Yup, apart from it missing out on some advanced features the more expensive (and/or specialised) programs have, you already have an excellent renderer in Bryce. The thing is, you have to make Bryce do what you want it to (and the program makes this so easy :-)). Not pushing the program away from its default settings is like buying a car and never getting out of first gear. 'Nice comfy seats, but it doesn't go very fast.' ;-) Have a look at the few offerings on my site (not updated in years). Most relevant here is the stuff in the 'Natural' and 'Weirdly Other' sections: http://www.pfulford.dircon.co.uk/ Even though a couple of these have been post edited, it was for errors, not for applying filters and changing the contrast, etc. The various lighting qualities and effects you see are from Bryce. I'm not offering these as high art, just as a basic illustration that the program can produce an array of effects without image processing. (Not that I've got anything against post editing, I just like the fun of doing it in 3D when I can.) All programs will use techniques and have limitations that put some kind of 'signature' on the renders they output, especially when used close to their default modes. But most of the time when you see people waffling on about the 'Lightwave look', the 'Max look', the 'Vue look', etc, it's basically their own lack of appreciation of the programs' full capabilites they are talking about. You only have to consider the range of quality you see produced by people using Poser. Poser has an archaic render engine by modern standards, but that doesn't stop some enthusiasts from creating absolutely stunning pictures with it. I don't think buying a program because you like the way it renders by default is a good idea, especially if the effect you like is an aspect of 'low quality', i.e. scanline rendering and shadow mapping. You could save yourself a lot of money and push your current program to give you the look you're after. I'd recommend exploring the potential of Poser and Bryce before spending lots of money on a program that will most likely deliver its own set of frustrations and headaches. Gosh, bringing attention to my ancient site prompts me to get off my duff and make something for an update! :-)