Using sculpt layers for posing

While layers are not required for posing, sculpt layers can be useful when posing provided you keep the following in mind:

Consider creating sculpt layers to store poses before beginning any pose or deformation work. Since the deformations can potentially modify your model so that it cannot be easily returned to its original pre-posed state, placing your poses/deformations on a sculpt layer (much like you would with sculpted detail) lets you return to the pre-posed state if required.
Sculpt layers can also be useful for copying just the pose and pose-related deformations made on one side of a model across its axis of symmetry, as long as the copied sculpt layer contains pose data only.
For example, you can achieve a symmetrical pose on a character despite asymmetrical sculpting if you use some sculpt layers for sculpting detail and others for posing (and manage them correctly). See Sculpt using symmetry.
Posing applied to a sculpt layer is locked to the subdivision level it is created on. If you turn off a sculpt layer that contains posing, you also turn off the posing for that layer.
Joints and joint weighting can be used on any subdivision level. Sculpt layers are locked to a particular subdivision level, so you cannot pose using the same joint/weighting on a different subdivision level until you create a new sculpt layer on that subdivision level to store the posing.
Layers that contain sculpted detail that are visible when a pose is committed must remain visible when posing is performed on that layer. Otherwise, existing sculpt detail may not appear correctly. This limitation becomes more evident when you turn off the pose layer and the sculpted detail is modified as result.
As a result of posing using sculpt layers at lower subdivision levels, finer sculpted detail created on higher subdivision levels may not convert properly to the new space of the pose when you return to the higher subdivision level. You can work around this by ensuring you commit the pose on the highest subdivision level. All other actions (creating joints, posing joints, and so on) can happen at any level. For more information on committing poses, see Committed and uncommitted poses.

NoteWhile you can use sculpt layers to store poses, only the resulting mesh deformation is stored with the layer. For a more non-destructive workflow, use pose presets, which store the transform information of the joints. See Create pose presets.