[Prime9]

Thanks Marc, the info here was very useful to me

[BureauConform]

If you are just looking to build 3d objects etc, no complex animations check out Rhino, its what is called a NURBS modelling tool, which basically allows you to build models really easily, some good examples too... check out this example... http://www.suurland.com/portfolio_stills_newbeetle.htm

and try a trial version of rhino here
http://www.rhino3d.com/

BureauConform

[antisleeper]

I use 3d max and i found it very easy to use and learn, but i started with truespace2 which was a nightmare to learn. I think for a beginer 3d max is great.

[Jezus31st]

i'm learning lightwave now on my G5. It has some quirks on Jaguar and I understand that they get worse in Panther. The development team is working on those. they are not serious and i personally havent encountered any. the PC version is supposed to be almost flawless. luckily you get both a PC and Mac version when you purchase if you're rocking both OSes.

i learned 3d on MAX3.5. the interface in lightwave is so much better. there aren't any icons with your tool palette spelled out for you. you want your pen tool? click on the word pen. your most used tools have quick keys set up as well, however, they are case sensitive.

lightwave is 3 seperate applications. there's modeler, layout and the hub which sync's your work between the other 2. modeler is where you build your models, add textures etc. layout is where you set up your scene, add cameras, lighting, animate and render. the built in renderer works great. of course, not having touched a 3d program in over 4 years, my renders have been pretty limited. but from what i've seen on the lightwave forums, WOW.

i like the 3 app setup because it makes sense. you tweak your model in modeler and update it instantly in layout using the hub. you wouldn't use illustrator to update a jpg. each application also has its own set up of menus and what i remember is 3dMAX, you had to go through different submenus, up to file levels deep to get what you needed. coming from a photoshop world, who needs that kind of clunky navigation?

i've seen some great 3d work on CGTalk's galleries using all of the applications marc mentioned. my choice in lightwave was because i wanted a decent OSX application at a decent price. lightwave is half the price of Maya's high end setup and you don't have to hunt down a seperate app to render.