How can I make sprite sheets using Maya?

[bloomingartisttamtam]

Okay,I know I asked in the title about how to make sprite sheets using Maya, in my case now, it would be Maya 2011. But, I assume there would be other software needed to make rendered images in Maya into a 2d sprite sheet for each animation. Some questions I have:

How would you make 3d animated models in Maya into 2d sprite sheets for every animation, possibly from 2 different angles from cameras in Maya?

How many frames should I render for a walk loop cycle, for example?

What size should the sprites frames be to look good in a game that's mostly 2d ("The Sims 1" style)?

What other (and possibly free) software would I need, if any, to make the images from the Maya renders of a character, for example, into a full sprite sheet, either long the tall way (vertical), or lengthwise (horizontal)?

Thanks in advance for you time and help.