Maya 2008
Pros:
- Very powerful all around program
- Excellent tools for working with NURBS
- Several videos included to help you learn the program
- Detailed pop-up menus for individual polygons
- Very customizable and it supports custom scripts
Cons:
- Very expensive, about $2,000 for Complete and $7,000 for Unlimited, much higher than the average person's price range
- Very steep learning curve
- Lack of features and tools "Out of the Box"
- Not great for people who only want to do small animation projects, more tuned towards commercial users
Lightwave 3d
Pros:
- Many built-in features
- Not as expensive as Maya
- A fairly popular program
Cons:
- Very complex interface
- Maybe too many features, mostly unused
Animation Master
Pros:
- Very simple interface
- Tons of features for both basic and advanced users
- Excellent for all types of animation, from full characters to small items
- Simple one click rendering
- Won't break the bank, only a few hundred dollars
- Many full models that come with the program
- Easy animating and a very detailed timeline
Cons:
- Not much of a professional program, more for people just fooling around
- License does not allow you to resell the program
- Very simple, cartoon style characters
3d Studio Max
Pros:
- Very popular program
- Several built in videos explaining the program
- Great for animating all kinds of projects
- Many pre-made models you can download
- Great features built in
- Accepts add-ons
Cons:
- Very expensive, $3,500
- Difficult to learn
Disclaimer: These are just my opinions from having used all of these programs.
