PS, I do not want to model a car, I want to buy a mesh already created. thanks.

Can you explain exactly what a morph is and how it works? Generally, I know what the term means, but how does it work within Poser? Kind regards. Mil

So in the industry, this would obviously include 3D max, poser, et.

Thanks guys. I wil give these suggestions a go. I also need to sort out how I am going to output to AVI. cheers.

I think your are right Birddie. That's what I will be doing to get started - Bryce and Poser - this is enough to get the creative juices stimulated. Also, I have spent the last few hours with Terragen - and I am really inpressed with it. There is one thing I have discovered for now - I do not want to use a program where I have to start from scratch - I don't want to design my own meshes, nurbs, textures etcyet. For now, I am happy with programs that have intutive interfaces and helpful tutorials. Maybe down the track I will design my own meshes, nurbs, textures etc. So that's my final conclusion: Programs that have intutitve interfaces. These seem to be Bryce, Poser, Terragen (someone wrote a good tutorial for Terragen - without it then it wouldn't be so good). The next progression, I'll give Vue a go. I think this is the most logical progrssion for me. I may also play around with Maya educational (in a few weeks or months time). Cheers. PS Thanks again to all. I am extremely happy with the quality of responses. Thank you for taking the time to assist.

Well said LornaW. I am itching so much to be creative, but I just didn't want waste time on a program that I thought would do one thing, but isn't really made to do it. For example, I would have wasted days to try and build a model in Poser - but thanks to this forum, I know what poser is good for. I also wanted to know the general positioning of the programs. Many, Many years ago, my first job was as a digital animator for a TV production house. The computer cost $1 million - (a little sister to the Cray computer). The floppy disk was the size of a A4 book. The computer took up a small whole room. Now I can fulfil my desires on a desktop. It is intersting to know that the top systems cost $10k. Lots of money for individuals, peanuts for serious businesses. But I totally agree. I much prefer to show what I can with a Honda - just as long as it has tyres, and the motor does run.

I almost hated myself for asking the question, but MAN I am learning a lot - thanks heaps guys, things are clearing up for me. I am definitely starting with Poser and possibly Bryce. Learning addition of Maya also sounds great. Also, I don't swear often, but when I saw the result of Terragen I swore. Why is this program so small though? I downloaded it for a quick try. Thanks heaps again. Don't kill eachother over which programs are better etc. It does come down to preference and prices and intended use. I just wanted to learn from someone elses experience rather than going through the same pain other have experienced. "It is a wise man that leans from toher people's mistakes". In this case, I am learning a lot from others experiences - even though they are subjective. Cheers.

Thanks. Typically, she was playing hard to get :-)

I think I am missing something. Can't seem to find her at Daz - I need the base figure, not the props or poses. If I am missing something, please let me know. thanks

Yeah Birdie, that's what I intend to do. I do flash work which I sell to clients already as well as multimedia CD and DVD presentations. If I can do 3D work as well to use in my multi media presentations, then this would be great. I am creative, and I can already see me making money on projects with Poser. Hopefully, this will fund my 3D growth path. At the moment I am working on anmimating a poser figure over video - so I am learning a lot from another thread I have posted on this issue. Cheers.

The other question I need to consider is which ones are intuitive and/or easy to learn becuase they have good tutorials available. Some tutorials I have seen around aren't that great, and the documentation - well, I think only the writer would have difficulty in understanding. With the research I have dome so far: Poser - A must. Seems easy enough to use with good interface. Can start producing something almost instantly,and wil only get better with time. Vue and Bryce seem like the next ones with easy interface. Not sure which to consider of these. I viewed lightwave,and the interface seems a little daunting at first - but I will look into it further. I also like the fact that some programs can share resources and work together. Thanls again guys. The feedback is great, and extremely helpful I value these opinions even though they are subjective sometimes. Cheers.

Man, I am learning soooo much. Basically I will not be doing gaming, just scenes (fanatasy) and animation. I also build display stands for exhibitions, and want to be able to do a 3D pic of them. And I love the real life stuff of peoples faces. I just took a brief look at Maya, and it looks great! If this has an easy to use interface, then it may be the way to go. Cheers again.

Your babble is appreciated. Thanks. Nobody mention Shade so far, I thought this may be a favorite since Poser is so good. Cheers.

Don't get me wrong, I will invest the time, but I just don't want to go down the wrong track. I'd hate to start with one program, then realise that there was another that is accepted as easier to use with more power. Why would someone choose lightwave over Max and visa versa? Any comments? Once again, thanks for your input - this forum is the best I've seen and experienced.

I am willing to invest to get me on the right track. I have little time, so I would like to fast track the learning curve - so if I had to spend a little more to get me on the right track, and save time, then it is worth it. Is Max easy to use, or too complex for a beginner and best left to later? Incidently, is there a bees knees program, that is accepted as one of the best?? Cheers.