opengl animating 3d objects... or using bitmaps

Currently I''m working on a game. Unfortunatly I''ve hit a brick wall. Here is a screenshot: http://www.halogenbleach.com/new_ss_1.jpg Now, I can basically finish this game in every aspect except for one really frustrating area: Animation. My conclusion is that I need to build him in a 3d program such as 3ds max, and then import the 3ds file and animate it using opengl. The problem is I don''t know where to start with this. I read through a few character animation tutorials but I decided it wasn''t a good idea to spend a few hours building a model if I don''t even know if it will work correctly once I import it (hah, actually I decided that a few hours AFTER working on a model). So in short, this is what I need to know, and any help would be greatly appreciated. #1 How to create a model with moving parts (that will work in opengl). Preferably in 3ds max... or if its in a freeware program. #2 How to export / import that model into c++ #3 How to give actions to the various segments I think that''s it.. but then again I don''t know :D Once again, any help would be appreciated. Thanks.