I actually like hash patches quite a bit. Its how I started, so they intuitively make sense. But I wanted to play with Carrara and Hexagon. Both are extremely intuitive tools.
That was >MOST< important to me. YEARS ago (when I was single and had some more money... :D ), I bought Lightwave. That 1000 page manual that came with it was daunting, and there were few beginner tutorials. It was ultimately a HUGE waste.
But I'm a huge fan of Animation Master, Carrara, Hexagon, and Silo because they all are extremely intuitive and let you start developing so quickly.
I'm choosing Carrara and Hexagon right now, because I also own Zbrush, and want someplace I can import those figures. So in my book, Carrara is a fantastic tool. I also got 5.1 Pro at a GREAT price. 3D-World has the Carrara Studio 2.0 for free, so I installed that, and then upgraded. A great deal. And I enjoy Hexagon a lot more than Silo right now. Its just VERY intuitive and quick to pick up.
Good applications that came at unbelievable deals. I'm happy.
But Nichod, thanks for mentioning that the rigging has some issues. I'll keep a look out for it, while I'm working, and run some tests. Thanks!
John