Try before you buy! It may take a little bit longer, and cause a lot of frustration, but not all programs are created equal, and the user interface/work flow can vary a great deal. You need something that fits the way you think. You can force yourself to learn a program that doesn't "fit", but it makes a difficult process even more difficult.

If you want a general package that does alot (modeling, decent landscapes, trees/plants, Poser pz3 import, top notch render engine, multiple render node support) at a decent price, Carrara Studio 4 (or 4Pro depending on what features you want) is a good option. Plus, with any luck, it looks like mapps is going to put together some tutorials for it (see earlier post in forum from mapps). There is a demo version you can download for a test drive at www.eovia.com

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