Poser 11.2 Update discussion/info

[Hornet3d]

One option I was looking for when doing this update was to make sure I was not installing a 32bit version as well as the 64bit, I was looking because I never install both but the option was not there. I have been watching the Rendo threads and now know why there was no option, Poser no longer supports 32bit. I guess it is progress and it is also in line with making a single version of Poser to support going forward, but it might be bad news for some.

 

[Ken1171]

In a way it makes sense that Poser would go 64-bit only, since it really needs that much memory addressing to be stable. SMS gave it a memory management module, but it's not that efficient. It still struggles with larger scenes even in the 64-bits version.

 

[Miss B]

I know this is a dumb question, but I had a problem once with an older version when I had to reinstall...

The reinstall shouldn’t mess with my runtime folders... ?

Didn't touch mine at all. It's only the separate content downloads that are set up a bit differently than the way I usually do it, but I'm used to installing manually, so wasn't an issue for me.

 

[Hornet3d]

In a way it makes sense that Poser would go 64-bit only, since it really needs that much memory addressing to be stable. SMS gave it a memory management module, but it's not that efficient. It still struggles with larger scenes even in the 64-bits version.

I agree it makes a lot of sense, I have not used the 32bit for many years and with a application requiring a lot of memory it Poser would certainly be limited in 32bit. I just think it shows that Bondware is looking at this very differently to Smith Micro and I think it is a great opportunity for Poser users to upgrade to Poser 11. For $99 (for those that need to) you are getting that sort of value in extra content alone irrespective of the extra features on Poser 11 Pro as such.

 

[Ken1171]

I agree it makes a lot of sense, I have not used the 32bit for many years and with a application requiring a lot of memory it Poser would certainly be limited in 32bit. I just think it shows that Bondware is looking at this very differently to Smith Micro and I think it is a great opportunity for Poser users to upgrade to Poser 11. For $99 (for those that need to) you are getting that sort of value in extra content alone irrespective of the extra features on Poser 11 Pro as such.

Indeed, I wish people would just switch to P11, since backwards compatibility is no longer guaranteed. I think it's a good deal, though some will disagree due to budget constrains.

 

[seachnasaigh]

Also, I would plead with any 3Ders buying a new computer, don't buy anything 32bit! Preferably, look for something which can use at least 24GB RAM, and even better, has *two* CPU sockets.

 

[Miss B]

Do they still make/sell 32-bit computers? I would've thought by now they would've been phased out, and only those with older computers might still have them. My last laptop was 32-bit, and I had it for 8 years, but I dropped it one too many times, so had to get a new one, and went straight for 64-bit.

That was 7 1/2 years ago, so now I'm going to start looking for a new one, and yes anything more than 16GB of RAM would be great.

 

[Ken1171]

It must indeed be difficult to find a 32-bits computer nowadays, especially when 32-bit processors are not manufactured anymore, and haven't been for - I believe - over a decade. The only reason I can imagine someone would want one would be to play old games that no longer play on modern computers. And even for that, we have emulators.

 

[Hornet3d]

Indeed, I wish people would just switch to P11, since backwards compatibility is no longer guaranteed. I think it's a good deal, though some will disagree due to budget constrains.

There is always the problem with those that can't afford to upgrade, it is sad but, not wanting to sound harsh, life still moves on. My In-Laws had an email recently from their bank saying that their online banking service will no longer support systems running Windows XP. I can see both sides with Windows XP no longer supported there will be no security updates, something of concern for the bank. On the other hand, my in-laws have a computer that will still deal with emails, let them spruce up their photos, write and print the odd document, which is about all they do other than on line banking. Of course they could upgrade to Windows 7 but support for that will be withdrawn in the foreseeable future so it would have to be Windows 10. There is not only cost involved, my father in law is 86 and I know he will struggle to use Windows 10 but it is another case of life moving on.

There is also the point that Poser 11 will be a high cost for some who have a very restricted budget if they are still using 32bit computing as, even if Bondware gave them a free copy they would still have to spend on a new computer. It certainly is not a nice place to be in but Bondware is clearly looking to support only one version of Poser, hence scrapping the Pro version, how long before they stop worrying about making sure Poser 4 and five content still works.

 

[Hornet3d]

Do they still make/sell 32-bit computers? I would've thought by now they would've been phased out, and only those with older computers might still have them. My last laptop was 32-bit, and I had it for 8 years, but I dropped it one too many times, so had to get a new one, and went straight for 64-bit.

That was 7 1/2 years ago, so now I'm going to start looking for a new one, and yes anything more than 16GB of RAM would be great.

If I remember rightly I started using 64bit for Poser when I upgraded to Poser 8 and built a desktop computer so that I could use the 64bit rendering capability. That would have been around 2010 so I have not loaded the 32 bit version for close to ten years. I guess the only ones that would install both are vendors who want to test in the 32bit version.

 

[Miss B]

I guess the only ones that would install both are vendors who want to test in the 32bit version.

That's a good point, though I don't know how many vendors would do that, but then, you never know.

 

[Ken1171]

There is also the point that Poser 11 will be a high cost for some who have a very restricted budget if they are still using 32bit computing as, even if Bondware gave them a free copy they would still have to spend on a new computer. It certainly is not a nice place to be in but Bondware is clearly looking to support only one version of Poser, hence scrapping the Pro version, how long before they stop worrying about making sure Poser 4 and five content still works.

I have to add that 3D is a rather expensive hobby, and it tends to require some degree of hardware muscle flexing. Sometimes we can get away with a weaker computer by getting a beefier video card, but modern GPUs do require a respectful power supply and a dedicated PCIEx 16X slot, which are not on the cheaper boards. Without meeting these expensive requirements, even a strong GPU will under-perform and defeat its own purpose. 3D also requires lots of RAM, where a 32-bit system is limited to under 4GB. With 4K textures we use nowadays, we don't even need to load much into a scene to break that limit.

For the record, SMS was only supporting Poser 11 after it was released. There was no tech support for older versions. This is not something new with Rendo. They only support the current version.

 

[Hornet3d]

I have to add that 3D is a rather expensive hobby, and it tends to require some degree of hardware muscle flexing. Sometimes we can get away with a weaker computer by getting a beefier video card, but modern GPUs do require a respectful power supply and a dedicated PCIEx 16X slot, which are not on the cheaper boards. Without meeting these expensive requirements, even a strong GPU will under-perform and defeat its own purpose. 3D also requires lots of RAM, where a 32-bit system is limited to under 4GB. With 4K textures we use nowadays, we don't even need to load much into a scene to break that limit.

For the record, SMS was only supporting Poser 11 after it was released. There was no tech support for older versions. This is not something new with Rendo. They only support the current version.

It certainly isn't a cheap hobby, I am lucky enough to have a unexpected bonus after a pension battle that lasted ten years when the International company I had worked for went to the wall. I was able to buy what I regard as a hi spec system so while I know how lucky I am I also know just how expensive the hobby can get. The same could be said for a lot of hobbies though and if they can't be afforded then you either do not take up that hobby or stretch your meagre budget to go as far as possible. If you can afford a half decent computer there is a lot of free content available that can keep someone amused for quite while.

I feel very split on this to be honest, I honestly feel for those that struggle to keep the hobby going even more so for those for who 3D art is and brief escape from the real world where life has been cruel and it is not only their finances that cause them grief. I feel a little bit differently for some though like those who have been very vocal and rude to people at Bondware in other forums. It is almost like the company that makes the car I drive coming to me and saying they have found a design flaw that is uneconomic to repair but offering me the very latest version of the same car free of charge. My response is to complain bitterly that the latest car has a automatic dipping rear view mirror and I prefer the manual one in my present car so I am really upset.

I have had issues with Bondware in the past so I am no Bondware fan boy but I honestly think they have tried to be fair to Poser users. They did not create the evil licensing feature but tried to find a honorable solution. Many of those venting their anger at Bondware should be aiming it at SM that created the feature, deployed it in a very underhand manner and when they were found out made promises that the simply walked away from.

 

[eclark1894]

There is always the problem with those that can't afford to upgrade, it is sad but, not wanting to sound harsh, life still moves on. My In-Laws had an email recently from their bank saying that their online banking service will no longer support systems running Windows XP. I can see both sides with Windows XP no longer supported there will be no security updates, something of concern for the bank. On the other hand, my in-laws have a computer that will still deal with emails, let them spruce up their photos, write and print the odd document, which is about all they do other than on line banking. Of course they could upgrade to Windows 7 but support for that will be withdrawn in the foreseeable future so it would have to be Windows 10. There is not only cost involved, my father in law is 86 and I know he will struggle to use Windows 10 but it is another case of life moving on.

There is also the point that Poser 11 will be a high cost for some who have a very restricted budget if they are still using 32bit computing as, even if Bondware gave them a free copy they would still have to spend on a new computer. It certainly is not a nice place to be in but Bondware is clearly looking to support only one version of Poser, hence scrapping the Pro version, how long before they stop worrying about making sure Poser 4 and five content still works.

You can pretty much always afford to upgrade with a used computer. I did it for years with my Macs, and using State or school surplus stores. Or you can buy a refurbished computer online or in a used computer store.

 

[RobZhena]

As I understand it, Bondware eliminated all the 32 bit callouts that we’re still in the 64 bit version, so 11.2 no longer triggers a warning on the Mac that the software is not optimized for the computer. In theory, it should run under the next OS (though I got the warning when I reinstalled DSON), which could be a show stopper for me.

 

[Hornet3d]

You can pretty much always afford to upgrade with a used computer. I did it for years with my Macs, and using State or school surplus stores. Or you can buy a refurbished computer online or in a used computer store.

Locally we have a couple of computer shops that, rather than throw away parts working parts, will build a working computer from two or more broken ones. The motherboard from one machine, CPU from another and one and so on. The resulting machines are usually very cheap but looking at the shops recently, even here it is hard to find a 32bit machine.