Hi, there! Welcome to the fun and cool world of 3D! I started out using RayDream3D which was very much like Carrara Basics. RD3D also only had the spline modeler, but it was still very powerful. What mpal76 said is correct -- if you can create an Illustrator file (*.ai) you can import it into Carrara's spline modeler and then sweep and extrude it into a 3D object. The limitation is that you can only (unless I'm mistaken) import the first point of a spline model from AI. The modeler is pretty easy to use, though, to create new cross-sections in the model as you build it. For Mark's apple above, start out by drawing a circle on the drawing plane. Then as he shows, select geometry>extrusion envelope>symmetrical. This will allow you to draw the cool curvy path that describes the outside of an apple. Good luck!