Basically, I am wondering which software I should use to rig content that is for Generation 4 figures. Let's say I have an armor set for Vicky (because she clearly needs another one ? ), and I want people to be able to use it in both Poser and DAZ Studio. Which application should I rig it in? Would it change the answer if I wanted to make it Poser only?

Also, what do I need to learn, read, watch, buy, etc for learning about cr2 files these days? Do I need to edit them by hand still, or do Poser and DAZ Studio do it for me?

Finally, is there anything not covered by this question that you think I am overlooking or should know, any things to watch out for, etc? I'm a relative newbie compared to a lot of you when it comes to Poser and DAZ Studio.

PhilC's Hierarchy Builder will remove a lot of the headache of manual rigging (It'll get you maybe 90% of the way there most of the time, in my experience).

I've only rigged things in Poser, so that's what I recommend if you really want to do it by hand.

You can use either - quite a few people who had tried both said they preferred working in DS, but that was when the fourth generation figures were the latest so a fair while (and several versions of both applications) back.

You should learn the anatomy of a .cr2 and how to do things manually even if you are relying on scripts or automations for such things. Then, when you encounter a problem, It's easier to just look in the .cr2 and see exactly what's going on. If by rigging you mean using donor rigs to make doll clothes... isn't that pretty much automated these days? Pick up a copy of Secrets of Figure Creation with Poser 5, you can get a copy dirt cheap and it has a giant section on .cr2 theory and practice. All still relevant. Despite all of the latest and greatest, in relation to .cr2 inner workings, things haven't changed much at all. Well, most folks that actually know how that all works don't post on the forums anymore would be the difference. There's a lot of secret lore hidden away in many of the old threads in the archives here. Also, if your going to be creating content for Poser get yourself Netherwork's Spawn scripts package. Lets you automate such dependency tasks as JCM, movement dials, easypose type erc, scaling dials, etc. All backward compatible. $20.

Why can we still not "quote" the opening post in a thread? Did someone actually create forum software that prevents anyone from actually directly responding to the OP? Brilliant! ...

/sigh

Let's say I have an armor set for Vicky (because she clearly needs another one ? ), and I want people to be able to use it in both Poser and DAZ Studio. Which application should I rig it in? Would it change the answer if I wanted to make it Poser only?

Well, if it's exclusively for Gen 4 figures and since those use native Poser rigging, what app would it likely be better to use? :) (The answer is, basically, whichever app you are best at using, but I'd vote for Poser, myself.) And, if it was exclusively for Poser, then use Poser, of course. Why wouldn't you?

Also, what do I need to learn, read, watch, buy, etc for learning about cr2 files these days? Do I need to edit them by hand still, or do Poser and DAZ Studio do it for me?

Honestly, you don't really need to "learn" about CR2s in order to rig anything. Yes, you can do some funky stuff with a good bit of CR2 knowledge, but that isn't necessary for creating standard conforming clothing items. At most, you need to know where the CR2 references the base geometry, which is pretty easy to figure out, since it's at the beginning of the CR2 and points to an object file... :) And, it's not likely you'd ever have to manually edit a CR2 file when creating basic conforming clothing. (The majority of the clothing you find on Renderosity/DAZ for Gen 4 figures.)

Finally, is there anything not covered by this question that you think I am overlooking or should know, any things to watch out for, etc? I'm a relative newbie compared to a lot of you when it comes to Poser and DAZ Studio.

Free stuffs... CR2 builder/editor is out there, somewhere, forget where atm. Grab it if you want to easily edit CR2s with a GUI interface. Grab UVMapper Light (free), too, just in case. A number of utilities are out there and you'll want them, too. They're not free, though. Dimension3D has a tone of very nice utilities that can make content creation much easier for you.

What do you really need to know? Well, what you need to know is going to be discovered by actually creating and rigging clothes. In order to learn, you'll have to do it. It's not terribly difficult, either. BUT, there is an initial learning curve to get over, especially if you're creating the models, yourself. Once you get over the basic hump of learning how to create basic meshes and rig them, you will be around the same skill level as many artists, so long as you can rig them decently. After that, the amount of skill you start to example will be evident in the quality of your product. (Hint - Go beyond the "basic" skill set!) Once you can create and rig clothes, you'll know how to create morphs, extra bones/body-handles and then it'll be time for JCMs/Deformers. You might even get a bit funky, using geometry switching and rigged magnet deformers or some such.

It's really up to you. But, for the "basic stuff" of creating a clothing object, grouping it and rigging it, it's pretty easy. Altering clothing from one figure to another isn't too difficult, either, as long as you have basic modeling skills and understand the "rules" of managing groups/morphs/UVs/rigging etc..