Smith Micro has launched Poser Pro 2010, an update of the Mac OS X compatible (10.4 and higher) tool that lets professional artists and production teams add 3D characters to their projects. It sports over 2.5GB of ready-to-use content such as pre-rigged, fully textured 3D characters.
Poser Pro 2010 also boasts such advanced features as a Talk Designer, Walk Designer, Morph Brush, Face Room, Dynamic Hair and Cloth Tools and many more. New in the latest version are:
° A revamped user interface with a user configurable work environment;
° A content management system that allows easier access to content collections with the ability to search both a library’s content and Smith Micro’s online market Content Paradise by category and keyword, providing a hierarchy list view and more detailed pop-up expanding previews;
° The ability to combine indirect diffuse illumination with improved irradiance caching and path tracing;
° An improved rigging system that includes multiple Falloff Zones and a Joint Strength preview;
° Eight new, ready-to-pose 3D human characters, offered in different ethnicities and body types;
° The ability to render Photoshop layers for a scene’s Normal, Position, Z-Depth, UV and ToonID, a great asset for users compositing Poser content using Photoshop and Aftereffects;
° A new tool that allows artists to create, modify and edit master parameters within the scene. Complex interactions can be created, such as full- and partial-body morphs, advanced body controls and parameter-controlled scene assets;
° A Cross-Body Part Morph Tool that enables artists to create effects such as muscle bulges, scales, bumps, horns, veins, wounds and surface details across multiple body parts;
° StuffIt Connect and Facebook image uploading direct from Poser Pro;
° A Physically Correct Light Falloff feature that lets you control spot and point lights to more closely reproduce realistic light falloff from full bright to dark;
° A Tone Mapping and Exposure that helps artists control bright or dark areas within an image to produce higher-quality, final renderings with better contrast;
° Normal mapping, which llows users to add fine detail to object surfaces, making them appear more intricate without the added computational overhead from additional polygons;
° A Wardrobe Wizard that allows artists to re-use existing clothing assets by fitting them to the new Poser 8 character set;
° wxPython Support that enables third-party developers to create more advanced plug-in functionality that can be fully integrated directly within Poser’s user interface.
                                                                                                                   
The manufacturer's suggested retail price for Poser Pro 2010 is US$499.99 with upgrades from the previous version of Poser Pro priced at $199.99. Users that have purchased both a license for Poser 8and for Poser Pro can upgrade to Poser Pro 2010 for $50 by March 31.  On April, this upgrade price will increase to $70.
Existing Poser   8, 7, 6 users can purchase Poser Pro 2010 for $249.99.
Existing customers can visit http://www.smithmicro.com/poserpro/upgradeto upgrade. 
Poser Pro 2010 is available direct from the Smith Micro online store at http://www.smithmicro.com/poserpro .
