More realistic models? I doubt that. How much realism you get from a model is soley up to your skill. Now, if you want to use textures in Rhino, may I suggest getting Bryce because you won't be able to do it very well right now. Rhino is a modeler and isn't pretending to be more than that. There are a few rendering programs that work with Rhino but you'd be better off with an entirely seperate program for rendering with textures. Bryce is a low cost landscape tool that offers great (if slow) rendering. Now if you were to say you could get more realistic textures and special effects in Max, you'd be right. That's Max's major goal as a "full 3D package"...final images. Rhino on the other hand provides you with a fast, easy to learn, powerful modeling alternative that works well with other programs (like Max).