[Mustang19]

I would say Wings3D simply because it's so primitive and easy to use. But I'm no modeler.

[Vengence]

Max is very good but pricey. Tried and failed in blender somehow. I hated truespace. Maya is strangely good at handling lots of polygons and unusual meshes. Gmax is too limited. Well thats what I think of the programs. If I remember there is a free version of Maya though heavily reduced. If it can even export anything usable I highly recommend it. If you have hundreds to spend go crazy on Max.

[Unknown Target]

PCS2 isn't a modeling program...?

[colecampbell666]

What other programs would I need for FS modelling?

[Excalibur]

What about Bryce 5.5?

That's currently free, and I think Blender can import that file format then export it as .cob

[colecampbell666]

Would Wings suffice for FS or should I take the time to learn Blender?

[redsniper]

Both. Wings has a few modeling features that Blender doesn't, but Blender can do a whole lot more in every other area than Wings can and you might want to do more than just model Freespace ships someday.

In fact, I should follow my own advice and learn Wings.

[colecampbell666]

So what extra features does blender have?

What is UV mapping?

[Water]

So what extra features does blender have?

What is UV mapping?

Take a cardboard box. Cut (some) of the seams.
Lay it out flat. (unwrap = uv mapping)
paint it. (texture it)
Fold it back up. You now have a painted box.
The graphic card uses the uv map to place the texture on the 3D model (from a 2D image)

[redsniper]

blender has rendering and procedural textures and animation and NURBS and UV mapping and sculpting and and and...

[colecampbell666]

blender has rendering and procedural textures and animation and NURBS and UV mapping and sculpting and and and...

Which of these aid in FS modelling?

[Oddgrim]

Pretty mutch everything I think.
altho I can't animate at all.

[Warp Shadow]

Yep, you can cut out just about every middle man involved!
Just don't make the same mistakes I did, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD AND ALL THAT IS HOLY, REMEMBER FREESPACE ONLY USES TRIANGULAR FACES!!!
Other wise that hard worked on model will look like crap. It's not blenders fault really. It's damn caligri [who I still receive spam from on a regular basis for getting truespace ].

[redsniper]

Which of these aid in FS modelling?

... and you might want to do more than just model Freespace ships someday.

I first got into modeling with the free truespace 3.2 release. I didn't like it, so I got gmax and all I wanted to do was model some fighters. Then I found a crazy, hackish way of getting renders from gmax, but it was limited and difficult, so I finally caved and learned Blender and it's just fun to play with all the things it can do.

If you really just want to model and nothing else, then go with Wings, but why limit yourself? Learning Blender is hard at first, but once you get it, you'll be able to do all kinds of stuff.

[Excalibur]

Yep, you can cut out just about every middle man involved!
Just don't make the same mistakes I did, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD AND ALL THAT IS HOLY, REMEMBER FREESPACE ONLY USES TRIANGULAR FACES!!!
Other wise that hard worked on model will look like crap. It's not blenders fault really. It's damn caligri [who I still receive spam from on a regular basis for getting truespace ].

mmmm......   save 90% of Truespace 7.5...get free video tutorials.... etc.

About the traingular faces thing - what exactly does it mean? - I can't see it meaning that everything has to be made of traingles.

[Topgun]

yes, yes it does.
just tell blender to triangulate the model.