My main problem here is what program should I base my tutorial on. There are a lot of modeling programs out there, very few of them are freeware, most of them are shareware and the really good ones, the average Doom modder probably can't afford and probably don't even want to bother learning and using.
After a lot of assessing, I have narrowed down my options to two programs: Q2modeler and Milkshape 3D.
I will go over the pros and cons of both:
Q2modeler
The good:
- Freeware
- No nonsense tools and user interface; made for low poly modeling
- Native export to MD2 format
- Vertex animation - no need to setup boned characters for animation
- Built-in UV mapping tool is decent
- Built-in 2-d texture painter so you don't need a separate graphics program
The bad:
- Discontinued
- No primitives; modeling will ultimately take longer, even to make just a simple cube
- Cannot play animations in the editor
- Lack of modeling tools also make it longer to create more complex objects quickly
- No viewport background images; modeling is pretty much guesswork without reference images in the viewports
- Supports paletted PCX textures only
- Software graphics renderer
Milkshape 3D
The good:
- No nonsense user interface - good for low and semi-high poly modeling
- Has built-in primitives
- Decent set of modeling tools - extrude faces and edges, plugins, etc contribute to making complex objects faster
- Native export to MD2 and MD3 format
- Can play model animations inside the editor
- Hardware-accelerated using OpenGL
- Viewport background image support so you can place reference photos in your viewports for more accurate modeling
- Support for a variety of image formats - even Photoshop's PSDs (so you can continue to work with layers even when the image is already textured on to the model)
The bad:
- 30-day limit shareware (about $25 to register)
- Bone animation only, requiring you to fully rig your character before you even start animating; tedious for most Doom modders to care about
- Built-in UV editor is crap; will require a separate UV mapping program (and therefore a longer tutorial because I have to cover the other program as well)
- No texture painter so you'll need a separate painting program (like Photoshop or Paintshop Pro)
As to why I've chosen these two programs:
1) Easy and no nonsense user interface - no Doom modder would really care (or have the time) to learn complex modeling user interfaces
2) Native export to MD2s, which is the only model format relevant here because it's all that GZDoom supports (well technically it supports MD3s too but Q2modeler doesn't export to MD3)
3) Easily accessible by everyone (you don't need to pay to use the programs, though Milkshape does have a 30 day limit but it's still pretty much fully functional before that time expires)
I personally do all of my modeling in 3ds Max 9 and I LOVE it; I'll never go back to any other modeling programs after learning Max's user interface and tools, but it's an expensive package and the learning curve is steep; again, most Doom modders don't want to bother with all that. All they want to do is create low poly models for the only (and rather primitive) format that GZDoom supports.
It is also in my opinion that to compare the two above programs to, say, Blender, Maya or 3ds Max is like comparing the purist pixel spriters' MSPaint (or whatever primitive pixel painting program) to full-blown Photoshop or The Gimp. It's a pretty pointless debate, there's no right or wrong program; it ultimately depends on what the artist wants to achieve and how easy will it be complete his idea in the tool he chooses. All programs will generate an image, it's just a matter of the amount of time and effort required.
Spoiler:Let me know what you all think.