I became interested in 3d art sometime about 14 years ago in 1987 when I bought an Amiga computer and was introduced to raytracing. I had this demo animation called Amiga juggler which was basically a figure created out of primitives standing on a checkerd plane. He juggled glass spheres that realistically showed reflections of the surface and figure. Since that time, I collected tons of demos like these and was introduced to a program called Calegari. Problem was it cost over $3000 dollars. I never was able to figure it out or afford it. Nonetheless I used to love studying the 3d renders at that time. The first 3d program I used was called Scenery Animator for the Amiga. With it I was able to create animations through USGS DEM files adding 3d models for effect. Many years went by until I purchased RayDream Studio 4 and Bryce, then the real fun started. Now I use Carrara, Bryce 4, Vue Desprit, Poser4, Strata 3D Pro, and thinkdesign for messing around with. 95% fun, 5% work. I still have yet to fully master any one program, although I am finally making progress with Carrara, Bryce 4, and thinkdesign. I guess for me, the fun ceases when you stop learning. So I make sure I know very little! ;-)