Poser - Evolution In Progress

It was nothing more then a spare time hobby back in 1989 when Larry Weinberg began developing Poser as a means to replace the traditional wooden mannequins used by figure artists. The next goal, which was unheard of in those days when 3D art was done solely by professionals in studios, was to make it simple to use. In 1994, Fractal Design released the first version of Poser along with its flagship program Painter. The simple artist program was just that - simple. In 1996, its second release boasted the ability to add props, produce animations and had higher resolution models. Content maker Zygote began producing items for use in the infant program.

By the time Poser 3.0 was released, a lot had changed. The program had changed hands, now bearing the MetaCreations name. The user interface, like the models themselves, had been updated, a trend that continues today. The male and female models, then called Posette and the Dork, had poseable facial features and finally jointed fingers. Sites devoted to content as well as Poser art, began to spring up across the web. Renderosity, then known as PoserForum, was launched in 1998, bringing content to the now die hard artists. 1999 was a short year for Poser. Version 4 was released by MetaCreations, and by September of that same year, update 4.0.3 was released by Curious Labs.

The figures released with versions 4 and 4.0.3 could now be customized even more, thanks to the development of deformers and conforming clothes. Materials now could be set to transparent, which lead to TransHair that increased the overall bulk of hair. Poser's popularity was skyrocketing, so much so that in 2000, the Poser content division of Zygote branched off. Now called DAZ, they would release the Millenium Woman, Victoria, and Milenium Man, Michael, which would change how future figures would be made.

By the time the Pro Pack was released in February of 2000, Poser scenes could now be hosted in a handful of other 3D applications, such as 3ds Max and Lightwave. Content creators now had a new tool, figure rigging, which allowed for models created in outside applications to be "Poserized". The implementation of Python scripting further aided users and content creators alike.

For the first time since its release, Poser became stagnant, with three years passing before Curious Labs would release the fifth installment. To the relief of users everywhere, version 5 had new rendering capabilities. The Firefly, ray traced renders now allowed for higher quality images. Systems everywhere began to feel the resource strain the new technology would pose. Users everywhere began pulling out their hair over new features like dynamic cloth and hair, which to some still provide for hours of frustraition.

Poser continued to evolve, even as it changed hands from Curious Labs, to e-Frontier in 2005. OpenGL hardware acceleration helped to optimize render times, while image based lighting and ambient occlusion changed how users illuminated their scenes. With a multitude of different options, users were now able to get closer to reality then ever before. In December of 2006, version 7 would dramatically change the future of Poser forever.

While each previous version of Poser, had its own issues, Poser 7's problems quickly became a sore spot with users everywhere. Compatibility, or the lack thereof, became a real hindrance. Not capable of using greater amounts of memory, and even issues with Microsoft's latest OS, has continued to hurt Poser 7. While content has evolved, Poser is now struggling to follow suit.

This month it was announced that Smith Micro Software will purchase Poser from e-Frontier. Unlike others that have distributed Poser, Smith Micro Software is not known for being in the field of 3D art, rather wireless communications tools. Now users of the 10 year old program will have to play the waiting game. It's anybody's guess as to what will happen next with the program that started out as simply a hobby.

*Be sure to visit the Renderosity Poser Forum, and Renderosity Poser Gallery!

November 19, 2007

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