I believe that someone posted that the Jan. issue of Computer Arts mentions a projected mid-'03 release date. But given the reaction to P5 1.0, and to a lesser degree to DAZ's V3, I would imagine DAZ won't rush it.

At the top of this page, click on the link for tutorials, then the link for offsite links, then on the search link to search for "Carrara" or "Lightwave." You'll get a number of results, from which you can pick ones that make sense to you.

I don't have a thread link handy, but FWIW, the Jan issue of Computer Arts magazine alluded to a projected mid-'03 release.

I recommended Shademaster's Renderupgrade above...I'll have to check out the other one myself;-)

I find reference photos of Liv Tyler helpful also, though I'm not working on a texture.

Hey, CyberStretch and I agree (that P5 isn't dead); that's a first! I am also glad that so many people took time to post acknowledgements that there are real people at the end of each keyboard. Making reckless and unsupported attacks on others says more about those that make them than they do about the supposed targets. And at the risk of derailing things, I like "Dirty Laundry," and it may be true in some cases, but Henley was caught contributing to the delinquency of a minor (a matter of public concern, I would argue) and thus I always found his attempt to portray himself as the victim of the media a bit distasteful.

Welcome! Whatcha gonna do when you get out of jail? I'm going to play with P5! Sorry...couldn't help myself;-)

Though it may well be financial considerations that caused P5 to be released when it was, I guess I was taking a little bit longer view; there were posts here and elsewhere asking when P5 might be ready for years before it came out.

I wholeheartedly agree with JohnRender's sentiments on this. However, Dan Farr said he hoped to have an announcement in early January, and the Jan. issue of CA refers to a projected mid-'03 date. And the screenshot gives some indication of the expected features. I guess I would characterize myself as hopeful about the project, but with a "show me" attitude (though I don't need to be shown until it's ready).

Well, Poser users have gotten pretty good at getting decent renders out of P4, so there's plenty of room to learn and enjoy P4. Bryce, which is oriented toward doing landscapes, was originally made by the same company that did P4, though now both have different owners. Vue d'Esprit is similar to Bryce. The rendering engine P4 uses is much like those used for videogames; the engines in Bryce, etc. are capable of getting more realistic renders, but of course cost money and take (usually much) longer to render a picture. If you haven't seen what Bryce or Vue can do, stop by their Galleries here;-)

Catching on fast would be a vast understatement. That's really good for a day or two. If you want good free 3D hair (though you may not if you can pick up the painting that well), check Kozaburo's "Digital Babes" site...it's in the webring listed in the right column of the page.

Good luck! On the focal length thing, try the following experiment. Load a figure. Click on the Face Camera. The default is probably something like 25 or 38mm. Notice that the face seems to bulge, like a "fisheye" lens effect. Increase the focal length to about 100mm. Yes, you're now really in the model's face. But when you back the camera out along the z-axis, you will not have the "fisheye" look to the face. If you need to render at both settings to compare them side-by-side, do so and you will understand the effect focal length has on close-up portraiture.

Sam has the fast fingers...beat me to it;-)