For those who are interested ...
http://www.caligari.com/Products/trueSpace/tS75/brochure/intro.asp?Cate=BIntro
This is Microsoft's response to Google Sketchup - with Truespace you now can create 3D Models for Live search maps, hehe ;D
Looks not bad, but I personally like Blender a lot and will stay with it...
Note: There are only XP and Vista versions available
I'm liking the constant mention of 'real-time' in a lot of their features... I was never familiar with the Blender game engine thinger, so I don't know if TrueSpace does the same things (and if it does them better or worse), and in MAX I don't think it has any advanced real-time features to speak of... though again I'm not familiar enough with the inner workings of the program to know.
Something about real-time lighting and relfections/refractions that makes me... happy. I might have to give this a try, when time permits. Thanks for posting this!