Smith Micro - Poser 7 - 3D Humanoid Posing & Rendering - Use Coupon Code: 5poser08 for 5% off

Poser is one of 3 programs that I use for almost all of my 3D renders.  It has many different human and animal models that you can pose or bend into whatever postion you want.  There are many premade poses and different clothes and accessories to use out of the box. 

What I tend to do is get a Poser model into the position that I want, then I export the model from Poser and import it into Bryce.  I then use Bryce to render the picture because Bryce has some really cool terraign features, which makes for a pretty power combination.  Then, if I need additional props, I use Wings 3D to model them and import those into Bryce for the final render.

To give you an example, I made a picture of the Lady of the Lake holding Excalibur out of the water.  The sword was made in Wings, the Lady's arm came from a Poser model of an adult female, and the water and scenery was created in Bryce.  Then, the final render was completed in Bryce.  With these 3 tools, you can make some pretty powerful images.  The coolest thing is that you don't need to know how to draw or paint.  If you have an eye for composition, you can place your models and other objects anywhere in the 3d scene and create a really great image.

Poser is a powerful, but simple program to use.  I've only scratched the surface.  For example, you can render images in Poser as well, and the newest versions have the ability to manipulate hair and cloth.