Sorry guys, but Vue can do things that Blender cannot do. If you only want it as a rendering engine, sure it may not be worth the $500, but Vue is far more than that :)

Perhaps a little advice before spending all the cash on Vue.... look for someone selling his/her license. I bought a Vue 10 Studio license from someone else and eventually upgraded to Vue 2014 Complete. Adding it all up, I paid a lot less then buying Vue 2014 Complete at once.

Artwork and 3DToons items, create the perfect place for you toon and other figures!

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/index.php?vendor=23722

Due to the childish TOS changes, I'm not allowed to link to my other products outside of Rendo anymore :(

Food for thought.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYZw0dfLmLk