[Kevin Thorp]

You can use other software (like Inventor and PhotoShop) to create elements that you bring into Max. Many teams have done that in the past, and that's what professionals do in the "real world".

We use Adobe Premiere Elements to do the final video editing (and we note that on our entry form). It's relatively inexpensive and Video Post just seems too awkward.

What you can't do is use another 3D package (Maya, Lightwave, etc.) to create the actual animation.