I have only modeled very simply in Bryce... that said I have done some really complex boolean objects. But the time has come for me to move into modeling and I am a bone head when it comes to how to even start a model. So please keep that in mind and keep in mind I don't have the 3D studio Max big bucks. So I need something simple and intuitive as Bryce is but  that has some more options when it comes to modeling.

Then I need a teacher LOL.

I hope everyone has had a good year and I look forward to this year still with Bryce. Take care all! Oh and I still hate Vista!

Wings is certainly the right price, lots of excellent models have come out of that program.

Blender is free also, though the learning curve a bit steeper.

AC3D is priced nicely, turns out some decent product too.

All of these have decent support & documentation too.

From there you can go to Cinema 4D, Maya, etc. But the pricing creeps up.

Happy New Year
ICM

Truespace might be nice, thou i'd recommend trying an older free version 1st.
Amapi was my 1st real outside-bryce modeller, i found it quite easy to learn.

C4D should be a really good option also, specially considering the other tools it brings to the table, and the modular licensing system allows you to buy more functionalities later on if u want.

If you want to get into nurbs modelling, i suggest rhino.

if you like Bryce, you probably know Brycetech. Ask what modeler he likes. And what modelers he did tutorial DVDs on: Amapi

www.thebest3d.com/amapi has many of my tutes and you can get Amapi 6.1 free too (not thre but I think there's a link to it, or look at Polyloop

I know, I know, Amapi is old. it doesn't have the 3D texturing, bump painting etc... you may also want. But if you want fast moeling, it sure is addictive

More on Amapi: Amapi Pro went to eFrontier (which is now Smith Micro). Not sure if Amapi Pro 7.5 is there, still.

Amapi Pro is more focused on Nurbs modeling. A bit like a Rhino alternative

Another product, also focused on modeling, and also from the developers who did Amapi (and Carrara), is HExagon.

And, you'll find a number of tools from AMapi in Carrara pro, in its vertex modeler,

That is in fact one whing you might want to consider: the vertex modeler of Carrara. www.thebest3d.com/carrara for older versions. Or go with Carrara 6 or better yet Carrara 6 Pro - if you're a Platinum ember at DAZ it's really cheap

I seem to do best with Wings, but if you've got the bucks and the time to learn them, either Carrara or C4D seem to work fine.

Amapi is a great app !  6.1 for free? That's interesting!!

I use Wings a lot. For me it's easy to use, and straight-forward,  I've made some of my best models in some of my highest-rated pics using Wings and Bryce, or Carrara. OriginalMoron has made many fine models and Freebies in AC3D, but I've never tried it. Pakled and Ysvry have done some very good stuff in Blender, but I find the interface confusing at best.
   DAZ is giving away CarraraPro5(full commercial ver) on 3DWorld's issue #100 cover disk.
Carrara5 has a good vertex modeler, metablob modeler, spline modeler, and terrain and tree modelers. Carrara can also do Boolean modeling.
   I think what you need to do though is take anyone's recommendations with "a grain of salt".
Try downloading demos of any modeling program that you would like to try within your price-range. This is about the only way to find an interface and modeling tools that you will be comfortable and productive using.
  I don't think anyone else can tell you what would be the perfect app for you, since your preferences and way of working may be much different than theirs. In other words- "One man's Bryce, is another man's Blender". Good luck in your search.

Truespace interface makes me crazy, ditto freestuff like Blender.

There are lot's of demo versions of programs. They all have different ways of restricting the demo. Rhino gives you 25 saves then shuts down but there's no time limit. Whatever deep paint is now gives you 30 days from install if you use it or not. Autodesk owns Autocad Max and Maya now. Personal learning editions have watermarks on images and wont save. Lot's of other software won't save except to a single type of file.
Try them out one at a time.

Rhino http://download.mcneel.com/eval/?p=25
Truespace  http://www.caligari.com/Download/trials.asp?Cate=Content&Subcate=Downloads
Max http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/mform?id=10083915&siteID=123112
Maya http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=7639525

hAVE YOU SEEN mETASEQUIA? tHERE IS A FREE VERSION.

"Amapi is a great app !  6.1 for free? That's interesting!!"

Well notsomuch - apparently you can't get it free anymore.  I looked 

damn, you're right, I just went to Polyloop.net and Thomas posted something to the effect that for various reasons the free 6.1 is no longer available. Bummer!

I'm not even gonna go here.

Get that 3DWorld magazine #100 mentioned above, if you have Carrara 5 Pro on it indeed that's a great value. I mean that's huge. Very decent modeling tools, from vertex modeling with sub-D, to Spline modeling, and others. And C5 Pro has lots of tools that came from Amapi, too. Like Gordon surfaces.

And the rest is not bad at all eithger, like the rendering, environment, skies, trees, object replicators....

Carrara is my favorite allround 3D tool.

Of course, there are different types of specialty modelers too. Like Curvy3D and Archipelis, where you draw 2D shapes or curves and it builds 3D models from it.

What sort of things are you looking to do?

 Well I been over the net more times tonight than one of Billy Jean King's tennis balls and from what I seen it is apparent to me that there is currently no legit way to download Amapi 6.1 for free anywhere. Kind of makes me wonder if there ever was. 
The old truespace 3 for free was legit though; the offer came straight from the manufacturer, Calgari I believe they calls themselves.

Bryster: 
Where's that - Tortuga or Singapore? According to the 'Carabean movies it's a short trip from here to there and back there again. then again it was just a movie where "...Bob's your uncle Fanny's your aunt - you'll have two ships and we'll be calling you commador;  I'll even be buying you a big new hat . . . "  
-TJ( "par- vay.. par-looo.. pars-ley...")  

Well, even if you have a small budget, i´ld suggest Cinema4D. Regardless of what some might say, it is a highend app, and its core package, which now also includes Bodypaint, is more than enough to start with.
And as already pointed out, from the core, you can expand the package with whatever modules you want later on. 

Good luck

correction - I mix and match for things that I want to do. As far as Blender is concerned, I use it for the discombobulator tool, and sometimes the meta-shapes. That's about all I know; the interface must have been designed by the IRS (Inland Revenue to you UK types...;) I mainly do things in Wings (sometimes Topmod, which is not a great modeler, but can do some 'mathematical' things, and is free as well. I appreciate the vote of confidence, Danamo..;)

Metaseqouia does have a free version, though it's a little long in the tooth (not that that matters). The more recent version is only sold in Japan, to people who live there (go figure). I've played with it, it's ok, I s'pose.

I started with Amapi before I started with Wings (and after STrata, but that's another story..;) The only thing that bugged me about Amapi is the 'commands' seemed to run until you could duck into another check box. Still, it was fairly powerful.

I tried Truespace, the interface was designed by Qbert, or possibly the Maj Johnng committee..;) It can do some fairly respectable things, but I have the patience of a gnat, so I never mastered it..;)

I've heard Silo is good, and something else called Messiah, but I'm too broke to afford them..;)

Good luck.

Have a look at Hexagon.
It is the true successor of the old (non-pro) Amapi 7 designer. It has interesting improvements over it, like UV Mapping or a nice subdivision preview

You can pick up the demo here :
http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/support/downloads/51lklh7gtm843o9vhrd89oq2c6/?product=hexagon

You have a series of tutorials here:
http://forums.polyloop.net/hexagon-tutorials/
Be sure to make the tutorials. As for many modelers, you cannot really do anything if you don't learn it. Try a basic one, then the camera one.

Did anybody mention Silo?
http://www.nevercenter.com/

Don't forget about Modo either, if you want to check out premium modelers.
http://www.luxology.com/

Freebies:
Blender http://www.blender.org/
Wings3D http://www.wings3d.com
Anim8or http://www.anim8or.com/
Metasequioa LE http://www.metaseq.net/english/index.html
MarbleClay http://homepage3.nifty.com/escargot/
TruedSpace 3.2 http://www.caligari.com/Products/trueSpace/tS3/resources/default.html
CBModelPro http://www.cbmodelpro.com

oh! i just remember! DAZ has a program called hexagon! isnt that supposed to be a great modeller also??

Yes, Hexagon is like Amapi on a newer interface.

Good choice if you like Amapi's tool but can't afford Amapi Pro or find Amapi 6.1

I'm really learning to enjoy Hexagon2.2. It's currently around U.S. $150, but I got Hexagon2 for $1.99 during one of DAZ's crazy promotions and I had to sit on it for awhile until I had the bucks together to build a high-end enough system to run it. Hex requires a fairly powerful video card, especially when you are doing subdivision/displacement modeling. It has a lot of nice tools that Wings doesn't like Coons, ruled, and Gordon's surfaces, and you can huild a model point by point(vertex) istead of box-modeling like in Wings. You can also "paint" and texture your model in Hexagon, but those tools aren't quite as advanced as Maxon's Bodypaint. I think if I was migrating from Carrara to a "high-end" app it would probably be C4D.

I have Amapi 6.1 free ,if I remember right it was a very short limited time offer about the time 7.5 was launched.

cheers
GG

I've tried Blender - very hard to grasp, as it's about the unfreindliest interface ever.  But it is very powerful and free, so I keep trying - I just never get very far.

Hexagon - tried that, maybe my setup just wasn't powerful enough cos I kept having things stay in view and repeat - like when you finish playing solitaire.

Tried Truespace - can't remember the versions as I've tried a few.
Also tried Amapi - ditto.

Both those I just didn't like or couldn't get far enough into to tell how good they were.

Got Cinema4D - now that's not easy simply because it has so much you can do with it, but it's easier to understand than Blender or Hexagon or any of the others mentioned above.

Not tried Silo or Rhino - can't afford them - but others have said good things about them.

I tried Wings3D first and frankly I keep on going back to it, in fact if I want to do anything in C4D I usually import a model made in Wings3D and then proceed from there.

I have also heard that some modellers who work in Maya begin by modelling in Wings3D too.  This is encouraging as my university course involves Maya.

So basically I guess I'm saying Wings3D is best.

I quite often begin with a Wings3D model when doing things in Bryce too.  If only Bryce's exporter worked properly - especially between itself and Wings I'd have less need for other modellers... (although C4D does splines and various nurbs etc which neither Bryce nor Wings3D do)

As both Wings3D and Blender are free, it can't hurt to download them both and give them a try - at least until you decide if you're going for a 'pay-for' prog...

Solidworks

I run with a combo of the C4D core (includes Bodypaint), advanced render (includes pyrocluster) and hair modules. Seriously cheaper than some of the other big proggys and a really cool user community (almost as good as the bryce crowd.) Lot of em came from here as well. Try downloading the demo.

What specificaly are you looking to do?

Vile, please tell us what you're trying to do. There are other tools that may come to mind, really depends on what you're trying to model.

For example, if you like to sketch and draw 2D curves a modeler that works based on that might work best. Or you might like to play with blobs, .... Spline modeling, Nurbs, vertex/poluygons with subdivision (ah Amapi, Carrara, Hexagon...).... and do you also want to paint textures, bump maps and displacement maps?

What's your budget?

etc etc...

 
Blender has a very tough initial learning curve indeed, but if you find a good starting tutorial and go through it instead of trying by yourself you might see the light and the wow effect. There are some very neat shortcuts, it's all about understanding them.

I had that experience -  see http://www.thebest3d.com/pdp/tutorials/blender/

That all said, I still like Carrara's vertex modeler better, and Amapi 6.1 much better. But it's all really a function of what you use, need, and try to learn.

It was doublecrash that got me into trying cinema. If you want to check out what you can do modelling wise with it, check out bazze's aircraft/cars, squidinc's monsters or cartesius's works in general. There are many more but these are the ones that spring immediately to mind.

Edit to add: 3de is another great example for modelling stuff.

Just thought I'd mention. Most student software is very cheap. Rhino $1000 commercial vs. $200 student. Maya complete $7000 commercial vs. $600 student. Most require a legit college ID. You can be an english major and still get student prices for software. The only caviat is you cannot use the softwares for commercial projects. No getting Maya then making models to sell in the marketplace.

I have to go back to school as part of my MOPs, but even if I didn't I could save about $2800 on maya just by going back to school full time one semester.

but, does that give you the right to use such student version for commercial purposes, in case you create something you want to sell? I think not.

If you spend $200 - $300 you might as well go with Carrara and stick with the full version. Even the Pro version if you're a Platinum member. It was on sale around $120 the other day. List is $500+ for Carrara 6 pro

Try Wings3d.Darn easy to learn modeler.Huh and it has a forum here as well.
Then a bit more pro C4D would be real high on the list
Lightwave is not a bad choice also.
C4D core and Lightwave are close in price.
Plus being a Bryce owner you get $100.00 off of C4D as a side grade dealio.

**staigermanus:
**I think Carrara and C4D are getting closer to each other as far as quality goes. Both also have the ability for a user to make plug-ins.  Carrara doesn't seem to have the acceptance of the 'elite' however that C4D does - In the long run that is worth considering.

Truespace is almost as confusing as blender but I've used early versions of it without too much problem.

Lightwave Maya and 3ds - no thanks and it ain't just the price. their interface sucks and you need a supercomputer just to keep them from crashing  ... and if I ever landed a job where one of those were required (a batman's chance in Antartica, that) I'd definately have my hand out for my boss to pay for them, a supercomputer and a few lessons; else to shake his hand goodbye.   

-TJ (and remember, "Just say no to Rhino" ! ! ! )

Vile,

If for whatever reason you should fancy Lightwave, let me know about it. 
I have a full unused 8.5 package here with printed manuals, and i´ld be happy to let you have it cheap.

Does there need to be another positive vouch for Wings3D? Heheh...

1. Can't beat it for the price. (Download it anyways, it's fairly quick and doesn't need much HDD real estate.)
2. Interface is straight-forward and context sensitive. (Almost follows the K.I.S.S. theory of interface design to the point you'd wish other software would work like it.)
3. Has halfway decent UV-mapping built in, provided you have the patience to do it. (I say that needs patience because UV-mapping is a little tricky no matter what, regardless of how nice the program is about doing it.)
4. Box-modeling type workflow. Once learnt, you can apply it to other software that allows for it. So if you opt to pay for something - you'll understand the theory behind Catmull-Clark polygon meshes fairly well.
5. Focus is only on modeling. (This could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you look at it. There are some rendering plug-ins, but they're more of a side feature than a mainline part of it.)
6. Exports to common formats that get along well with other 3D software.
7. Quite an active community around it. Both developers and users being responsive to the forums. (Yeah we poke a bit of fun sometimes, but there's a lot of good help available if you need it.)

Uh wow did this thread ever get away from me LOL. I am looking to do some organic as well as technical modeling. So a program with a good feel for both. Metaballs and booleans just don't cut it for me anymore. Thanks for the input I will start to check some of these out! I may start with Wings as it seems to be the most mentioned and least expensive.

Hey Rochr what are you using now anyway? As your stuff is moving lightyears ahead...

Oh and hey thanks everyone for responding didn't expect such a response!

Interesting suggestions here so far.

http://store.e-frontier.com/us/user/home.php?cat=1798 sells Amapi Pro 7.5 to existing e-frontier customers for $149.  It is a very good polygon modeler which is what Hexagon is based on.  And it does NURBS as well if you ever need them.

But if you get the free Carrara Pro 5.1 from 3D World Mag #100, then all this is a moot point because it does polygon modeling (not as good as Amapi Pro) and rendering (much better than Bryce) for free!

Quote - Hey Rochr what are you using now anyway? As your stuff is moving lightyears ahead...

 
Thanks mate. :)
I´m mainly using Cinema4D these days. A program i highly recommend. 
Once you get the principles of how tagging and such is working, it´s actually quite easy to learn and it´s one powerful program.

There is a demo available over at maxon.net if you want to try it out. I can´t say for sure, but i think it´s fully functional for 30 days.

If you are into vehicles etc, this is a thread from the modelling forum that you may wish to read.

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=2716730

I love RHino, Moment of Inspiration is freebie app very similar ;)