You don't need to create either character sets or animation layers in order to render, unless of course you want to use those features specifically. Try creating a new scene, just add a couple cubes or something, and try a test render (just a still image) to make sure you get something on the screen. Then try rendering out 5 frames or something as .iffs. Make sure to check the folder path where they should end up, and post error messages you get.