Okay, I can't seem to find this answer anywhere, or at least I'm overlooking it if I have found it. What program(s) do I need--specific program(s)--if I want to take a basic V4 figure and create my own character from scratch with it? I know I can use the dials and such inside Poser and Daz, but I can never seem to get anything remotely close to what I'm actually looking for (like others, my girlfriend wants me to create her to use in Poser, but I don't know where to even start). I've played around with the dials, but there has to be something easier, isn't there?

Not easier.

Any 3D modeling program that can handle .OBJ files can be used to create morphs for Poser figures. Free (Wings3D, Blender) to very expensive (3DS Max, Maya).

Quite a few members here use ZBrush for detailed morphs of Poser characters. ZBrush is not cheap, and certainly has a learning curve.

And don't forget Poser 7 itself and the Morph Brush tool. Magnets can also be very useful.

I found that after creating the texture for my husband spinning the dials became easier.

But say I do manage, after several years, to get the character like I want. How do I give it skin texture, make up, stuff like that? And is there a place to at least learn what the various face morphs do, so I don't go through the process of going "Okay, let's work on the cheeks--.001, no... .002, no... .003, no" and spending years just getting a cheek close. I know it won't be perfect, but I'm looking for CLOSE.

Like anything else, the more you want to do, the more time, work, and learning you';ll need to invest. Some people only specialize in doing textures for figures.. some people specialize in doing custom morphs, some people specialize in dial spinning, and using the morph brush.

As I've said before, it's much akin to any other art form.. oil paint, watercolor, or sculpting. You can read all the stuff in the world about it, and still not be able to accomplish anything. You need to invest time doing each job, one by one, to become proficiant at them.

And then, if yer like me, by the time you've master ed 10 jobs, you'll have forgotten half of what you learned about the first one.. LOL!

""But say I do manage, after several years, to get the character like I want. How do I give it skin texture, make up, stuff like that?""

Depending on the model you are using - you go to the site that made it and find the texture template.  Then you go about photographing your girlfriend or painting incredibly detailed maps of her by hand (oh boy) and taking those photos and pasting them into the template.  Then you edit it so it all blends together correctly.  You can add your makeup at this point as well. 

V4 template :  http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/shop/itemdetails/-/?item=4781

Bottom right side

Seriously.. don't try to learn everything at once.. learn one thing WELL at a time, and then progress to the next.. otherwise you'll end up mad like Igohigh, the mad monkey pirate!

Years ???

Starting with a cube you only get 3 days to model, map, texture, rig, a character.

You only get 3 hours to morph V4 in to ya girl friend, hint , Poser has a face room.

RorrKonn
http://www.Atomic-3D.com

Poser's face room does not work with V4, though. :)

Do you half to use V4 ?

Would be a lot faster to use a stock Poser mesh that works with the face room.

Anyways sence you do not know how to do any of this stuff and if you haf to use V4.

You would be a lot better off to hier some one to make her for you.

Woud not half to tell ya girl friend ya cheated.

RorrKonn
http://www.Atomic-3D.com

hmmm .. for the face, faceshop pro might suffice. Then he'd only have to try to match body styles...