I just wanted to clarify that BJG is doing a lot more with Revit than just 3d modelling. (We used to do that fairly often with AutoCAD.) We're already bringing much more with Revit, especially coordination of information, so I would have to say it's something like 3.5D. But I agree that we're a long way from the wide horizon of BIM/VDC possibilities.

(As an aside, if the history is right in my head, VDC was the common term used in the industry before Autodesk bought Revit and introduced BIM.)

I would advise getting comfortable with the custom quality settings instead of just relying on the 'best' setting. You can significantly reduce your rendering times. For instance, if there isn't anything important behind translucent materials, you can turn down that particular quality or reduce the number of passes that light rays make through there. Most of the time, I can cut 50-70% off of the time it takes for a 'best' rendering by adjusting the quality settings that are needed for a particular image.

The awards page (http://www.amplesample.net/2008/winners/) links to instructions for putting those projects together.
The hammock is here: http://www.amplesample.net/2008/library/img/winne...
and the shoes are here: http://www.amplesample.net/2008/library/img/winne...