*"I also want a shader SDK, so I can make new nodes and finally put an actual, real sub-surface scattering capability into the material room, along with other things like layered materials."

That would be intersting and make for some good threads.

*"All in all, if you have Poser 7 and a tight budget, you probably don't need to switch. If you're on Poser 6, you should switch. AO that actually works, HDRI IBL, faster raytraced shadows, better memory and texture management, gamma correction - these will make your renders better and faster.  It's a definite win over Poser 6."

That is what I said in my first post.  I'm also a P7 owner who is very happy with PP over P7.