Thanks for all the info. I will buy a used version of 3dsMax 3.0, I suppose. I was disappointed that Carrara doesn't animate characters very well. No bending of joints, as I can see from thumbing thru the manual. So I will need to upgrade my 3D animation s/w anyhow. I don't think I can live with RDS5.5 as my main 3D s/w app. regards, pack