Thank you both very much for your good advice.  I agree that time to investigate on my own is a crucial part of this process - just as is this querry to the forum. 

With more research since yesterday, I've discovered that I can purchase Maya for about $300 and Lightwave for less than $200 (academic discounts, both).   At those prices, I won't be suicidal if either one turns out to be something that has a very steep learning curve.

Years ago, I had a copy of CorelDraw 3 and it was what I cut my teeth on in the 2D realm.  It was hard for me to learn - very hard!  But I kept at it day after day until I learned it.  Today I'm up to CorelDraw 12 and I suppose I'm as good as anyone out there now - but my big problem really was that no one else seemed to be using Corel so there was not any community support.  I had to keep at it all by myself until I learned things one teeny tiny bit at a time. 

I guess I don't want to be left all alone in the 3D world like I was in the 2D world.  Whatever it is that I eventually choose, I want there to be a lot of people out there using it too.  I want forums, tutorials, advocates, and dicussions - because I don't want to be left to learn this on my own.

One of the problems I also want to avoid is that I want to find a place that is newbie-friendly and nurturing because this is likely to be a long journey for me - and my engines run on praise and flattery.  :-)

From my looks at the galleries here, I'm impressed with the work people are doing in Cinema 4D . . . but that one costs as much as a down payment on a small mansion.  I guess I'll keep looking!

Many thanks!

--Invidia

Thanks everyone for your advice and your help. Now I'm having just one other problem - the same problem that linkdink seems to be having. The script that I have seems to be locking up my computer and not really working quite right. How is it that Curious Labs has the nerve to even ship this product with such a glaring error in it? I mean, they've had plenty of opportunity to fix this by now. I'm really angry that I have given them hundreds of my hard-earned dollars over the years and they can't even fix something so basic as this. Of all the no-lights scripts out there, which one are you guys having the best luck with? I am ready to pull out my hair here.

Well drat! Aparently I forgot to click the button to allow comments. I still don't know why it says that I have 4 comments, but that's a mystery for another day. Thanks very much for the help everyone! Much love, --Invidia

Under the thumbnail it says, 4 rankings and 4 comments. So I'm assuming there are comments. Still I can't read them. :( --Invidia

Personally I use whatever tools I have available to make my art look like I want it to look. Occasionally I have a model that doesn't conform the way I want, or a joint that is overly compressed, or maybe just a simple poke-through. These are things that should be corrected in order to make my art look more professional. Often I look at art in the galleries with the proclamation that no postwork was done, but as far as I'm concerned that is sort of like saying that one is not interested in finishing up the piece. Most of those no-postwork pics could really use it, IMO. Best Blessings, --Invidia

I've been using Poser for two years now and I only found out a couple of weeks ago what the UI dots are for. I was just too lazy to pick up the manual and read it, I guess. Best Blessings, --Invidia

RubiconDigital, Your backgrounds are actually on my wishlist. I couldn't decide about them. On the one hand, there was a certain amount of water in the foreground. But on the other hand, they look absolutely stunning. I don't know what photo effects you used to create that look - but they are gorgeous. --Invidia

I am not overly concerned with the size of the backgrounds, though I think 1200 x 1000 (or in the neighborhood) is a good size. Whatever the size, I just want some terra firma to put my people on in the foreground. Lilybelles: I'm glad someone agrees with me. I see so much water in background sets that I was starting to think I was outnumbered. But people need a place to be, and as Poser artists we deal primarily with people. I just hope some merchants will take it into consideration in the future. :) Best Blessings, --Invidia

SWAMP: Thanks for the suggestion. I actually do own the Cyclorama and a ton of textures for it. And I own everything linwhite has ever created - sheer genius (even though there is a certain amount of foreground water in some of her backgrounds too). But I'm a background maniac and I'm always looking to improve my collection. In fact, I have two sets of backgrounds for sale here myself - not too much foreground water in them either. LOL I only put up the post because I wanted to let other merchants know that this was an issue for me - and it is likely to be an issue to others too. Robo2010: I'm not an animator so I'll just have to take your word for it. Best of luck resolving your problem.

There is a great tutorial over at Daz about how to create your own cyclorama textures from photos. I don't recall the name of the tut right now, but head over to their archive and check it out. I think it'll be just what you're looking for. Best Blessings, --Invidia

I think different people have different ideas about how they want their galleries to be viewed, and I'm okay with that. Some want praise and encouragement, while others are solely interested in artistic critique. If I were to want honest feedback, I think I would make a mention of it in my comments on the image. Something like . . . "I would really appreciate comments on how I can improve this image so I can grow as an artist. If you see anything you would have done differently, please let me know." I sometimes get critique from people that is very useful. Other times I realize they don't know what they are talking about, but I'm at the point in my life (and my artistic development) where I can shrug things like that off easily. However, I have to shamefully admit that I love the kind comments that people send along. Like many of us here, I liken a lot of comments to success. The personal attacks will happen too if you post controversial images. Mine are all down now (Thank you, Paypal), but I had some up there with comments like "This is disturbed" and my favorite "Rendered with hatred and viewed with disgust." -sigh- Best of luck with your gallery. I'm gonna head over there now and leave you a comment - if I see anything that hasn't been pointed out already. Best Blessings, --Invidia

I had trouble with multiple Runtimes in Poser 5. Once I put everything in one folder the problem disappeared, and it's so much better now! Though P5 can recognized multiple Runtime folders in theory, that doesn't mean that it's a good idea. :( Best Blessings, --Invidia

The pending queue is between seven and nine days right now. Maybe you could talk to Deb or Clint about activating your merchant status? Though I think the reason you don't have access right now is because you don't have a current product. Best Blessings, --Invidia

Dave-So, I just checked my stats and I went through 24 gigs of transfer in November. I'm on pace to pass that up for December. It's a LOT of bandwidth. But the BEST thing about Cheapbandwidth.com is that they are never down. Never. Not in the years I've been with them. That's saying something! Cheers, --Invidia

I've been trying to get my hands on this hair for about a year now with no luck. I tried begging, but it didn't work. I hope Daz bought it and will release it shortly - 'cause I NEED that hair! LOL --Invidia