Forget what others have said: Poser is superb. If you want the proof of this, just look around at the high-end 3d applications that are now including Poser connectivity, or are offering to sell Poser connectivity for -- well -- almost the price of Poser.

I've been using Poser since version 1, on a variety of machines, from OS 8 to Tiger. It's true that earlier versions were buggy (especially version 3, which ate my hard disk once) but I've never had any issues with Version 6, neither on my G4 Powerbook nor our G5 Quad.

Poser can produce fairly simple, basic cartoony type drawings if you want it to, or it can produce photorealistic massive resolution art if you have the time and patience to take it there. Check the gallery at www.renderosity.com for examples of some simply astounding work. There's also a massive amount of support, both commercial and free, in the form of other figures, clothing, props, lighting, expressions, scenery, animations and utilities.

It's true that you can create impossible poses with Poser. But, then, if you want to illustrate broken bones, abnormal skeleton, or, indeed, an alien life-form, you need to be able to do this. I've never yet discovered a genuine position that I could not create in Poser. But, if you did, you can actually edit the models including the Inverse Kinematics without leaving the Poser application.

Will Poser create art for you automatically? No. But, if it did, would it be art anyway? Are Poser renderings sufficient to use without any Photoshop adjustment? Probably not, but neither are images straight out of a high end digital camera. Does Poser offer an incredible level of power and control which takes you an enormous distance along the path to creating inspiring, gripping artwork? Yes it does. At least, it does for some people. No tool is right for everyone. Poser is a medium, just like airbrushing is a medium. Not everybody has to like it. But the proof of Poser is in the artwork that many have been able to produce.