GrantH has offer very good advice. In contrast though, I like the Vertex Modeler a lot now. I do not do a lot of character modeling though. If that were the case I think I might augment it with Hexagon. To put it another way, the VM is now good enough that I can get results quickly and easyily. Something that didnt happen with C3 Studio--for me. I have seen great work with the original VM, just none by me. ;) But now I really like it. Although I still prefer the workflow in Lightwave's Modeler. Mainly for the layers functions. No need to hide selections, just place them on another layer. Very useful feature. Anyway, I guarantee you will be impressed with the rendering in Carrara. Even without using Global Illumination the output is very good. Good luck.