V4 and M4 are "somewhat" better than V3 and M3.

But their improvements come at a very high cost.
(Big overhead, more fragile, harder to modify).

Keeping the figure setup simple (and rugged) but using the latest posing technology is a far better way to enhance overall realism.

The above was done using STUDIO and ZBrush in about 30 minutes.
M3 now has better shoulders than M4 or any other figure.
And I can make him better knees, better hip joints or better ellbows as easily, too.

Heck, I can make the Poser 4 Dork bend better than M4 using STUDIO.
Or move M4 from "quite OK" to "100% PERFECT".

Right now this new technology only works to 80-90% when the figures are imported back to Poser.
But it still is way superior over what the MorphBrush can do.
(Which still is a fantastic tool by itself which I use a lot)

When I build/construct/sculpt a physical model, I'm in full control over it's appearance.
That was something Poser and Studio were painfully missing all the time.

Sorry SM, I won't "make do" with anything less.
I can organize my Runtime just fine without your help.
I need a better Poser, not a more convenient one.