Need some advice on software/application

Hello. I have been playing civ iv and v for a few years, and finally got some spare time to try some modding now. I want to make some wonder/leader 3D models, can someone suggest a few softwares/applications I can use? Or Firaxis will release their own modder tools? Thank you guys!

I'm assuming you are new to 3D modelling because of the way you're phrasing the question.

The typical answer is use Blender, it's free. I personally prefer 3DS Max, which is free for 3 years with a student license (as far as I know, they don't check to verify if you're a student or not). For sculpting, Sculptris is a free alternative to ZBrush, the industry standard. I use Mudbox, which is also in the same Autodesk ecosystem as 3DS Max (and also free with a student license).

It takes a lot of getting used to if you're new. You can find tutorials all over youtube, but it takes a lot of practice to get good. My workflow for making a human character is blocking out a very low poly model and moving that back and forth between Mudbox and Max.

There are plenty of character-making programs out there too. If you're new those will be a good starting point. MakeHuman, Mixamo, Autodesk Character Creator, iClone Character Creator all come up early on the google search results.

Thank you

Blender/3dsMax can be quite intimidating for first timers - they have functions/features well beyond the needs of beginners or even just moddelers. The labyrinthine menus and options don't lend towards it's ease use.

But when you know what your doing (after much, much swearing) it makes modelling and UV mapping very straightforward.

However I recommend starting on an 'easier to learn' beginner tool like Metasequioa and the even easier Sketchup (both free) for non-animating objects. I don't know what file format the new game will use but the obj format can be used to put the object into blender later.