Since you mentioned other applications.. I agree with Amapi... IT IS very powerful but kind of difficult (for me) to learn. Maybe the new version is better. Amorphium is quite good for adding some damage and imperfections to objects (with the brush tools) but that's more or less what I use it for... I would Seriously recommend 2 budget applications for your 3d arsenal. 1) Wings 3D (http://www.wings3d.com A GREAT vertex modeling application ( Complements Carrara vertex modeler quite nicely) Much more powerful, intuitive and models import quite easily and its FREE! 2) 3D toolkit 2.5 http://www.electricimage.com/ GREAT rendering and modeling applications. The modeling is VERY different from what you do in Carrara. Its mostly NURBS, splines and curves (I think that;s the correct term) instead of polygons. Get a little getting used to, but once you do you can build something in minutes , compared to hours (if possible) in Carrara. Bevels (all edges) , booleans that work, etc, etc They also import quite good in Carrara (for stills). An the toolkit's Animator software is MUCH more better that Carrara's animations tools (they really suck, sorry) : ( It costs 100 bucks and comes with a lot for the price (tutorials, etc) They want you to upgrade to the full Universe product, but I'm sure you won;t need that for a long time. Each tool has its stenghts and weakneses, so it up to you to find each one and use them together to make your work easier This is more or less what I use. hope it helps... : )