Well, I just got an email from e-Frontier celebrating Shade and offering an upgrade. Casually mentioned in the offering is a content CD. Here is what is says: Content. Get bonus content FREE from Content Paradise! All Shade 8 English purchases receive Fei-Fei and Terai Yuki limited figures, and Shade 8 professional purchases also receive 1,700+ 3D objects, all FREE! So, are they saying the character Fei-Fei, long rumored to be an actual legal release somewhere in the mysterious East, might be included, although "limited." Interesting. I'd sure like to know if there is a Fei-Fei mesh and/or rig on that CD. I'm writing them. Also: I did a little surfing and arrived at an e-Frontier Japanese page and sent Bablefish on a translation, and got the hilarious result below. I wonder how much 4,800 Yen is in dollars, what you actually get. I guess I should attempt to read the "Englishito of Policy." found at: http://shade.e-frontier.co.jp/dbc/feifei.html Foam/home>product summary>hobby contents>digital beauty classic> FeiFei Digital beauty classic FeiFei Exceeding 3D beauty girl boom, it appeared to be beautiful the quiet android, FeiFei. The 3DCG form data collection which expresses her world with Shade, digital beauty "FeiFei" Shade becoming 7.5/8 correspondences, again appearance! ! As for her name flying flying [ FeiFei ]. Cyber City Walker which opened the door of new age in the world of 3DCG. The kind of lip which feels sigh, to try touching the kind of cheek which stops wanting unintentionally. As for virtual Venus which does not have the times when it fades even now until that it is noble, as for the arms and legs while pulsating faintly, it waits for when the awaking of soul. It lies hidden in the opening of the digital signal, whether "it fluctuates and" it can take in, your circumstance. Please enjoy the world of FeiFei with Shade. - Recording data contents Basic form data (1) scene form data (14) image data (14) movie data (1) data for wallpaper (2) In regard to the use of the data of this product recording * Copyright of this product reverts to イーフロンティア excluding the case where it is stated clearly separately. * Copyright of 3 dimensional form data and the graphics data which are recorded in this product reverts to corporation ブルームーンスタジオ. * You can use 3 dimensional form and the graphics data which are recorded in this product, this product only private and non profit-making purpose of the purchase user. * The data of this product recording, and it compiled and,,, and it cannot sell the data which processed this distribute transfer lease loan lease distribute move electronically. * The form data which is recorded in this product is Shade lock file format. It cannot export, to allotriomorphic system such as DXF. Hardware requirement (Win/Mac commonness) Shade 7.5/8 series (Windows edition and Mac OS X edition) the environment which operates * You cannot use with the version of time before the Shade 6 series. * Shade application of 7.5/8 series is other way necessary in utilization of this product. * Necessary memory on-board capacity differs depending upon the form data and the job contents which are utilized. Standard price: 4,800 Yen (including tax 4,572 Yen) 2005 Blue Moon Studio Inc. 2005 e-frontier and Inc. Link | イーフロンティア |Englishto of policy | Shadeonlineregardingprivacy

Wait....I am reading further....this is a potential fantastic offer. If you own Poser, you can get the full Shade 8 Standard for $99.00 and then DOWNLOAD FEI-FEI SHEESH! That is an $800 program!. Even if Fei-Fei is somehow limited........ Here is what is says on the purchase page: Electronic versions available for immediate delivery. Physical versions available soon. Note: Once you complete your purchase, go to www.contentparadise.com/s8figures and enter your serial number to download your FREE Fei-Fei and Terai Yuki limited figures. ::::: Opera :::::

Okay, i got a little too excited. Standard is a $200.00 program, Pro is $900. Anyway..... you can get Standard for half price with a big content CD including Fei-Fei limited, whatever that means. They don't say. ::::: Opera :::::

Fei Fei limited and Tera Yuki limited mean that they are standalone scenes that you can't add anything too. They are "locked". You can move the characters within the scene and such, and see how they were made. But you won't be able to use them like you would a Poser character. - Noel

Attached Link: http://www.e-frontier.com/article/articleview/1540/1/660?sbss=660

From e-frontier: Fei-Fei and Terai Yuki limited figures, for posing and demonstration purposes, are available free from Content Paradise with purchase of both the standard and professional versions.* *Modifications to Fei-Fei and Terai Yuki cannot be saved, except as rendered output (which will include trademark watermark). Shade 8 still sounds like a bargain, if its Poser integration is all that they say it is.

lol

Shades interface is a horror !!!. "poser fusion" notwithstanding it like an old copy of quarkXpress with a spline modelor crammed in. I deleted my free LE versoin of shade7and got Carrara4 pro for rendering poser animations

"it's like an old copy of quarkXpress with a spline modelor crammed in." ROTFLMAO As a fellow Quark- and Shade-hater, let me thank you for putting my feelings into words perfectly :)

BTW, EBob, let me put it this way: I'd rather import my figures as static meshes and re-rig them in Cinema4D than ever again try using Shade to render them. One of the worst examples of cross-program file interaction I've ever seen. To clarify for those who are curious about Shade's UI: the best way I can describe it is this: if the creators of Blender had actually designed its UI to be obtuse on purpose (rather than obtuse until you get used to it, and intuitive after), they still couldn't have come up with something like Shade. Shade is now in my all-time top 3 worst UI programs, which are as follows: Form*Z Quark XPress Shade Funny thing is, these three programs' UIs look very similar in many ways. Conspiracy, maybe? The plot thickens...

LOL!!!! it is truly Awful!! and im not some newb who has only used "Kai krause"UI's like Poser & bryce either I own lightwave 3D 7.5 and have used every version of Cinema4D since version 6 but in Shade I found simple tasks ,like actully finding a scene item that you have added, basicly impossible!! I know long time 3DMAX users who were equally stumped Good riddance to shade :-/

If I were to spend $900 USD (about $1400 CAD) on a program, I'd expect to receive shares in the company, and be invited to the CEO's house for all Holiday dinners too!! LOL