Operaguy, your point is certainly well taken, especially for those wor have an interest in 3D as a career or a very serious avocation, so well said. In terms of how many people that encompasses though, I think it is a tiny minority. It's the equivalent of saying to computer users, "don't get locked into the Microsoft path, grab a C++ compiler and and start learning to write your own operating system." I'd say even if your goal is the latter, this is a great free opportunity to get working examplee of commercial grade models, a benchmark if you will, to guage your own progress. When you can model something better, voila, you've arrived :-)

"Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H. L. Mencken