@millighost

yeah, I know all that. BG Color, BG Picture and BG Movie show up in the preview when connected to the Color parameter in the Background node, in various cases BG Color even shows up in preview when not connected to the Color parameter, and BG Picture can show up when connected indirectly - via intermediate nodes like color_math.

Most varieties make sense when selecting the Render over... options in the Render settings, even the other parameters in the background node become active then.

But whatever I do, the Use Background Shader Node option in the Display menu has no effect at all, nor on preview, nor on render. So I still keep longing to an answer to precisely the question I stated: what does this menu option really do? Who knows?

Note that the option does not come up in the manual, and is only mentioned vagely in the Poser 6 (7, 8) Revealed book. Also Google does not reveal more interesting references.

- - - - - 

Usually I'm wrong. But to be effective and efficient, I don't need to be correct or accurate.

visit www.aRtBeeWeb.nl (works) or Missing Manuals (tutorials & reviews) - both need an update though