What the best 3D animation program for Mac OS X?

Industry standards point to Adobe After Effects, and more complex but powerful Autodesk Maya-again professional-strength apps; I’m afraid neither are overly intuitive, but seeing as you have worked with FCS/Motion, AE is the logical next step (with tutorials it’s not so bad).

I’ve got a friend who really like Blender.

Blender is free and open source, but generally Maya is considered the best, and is compatible with OS X. 3dsmax is also good, but I don’t think they support Mac.

For my needs (just playing around) Blender is great, but you can play with both and decide for yourself.

After Effects isn’t a 3D animation tool. It can fake some 3D, but it’s mostly used for titles, compositing, and limited fx. Like Photoshop on wheels.

@pupntaco: good point and analogy-I think I’ll use it in my classes :) I mentioned AE only because woodland mentioned Motion and the two are similar

I use Final Cut Pro, After Effects and Maya. I have tried to use Blender and that program has a steeper learning curve than any I have ever tried. Not like anything I have tried. That being said. it is free and is better than lightwaves current product out.

I use Maya. It is an investment but over all you get the most bang for your buck. and, if you have ever used a program with x,y,z coordinates (After Effects) and timelines with keyframes (a la FinalCut) you have the concepts you need to start. Also, these tutorials are worth their weight in gold. I as well as my buddy worked with these. They are a GREAT introduction to the product. http://www.digitaltutors.com/digital_tutors/index.php

Blender also has a nice selection of tutorials. But man, I just had trouble. I also fall down a lot and miss my mouth with the spoon so maybe it’s just me.