As for the previously mentioned Believable3D comment on my technique, you might read up on  "Shadowcaster"...it's a great little method for putting shadows into scenes with characters and produces very realistic and believable [no pun intended] image combinations...without being "disastrous".  I like to use Bryce for background/environment creation and renders and then import the image produced there into poser where characters are then added.   It's easier than trying to shift Poser people into other programs.  It's a cut-n-run technique, but it does speed my workflow...and I'm producing a lot of images...so it's imperative to do my work fast.

Again, I'm not wanting to discuss techniques here...I'm looking for sound technical advice on fixing this blur problem.   So please everyone...stay on topic here.

Thanks for the input folks.  The student versions send you to e-frontiers then reroute you to Smith Micro's 404 page.  The software is no longer sold in the United States.  And apparently E-frontier Japan, who owns it, is scraping the software entirely.  I'm not real sure on the EULA's being able to legally prohibit a transfer.  You can buy music CD's and resell them in pawn shops...without problem.  They can list whatever they want in a EULA, but truthfully I'm not real certain they can make it stand up in court necessarily.  I don't know.  I guess $1000 software gets more clout than a $12 CD.  Course this program sold for $50...so I don't know.  At this point I'm just giving up on it.   Why you would write a program and then just stop selling it is beyond me.  It was downloaded anyway...it's not like they were out printing box money or anything...no manual even.   Just dumb.  And I could kick myself for not buying it while I had the chance.  Thanks again for the input.

I think a lot of the complaints, such as mine, center around the fact that the new version of this program  really isn't worth messing with.  Aside from the new light capabilities offered [IBL], the software has actually had more taken away than it has had put in it.  In a nutshell, for me anyway, I probably should have just waited for P9 or something.  I also applied for a refund and found the process pretty simple and straight forward.  Y'know I actually skipped P5 myself...went from 4 to 6 and never really missed much except the bugs apparently.  So I think maybe I should have done the same here.  Honestly, unless you're a Firefly lover in dyer need of the new lighting addon, then P7 is still doing plenty and actually more than the new P8.  When I talked with the sales rep with SM today, he actually told me that they should have a fix coming out shortly and mentioned that the software team was a bit disturbed by the amount of complaints over the software, mostly the lack of the P4 engine and the Runtime layout.  He said the bug complaints they expected as with all new releases and they do plan to address them as soon as possible.  So those of you in love with P8 but hating the crashes, hang in there, evidently they're working on it.

For those of you who can't work without the P4 like me...well...I guess you tighten your grip on your P7 and call SM up for your money back on P8.  At least they're not being rude about refunds.  I was actually pleasantly surprised I got through on the phone without even being put on hold.  So I gotta give SM kudos for being tight on the customer support end of things.

Well that's my ten cents...

Just want to thank everyone who posted in my defense on this matter and I apologize for angering up certain individuals yesterday.  I never figured I'd be attacked for complaining about software.  I'll post a fuller review later next week.

Winzip does NOT open OBZ files.  I have tried this with several programs for unzipping and compression.  I'm not sure how you got it to work but the file format is not recognized even by the newest version of the software mentioned. 

thanks for the link on the AVG --- I had their free antivirus installed before and it did not catch the virus, but the linkscanner can't hurt any.  Thanks.

I wouldn't really rely on McAffee...there about as useless as Symantec/Nortons at blocking or protecting anything.  These new malware programs are using Adobe Acrobat as a backdoor through IE's security and once active, it uses Acrobat to download even more files from their sites until you are swamped.  I also got hit again this morning on one of the free Renderosity model hosts from the freestuff.  I've sent the poster a message so he can move the file off that particular host, but from what I've read online in security blogs the last few days, the a-holes are blitzing the internet using random banner exchanges to shift their attacks.  Basically speaking, the site flashes a banner...and it's fine...nobody gets infected...then a new visitor logs in and the banner changes and it's the ahole file and it infects this person's system...next person comes along and the banner is different and safe again.  So it's possible for one person to get infected while another 1000 don't.  So the site blockers and such are useless in this situation.  Also, this particular bunch are using pseudo-software...a con in which they load an HTML document that looks like a real antivirus software program and tellls you that you have viruses, click here to buy their software to remove them.  If you don't click, it then proceeds to swamp your system and take it over with malware.  The software is a virus itself and the method is not only illegal but is actual digital fraud.  The programs have been traced to Russia, but that's about all currently, and the security people are scrambling to keep up, but they are changing the file names daily as well as their imbeded locations.  It is seriously, seriously nasty.  So everybody just stay aware of things and watch it.  In the fifteen years I've been a tech-head out here in cyber land I've never seen a bunch like this...and it's proliferating.

Just an update...the removal software did not get Barracuda.  Apparently the newest version is out and it walked AGAIN right through my newly installed and updated programs.  It passed AVG, Ad-Aware, and Malware all three without missing a beat and reinstalled itself into my computer this morning and took over again.  I just ended up having to wipe my entire system to get rid of it and I'm just "hoping" I killed it finally.  This was the worst thing I've ever dealt with viral-wise.  It actually changed it's file names every time I started deleting them.  It was almost like dealing with a live party on the other end.  These spyware programs are getting vicious and very sophisticated.  Definitely steer clear of the scifi3D site folks...sad to see it go.  Hope they eventually get it nipped in the bud.

Thanks for comments and support!

Thanks for the help.  I was just astounded to find even my old Runtime directories now compressed.  It was strange.  Not sure if I should uncompress or not.  I guess if I keep having problems, I can try it.  Again, I appreciate the help!

Also, I've already installed the service pack 2.0...so I don't know what's up with that. I found a reference at e-frontiers about some sort of issue similar to mine and it says the service pack was supposed to correct it. Anyway, I'm gonna try reloading the service pack and see if that does any good...but again...any help here would be appreciated most greatly!

Addendum: I have loaded this Pz3 scene file in my old Poser 4.0 version...and though I lost my Pmd-morph data...the file opens...and renders just fine. So it's apparently a P6 problem that's going on here somehow or the other. Am I the only moron out here with this issue or what??? HELP?

Thanks guys...apparently the site was just down temporarily when I tried it yesterday...it's up fine now and I downloaded all of the files. Cool beans...much appreciated.

Hey...what happened to 3dmeshes? The site appears to no longer be up. Does anybody have the predator model? If so, please let me know if you'll email it to me...or something. I tried to download it from TBKoen's site but no go there. help? JAG

*** SX200---the problem WAS NOT the video card. The card has no problems. The issue was P6 not working quickly when the card was set to OpenGL which is recommended by e-Frontiers. It simply does not work better on GL and works much, much faster set to it's default. If you're not having problems. Good. Don't touch nothing and be glad. I've been cussing P6 for a week now...and just now, figured out what was wrong.

Just in case anybody has any questions: I'm running an ATI Radeon 9250 with 256 DDR RAM - Gaming & 3D application Card designed spedifically for accelerated rendering with (4) four rendering pipelines, and includes SMARTSHADER and SMOOTHVISION. It is an OpenGL supported card. Card was manufactured and released in the end of 2004 and is less than 7 months old, with all current updates and drivers. If you are running P6...and are having similar problems as I have, please check to see if your hardware is similar. If so, you may need to stop P6 from auto-detecting OpenGL for preview window. Manually set for ATI's default settings. Refer to page 100 of P6 manual. Disregard all claims by P6 staff on page 4 of the manual stating that ATI Radeon's are preferred. Apparently ATI cards run faster NOT operating on OpenGL. Symptoms include the program (P6) only, hesitating and being generally slow when you do anything at all within it and this may not be the case with other programs such as Corel's Bryce 5.0 or previous Poser programs. I am unsure how, if at all, rendering in standard settings may effect overall performance of the outputs. If you notice a difference...use the standard settings for setting up the poses...then right click in the preview frame in P6 and select the OPENGL setting before rendering. Should I write technical manuals now or what? Again thanks for all the help guys.