Carrara 6, even the dearer Pro version, is, still, about the best value for money as a very comprehensive 3D app. And about one of the easiest-- if thats not a contradiction in terms for 3D!!--to learn.
Top notch, free help and tutorials from several Carrara specialising forum sites and a great team of fans who produce fantastic plugins both for free or very, very low prices.
Note that it is now version 6--it has had a long and succesfull history.
I think it was listed as number 5 of the top ranking downloaded 3D apps recently!