Anim8or Community

Old Codger ---
I agree with davdud101 and johnar, that while materials and texturing are important, much of the "realism" you see in renders is due to attention to lighting.  And in that regard, it's important to use "real" lighting.  That is, there is no such thing as "ambient" lighting in a photo shoot.  The type of light source, and the falloff of lighting --- that is, its intensity diminishes with distance --- are important.

I "used to have" several Anim8or projects (on a computer that crapped out) for which I also had some rather good renders, and I remember "in the old days" that a couple of Anim8ors had some excellent models and renders of automobiles, but here are a few hobby projects I did using LightWave some years ago.  Granted, each may not be in a realistic setting, but my intent at the time was to get a certain "look."

Well done, Old Codger!  Experimenting pays off!

And as far as Edge Loops are concerned, the Anim8or manual only makes a slight, non-applicable reference to them, but calls them "circles."  But taken literally, it's a closed-loop of edges.  And moving the entire loop is equivalent to your moving multiple points.  In this case, it's moving all of the points on the loop.

Attached is another example of moving edge loops, and the affect it has on either subdividing or smoothing (both under Build) the object.  Note that subdividing gives you a cage, which you can then use to further deform the mesh.

Don't beat yourself up about going down "blind alleys."  The best way to learn is by trying, failing, trying something else, failing again, trying yet something else again, until you either finally succeed, or you reach out to the forums for guidance.

And to reemphasize that, "if you ain't failing, you ain't tryin'."

Old Codger ---
Looks something like a quonset hut.

OK, first off, remember that you're trying to create a 3D structure.  The basic structure you've created has no thickness yet (which you're trying to do, but...).  Check out page 58 of the manual.  It  may give you some insight to why you're unable to create a closing face.

Just delete the "[/youtube]]https://www." at the end and you're good to go...

Congrats, davdud101!  Heck, with everything the world is having to contend with right now regarding the Coronavirus, I can't see how any bit of celebratory information would be frowned upon!

Two places: Lucca, Italy and Austin, Texas. 6 months a year in each.

NICE!  My late lady friend and I used to travel to "the wild side" of Vancouver Island, to a town called Tofino.  We got to know the proprietors of the Tough City Inn there, who spent six months in Tofino and six months in Costa Rica. 

With all the trips you've taken to Italy, I'm guessing you've got family there?

Been a while since i posted a gif, but...

Or, I think you can simply insert it as you would any other image.  The only issue is that you need to click on the image in order for it to animate...