IMO, 3dsmax is worse than ightwave, lightwave is worse than cinema4d, and all of them are worse than bryce! ;) Lightwave is a very good modeler/renderer but you really need to get some courseware to use it properly. I personally don;t like the tabbed text layout, but i can see where many people do. Everything is sectioned off, so once you learn the interface it is very effiecient. There are also separate applications for modeling and scene layout/rendering, so you model in the modeler app and send the model to the layout app. Useful for keeping interface clutter down but it creates a gap in the creative process and I have had several problems in the discovery edition getting the apps to integrate. As for texturing and modeling lightwave is very good. Numerous tools and lots of plugin capability make this a sold choice for people looking to enter "the industry." Max's rating: 3.8/5