Oh dear.

This thread has become so full of confusion, misinformation, side issues and misinterpretations that the point of the original question - "What's the big deal with gamma correction?" - has been lost.

This article - not about a 3D app - may help you find the answer. Follow the links in the article, there's some fascinating stuff in there.

Here's a quote from the end of the article:

"On one hand, we could implement a fully linear workflow that would.... deal with bitmap data in a more physically correct manner and deliver better results... On the other hand, there is a deeply ingrained, decades-old workflow that almost everyone in the industry is used to..."

Sounds familiar!

Folks, awareness of linearized workflows is fairly new. They are only just being enabled in the 'Big' 3D apps. It's all a bit new and takes getting used to. You don't have to adopt such a workflow. It's optional. But it is, in my opinion, better, and well worth negotiating the learning curve that goes with it.

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