Vue is officially part of many a matte painter's toolkit - not as the finished render, but a starter cuz it cuts TONS of corners for them on deadlines. We're not just talking "Bob's FX House" - we're talking ILM, Digital Domain, etc.

Given how much those studios charge for high end sevices, Vue is an OMG bargain. Sure, to you and me (and hobbyists in general), it's expensive, but it's a steal for a medium to large studio.

Sadly, my copy of V6I is too old to upgrade/sidegrade. Just came from e-on's site - they only go back as far as V7I to qualify.

To make it worse, my copy at home stopped working around October/November-ish - which is why I haven't been active lately, or entered any contests. The one at my warehouse is working, but I'm not there when I have time for 3D play.

Guess I'll just have to save up and fork over the cost of V9I for what I do with it, even though I'm still not getting paid for it yet.

-Lew