Aye, i tried to download the modo trial, but it has a page saying they are working on getting the next/current version out to their customers. Suppose i should email them... And I'll check out houdini...
Sorry I forgot about that, yeah not sure when the new trial for Modo will be up. In that case I'd go with XSI Mod Tool you will probably be able to get more help with that here on Polycount than Houdini.
I'm a Modo user and it's quite capable for environment art. However it sounds like money is an issue here so before going out and spending $995 on a commercial license of Modo you should really check out other alternatives. Free XSI Mod Tool is a good option if you're not working on commercial projects (a commercial…