"Glossy" text/objects in C3d v3.5??? Bordered text

[Mugsy]

I hope someone can help me with this.

I've been using C3D ever since v2.0, so I'm very comfortable and familiar with everything it is capable of, but one thing it has never done well enough for me is to render text and/or objects (like buttons) with a nice "glossy" finish.
(view example here: http://www.stardock.com/products/window ... ownlo2.jpg)

Tweaking the "Shininess" and other Light attributes can take you only so far, and I've played around with different textures to little or no avail.

Likewise, raised and/or colored "borders" (also seen in the example) are extremely difficult. With much playing around, I've managed to create text with different colored borders, but once the effect is in place, any adjustment to size, color or lighting instantly undoes the effect and reverts the text back to one solid color. Very frustrating.

Does anyone know of any "plug ins" or upgrades for C3D that can achieve these effects? Can C3D "Studio" do this and I just need to upgrade? I was hoping a v4.0 would have addressed these issues, but apparently no v4.0 is forthcoming. I've looked at plenty of other 3D programs, but they all seem to fall short in these areas as well (I'd buy a plugin for these features if Ulead offered one.)

Thanks.