What are your favorite modeling tools?

I'm working on a new virtual world platform and would like to get some feedback on your preferred modeling apps. What's your favorite feature and what file formats do you use the most? Any vendor developing something new that we should keep an eye on? If you have a link to share please add it to your response. Thanks!

Dan
The VRMAD Project

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Permalink Reply by csven on November 25, 2007 at 5:54pm: Pro/ENGINEER - the ability to relocate parametric features inside the feature/history tree (e.g. move a "cut" in front of a "protrusion" and have the geometry regenerate).

I tend to export out to .obj for import into Maya or Max.

The T-splines stuff looks really interesting. Available for Maya and (soon) Rhino; eventually for Moment of Inspiration as well, according to the T-splines dev. Of course I doubt most virtual world people are paying attention to non-polygon solutions.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Francois Picard on April 29, 2008 at 4:38am: Since 6 years ago, for all the 3d related projects I have touched (as hobby), I use/have/will used the following tools :
3dmax
MilkShape
GMAX
Photoshop
QuArK (Quake Army Knife)
UnrealEd
GTKRadiant
Halve Hammer
Shader Editor for Quake3
Torque editor
Multiverse tools
Gimp
Pakexplorer
Winzip
Second Life building menu
Open Sim building menu
notepad
Crimson Editor
probably others which I do not remember now.

The ones I prefer are 3dmax and photoshop.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Bruce Lehmann on May 14, 2008 at 3:15pm: I use AC3D (A good inexpensive low poly modeler), and Hexagon. I also use Cinema 4D bcause of it's excellent lightmapping & animation. I mostly play in VRML right now but am looking at SL and others. I also have a website with reviews on 3D software (Which is being updated at the moment).

http://spafon.com/SoftwareReview/AnAmateurs3DSoftwareReview.htm

It comes from an amature modeler's point of view with a bend twoards VRML; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Patricia Hannaway on November 1, 2008 at 5:55pm: I enjoy working with Maya! The learning curve is steep, but the breadth of the program is great! Plus, you can model in other programs and import .obj's easily.
Just a nice all in one program with power.....; ▶ Reply to This