I agree with everything stated above... one other option not said here.... they both have lower end versions for much less money... demo's are ok but you really need a manual of some sort to really try a program... now if you are looking for landscapes.. vue is still far better... but crashes a LOT!!! wierd things happen in Vue. Carrara does everything well, but nothing really great, but allows you to model your own items. personally.. if you are just starting out.. save a few buck and get Vue Esprit and the carrara regular.... allows you to model, and do landscapes. Items modeled in carrara can be imported to Vue with ease for landscape renders carrara still has a better renderer for everything but landscapes.

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Hexagon, Carrara, Sculptris, and recently Sketchup.