I worked with Max, a very little bit of maya.
One of my crazy dreams is have a rich uncle purchase max fo rme..
I prefer Max to Maya. But yet so I am not meaning Max is better. Both would rock to have them.
My workflow is :
Modelling : Wings3d or Metasequoia.
Uv mapping :Basicly Ultimate Unwrap. Though I could also do basic mapping with Wings3d or metasequoia (they don't have complete set of uvmap features)
Animation : (Milkshape does not support weighted vertices.I bought it, I still use it for smooth groups, if I really need them, though now can also do em with Wings...) Character Fx. Now, if that direct x *.x file export ends comming, I'll be able to use Blender...The pity is Blender, yet having an slightly better bone system than Character Fx, yet is not as good as Character Studio.Still means animating without joint pinning. There's a trick, but means breaking the skeleton, and I am totally suspecting it wont export well to an x engine... I have asked for the x export, as well as for the joint pinning. And the export at least, seems is really bringing problems to his author, but one day or another he'll finally be successful...I hope... It's python code what they do...
Texturing: 3d painting. I made long ago my more expensive purchase ever in software :deep paint3d 2.0. I just love it.
Now, there's a free tool for this, but only for non comercial. Is no so powerful as dp3d, but is getting near. Is just I like to be free to do comercial work.
Is called Tatoo. I put the link in off topic some time ago.
Also, always a 3d painting for games, needs a bit or a lot of final 2d retouching over the texture(for objects often is directly 2d): For that, Gimp for windows does the job for me. A bit quite unstable, though. There a re loads of other 2d tools, but not so complete. Yet not happy with the ui, though. Again, PaintShoPro is not very expensive and rocks. But I'd buy first Ultimate Unwrap + Character Fx (35+15$) if I hadn't em yet, previous to nothing.
U could do stuff totally free if Blender ends up having that full bones, animation and weights x exporter. But I am waiting I think since november...dunno if the author is at it...(anyway, he's not forced to, does it for free
) Other thing is: I learnt Blender, got the grips of it. But I can almost ensure 90% ppl will reject it. I say looking at statistics of every post I see about it. Only a very few stayed with it. I rejected it long ago.Only becoming a lot more experienced in 3d game me the background to be able to learn it...that, and patience, and reading the manuals. Indeed, if really have to last things, can learn it, (and much free time) .The 3d experience is only a very important helper.
With the exporter, and being very skilled in each software, you could do all with wings3d, metasequoia, Blender, Gimp. (no need to use all.Blender does practically all. I would not agree is the best on each area. That is not true even with expensive packages... )
I specially like the fact Blender has bones, weights, weight painting, vertex color painting, texture painting (WAAY limited, of course, is already too good it includes a basic stroke system) , complex materials, powerful modelling (yet imho Wings is quite quicker) , advanced keyframe/animation system, render getting nicer (not important for games...but will be once it supports lightmaps generation, that can't be done by Milkshape, nor Ultimate (though Ultimate supports a second uv channel, and a slot for lightmap, just does not generate the lighting and tga))
Conclussion: Blender will be the free and powerful tool of anyone with loads of patience. Once it gets the direct x exporter. A doom3 md5 export has been done by a user, already, based on blender to cal3d exporter. This means actually one for blender to x with weights must be possible. (actually demonstrated already on blender2cal3d ) As both are weights, bones and animation.
...but for now, all I can say best pack (and said also by a pair of two other artists that have been also moving a lot in amateur field) is Wings3d (or Metasequoia, just Meta does not allow comercial ethically) + Ultimate Unwrap (some ppl are starting to uv map with the somewaht yet limited uvmapping in Wings3d..hmm..) + Character Fx.
Only big lowdown in that is last one, animation. No joint pinning.Your character feet will slide.You will fight a lot to reloacte them. You will animate slower as no real IK there... But you will get the job more or less done.
This problems are also in Milkshape, plus the other Milkshape weakness (not trashing it, is very good for other stuff. )
The mid cost tools are not any better; imho is WAY much more useful that 50$ pack than the 200$ Gamespace, or even Truespace+gamepak...unless TS bones&weights have really improved, but I am reading in the fourms they hhave not...funnily, I found TS4 bones to be much worse than Blender's...
Hash Animation Master (299$ ,
www.hash.com) ROCKS in animation. But you have to purchase apart the AMtex plugin to export to x. Is a good exporter, though. Pitty is: Hash only supports splines. Is a VERY different way of modelling, and most people don't get it. Specially unpractical for real time as for now is all based on polygons. Yet so, the great Wings3d has an exporter for Hash told to be working ok. Yet so, the conversion to so different systems is full of problems. I knew one guy that rocked modelling inside hash using "peak" (cornered, just no curves) models, modelling dot by dot. And then, he exported that with AMtex. And result was very good. Again, special abilities needed. Not everyone will be able to do those kickass tricks.
Still its bones an animation are a dream. And hi res rendering, for which is done, is great.
In easiness/quality/power/compatibility I see no better tool than Max. Just keeps expensive
If Blender ends up having that animation weighted x exporter...be sure I'll be really happy.
(not only for irrlitch, gamestudio, darkbasic pro, tv3d, and many other engines...Ultimate Unwrap imports x files with weights and animation and from there, I can export to lots. And tweak it a lot.)
But only my 2 weird cents of euro.