Nice rundown of the basics, Sparrow. I concur -- Carrara is getting complex enough, reading the manual as you experiment is looking like a better and better idea. Just to keep from having to stare at an empty scene too long, tho -- both the Browser Tray, and the Scene Wizard that pops up when you start a new scene, allow you to load up complete preset scenes. Try one of these, see how it is put together, render it, play with it, try selecting and changing things. It's a great way to get into a new program.