poser 6 and still haven't figured it all out yet.  Crashing happens to me all the time. I'll stick with what I know. .....