I used to hate Max, but after using it daily at work, I actually like it now. It's a bit odd to work with, and I find a bit clunky to model with, but there are some really cool features as well. Not to mention it has some awesome renderers, namely Brazil.

By the way, there are other themes for 2011 that the first link didn't mention: https://www.pixelcg.com/blog/?p=680