"hey, Mac, I never said the interface couldn't be improved. I'm just not in favor of trashing it altogether which it seems some folks are"

I'm not really in favor of trashing Poser's UI either. Personally, I don't like it one little bit, but I realise that many people are attached to it and I can sympathise with that.

However, I do feel that the UI is becoming a big stumbling block for Poser. I'm not sure how long they can carry on with the same system and still integrate new technology. I mean, let's face it.... how many other programs do you know of which still load up a bunch of .psd files to build the UI? We're in 2009 and MS provides standardised ways of building the UI, hardly any of which Poser uses. Actually, the menu bar is really the only standard windows unit in Poser that I can think of right now. Opening times for the program are getting longer as more and more .psds have to be loaded, and it's generally beginning to creak at the seams.

But as I said, change the entire UI, and we might see a Poser Users Revolution, because people like it and are used to it. Maybe some sort of dual system might be possible, but frankly, I wouldn't bet on it. Perhaps an alternate system of rooms could be used, where users could add their own UI elements and get used to it slowly, while still having the main UI as an option.

But the really difficult part of all this is that a good percentage of the users DO want to see a major UI change. So how do you keep both camps happy, and still move forward without the whole program falling down your ears?

I don't have any answers. I'm not a programmer, but I'm just pointing out that I can see both sides of it. After using Poser for 12 years, I'm heartily sick of the interface and I'd love to try something new, if they could come up with it. At the same time, it would be a major upheaval and I'd have to get used to a whole new way of doing things.

I'd be more than willing to try, especially if it meant improved functionality and workflow, but I know that not everyone would agree with me.

mac