Ok, I think I am getting a handle on Poser 4. I have being using all the wonderful props and characters that I got from the free stuff page and elsewhere, but I want to create my own. Which program would recommend? The simpler the better, but I do want the software that I can create props with. By the way, To everyone who has posted on the free stuff pages, THANKS! You really make it easier for a novice like me to create great stuff.

For an easy to use, intuitive modeler look into Amapi I create most of my meshes in it then export them to my rendering application ( Poser, Bryce, Strata). It can import and export a generous number of formats. I have not tried to make body parts with it so I cannot recomend it for that yet. jje

What Amapi? I have never heard of it. thanks

Cinema 4d $199 or nendo $99 or Rhino $495 Urls in the same order are www.maxon-computer.com http://the-internet-eye.com/free/default.htm http://www.rhino.com/ they all have demos cinema is none saving nendo is save in nendo format only till you buy and rhino is full for 30 days.I would try all free as there quite different and really give the demos some hammer LOL ...I've heard Ampi is pretty good to but only had a quick glimpse...Oh! BTW the second link isn't nendos site its a mag I write for but has the demo (can't recall the proper url)and don't worry to much about the opengl card I had a 200mmx with 2mb crappy card and it ran it fine.............Steve

QUICK AND DIRTY AMAPI OVERVIEW Amapi is a cross platform modeling app from TGS (www.tgs.com) They just came out with v 5 at MacWorld. Demo available. Very wierd interface. But I have found after doodling with it for about 2 months that it's very easy to work in once you get used to it. Imports and outputs so many formats it has to be seen to be believed. No OBJ import/export. A big minus for us. Excelent customer service Not 100% bug free, not without some very wierd ways of doing things. Originally writen in French (click "ouvert" heh) Rendering and animation tools included. that I have not got into. I'm using it solely as a modeling platform. Case study: Today I created 2 cups of coffee in cardboard cups, plus a paper bag of doughnuts, all in one of those cardboard takeout dealies. Construction time - a little over an hour. 45 minutes after that I had everything textured and ready for insertion into a scene.