you may also want to check out a program called nendo to model in. I have found that I am really getting to like modifing models in carrara but I am not up to the task of making them from scratch in carrara. You will be able to make a lot of stuff very quickly in nendo but at lower quality. Then once you have a base you can import the models in to carrara and texture them & modify them. Carrara is sort of a pain in the butt but compared to max and lightwave its a breeze. Just a day or so ago (see my post below) I was totally frustrated like you...now I can swing the camera around and texture my models...later tonight Ill figure out the earth modeler :) Not bad for just a couple of days!