Both versions of Carrara 4 have vertex, spline and metaball modelers. The spline modeler rocks. A lot of people love the vertex modeler too, although it's pretty basic. Don't forget you can always add another modeler to the mix later if you bump your head on limitations in Carrara 4 standard. This is all very subjective territory but you get quite a bit of bang for your buck with Carrara. Three modeling options is nice for an inexpensive package.