First of all, the issue of hyperrealism or photorealism is a red herring. I don't think anyone suggested that the Poser figures are inferior because they don't render looking like photos of real people.

What I did say was that I wanted them to look human. Relatively well proportioned, with bends that appeared reasonable, and bones and muscle structure that matches what you'd expect on the real thing. I ain't asking for the world.

Which brings me to this...

Quote - So you have to give them exact presets they can use and build upon. Like dialing "The Girl" or "Aiko" for toon/manga styles, they need various realistic characters that let them achieve true realism with a single dial spin.

As I said, a modern Poser figure can be anything you want, provided the mesh topology is properly constructed.

But you can't just throw out a semi toon/ semi realistic vaguely humanoid shaped lump of polygons, call it a "blank canvas" and expect your average hobbyist user to turn it into something extraordinary.

 

Yes. This.

I don't expect to be able to get what I want with "a single dial spin" and I doubt most users do either. But I don't want to have to learn to use a modelling program to make morphs either.

I may spend days fiddling with a character and deciding on which of the several thousand morphs I have that I will combine in unique ways with it. What I will not do is spend weeks or months painstakingly morphing that character. I know my limits and they can be measured in hours.

I don't see why I should have to defend this position, especially when my particular brand of incompetence is exactly why this marketplace exists in the first bloody place. :D

---

PoserPro 2014, PS CS5.5 Ext, Nikon D300. Win 8, i7-4770 @ 3.4 GHz, AMD Radeon 8570, 12 GB RAM.