>>990323
The optimal bindpose for animation would be one where your characters limbs are pre-bent at 50% of their motion range.
like having the character curled up halfway into a fetal position as this means the limb will look more correct at full extension and
full compression than if it was extended, without having to resort to additional morphers and systems to support the bending of the limbs.

The problem is that modelling in such a position or make additional outfits/clothes for a character in such a position is a big hassle compared to
having a pose where all the limbs are out of the way and easy to work on, optimal position for this is the sort of tailors position where you stand with your
arms raised forming a letter T, the T-pose. Problem with the T-pose is that not all your limbs are not only fully extended your shoulder is also at one extreme of
it's motion range, meaning you will get the lowest quality shoulder during animation unless you address it with a lot of finicky systems.
It will also be difficult to judge what a character will look like arms down wearing a new outfit garment you model in this T-pose

So enter the happy medium; The 'A-pose'. The limb that has most motionrange in the entire body is the shoulder and having the shoulder at 50% of it's motionrange
vastly improve the ease by which you can tell what your character will actually look like articulated while simultaously being almost as easy to work on as the
T-pose as the limbs for the most part are out of the way.

I'd argue neither of these are the ultimate tho and something like a modified A-pose with arms raised 45 degree forward and forearm held more level is the optimal
happy medium. CD project red and naughty dog uses this type of rig poses with a modified A pose with a clear bend in the elbow.

Ultimately tho it is a trade-off and optimizing for one area sacrifices ease of use in another, with experience you will discover what works for you.

>>990340
What I meant to say was: "problem with the T-pose is that _now_ all your limbs are fully extended and your shoulder is also locked out fully raised".

>>990340
This is the definitive answer.

Just to add:
You can model a character in t-pose, bind it to a rig, move it into the optimal semi-fetal position, and then fix all the geometry. Rebind it back to the skeleton in that pose, and then rewind the skeleton back to the t-pose to model clothes and shit. You can reduce the extra work by not killing yourself getting the joint geometry just right before the repose step, since you'll have to do it over again anyways.

>>990340
Sounds about right.
However, all of that is true only due to the fact that we still rely on weight painting for deformation, instead of a volumetric solution for deformation.

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>>990323
Real chads make the default pose the Y-pose