I have a MOUNTAIN of content in my old Poser 5. If I upgrade to even 7 or 8, will it all be gone, or do I have to start from scratch and add all my content again?

If that is the case, sadly, I will NOT be upgrading...

If you fear losing everything, copy your content to another folder or drive. My runtime folder with my content is not in my Poser app folder, so it doesn't overwrite my content. Lately, the updates even recognize my different runtime libraries (with my Poser content, my DAZ content, and my Poser 5 content---I have Poser5 installed along with Poser Pro 11), so I don't have to reselect them with each update.

But my Poser Pro 11 isn't an update of Poser 5. They're separate full-price purchases, so maybe someone else would be better suited to answer you.

You shouldn't have to add everything all over again. Make sure you keep your old preferences when you install, and backup your old runtime(s), just in case.

Poser no longer installs the default runtime where it did in the P5 days, due to changes in Windows security. You may have to add your old runtime as an external runtime. Or copy everything over to the new location, if you don't want to use multiple runtimes.

I do have multiple runtimes from different versions of Poser on my machine, so no, you shouldn't lose them.I have version s 10 and 11, plus a third runtime that I ported over from my mac.

Don't worry. Most of the old stuff is still perfectly usable. I'm still using mostly P4 and P5 era content, along with stuff I build myself. None of it fails entirely, though it can't always take advantage of new "features".

Something to note. If you upgrade to poser 8 or better, it no longer will read rsr thumbnails. You will get the shrugging guy thumbnail instead. But there are rsr to png converters that you can get, like this one RSR to PNG Converter

But where would you get Poser 7 or 8? I just checked Amazon and those versions are no longer available. If anything, you would be upgrading to Poser 11.

I think Poser 8 would be a great starting point for someone coming from 5. My favorite, although I liked 7 very much, 8 has IDL and the Dependency Editor.

My Poser use was a little strange, I went from 3 to 6 and then 7 and 8. Missed 9 and 10 and went straight to 11 pro.

I still remember looking at the box for Poser 5 and I was like "Wow! Now you manipulate computerized naked chicks that have real hair!" (transmapped, though I didn't know how it was being done at the time)...

Just to clarify, my girlfriend at the time was standing there as I held the box and I just said "Wow, now they have real hair" but I was really thinking "NAKED CHICKS REAL HAIR MANIPULATE" Lol..

Sorry, just Poser reminiscing...

hborre posted at 8:52PM Mon, 29 June 2020 - #4393444

But where would you get Poser 7 or 8? I just checked Amazon and those versions are no longer available. If anything, you would be upgrading to Poser 11.

There's always eBay. Though I wonder if activating the software would be possible these days.

I don't think there was activation back then. Just input the serial. Actually I'm positive, I didn't even have internet in SF at the time I was using 6 and 7. Also pretty sure with 8 that I had it installed on a machine that wasn't connected to the internet for some time. I still have copies of 3, 6, 7, and 8 all mac though. Unfortunately the case for 3 had the serial printed on the inside and somewhere over the years, moving around, I lost the case.

Poser 5 had an activation requirement that was removed with SR4, Poser 6-10 only require the Serial Number. The biggest problem you are going to run into is the Service Releases are no longer available for any of the Prior Versions of Poser.

Good point.

Many, many thanks all you guys. I'll search around for version 8 I think...