Yea, I'd try Carrara if they put a genuine Bryce interface on it.  As for Blender, Lightwave, XSI, C4D, and several others which I've used, they are cumbersome, overcomplicated, unfriendly and frustrating to use as  final scene renderers.  But that's just me... I can't stand something that's unnecessarily complex.  My motto is NO MATTER WHAT AWESOME POWER YOU HAVE IT CAN ALWAYS BE APPLIED WITH SIMPLICITY.  I think most smart programmers are totally stupid when it comes to human interface.

"An Example is worth Ten Thousand Words"