I would stress that if you want to become a modeler you should first get traditional skills in: drawing,painting,sculpting,animation, and architecture. Drawing is the most important. That you should practice all the time, as most art directors are going to want you to communicate an idea before letting you do it.

I would also stress that you should avoid learning on a..."non pro" tool. Most old PCs will do low-poly work just fine regardless of the tool; and if an older pc has trouble a vid card and system memory upgrade is often a cost effective solution. I would go with Maya since they have a free learning edition that has few limitations in the creation of low poly art. I started on 3D studio and find it easier to use, but trial use only on that one.


Imagine being asked to steer a car with your feet; that's what it feels like when you've used a tool for years and suddenly you're asked to change that tool. Instead, you might as well start on the tools you are going to end up on instead of starting on one tool and switching later. Go for Maya I think and Photoshop if possible for 2D stuff. If you haven't yet, get a wacom and a 3D mouse by 3dconnexion.com to make your job easier.