Attached Link: what software packages do i need?

hi everyone. i'm hoping one of you gaming/animation experts can help me find the best software packages for a project. i'm pretty proficient in composing CGI stills with photoshop/illustator/painter, as well as web graphics, video editing and filmmaking. but i want to branch out into 3D/gaming/animation and produce a short demo reel for a client. the reel will probably be a straight linear narrative showcasing my animation/storytelling/editing skills but should also suggest future development into interactive gaming (if the demo sells, we'll develop it with multiple endings). any suggestions where to start? what packages will get me up and running with the shortest learning curve? i prefer mac based software but i am not totally adverse to windows. i wish i could say money is no object, but it is: $5000 max.including hardware upgrades. thanks very much for whatever advice you can give. tmustago

I'm not a part of the industry (except on the consumer end), but anyone who is seriously working with games probably needs 3DS Max, and perhaps the Character Studio add-on. Currently, most of the major game studios use it to one degree or another (modeling/animation/etc.), and it's an industry standard, so some degree of experience with the software may be expected. Unfortunately, it's rather expensive (about $3500 for Max, and another $500 for CS), and Windows-only.

Less-expensive alternatives exist, of course (MilkShape, gmax, and so on), but they are also more limited and less likely to be used in a professional environment.

Poser is quite good with character animation, although few of us seem to be using it for such purposes. I've taken my game characters (created with other applications for Half-Life and Quake) and adapted them for Poser, so it's possible to use the software not only to showcase your animation skills, but also to create mockups of video games.

Attached Link: Soto's Digital

For gaming industry MAX is the king. Also most companies use Character Studio. It depends on WHAT part of the production process you want to be in. For example, if you apply for a job at Blizzard you can either work on either animation for the RTR game or cinematics. Also, those are the kind of things you have to think on when you are preparing your demoreel. I've heard that MilkShape is some sort of lowpoly modeler, but it's most used for MODs. I know nothing about gmax. As for animating in Poser... well... let me say that Poser is the worst animation tool I've ever used. It's ok for basic animation, but the graph editors and such completly stink. Besides it will never become a "industry standard". I've seen some animatics done with poser characters (don't remember the movie) but that's all. I am a poser user myself but I am realistic. It shouldn't be your primary tool when it comes to making a demoreel.

Poser is more than OK for basic animation, it's all you need for basic character animation and basic is where a newbie needs to start. Bringing in all the fancy stuff from the high end apps just confuses the issue. As to the graph editors they do exactly what they are supposed to do. What Poser can't do is to make a bad animator look good, and that just makes you improve....

hey guys, thanks for the imput. what do either of you think of maya or cinema 4d xl? both are available for mac--my current system. soto--i'm not interested in working for anyone but myself;-) this project will be freelance--just me and an assistant. t

hey guys--a follow-up: what about Poser coupled with Bryce 5 for the demo? i need to animate various characters in various landscapes (mostly urban or interiors) for about 20-30 cinematic-style shots cut into a 2 min. scene. i plan to import the animations into premiere for final editing. i have about a month to learn the software AND execute the results. i have no exp. w/ 3d or computer animation, but i am an artist, a filmmaker and a quick study. the demo is merely to persuade the client to invest big bucks in fleshing out the concept to its full interactive glory. the client can buy us the pro stuff if and when we get his green thumb. if you think the goals of the DEMO can be readily achieved with budget software, i'm game (so to speak;-)

I think, if I were you I'd go for Poser 4 and Vue with Mover. Phoul's been doing some good stuff with these. Bryce is excellent and you could use Konan's Poser to Bryce utility. You don't have a great deal of time and I think most of your month might otherwise be spent in learning the higher end software packages. Poser's neat and you'll be animating on your first day. Poser 5 still has some issues that need ironing out so that's why I'd recommend version 4. If you've never done any aniimating before, have a look at some of my tips over on Billy's animaniacs forum on Runtime DNA. It might be in the archives by now but they're there. Best of luck anyway, animating isn't easy and you may wish you had a little more time to spare...

My name is nemirc, not soto... Thank you very much.