First of - What a great forum!! As you can see by my # of posts, I the new kid on the block which is different from being one of the "New Kids on the Block" <---The older crowd will get this one

Anyway, the responses are great. I have participated in a variety of forums and it seems like there are always tools and flammers to slam you down -- I haven't had a bad experience with this one yet.

After asking a number of questions and get a lot of answers, I am little confused about the animation process as a whole and where all the programs fit in.

Once you have planned out the storey and drawn your actors/objects and it is time to move into the CG world, what is the correct process.

Can you please correct my assumptions and also provided programs which fit in each category.

1. Use a 3D modeling program to transfer your ideas on paper into 3D models
--- This might be Maya, Poser, 3DS Max

2. Import the models into your animation program to animate the models and to create the scene
--- This might be Maya, 3DS Max, Lightwave

3. Export the animation to a renderer.
--- This might be Renderman, MentalRay, etc.

Which programs do all three? and more importantly, which programs do all 3 (especially step 3) really well.

Where do you add your audio? What programs do you use to combine audio and animation?

Does this posting make sense? I originally thought that programs like Maya were it (modeling, animation, rendering) but I found out that they don't all do everything

And buying Maya is only half the battle - You still have to buy a render....

What else is needed to go from concept to post-production format (i.e. DVD/WMV/AVI)?



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