What are your favorite pose packs?

There are just immense amounts of poses available on Daz with a lot of overlap between packs. (Everybody probably owns 10 of the same "bored model" looks - hands over head, hands on hips..etc.) The PAs that develop the poses and expressions don't always have the best renders to sell the pack. So, I thought actual users could chime in.
I'm interested in which products people find most useful and well done. And, I think others might be interested in some help deciding on what packs to buy. Be specific rather than just saying, "Anything by such and such artist." From what I've seen all PAs that do pose packs have both marvelous and meh offerings. I don't want to be down on any PA's products. So, I'd rather hear about which pose and expression packs you'd recommend by your own experience and why. Considurations are 1.) How useful are the poses? 2.) How well done are they? 3.) How unique is the pack in its content?
For example here are a few that I really like:
DM's Sensual Aiko 6 - The poses are well done and seem balanced. I can use them on all my G2 and G3 females (with Pose Convertor). And, there is a nice variety of poses that don't overlap too much with the standard Fashion Model poses. The poses do a good job of giving the character both a sexy and cute attitude rather than the bored standard. I have both sets 1 and 2. Both are good. But, I find the first set to be most useful.
Pristine for G3F - I bought the set for the one really well done floor pose with the arms crossed over each other. I found the rest of the set to be very well done with the fair amount of crossover with other pose sets being forgivable because the poses themselves look very natural. It is a fairly small collection but with all usable poses.
I13 Manga Style for Keiko 6 - a really great collection that effectively echoes Manga and works well with both Keiko and other G2F. The action stances really shine. There are other similar sets. But, this one is a real bargain for the number of usable and unique poses.
China Doll for Mei Lin 6 and G2F - This is a really nice set of demure, subserviant type poses. And, it does not appear to have much overlap at all with other pose packs. The pack seems really true to its title in that all the poses would work well for your emperor's servant, concubine, Lady in Waiting...etc. In particular, the side reclining pose and the kowtow pose are really nice. All the bends look natural, even in the extreme positions. The folded fan prop is included and looks great in Iray.
These are just a few of my go to sets. I have other sets that are also very good. But, I'd like to hear about everyone else's faves as well.
What I'd really like to see in a pose / expression set - Expressions based on new morphs that really capture the subtlety of mouth movements. I realize that G3F is supposed to be a pain to work with because of the facial bones. But, I'd love to see more expressions that are a finished look, rather than settings based on existing dials. I say this because the majority of packaged expressions that I've looked at still seem caricature like to me... I can't help but think that some of these uber talented PAs are capable of creating something better. Cartoony expressions are no problem. I can give Victoria a big, goofy smile with a couple of dials. But, creating an expression that has a warm, fleeting smile, is definitely a struggle. I have yet to see a product sample render that that totally sells me. That said, I am going to pick up the new Authenticity Expressions for Genevieve 7. They are some of the most natural looking that I've seen so far.
Anyway, that's some of my picks. I'd really love to hear what pose packs others have found to be really worthwhile and for what reasons. There's no need to bash the products you don't like. Just highlight the ones you think are really well done and or a good value. Thanks!
Comments
As far as expressions go, I find that some characters take expressions much better than others. I prefer dials rather than set expressions because an expression that looks great on one character can look like a monstrosity on another and it's better to dial expressions in, in small increments. Smile Delight http://www.daz3d.com/smile-delight-for-genesis-3-bundle is my favorite expression pack. You can mix and match various smiles in increments and come up with a personalized smile that looks good on the individual character. Some characters will look awful with any open mouth expression I've found and it's best to keep their mouth shut. I'll buy almost any dial expression set because you can mix them in tiny increments and come up with something original. But again, you have to be careful when mixing various PA expression sets because if you then try to open the mouth, the teeth may become distorted, so if you want an open mouth expression, best to dial that in first...
Also some characters come with their own dial expressions that can be used on other characters like "sexy pout" and those can be fun to mix in small amounts too (although I think some may be the culprit for distorted teeth if you later open the mouth.)
I showcased some poses and expressions on my art studio thread several days ago. The poses and the expressions are not my favorites, but we were discussing poses that show action. Too many sets have people standing around, with multiple poses not even changing the leg position or just barely.
Regarding G2 and G3 - I buy practically every set I can from FeralFey, as they tend to work very well even divorced from their original contexts. If I'm looking for something glam or pinuplike, I'll probably buy something by Zeddicuss.
I'm partial to FeralFey and i13's poses. I like poses that have a purpose and do things. I do have my fair share of cheesecake poses tho, and of those I probably like Danie's and
-dragonfly3d-'s the best with Zeddicuss coming in a close second.
Laurie
I have a zillion pose sets, some that came with Pro bundles, some not. I get frustrated with the number of female poses with the breasts poked out or butt in the air. I don't do a lot of flirty renders at the moment. Most stuff has to be family friendly (I have little people who love to "help.")
I'm working on a book cover with a dance pose, so I've collected quite a few of those sets. DM's Two to Tango and Two to Tango More are terrific. I'm having a hard time deciding which one I want on the cover. Zeddicuss's In Harmony is also incredible. I love any and all superhero poses for the same reason- doing a lot of promos for the books. Even though both series are romantic comedies, I find I do less romance poses and more action stuff. Seems more interesting and dynamic. Finding poses that work in humorous situations can sometimes be challenging. I'm grateful for the Pose Converters and Pose Builders for that.
I'm trying remember what else I use on a regular basis:
Sorry if this is rambling, I'm not at my DAZ computer at the moment
My clear favourites are Callie 6 pro bundle pose sets. Sure, they are pin up poses, but most of the poses are different, well done and come dirt cheap in sales ( plus convert nicely to G3F ). I think I've used at least 60% of those poses somewhere, and that's way more than I can say for any other set. Easily the best pro bundle pose sets IMO. After those, I like those sets, that do NOT contain gazillion partial poses that flood my library. When I'm posing my characters, I start by looking poses by function, and it becomes a nightmare to find anything if all functions are full of partial poses. Sure, I can remove or re-categorize them, but I wish partial poses would be positioned in "By Region" area, not in "By Function" area.
I only use gen 7 poses so I am only buying poses for that generation or converting older ones.
My favorite poses are useful poses where characters are performing actions. I don't need modeling poses or body builder poses where characters are standing around flexing. Those are hard to use in scenes because rarely do people stand around like that. I do like romantic poses but specifically those that can be used for either gender.
i13 poses and feral fey are good as well as muscleman poses. Romantic poses useful for samesex couples get extra props from me.
I don't own as many pose sets as I should, and I'm guilty of overlooking poses if the promos don't showcase them properly.
As a character seller, it's the well-weighted, sexy, curvy, not-too-sexy standing poses I look for. :p Danie and Maforno are my favourite in that category.
I also own Ironman13, Mattymanx, Dumor, Design Anvil, Aeon Soul and I'm probably forgetting some...(I know I had lots of Muscleman and Capsces for Genesis 2)
I don't own, but like Shimuzu's Xperian Poses for M7, and Islandgirl's IDG Forms.
I almost always use pose sets as a base for tweaking to my needs. I find the DM pose sets work the best with very little tweaking. I also find there are lots of pose packs with really wild, sexy poses that really make no sense and that is coming from someone that does mostly pinup style renders. I have a hefty pose folder of poses that I have tweaked and saved for future use
i13 poses, feral fey, DM's poses Capsces and Design Anvil off the top of my head. I would like a lot more poses that don't involve modelling or butts in the air as well. I would REALLY like a lot more realistic weapons poses for all types of weapons 20 spears and they all come with one pose, the hand holding the spear. There are a couple good ones out there but not nearly enough to cover everything that's needed. Everyday poses, like sweeping with a broom, hanging laundry etc etc.
I would like to know about a hand grip set of poses for common everyday things like telephone(s), eating utensils, driving, gardening, construction work & various tools, art work and various tools, drinking via bottles & glasses,, musical instrument playing, and I'm sure there is more...but with the hands and fingers posed individually, not with those conglomerated pose dials that don't changed the individual bone dials any when you use them.
Actually, this is something I have in the works. ;)
I just wanted to poke my head in here and say thank you for all of you that have shown me your support. I try very hard to create poses that are useful, show action, and look realistic. It's my goal to help you all tell your stories through your artwork, since poses are the visual language here. The fact that many of you count me among your favorite pose creators is very gratifying. I hope that my futures sets won't disappoint. (And my personal guarantee - there will never be an unrealistic, hip-thrusty, boob-pokey pose in any of me sets. There are too many other pose creators to fill that square. Besides, there are more interesting subjects for me to cover.)
FeralFey, you have some great action/fighting sets. If I ever wanted to do a comic (not that I would) or actually take a break and do fun renders (I need to take a leaf from RawArt's book), they'd be my go to. :)
I love your poses too! Although I mistakenly called you Feral Feet! Your poses are excellent and well visualized. Thanks!
@ Serene Night - I saw that and had a very good chuckle. It's because of my Feral Feet that I strained my hip in Tae Kwon Do class and have been laid up for a few weeks now. Your typo was a much needed tickle. Thank you. :)
I'm a big fan of FeralFey, too. I'd like to see more ordinary day action poses and interaction with the things around us. The sort of grounding detal needed in story telling. Also sports poses .. there are so many superhero poses, but few good volleyball, basketball or track (to name a few sports).
I don't have many poses but I find myself using often these poses by ilona http://www.daz3d.com/body-expressions-for-genesis-3-female-and-victoria-7.
I also like poses by FeralFey. I like poses that tell a story.
A list of those pose sets I use regularly, as base for some tweaking (G2, as I don't use much G3, and have bought little to no poses for them):
I have this set in my wishlist right now. I was impressed with interpretation of body language.
Excellent list! If you would, pick a couple of these and describe why the specific pose set is great. I'd really like people to be specific about a couple of sets that they highly recommend. It's great to see people praising their favorite PAs. But, even among those favorites, I'm sure that some sets shine above the others. So, specifics are encouraged. So out of all these pose sets, which would you rank as most useful, most realistic, or your "go to" set? I'm not asking anyone to pick only one. I just want people to think about which pose sets they feel that they've really gotten good use out of and why. So, the question is "Which of your favorite PAs' pose sets really stand out and how would you say they stack up compared to other sets?"
I'm very happy that you've gone to the trouble to link your faves. That is some of the specifics that I was hoping more people would include. Thanks!
Again, a big THANKS to everyone who is adding to this thread.
If some of you could elaborate further that would be great.
1. So of your fave PA's pose sets, which ones do you really use a lot, love for the detail and realism, or like for the variety?
2. How much overlap of like poses available from the same or other PA are included in the set? If it is very similar to another set, why do you like it more?
3. I do like that people are talking about poses that are also included in bundles. By talking about how useful those poses are, we can also see what extra value they add to the bundles.
4. One more thing...(okay probably not the last)...If your account, drive, storage, all failed and you HAD to rebuy all of your pose sets, which specific sets would be the very top on the list?
Thanks again to all who are contributing. I'd just like everyone to go into a bit more depth if they have a minute. :)
I've already added a description to all poses; I just couldn't do it straight away.
Awesome! What specific poses do you think would be on that list? Since FeralFey is checking in, you might give them some good ideas for the next set. ;)
Thank you! This is exactly the sort of input I was hoping for. You see, I have Smile Delight in my wishlist but have not bought it yet, because I wasn't overly impressed with the store renders. Those just look okay to me. But, by your review of the product in use, I can be confident that the expression dials are useful in creating more realistic expressions. Also, I like your take on how different characters will take an expression. I have notice that characters with small mouths can be very difficult to get a good smile shape. They often get that "V" or "orange slice" look to them.
Thanks for your review!
I like poses with a sense of action, that help tell a story. There needs to be motion and body balance that suggests real interaction with gravity.
Thanks...I'm looking at the Callie set in Fast Grab, right now. So, this is very useful info.
Partial poses - I have to agree with you that finding the right pose among all those partials can be a pain when looking in the Products. However, if you look in your Daz3D categories "People, G3F, Poses" instead of under Products, you'll see that PAs like I13 do a great job of putting those bits in separate organized folders. So, you don't have to search through all the bits just to find the Full Body poses. I have started using the MyDaz3D Library section for most of my bit selecting process. I don't reallly know why the "Products" section just lumps everything into one folder when the PAs go to all the trouble to organize them for us. Divided into their own sub folders, the partial poses can be very useful and are actually divided in the way you suggest (legs, arms, upper, lower....etc.).
Oh...Thanks! I'll reread your post. :)
Thanks again! This is exactly the sort of thoughtful review of each set that I was hoping to share. I am going to wishlisting quite a few of these sets. :)
FB - Do you have a set that you consider to be your "go to" poses, or just a set that you think really shines in the regard you describe?
Addendum for my regular and Go-to poses (because my brain is scattered):