Fuzz I recommend Softimage's XSI . Whilst 3dsmax is more common , XSI is far more flexible and user friendly. Also, more and more companies are turning to XSI (HL2).
You can get a free version from softimages site ....its called XSImodtool (free forever) or you can get 30 day trials of the retail versions.
"Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavours to live at the expense of everybody else."
Frédéric Bastiat