Differences between Poser and DAZ Studio
There are difference between the two programs but the largest part of which one is best comes down to the individual and which one they prefer. If you want to 'test drive' 3D, DS is a great way to do so without investing a lot of money. I believe there are also trial versions of Poser available that you can try and see if you like it. Anyway, I thought it would be good to compile some of the biggest differences between the two. Remember, one program is not necessarily better then the other, just different!
Price
The biggest and most obvious difference between Poser and DAZ Studio is the price. DS is available for free through DAZ 3D's website (with site registration) while Poser runs from $250 to $550 respectibly.
Plug-Ins
Out of the box, DS does not have the features that Poser does like the cloth and hair rooms (dynamic cloth and hair) and , but there are plug-ins available and in development to incorporate these things into DS.
Please note that these plug-ins (most of them) are not free. Add on products such as Animate (which makes animation easier) runs about $40 and the 3D bridge to Photoshop runs around $140-$200 depending on if you are a platinum club member.
There are also Plug-Ins and scripts that are available to Poser users like Puppeteer (to transfer poses between figures) and Poser Physics (which creates animations simulating real world physics).
Interface
One of the biggest things that people debate over between the two is the interface. For those who have used Poser for years before DS came out, adjusting to the interface is difficult. Likewise for those who have used DAZ Studio and decide to switch to Poser, the interface can seem cumbersome or confusing. So bascially this comes down to personal preference in which interface you find most intuitive and easeier to use.
Materials/Surfaces/Shaders
Textures are handled differently between the two programs (Materials in Poser and Surfaces n DS) particularly when dealing with bump, displacement, specular and transparency maps. The other big difference in shaders which are not interchangable between the two.
