What programs do character animators use?

-I think I might want to do character animation for video games in the future, but before I spend a bunch of money on classes I think I would want to buy the programs and fiddle with it on my own for a bit to decide if i like it and indeed do want to do it for a career. So I was wondering if i might get a list of programs these animators use, any help is appreciated, thank you.Cinema 4D, Adobe Flash, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Dreamveawer, even Photoshop!



Buy I Guess big time Animators like Dreamworks etc use their OWN softwares.^ Pivot stick is lame.

Technology is way more advanced than stick figures.



All I know of is Blender.

It is software that let's you create 3D models.

If you want, go on Google images and search Blender 3D models and see what other people have made with it.

And you don't need to pay for Blender.

It is a free open-source download.
Most of the stuff like Games, Animations and other Internet Apps frequently use "Flash"

Its good for Animating!, But Costs quite a Bit
you can mess around with this its called pivot stick animator its fun its free too



http://pivot-stickfigure-animator.software.en.softonic.com/download



hope this helps