Quote - I just wonder, if execrable has access to XSI and C4D, why interest in Blender? For average user Blender probably is almost as powerful, but is it not hard to try to master so many apps? 

 

Oh I have played with lots of software right through from Autocad version 1 in 1990! (I worked as a software demonstrator for Evan & Sutherland when they tried to break into the Automotive industry) I have made my living working with software and what I've found is that some stand still and stagnate while others become more useable or successful and then again some others evolve. 
I work primarily with my hands as a modeler and have been trying all sorts of software to see when I as a modeler might "evolve" from real 3D to CGI-3D.

I guess the short answer is to keep myself current? Hope that explains. I do dabble with animation (badly) and so I like to keep a computer nearby even if it isn't the latest and newest.