I've often thought about doing a comparison chart, as unbiased as possible, and mainly for newbies to get an idea of what the 2 apps have/don't have. But every time I think about starting it, I realise what a task it would be. Many things can't be quantified, and it's hard to put a value on the small, everyday things that make life easier.

For example, probably one of the biggest issues between poser and DS is the interface. You either like poser's or you don't. Many people find it intuitive (I don't), and hate DS because it seems alien to them. You'll also get varying opinions depending on which version of poser the person speaking owns. and of course, it depends on what you use poser for. Rendering? Building content? Animation?

But assuming we're talking P6 and DS 1.3, I'd say (as a very general statement), that for the average user, poser has the edge in functions, but DS has more potential to expand. Poser gives excellent results but has a steeper learning curve if you want to explore it to the full. DS can also give excellent results, and is far simpler to use for newbies, but it has less advanced materials, and obviously, things like rigging and dynamic cloth aren't possible yet.

That's a broad view and misses out an awful lot of things, but it would take a long time to list everything. One thing about DS which I love is that it's customisable. I can create my own keyboard shortcuts, my own menus and toolbars, and fill them with cions for my favorite figures, MATs, etc. That may not be a big deal to some people, but it makes my workflow so much easier.

And finally, let's not forget one major thing - multiple undo! That's poser's biggest lack. In DS I can delete figures, change poses, apply MATs, add morphs, and then undo it all. That really makes the difference when working on compicated scenes.

I don't see poser/DS as an either/or situation. I use them both, and will probably continue to do so for a long time. Just like I have 2 different browsers and use whichever one is best for certain things. What's the problem with that?

mac