Phil, I can honestly say that VCP is a great starting point and easy to learn and use productively. Vectric's training for the product is also very approachable. That's how I learned the basics before I even took delivery of my CNC machine about a year ago. I've since upgraded to Aspire because I did need to move into the modeling aspect and was thankful that my original investment was preserved in the process. I don't know anything about the Carveco product this thread is about, but it sounds like a very capable product, too, albeit more like Aspire in capabilities above VCP.