@ironsoul: Yes, I think you're right that I'm experiencing some kind of performance problem that has to do with using Poser on a Mac. I've tried all the solutions I could find online, so I may just need to contact Smith Micro support.

For the benefit of future readers of this thread, I want to recap what I think was the answer to my original question: does the poly count of a posable figure like V4 have a greater impact on Poser's performance (in Preview/posing mode) than the poly count of static objects?

The answer appears to be "yes" b/c posable figures have other elements that impact performance in addition to poly count, such as morphs and rigging. So that's likely why some people complain about V4's "high" poly count, despite the fact that so many accessories and props have even higher poly counts.

But here's the question that remains for me: how much of an impact does the poly count of non-rigged props have on performance in Preview mode?

I understand that large textures impact performance, but that's easy enough to deal with through various Preview settings that don't reduce the quality of an actual render. It's much harder to reduce the poly count of items like earrings, handbags, or furniture without reducing their quality in a render, so it's not even worth trying unless the poly count of those items really does slow down Poser's performance. Or maybe it's not poly count that's the issue so much as how those objects were modeled? That's the part I don't yet understand.

Many thanks to all who've contributed to this thread thus far! I appreciate your help.

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TOOLS: MacBook Pro; Poser Pro 11; Cheetah3D; Photoshop CC

FIGURES: S-16 (improved V4 by Karina), M4, K4, Mavka, Toons, and Nursoda's people

GOALS: Stylized and non-photorealistic renders in various fantasy styles