The Poser team is hard at work getting a new update ready for a Sept. 16 release.

To get Poser 11.2 ready for wide release, the beta team is working to find and report any bugs. The team is led by Jenn Blake, who also works as Renderosity's marketplace manager.

Blake makes sure the beta testers have the latest nightly builds to fully test Poser 11.2 before it is released on Sept. 19.

She is also looking for early adopters who would like to update starting Sept. 4.

In the meantime, she paused from herding the beta testers to talk about her history growing from a Poser user to being an integral part of the Poser team.

What's your history with Poser?

Blake: I started using Poser in 2004 using Poser 5. I was trying to figure out how to create a fairy .psd that I could use to make an animated stationery for Incredimail. I was taking PSP animation classes and wanted to create images for email backgrounds that was not copyrighted. I came across a very pretty fairy image created by Outlawbydesign and asked her how she had created it. She said, "well, I use this software called Poser and buy content from a store called Renderosity."

I fell in love with it instantly.

I've never had a creative outlet. I was never good at drawing, painting or any type of traditional "art." With Poser, I could pick pretty things that I could put together and create art. It was and is a joy to work with.

I loved it so much, I started as a tester at Renderosity in 2009. Then I worked with RPublishing testing, doing promotional renders and working on themed releases. In 2011, I became a remote admin and in 2012 we relocated to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, so I could work at the main office.

Now, 15 years after being introduced to Poser, here I am.

Over the years, I have watched the ups and downs of Poser, transitions with different ownership and the release of new versions. Since working at Renderosity, I have had hope that one day we could really get involved in the development of Poser. Whatever that form might take.

Today, I am thrilled to be involved in the development side of Poser and the upcoming releases for Poser 11 and the eventual Poser 12. It's all very exciting and I look forward to what the future for Poser will be.

What's your role with Poser?

Blake: Currently, I lead the beta-testing team for Poser and am the Poser Content Manager. I am heavily involved in the testing of Poser and finding and addressing issues within the software. So I'm busy right now getting the beta team working on testing the next update before its Sept. 16 release.

We are also working with Renderosity vendors to put some great Poser 11 content into our Bondware branded Poser release coming up very soon. There will be some great La Femme content included with our Poser Pro 11 installer as well as some original figures that have been created by Renderosity vendors like 3Dream, and others. Many more recognizable names have provided some great content for our installation of Poser.

We think you will be pleasantly surprised.

What do you want to see for the future of Poser?

I see some really good things in Poser's future.

I think our connection to the software, the content creators and the buyers gives us insight that has not been available previously. We know what tools our vendors need to create GREAT content for the marketplace and our buyers. We can easily get feedback from buyers on the types of content they would like to see, and pass that directly to our vendors who can then cater their work to those needs. We know quickly what is lacking for product creation, what works well and what we can do to improve the experience for BOTH the end-user and the content creator.

And we know what tweaks need to be made within Poser, to make current figures (such as La Femme and the upcoming L'Homme) work well within the software. We've already been able to address a few issues for La Femme, and we hope those changes make her much more appealing to both the end-user while working with the figure and vendors who create the content for her. A lot of what makes a figure a success is the content that is created for them.

Making sure the product creation process is more streamlined and free of impediments will go a long way in making those on both sides happy and therefore making La Femme a success.

Anything else you want Poser users to know about?

We are working.

We are working daily on testing, software development and planning the future of Poser.

We have a solid team in place. We have some really talented hearts and minds, who have great ideas for future versions and features to add that we think users will really appreciate.

Part of the process of moving from Smith Micro to Bondware is the depreciation of SM's licensing system. Starting Sept. 16, if you do not update, your Poser may not work because the licensing system will not be able to complete the over-the-internet check needed to confirm your license key.

That means you must update. If you want to make sure you get updated in time, we are accepting early adopters starting Sept. 4. We will release more information about that soon.

We are open to suggestions, feedback and requests. Also, reports of any issues while using Poser of course. You can submit a support ticket here or send us a direct email to admin@posersoftware.com with anything you would like to share with us. And we look forward to working with the Poser Community to develop the next version of Poser, and for many, many years to come.