Hi folks,

Beth...
Here a very simple way of conceptualizing what 3D is, and how 3D programs work...

Think of it as if you were working with clay or putty (3D polygonal/mesh/hypernurb models), that you will later paint (texture map), and take a photo of (render) - (to share with friends and family!) [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
Sometimes too, it may be necessary (or preferable)to 'touch-up' your photograph (rendered image) with a program like Photoshop.

You work in a studio that has many rooms. Each room you work in presents you with a different "perspective" of how your project looks - i.e. TopView/FrontView/SideView/BackView/3D Perspective View/etc...
If you wish to work in the 'main control' room, you can turn on a set of monitors that allow you simultaneous multiple views of your object/scene.

Simple objects like a sphere, cone, box, etc. (known as primitives), are easy to make, paint, and take practically no time to photograph. Most programs will have 'quick buttons' for primary shapes (primitives).

More complex shapes/scenes, such as a living room with funiture and fixings, will take longer to create, paint, and photograph (because there are more objects in the scene/environment - hence more decisions to be made).
The objects in a scene such as that would be created by combining primitives through a boolean process (also know as 'welding') (like sticking a ball of clay onto a clay box shape and smearing the seams using water; to remove the seams)

If you should choose to take your work over to another studio to paint, either before, during or after your creation process (ala Photoshop, Painter, etc.), then it will add time to your creation's development. But should have little or no bearing on the time taken to photograph (render) your creation.
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And that's how i learned to understand better how 3D programs work. Hope that helps...? [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

Mark...