Max has the best interface,in other words Gmax if it still can be found on net.
Milkshape is known for the wide range of formats it can Import/Export.
If you want to make terrain,or high res models for normal maps,these things are hard to model,even in Gmax
without 3D Scupture tools.
You can do the basic model ,unwrap UVW and animations,in Gmax and export to a 3d scupture modeler
to shape it further and texture it with 3d painting.
After retouching,you can import it back in max and export to RF.
There is ARGILE from N-Sided Soft at 93 $,for retouching 3D models (low res UVW Mapped models),and is very easy to use,and the interface is pleasant to the eye.It has 3D Painting tools.
Yet,you need another modeler for have bones and animation,since this program is nt an animator.
I import in Argile .obj models,and retouch them with the 3D Scupture tools called "jelly brushes" to model details like muscles,the cheeks and eyes of a face,some and other details like serpent scutes,terrain,etc.
Then i export the .obj back to the another modeler,to ussually render normal maps.
http://www.n-sided.com/3D/argile.php?rub=1
You can take a look the manual.
http://www.n-sided.com/images/goodies/m ... 1.0_en.pdf
Terrain can be easily sculpted and textured in Argile
(as long as you have virgil in the scene to move him around and see if the elevations you sculpt are short enough for him to climb,or wide enough to walk through).
One of the most recent tools for modelling high res characters and other is to use brushes with alpha to deform or just paint wrinkles,veins,scales,scratches,grooves etc.
The ultimate 3d sculpture tool is autodesc mudmbox,needs a very strong computer and is unreachable to many as it is high priced,yet other modelers start to add similar tools.
Alpha brushes are common now as i said and very popular for high res modelling-like in Zbrush.You can make a search for Zbrush videos to see what i mean.
I dont have enough cpu and 3d card power to sculpt mesh details with alpha brushes (milions of polys are needed)
so in argile i paint the bumpmap directly on the model,see how it looks in realtime from various angles and lightning and then,argile can convert it to a normal map.
The brush tools have a color and a mask.
You can paint to the bumpmap either with texture for colors,and use alpha mask to the brush-or
just use rgb for color (no texture) and aplha.
So if you want the bumps to dent,you set the Rgb color to zero/black,and when you want the bumps to emboss you set the color to white.
I propose to use texture instead of rgb,so you can use it better as a diffuse too.
export the bumpmap,and drag/copy it from the folder it s been saved,over to the diffuse if you want the bumpmap patterns to match with the diffuse.
If you get Argile,and load your own alpha masks for the paint brush,make sure you organize them in folders with names like "Barks" or "skin" or "cloth" or "pattern" because you will possibly need many masks.
The alpha bitmaps are located at the user documents in the N-Sided folder.
There is an option that helps fixing any uvw seams,so the paint will cross to the other side of the map and cover the seam.
If the texture still does nt tile,you load a background image with the texture you want the object to have on the seams
and as you paint the model (you can adjust the opacity to a darker color level to see the map behind it),
whatever is on the background behind the brush tool will appear on the mesh.
You load an image to each side (one side at a time) top,left,right,bottom,front,paint across the seams and you re done.
The good thing is that you can move,scale and rotate the background image whenever you want,so the texture wont look repeated.
Its something like projection painting.
I suppose anyone modelling with this program will read this and more in its manual.
Another nice is that the brush can be as large as 1024 size.
where as in milkshape i made a mech yesterday)