Custom assets and objects for map making?

[Argoon]

If you are just starting with modeling them Maya or 3dMax aren't the best option for you, they are expensive (of course everyone pirate them) and they are overly complicated to new comers.

Theres two free 3D tools that are able to export to collada and one is very simple to use, this tool is called Wings3D and is only a modeling tool so no animation but for modeling and texturing is just fantastic, here is a link to it, http://www.wings3d.com/ (download the development one not the stable one) it was my first 3d app and is still one of the best tools for subdivision modeling.

The other more powerful tool is Blender 2.5 it does everything that Maya or 3DMax does but for FREE.

I personally use 3 modeling apps:

Wings3D/Modo 401 for modeling, Modo 401 for rendering and Blender 2.5 for animation.

My modeling portfolio.

http://s275.photobucket.com/albums/jj304/Argoon/