Was buying a used computer and the guy let me take it home to play with it before committing.
It had Bryce 2 on it and I played with that endlessly...I never bought that computer but got a new one instead

Immediately went out and got Bryce (now at version 3)...got plugged into the alt.binaries.3d.bryce newsgroup and started seeing renders with "People" in them.

But to be honest...it was Martin Murphy's "Autumn Flirts with Winter" image that hooked me.
See Link http://www.artsforge.com/martin/murphy.html

...Ran out and got Poser 3.

The rest is history.

“The fact that no one understands you…Doesn’t make you an artist.”