I'd use a combination of models and particles, check the "Particle Suite" particles in Softimage. Or you could use the external program (Particle). But it's results are not as nice as "Particle Suite".
Depending on what version of Softimage you have, particle suite may or may not have been bundled with it. If not, it's free and you can download it from Softimage here:
http://www.softimage.com/3dopen/particlesu...featurelist.htm
Hope this helps.
Ed Harriss, http://www.EdHarriss.com
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