Personally, for a lower end app that does a lot I'm totally in Love with Hexagon. Of the Big boys I use Max, mostly because I get it free, throught work.
If I didn't have Max, I'd be looking in Cinema or Maya. 

HOWEVER, there's a TON of things that can be done with lower end apps. 
At the moment, the only things I use Max for are it's cloth simulations, which are a LOT more robust then poser. I create some noce flowy wrinkly morphs there, touch them up in Hex, and make clothing FBM's out of them.  Hexagon has awesome UV mapping tools, especially for organics and clothing.

For advanced texturing I use Deep Paint 3D and Zbrush. Zbrush is also handy for morphing.

You can get a LOT of really neat things done with just Hexagon and Zbrush combo.

Then you'll need some poser rigging tools.

I started a Q nad A thread about something similar to this over in the 3D modelling Forums at the request of few people, please feel free to join in :)
http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=2724368

Hi, my namez: "NO, Bad Kitteh, NO!"  Whaz yurs?
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