Hi, 

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey for Smith Micro Software. Your feedback is important to us in how we can better improve Poser.

This survey should take approximately 15 to 20 minutes of your time. Your answers will be completely anonymous.

Any questions marked with an asterisk (*) require an answer in order to progress through the survey.

This survey will expire on Tuesday, April 14 at 11:59 PM PDT (UTC/GMT -7 hours).

Please click on the following link in order to launch the survey. Please make sure to complete the survey once you’ve clicked the link below:

http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2092024/Poser-Survey

Regards,

Poser Team

 okies, what username and password are we supposed to use?  neither my renderosity or content paradise ones work!   rofl!

This is the correct link...

http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2092024/Poser-Survey

PS, there is a typo in Question # 37... ;)

PPS I just realized I took the survey with JavaScript disabled for that site.  I hope it was recorded...

It's asking for a password? ... Ugh! Lemme see what I have to do...

hurm it looks like an extra helpful web form or something. I don't even know what it's actually linking to. Like WandW posted the correct link is http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2092024/Poser-Survey

Maybe if one of you report the thread we can get and admin in here. It's been too long for me to edit this and I can't report my own post LOL.

Survey done. No problem. :)

Survey done. No problem. :)

Yeah, I don't know about that. Some of the questions are kind of tricky. For example, asking if you use the animation tools... well,  some people may not realize they are using the animation tools when doing cloth and hair dynamics. They're probably thinking  "I don't use the Walk designer, so I don't need or use animation."

The log in screen seems to be a function of the browser you use. I got it with Opera, dug IE out of the verboten bin and it worked just fine.

I posted a reply to this thread and it has disappeared. Did a mod delete it for some reason or did the forum software automagically disappear it? I'm fast reaching the point where participating in the Rendo forums just isn't worth the bother.

WandW I did the same. Like you I  hope it took.

I posted a reply to this thread and it has disappeared. Did a mod delete it for some reason or did the forum software automagically disappear it? I'm fast reaching the point where participating in the Rendo forums just isn't worth the bother.

I've had it happen too.  Usually if you hit the back button the text is still there, and you can copy it to the clipboard, refresh the page, and try again..  Still a PITA, though... :(

I posted a reply to this thread and it has disappeared. Did a mod delete it for some reason or did the forum software automagically disappear it? I'm fast reaching the point where participating in the Rendo forums just isn't worth the bother.

I've had it happen too.  Usually if you hit the back button the text is still there, and you can copy it to the clipboard, refresh the page, and try again..  Still a PITA, though... :( ---

Nope, the flakey pasting issue means that if I copy to clipboard, refresh and then paste, I get a cursor blinking in an empty space and the sound of crickets.

Notice I had to type all this in the quoted portion of this message because my cursor is stuck in here, I can't get it to the open space after the quoted text.

I've had enough of this shit.

Yeah,
I tried.
From honest, through serious, thorugh joking, through bashing, through questioning, but these forums here are now beyond reasonable.

Rendero had such a nice thing going, and in a single year almost everything has been messed with, and nothing works any more.

it is sad actually to see this thing do down the way it does;

i was using poser for book covers and chapter illustrations.  it was easy learning curve. and james6 was a honey.

now i use it out of nostalgia.

same reason i still come to these forums, nostalgia lol

survey went fine, no issues, thanks

Fixed the original link for you. 

done!

They asked for it so I let 'em have it with both barrels.  Everything I love about the Poserverse and (of course) everything that I dislike, with a lot of what I hope are constructive suggestions.

Hm. I received an email inviting me to fill in the survey (apparently originating from Smith Micro), except that it is a trap:

The link to the survey shown when you read the mail is indeed "http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2084047/Poser-Survey", but the actual link, the place where it sends you to when clicking on said link, is "www.elabs5.com/...." (removed the rest so people don't click on what is very obviously a phishing mail.

Beware!

You might want to check your computer. I clicked on the link in the thread and the link in the email and it said the same thing.

Check my computer? What would I be looking for?

The HTML text of the email does show in the text a different URL than the one it actually links to.

Not sure I'm very clear, so here is the offending bit, copy-pasted from the email code (had to neutralize the HTML tags with underscores, since this forum doesn't seem to have a "Code" option):

Please click on the following link in order to launch the survey. Please make sure to complete the survey once you've clicked the link below:<_/p><_p>

<_a href="http://www.elabs5.com/(...)" style="text-decoration:underline;" target="blank"><strong>http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2084047/Poser-Survey</a></p><_p>

So, what is this "elab5.com" doing there, if the survey is on "surveygizmo.com"?

What operating system (OS) are you currently using?
Fail, because what SM should be asking is what OS are you going to be using?
It's the future that matters, not doomed commercial operating systems.

Linux-based system here.

BTW, I haven't filled out the survey because it's implemented in SM's typical "pushy" fashion.  They need to understand that when people spend their time filling out a survey for a company, they do so out of good will - we owe you nothing.  This means that we should be allowed to skip any questions we don't want to answer.  You're not paying people to do this, so you're not in a position to push people around.  By refusing to move to the next page without filling in every question, you're effectively ordering people around, or like I said, being "pushy".

So anyway, like I said, I missed out the questions I didn't want to answer, but was told by the SM survey that I can't go any further until I answer them.
I'll leave you to guess whether being "pushy" got your survey filled out ;-)

What operating system (OS) are you currently using?
Fail, because what SM should be asking is what OS are you going to be using?
It's the future that matters, not doomed commercial operating systems.

Linux-based system here.

BTW, I haven't filled out the survey because it's implemented in SM's typical "pushy" fashion.  They need to understand that when people spend their time filling out a survey for a company, they do so out of good will - we owe you nothing.  This means that we should be allowed to skip any questions we don't want to answer.  You're not paying people to do this, so you're not in a position to push people around.  By refusing to move to the next page without filling in every question, you're effectively ordering people around, or like I said, being "pushy".

So anyway, like I said, I missed out the questions I didn't want to answer, but was told by the SM survey that I can't go any further until I answer them.
I'll leave you to guess whether being "pushy" got your survey filled out ;-)

I'm sure they'll stay up nights wishing they hadn't pushed you, Pumeco. :S

If you don't answer the survey, don't complain when features you want to see aren't implemented. You were given the chance to offer your input. 

Kind of like voting. If you don't vote, don't complain about who gets elected.

Ok. I won't bother with the survey simply because the features Poser might implement will be available (in better working order, E.G. IDL, SSS, ad nauseam) to me in other programs (free and premium) long before they might appear in Poser, as is historically the case.

Like misty said "nostalgia" with a touch of loyalty for being my first. A user since version 3.

...I will defend Poser's implementation of the cloth room and python, though.

Does anyone even use the Face room?

Ok, shutting up.

I do use the face room.  It is very helpful.  But then I use the entire set of "models" available ... not just DAZ's. 

@Clarkie
It's not me they need to have sleepless nights about, it's the non-buying public who are and will continue to move to Linux and the mighty Blender ;-)

@Shane
You missed the point completely, I was not able to participate in the survey I was perfectly happy to participate in!

It would surely be better for them if the survey allowed us to answer the questions we want, and avoid those that we don't.  That way, they would have gotten some information out of me instead of nothing at all.  I'm quite happy to do surveys like this as long as I'm not pushed around.  I was not prepared to check one of the OS boxes, simply because of the arrogance shown by not listing Linux as an OS.

Through not being able to select Linux, I decided not to answer the question, and by avoiding the question, SM wouldn't let me continue with the survey.
Their loss, not mine, because if Poser isn't what I need, I simply won't buy it, there's always the mighty Blender (on native Linux as well).

Unfortunately, the system they have chosen for the survey is very 'Apple-like' in that it is pushy and manipulative, and as you know, I don't do Apple either.

What you effectively have, is this:
SM - Do us a favour, answer them all, or none at all.
ME - OK, fuck off then, you learn nothing - I don't take orders from software publishers :-)

It's called not being a muppet, but on the other hand, if they want to remove the pushiness, I'm still more than happy to dedicate some of my time to them and fill out the parts of the survey that I (not them) decide is going to be filled out.

And one other thing that ought to be mentioned is the idiotic take SM seem to have on the whole thing.
How many of us use the "Animation Tools" in Poser?

Well, considering how prehistoric those tools are, I'm guessing not many are gonna say yes to that one.  People don't animate in Poser because it's shit for animation and the rendering is too slow - so it's pretty obvious as to what the overwhelming response to that one will be.  Does that mean SM will take the massive amount of non-animation users as an indication that the tools should not be updated?

Let's hope not, for the programs sake, and I myself am literally hanging on to Poser by a thread right now (planning to drop it due to the pathetic animation system).  The only reason I've not dropped it completely already is because I'm waiting to see what Reallusion do with the built-in PBR system they have coming soon.  If it turns out to be good, and Poser doesn't come up with a modern, usable animation system to keep people interested in power, there's no prizes for guessing where I, and just about every would-be animator will be heading in the not too distant future.

Best thing SM can do is learn to use iClone and understand why people praise it's animation system so much - and take it from there - that simple.

SM don't have a choice but to put some major effort into Poser's animation system, so questions like do you use the animation tools, assuming that actually existed, is quite worrying to be honest.  Animation should be the main focus of the next release because it's just mind-numbingly out of date and pathetic!

QUALITY TIP FOR SM:
Go to the Reallusion forum and try to figure out why there are so many ex-Poser users on there, happily animating :-)

That is all.

BTW, there is one area of animation in Poser that is actually better than iClone!

The way they implemented those animatable crosshairs for the bullet cloth and allow it to update in realtime based on a weightmap, is absolutely superb!  That is the one and only good thing about the Poser animation system over iClone - I mean it's actually a better implementation than iClone has!  In all other respects though, iClone animation smashes Poser into the ground and that simply should not be so, Poser has been around a lot longer than iClone has!

I want to see Poser do well, but unless they start getting deep into the animation side of things, I can't see it happening.
Time for SM to switch-on Turbo-Boost and play catch-up!

Does Poser even run on Linux? I didn't know they made a Linux version, which might excuse their so-called "arrogance".

They don't make a Linux version, so by missing out Linux as an option, they'll have no idea how many already have, and how many plan to move over to it.
Linux can no longer be avoided by the publishers, and while I don't recommend Ubuntu, it has at least helped drive people to Linux.

Non-free Commercial operating systems are doomed - it's an evolutionary guarantee.
It's as obvious as the sun will rise tomorrow.

They don't make a Linux version, so by missing out Linux as an option, they'll have no idea how many already have, and how many plan to move over to it.
Linux can no longer be avoided by the publishers, and while I don't recommend Ubuntu, it has at least helped drive people to Linux.

Non-free Commercial operating systems are doomed - it's an evolutionary guarantee.
It's as obvious as the sun will rise tomorrow.

Yeah, well Linux has been around for quite some time and I haven't seen any mass exodus from Mac or Windows to embrace it.

BTW, there is one area of animation in Poser that is actually better than iClone!

The way they implemented those animatable crosshairs for the bullet cloth and allow it to update in realtime based on a weightmap, is absolutely superb!  That is the one and only good thing about the Poser animation system over iClone - I mean it's actually a better implementation than iClone has!  In all other respects though, iClone animation smashes Poser into the ground and that simply should not be so, Poser has been around a lot longer than iClone has!

I want to see Poser do well, but unless they start getting deep into the animation side of things, I can't see it happening.
Time for SM to switch-on Turbo-Boost and play catch-up!

And you know what, Poser could literally go broke trying to keep up with all the companies everybody wants it to catch up to. DAZ, iClone, Blender, ZBrush, Vue. Poser can't be everything to everybody.

But Clarkie, Poser is supposed to be a "Figure Animation Tool".  It can do animation but it's old and dated in that respect, apart from the odd show stealer (which isn't enough to compensate for it's shortcomings).  Bloody hell, we're still watching a stupid stick-figure in a stupid small window and having to bake a bloody walk before we can even see it on the actual figure.  It's 2014, not 1995 - do they even know what live motion-building is?

As for the mass exodous to Linux, it's going on right now, big-time, beleive it, and like I said, Ubuntu has been instrumental in helping that along (although I don't recommend Ubuntu).  The only people who tend not to see the growth and demand for Linux are those that currently have no interest in it.  I say "currently", because sooner or later, everyone using a commercial OS is going to be thankful Linux-based systems exist - it will be their only salvation.

I won't get into what I mean by that because it would send the thread off on a wild tangent, but believe me, the time will come sooner than you think, where you will be looking to Linux and dropping your current commercial OS, whatever that may be.

Software manufacturers like SM cannot ignore Linux, or perhaps they can, but they'll pay a hefty price if they do.  A good Linux-based OS is to the OS world, what Blender is to the 3D world, and what GIMP is the graphics world.  As a Blender user yourself, you must understand the power of the greater public over a corporation - you enjoy the fruits of it every time you fire-up Blender and everytime it get's a kickass new feature added to it.

This will never stop, by it's very nature, it can only grow which is why learning it was a good decision (same with a Linux-based OS) :-)

The non-free commercial operating systems are doomed because:

• They are privacy invasive and rapidly getting worse (and even the dumbest, most gullible person has a snapping point).
• They are manipulative.
• They cost money.
• They are under the control of the corporation who made it, not yours, even though you paid for it.
• The amount of people getting wise to all this crap is skyrocketing, and so is the uptake of a free and open Linux-based OS as a result.

The sooner the remaining consumers switch, the better off they'll be.
Same goes for the software publishers unless they plan to sell to a dwindling or non-existent userbase in the future.

Anyway, this is getting a bit OT, so I'll have to drop it there, but yes indeed, the omission of Linux from the list is nothing short of arrogant IMO.

Pumeco, why didn't you just use the N/A option? That's what it's there for.

Because it forces me to reply with an answer I don't want to give, I want to give the answer "Linux" - and so should anyone else who uses or intends to use it.

Pumeco, why didn't you just use the N/A option? That's what it's there for.

Pumeco, loves to complain, RP. Particularly about those he considers to be "authority" figures. The reality is, he could have still answered the questions that applied and brought up his concerns about Linux directly to Nerd. He was too busy being mad at the 'man" for his "arrogance". You're a good guy, Pumeco, but you really need to reconsider your battle strategy.

No one rational is asking them to bankrupt themselves into turning Poser into Maya Lite. With the framework architecture they have in place, there are a lot of things the community can code to expand the program. But there has been a serious focus until very, very recently on the single frame render options. Both dopesheet and graph editor are apparently unchanged since P4. They added layers. They have game level softbody. Bullet needs ragdoll. Exposed gravity controls. A better collision system. Serious work on the IK solver. With the 64 bit architecture, particles and metablob effects become doable with speed. If there were any way to do it, OpenShader would be an incredible addition. A lot of that could be done with python (or has to be done).

The Linux argument is getting more pointed due to the fact that both commercial OS's are getting so rigged to be foolproof, they are becoming nightmares for the technically literate to contend with. But until the programs I use support Linux, I'm sort of trapped in Windows; no good alternative has appeared for the Adobe production suite, for instance. Sorta kinda one or two parts, but the big haulers, like After Effects, just aren't there. Until they are....(shrug) Blender is -not- a good example; they haven't even come close to an ergonomic, user friendly UI in the entire projects life. In fact, pretty much what they seem to aim for is the 'I'm A Geeky Duuuuuuuuuuuuude!' level of interfacing(Yes, even the new UI. I have heard claims its better than before. But...). The number of people who have downloaded Blender and deleted it due to being unable to figure the damned program out are legion compared to the happy users, and until they get that percentage changed, its going to be more a political statement than an proper tool.

No one rational is asking them to bankrupt themselves into turning Poser into Maya Lite.

No they're not. Individually, all the requests are perfectly reasonable requests. However, all together they're insurmountable. And everyone wants they're request granted NOW or they're not going to buy the next version of Poser. So who do you grant priority to. Everybody pesters Poser to be like their favorite software. Frankly, I just don't get it. If all I was interested in was animation and I loved iClone so much, I'd just use iClone. I think Blender has a more sophisticated animation tool than Poser. So much so that I haven't been able to figure it out yet. I have to export an object into Poser to get the drape effect I want. But it's one of the tools i use to do what ai need to do. I'm not demanding that Blender rewrite everything they do to be more like Poser.

@Clarkie
Just so you know, my post was at SM in general, not Nerd :-)
SM have been like this for as long as I've known them.

@Dale
About a year ago I would have been inclined to agree with you about Blender, but it's just one of those things that feels a bit unconventional to grasp, but once you grasp certain aspects of it, you start to realise that actually, Blender is probably the best designed of the super-powerful products out there.  I've had (and sold) both Cinema4D and Lightwave, and honestly, Blender is way better designed once you understand the basics.

As for graphics, if the latest version of the GIMP (2.8) isn't powerful enough, then I don't know what is!

It wants for nothing, and I think the key with GIMP is to spend some time customising it first, get it laid out and behaving how you want it to.  People who don't like the GIMP simply don't realise how powerful and customizable it is.  The attached screenshot is one I posted before, that's my GIMP, it's how I like it, nothing like the default, and because it's how I like it, it blows Photosuck into the next galaxy.

It goes without saying, both Blender and GIMP are available natively on Linux as well, but anyway, this is going to look as if I'm derailing the thread, and that is not my intention at all.

Poser has a new product manager, so it's in his best interest that Poser does well.  Personally I think the survey is a joke (as good as useless), but hopefully the next release of Poser will be the one that saves it, or at least puts it on the right track.  If surveys are responsible for the current state of Poser's animation tools, then you need to worry about the outcome of that survey, cause hardly anyone bothers with Poser for animation.

Like you said, Poser isn't just a stills product, it's an animation product, so I think it's about time it lived up to that "Animation" part.

Image of Customised GIMP 2.8:

You don't use a navigator, or a history, or a color palette pumeco? Do you use Gimp or just stare at it? Lol.

oh, and since you're going to throwing software insults around... Gimp is a photoshop clone, it would not exist if not for photoshop. Free and open-source is all fine and dandy but I bet you most people would rather use photoshop if they could.

Anything else is simply software neurosis or "well those grapes are probably sour anyway".

I use GIMP but mainly because it's free. I can't afford Photoshop. And frankly, that's the reason I started using Blender. As intimidating as that interface is, i would never buy it.

I notice there was no direct question on whether or not you liked the 'must phone home' deactivation process they slipped in the Game Dev version.

@Pumeco.

I've been one of the one's saying that for years. Probably need my little list posted again. I've been disappointed over the years at the lack of advancement; one of the reasons I purchased Vue 4 all those years ago, and still use it in my pipeline. But I could understand the push for the single frame render features over the animation, as the number of users who ran shrieking in terror at the mere mention of touching that animation thingy to get really cool dynamic cloth and hair were loud. But at this point, there are not a lot of things left to shove under the hood that are single frame specific, and a lot of animation features that could benefit them, once they recovered from the trauma. A new IK solver that was switchable, and allowed IK pinning, would be a godsend to still portrait people. Now that they have Bullet under the hood, adding ragdoll would be fairly straightforward. And frankly, it would do them a world of good to make sure their SDK's are clean and as easy to translate as possible. Working with other programs is one of the things Poser has done very well at, and one of the reasons its the dirty little secret in many CG artists kit bag. Monty Oum highlighted Poser as a valid animation tool, not a generator of bad-art-and-smut-work. I can hope that momentum will continue, since RWBY is being continued by RT. But we shall see.....

Pumeco and Dale,

Don't get me wrong, I've no problem with the animation in Poser getting better. I'm more of a single render user myself, but I do use the animation tools when using the Dynamics for hair and cloth. I'd like to see animation get better and faster. BTW, anyone know of any bvh's for fashion model walking?

@DeathMetalDesk
Well, the interface is like that because I prefer the minimalist approach - it's how I want it.  It's laid out like that so that I have maximum working space, I just select the relevant tool or click a part of the interface, and all that stuff you mentioned, appears exactly where I want it to, how I want it to ;-)

What can I say, it's just one of the benefits of having an interface system designed by those who aren't out to control you.  Like I said, fuck Photosuck, I never even used it early on, I used to use PSP before I upgraded to GIMP.

Even the way PSP's Clone Brush works is far superior to the one in Photosuck, just right click to select origin, left click to paint, no stupid key presses :-D

@Clarkie
But you struggling with it can't be blamed on Blender.  I used to struggle with it as well, but like I said, once you grasp the basics, the rest starts to become more obvious, and trust me, from a designers point of view, Blender is definitely one of the better designed power-houses out there.  If you dislike Blender, it's because you haven't got the hang of it (yet).  It's important to remember, that whenever you're stuck for not being able to do something, Blender comes to your rescue.  It's because of all that power that the interface intimidates you, but the trick is to watch tutorials and learn about stuff in Blender you would not even use, because by doing so, you get a better picture of how Blender works, and that in turn makes the other stuff (and the interface) a piece of cake.

Anyway, this thread isn't about Blender or GIMP, those programs have no worries, they're developing at an alarming rate and will continue to do so :-)

@Nerd
After reading one of Clarkie's earlier comments, I just want to apologise if it looked as if I was aiming this at you specifically, that's just no so.  It would be pointelss doing anything about it now, but basically, this is how I think the OS question should have been asked:

Which OS do you currently use?

• Linux
• MacOS
• Windows

Which OS do you plan to use in the future?

• Linux
• MacOS
• Windows

The three main options are listed which is only fair, even in Alaphabetical order, and the data gathered from doing it that way would have been fair and much more valuable to SM.  As it is, the survey is as good as uselss.  I hope you being an animator who understands it's shortcomings, will help it out a fair bit, cause you being an animator is curretly the only positive sign I can see here, and it's obvious why hardly anyone uses Poser for animation, it's because it sucks at animation compared to the competition!

Poser already has a good interface, it has a good renderer, it has enough figure technology to last it another 20 years, but it's lame for animation.

BTW, Hornet's and Dale's posts didn't show up even before Clarkie's did, not until after I posted my previous message.
Looks like the forum is having fun with me again!

PS: I forgot to add a language advisory to my previous post, sorry.

BTW, that image in the GIMP screenshot is not my work, just thought I'd better point that out.
I have the movie so know the cover, I used it to contrast with the grey of the interface.