leather-guy,nice nick ;) i'm new to modeling as well, and have been for the past 10 years. in that time, i've read a lot, but in practice haven't really progressed beyond purty bump-mapped sphere over checkered plane. i spent so long researching the perfect application (for me), and never took a moment to realize that software is just a tool. i kept overly-emphasizing the power of the tool, and how it would make me a better crafts(wo)man, and under-emphasizing the power of my own creativity and innovation (or lack thereof). it's always the simplest things that elude me ;)

then i saw "the killer bean", by jeff lew. i'm sure there are countless other examples, but this is the one that captured my fascination (probably because i watched it on a 60" tv). it was created in animation: master, which costs $300(US). that's when it occurred to me that maybe i should stop reading so much, and start doing (like i sad, it's the simplest things...)

i ended up buying truespace. i'm not discounting some great freeware that's out there, but i can download and try freeware anytime (except when its developer goes belly up - RIP blender), whereas the discounted price for which i got truespace was a limited-time offer. i'm not experienced enough yet to argue its merits compared to other applications. the reason i bought it is because working in it is like playing with play-doh, and that paradigm works for me (i think). it was affordable, is powerful (from what i've heard, read and seen), extensible, and didn't overwhelm me the moment i started the application.

anyhoo, i hope that's helpful in making your decision. have fun at the trade show - i'd be interested to know what you finally decided to buy :)

justG