i dunno.  i looked at blender3d, and tried some tutorials.  i didn't stop because it was hard.  i stopped because it was a lot of effort for a tool that didn't have subsurface scattering and needed a hack to duplicate the effect.  and i know of people who at least claim to use other high end tools that have said they found blender's interface to be just too complex.

i could go off on usability and the importance of interface in manipulating 3d objects with 2d tools, but i don't think it's necessary.

to be honest, i'm not sure i could even find them again.  i don't even remember what i was actually looking up to come across them, and i was going to several sites to look up info.  all i can remember is that i was researching painting.  or i think i was?  since then, other stuff including my job has become much, much more hectic, i've given up trying to render anything at a useful size in p6 but can't afford p7 right now, and other various issues that have made this and daz the only cg sites i've looked at in a several weeks. but when i was encountering this, i was looking around at a lot of places for what i think was info about painting techniques.  since the subsequent furor at work, i can only remember a bryce tutorial i stumbled across and these threads. work kind of booted everything else out my head.  at the time, i didn't want to start a thread about poser, creativity and quality, with lots of over-justification, so i figured i'd keep my thoughts to myself.  i only came back to it because the 3dbuzz thread came up and seemed so civilized. 

that said, if there's been an about face in a few weeks, i'd be surprised. 

ghonna - thanks very much for the links.  i actually find them quite heartening.  in response to "running back to poser sites," how many different ways can i say this isn't about  a review i've received?  frankly, i don't think it would matter what program i use- my first post to cgsociety will get slammed (if i ever make one).  because first everything sucks.  i'm guessing that the best tactic will be to gnash my teeth and beat my breast  or wail and moan in the privacy of  my computer room, internalize what i find helpful, throw out the rest, and thank everyone for their responses.   seeing the reaction isn't just,  "model your own figure," and "don't use poser," is very, very heartening.   i have seen people say precisely that.

i'm searching through cgsociety now, and i'm not seeing nearly as much positive as you did.  i'm seeing lots of, "it's better to model your own figures."  and people being outed for using daz content.  and even one person saying that calling anime uncreative is as bad as comparing it to Poser.  and that's just in the choice area.  but one statement was interesting: that functionality like poser would become the norm in 3d programs when we had completed a codification of the biped, and that those who slammed premade customizable content  as from poser (which many members mentioned) would become as out of date as the people who once slammed cg art altogether.  though now i can't seem to find that post again, so i should get some sleep.