What programs do i need to make an custom object

[The chaser]

*ehem*

Maya 2011 can model and animate for HPL2. It's the ideal program if you need to make monsters, and it's very versatile. The problem is that it's complicated as f**k. Crisosphinx told me that, being a fast-learner, he needed 4 years to fully understand the program.

There's the normal version (which costs 3000 $) but that's the profit version. If you don't get any money from the maya use, just get the student version (it's free).

Blender is way more simple. Use the maya presets (the same camera controls as the HPL editor) and it will go fine. It's great for begginers, and it runs smoothly and without much problems. I reccomend you to read this if you are going to make stuff in Blender.