Is it really worth upgrading from Poser 8 to Poser Pro 2010

Depends on what you are using it for. :) I got the upgrade primarily because of the improved rendering, like gamma, and for 64 bit support.  

Depends on what you want the upgrade for?
Check SM site for the differences.

I morph a lot and I find the full body morph alone worth the upgrade.
Also, 64 bit,
and Gamma Correction.
In that order.

Stability wise, and workflow speed, the are both about the same.
Just my 2 cents for my workflow...

Kwow your tool of choice, and make the best of it.
The hardest part being; get to "Know" your tools...
I Pose from P1, and learn every day, more and more.

And I still feel like a beginner :-) first day on the job..
And then comes BB, and I feel like I was Posering like in the Middle Ages..again.
I only have 24 hrs in a day, I think he has 240 LOL.

He knows his tools.
That is the trick.

I still regret the day I bought  that magazine, with free P1 on a diskette.
Think I am doomed.

Both are nice. Both do the job.
But. .
Going from Poser 8 to PoserPro2010?
Erarse your memory about lights.
Erase your memory for Materials.
Every item you load, the Mats have to be adapted for the Gamma Correction.
Every light set you'v got, adapt or deleet it.

Yeah, the step from P8 into Gamma Correction, (worth it by the way) is huge.

I run both tools, and frequently clap in my own face for making the same mistakes over and over again.
Think I am doomed... LOL
But what a great hobby.

For me?? PoserPro2010 is worth the upgrade and the learnig curve.
But then, I am doomed :-)

...Or... you can leave GC turned OFF and enjoy all of the advantages of Pro 2010 without the nightmare that is GC!

My recommendations when users ask is this...

If you do Animations and have a Network of computers

or

If you have any of the Host Applications (Maya, Cinema 4D, Lightwave, or 3Ds Max)

or

If you have a 64 Bit Operating System

It is worth it.

If not, Poser 8 should meet your needs. Even the last one may not meet the requirement in some cases.

if ya already got poser 8, my vote would be to wait for poser 9.  they may start giving hints about the beta in march or april.  one of the advantages of pp 2010 over p8 is render GC, but:

• render gc 2.2 can be simulated with hsv exp tone mapping/gain (1.67, 1.33) in p8
• using bill's vss in poser 8, ya get the texture GCed anyway.

Also, you can gamma correct things in Photoshop or similar ap anyway. Gamma Correction is for real "Render Purists", those people who demand that the naked-bare-bones-meat of their render engine do all the art work for them. Nothing wrong with that, mind you. Just keep in mind that Photoshop can correct colors in a few seconds compared to waiting for Poser's render engine to do it.

Quote - Also, you can gamma correct things in Photoshop or similar ap anyway. Gamma Correction is for real "Render Purists", those people who demand that the naked-bare-bones-meat of their render engine do all the art work for them. Nothing wrong with that, mind you. Just keep in mind that Photoshop can correct colors in a few seconds compared to waiting for Poser's render engine to do it.

Gamma correction in post doesn't work nearly as well (for me) as in render. And it doesn't add any time to rendering (unlike IDL.) The problem with doing it in postwork is that you lose details in the shadows if you render without it, and no amount of post-work will recover them. I've found that, since I started using GC, I can spend a lot less time futzing with lighting. 90% of my outdoor renders use a single IBL and a single infinite light.