Bez–Bez–Bez
I too am very interested in this topic. I have a hunch in time Adobe will feature their own full-featured 3d program that plays friendly with AE.
In the meantime I have been considering upgrading my Lightwave, buying Sketchup Pro or other options.
I recently bought Vue Esprit just for some special scenes. I also used 3d invigorator and it certainly has it’s uses and that is the tightest integration you can get–sharing cameras, lights, etc.
I don’t have much expectation that these apps will truly integrate with AE. Some minimal integration for now would be fine.