Jack.
Thanx for the fast reply.
My guess is that my machine would do about the same.
Pentium D Dual-Core 3.0 Gig
2+ Gig Ram (Real)----4+ counting virtual RAM, I think

8400 Video
I downloaded the demo of lightwave a week or so ago and have pawed at it a few times, but so far all I can do is draw a polyline. Oh well, I'll go find some tutorials
I've also looked at C4D, like the interface, but haven't really looked at it to deeply as I have been working on my own ship, the Scabbard, which WIP'd and up for download here on SFM.