What would be a great video producing software?

What tools, steps, and process are involved in building and producing AAA video game software like Halo and Battlefield?

• Answer:

  The answers will vary wildly across the industry, the larger AAA development efforts are major software development projects, and each will use the best tools and processes that work for them.  Each studio has their own unique culture and methodology.  i.e. there's really no one-size-fits-all suite of tools that is used across the industry.  That said, you'll find some commonalities.  For example: Art Tools - 3DSMax or Maya are common, but I've seen religious wars fought over which one to go with...  :) Engines - depending on the platform you'll often find the same core game engine used across a wide variety of games.  Decent list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_game_engines Steps / Process - again, will vary from studio to studio.  But here's a good starting point to get familiar with: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_development If you currently work in a studio and/or are just getting started in the industry, you'd benefit tremendously from looking around at how other studios work.  You can learn a lot by sharing best practices (and horror stories).  Good luck!