Hey Hellborn... simmer down. :) I'm quite sure that E-On did not intend for your CD's to be scratched. Jewel cases would have been quite a bit cheaper. I guess they thought it would look nice to have them in something other than a standard jewel case and provide a larger-than-normal quick reference card. I'll bet that next time they don't use the same method!

I bought Lightwave when it was around $2000 "way back when" and there were lots of problems with ScreamerNet (i.e. like RenderCow) and that was alot more than this program! And there are STILL problems with ScreamerNet! That's why there are so many other network-rendering solutions available for Lightwave! There were ALSO problems with updating image maps and a myriad of other nuisances that I won't go into.

The point is, you will NEVER have perfectly-running software right off the bat. Should we accept that? Yes and no. We have to understand that it's impossible to test for everything. That's why we ask for improvements and fixes and E-On has been pretty good about updates IMHO. If I gave up on software because it didn't work exactly as advertised I'd end up NOT using any software. There are always problems. Fortunately there are forums such as this where people help each other through those problems - and of course E-On watches here as well. I'll bet that all of your problems will be addressed - hopefully soon. And... hopefully you have already contacted E-On support and explained each of the issues. They DO listen... they want to keep their customers!

So... hang in there! I have a good feeling that this program will be worth it!

Megalodon

Kuroyume0161 - I've been told that the problem (Tutorial Step 6) is actually not a damaged section of the CD, just a bad file ON the CD. At least that's what Steve Bell told me when I contacted tech support.

There was also a problem importing Lightwave image maps into Vue4Pro. He said that this should be fixed in the upcoming patch - due "hopefully" this coming week.

Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Concerning the packaging... one of my CD's was also out of its sleeve. The packaging wouldn't have been so bad if the CDs had been "locked" into its slot. I've received lots of expensive software in cardboard sleeves so I didn't think it was that big a deal - though as I said above I would have preferred the CDs secured in the slots!

There will always be bugs in new software - they can't test for every conceivable scenario. And I think that E-On will be doing a great job in addressing these points. It would be interesting to see if they can surpass World Builder and World Construction Set. Remember... Vue4Pro just came out!

Megalodon

Obviously Guitta must have got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning - she's usually not that grumpy. And regaltwo.... yeah, read the manual! :)

Josh, Thanks for responding! At least we know that the Lightwave plugin is "in the works" - which is somewhat of a relief. Thanks Again! Megalodon

Is there a timeline available for the Poser5 to LightWave plugin? Curious Labs said that a plugin WOULD be available for LightWave but had no idea WHEN this would happen. If I missed an earlier announcement I apologize. I look forward to the info! Thanks! Megalodon

Sams3D - I respectfully disagree. Being a forum moderator does not preclude knowledge and thinking that she can read something into someones post is fantasy. Many of of have been here for quite some time and some are actually even older than Guitta! :) Perhaps if Guitta had been labeled a software thief in the past by someone saying that she had illegal software on a forum she would understand better. Unfortunately the "covering of bases" was done AFTER the mention of the illegal copy. As I had said above, I would ask a forum the same question thinking that someone in the forum may have had the same problem with the software. Why would it be wrong to check on a forum such as this with that sort of problem? After exhausting every avenue BEFORE suggesting illegal copy, then you suggest e-mailing the software vendor. Instead of saying that the copy IS illegal, wait for others in the forum to voice their opinions and experiences FIRST. It's been less than two days. Yes, I have taken this to heart - but I think not wrongly either. Be that as it may, that's all I'll say on this thread. Dave

Sams3D - You said: "I don't think Guitta was accusing anyone of theft, just notifying them that they may have an illegal copy." Gebe specifically stated: "This means that you have an illegal copy of Vue." She may not be accusing the person that THEY stole it but that it was definitely an illegal copy nonetheless. This is not as you say "Only resonable deduction." It would be reasonable deduction only after everything else has been ruled out and there are apparently several other explanations - as MightyPete suggested above there may be other factors at work. My point is, no one should accuse someone of having an illegal copy (stolen or not) without first exhausting ALL possibilities. Gebe, did you ask him which version of Poser he/she is upgraded to? Exhaust ALL possibilities BEFORE condemning. perhaps he/she was given an older update? Who knows? But ask FIRST! You are the forum moderator and I have seen that you are generally much more even-handed. My reason for my diatribe is that I have been accused of using warez - I DO NOT appreciate it when I purchase software and go into a forum asking questions and are then accused of using an illegal copy because someone jumps to conclusions. I doubt it that anyone would like that. Choosing WHEN to say something and HOW it is said is VERY important.

Gebe, the first line that nimesh wrote was: "hi i just bought Vue d'espirit and started to learn." So why not take that at face value? And I think that you will agree that not ALL people think in the same way as you (or I) do. Perhaps I would think that other people in this forum have had the same problems? Why wouldn't I write in to the forum to find out? Again, do not assume that everyone thinks as you do. You should FIRST assume that nimesh does have a legitimate problem and no matter what obstacles he/she comes to and elaborates on that it is a legitimate problem. As Djeser wrote above, he/she should e-mail E-on. That's good advice. Alluring to the possibility of impropriety is not good form.

Gebe, it is unwise to accuse someone of having an illegal copy of ANY software without knowing all of the facts. You of course could mention that that may be one of the reasons for him/her having a problem - but there could be other issues here as well. Imagine if you had an honest problem and someone accused you of having an illegal copy? It doesn't feel very good and immediately you're put on the defensive. If this person has a legitimate problem, upon seeing your post I would think twice about posting ANYTHING to the forum. Think before posting - Always good advice!

Lynn, Actually... Ozone 2 is "on my wish list." We'd like to get it but can't justify $200 when we've already got Vue4 to do atmospheres. Maybe $149.... :) It's on hold for now - until we positively, absolutely have-to-have-it. I'd think it would be most useful for animations as opposed to stills. Thanks for the kick though! And I agree, Skytracer can be a real pain on more than one ocassion. MikeJ, Like I said above, Vue4 right out-of-the-box is much easier to learn than LW. We all know that the learning curve in LW is quite a bit steeper! :) You have MUCH MORE "tweaking power" in LW than Vue and can come up with photo-real in LW. For us, Vue4 is an indispensible tool and we WON'T do without it. Though once you really start learning LW, you'll never look back! Best of Luck! Dave Williams Virtual Renderings info@virtualrenderings.com

Well.... everyone has their own opinion. :) I've been a Vue user since v3.0 back in the summer of 2000. My boss wanted to sew together real images of our sky backdrops to create a cylindrical panorama for animation. I bought Vue 3 on my own and did some sky panoramas and the images blew away my fellow employees - needless to say we ended up using Vue skies for backdrops! My fellow employees couldn't have agreed more and our boss was outvoted! I've been a Lightwave user since v4.0. Lightwave DOES require alot more work than Vue 4 - initially. However. Lightwave renders will end up looking more like reality than any Vue 4 renders. Once you get used to Lightwave and create presets for your realistic surfaces, images get alot better alot quicker. And YES, you can get better images out of Vue4 right out of the box - not doubt about it. But when you want realism - the ability to create something that will be indistinguishable from reality... you will want Lightwave. And you're right YL and MightyPete - the price of a program doesn't have a great deal to do with the final result. Give me Maya and Vue and right away I'll be able to create something in Vue that will far surpass anything I'd be able too do with Maya right away. But... give me some time to learn Maya and I'll bet I'll be able to outdo Vue4! In the final analysis it has to do with the artist using the keyboard! For me, I can't do without either Lightwave OR Vue - and alot of other programs that make life alot easier and our workplace ALOT more productive. And trust me, I know. We've just finished up our second year in business and we saw a 30% increase in revenue from our first year. Our primary software is Lightwave, but we use MANY other programs and without them we wouldn't have been able to get where we are and do what we've done. Hell, we're looking forward to Poser6, Vue5, WorldBuilder4, etc....etc. For everyone who really wants to learn Lightwave and has a desire to create VERY realistic images - you can if you want to. But it's not just point and click and render. It takes time and dedication and effort. The more effort you put in, the better the end result! Best of Luck to everyone here and a Happy New Year to ALL! Dave Williams Virtual Renderings

Hey farang... I was going to post after I saw you post this but I thought to myself, nahh, why bother. I was just going to tell you that you're wasting your breath - no matter how much you're right or wrong. The people here in this forum have already made up their minds concerning this copy protection and NOTHING you say will change their minds. I'd venture to say that if you brought up 100% verifiable facts they would still say that these "so-called" facts were skewed and that they were right no matter what. Essentially it doesn't matter. Considering what I've seen here in this forum - images and comments posted by enthusiastic users - Poser 5 is a success and after the mojority of bugs are fixed, CL will begin work on Poser 6 in earnest. In a previous post, Steve Cooper said that he and many of the staff went without pay for a time - they sacrificed quite a bit to get this software to us. YES, because they wanted to make money (hey, don't we all?) but also because they believed in the software. Poser 5 is an incredible package. And YES, it has bugs - and Steve Cooper explained the reasons about those as well. All software has bugs. And to those who are saying "but you shouldn't expect bugs" - get real. Of course I expect bugs. With the sophistication of software today, I can't believe that there is any software program (of substance) that doesn't have them. Hey willf - ever go into a department store with cameras? Do you think the cameras are for YOU? Of course not, you're honest. But to some people that feels like the store is treating them like criminals. They don't trust ME? Well screw them! Anyway farang - sorry I decided to post anyway. I agree essentially with what you've said. My advice? Don't post anything more about copy protection - you'll only receive negative comments! :) Good Luck & enjoy Poser 5.

Yes Jackson... it is odd, isn't it?! Then again, maybe it isn't at all. I've been "playing" with computers since '86 and sometimes they are very quirky. For instance, I can put Photoshop 6, LW 7.5, and Poser 5 on a fresh machine. Then I add XFrog and XFrog doesn't work right but everything else apparently does. I reformat. I load XFrog and it works fine - then I reload all of the previous programs and they work fine too - and so too does XFrog after everything is loaded. SOMETIMES there is no rhyme or reason (at least on the surface) as to why things go wrong. Some programs just don't like to play nice with other programs. It would be VERY nice for all concerned if everyone thought this way and understood that it may NOT be Curious Labs Poser 5 that is causing the problems. YES, it COULD be, but there are quite alot of people (including myself) who've had NO problems. Fortunately I am capable enough to build my own machines and reformat on a semi-regular basis. Not everything works right the first time - patience and computer knowledge helps. My wife has the same sort of problems often - of course she downloads alot of computer games off the internet and puts alot of what I'd call junk on her machine. And... it very often acts up by freezing, shutting down without notice - and a myriad of other problems. Is it the LAST program she installed? Or something to do with program #6? Who knows. Try a fresh machine and a fresh install of Poser 5 and see if you still have the problems. And yes, many of you can't do that because you either a)don't have the time, b)don't feel like it or c)don't know how. Well, that's fine - just don't expect everything to run perfectly every time. It doesn't work that way.

Ok

CyberStretch, For the most part, I agree with you. But... more to the point of my last post - do you NOT remember the tremendous uproar over the ProPack release? CL did not enter into this Poser5 protection this time lightly. They KNEW that they would be in for this sort of reaction - and yet they did it anyway. Many people will BUY the software anyway even though they don't like the protection (I can't imagine ANYONE who WOULD like the protection) because there is no other software out there that does everything that Poser does in ONE package - AND... like you said, "...every man's soul is for sale." And YES, unless we put our foot down things will not change - however... I choose my battles. Some people think that software copy protection is paramount. Others, such as myself, would rather focus on more human issues such as ethnic conflicts and starvation (which before you ask, I am quite active in.) Expend your energy where it will really count to change things to help PEOPLE live. Unfortunately... it is too easy to get caught up in the less-severe issues of our time rather than focus on the immediate human needs now. You and others here may take your stand on copy protection and that is fine. But, like I said before: "...it's obvious that everyone has formed their opinion and it's not likely to be changed." Considering your steadfastness to yours, I seriously doubt whether your opinion would have been swayed. Regardless of the intelligent conversations and opposing viewpoints presented in this forum, I sincerely doubt that ANYONE'S opinion here has changed. Yes, it's very good to talk about these things. But... for the most part, the only thing that's accomplished is informing others of a particular viewpoint and showing CL that their copy protection is not appreciated. We do what we must. Good luck with your fight.