Well that's weird. I posted a response last night and it didn't "stick". Ah well. Thanks for all of the opinons guys. Probably the main reasons I've stuck with print films are increased exposure latitude (although lose in midtones from slide), speed of films and the additional cost of dealing with slide film (additional cost for mounting and especially if you want to have it scanned). Now that I'm going to probably try my hand at portraits, I have been thinking of going with some Fuji Astia 100 (or the consumer version Sensia II). Any thoughts? Starshuffler - Bummer. Where do you live? The local chain shops (Ritz, Tall's, etc.) here carry an OK selection of Kodak, Ilford and Fuji (upto Superia 1600). For the non-consumer stuff, I have to go to a real camera store (meaning ones that carry everything: darkroom supplies, filters, etc.). Love seeing what some of those films can do. Michelle - I don't think you're nuts. :) I've only been out here for 7 years (originally from Baltimore, MD). It is very beautiful out here. The scenary is magnificent. It really doesn't rain here anymore than most other places (in fact, most of the major cities get more rain). It's just that the rainy season gets spread out over 7 or 8 months here (been sunny last 2 days since I posted originally). And it rains weird here. First time I saw it "mist" all day long freaked me out (sort of like standing near a waterfall). -=>Donald

I have to agree with Alpha..the sepia one looked more like it was hand colored ... and with the fluffy white clouds dominating the sky, it picked up a lot of the tone and makes it look almost as if that's the only part that has color to it. Dropping the brightness down some would probably help to. Light color in a b&w doesn't say lonely, abandonded or desolate to me. Then again, that may be just me. :) -=>Donald

Scorpion: Try E-bay. I got a copy of it (complete with everything) a month ago for $5 + shipping. -=>Donald

Steve: I agree....never said it looked as good, only they that they will try to charge you like it is. :) Heck, there's a guy who sells eyes on 3D Cafe for like $40 for a pack of them. They're nice looking, but they're eyes. It's one of the reasons I back Poser so much and why I defended the pricing on Zygote's Victoria. We've been spoiled by Poser. Models of this quality and polygon density (hey, is that a new term I just made up? :) ) would cost a butt-ton of cash. Add in the fact that they are already grouped and poseable (most of the models you see for sale aren't - they are a solid piece that you use something like Bones or Character Studio or whatnot to make poseable) and you better have a VERY good job (or it better BE your job to do this stuff). Anyway, I digress...I'll definetly let you know if I see any heads that looks that good...of course, I'll probably die of sticker shock before actually getting to tell you about it. :) -=>Donald

Darth: Poser models are very close to most of the upper-mid range models you see for Max and those can go for as high as $500-$1000 a piece (we are talking about an industry where someone doesn't think twice about selling an untextured, no-haired human head for $100). What makes 3DSMax renders rock are the amazing number of effects and tools that you can add (internal and plugins) and the render engines you can employ (compare Poser's 4 material channels to Max's something like 18 - and don't even get into procedural and composite textures). -=>Donald

Man, you cut back on reading the forums so you can work on a new piece and look what slips by. I don't think their actions (while I don't particularly, and quite selfishly, like it) are all that over the top. If I were in their shoes, after giving away all of the free stuff they have over the years, I'd not only be pissed at this moron but that I'd also have to explain and defend my actions to the 'community'. Why get mad at them for reacting to finding out their hours of hard work are lining someone elses pockets? If we are truly 'friends' then do what you'd do for a real friend, you let him/her know what you think but you back them up. You want things back to the way they were, help shut this guy down. 20 guys, even with copyright laws on their side, don't make anywhere near the impact on businesses (like ISP's) as 2000 ticked off individuals. Crank up the e-mail machine and see what happens (I don't mean immature drivel, but serious demands to have this guys site pulled and the reason(s) why). You think the $20-$50 this guy probably forks over each month is worth the hassle for any ISP to read (and possibly respond) to that much e-mail? My 2-cents. -=>Donald

Thanks Tim. And let me also say THANK YOU for that unfinished alien female texture that you sent up a while back. I am in love with that face, man. Beautiful. :) -=>Donald

Blah..you shouldn't need to do that...as they say, the customers always right..well, that doesn't completely apply here, but... :) I've lightened the picture a bit and I'll send it up in the next post. Sorry about all the problems Charlie..let me know if the other one is better for you. -=>Donald

Charlie: You probably need to tweak your monitor settings. Man, we have got to come up with a way to calibrate the monitors or something. I usually run Photoshop's setting wizard to cal my monitor/gamma settings before I do an image. The image is dark (it's in a mostly enclosed cavern - there's actually a crack/hole in the ceiling that light is coming in), but it shouldn't be "really dark". It should be light enough so that you are be able to see the rock walls of the cavern (including the some of the small pitting in the rocks surface), the water and the creature. If all you can see of it are the red glowing eyes then it's way too dark. -=>Donald

Jack: Hiyas...any chance that there will be a Contest Gellery? Seems like (in my opinion) some of the earlier entries are getting buried in the forum. I just realized a few minutes ago that I hadn't even seen 6 of the first entries. Think a gallery would help to give everyone a better chance of being seen without all the other messages in the way. Just my $0.02 tossed into the fray. :) -=>Donald

Opps...one correction: The Texture for the rocky cliffs was pulled from Bryce (rendered on a large flat plane and then manipulated with Photoshop). -=>Donald (EG)

(sorry about the delay between this and the 1st half of the post..at work and had an emergency call) As for all this being good for the poser community and making us better..how? Maybe it's just me, but I look around and I think we've lost something. I remember a time when the really great artists and "technicians" (for want of a better word) like Hafeli, Anson, Anton posted daily -- sometimes it seemed like those guys never slept. Now many of these guys have walked off in disgust. People used to say "Whoa..that's incredible...how did you do that?" Now, looking at the message bases on both forums, it's more often "Whoa..that's incredible...when are you going to upload it?" Somebody will work days and weeks on a character and picture and usually the 2nd comment that's made is something like "And those boots are cool, can I have them?" Don't get me wrong - guys like Traveler, Yamato and Kozaburo are freaking poser geniuses. But they don't really make you work for it. When Hafeli started really getting into realistic rendering in Poser, he would tell you how he did it but wouldn't upload for you to just take and copy. That made people think and experiment. And that is what gives us real change. Now, it seems like there are only a small handful of innovators (count the number of Nene or slightly changed Nene pictures floating around the net). I don't know, maybe I'm just rambling. Could by like looking back on your days as a kid and wishing you could go back. Sometimes you outgrow places or the places outgrow you. And no, this isn't a goodbye...maybe I'll just keep watching from the background again and continue quietly practicing. Be well. -=>Donald

You know, after reading a few "special" e-mails from some of the members here after my post I almost lost it. Came close to a nice big tirade (gee, that'd be helpful right about now). I don't know anymore, if it has come down to this kind of nasty attacks in e-mail for a message that (I felt) doesn't attack anyone but tries to help figure out a way that we can all just go back to some kind of peaceful co-existence(my Star Trek gene is taking over) then maybe I was wrong. Maybe it already is too late to do anything. If those e-mails are any indication, then for many this has nothing to do with the good of the Poser community as many people like to say. It's about conflict between individuals who feel they have been wronged and want to see some kind of justice. I can understand that. If you punch me in the face, I'm gonna want to do the same to you. No matter what your take, there is no way that you can tell me that the loss of the Poser Forum would be of benefit to us all. There is just as much singular art and innovative techniques being created there as there are here. And if you think that these resources will just spring up again, why don't you take a long look at the list of Poser related websites that have bit the dust since 1998 (when I first joined the PFO). Forums this alive and active are not the norm.

Freakachu: I don't deny you your point of view, but even in your message you bring out what we need to stop doing. You make the distinction that most of the people on the renderosity-side are speaking from personal experience rather than - I can only assume from how you said it - the 'misguided' outrage of those on the PFO-side. Where does that put people like me? I joined the PFO back at the same time I joined the Bryce forum on Delphi. I think it was probably at the iguanasoft URL then. I have been on Willow's bad side a few times, twice in two of the biggest blowouts I've seen (with the exception of this one) on the forum over censorship. I made my feelings strongly known, respectfully, and I was treated respectfully by Willow in public (messages and IRC) and in e-mail. When the PFO/Edgenet split occured, I went with them. When I decided to come back to the forums (posting and not just lurking and watching), I went back there first. I doubt I'm some special case here. Whatever my position and thoughts on what has happened, shouldn't we be thinking about the "poser community" - as so many people have pointed out - and let go of the personal injuries and jibes that people keep bringing up on both sides? -=>Donald

Would it be so hard for the sides to agree to something like no further public accusations by the forum admins (in either direction) and seal the understanding with a transfer of the name? If you don't want to give it to them, then sell it. How much are domain names these days? $50-$100, right? Hell, if it means I can finally read the forums without having to worry about them blowing up in my face, I'll buy the domain name back and give it to them as a wedding present. This isn't a multi-billion dollar business we're talking about here. There has to be a way to end this calmly without dragging it into court. Ideas? -=>Donald