You're so right - a nicely pitched learning curve is vitally important, especially nowadays with more artists wanting to learn 3d apps as opposed to just 'technically minded' people.
Blender is a crying shame for me, I think it's a missed opportunity. You can do a load of things in there, but the interface has stayed resolutely confusing throughout it's history.
Wings 3D is a better free modeler, but again the help/tutorial area is let down by a frankly elitist and apathetic community. They showed no interest in 3D Palace's free Wings tutorial, with one user telling the author that 'video tutorials are too hard to follow, it should have been done as a .pdf'.
Modo does share a 'feel' with Lightwave, but it is different enough to warrant it's existance. It's incredibly elegant and Lightwave users will feel almost immeadiatly at home, I think.
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