There is no danger (or hope) that Poser will be influenced by the cutting edge in CG development any time soon. 

Ptex sounds like a godsend, but I don't think my software supports  it. The format is recognized by Renderman, but that requires Maya--or the in-house Pixar stuff we don't get to play with. 

Download my free stuff here: http://www.renderosity.com/homepage.php?page=2&userid=323368