Zaxwerks

I hope Adobe buys Zaxwerk's, too. It's ridiculous that we take 10 leaps forward with software like Zaxwerks and then we go back to the beginning ten years later. I've started using DaVinci Resolve and the Fusion page is a nightmare. They say you can make anything with their nodes... why would I want to? Why would I want to waste days constructing these silly node trees when I could just get the project done visually in 20 minutes with Zaxwerks or software like Trapcode? Thank God Trapcode is still around, even though it isn't supported in DaVinci Resolve. I swear, a lot of the software companies are in their own little bubbles and don't know what their competitors were offering 10-15 years ago. I hope somebody buys Zax's intellectual property and makes him rich. His old software is still better than what is out there today. 

I used to have a copy of Invigorator.  It was amazing and easy to use, especially considering how early on it was. 

The new 3D import tools of AE are going from strength to strength.  I've not played around with the beta yet, but apparently it has 3D animation features in it (not just position/scale/rotation).

You mention using most 3D apps, have you used Element 3D from Video Copilot.  In my opinion, it is the easiest 3D product to use (once you understand it).  You can assemble primitives, clone objects, the materials are pretty good, the tutorials are excellent, but for me, the most important thing is what I see in the comp window is what renders out.