When developing Poser 8, we recognized early on that there would be challenges ahead, not just in terms of feature development, but also for our Poser Pro users. We spent a lot of time deliberating how best to improve Poser 8, and in doing so, we knew that we would also be building a better core for the next Poser Pro. But the big question remained “where does that leave today’s Poser Pro users?”

We have an answer:
If you are a Poser Pro customer, and you buy a copy of Poser 8, you’ll own two licenses and two unique serial numbers; one for Poser Pro and one for Poser 8. Any user with those two valid serial numbers will be extended an invitation to join our Poser Pro 2010 beta program as soon as it’s publicly available. Plus, the price you paid for Poser 8 will be applied to your upgrade to final version of Poser Pro 2010 once it is released.

Here are some points to consider:
Poser Pro 2010 will be based on a core of Poser 8 functionality which includes indirect lighting, physically correct lights, new Poser 8 rigging system, dependant parameters, wxPython support, the new library and Poser 8 UI, with the new Poser 8 hardware enhancements throughout.

In addition to the Poser 8 core feature set, Poser Pro 2010 beta version will also include the Pro application’s background rendering, network rendering, and 32 bit/64 bit rendering. The final version of Poser Pro 2010 features will be announced in advance of its public availability.

Here are the benefits of becoming a Poser Pro 2010 beta user:

• Work with Poser 8’s new features today and use the updated core application features of Poser Pro 2010 beta.
• Deduct your purchase price of Poser 8 from your upgrade to the final release version of Poser Pro 2010.

A few last details about this program:

• As a Poser Pro user you will qualify for any offered upgrade pricing to Poser 8.
• The Poser Pro 2010 beta will be open in fall 2009
• Poser Pro 2010 is tentatively slated release in the first quarter of 2010
• Pricing for Poser Pro 2010 is not yet determined, but with your Poser 8 serial number, you will qualify for a minimum discount of $129.99 (the Poser 8 upgrade list price) off your Poser Pro 2010 upgrade price. 

I'll be able to check back in later today, but for now it's time to prep for press meetings throughout the day.

Steve Cooper
Poser Product Manager

Thank you for this post its very informative for me as PoserPro user. :thumbupboth:

Mazak

Very very good news! :)

Thank you, both for the explanation and for your recognition of customer loyalty. All very sweet, and I'll be placing my order this evening.

There is an obvious question about Gamma Correction in Poser Pro. It's not mentioned anywhere in the above post or in all the Poser Pro to Poser 8 upgrade blurb, as far as I can see. That was the main reason I bought Poser Pro.

So I'm wondering if Poser 8 Tone Mapping and Exposure is already destined to completely replace Poser Pro Gamma Correction - I certainly hope not.

But I for one am quite prepared to wait for answers to these questions. It doesn't change what I'll be doing this evening when I get home - though someone else might have different ideas about that!

IsaoShi, both gamma correction and tone mapping will be available in Poser Pro 2010.

stewer, I love you. No, really... it might not last until Wednesday, but right now I really do.

AWESOME!!! lol :D

Terrific news! :)

This is fair. Will upgrade, mostly to get GI.

Stewar or Steve:

1. Does Poser8 support rendering out to OpenEXR format? (and will PP2010?)

2. Do the new figures come with low-poly versions that still retain the advantages of the new rigging?

3. Since it is early days, is the feature set for PoserPro2010 still fluid and can we petition to influence it as PoserPro owners and beta testers?

Thanks,

::::: Opera :::::

Thank you very much for the informative post.  I've gone ahead and purchased the Poser 8 upgrade.  It sounds like Smith Micro is giving serious consideration to the Poser Pro community, at least it sure looks like a good start. 

Excellent.

Just have the P8 upgrade offer last more than a week, please? Some little snot snagged my credit card data and spent $600+ on some gaming site. New card in 7-10 days.

But this is definitely worth the time to beta...and I should have my renderfarm back up by the time it happens... :D

That's very informative and good to know.  I wouldn't have learned about this at all, but another regular posted about it in alt.binaries.3d.poser.   Wonder why I didn't get the same email as other Poser Pro owners did.

One major issue:  Will Poser Pro 2010 core program be native 64 bit?

Thanks.

McG.

This seems like a sincere effort to accommodate Poser Pro users, not just a feeble gesture. We all appreciate this offer. It is very attractive, and I may side-grade. The content alone sounds worth the investment.

Having two different Poser programs with very different core capabilities will be a strain on the market. Content developers are always worried about backward compatibility. Now they must consider sideways compatibility. Using some of the enhancements of Poser 8 will make products that do not work in Poser Pro, and may mean less sales until some future time. I am sure that content providers need profit now.

One of the big advantages of Poser Pro for professional graphics artists and animators is the huge amount of content available at much lower prices than those available for higher-end applications. With Poser Pro, much of this was available as an export to several popular high-end programs. Now the development of new content may be slowed or may not work in Poser Pro because of the difference between the two cores.

A similar problem looms for those inclined to write Python scripts and plug-ins. The new capabilities will not work in Poser Pro for ½ year or more.

I do not envy team Poser as they embark on this adventure of developing two product lines in a staggered fassion. It is in SM’s best interest to move aggressively ahead with Poser Pro 2010.

Well, I have poser 6, but I bought Pro in version 4. Which # do i enter while buying? I would like to go poserpro 2010

Poser Pro 2010 isn't even in beta yet.  If you want to upgrade, you'll have to upgrade to P8.

Quote - Well, I have poser 6, but I bought Pro in version 4. Which # do i enter while buying? I would like to go poserpro 2010

Poser Pro Pack was an add-on for Poser 4 and is unrelated to Poser Pro or Poser Pro 2010.  If you do not own the current version of Poser Pro released in 2008, then you do not qualify for this offer for the Poser Pro 2010 beta.  You will need to own both the Poser Pro currently available and Poser 8.  

I entered the pro pack # (now I know the difference, thank you) and it still gave me the discounted price for upgrading. Should i use it, or enter the p6 #. Or, does it not make a difference?

It doesn't matter which serial you use, they're both eligible for the upgrade.

wow, 30kb/sec says 14hrs to download. ouch

Try doing this since this morning.
I had 75% and it crashed.
I restarted.
I had 58% and it crashed.
Right now I'm at 2% and really not happy at all.

Quote - Here are the benefits of becoming a Poser Pro 2010 beta user:

• Work with Poser 8’s new features today and use the updated core application features of Poser Pro 2010 beta.
• Deduct your purchase price of Poser 8 from your upgrade to the final release version of Poser Pro 2010.

A few last details about this program:

• As a Poser Pro user you will qualify for any offered upgrade pricing to Poser 8.
• The Poser Pro 2010 beta will be open in fall 2009
• Poser Pro 2010 is tentatively slated release in the first quarter of 2010
• Pricing for Poser Pro 2010 is not yet determined, but with your Poser 8 serial number, you will qualify for a minimum discount of $129.99 (the Poser 8 upgrade list price) off your Poser Pro 2010 upgrade price. 

I'll be able to check back in later today, but for now it's time to prep for press meetings throughout the day.

Steve Cooper
Poser Product Manager

 

You're saying that if a Poser Pro owner buys P8 and doesn't join the beta program, that user will not be eligible for the $129 off, but will get a lesser discount? There will actually be no benefit (money wise) for buying P8 at all in that case? Am I correct in assuming that?

From the official email I gather that......

1. PERMISSION TO JOIN THE POSER PRO 2010 BETA PROGRAM
2. A BIG DISCOUNT OFF THE UPGRADE PRICE FOR POSER PRO 2010

.....are two separate things. You get a big discount AND you can join the beta program. You can have either, no need to join the beta program to get the big discount. From your statements I gather that there is no big discount without joining the beta program...... The email and your statement seem to conflict, can you please help me out?

Am I the only one who thinks the upgrade pricing/policy is messed up?

Poser 4 -> poser 8       $129
Poser 5 -> poser 8       $129
Poser 6 -> poser 8       $129
Poser 7 -> poser 8       $129
Poser Pro -> poser 8   $129

I've been using poser since 4, have upgraded 3 times and purchased full retail twice (since sales had the retail cheaper than the upgrade - smooth marketing).

After all that money and continued disappointment on features and stability I still have to pay full upgrade cost to "backgrade" to a non-pro track with the promise that the cost will be deducted when I move back over to the pro track that comes later?  That's cold.

Pro was pretty disappointing (on my monster 8 core mac pro, at least).  The rendering engine speed increase between p7 and pp was anemic.  The only feature I wanted was a rendering engine that would actually use the hardware in my single machine.  It would have been nice if it would use the other cores scattered around the house but it doesn't even take advantage of the 8 in the machine.  Content?  I buy or make content.  I wouldn't care if posert came with NO content.

I dunno, for me the pro line was a waste.  Especially the way they're treated as two different programs instead of feature sets of the same program.

Talk about non-professional...

Sorry, just venting.  I get so sick of all the software companies begging every few quarters for yet another upgrade, this time with some of the features you wanted 4 years ago, and some of the 8 year old bugs fixed.  And hey, it now supports state of the art technology from 5 years ago.  I no sooner buy Carrara 7 Pro when they come back with their hand out for Carrara 8.  Vue Infinite hasn't even begun to enter into my hobbiest workflow when the next version comes knocking for money.  My favorite is the "maintenance" scam.  Sorry, once I stopped using Microsoft products, I promised myself I'd never grab my ankles for another software company.

Poser 8: what poser 6 should have been.  I suppose, given the fact that every few years, poser is owned by a different company this is to be expected.  Brutal on whatever is left of the development team.  And at least they finally did fix the GUI.  8 years after everyone noticed it sucked.  Maybe that's what the "8" means?  Because if they didn't, Daz Studio Pro would have put the final nail in the coffin.  Of course, my DS pro costs less than the "upgrade" from Poser Pro to Poser 8.

Sigh.  I'm so glad I got out of that industry and back into real engineering where what we design and build doesn't suck and doesn't take nearly so long.  We'd be sued if it did.

PS: am I the only one who finds the term "pro" tired?  Yo, marketing guys.  Would you at least pretend to work?

I mean, My mac is "pro", my DS is "pro", my Poser is "pro".  Sounds like weak bragging.  "Sure I'm a professional.  how could i not be; everything I use has the work 'pro' in it."

Quote -   I no sooner buy Carrara 7 Pro when they come back with their hand out for Carrara 8. 

Where? That's in early beta last I heard. I'm always in the DAZ forums and not a peep. I heard it was projected for release early next year.

Also, SM has only owned Poser for a short period, as you know, so don't blame them for the past.

Some folks would complain if they were hung with new rope.

Quote - If you are a Poser Pro customer, and you buy a copy of Poser 8, you’ll own two licenses and two unique serial numbers; one for Poser Pro and one for Poser 8. Any user with those two valid serial numbers will be extended an invitation to join our Poser Pro 2010 beta program as soon as it’s publicly available. Plus, the price you paid for Poser 8 will be applied to your upgrade to final version of Poser Pro 2010 once it is released.In addition to the Poser 8 core feature set, Poser Pro 2010 beta version will also include the Pro application’s background rendering, network rendering, and 32 bit/64 bit rendering.

I have two 64bit Vista machines with Poser Pro licenses and I would like to be part of the Poser Pro 2010 beta testing.  I have peculiar Poser usage habits that might help fill in beta testing gaps - I mostly tend toward animation, I use a lot of complex material node assemblies (to animate water ripples, etc), and I use several third party plug-ins and Python script utilities.
     I will likely convert both the 64bit machines -and my single 32bit Vista machine- to Windows 7 come fall.

     I have already bought three Poser 8 licenses for my 32bit machines.
     For the 64bit boxes, I want to retain 64bit rendering, so I don't want to replace Poser Pro with Poser 8, but if it is feasible to install Poser 8 alongside Pro, that would be fine.  If two parallel installations (P8 & Pro simultaneously) won't work, then I would want to keep Pro installed until the Pro 2010 beta is ready.

I've been runiing PoserPro and P8 alongside each other with no problems, you should be fine.

Everybody who has Poser Pro has three choices.

Ignore Poser 8 and Poser Pro 2010 - don't upgrade.

Ignore Poser 8, upgrade to Poser Pro 2010 later for $X.

Buy Poser 8 for $130, then later buy Poser Pro 2010 for $X - 130 = $X.

In other words, you can upgrade to Poser Pro 2010 later for $X, or you have Poser 8 now and Poser Pro 2010 later for $X - same price either way. I don't get why this is not a good deal.

If you think that paying for each upgrade over all the years is not a good option, don't do it, right? Personally, I usually do every other version of software, not every version.

Quote - I've been runiing PoserPro and P8 alongside each other with no problems, you should be fine.

How should I do this?  Do I simply run the installer and let it install P8 in its default location;  would that give me a Poser 8 folder beside the Poser Pro folder in the Smith Micro folder?  Or should I browse/create a custom P8 folder when I install?

Well, if I'm going to buy two more P8 licenses (for the 64bit Poser Pro machines), I may as well get the physical boxes, so that I'll get a couple of manuals.  I love an actual paper book manual. ^o^

Argh!  Both the P8 content zip and the legacy content zip give me an "unknown format or damaged" error.  The program installer archive unzipped successfully.

I don't think the boxed version comes with printed manuals. Could be wrong.

Quote - I don't think the boxed version comes with printed manuals. Could be wrong.

Oh, OK,  I'll look for a reference on the web page as to whether it does or doesn't.  If it doesn't, I'll just add two d/l licenses since I already have the installer downloaded.

     I restarted d/l for the content zips.  If that gets me an intact zip, I'll just put the installer and content on a flash drive -along with a list of serials- and then install to each machine.
     I think the pokey d/l speeds exacerbate the risk of a corrupt zip - that may have been the problem.

Just let the installer install P8 where it wants, that will be under SmithMicro/Poser8...so it will be right next to PoserPro (under the same SmithMicro folder, okay?)
Then open P8 and add a runtime (folder icon to the top right) and point towards PoserPro folder.

So now you can run Poser 8 and access all of your other content from PoserPro or whatever other Runtimes you've added. And you can also run PoserPro seperately as a stand alone without P8. I've been popping in and out of both programs during the whole beta testing process and haven't had any problems.

If you do have some issues they mostly come from not updating your video drivers, but I personally have not had any problems to date.

Hope this helps!

Quote - Then open P8 and add a runtime (folder icon to the top right) and point towards PoserPro folder.

That hadn't occurred to me, though it's embarrassingly obvious. =0   Thank you for the help. :D

Quote - So now you can run Poser 8 and access all of your other content from PoserPro or whatever other Runtimes you've added. And you can also run PoserPro seperately as a stand alone without P8.

That's precisely what I want to do.  I will try to render complex scenes in P8, since the new GI will give superior results, but if the 32bit memory allocation is not enough, I want to be able to fall back on Poser Pro's 64bit FireFly.

Quote - If you do have some issues they mostly come from not updating your video drivers, but I personally have not had any problems to date.

  Both Galadriel (desktop) and Pixie (notebook) have had their video drivers updated recently, but I'll run an update check again.  Pixie came with an nVidia Quadro 3600M;  I retro-fitted an nVidia Quadro FX5800 into Galadriel.  Galadriel came with dual ATI Radeon 4870x2 cards in CrossFireX;  gorgeous video, but Poser Pro would just shut off like throwing a switch when I imported certain OBJs.  Maybe my modeling was quirky -I'm just learning- but the Quadro solved the problem.  As far as I can guess, Poser Pro was calling an OpenGL routine and not finding it.

I can't think of a reason why Poser would throw a hissy fit by importing an obj file, even if it was a poorly made obj file (not saying that yours was)...unless you are importing a huge poly model. But let's just say that it's an average poly model and it has lots of n-gons...you should only have issues when you are rendering it, not just importing it.
So I would look elsewhere for your problem on importing. Maybe it does have to do with the OpenGL setting, try it without. But also keep an eye on your poly count just in case.

I'm running XP Pro x64 bit with a Nvidia 9800 gtx and can import some pretty hefty models (I just can't say no to chamfering when I model! )

Quote - Just let the installer install P8 where it wants, that will be under SmithMicro/Poser8...so it will be right next to PoserPro (under the same SmithMicro folder, okay?)

Question before I install (still downloading the verdamnt content file, thank goodness I don't need the legacy): the morph injection files that are in the Poser Pro directory and have to be there to work correctly.  I assume they have to be copied to the Poser 8 directory?

No brother, I wouldn't do that...not to begin with. Just try it first like I said, add your runtime to P8 and see if it works like that first. I have been using V4 in P8 with the added runtime and it's working fine for me.
Don't fix it until it's broken!

Alrighty, that's good, considering the amount of space they take up as is.

During the Beta testing phase I even created another new runtime under SmithMicro (DarkEdge) for my own creations so I wouldn't lose settings/info with each new beta version install and all of the morphs and settings stayed true during uninstalls and installs...both with Alyson and V4.
I mean I was really mucking around with the runtime formula and everything worked with no hiccuups. I was pleasently surprised to say the least!

Quote - In other words, you can upgrade to Poser Pro 2010 later for $X, or you have Poser 8 now and Poser Pro 2010 later for $X - same price either way. I don't get why this is not a good deal.

No doubt we'll hear from them (at length) when they've finished their equine dental inspections.

Heheheh.

Quote - I don't think the boxed version comes with printed manuals. Could be wrong.

They don't.  This has been clarified (at least 3 times) by Ratscloset ;)

I know I said this in another thread, and I'm really done thinking that everyone should really take the time to actually read things, because, that's really just optimistic pipe dreaming.

I don't understand why being charged for an UPGRADE (not a point upgrade.  Full upgrade) is such an insult to some people here.  How often do you work for free?  You expect something that's been worked on for at least a year (most likely more) by scads of people to be free for you?  I want the latest Green Day album.  I've been a huge fan since Kerplunk!  If I complained in a forum where their marketing guys happened to peruse, do you think I'd get 21st Century Breakdown handed to me?  Fat Chance!  And that's a $12 (maybe) item!!!!  
In this world, reality rears its' ugly head, and we have to pay for the things we want that cost money.  To do otherwise, 2 things have to happen.  1. It's a gift or 2. You stole it. 

You want pro software?  Maya Complete will set you back about $2k.  Lightwave $1K ($900 if you can settle for ,pdf manuals).  The reality is...you're not getting pro software.  For Pro software, you pay Pro prices.  I don't give a rip if the word "Pro" is in the title.  

However, if you want to do Pro work, then DO PRO WORK.   Don't bother with silly software titles.  I've seen amazing digital paintings come out of MS Paint.  It COMES with Windows.  You're a pro?  Act it, and quit expecting Maya to come to you priced as Poser.  It's like complaining that your Ford Focus doesn't run like a Pagani Zonda.  Neither argument makes any sense.

So, we can keep beating the hell out of a team that worked DAMN hard to bring the program to where it is now, or we can actually thank them for their work so far, and challenge them to work just as hard on the next version.  Really, it's up to everyone here.  But, remember, a lot of the whining and ungratefulness shown in this forum is most of the reason we don't see people like Cooper here as much as he used to be around.  But, seriously...if you were getting verbal jabs about how much you/your team/your company sucked, would you want to hang around?

Quote - That's very informative and good to know.  I wouldn't have learned about this at all, but another regular posted about it in alt.binaries.3d.poser.   Wonder why I didn't get the same email as other Poser Pro owners did.

One major issue:  Will Poser Pro 2010 core program be native 64 bit?

Thanks.

McG.

thinkcooper quote:
"In addition to the Poser 8 core feature set, Poser Pro 2010 beta version will also include the Pro application’s background rendering, network rendering, and 32 bit/64 bit rendering. The final version of Poser Pro 2010 features will be announced in advance of its public availability."

I believe poser 8 is a 32 bit core program so I gather Poser Pro 2010 will be too if it is based on Poser 8. The only difference in Poser Pro 2010 is the 64-bit render engine which is the same in Poser pro present. However, with the advance in the way Poser 8 uses all the cores on a multi core machine rendering should be a whole lot better, faster and more efficient. 
I am sure if I am incorrect  someone will make sure it's corrected.

You guys are so funny trading punches. Meanwhile, I'm 10 hours into the download at 59% (and thats cable).

I totally agree with JenX though. 130 for an upgrade to a full version of software is nothing big at all. The simple fact that htey let you upgrade from poser 4 to 8 for the SAME price as 7 to 8 is astounding. I went from 4 to 6 and now to 8 and saw (im sure to see) the benifits every time. If an upgrade for less than the amount of my electric bill gets me sweet new features that I'm going to use every day then it's worth it. Now upgrading my maya 7.5 to 8 for $2000, thats highway robbery. But so is the price to pay for technology. Someone has to pay for people to work to keep offering you new things. The airbags on a car, a flat screen tv, poser 7 to 8. Now I have to get back to my download... it just timed out again....... grrrr. technology is great!

Quote -
I believe poser 8 is a 32 bit core program so I gather Poser Pro 2010 will be too if it is based on Poser 8. The only difference in Poser Pro 2010 is the 64-bit render engine which is the same in Poser pro present. However, with the advance in the way Poser 8 uses all the cores on a multi core machine rendering should be a whole lot better, faster and more efficient. 
I am sure if I am incorrect  someone will make sure it's corrected.

Poser 8 core executable IS 32 bit only.  No Firefly64 either as there is with Poser Pro(7). 
I was asking for specific acknowledgment of whether Poser Pro 2010 will have a native 64 bit CORE executable.  i.e.- Poser Pro.exe in both 32 and 64 bit flavors.   This is drastically important to me for the program to use the full amount of system RAM as well as more robust memory management under 64 bit OS's.
Quite frankly, the answer to this determines whether I will even use Poser Pro 2010.  If not, I find no reason to keep Poser 8 over Poser Pro(7) either.
McG.

Good point, McGrandpa. That's definitely on my wishlist for Pro 2010, as I'm (finally) planning on upgrading to 64 bit and a ****load of RAM. With the increase in my graphics involvement over the past year or so, I just don't wanna do without the power that 64 bit enables. A 64 bit rendering engine is definitely a big help, but you don't want your setup to be lagging constantly because it can't access the RAM you've got.

Poser Pro(7) will pop error dialogs and drop textures in a hurry with some really busy scenes.  I have 8 gigs of system ram, a quadcore cpu and 64 bit OS.  It really is frustrating to hit the memory limit with a 32 bit application of this type.   I had hoped to see Poser development take the 64 bit codepath.   The silence from the dev types on this issue is deafening.   So be it.

McG.

Got another question..... will there be a Poser 2 Pro Base version also? I'm using Poser Pro Base and have no interest in the regular version, Base is enough for me.

My previous questions still haven't been answered either, I'm still confused about the sidegrade path and when you get what discount.

Quote - Got another question..... will there be a Poser 2 Pro Base version also? I'm using Poser Pro Base and have no interest in the regular version, Base is enough for me.

My previous questions still haven't been answered either, I'm still confused about the sidegrade path and when you get what discount.

Hi aeilkema!

I've never had a conversation with SM about two versions of Pro so can't help with that.

The discount is simple. I don't know the upgrade price to Pro, but whatever it is, that's what you'll pay in the end no matter what. You can just wait for Pro and pay that price, or you can pay part of it ($130) now to get Poser 8, then pay the rest to get Pro 2010.  You will pay the same price either way.

In addition, if you buy Poser 8 now and already have Poser Pro, you will be invited to participate in Pro 2010 beta. That means you'll get to use it months before it is released, and be able to influence its implementation with your feedback. Being in the Beta program is an option - it is not necessary to participate in order to get the double upgrade discount.

 Hi, I am still trying to download so haven't installed yet, but I read this from DarkEdge and I have a question:-
"Just let the installer install P8 where it wants, that will be under SmithMicro/Poser8...so it will be right next to PoserPro (under the same SmithMicro folder, okay?)
Then open P8 and add a runtime (folder icon to the top right) and point towards PoserPro folder."

My question is if I just point poser to the old runtime what will happen with my python scripts.
This is how I was thinking of installing.
I have a mac but use Ditto to merge stuff.
After installing P8 I merge my P8 runtime folder into my poser pro, to overwrite any old files with the same name, then copy that into my poser 8 to replace the P8 runtime.
Do u think this is a good idea - it seemed to work fine last time i upgraded to a new version of poser.
Love esther

OK, I have every Poser since Poser 4. I have all their Serial #s. Now I try to log into SM and order Poser 8. My Password dosen't work. I sent them my email address to get me my Password. I tried that, it doesn't work. In other words. I can't buy Poser 8. Is there a Phone Number to call, or Address to email.

As of now. I have no way to contact them and get what ever problem their is straightned out.

Do you have a CP login, Slowhands?