Open Carrara, Under  "File" choose "New",  Under "Help" choose "Carrara Help" and you will find the manual.

Sorry, I guess you already found the manual. There are chapters in there on basic modeling. If it is in your budget, I would suggest  the "Carrara 5 Pro Handbook" It is a great resource for someone new to Carrara. Also has a couple of Hexagon chapters in it. I believe Amazon has it for a little over $30.00. Borders is around $50.00.