I think Carrara Pro is very competively priced. And if you get Carrara 3 now you get the upgrade for free. Carrara 3 is only $399. So for $400 you get a high end modeler(Amapi), an all around 3d package (Carrara), and a nice chunk of the Eovia plugins. And there are tons of resources and places to get help and aid. Its great. If you have the budget I'd go for it.