DesuDeus wrote "...look at http://auxpecker.blogspot.com/ its for Rhino and its OH MY GOD (free) awesome for viewing freeform with T-splines. And you can still model while having the environement maps. Maybe speak to auxpecker coder because he has very very good environement maps pictures that he use in Auxpecker. That would save you some time rendering environements maps..."

I think there is a misconception of what Auxpecker is. It's really just a browser that hooks up to Rhino's object material properties. It doesn't actually add display functions to Rhino. But Auxpecker made it much easier for many people to get up and running with using reflection maps. From what I know, they were all rendered in Maxwell... Also there is a new UI browser called Blackbird RT which is under development by an Italian user. This one will have a price tag, though. Combined with V5's real-time shadows, reflection maps can make some pretty convincing results... But essentially is the same as Auxpecker (which as you mentioned is free!)... Personally i accomplish the same results with a single macro on a toolbar button. Which incidentally was also free... :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNGqvLqED5s&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jewelslab.com%2Findex.php%2Fe-jewels%2Fblackbird&feature=player_embedded

jonah