Yes, modeling is an art... but so is rendering. I've seen many model makers who make absolutely fantastic models, but don't have a knack for visualizing a scene and making a render. Saying that one who uses models made by others is not an artist is a bit like saying a photographer isn't an artist. I liken rendering to photography. You need to be cognizant of composition, camera, lighting and texture in order to render. The subject in a photograph is really no more important than the other aspects I mentioned above. In fact, I have had an award-winning photograph published nationally that has no subject... it's simply abstract textures and light (sunlight and fog - nothing else). Take two people with identical camera equipment and set them loose at Yosemite or the Grand Canyon - or wherever. Give them each a weekend to shoot as many photos as they like. Depending on skill, one may make photos that barely qualify for a vacation snapshot album, while the other may make museum quality prints. Neither of them CREATED the scene they photograph, but one is an artist - because he or she captured a unique vision of an existing "set." It amazes me when I see people criticized for using someone else's model in a terrific render. It's as if the people criticizing are saying the only person who deserves credit is the model maker. Speaking as one who has spent days on texture maps, lighting and post-production on an image only to be told I'm not responsible for the work, I can personally attest to the fact that the model is only a small piece of the final product. End of rant... ;) -sk