I was looking at my character and model list today...especially the amount of free stuff from DAZ...it is truly remarkable if you really look at all that has been given away. Just recently---Uncle Sam Gorilla Gremlin Stephanie Low res stuff tons of props morphs, textures....can't even remember anymore.. Plus what I consider excellent customer service. Very prompt..except closed on weekends....but I have never had problems getting something straightened out, special requests, whatever....and some pretty good conversations on the phone :) Hopefully no one gets in trouble for talking and not working...but its good PR :) So, thanks DAZ and Dan

Ditto - ditto (although I've never talked to them on the phone). I too have been very happy with DAZ3D and their products. Thanks DAZ

They are very pleasant over the phone, extemely helpful, prompt, friendly, and generous. Not to mention the fact that their products are always top quality!

Cheers to Daz!!

Lets not too crazy here. The freestuff section at DAZ solely exists to draw visitors to it's site in the hope that they buy from them. Also a lot of the freestuff items are either complimentary to a purchasable product or are incomplete and require additional purchases to make them really useful (the gorilla is a prime example). I like daz, I bought a lot of stuff from them but I think they should be much more thankful to me (and there other customers) than the other way round. Especially as there are some individual contributors here at renderosity that have probably made more things available as freestuff then they have. Some additional criticism: Some of their products are clearly overpriced compared to high quality items here at the marketplace. Releasing clothing packs without the morphs to make them fit anything else than default michael is a joke. Don't even get me started on the clothing controversy. Too much "reusage" of the michael/victoria mesh. That especially did not work well with the millenium kids. Shaky server infrastructure. I made about 6 purchases from them in the last 2 months and in two cases the download link was not working correctly or I could not access the site at all.

"Don't even get me started on the clothing controversy." no, please don't, nor anyone else either. I think Dave's just making a gesture of support after the recent Daz bashing that's been going on and one with which I whole-heartedly agree...

I for one have been impressed by what appears to be a new strategy. We got a fine looking "LE" version of a gorilla, and for about $6 we got the full-featured version. Some of us got $5 off a purchase in return for filling out a survey. We had a 30% off sale that's been extended another week. DAZ has provided some great freebies, such as Stephanie, the gorilla, lo-res versions of some characters. And DAZ is hosting some excellent freebies in their archives that we might not have been able to otherwise obtain. One great example is all the wonderful stuff Questor made! Just remember that many artists are unable to provide freebies any longer due to the high cost of web hosting. Yes, DAZ is a business. Yes, I had a "few issues" with them myself. When you look at the whole picture, DAZ remains an excellent company that is very receptive to our needs, desires and communications. But that's just my Not So Humble Opinion. I also respect your opinions. Ron

"Don't even get me started on the clothing controversy." I think the clothing controversy is important to the community as a whole. I hope that folks don't let a couple of freebies, and a Daz message buried in a huge, long thread, erase the way that Daz has behaved in the last couple weeks. wow...nothing like a banana and a cartoon uncle sam to assauge my anxieties.....:*(

The clothing controversy is more or less cleaned up (IMHO), as Chad/DAZ has made a reasonable answer. Not precisely the one I personally might have hoped for, but more than enough to get (at least) me back to clothes creation without being nervous. And I like bananas ;o)

There are problems with all servers and all businesses, online or sidewalk. I've been fortunate and have not had a problem downloading. Yes, the server is sometimes slow, sometimes down, and this is frustrating, but its no different anywhere else. I had saved all my models on CD...When reinstalling a month ago, some of the items on 1 CD could not be accessed...DAZ gave me a link, within minutes, to download the items... There are very few making models for Poser...there are very few offering the quality and quantity of free stuff that DAZ does. I sometimes get a bit peeved at the fact we get a free item, then have to buy items to make it complete...its their business model...all items..Michael, Vic, Stephanie...on and on..the animals, etc.... But it's really no different than buying items here on Renderosity to enhance a model. I haven't read the threads on the DAZ controversies lately...other than a few tidbits...so can't comment on that....its not why I'm thanking DAZ... I just think DAZ is a very customer oriented business. Perhaps they are forced to be customer focused given the limited base they have to work with, but my dealings with them have always been a pleasure. They have done things for me that they didn't have to, and in several instances, surprised me by the extent they were willing to help me out. I deal with numerous companies both professionally and personally, and DAZ is one of the easiest businesses I have ever dealt with..period. I just think they should be congratulated for that. In todays business climate, you have to stand above your competitors somehow, and DAZ really has no corporate competition, at least on the Poser level, but still rises above most in their level of customer service.

Actually, a lot - maybe most - of the freebies do work alone, or can be made to (as witness the free textures for both Steph and the gorilla - I was able to use both before I bought any commercial stuff for them) and even when an item is a taster it is usually complete in itself.

David and others, Thanks you so much for the kind comments. We will always do our best to serve you all the best we can. We realize that it is you that makes our business possible (I am not just saying that but I really do mean it). As for the free-bee conspiracy theory, Bizzaro, you are absolutely correct. We do put up free models on our website every week to help encourage people to visit our site. Sometimes the freebees even have associated (for sale) products that coincide with them. This is more common with the freebees that are much more costly to produce to help cover some of the development costs. But in these cases, the base model is still something of great value that is available for free download without any obligation to purchase anything. As for the issues regarding copyright and EULA. We are going to be doing a post early next week that will hopefully help to clarify our position on things a little better. Thanks again for the positive comments. We really do appreciate the great support that the Poser community has given to DAZ since we have been in business. Sincerely, Dan Farr

Dan, Isn't it also true that we can use the free models professionaly (artwork for profit) without having to contact you guys at DAZ to ask permission or give you royalty fees? That's a bonus... Cheers, LawnDart

LawnDartLawnDart, You are correct sir:) The free models have the same license agreement as our models for sale. They are royalty free like the stuff that we sale in our store. Take care, Dan Farr