I got the scene to render at 1024x768 finally. I'm not really sure why I can't do the same at 1600x1200. Perhaps the bucket is moving, but an hour per line is not acceptable to me. And yes, I have had Vue slammed so bad that it took 20 plus hours for a 1.6 poly scene with no HDRI/GI/Radiosity...so it's all relative. I really want to give HDRI a try, but I'm afraid to unless I buy 512 more DDR 400...perhaps the IRS will help in a couple months. One thing is clear between both programs; at least I can tell there is progress in Vue even if it's slammed. Poser just sits there (with the progress meter) and a non-moving bucket for eternity with no indication with % to go, % done, etc. I tend to agree that Poser 5 has some problems even with the updates, and to which effect varies greatly on what's in your scene and the render settings. I have tried most of your suggestions, but I would like minimum renders to be at 1600x1200 in the future. Time will tell on this issue, and I don't have much of it right now. =)

My render worked by simply turning down the settings a bit. I believe the 300dpi was probably causing most of it. (Ack!) I can't imagine Vue doing it much faster, even with all the goodies off. But perhaps I'll try it for myself soon as I do prefer the engine in Vue. Thanks again for the tips!

Thank you all for the suggestions, I shall take into consideration each as it fits. My scene is very complex, and yes, I do need more ram. I had another stick of 512 installed, but it was slower than the DDR 400. I was told to take it out to speed up performance, but another friend tells me in this case 1 gig of non-matching memory is still fast than 512mb of one type. Also, I am aware of layering the scene and constructing it in PS, but there are elements that will be very tricky to redo. I did turn down dpi to 72, no filtering as I add gaussian blur in PS anyway, no raytracing, but I do have some objects in the close foreground so I have smooth polys and remove backface on. I will try this and render to a new window at 1024X768 again and see what happens. Hopefully something truly magical! I do have Vue 5, and I prefer that engine leaps and bounds over Poser, but it's a hog with big scenes, as well. One scene I did took over 20 hours with imported Poser figures and the like. Looks like either layering or buying a super computer is in order. Vue is terrific, but I tend to want all the bells and whistles with atmospherics, GI, and radiosity turned on - now that can take some time to render! I'll see what happens, and I appreciate your comments. Wish me luck and I'll post a follow up regardless of outcome. Thanks again!