For short movies, I've always found Lightwave to fit most needs really well, and I'd add terragen to make things easier. I'd maybe not go for Vue, but only for all the reasons you've already identified for yourself.
Max has always been a bit awkward when it comes to working with any other software, it marches to it's own drums, and sadly this often finds it out of step with a large portion of the world that lives outside it's walled garden.
Having said all that, I'm more of a stills/photo fake sort of bod so I'm not a movie specialist, but I have, so far, often collaborated with those who are.
Needs plenty of spec on your hardware, and if you want to be any good, learn to build that yourself, lose your friends and family, quite possibly your job, and then, after the first ten years it's not quite so tricky! ;O) At which point people still expect you to work at all hours and for free, but go "ooh" and "ahh" a bit sometimes wheh they see and like what you got up to for them!! ;O)
Greener grass really! ;O)
Max has always been a bit awkward when it comes to working with any other software, it marches to it's own drums, and sadly this often finds it out of step with a large portion of the world that lives outside it's walled garden.
Having said all that, I'm more of a stills/photo fake sort of bod so I'm not a movie specialist, but I have, so far, often collaborated with those who are.
Needs plenty of spec on your hardware, and if you want to be any good, learn to build that yourself, lose your friends and family, quite possibly your job, and then, after the first ten years it's not quite so tricky! ;O) At which point people still expect you to work at all hours and for free, but go "ooh" and "ahh" a bit sometimes wheh they see and like what you got up to for them!! ;O)
Greener grass really! ;O)