I think the best bet is to go with the demos, no sence in paying $700-1000 for a program you discover you hate. Carrara has a great Demo, 3D Max has a great demo, as does Maya, most of the others listed above do have good demos. I have found though that some of the demos don't do the program justice. I think the best bet would be to pick a couple and try them if you feel completely lost try another. It's like buying a car, ford lovers love ford and will tell you to buy a ford, chev lovers love chevs and will tell you to buy a chev, which is the better car for you? Only you can decide which one you feel at home in by taking them for a test drive. I tried most of the ones above looking for a program to compliment Poser with out 5,000,000 features I would never use, Carrara Studio was the first and only choice for me...but that was me. And I'm a Dodge lover....lol