I disagree.  This guidance for hobbystys to experiment with what you have and see what you need dowen the road can be as discouraging as leading some into a vast desert and say, pick a path to get home. There must be experienced artists here who know a workable pipeline without using an Autodesk product, but EVERY tut I see engages some autodesk app some point.  I have tried many of the apps suggested, and while they do accomplish the features they advertise all seem like 80 percent solutions to me and require integration with some other app to produce results. Its this point your left in the lurch trying to figure out whats needed, making the wrong choice and realizing youv headed down a dead end, or after retopoing, morphing, and rebuilding UV   your mesh for the umpteenth times your in a never ending circle.  What we need is a concise, referencable pipeline or complete specs on how to edit dae,obj and mtls by hand.  I would prefer to edit by text than visually modifying with more 3d tools at this point.

• Lost in Zbush