Definitely. Any tools that aid with speeding the actual rendering process (such as FPrime) should be mandatory (same goes for sasquatch for hair - SASLite really lacks too many features for truly realsitic hair/fur/grass/etc...)
However, tools that shortcut the actual modelling or rigging process should be left until you know the long-hand way of performing the task. That way, you can be sure that you're learning your craft rather than a set of tools alone...
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