You hit it right on the nose, ladynimue. As the old cliche goes - possession is 9/10ths of the law. And in the case of one's artwork, the creator possesses it and has certain (internationally recognized) rights concerning its use, distribution, and display - no matter how easily it can be acquired by others. Again, just because you can do a thing does not mean that it is legal to do it. ernyoka1, I was going to mention that everything (except server-side scripting and certain streaming media) is downloaded to your computer for web browsing. But this copying, again, is covered by many laws which restrict what you can do with it. This is close to a EULA, in that you can install an application, but cannot lend it to your friends, sell it, etc. Any data copied to your computer that is copyrighted still falls under copyright law (period). In this case, the agreement is that you can view the material but cannot use it in any other way without permission from the creator of it. The internet started with free-exchange at its core (ArpaNet and exchange of research documents and information between colleges, universities, and such). Once it entered the public domain and then the business domain, this free-exchange has opened up a pandora's box of legal indeterminants. The internet crosses national boundaries, where laws vary from one nation to another. What the web needs is several levels of encryption (PGP or similar) depending upon the material being served - free, protected, secure. If data to be only viewed (and not copied, saved, or used otherwise) were protected, most of this would not be happening. BYS

For stills, any application that handles Wavefront .obj will do. More work, but doesn't limit your options. Export the scene or object from Poser as Wavefront OBJ format and import the .obj file, then bring in the textures. Otherwise, there are plugins for 3DSMax, LightWave, and Cinema4D (and probably others). This is the best approach when possible. All have very decent render engines. For animations, you'll have to stick to the plugins. Beware that the plugins are for Poser 4 Pro Pack and don't work well in the latest versions of the target apps. CL is working on upgraded plugins for Poser 5 and these apps. BYS

Very slowly... Here are Curious Labs System Requirements for Poser 5: English only versions of Windows 98se, 2000, ME or XP 500MHz Pentium class or compatible (700Mhz or greater recommended) 128MB system RAM (256MB recommended) 24-bit color display, 1024 x 768 resolution 500MB free hard disk space Internet connection required for Content Paradise BYS

3ncryptable3_lick, all I have to say is what was said already. There is nothing stopping me from performing any action whatsoever - murder, stealing, bribery, plagiarism, you name it. Ah, but there is something that exists in most people which acts to dissuade the pursuit of such actions. It's a built-in "empathy" which guides our actions for the good of our species, our close group, and ourselves (not always in that order) - usually denoted as conscience. As sentient beings, we have codified these built-in responses and actions as laws and rules. Therefore, just because one can do something, doesn't mean that it is the right thing to do. Just because most people don't have a sign on their door that says "tenants only - no trespassers" doesn't give one the right to enter their premises. Why? If you answer this, then you know why copying other people's artwork without permission and displaying without permission is wrong and illegal. BYS

Well, now that you've explained yourself, sorry for the rant. But, it doesn't excuse this. The only reason that you can defend it is because of the anonymity of the internet. Let's take a little art show in some market. The pictures there aren't for sale, just for display - maybe local artists getting some coverage. There are no armed guards, nor are there any signs of "Copyrighted Materials". This is a "real" gallery just like the one here where anybody can view and admire the work. Except for the fact that if someone were to say to themselves, "Wow, I like that picture, think I'll take it home with me." and walk off with it, it'd be considered theft. If they later claimed that it was theirs, it would be copyright infringement (if not plagiarism, etc.). So, what's the difference? Just because I would love a nice home gallery with some modest works by DaVinci, Botticelli, Dali, and Escher doesn't give me the right to just borrow them for myself, does it? BYS

3ncryptabl3_lick, you are wrong! Following your premise, a printed book that someone buys is "in the public domain" and can therefore be used as if uncopyrighted. Incorrect. It is still copyrighted as you and your lawyer would soon find out if you provided the full text on a website or quoted parts without proper attributions. Copyright law is clear: publication of a unique work of art (of any kind) is automatically covered; validated by the use of a copyright mark, legalized by a registration. The rights to distribute, display, publish, sell, etc. are all solely those of the creator unless permission or transfer or rights is given by the creator. Note that one does not need to register a copyright to claim copyright to their work. In many cases, such as artwork, a signature is enough to provide copyright claim (but it'd be easier to defend your claim with a proper copyright mark). Public domain, my ass. Go take unique images from other web sites (especially corporate) and put them on your own site and see how "public domain" they are. Public domain as in "publically cease and desist with prompt removal" with a nice notarized legal letter and threats of suit. BYS

Yeah, I'll go along with you on that, Niles. Now, Daz does have some nice products - the wide variety of animals (both extinct and living) ready-made for Poser is great! Because of the "magic faery wings" and "RPG cloak" for V3, in which I have no interest, this is the area around which I've been focusing my Daz purchases. Personally - IMHO, rumor-mill, no evidence ;), I think not only are they concentrating on V3 because, let's face it, it sells, but also, they are probably devoting many resources to DAZ Studio (oh, when, oh, when) and M3. I predicted in December/January that DAZ Studio would probably be initially released (as beta or first version) right around NOW. Boy, was I off! So much for my career as psychic, huh? There hasn't been an update concerning it in over five months. Not a good sign of imminent release. Back on topic, overall - not just DAZ - it seems that the market is getting, well, thin. Koshini this, Koshini that. Now we have what's his name based on Koshini. Sci-Fi, RPG, fantasy, movie-based stuff. There are wide arrays of markets that haven't even been tapped or just barely scratched. How many "Pinup poses" or "Futuristic armor Ninja suits with death-ray blaster" do we need anyway? ;) BYS

Renderosity does have a Copyright Policy, but it reads like it only pertains to member infringements and not external infringements. Will have to reread that. :) It's on the right menu under "Renderosity". BYS

After reading up a bit, it would be even better if you could add a copyright notice within the file or as text somewhere on the image - the usual (c) Your Name, 2003. That is enough to warn that use of the image without permission is infringement and subject to the law (Copyright Act and DMCA). Still, doesn't Rendorosity have some sort of notice of image property and use restrictions? Seem funny if they didn't. BYS

I say flood ValueWeb with complaints of copyright infringement - considering the number of infringements, make the point clear. That'll kick them into gear to do something. If that fails, a lawyer's notice of class-action suit would put a fire under them to move hastily. This point has been made ad nauseum, but signing or watermarking your images would go a long way to protecting your work. If I remember copyrights correctly, although minimally recognized as "properly" copyrighted material, signatures on artwork do have some amount of validation. Unless you can digitally sign the image file itself (a key or author field in the header), this is the best defense against this unpermissed misuse of images. BYS

PeterWahoo, huh? You spend $100 and you SAVE hundreds that you'd spend if you didn't have the PC Club membership. I got into the club during their introductory special and have probably saved several hundred dollars (at least) for a measely $80. How is that a bad idea? Not only do you get the PC $1.99 items, but you get a 30% discount on ALL DAZ ORIGINAL PRODUCTS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Unless you don't want any of the DAZ models, textures, poses, etc, you can't lose. If you spend a minimum of $20-$50/month at DAZ then you'd have to be daft not to get a PC membership. BYS

Hot-lips Houlihan! That's it, right!! ;0) Now the cool thing would be to show a Poser likeness of Alan Alda... BYS

Calling Dr. Geep. Will Dr. Geep please come to the Poser Forum! :) Shucks, someone got there 'fore me. ;0) BYS

It'll have to be syndicated, like on TVLand, with commercials for magic woks and hair removal. :) BYS

Alright, that's enough from you, Axe! Keep it up and you'll be forced to watch MAS*H 24/7 for the next 6 months. ;0) BYS