If I might get a shameless plug in, because I really like a lot of his stuff, Sixus1 (SM1) has really been working at providing a new figure for Poser, with a bunch of supporting content.  I almost wish I was using Poser so I could make use of it.  The figure is Scarlet if you haven't seen it

It's another one I haven't used myself, but I have a slew of his other figures (of the nightmare kind) and they are all high quality.  The model is getting five star reviews from about everybody, and while it will load in DAZ, it is not supported there.  Hey, this did start out as a Poser thread, right? :P

This thread started out in the Poser forum and got moved by the moderator half way through.  Poser still has a strong community of people creating for it, regrettably none of them seem to be at Smith Micro.  I think with the stuff coming out with IRAY and V7 at this point, the issue of who's still actively developing their program has been answered.

I didn't recommend it, I just pointed out it existed.  I figured he could make his own mind up about whether it suited his needs or not.  So what's the problem?

I've never used this product, but it is sold here, and it sounds like what you are looking for.

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/universal-sizing-apparatus-woman/100084/

There is an interesting PDF of the IRAY by NVDIA here:  http://www.nvidia-arc.com/fileadmin/user_upload/iray_2013/documents/iray_whitepaper.121206.pdf

It will not help with specific rendering questions, but it is nice background information on the process.  What's also interesting is it allows for the actual rendering to be done on another machine while you continue working, including sending it to cloud based servers.

You know, except for the hair, there really isn't much in that render that would distinguish it from an actual photograph.  IRAY is pretty amazing, and Genesis 3 indeed does pose better than 2, though Genesis 2 is no slouch in IRAY either.

Got it thanks, you can remove it if you want.

This thread has gotten decidedly interesting.   Can anybody give me an exact URL of where to find that interview?  I'd like to read it.  Yes, I'm fascinated about reading how the computer industry got where it is, and 3D Modelling programs is one aspect of it where it seems to be very difficult to come up with a viable business model since it is very resource intensive to keep those programs up to date.

 Man I love this forum!  Start out with V7 (if that's the base figure....WOW) and end up with ..................!   I think one complete solution to the whole DAZ/SM debate would be to have one buy the other.  But is that exactly what is wanted? 

Smith Micro is in no position to buy out DAZ.  They are a publicly traded company, it doesn't take much to find their financials.  Since DAZ is not a publicly traded company I have no idea if the reverse is possible, or even desired.  Why would DAZ want to maintain to separate, very high maintenance programs that do the same thing?  Poser may end up with somebody else, I doubt seriously it would be DAZ.

this new version may not even run on my computer

What about actually trying before declaring an emergency?

Because getting back to the earlier version once you do that is not particularly straight-forward unless you do some serious preparation.  Do you have the original install files, or know where to get them for example?  I think the concern is understandable.  If you install it and it doesn't work, THEN you have a real emergency if you can't revert.

If your computer runs 4.7 it should run 4.8 without a problem.  3Delight rendering is still there, there is just an option to use IRAY if you want to.  That said, IRAY should also work, it uses the CPU if you don't have a compatible graphics card.  Whether you use Genesis 3 is up to you, but the base is free.  Nothing saying you can't stick with Genesis 2, it's going to be around for a while.

"-- eventually, there won't be any entry-level jobs left (they will be replaced entirely by automation and the one or two mechanics/programmers/engineers/whar have you who supervise the machinery) "

That's a little bit out of the general DAZ discussion, but I agree with you there, it has been happening for quite a while.  While robots can replace assembly line workers, the can't replace white color jobs, but computers and AI in general has.  It used to take an army of accountants to run a good sized company's accounting department, now you can get a away with a hand full.  Same with the rest of the people that pretty much shuffled papers from one desk to another.  It's called "increased productivity" - basically doing more with less people.  In theory this frees them up to do other, less tedious jobs.  The new jobs however don't seem to be showing up.  There's a bit of political fervor over that these days...

Our socio-economic system seems to be out of whack with our technology, that's why the middle class is disappearing and all those billionaires are showing up instead.

Getting back to DAZ though, the fear seems to be where they are going to go in the future rather than what they are doing now.  As a long time DAZ customer, when they were annoying me was back around two years ago when they couldn't seem to find a direction - I was one of the people who paid for a full version of DS 4.0 before they turned around and made it free, and I had to suffer through the incredibly poor move to the new store after that (And kudo's to Rendo, their transition ran much smoother).

But DAZ has been in a place for a long time that everybody else is just getting to - you give away the software, you sell the services and support.  Obviously the development of that software has to be paid for, they are set up where that happens.  Smith Micro sells you the software, and is dependent on someone else to service it.

That model is starting to fail, even Microsoft figured that out. 

Personally I feel better about the future of working with DAZ products than I have in a while.  I don't see what they did with V7 as a move in the wrong direction, and the results of using G3 thus far have been pretty amazing.  Now bring on the males.

But don't be surprised or expect sympathy when you are left behind. This is artwork, but this also a technology-based hobby and the tech is going to move forward whether you like it or not

Time to go on. This is true for DS and Poser.
That is the problem!!!.  No, it is not time for them to move on!  They and everything else needs to STOP moving on!  I hate how fast tech changes, I hate new technology, and have since being subjected to beepers.  I don't own, hate to use, and despise mobile phones, laptops, etc.  I hate how every year I get older, and more and more of the relics of my childhood, including loved ones, die!  Every year they get older and sicker!  I hate time, I hate the laws of physics regarding them, and I hate change!!  This should not exist, just like suffering should not exist!  I'm so sick of this, of all of this!!!

TIME SHOULD NOT GO ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you can figure out a way to make it stop, be sure to let us know.  :P

If you think it is bad as an artist, try being a programmer for a living.  Of course when I started out, all we had was CGA, which was 320x200 resolution with your choice of three whole colors - red green and yellow, or purple pink and white.  And it wasn't that long ago, I am talking 1988 when EGA was young and VGA was an infant.  Hard drives were 40 mb, memory was 640k.

So choose when you want to stop time carefully.  

Equipment and software keeps evolving and new technologies become possible.  Heck, in five years we may be rendering holographs.

Sometimes G3 has to be downloaded manually, the DIM is kind of glitchy about it still, but it is free.  The download is around 500 mbs.

I've got a couple of his items, I'll make some renders tonight and post them.  I haven't used them recently, I don't generally do outdoor renders.  On a general note, he did start adding DAZ shader support on his later items, those shouldn't be any problem, they specifically say they have been tested in DAZ.  His earlier stuff you might have to tweek the materials, particularly anything involving water.