I use Anim8or. www.anim8or.com. This program is more for graphical use, but it exports to 3ds format and does curves!! It has a great undo, thank god! I really think you should take a look at this. I hop it helps!
M.K.

Strata3D looks very interesting, but still the same problem. I wouldn''t know how to extract model data. Less significantly, it doesn''t run on my Windows 95 system (it requires Windows 98).

Anim8or is another program that leaves me hoping for a better, less obscure way of extracting model data. Reading a 3DS file which may or may not contain all the data for my model is not my idea of a tool that is best suited for the job.

Other than Maya (which is too expensive for me) I''ve yet to find a modeling program that explicitly satisfies the needs of real-time 3D development. Animation Master could well have been the low-cost alternative, except that the necessary tools don''t ship with the program CD (although they seem to have no trouble advertising these as part of the product).

It must appear as if I''m impossible to satisfy. Even so the replies I''ve received are very much appreciated. Hopefully others who come to this thread with problems similar to mine may perhaps find some kind of a solution here.

If anyone has anything to add, please do.

I use 3DSMax and think it is one of the best modelers around. I have used Imagine, Lightwave, SoftImage, and TrueSpace, but none of them even compare to Max (I sold my SoftImage software once Max came out.)

Kinetix (makers of MAX) is releasing a scaled down version for game developers and the like. Maybe check into their pricing.

You can also try to find a used copy of Max on Ebay, I have seen some good deals on it, just watch out for pirates.

-AG