Dan -
It actually sounds like we may be in violent agreement. If my prior post came on too strong and long winded, it is just because I was trying to make a point, and going to extremes to make sure that it came through.
No, I am not thrilled with some of the restrictions on several parts of the competition (animation, robot construction, software, and electronics, just to name a few), and I hope that we will have more flexibility in future years. But I have also talked a lot with FIRST, and have a good first-order understanding of why the rules are the way they are. FIRST takes on a huge job every year when they try to balance the major growth of the competitions with their organizational resources to support a high-quality experience and event for all the participants. Based on their very clear desire to make this the best possible competition for all of us, I am more than willing to put up with the restrictions.
I meant it when I said that if you guys want to build a truly amazing, photorealistic animation, utilizing all the resources you have available, you should do it. If you really make it into a demo reel, and parlay that into getting hired by an animation house, I would be the first in line to congratulate you. You just need to make sure that eveyone understands when you do this you are going after a different target than the rest of us, and working to a different set of rules (which is this case would be perfectly OK, because you have "found another game").
My only other comment has to do with your statement "the only problem with being professional is that it is not educational, fun, or correct." With this statement, I could not disagree more. I have what I believe is the most kick-butt job in the world (or beyond it, as the case may be). There is not a day that goes by that is not educational, in which I don't learn something new. I get to have more fun than I ever thought I could. Becoming "professional" is not the end of having a good time - if you pick the right job and a career that you love, it is just the beginning. I honestly hope that when you get ready to start your career as a "professional" that you will find it as much fun as I do (and if that means you want to become an animator, and preparing for this competition helps get you there, then that would be VERY cool!). (I know this is not the context in which you meant the statement, but I just could not resist poking at a line like that!
)
-dave
p.s. to comply with "full disclosure" ethics, I will also note that I am a Lightwave user. I think it is a very cool piece of software, and really like their volumetric tools. But it has not been used for any part of our team animation, which is being done completely by two students on our team.