Only thing I can think of is to try altering the render settings in the VIEW option in the tool panel (D3D is best). Don't know of any lighting prog, but Meta is not the best for rendering for display. I would suggest going to the Caligari website and looking for a free download of Truespace 3.2. That will read COB files saved from LE, and has a pretty good renderer, along with all the lighting options you are likely to need. It's weak on modeling though, so it makes a good companion to LE. I will have a look at the Caligari site now & see if that download is still available. Back soon.. M.