What effect are you trying to achieve? ...and do you have access to software and/or funds for software? There are many options; I can give my opinion, but I need some more info. Generally, for the bit that you've mentioned, you'll need your footage, 3D software, and a compositing program.

I was thinking to use it for things such as crowds / armies from arial views. I have got Poser 5 and Bryce 5, as well as some Adobe stuff.

I could be wrong but I think they generally use customized software for stuff that big. I'm not sure it's doable on anything off-the-shelf.

It would certainly change low-budget filmmaking if they did decide to sell, or rent out, some of that kind of stuff though.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

If you know someone that's good with Lightwave 3D, you may be able to pull it off. It would probably be a lot of work to do right, though.

You might check out this marching army tutorial:

http://www.animationwerks.com/tutorials/army.htm

It has a sample Lightwave scene and objects.

If you're using Studio Max, there is a plug-in called ThinkingParticles that can do these scenes:

http://www.cebas.com/products/feature.php?UD=10-7888-33-788&PID=15&FID=92

Finally, if you have a bunch of money, you can get SoftImage Behavior:

http://www.softimage.com/products/behavior/v2/default.asp

Hope this helps.

Dan Rahmel
Author: "Nuts and Bolts Filmmaking"
http://www.cvisual.com

Crowds and armies are a daunting task. You can create this in a 3D package, though it's going to be ALOT of work. One difficult aspect will be avoiding the sense of duplication and adding a feeling of individuality to the characters.

rjschwarz is correct in his statement about custom software. There is some great software out there, and many companies have a staff of technical directors who add customization to these packages. One software example is Massive:

http://www.massivesoftware.com/

Good luck! With the power of computers and software today, anything is possible.