You've just come back from holiday and you were telling me you felt crowded. Where've you been?

The US, well, significantly, New York, I'm from Sydney and quite used to big city life, but that city is just a whole different ballgame. 7.5 million people live on Manhattan island alone and it really doesn't ever sleep! I guess as a tourist I was rushing around trying to cram in as much as possible, but there were significantly more people standing in front of me at any one time than I've ever experienced.

Queues all over. The airports mainly, but then at almost all the 'attractions', Empire State, shopping, Broadway, museums, movies; long queues forming all the time. Hell, I even had to queue for the toilet, something I've watched the ladies do but almost never the men!

Don't get me wrong though, New York is a tremendously exciting and fascinating place. Endless amazing sights and architecture beyond all else. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is simply jawdropping all by itself. But the whole city is a backdrop to so many movies and TV episodes and stories that it feels almost surreal being there, but then you realise it's just a city like any other in the west.

I shot fifteen rolls of 36-frame film as well as 150 frames on my new digital camera. Texture heaven!!

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When did you see LightWave for the first time?

I'd heard about it in the Amiga community as I was using Imagine at the time, around 1995.

When did you first start using it?

I started on LightWave 3.5 in 1996 on my A3000. Instantly liked it because after Imagine it seemed so easy and so fast.

What do you like about the package?

After using it so long the thing I like is that I actually know my way around it! I can 'think' a job through, sort of do it in my head then sit down at the computer and just rip through it, well, to a point.

And speed. LightWave renders fast. LightWave loves to render geometry. Give it lots of geometry, shadowmapped spots and vrooom!!

What could be improved for you?

Save shadowmaps (including sequences) to disk. Main interface search field that loads tools. Layout collision detection (simple collisions, just for object placement). GlowMaps. Parts Unseen by Rays.

What spec machine(s) are you using it on at the moment?

Dual Pentium III 500MHz, Dual Pentium III 1000MHz and a Dual Xeon2.2GHz all with 1 GB ram.
My little render garden flies - the 'boys' chew through everything I can give them!