Hey Peng, you old Tux lover - what's your take on Win 7? I've just started using RealBasic so I may have to install Ubuntu to see if I can get an app running on it.

"The calls to the engine are close enough though so that you can actually use D|S with a stock 3Delight render engine."  Yeah, someone has an app for DS that supposedly will allow transparent rendering on stock 3DL, one or two of the free engines and PRMan.

The main stumbling block for Poser users is indeed the UI. It's not arcane or difficult (try ZBrush or Blender), just different to what people are used to. It's much easier to switch to a different browser, word processor or probably even an OS as Peng says than a different 3D application. Only practice will overcome that. I'd say devote a month to using DS and avoid Poser as much as possible. It takes time to overcome the hand/eye/brain habits developed over years. Even if you plan to use both programs, you need to take the time to learn DS, and it's difficult to do that in fits and spurts. Once you're comfortable with it, your old Poser skills will still be there, like knowing two languages and you can switch back and forth.

I think that many people try on or the other of the two programs for a few days or even a few hours here and there and conclude that it's too weird and go back to what they're comfortable with. It's like going back to your ex after the first awkward date with someone new. Of course in 3D, polygamy is a good thing - not to knock those in happy ploygamist relationships of another nature -:)

"Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H. L. Mencken