Quote - i only suggested people plus simple set because that was the Original Post. Also, that's what people do with Poser. People and simple sets. The eye goes to the believability of the person.

Now the other kind of render....interiors, glass, fabric, walls, metals, reflections etc with caustics is extremely cool. But really, would you agree it is another category. I'd support trials in both.

Here was my one foray into the "second" in Poser, engaging Poser's limited tools.
http://jrdonohue.com/diamonds2.mov
12 MB Quicktime
no caustics, motion blur, DOF, color shadows, etc.

Isn't this type of interior more the province of Modo, Max, Cinema, etc?
http://www.luxology.com/gallery/image/?mode=Category&id=4

::::: Opera ::::::

i think you've got me backwards.  i'm saying is that if you're going to restrict it to a "Poser" type of render, then say why and what you're testing.  for instance, i know of tons of Poser renders that should have caustics and many more that should have lit materials.  heck, i've done some.  i've seen lots of people use light gels to simulate colored shadows.   just about any Stonemason set could benefit from luminous materials, especially the city scenes at night.  iirc, surveys determined that the most common type of render is Fantasy. so sun and firelight are a much more common requirement than overcast skylight.

deliberately going to indoor contemporary but with no need for caustics or other elements usually found indoors, and adding really ambient and basically outdoor lighting, means deliberately skewing the results to benefit Poser and (probably) D|S.  which i'm not against, i just think you should say why you're doing that.  in general, when people test renderers, they put objects in Cornell boxes and test things like translucence, global illumination, refraction, caustics, etc.  you're proposing a test that deliberately avoids those things.  i just figured it would be good to say why before someone who loves Carrara or Vue (or a more advanced renderer) points out that you've essentially taken away the reasons to look at other renderers.  

not that i'll complain, mind you.  i use Poser mainly, and it looks like you're proposing something bagginsbill or one of his followers could whip out in an hour.

but then i stick by wanting a photo base.  i've seen too many discussions about what was realistic and what wasn't, and had way too many people insist that (for instance) hair was a lot shinier than metal should be.  people look, but then go with what they think should exist and not what does.