1 - What are the main differences between the pro version and the d'esprit versions. At the present stage the two programs are hardly comparable because Esprit is of a whole version number above, this means that Esprit 5 has features that Pro 4 does not have (but which Pro 5 will surely have). What Pro 4 has that Esprit 5 still does not have, is: - the plant editor - advanced lighting options - some advanced interface features - advanced handling of imported objects (like replacement) - some advanced animation features - export of objects and scenes - and some more You can expect Pro 5 (announced for the end of the year) to have all that Esprit 5 has, that is: - new rendering features (GA, GI, radiosity, HDRI) - new function editor in a redesigned material editor - parametric terrains - text tool - metablobs - integrated post processing features And of course, Pro 5 will have more new features, which are undisclosed now. 2 - Does the d'esprit version have any tools for mesh manipulation? No, neither Pro nor Esprit have polygon editing functions aside from smoothing meshes in import 3- Can Sub-parts of a mesh be edited. Can this object be separated from the body? Separated, yes (only if you imported an object defined with groups); edited, no. 4 - In max, the starting scene is just all black. A figure renders in black, etc. In vue there is a horizon, haze, sun, etc. Can I get a similar setup to max where all that renders is the object? Yes. 5 - the Vue 5 d'esprit version is supposed to have the ability to quickly create multiple versions a plant, and the new one would be different than the first. In order to do this, I have to go into the plant editor each time, instead of just clicking where I want the new plant. No. The random process happens automatically each time a new plant is generated. It's a one-click thing. Besides, you can not enter any Plant editor in Esprit because there is not one. You can of course edit the Plant Editor in Pro. There you can define the new basic aspect of a plant. After you save it, when you click to load it it get the random variations each time.