If you require a copy of Maya then best place I found is here:
The student version is free to use for over a year, You qualify for this student version if you register on any of the courses offered on this website. All versions of Maya can be used on our courses.
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A good resource providing listings of studios that hire animators can be found here:
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A great place to find creature reference with some really useful video tools:
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Some good free rigs available from Animation Buffer:
