3D animation programs
This is a topic I feel I can say a little about. All the major 3D programs today are all very powerful. The major differences are that the workflow of certain programs caters to certain markets and there are some price differences. Here's my rundown of the major 3D apps:
3DS Max: Price, approx. $3,500. Very popular with game companies. Provides access to tons of cool plugins. User friendly but not 100% useful without plugins.
Maya: $1,500-$5,000. Very popular with feature film companies. Very powerful but not user friendly. Made for big studios sharing assets amongst many artists.
Lightwave: Price $800. My personal favorite. Very popular with small video studios and freelancers. Easy to get good looking effects done quick once you know the software. Character animataion tools are still not very powerful, though.
Softimage XSI: Price $500-$4,000: Very powerful character animation tools. Possibly the best native renderer of the bunch. Complex for beginners but powerful.
Blender: Price FREE. Very powerful and stable for open source tool. Some good character animation and dynamics. Fluid simulation tool. Problem: Interface is very, very wierd and NOT for beginners.
Hope that helps!
