Rating: 
Summary: Powerful but a few flaws
Review: One thing that Curious Labs made a mistake on with Poser 5 was shipping with an arcane activation program that required you to send a "Challenge Code" and get a "Response Code" in return to use the program. With the latest service pack, however, the activation was entirely done way with--something Curious Labs wasn't advertising too much. I think it still retains, however, the notorious scan-your-network for extra copies running feature.Poser 5 finally adds some realistic pose sets, and quite a few at that, and approaches the flexibility needed to make uniquely different faces. I say approaches because the Face Room always starts out with the same male face and the random face selector makes faces that would do for comics and games, but not for real people. The hair and clothing rooms, however, are a godsend, as now you can make strand based hair and flexible cloth. I haven't run into the bugs some people have, but compared to my previous Poser version (Poser 3) this is a massive upgrade with a much steeper learning curve, but well worth it. (Just remember to download the service pack to get rid of the activation.) In the realm of 3D Poser is still the poor man's Character Studio, but rapidly becoming a program to contend with.
Rating:
Summary: Some bugs in the program, but still an amazing upgrade!
Review: I've worked with Poser ever since Poser 2 came out. Initially, all you could do with the program was pose 3D dummies for use as references in traditional art. It's amazing to see how far Poser has come today. The latest version of the program has a lot of incredible features, including strand based dynamic hair, dynamic cloth, even the ability to create a character with your own face or anybody else's. If you've been using Poser 4, you'll be amazed at how much the program has been upgraded. Tasks that artists used to have to do using work arounds and other 3D programs (like creating morph targets) have now become become regular features of Poser 5. One of the best changes is the addition of a node-based materials editor. You can finally create realistic materials for all kinds of objects and characters without having to paint a texture map in some other program like Photoshop or Photopaint (but if you want, you can still use the traditional texture maps for your characters). My only complaint is this. The program is so new and powerful, and has so many additional features, it's still a bit buggy. It's not unusual for Poser 5 to lock up my computer (other 3D programs don't cause me nearly as many problems). As soon as you get this program, make sure you check Curious Labs' website for the latest service releases. They improve the performance of the program by a hundred-fold. Even then, though, save your work often. You can and will crash the program. One final note, if you've never worked with Poser or any other 3D program before, make sure you get a good book on how to use the program. The manual for this program isn't bad, but it isn't written for beginners. Also check the internet for tutorials on Poser 5 ...There's a lot of info out there, and you won't have to go far to find it.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing results easily!
Review: I'm a new Poser user, and pretty new to 3D though I've been an artist for more than 20 years. I've tried another 3D application a long time ago, and while I made some great looking things, it was more by accident than anything. I guess I never really figured out how to use that program. A friend of mine convinced me to buy Poser 5, and I absolutely love it! When I drag on the character, it moves the way I expect it which means I can spend more time on my creativity and little time on trying to figure out "how" to create. What a breath of fresh air in what seems to be a world of creative products that require creative minds to try and be a technical wiz! I'm still playing around with the advanced features. Materials looked daunting at first, but it didn't take me long to understand the basics of the process. I managed to make snakeskin material for the man's coat on my first pass. Impressive!!! I like the fact that even the truly advance features of Poser 5 can give some impressive results to a new kid on the block in the 3D world. I'm trying out the Hair room next.
Rating:
Summary: Good to Fantastic!
Review: I must say that I'm loving Poser 5! There were some challenges with it on my system but are all taken care of thanks to speedy updates from the creators. It's amazing how many new features there are in this version of the program. The first time I saw cloth working I couldn't help it. I giggled and thought "Awsome". New materials, hair, figure setup room, faces from pictures.... Geeze... It's a whole new world. *thumbs up*
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic results so easily!
Review: I'm a new Poser user, and pretty new to 3D though I have spent over 20 years as an artist. I've tried using another 3D application a long time ago and though I made some great-looking things, it seemed to be more by accident than anything else. I never really figured out how to use it. Recently a friend of mine convinced me to buy Poser 5, and I absolutely love it! When I drag on the character it moves the way I expect it to, which is very encouraging and allows my creativity to be my focus rather than having to spend most of my time figuring out a difficult process. I'm still playing around with the advanced features. Materials looked daunting at first, but as I started to check out some of the features and how they work, I managed to make a snakeskin material for the man's coat on my first pass; impressive! I like the fact that even with the more difficult and advanced features of Poser 5, I can can still have fun while I quickly figure out how things work. I'm completely amazed at what I create within such a small investment of time. Next on my list is the hair room!
Rating: 
Summary: Poser 5... Worthless. Maybe someday, but not today...
Review: I have been using Poser since Poser 2. I use it in conjunction with other computer graphics software such as TrueSpace, Rhino, Cinema 4d, Vue d'Esprit, Photoshop and Paintshop. I point this out so that you will understand why I do not accept the stand that the problems with Poser 5 are due to "user error" or "lack of experience." The problems with Poser 5 are so deep and so numerous that Curious Labs has had to resort to public beta testing AFTER the product has been released! Pardon me, but it has always been my understanding that beta testing was done BEFORE a product was released and that beta testing was not expected to be done by the people who bought the software! One buys software to do the job the product is advertised and promoted as being able to do. Simply put, in my opinion, Poser 5 does not perform anywhere near as advertised or promoted. C exception errors, freezes, lockups, uninitiated reboots and BSODs are just a few of the ongoing problems that make the promised Dynamic Cloth and Hair rooms unusable on a reliable and stable basis. Add to that the fact that I have set scenes Poser 5 refuses to even open that Poser 4 breezes through. Someday, after the dozens and dozens of reported and confirmed bugs are finally ironed out, Poser 5 may live up to its hype, but right now it does not even come close. I have been fighting and wrestling with Poser 5 since approximately mid-September. I have downloaded and installed 6 of their 7 patches since then. Yes, 7 patches. They are now on Service Release 2-Beta 6. Be ready because the patches have been huge in size. I have not tried their latest patch since it was posted the day before the long Thanksgiving Day holiday and I am still reviewing the initial reports of new problems this patch seems to have created. Most likely, I will be removing this program from my computer since, in its present state, it is worthless to me. I could not, in good conscience, advise anyone to buy Poser 5 at this time. If I could give Poser 5 zero stars I would. Be forewarned, the PR damage and spin control appears to be in full swing.
Rating:
Summary: Poser 5 is amazing!
Review: Poser 5 is amazing!!! I purchased Poser 5 the moment it shipped and it's been running perfectly smoothyl for me. There is a learning curve to use new features such as the Face room, Materials room, and especially the Cloth room, but once you get the hang of it, the results are absolutely breathtaking. I finaly have the control over my Poser scenes that I've always wanted and the flexibility offered by Poser 5. This represents a quantum leap over Poser 4! Poser 5 has been rock solid on my machine.
Rating:
Summary: Poser 5 is the best Poser ever
Review: I am a long time user of Poser (since version 2) and I have to say that the new features in Poser 5 are amazing. The level of detail I can create with the new node-based materials room coupled with the new firefly renderer rival the quality of many high end apps and in historical Poser style, for about 1/3rd the cost. Poser is an essential tool for my artwork, and Poser 5 has allowed me to reach even greater levels or realism.
Rating:
Summary: Simply does not work...
Review: This product is impossible to use. It crashes constantly and many of the new features, like hair and cloth, either don't work or can't be rendered even on high end machines. To make all of this worse, there is a "Poser 5 is amazing" review that was clearly written by someone at Poser 5's company. I find that to be one of the lowest and most deceptive practices out there. (Read the review and see what YOU think - this is the only person on earth not to encounter stability issues?) Avoid Poser 5 at all costs! Run for the hills! Save your pennies and get something worthwhile like Maya
Rating:
Summary: Poser 5 stability and proformance problems
Review: Curious Labs have addressed this problem. you can go to there web site and download
SR1 updater. This will correct problems with stability and proformance. I have been having a ball with the software.
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