For me I was a 2d artist looking for a non human human model to work from, to replace my little wooden manakin.  I found Poser 2 on a magazine cover and thought it would be perfect.  Sadly I was rubbish with it and lost interest for a while, then a while later a new version came out and I had another go and was much better with it.

Then I got hooked trying to get my image as close to what I wanted as possible before using it as a reference for my 2d work.  Then I got hooked into wanting to make clothing and items and all sorts which pretty much took over from the 2d work :)

Thats about it really :)

John

A desire to make my own 3D fantasy Porn!
DPH

^ Lol, very honest man. I use Vue extensively, I wanted to add characters to my Vue scenes and I didn't want to spend months modeling from scratch. Poser was the logical choice. Then I got into making scenes purely in Poser. Ryan Bliss' amazing images on digitalblasphemy.com were my inspiration getting started with 3d art.

I got my first modern computer and I bought Ray Dream Studio (what is now know as Carrera) and I'm like this is cool!. I found out about Poser 3 and though my needs have evolved, I've been hooked ever since.

My only real artistic interest for most of my life has been music, and I turned into a Posernut more or less by accident. I wasn't planning on ever telling this story to anyone here, but since you asked, here it is.
Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin, at the beginning...

Four years ago I went through a really low period following a break up with the one I had expected to be with forever, and, in connection with this, the death of another close friend in a motorbike accident. (Julie... I put a remembrance pic to her in my gallery). After all this, I became a bit of a recluse outside work, and took refuge in Second Life, where I met loads of dorks but also some incredibly friendly and compassionate people who pulled me through my depression and put me back on track.

Anyway, I spent a lot of time shopping, or going on adventures, or sailing (a RL passion), or just hanging out with my new friends, mostly girls. Yes, I do know that at least half of them were male IRL, but some of them made pretty convincing SL girls anyway - with only an occasional slip - so it really didn't matter!

Our little group had an ongoing challenge to make and upload the funniest (or sexiest) avatar animations, often with accompanying sounds. I started out using Avimator, but soon switched to Poser to try for smoother, more lifelike animations. I still had no idea what Poser was really capable of, or about the 3D community in general.

But one day I was browsing some SL community pictures on Flickr when I stumbled across a Poser render by Rnofsky (Arno), and was completely blown away by it. (I can't remember which one it was, and he's deleted nearly everything from his gallery now). I followed the link to his gallery here at Rendo, had a good look around the site, and was hooked!

Nowadays I use my SL home as little more than an open 3D gallery for my pictures. Some of the pictures I have done, though simplistic, have really helped me to exorcise the ghosts of the story I have touched on here.

But you needn't say it - I'm quite happy in the knowledge of just what a nutcase I am!

Quote - My only real artistic interest for most of my life has been music, and I turned into a Posernut more or less by accident. I wasn't planning on ever telling this story to anyone here, but since you asked, here it is.
Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin, at the beginning...

Four years ago I went through a really low period following a break up with the one I had expected to be with forever, and, in connection with this, the death of another close friend in a motorbike accident. (Julie... I put a remembrance pic to her in my gallery). After all this, I became a bit of a recluse outside work, and took refuge in Second Life, where I met loads of dorks but also some incredibly friendly and compassionate people who pulled me through my depression and put me back on track.

Anyway, I spent a lot of time shopping, or going on adventures, or sailing (a RL passion), or just hanging out with my new friends, mostly girls. Yes, I do know that at least half of them were male IRL, but some of them made pretty convincing SL girls anyway - with only an occasional slip - so it really didn't matter!

Our little group had an ongoing challenge to make and upload the funniest (or sexiest) avatar animations, often with accompanying sounds. I started out using Avimator, but soon switched to Poser to try for smoother, more lifelike animations. I still had no idea what Poser was really capable of, or about the 3D community in general.

But one day I was browsing some SL community pictures on Flickr when I stumbled across a Poser render by Rnofsky (Arno), and was completely blown away by it. (I can't remember which one it was, and he's deleted nearly everything from his gallery now). I followed the link to his gallery here at Rendo, had a good look around the site, and was hooked!

Nowadays I use my SL home as little more than an open 3D gallery for my pictures. Some of the pictures I have done, though simplistic, have really helped me to exorcise the ghosts of the story I have touched on here.

But you needn't say it - I'm quite happy in the knowledge of just what a nutcase I am!

Thanks for sharing man, I'm glad you got to a positive place :)  Art has always been a way of expersing my feelings when words fail me (and they do often).  I get depressed myself on and off, for varying reasons all stemming from when I was a boy, I know for sure that a good creative session or three will help bring me out of it.

John.

Well, I found Vue 2 first. I was looking around on the web one day and saw (what I thought at the time) were the most awesome landscapes. If I remember correctly, I had landed on Guitta's page and all her beautiful images filled with flowers :o). I had already had a friend who used Bryce and had seen images, but not like this, and I was immediately curious. I bought Vue 2 and the rest is history....

Poser came a little later when I felt I needed people for my renders. Vue was my main focus for a long time (up to version 4), until Poser kinda took over because I found out I could actually DO things in it that I could share with others :o). I've been there ever since.

Laurie

Found it out of curiousity some years ago, put it aside, then picked it back up again.  Now it is more of an amusing hobby which keeps my mind active and exploring.

What initially got me started was that my son wanted to do an animated comic, but neither of us had the drawing skills at the time to make the kind of characters we wanted. So, I got us a copy of Poser (version 2) and we played around with it. The comic never got off the ground, but I was fascinated with the animation tools in it.

A few years later, I decided I wanted to try to make some images with characters in it, instead of the mostly mechanical things I was making with other software. I remember Poser, and was able to find my Poser 2 disks, and I got it upgraded to version 4.

I've been making silly pictures and upgrading it ever since.
 

Attached Link: Read the whole Comix here

Did you have that prepared or did ya just make it :)

John

What got you into using Poser?

A 386SX computer with nothing installed on it, a Poser 1 ad in a catalog and curiosity.

Back around 95, i was working as a production artist for a company making sports collectibles. I had gotten the job by reference of a friend of mine who, like me, was an airbrush illustrator, but who had quite a few years experience and some connections. I used to go to that friend's house on occasion, sort of getting mentored in a lot of stuff that would be more important later than I would realize at the time. He had a Mac and I was fascinated. I had very little computer experience at that point, mostly just coming from writing and some really simple layout crap done on really shoddy computers at my local college library. His stuff was top of the line for its day and on it he had a very early build of Ray Dream and Poser 1, as well as some really old (now) versions of Photoshop and Freehand (like anyone remembers that one these days!!!!). So... I would hang out at his place having beers, playing music with him and eventually messing around on his Mac, making sure I got plenty of time to tinker with Ray Dream and Poser. I became obsessed. He helped me get the job I mentioned, and when I found out they had Infini-D, Ray Dream and Poser on site, I was determined to get in there. I got the job and immediately asked if they cared for me to use the office computers off the clock, after hours to beef up my skills with the programs they had. It was ok'ed and so I would go to work from 7am to 5pm then stay there until around 9 or 10 pm most nights, reading their manuals and testing myself on the software in every way I could come up, mostly just recreating the drills I would put myself through on general art and anatomy that were so important to working in comic books, something I still did. Life was really hectic and I think my sleep schedule was mostly four hour nights. Eventually it took it's toll and I lost that job, but I learned an insane amount at a time that was early enough in 3D to have had a lifelong effect. I was ridiculously over extended, but I'm glad I did it. After that job, I started finding freelance work, then went back to helping some friends run thier airbrush business full time, but now I had some skills that allowed me to bring computer graphics into thier business and with it, 3D. At the same time, I managed to pick up a client for a web development (we're talking 1996 here... PRIMITIVE is an understatement!!!!) who agreed to let me do thier graphic work in exchange for one of thier computers. Saving up at the time wasn't an option because I had barely enough to pay the bills, but this was a real break. After that, I managed to wrangle another freelance client into transferring an old seat of 3D Studio to me-- my first "high end" software was in hand, then I bought Poser 2 and never looked back. I had always liked the promise of a fast, simple solution for character animation and rendering. Poser was that and as I would find out over time, a whole lot more.

Frankly, I think I've jumbled some things up and definitely left some out, but that's the gist of it. Memory is funny like that, even when you're talking about something that has played such a huge role in my life as Poser. -Les

I wanted to make a 3D virtual version of my favourite celebrity, and create 2D art featuring that person ( just for my own enjoyment ).  Poser seemed to be the best choice for the job.

I started with Poser Artist back in the day.  I upgraded to Poser 6 when they launched it.  Now using Poser 7 and Pro.

For me...I was looking for a webset to put on a website/inviation to my son's 2nd birthday party, and I happened upon Moyra's Web Jewels (now gone).  The Moyra from DAZ's platinum club ;)   Anyway, I saw some really cool sets, and noticed that she used Bryce to create this really gorgeous forest fairy set, and there was a link on her site to Renderosity.  So, I bit, joined, saw how much everything cost....and downloaded terragen :lol:  Since it was free, and I was pretty broke.  But, after saving up, I finally got Bryce and Poser 4...and then got a job and forgot about everything...and didn't really get back to it for about a year. 

I've always been an artist of one kind or another.  My specialty was always non-traditional media (many of my works are actually crayon on canvas, and yes I prefer Crayola to RoseArt), but I didn't have the room to really create in our dinky apartment, so computer art just fit right in such a small place.  Even now that I can create in other media (I create soap pieces for weddings and baby showers, along with clothes for friends), I still use it, because it's what I know and love :)

being unable to make humans for my scenes.

...tho I still can't find the outfits I want 9 years later!

I am not even able to draw a circle with a pencil. My father was a great painter, mostly of nature subjects (birds, landscapes and so on), but I have not received his gift.

I prefer words: I am always been a writer. I have written a lot of science-fiction novels and short stories (in Italian language of course) and I have even won a couple of literary contests.

In 2005 I have started a series of novels about a modern young girl who suddenly discovers to be able to pass through walls and solid matter, and decides to use her new powers like a "real" super-heroine. I wanted something to help me visualize certain scenes of the novels, and to give some flesh to the characters. But, as I said, drawing in the classic way was out of reach for me, so a friend suggested to try Poser. And the rest is history.

(but I am still a writer in my heart. The collection of my Phantomgirl stories has been published on Amazon, and I am very proud of them!   )

Giorgio

I wanted (still wants :) ) to be a comic book artist. My pencilling is not as tight required, but I still wanted to do comics. I saw POSER as a way seeing what my sketches and designs would look like with a decent bodyform.

Been hooked since Poser 1.
Still got my 3x3.5 floppies!

Astrobooty!!

For me like a lot of people I started with pot and clove cigarettes.  From there it was a downward spiral; cocaine, crack, LSD, heroin, catnip and finally rock bottom with Poser.

Hi my name’s Chris and I’m a Poser addict.

:blink: 

I stumbled upon a picture of Daio's pdragons and followed it to Poser Pros.. I am a purple fanatic and it sucked me right in.  So blame Daio!

:-) Sarah

Quote - For me like a lot of people I started with pot and clove cigarettes.  From there it was a downward spiral; cocaine, crack, LSD, heroin, catnip and finally rock bottom with Poser.

 

Hi my name’s Chris and I’m a Poser addict.

LOL...I can identify somewhat ;O).

Laurie

There was a poser artist who used to have a gallery here (her name started with an N) that I knew from a game forum.  From time to time she'd share her favorite images or some of the work she did.  So after a long time of muddling it over, I  had an opportunity to buy poser and I did so.  

Never really got good at it though.  ;)

Bryce 4 and needing people for my scenery. Who knew Poser would overshadow Bryce!

a friend sent me a render of a fairie she did in poser and along with it a gift of poser 6 after seeing what was possible i was hooked  on poser  now working with P7 and look foward to version 8

Started with poser 2 from "fractal design' "wanted to do  3Danimated movies.

Cheers

I happened across this render and wondered "what's this about?":

digitalbabes.jp/gallery/Lori.html

I saw some pinups by a girl here I think was called Catheryn something or other. They blew me away. Not what this site calls pinups now (NVITWS warriors) but really eyecandy stuff.

well, there's no need to feel like a hoser: everybody loves using poser

I'm a web developer and I was doing a site for someone whose business is a radically different form of 3D: AutoCAD drafting. That gave me an idea that I thought would be a nice option for my web work, and perhaps some enjoyment on the side.

I was just getting back into art after 15 years of playing music, a little off ramp in my life.
Was playing around in Photoshop and one of the sites I was learning from said something about a program called Poser. I looked at the company website, viewed some forums...and immeadiately saw the potential that was there, ie; creating stuff for these models.

So I bought Poser and then dived head first into modeling. Rebekah from Sixus was kind enough to help the nOOb. I am heavy into Games, SciFi and a big fan of Frank Frazetta.

For me, art is a drug that soothes the savage beast within.

 I also started with Bryce 1991, needed people, started using Poser off an on...was not that impressed with it, then went over to Vue, Poser then became interesting.....well the rest is history.  Sharen

Well, it was either the free woman, no clothes, free sword, and free temple, or maybe the chance to get laughed at by 'professional' 3d artists...;)

Honestly, Bryce landscapes are a little lonely with no one in them...;)

I was in a MS Outlook Express NewsGroup that had the Late ,Great, Don Tatro as a member.
Don got me hooked on  Bryce and then Poser just seemed to follow.
Poser eventually took over.

I've always been interested in creating art, however, my talent elludes me. I still draw stick figures that look like 1st grade work.

A very long time ago, in a land far away, I bought my first computer and downloaded Deluxe Paint ... and then Paint Shop Pro .. probably version .0 something..it was shareware and pretty much just starting out. Neither of those apps helped me at all.

Then one day, I came upon Poser ..must have been on the WWW .. it was quite some time ago, just after I found Vista Pro 1, which I bought. So landscaping was coming along and I could put out an image with no drawing skills, then bought Poser 1 to see if I could maybe do some humans. It was pretty futile for me, but I stuck with it and we now have instant artist, which I love. I can now create images of some of the thoughts in my head with a somewhat decent appearance. Great art  ?  never...but it fulfills my need to express my inner thoughts in an artistic way. As a side, some of you may even enjoy looking at some of my work, which is a huge bonus and makes me feel good :)

Started with Poser 1 and Ray Dream, still have the CD's....lol

It was 2003 and I was out of work (for almost a year)... I needed something to keep me occupied and I hadn't done any freehand drawing in years.  I saw a (semi pornographic) superhero comic on the net that had been made using Poser.  I figured that I could do that, too, so I forked out the money for Poser 4 and I've been paying through the nose ever since.  This is the most expensive hobby that I've ever had.

A couple of years ago I was offered a freelance job doing gay Poser porn.  My hubby, John, got a kick out of that...all he wanted to know was how much it paid.  That's the closest I've come to actually doing this stuff for money. :heh:

The title of the thread is "What got you into Poser"

Well I was sitting there one day, and somebody doubled clicked on a icon I had made of myself, and boom I found myself in Poser. Not that I mind using these old tired eyes to gaze upon a naked Vicki when she shows up. But damn-it stop adding that sword and parenting it to her right hand. She runs faster then my old fart legs are capable of and I am afraid for my life. Please, please could somebody add a temple with some good hiding spots for me to use or get me the heck out of here.

Seriously, work with a friend and help illustrate their fiction. He wanted to step it up a bit so we got some plugins (Akis or some name close to that) for PS to add color to our black and white illustrations. They looked to comic book like for the intended purpose and the time to do one drawing was way to long and took to much effort in my opinion. Not that we don't still go that route when they fit the project. But stumbled on the forums here looking for some PS advise and went hmm, what is this forum with the high post count about. The rest as the warn out saying goes is history and so is my bank account. I have become a poser addict as a result like a lot of people here.