OK ... if you want to include people in your art, Poser is the way to go. But on the other hand, knowing the "smart and creative" types (those who work with BOTH sides of the brain, as someone phrased it), you may actually want to create your own stuff eventually. I say start with Poser. Get a feel for 3D, learning about lighting, texturing, and composition (that in itself is quite an accomplishment) ... Then, when you want to graduate to actual modeling there are other alternatives besides Max ... I use LightWave in addition to Max, and actually prefer its organic modeling tools. LW does not carry as hefty a price tag as Max, and does just as good a job. Others use Rhino, which has a smaller price tag still ... and others swear by Wings3D, which is freeware. We'll help ya get there ... and it is a lot easier if you go one step at a time.