I think there is a big value jump between LE and Standard, definitely worth twice the price. I happen to think TextEffector is about the fastest and easiest to use tool for generating 3D letters. Also, Standard supports plugins and scripts. Once people here start playing with it, you are going to want to be able to load these up. I dont have the English manuals, but the Japanese manuals are beautiful and an excellent reference (unfortunately Im forgetting my kanjis with age!). I think they are very helpful for getting the Shade way of handling sub-objects. Best regards, Lynn