I started out using RayDream 3D which was to RayDream Studio what Carrara Basics is to Carrara Studio Pro -- a stripped down, but still very functional piece of software. I stuck with RD3D for quite a while and managed to produce quite a bit of work, including some broadcast animations for my job at the time. It was a good piece of software. That said, when I jumped up to RayDream Studio I kicked myself repeatedly for not having done it LONG before. The expanded features that had seemed to me like luxury, turned out to be more like a necessity. So, if you're just interested in getting your feet wet in 3D and seeing if you like it, CB might well be all you need. But if you're serious about doing 3D (as I guess you are, since you're also talking about getting Hexagon), I'd suggest bypassing the Basics step and just diving headlong in with CSP. That's my opinion, which is worth exactly what you paid for it! - Dex