Carrara 8 is out now. The new Carrara seems to pack quite a bit of punch. The Pro verson now supports 64-bit and has a physics engine. This will enable it to do physical simulations.
In the lighting department, it now has photometrics lights which will enhance lighting accuracy. Check out the demo below.

Atmospherics has also improve with the inclusion of God Rays and Barn Doors. Of course, there are other areas of improvements.

Like previous versions of Carrara, this version retains tight integration with DAZ Studio and Hexagon.

For a limited time period, DAZ is offering both Carrara Standard and the Pro edition at a greatly discounted price going at half the original cost. It is a great opportunity to get this easy-to-use 3D modelling, rendering and animation suite at a low cost.