Yes Operaguy, it's precisely the render times that do not indicate radiosity as a viable solution for animations. Unless you have a renderfarm of say 16 networked computer, I would give this idea up. As for recommending Vue4Pro over Esprit5, well, I don't always do, I just did in your case because it seems that you are going to need more "pro" features than the usual Vue user. As a program for rendering stills or simple animations, Esprit 5 is a terrific value. It can give renders of quality that is comparable to software costing 3 or 4 times as much. This is usually what most people need and in that case, Esprit 5 is a fantastic value for the money. Then there are some people with more ambitious projects, and in this case, I would recommend Pro because of the more available features, like the plant editor or the lighting capabilities. it's true that currently Esprit 5 has some things that Pro4 doesn't have, but it won't last long, and if it's a long-term investment that you are going to make, then investing in Pro seems the most logical thing to do for the kind of project that you have in mind.