Maybe this was asked already but when you want to save a pose, what boxes do we click if any, after we click the add button?

After you click that small + (plus) button first dialog will appear.
OK and CANCEL doesn't need explanation.
SELECT SUBSET - here you can choose which body parts should be saved (instead of whole Figure)

Next window asks about BODY MORPHS (all those additional dials which are not in basic figure) and BODY TRANSFORMATION (if you moved BODY actor and you want to save it, older versions of Poser never saved that)

Last one will be about how many frames to save (if you have more than one)

I hope that is what you asked for:)

I'm using P7 and haven't checked any of those. Won't it also change the morph of another character if I use that same, saved pose on them?

If you didn't check BODY MORPS then none of them will be saved to pose file so it won't affect any morps (even if those are the same) on the other figure (or same figure).

If you don't check those boxes, the Pose will only include rotations
(xrot, yrot, zrot) and translations (xtran, ytran, ztran) on body parts.
So it won't affect morphs on the target figure. 

One complicated exception: If the target figure has some ERC coding
that causes its own morphs to be moved by rotations, like muscles
that bulge when the leg bends .... then those morphs will be affected,
because the target figure is setting those morphs in response to the
rotations from the pose.  But the pose won't directly change any morphs
unless you've checked the Morphs box.

Thank you for these answers.....

Be aware that if you're using Poser 7, a ton of extra information that is largely useless will be included in the pose file - a "refActor" block for every bone, plus a lot of other junk.  This is intended to support "Universal Poses", but in practice they aren't particularly universal and won't be interpreted by older versions of Poser or DAZ|Studio anyway.  If you're going to redistribute your poses, you really ought to take that junk out.

Also, as Ockham says, translateX/Y/Z values are recorded into a pose file as well - really the only things that should go into a pose for distribution are joint rotations, except for the hip (translations are OK there).  Extraneous translateX/Y/Z junk ought to be removed.

Oops, one thing more: for V4 and for the EF Sydney/Simon figures, when selecting what actors (body parts) to save a pose for, be certain to exclude the magnets and only get actual body parts.  There is no situation where you'd want to include the magnet positions into a pose file, they're controlled automatically by ERC in various other bones.

You are all so knowledgeable, thank you for all these insights.

Something that will take a whole lot of the mystery out is to make a small pose file and just look at it in a text editor for a while - it won't make sense for a while, it's like learning any language.  If you don't know the syntax and the vocabulary, it's all gobbledygook.  This document explains it all in excuciating detail - which also won't make any sense until you learn the language:

http://www.kuroyumes-developmentzone.com/poser/poserfilespec/ucr2filespec_dec2004.pdf

And if you want to save partial poses, follow the instructions in this thread:

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=2735288

Thank you Acadia, that was very helpful. I saved a few poses but something strange happened. When I went from one pose to another, the hand poses only did part of the pose I saved. For instance, I had a hand with just the index finger pointing and when I switched to another pose, the hand went way back and not what I saved. What am I doing wrong????

If you're using "grasp" dials on a figure like V4, or some other setup that uses a master dial to make all the fingers bend at once, those values won't be included in a pose file (maybe if you include morphs though).

Ok, I will try just bending the fingers one at a time, seems so silly to do that though. Thank you again.

Somebody on the DAZ forums has a script that will convert grasp dial values into ordinary finger bend values (search their forum).

Oh that sounds great, thank you again.

time for another post hijack :)

regarding saving poses, how would you save a pose that will work anywhere on the stage?

example: I create a pose and the figure is at 0,0,0  and I save that pose.
clear the scene and load up my model and place it at -10,0,32.
now when I click on my saved pose the model will jump back to 0,0,0

I've had poses that others made that will work anywhere just click on the pose and it takes effect where ever the model stands.
Also is it possible to do something like this with an animated set?
thanks

Quote - time for another post hijack :)

regarding saving poses, how would you save a pose that will work anywhere on the stage?

Either don't save or edit out the Body XYZ translation channels.

how do I not save these channels?  would these be changes I make to the pz2 file in my editor?
Thanks

Ok I went through my pz2 file in a text editor and the body looks to be set at 0 for translations and it works fine in D|S  I can move the character anywhere on the stage and apply the pose and she will pose right where i put her, however poser still moves the character back to where the pose originated. the body translations are 0,0,0 during the pose.
what do I need to do to edit out these translations so the pose will be universal?
thanks

Quote - Ok I went through my pz2 file in a text editor and the body looks to be set at 0 for translations and it works fine in D|S  I can move the character anywhere on the stage and apply the pose and she will pose right where i put her, however poser still moves the character back to where the pose originated. the body translations are 0,0,0 during the pose.
what do I need to do to edit out these translations so the pose will be universal?

You need to remove the Body translations.

Quote - You need to remove the Body translations.

i'm sorry perhaps i'm a tad dense :)
how do I remove the body translations?
do I just delete this part?
actor BODY:1
    {
    channels
        {
        rotateY yrot
            {
            keys
                {
                k  0  0
                }
            }
        rotateX xrot
            {
            keys
                {
                k  0  0
                }
            }
        rotateZ zrot
            {
            keys
                {
                k  0  0
                }
            }
        translateX xtran
            {
            keys
                {
                k  0  0
                }
            trackingScaleMult 1
            }
        translateY ytran
            {
            keys
                {
                k  0  0
                }
            trackingScaleMult 1.000000
            }
        translateZ ztran
            {
            keys
                {
                k  0  0
                }
            trackingScaleMult 1.000000
            }
        }
    }

Quote - > Quote - You need to remove the Body translations.

i'm sorry perhaps i'm a tad dense :)
how do I remove the body translations?
do I just delete this part?
actor BODY:1
    {
    channels
        {
        .
        .
        .
        }
    }

Yes.

great thanks,
I'll give it a try