I'm not sure how you could do lava flows. I can do some decent crystals in Anim8or, but I don't usually use them. As for my statement about "objects other than planets", I usually do volcanic environments like this:
Standard rock texture
Red luminous surface layer with power fractal distribution
Add other stuff here...
@MGebhart, those are some cool models, though I might not use them. Still they're pretty good.
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Keep posting about these models. I didn't mean to hijack the thread.