What you are attempting sounds very good but it will not be easy. I have been a professional animator for almost 20 years - traditional and 3d. I have also taught animation for businesses and at the Animation Workshop in Denmark. Here are my thoughts: Animation is a very difficult and in-depth subject. 100 hours will only scratch the surface. Since you are trying to simply get them interested and give them a taste, this isn't an issue. The real issue is that you don't want to turn them off with a bad experience. I think that if you use some of the higher end software, like XSI, Maya, or Max, the students will have to spend so much time learning the interface and functionality that they will soon become discouraged. Poser is easy to start with immediately and will give them instant satisfaction. Yes, it's animation abilities are quite limited but they will be more than adequate for what they will be doing. Having said that, the other alternative would be to use XSI or Maya but have the characters pre rigged and ready to animate. XSI has ready made default figures and rigs available with a couple of mouse clicks. One more consideration. Learning XSI or Maya will prepare students for future job prospects - Poser will not. Chris Derochie