Computersight -

Maya 2008

Pros:

• Very powerful all around program
• Excellent tools for working with NURBS
• Several videos included to help you learn the program
• Detailed pop-up menus for individual polygons
• Very customizable and it supports custom scripts

Cons:

• Very expensive, about $2,000 for Complete and $7,000 for Unlimited, much higher than the average person’s price range
• Very steep learning curve
• Lack of features and tools “Out of the Box”
• Not great for people who only want to do small animation projects, more tuned towards commercial users

Lightwave 3d

Pros:

• Many built-in features
• Not as expensive as Maya
• A fairly popular program

Cons:

• Very complex interface
• Maybe too many features, mostly unused

Animation Master

Pros:

• Very simple interface
• Tons of features for both basic and advanced users
• Excellent for all types of animation, from full characters to small items
• Simple one click rendering
• Won’t break the bank, only a few hundred dollars
• Many full models that come with the program
• Easy animating and a very detailed timeline

Cons:

• Not much of a professional program, more for people just fooling around
• License does not allow you to resell the program
• Very simple, cartoon style characters

3d Studio Max

Pros:

• Very popular program
• Several built in videos explaining the program
• Great for animating all kinds of projects
• Many pre-made models you can download
• Great features built in
• Accepts add-ons

Cons:

• Very expensive, $3,500
• Difficult to learn

Disclaimer: These are just my opinions from having used all of these programs.