I use those tools too, I have every tool you guys have listed, including 3D Coat, Fragmotion3D, Blacksmith3D, I used to use an older version of ZBrush, I was not impressed with its capabilities, but it may be better now that they purchased sculptris also to integrate it.. I also like using Silo3D, it all depends on the job and what tools work best, to be honest I use a combination of all of them depending on what the job dictates.. I happen to prefer: Silo3D - Modeling, and Blacksmith3D / 3DCoat for Painting or Sculpting, or if it takes alot of sculpting work, I will either use the free version of Sculptris or CB Model Pro, but I love Blacksmith3D for the ease of Scaling of parts of the model, thereby making creating multiple models a snap, like make one humanoid, and scale different parts, either enlarge or shrink, too make a totally different character.. Also, I love the ability to simplify your model, lowering the number of polys in it.. Also their texture layering tech, new in version 4 allows you to apply textures in layers, and has virtually unlimited texture size because of the way it handles it, it allows you to do this without killing your machine, by having to have all of the huge texture layers loaded at all times..

BTW: I also like how BS3D integrates directly in with alot of the 3D Modeling packages out there, giving you a way to directly import and export the models in out of them, to make changes as needed, then be able to see the changes instantly...

again, this imho is an opinion like everyones on these forums, like the wars going on between the 3DCoat and Zbrush users, personally I think 3D Coat is awesome and kills Zbrush hands down.. I do think it takes a combo of several tools to do everything you need to create a game though..

Thanks 4 listening,

StOrM

Right on, Storm! Also, "free" does not mean easy. Let your pocketbook, or Torrent resources, decide what's right for you!

I also use 3DCoat, and Love it!~ Ratchet: I also Love Silo3D for all my modeling stuff, now I used to use Fragmotion ALOT!! It Beats Milkshape3D hands down.. but since then I NOW ONLY Use Silo3D 2.2 or 2.1.1 if 2.2 keeps crashing on the bugs from multiple cuts, and gets on my nerves too bad, then I will go back to 2.1.1, but either way Silo and it's total Configurability, both function wise and grafx wise, I can even make it look like Maya or Lightwave or 3DS Max not only look, but actually function like it, with custom buttons, and custom mouse / keyboard shortcuts, and viewport configs..

Besides the configurability, it's face / or box modeling toolset is 2nd to NONE.. You can do anything, and the Tweak or Surface tool or Poly tools, when used with the Multi-selection tool, and subdivision with instance mirroring, ability to go back and forth in the subdivision levels while editing makes creating humans or anything organic awesome and easy, then either keep the high level of detail by editing the cage, or go back to lower poly levels, and save the results..

If you keep the higher poly subdivided model, load them into 3D-Coat, and sculpt it w/ voxels, o' also the topology tools, then render -> bake all the maps into bump / texture maps, to re-apply to the low poly version of the model, which you can also edit inside Blacksmith3D bending, denting etc.. inside BS3D, I know you can do some of it in 3DCoat, but sometimes it's a little better in BS3D, like I love the clone brush, once you learn how to scale, move the picture that you drag and drop in the window, and setup a reference point for using the clone brush, if you use a hi-res image, you can get awesomely realistic details..

That's it, I didn't want to turn this into a 3d grafx app flame war, if you want that, they are available to participate in all over the net at various CG Web Forums..

I'm merely trying to help some of the newbies out there, without a ton of cash to waste, on apps that might not be the best thing for them.. Like me, I'm Disabled, and on a limited income, so I can't afford to wasted $2000.00 on something I'm not going to be happy with later..

Thanks for listening,

Ciao' 4 now,

StOrM

Well i also love 3D Coat because it have all in one like you said :
sculpt, retopology (auto also), UV, normal map generation, painting (diffuse,spec and normal).

But don't say : 3D Coat is awesome and kills Zbrush hands down

Z Brush can handle lot lot more polygons than 3D coat indeed even on a very low PC. Voxel of 3D coat asks too much power
once you begin to go on high resolutions (or you must use surface tools in Zbrush style).

With ZBrush i can sculpt so detailled and more accurately than 3D Coat particulary when going in details : ZBRush is the top in this area indeed.
The last version with ZSpheres 2 and shadow tool now allow you
to do anything from mecanic solid planes mixed with sculpting.
Zbrush lacks some good Retopology, in that part 3D Coat is the best for me personnaly.

Well like you said we have to take advantages of the tools
we can afford and not restrict ouservles on one tool
exclusively (even if i use 3D Coat exclusively actually)

I'm sorry...gotta say it...

I myself(years ago) used to bad mouth blender a lot....and no one here has listed a piece of software that I have not used....I have even used others not listed here....modo, moi, wings, and trueSpace....plus as I said Z-brush and silo and 3dcoat and all the rest...but not houdini or mudbox....I have to say try blender for about 2 months...really try to use it...you WILL have a hard time going back to other softwares, beacuse you WILL need to use more than one of those packages to do all the stuff you can do in blender....I'm not saying it is as good as Z-brush in sculpting, but it is better than silo 2 in sculpting...It has one of the best UV editors in existence. realtime 32bpp 3D painting, including alpha. projection and cloning(again in 3d viewport) customizable brush...fall off, mask/texture, spacing, and, jitter....same for the sculpting tools.
animation is right up there with maya and or max.....roughly the same...maya may be a tad better, but why use one application for "tad better" animation tools.
P.S. It has an integrated game engine....it is much better than people think.
there is also GameKit, the inegration of the Ogre 3D engine(OgreKit).
I wont thread jack this anymore...sorry I am a bit biased...everything I said was fact, but I am also a big blender fan for about 4 years now....although I have been using it slightly longer.

Yes, Blender is a good and cheap alternative to many tools. But all the points you mentioned are available in Modo as well. So you dont have to switch applications like you said. You have a superb unwrapper there, great 3d-painting where you can paint color, textures, procedural brushes and much more. You can do great sculpting, very powerful now in 501. The modeller is first class, you have everything even smoothing groups for game developers.

Blender can beat Modo currently when it comes to character animation though. Modo is best suited to animate technical objects currently. But CA will probably come in the next version.

So there are indeed alternatives. And one reason why I prefer Modo over Blender is: It just works. I can read and write OBJ, LWO, DAE or FBX without any problems. It can even store ASE files that work in UDK with second uv-set and collision geometry included. Also FBX and DAE store second uv-set, layers and even smoothing groups.
I can open the Modo-FBX in Maya, Unity or Ultimate Unwrap3D. It just works. In Blender only one direction worked. So it saves me a lot of trouble every week when we publish new model packs.

but the animation is still lacking in modo blender even beats it in the mechanical department, and the sculpting is still a bit better in blender...than modo(technicaly) I cannot compare workflows, that is personal...everyone is different. Blender imports and exports all of those formats(aside from ASE)and more, but I am not sure about the second UV set or smoothing groups exporting though. Blender has a compositor, a video editor, built in screen capture(including video), and customizable hotkeys as well....so you want max set it up like max....etc...etc...
If you have a problem with the FBX export you should report it....in general, those things get fixed fairly frequently....and if you have a feature request, if presented well, there is a good chance it will be implemented(no promices of course).

BTW...I HOPE that character animation comes in the next version of modo, and then cloth, smoke, liquid etc etc like blender has now(and free).

Are you sure about the sculpting comparison? I mean the new pixar subdivision features in Modo are very powerful, allow hard edges and there is no uv-distortion.
There is true multi-resolution sculpting and much more:
http://www.luxology.com/modo/tour/multiressculpting.aspx

Besides that I love the real-time preview renderer. And the Ray-GL preview avialable in each modelling window is sexy as well. During the modelling process I can already see how the result looks with lighting, global illumination, shadows and everything applied that will make it into the final image. And it is fast. It just works.

I also found the renderer in Blender not very powerful compared to Modo's renderer.

Honestly, I never want to give that away. I would only switch to another tool for character animation and that is probably not necessary in the future as well. I had to work with Maya for a customer project. The customer gave me a license for that reason. And although I was able to work with it, it is such a slow workflow, I have to do so much more clicks and have to work in several windows, it was no comparison to Modo. I really wondered why such an expensive product is actually so bad. In then end: even though I have a Maya license here, I use it only when I have to.

the modo renderer kills blenders hands down....but blender is about to get a shader and render overhaul soon....I don't like maya either, those that started there stay there....so it seems.
as far as the sculpting goes yes, aside from the UV distortion...I cannot vouge for that, my UV's do tend to get messed up if I do not sculpt before unwrapping...I have already seen all the new modo stuff, I'm a total technology nerd(software included)...do not get me wrong I do like modo, a lot actually, but since I finally made the switch to Blender....I can't seem to go back to other packages....another good modeler was truespace 7.5, but it did not seem to be popular enough, but it is free now as well....but lacks a lot of import export options....anyway I need to just leave this thread....all I do it say blender blender blender...it gets old....fast.

I can understand you perfectly, I am also very interested in these technologies. And I once used Truespace as well until I switched to Lightwave. And switching from LW to Modo was very easy, since both are from the same developer team.