Hmmmm, for photorealistic renders a raytrace renderer is just the ticket. Even though there is no substitute to learning how to set up correct lighting for a scene, it is nice to have the extra options of Radiosity/GI and Image Based Lighting within a render engine. At the moment Cinema 4D Art, is the cheapest package which can allow you to do that...as long as you do not need animation. Carrara 2 is about to be released with similiar options, so that is worth considering also. Other packages worth investigating are TrueSpace, Lightwave, and my favorite Cinema 4D XL. Vue d'Esprit and Bryce are all capable of producing realistic results with correct lighting. The above image was rendered in Cinema 4D XL, showing off the Stochastic Mode (as well as some models, soon to be ready for download ;o) ), with all illumination coming from a sky dome. No lights where added to the scene.

Cheers

 

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