Thanks for the info. I just got a free copy of Shade8.5 Standard from 3DArtist magazine. I gave myself a fright when I first ran it and saw the user interface.

Can anyone say whether it would be better to use Shade or Blender to begin modelling -- for someone who is completely new to it?

Thanks!

"If I were a shadow, I know I wouldn't like to be half of what I should be."
Mr Otsuka, the old black tomcat in Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami)