I've got a question. I'm seriously contemplating buying Poser, (I've got version 2, functional but no help is available) but I'm wondering if I should wait for v5. I've scanned the topics here on the forums, esp. "Poser 5 Multithreaded ?", "False Alarm On Poser 5 Handbook", and "Poser Blight" and gotten the impression that Curious Labs flat can't give any solid release dates for Poser 5, not even any definite rumors. So, I won't ask about that.

What I AM going to ask, is, what is your opinion on a user (such as myself) waiting for the eventual relase? I ask out of concern for support- not so much tech support from Curious Labs, but from communities like this one. It's been my experience that once the new version comes out, the old version gets (basically) dropped like a hot potato. (Not that I'm implying anything directly about you good people.)

I'm sure you can understand the heart behind the question, it's no fun being left behind just when you think you've caught up with the pack. So, simply put, with the information (or lack thereof) you have now, should I try to "join the pack" now, or wait?

Dave III

I don't think Poser 4 is going to fade away too soon. There's an incredible community base for Poser and there are going to be a lot of people who can't afford or simply won't upgrade to 5 for a quite a while. Hell, there's still a lot of support for older versions of other programs. The Carrara forum still has quite a number of Raydream users lurking about, there are tons of people using free versions of Amapi 4 and 5, even though 6 has been out for some time now, etc. In fact, there has been a large influx of people with Poser 3 lately, since it's been given away free with several different magazines. Plus, from everything I've heard (and I've been watching this quite closely), Poser 5 is still some time away. Several months, probably. You can learn a hell of a lot from Poser 4 in that time, not to mention have a lot of fun. So my advice is buy it now. I don't see the point in waiting.

If your interest is in leaning Poser and getting going, I would buy it now. I could be a year before the new one comes out. They will most likely give a good deal for upgrading and I am sure the basics will be the same. If we always wait for the next one, we never really get started.

I asked that very question myself here about a month ago regarding Pro Pack. I ended up going ahead and buying it. If a new version comes out tomorrow, I've got a head start on learning / using it. If a new version comes out next year - I'm not missing out on what I wanted it for so there's no harm done. I'd love to hear from CL about Poser 5. I'd also love to hear from "Mark Of The Unicorn" which announced an upgrade to one of my other favorite programs that was supposed to come out 1st quarter 2002. I'm closer to being angry at the company that broke it's promise than the one that made no promise.

The only reason to wait is if you absolutely are not going to be able to afford the upgrade price when P5 is released. Check with DAZ if Poser2 owners can use the P4 upgrade price. Although there are lots of folks here doing nice things with the free Poser3, there's so much more to learn from P4 (you are going to love transparency) and lots of free resources to use with it. I don't think you'll regret getting it now. Elisa/gryffnn

If you are willing to wait, however, you may hold off until August for the Siggigraph convention . Rumor is, that's when the the industry likes to present it's latest & greatest products. TygerCub (hoping the wait is worth it)

Hi, If you don't want to spring fo 4.0 snag a free copy of 3.0, PhilC is still releasing new freestuff for 3.0 users... later jb

I'd go for 4 now, I also went directly from 2 to 4, it was a real worthwile step! I'd assume Curious Labs is going to give at least the customers who bought 4 or ProPack from them a better upgrade price. Normally software houses have a date after which you buy the previous version you get a FREE upgrade to th ecurrent one (they do that to keep sales from drying up after the new one is announced but not quite ready) but we probably aren't close enough for that, yet.

I also went from Poser 2 to 4 and never looked back. A few folks do prefer the older interface, but we all need the tools and functionality of this one. Being able to dress a character with bits of this and that? All the new inventions from the community such as body-handles and joint-controls? Being able to use transparency, bump, and reflection maps? There is a lot to learn in this program... as you've perhaps gathered from the threads. :) I doubt if CuriousLabs would have bought space at Siggraph unless they intended to announce something major. Not only is such space expensive (and even more so if you require electricity to show off your products), but they will be publicly peppered with questions anyway. Because of some animation columns being published in a tradezine, I got into a few conventions on a press pass... and was a pepperer myself. The guys who have paid for exhibit space WANT to show something new and newsworthy, and they are prepared to talk all about it. My recommendation? Why wait? If it is 4-6 months until P5 (which is my best guess), that is time you can spend creating. Now. And time is more valuable than money. My second recommendation would be to shop around. 3dcommune has a nice offer of P4 in the box (IIRC, my copy included Painter3d, and bunches of extra content), and DAZ offers a voucher for their models if you purchase it through them. CuriousLabs has a direct Upgrade price (I think that it is also a full boxed version), and a special offer for the bundle with ProPack (essential if you are boning your own characters, and a lot of nice features such as multiple working windows). Upgrading through CL is probably the cheapest route since you already own P2, but you are the only one who knows what your needs are. My third recommendation is to add memory if your beastie doesn't already have at least 256 MB of RAM. Assigning 200 megs to Poser solves all sorts of problems... especially since you'll probably start playing with all that nifty hair and bunches of extra maps. Carolly

If someone took my poser program away I would order another today. I could not wait until Poser 5 is released (whenever that is). smerc

I just bought P4 and Pro Pack from Daz a few weeks ago and feel 'safe' about getting caught close to an upgrade. The Pro Pack FX book that came with touted this as what could have been P5 but Curious decided to make it an add on to P4 instead. That's a good thing. So far, I'm really happy with it (after running the patch). I remember getting all lathered up when Bryce 5 was in the works and eventually bought the upgrade. I could have stayed in B4 a bit longer skill wise, though I don't regret buying the upgrade. Lots to learn and having the new kid on the block is not always necessary until you're ready for it. Heck, I'm still using freeware modelers. That's my 2 cents.

I would say that, if it follows the pattern of the past releases, Poser 5 will cost more than Poser 4. Version 4 cost more than 3 did. If you buy Poser 4 now, at the current price, and if they don't upgrade for another year, you'll only have to pay for the upgrade later on. At least the cost will be split up over time, rather than a higher price all at once. Does that make any sense? I confused myself. :) I probably won't buy the upgrade the minute it comes out. I never do with any programs. I wait a month or two before getting any upgrade, so I can pick up on the comments from others who are already using it, so I'll know what the bugs and the virtues of it are. If there are bugs, I can get the fixed version. As for version 4, it has transparency, which all the earlier versions don't have. And conformable clothes. So, if I were trying to make that decision today, I'd get 4 now. I hope that helps. Melanie

Y'all have been kind, informative, and gave me the answer I actually wanted to hear. ^^ I appreciate your taking the time to give me straight info and not making me feel like a "poor cousin" as has happened on other lists. (Bitter? Oh, a tad. !!>

Dave, You might start this query as a fresh topic (change title). It is already on the third page of messages, and by tomorrow will be buried deep. Also by asking about making and importing models between versions, you'll attract the attention of the modelers. P3 stuff goes between versions just fine, but I don't about P2... ask an expert! :) Carolly