If you've tried blender last before or around version 2.5 or so I can heavily recommend giving it another go. Much less stuff is hidden behind hotkeys, and the

If you've tried blender last before or around version 2.5 or so I can heavily recommend giving it another go. Much less stuff is hidden behind hotkeys, and the interface in general behaves more like you'd expect it to. I can't overstate how wildly the blender UI has improved since then.