apparently C4d has no feature-set like maya or max and XSI have less features then maya and max but with a faster workflow.
some people dig the workflow but forgo a few extra options.
I just read Final Fantasy cut scenes are in maya, thats interesting to know, I was always amazed at the hair animations with those scenes.
Most forums i just looked around have mixed results.
Most smarter users suggest downloading both and trying them.
Most professionals are suggesting maya or max still.
Someone said max has the most plugins, followed by maya and then the rest.
Someone also suggested the animation workflow in XSI is good.
Apparently Maya is Movie Industry Standard if you want work within the industry.
Can you script XSI? like with mel scripting
from the autodesk site it appears you can tweak your maya to your hearts content.
The Maya API/SDK
This key unlocks the power of the Maya software architecture for programmers and technical directors.
Direct Access to Maya Software Functionality
Maya plug-ins and standalone applications that run from the Maya command line can be written using C++.
Maya scene hierarchy can be traversed with iterators.
Maya plug-ins can be registered to receive a comprehensive range of Maya messages.
Maya manipulators and locators can be created.
New types of Maya objects can be developed – including file translators, hardware shaders, surface shapes and MEL commands.
Existing Maya objects, such as geometry, lights, shaders, transforms, scene hierarchy, and dependency graph nodes, can be queried and modified.
MEL scripts can be executed from C++.
Maya works very well with photoshop native formats.
from the autodesk site.
Adobe Photoshop Integration
Create shading networks with connections to layers sets in a PSD file; include procedural or 3D painted textures as starting points, and UV layouts for reference.
Render layers can now be rendered to layered PSD files.
Any PSD file can be used as a texture map and rendered directly in the Maya software and hardware renderers and in mental ray for Maya.
PSD files containing layer sets can be converted into a layered texture within Maya.
A multi layered PSD file can be automatically connected to multiple material attributes.
Mayas file format works with my video editing format as if they are native to each other.
that in itself is awesome. I can have complex 3d with HD video. Nuff Said really about that.
FCP / MAYA killer compositing.
most of them can use mental ray which can produce breathtaking results.
Interestingly movies made with maya are
'The Mummy'
'The Mummy Returns'
'George of the Jungle'
'The Fifth Element'
'Final Fantasy'
'The Hollow Man'
'The X-Man'
'Anaconda'
'Stuart Little'
'Shrek'
'Sindbad'
'Pandavas'
'Starship Trooper'
'Lake Placid'
'The Phantom Menace'
'Spiderman'
'Harry Potter'
'Jurassic Park 3'
'Lord of the Rings'
' Ice Age' and more.
I can also spit out my maya content directly to swf and director.
and for something totally silly with google fight, Maya kicks XSI out the door by a factor of ten, but its early days for XSI.
http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=maya&word2=xsi
I think the smartest comment i read was that they all have downfalls and features digressing from each other.
