Just an FYI the link to the poser4 and pro pack on outpost, the pro pac is not currently in stock, but it is a great price. The link to the lightwave for $499 is Windows only, no Mac. I didn't look on their for a Mac version, but there may be one... I consider myself a beginner with not a lot of experience in 3D, I tried out Lightwave and was completely lost. It is not an application for a beginner. Maya is extremely confusing too. I would say for a beginner, you can't go wrong with Carrara or even Strata. Animation Master has some really nice features and seems really easy to learn, but it is very unstable. I have seen several demos of it at various trade shows, and every demo had at least one crash where the demonstrator lost all data. Steer clear until they release a stable version. Same goes for all the reviews I have read on it they all commented on the lack of stability. There is a really good article in one of the later 3D Mags that compares all the low priced alternatives to the expensive apps. They compare 3D Tool kit, (universe), Strata, Animation master, Carrara, and a couple others. Carrara didn't do that well and overall they gave 3D tool Kit (universe) the best scores. Regards, Paul