Lyne

I'm sure Stan and Books can get you squared away a bit better than I, but here goes anyway.

1. I believe you can lock the camera to the sun, but that wouldn't get the results it sounds like you're looking for. I think Howie's scenes are meant to capture a moment in time, so I wouldn't recommend moving the sun around. 

I have had luck finding lots of great shots in Howie's scenes by moving the camera. Just like in nature, some shots are better than others.

2. I think you can set Camera Presets, but I don't know how. I usually get a camera to the place I want it, then I create a new camera and place it elswhere.

3. YES! There is a way to change from wireframe. Look near the top Right hand side of your screen. Look directly under the HAND. You will see some icons. You should see a wirframe box, then a shaded box, then a Circle. Click on the circle. This should give you items in shaded 3D. If you want to see textures closer to the real thing, click on the very first circle. CAUTION using the first circle will slow down your machine and could cause a crash, especially with Howie's scenes.

Hope this helps.

P.S. I'm doing this from memory, so I don't have Carrara in front of me, but I should be close.