Which tools allow to modify and render a scene programmatically

Question

Which toolchains exists to assist in the following workflow?

First create some model files graphically (with a friendly UI). Let's say I craete 3 models - a cat, a dog and a turtle. Then in order:

1. Create a 3D scene graphically and store it as a digital blob. Let's say this scene contains a cat and a dog, a camera viewport, some geometry, textures, etc.
2. Programmatically add a turtle-object to the scene from a model file.
3. Programmatically output the modified scene as an image as quickly as possible, possibly using multiple physical nodes. Note that I'm only interested in rendering stills.

I've been researching this problem, and found myself lost in business speak - i.e. every product is the best at everything.

Does 3DS Max fit my bill?

Answer 1

Short answer: yes, 3DS MAX can do it. If you have proper exporters you can export your scene from 3ds format to special formats.