$495 is for the core system, foundation. If you want network rendering and some other whistles like Soft Body Dynamics, you need to spend $1995 on the Essentials package. And if you want more nodes for rendering, more cpu support, hair and fur, and compositing, you need to spend $6995 for the advanced package! So in view of the other options Carrara is a steal! And Softimage XSI only runs on PC based systems not on Mac... Maxon did the same thing with Cinema 4D, you can get the basic package for $695, which seems to be not much more then Carrara. But if you want all the bells and whistles that make it shine, you need to spend a bit more, like $1400 more. Bottom line, compare all the versions of a particular app and then compare against the other apps. I find Carrara easier to use then the "Big Boys" especially for a hobbyist... Cheers. Paul