Yeah, CC2 has a rather steep learning cliff... I have been using Fractal Mapper for quite some time as well.
CC3 is proving easier to use than CC2, though a bit less intuitive than FM (or maybe I am just more used to FM...).
Oddly one of the best features of CC3 is one that I am not going to be using much, if at all.... It can produce some gorgeous 25mm scale maps, but until I get a color laser printer (which is not exactly high on my list of priorities) creating many maps with it would be a wee bit pricey. The maps are comparable to those produced using DunDjinni (in fact a whole bunch of the fan created art for DD is already being converted for use in CC3).
I have E-Tools, but find PCGen the more useful program. Slow, but it does a whole lot more.
NPC Designer interests me, and when I have a little time to check it out I will try the demo.
I got an offer in the mail for the Page Plus 11 Resource Guide at half price again, this time I took them up on the offer. It will be coming with a bunch of free clip art that I will most likely ignore.
One source of clip art that I actually use is - some very nice period clipart.
I also rather like his site.
The Auld Grump. rambling....
).