@ SamTherapy :thumbupboth:

Now for a general comment:

Since I use DS, Carrara, Hexagon, and oh... Poser, I hope the new leadership at DAZ doesn't go off in some odd direction that doesn't work for me, and the entire community at large. Oddly enough, and obviously quite the opposite of many here, I consider DAZ Studio and DAZ3D to be a part of the Poser "community". Even Carrara is a part of that community, but it's legacy is a bit broader, so the use of Poser content is really just a subset of its toolset.

There is one constant in the computer software/hardware world ..... change. Usually, this never ending change is for the better, sometimes not. Change almost always involves a certain degree of "pain" for all those involved, regardless of it being good or bad. Change is also associated with a high degree of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt). DS4 and Genisis are a huge change in the "Poser Community", which has caused an extremely elevated FUD factor The FUD factor is made even worse since Poser does not use the Genesis figure as well as DS. The desire to have CC subdivision and weight mapping in Poser has been discussed at length in this forum over the years. These discussions have always been in the context of what Poser needs to do to provide the tools that the pro software packages have, and to move Poser forward. So, now Poser finally has weight mapping, and DS has weight mapping and CC subdivision. Will Poser implement CC subd, or an equivalent technology, or will this be a true dividing point for the community? Only time will tell. All we really know right now is that DAZ3D, or rather Digital Art Zone, is changing. Only time will tell if this change will be good or bad for the Poser Community, and more specifically for Poser users.

Regardless of whether you like DS, hate DS, or are neutral on the subject, we can all thank Curious Labs and their draconian attempts at increasing revenue through the very restrictive EULA policies they implemented (or tried to implement) many years ago. The birth of DS was in direct response to the EULA that came out with one of the new releases of Poser (P5???). As I remember (slept since then) the EULA had terms that basically required any 3rd party content providers to acquire licensing from Curious Labs to use the content in the new version of Poser. There was a pretty big public outcry over the EULA, because DAZ figures/content, and other content that people already had, could not be "legally" used in the new Poser until it was licensed through Curious Labs. The EULA was changed within a few months, but Curious Labs clearly showed DAZ how delicate their business model was. Without affordable software to consume their content, they didn't have a business! Within a few months (again, going on a less than clear memory regarding the time span), DAZ announced that they would be creating software that could host and render their content (and Poser content), that would be “free”.

Soooo, it's rather ironic that the early success of DAZ3D (and Zygote) was from the symbiotic relationship between DAZ3D and Poser created by sales of their content for use in Poser, and no doubt this relationship increased Poser sales. Then, the attempt by Curious Labs to control the content market resulted in an alternate "Poser like" software, that over the years may have reduced the potential number of Poser sales. Now, the company that originally had a symbiotic relationship with Poser, is actually in the driver’s seat with the development of a new figure that Poser doesn’t currently have the technology to fully support.

I truly hope that Genesis, and the continued development of DS doesn't split the Poser community, and the Poser market. At the same time, I can see why DAZ, opps... Digital Art Zone, would want to move their product line forward with improved figures and technology, and not rely on another company to dictate what technology they can and can't use in their content.

Bottom line - Things are changing, with both Poser/Smith Micro and DAZ Studio/Digital Art Zone. No one really knows what the outcome will be, but it's sure to be an interesting ride. Hopefully the changes and "competition" will ultimately create better products for us to use.

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