3D computer graphics software
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3D computer graphics software refers to programs used to create 3D computer-generated imagery. There are typically many stages in the "pipeline" that studios use to create 3D objects for film and games, and this article only covers some of the software used. Note that most of the 3D packages have a very plugin-oriented architecture, and high-end plugins costing tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars are often used by studios. Larger studios usually create enormous amounts of proprietary software to run alongside these programs.
If you are just getting started out in 3D, one of the major packages is usually sufficient to begin learning. Remember that 3D animation can be very difficult, time-consuming, and unintuitive; a teacher or a book will likely be necessary. Most of the high-end packages have free versions designed for personal learning.
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[edit] Major packages
A comprehensive comparison of significant 3D packages can be found at [CG Society Wiki].
Non-Commercial
Blender (Blender Foundation) is a modeling, rendering, and animation suite offering a feature set comparable to high end and mid range 3d animation suites such as Maya, 3ds Max, or Cinema 4D. It is being developed under the GPL and is available for free.
Commercial
3ds Max (Autodesk), originally called 3D Studio MAX, is the leading animation program in the video game industry. Experts argue that it is very good at handling low-polygon animation, but perhaps its greatest asset to the computer/video industry is its entrenched support network and its many plugins. It is also a more expensive high-end package, coming at US$3500, compared to about US$2000 for the others. Because of its presence in the video game industry, it is also a popular hobbyist package. 3ds Max is also widely used in architectural visualizations because it goes hand-in-hand very well with AutoCAD--also developed by Autodesk.
Cinema 4D (MAXON) is a slightly lighter package than the others in its basic configuration. Its main asset is its artist-friendliness, avoiding the complicated technical nature of the other packages and its low entry cost because of the modular structure of its functions. For example, a popular module, BodyPaint, allows artists to draw textures directly onto the surface of models. It is also available for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux OS.
form-Z (autodessys, Inc.) is a general purpose 3D modeler. Its primary usage is modeling, but also has limited rendering and animation capabilities. Many of its users are architects, but also include designers from many fields including interior designers, illustrators, product designers, and set designers. Its default renderer uses the LightWorks rendering engine for raytracing and radiosity. formZ has been around since 1991, available for both the Macintosh and Windows operating systems. The price is approximately $1495-$2390 depending on how much photorealistic rendering power is desired.
Houdini (Side Effects Software) is a high-end package that is found often in studios. Its most common use is in animating special effects, rather than models. With a price tag of US$17,000, Houdini is the most expensive high-end 3D computer graphics package available.
LightWave 3D (NewTek) is a popular 3D package because of its easy-to-learn interface; many artists prefer it to the more technical Maya or 3DS Max. It has weaker modeling and particularly animation features than some of the larger packages, but it is still used widely in film and broadcasting. (US $795)
Maya (Autodesk) is currently the leading animation program for cinema; nearly every studio uses it. It is known as difficult to learn, but it is possibly the most powerful 3D package. When studios use Maya, they typically replace parts of it with proprietary software. Studios will also render using Pixar's Renderman, rather than the default mentalray. Autodesk, makers of 3ds max, has recently acquired Alias--the original creator of Maya. Maya comes in two versions: Maya Complete (US$1999) and Maya Unlimited (US$6999)
Modo (Luxology) is an advanced subdivision modeling, texturing and rendering tool. It has seen rapid adoption by 3D content creators in the movie and games industry due to its extremely powerful polygon modeling toolset. (895$)
Silo (Nevercenter) is a subdivision-surface modeler available for Mac OS X and Windows, with a Linux OS version in development. Silo does not include a renderer and is priced accordingly ($109). Silo is the current recommended modeler for the Electric Image Animation System suite.
SketchUp Pro (Google) is a 3D modeling package that has an innovate sketch based modeling approach (495$)
Softimage|XSI (Avid) is often seen as head-to-head competition with Maya, and is very feature-similar. Fans of the two packages often will often argue the merits of each. The early Softimage 3D was once the leader in animation, but lagged as Maya surged ahead. The Newer Softimage XSI with more features and integrated Mental Ray rendering is now trying to reclaim the top spot.
TrueSpace (Caligari Corporation) is a feature-rich 3D package with modeling, animation, 3D-painting, and rendering capabilities for an affordable price. (from $199 for Version 5.2 to $595 for the latest Version 7)
ZBrush (Pixologic) is a digital sculpting tool that combines 3D/2.5D modeling, texturing and painting tool available for Mac OS X and Windows. It is priced at 489$.
eCover 3D eCover and ebook cover design for creating professional looking covers for ebooks, CD, DVD, notebooks and software boxes. Priced at $97
[edit] Other packages
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Commercial
AC3D
Animation:Master focuses on animation. It might be quicker and easier to learn and to use than the major packages.
Bryce (DAZ productions) is most famous for landscapes.
Carrara (Eovia) is a 3D complete tool set package for 3D modeling, texturing animation and rendering; and Amapi and Hexagon (Eovia) are 3D packages often used for high-end abstract and organic modeling respectively.
Daz Studio a specialized tool for adjusting parameters of preexisting models, posing and rendering them. Similar to Poser, but more limited in functionality.
MilkShape 3D is a shareware/trialware polygon 3D modelling program with extensive import/export capabilities.
Poser (E-frontier) Poser is a 3D rendering and animation software program optimized for models that depict the human figure in three-dimensional form and is specialized for adjusting features of preexisting character models via varying parameters. It is also for posing and rendering of models and characters. It includes some specialized tools for walk cycle creation, cloth and hair.
Realsoft 3D
Vue (e-on) is landscape generation software.
Non-Commercial
Anim8or is another free 3d rendering and animation package.
Art of Illusion is another free software package developed under the GPL.
DeleD 3D Editor is a fully functional game-oriented 3D Editor. PRO version also available.
DIALux is light making software. It also makes buildings / architectural modeling and a little more. Used to cost thousands of dollars. It has renderers as well.
Equinox-3D
Landscape Studio is a Java-based heightmap generator.
MeshLab: an open source Windows and Linux application for visualizing, simplifying, processing and converting three dimensional meshes to or from a variety of 3d file formats.
ShapeShop is a free sketch-based 3D modeling tool based on hierarchical implicit surfaces. Like Sketchup, it is very easy to use, but can create a much wider range of smooth surfaces.
SharpConstruct is a free 3d modeling program that works like ZBrush.
Terragen and Terragen 2 is a freeware scenery generator.
Wings 3D is a BSD-licensed, minimal modeler.
K-3D is a GNU modeling, animation, and rendering system available on Linux and Win32. It makes use of RenderMan-compliant render engines. It features scene graph procedural modelling similar to that found in Houdini.
[edit] Renderers
[edit] Commercial
Pixar's RenderMan is the premier renderer, used in many studios. Animation packages such as 3DS Max and Maya can pipeline to RenderMan to do all the rendering.
mental ray is another popular renderer, and comes default with most of the high-end packages.
VRay is also a popular renderer--used primarily by those working in the architectural visualization field--for 3ds max and 3ds viz. POV-Ray and YafRay are two free renderers.
RPS Ray Trace and AccuRender for SketchUp add photorealistic rendering capabilities to SketchUp.
[edit] Non-Commercial
Pixie is an open source photorealistic renderer.
POV-Ray (or The Persistence of Vision Raytracer) is a freeware (with source) ray tracer written for multiple platforms.
Sunflow is an open source, photo-realistic renderer written in Java.
YafRay (or Yet Another Free Raytracer) is an open source ray tracing program that utilizes XML for scene description. Recently it has been integrated with Blender.
Indigo Renderer is a closed source (but free for non and commercial use) photorealistic renderer that utilizes XML for scene description. Exporters available for Blender, Maya (Mti), Cinema4D, Rhino, 3ds Max.
[edit] Related to 3D software
Swift3D is a package for transforming models in Lightwave or 3DS Max into Flash animations. Match moving software is commonly used to match live video with computer-generated video, keeping the two in sync as the camera moves. Poser is the most popular program for modeling people. After producing video, studios then edit or composite the video using programs such as Adobe Premiere or Apple Final Cut at the low end, or Autodesk Combustion or Apple Shake at the high end. MetaCreations Detailer and Painter 3D are discontinued software applications specifically for painting texture maps on 3-D Models. Any raster graphic editor software may be used to touch up rendered 3D still images from any 3D software application.
