hi guys :-)
I don't know how useful it is (requires 3DS Max 8 or higher), but I have found a free animation rig program for 3d models from this site:

http://www.crypticar.com/

download page with extra info (document, etc.)
http://www.crypticar.com/index.php?o...id=8&Itemid=28

I have downloaded but not tried it yet.
It looks very cool from what I can see :-)

cheers,
Paul