I use Poser/D|S along with ZBrush and Softimage. When a new base mesh comes out (these days I prefer V6) I import it into Softimage, set it up with proper shaders for skin, eyes, hair etc and then save it in Softimage native file format. Then when I need a character for a project, I dial it up in D|S/Poser, Pose it, clothe it, add hair and export to OBJ. This whole thing then gets imported into Softimage, where I transfer the character as an FBM to the base i've prepared. Anything I don't have a base for, I use as-is with shader/texture tweaks as needed. Any premade props/environments I need are treated the same way. Custom content I need and fine tuning the pose/cloth/hair is done in ZBrush. The whole thing is then rendered in Softimage or lux..

I dunno how some Poser users are able to stomache Firefly, but personally it makes my fingers hurt and my eyes bleed, which is why I rarely do any renders in it these days.