frankly this thread is on a tangeant.The original poster wrote to give a heads up about Houdini.
I am not sure why Carrara had to come up. I was only stating that the comparaison makes little sense.

Again, you cannot compare both applications. Most likely, someone who use moi to model for a hobby, and is looking at a general 3d app should look at carrara, blender, or similar.
I am quite certain it is easier to learn than houdini.

Ease of use is not houdini's strong point.
It is a complex tool, and it is used a lot
by studios for particle shots etc... where you need good control over various parameters.
It is more of a studio tool, than a tool for a hobbyist or single-artist.
Having said that I do not use it professionally. We don't do VXF.

But if you need to see examples of movies or other production that used Houdini, there are plenty on the web. The list of studios that use it for certain work (Framestore, the Mill) is also quite exhaustive.
As far as I know there is very little professional use of Carrara, at least beyond simple stills.

This is not to put the app down, I am sure it has its advantages. Again though they are quite different apps.

Blenddoodler,
I am not recommending Houdini. To whom? I also have nothing to prove. Not on a forum.