ArtPose Pro is a software program that allows you to pose a 3D humanoid figure, either male or female, into various positions in order to reference for drawing and lighting purposes. Three styles of figure can be chosen, from the standard human frame to muscle/bone/tissue, and even a simplified rendering. There are hundreds of preset poses to choose from, all that can be flipped horizontally and repositioned at will. The figures themselves can be posed in any way possible, and with any possible lighting scenario. You can even have up to two figures on the screen at any given time, and you can save multiple snapshots of your figure(s) for later reference.

I have been a comic colorist and inker hobbyist for around five years now. During that time, I have used many tools and software related to creating realistic "lighting cages" for my work. From a colorist perspective, lighting can be one of the hardest techniques to master. While the software I've tried in the past worked okay, it never allowed me to fit a model to the particular pose that I was working with, and that's one thing that I absolutely love about ArtPose Pro. Now I can see exactly where shadows, highlights, and direct lighting will bounce no matter what angle the light source is coming from, and no matter what pose my character has. I've included some rough examples in this review for reference.

I chose something simple for my first time with ArtPose Pro, so I went with these Deadpool inks[imgur.com]. I then transcribed the pose[imgur.com] into the software, complete with following my basic instinct for where the lighting is coming from. After about half an hour, I ended up with this[imgur.com]. It's a very rough and simple laydown of shadows and highlights, but without ArtPose Pro it would've taken me upwards of an hour and a half of fiddling around with bits and bobs that didn't look quite right. Now all I have to do is go put in fine detail to replace my rough reference points, slap on some dynamic lighting, and I'm done.

The interface and functionality of ArtPose Pro could be more user-friendly. I found that setting the lighting source in particular to be somewhat difficult. If the developer would add pre-positioned light sources, that would be fantastic. The poses are easy enough to mess around with, but figuring out how to pan up and down is pretty tricky. The tutorial needs to be refined a little bit more, as it doesn't fully explain everything... such as how to save the posed figure.

With a little bit of time spent learning, however, ArtPose Pro is a pretty great program for the price. It's going to help me endlessly with my comic artwork, and not only to be able to create more realistic lighting effects, but also in a more timely manner. I am excited to throw down some direct lighting as well, since that's one of the areas that I've struggled the most with. I really hope that the developer will listen to the community, because if they do this could be one of the best little art resources out there.

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I am someone who sells art commissions and this piece of software made my job easier. Before I got it, I resorted to making repeated poses (AKA same pose syndrome) and there are days where my anatomy skills would go on vacation without me. Not to mention that when my customer wants a new pose, it can take a few tries before I get it right.

This software reduces the stress and brainpower required to get the job done right in a timely manner. Just pose the model, take a picture, and let the customer see it. If they wanted the pose to change, all I had to do was rotate a joint or two and it's right. Even extreme changes are done rather quickly.

My biggest complaint is the control of most joints. Of course I do appreciate the drag and move controls at times plus the ability to make the pose symetrical and mirrored, but I am someone who likes to have things be refined. This is where I really wish there were rotation controls and the ability to pick the bones like in Blender and Source Filmmaker. I do understand that this was originally a phone and tablet app, but they should have been made for this port. Another complaint is having no free posability with the fingers. Again this would be possible with the features I already mentioned. The last one is having no restrictions on most of the joints. That means you can have an arm clip through the chest, a foot next to the head, and more unrealistic poses that will happen a lot from the controls. I shall say this one more time: Rotation controls and bone selection are key.

Overall, it's a great software for artists and even for those who order a lot of art commissions for it's flexibility and speed. It would be better with refined features, but I say it's a good investment to make.

Pros- Cheap and Easy to use ; Devs said they're going to add hand support further down the line so look forward to that.

Cons - If you know how to use Blender, Clipstudio or even hentai games with poser modes you can get the same effect.

I personally did not like it too well, but I cannot hate on something this useful for people on a budget.

There are definitely free, easier to use apps for posing characters, like Designdoll. But if you are working in realism, this one is probably the best I've seen. It works with bodies that have a more "superhero" type make-up, so if you're into that or a comic artist, give it a try.

I'm torn between recommending or not. I love it. I use it, BUT this product should really still be in early access. It is so janky.

The Bad:

• The interface has no sense of logic. I understand the dev has ported this over from ipad with minimal (if any) changes, but even on ipad, this interface would still be confusing. It seems the menus are shoved into each corner and contain lots of icons that mean nothing without text/tool tips.
  
• It's tricky to pose the figures because the directions seem orientated to the way the figure is looking rather than your own view on screen. Also some joint don't rotate/move and they should be able to.
  
• The only way to export an image is through a crappy screenshot button and you can't even choose where you want the image saved to. It's also low res, so may as well just print screen.
  
• To export the pose info (for use only in this app), you can export as a txt but only to the default location. If you select a different location (and you can't you can't even choose a different drive letter), it pretends to save without saving.

The Good:

• A fair number of default poses to choose from.
  
• One of the few apps with proper anatomy rather than silly anime figures or glorified stick men.
  
• Anatomy reacts to movement. For example, the biceps will actually contract/elongate depending on how you move the arm. It isn't perfect though. I noticed for example that if you tilt the head back, the neck pinches and gets awkwardly thin. The neck muscles react nicely to how you move the head though.
  
• There is a lighting mode that looks like cell shading.

If the dev ever reads this: For the love of all that is holy, please address those bad points. This software has so much potential. It's a crime against humanity to abandon it like this.

EDIT:
I've changed my review to positive. I spent a lot of time going through the software and even though the UI is poorly designed and the controls are wank, it has more good points than bad. I've put together a full video guide for the Steam version so no one has to go through the same learning curve that I did: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXofcQVKmlQ

Been waiting for something like this to be created someday that isn't $1500. So much potential I hope that the developer/developers sticks to it, could someday support animation and workshop.

Currently has very little use for many people but I hope they expand.

Okay here's my review on the Poser App Pro, and while I am still learning how to use the PC version, I still don't feel its much more different than the app version. STILL, I would recommend it to anyone starting out, or learning how to better draw anatomy.

I like the "ball" joints that make more poseable... (the circles that you click on to move parts around, I hope they expand on this).

My main issue is just the "stiffness" when trying to pose... I feel like parts should be able to feel more "flexible"... kinda like how the hands and feel are able to rotate (though to be honest I have been spoiled by the flexibility of the Design Doll pose software, so perhaps it is a bit unfair). Maybe we will see an update where the fingers, toes, can be adjusted manunally! But I would also love to be able to adjust and edit the model's body.

I do love the fact that you can change the color of the manikin and its shadows... it makes it more fun to work with different lighting. Oh, and that there are ton of pre-made poses to choose from. I also really enjoy the fact that you now use two models rather than one. IT makes drawing two people together easier.

I see so much great potential with this app to be honest, I hope there will be tons of cool features like making adjustments to the face, the torso, and other areas for the model.

PROs:
- Many poses to choose from.
- Great use of lighting forms.
-You can use silhouettes (which is handy for many who prefer this method of art).
- TWO MODELS in one plane

CONs:
-Stiff poseabilty.
- You can't "Edit" the model body.
-Limited (Compared to Design Doll).

I really do love Artpose. I believe it has a lot of potential as a reference software, and I hope they can do some more with it. I TOTALLY RECOMMEND.

I literally only use it for musculature reference, but it's decent for that, so I'd recommend it for that.

Ironically, though, it kind of sucks as a pose reference tool. The rigs aren't great and the controls are pretty clunky.

As an illustration student who does many commissions, this tool is extremely helpful. I personally find it's biggest highlight to be the "muscle view". I know my anatomy but it's nice to be able took look at how the muscles bulge, something that I haven't seen on other program. However, the program seems to be a bit limited at the same time. muscles around the pelvic and shoulder region seem to have issues getting all the movement you could do in real life, and the controls for posing are a bit unwieldy. It has only a tiny selection of body types (basically super muscled or semi skinny). I'm comparing this to other programs I've used, such as the program I used before. Other's I've used have posed through an "inverse kinematics" kind-of way (able to move the entire arm just by dragging the hand), instead of artpose's invisible slider controls. I still recommend this program because It's adherence to real anatomy makes it an excellent reference tool. I use it for pretty much every pose I do, despite the weaknesses.

Here's my honest review as a professional freelance illustrator.

Pros:

- Controls are easy enough to figure out if you have experience with any other 3D software.
- It works very fast.
- It has a diverse preset pose library.
- It's very easy to switch between male and female models even after editing the pose itself.
- Mirror limb is a nice touch.
- The camera's focal length can be adjusted.

Cons:

- There's a steeper learning curve with regard to controls and navigation for those unfamiliar with 3D apps.
- Hand preset poses are limited.
- There are no facial expression nor viseme presets.
- There is currently no option to change the directory to which pose snapshots will go.

My verdict:

It's not without its flaws but for the price tag on it, it is truly a bargain. I would recommend it for those who need a quick and accessible pose and foreshortening guide for their projects.