

However, the icing on the cake is Maya Live’s motion tracking tools.ģds Max (Autodesk) - Possibly the most respected 3D modeling software in the world when all things are considered, but certainly not the definitive animation software. Many prefer its interface, and it has a cloth and particle physics engine for all your simulation needs. They both co-exist in both markets to this day, with Max containing many perks that Maya does not, but when it comes to animation Maya is arguably the better of the two. Maya (Autodesk) - Alias’s Maya was acquired by Autodesk in 2005, and while it was originally rumored that Maya would be the leading animation software in the movie industry, with 3D Studio Max leading animation software in the gaming industry, that simply didn’t become the truth. Currently, it can’t compete with most programs when it comes to fully fleshed out feature lists, but if you just want a program that will help you easily animate 3D characters, then Poser and its free library of base human and animal meshes is still something worth having in your back pocket at all times, even if you eventually move on to more complex 3D software in the future.

Poser (Smith Micro Software) - In the mid to late 90s, Poser was quite ahead of its time in 3D graphics. It’s also small in size by comparison to its competitors, and its gigantic online community has hundreds of courses and tutorials available publicly, which are also all free. Not only is it capable of most of the features the top of the line products boast on their bullet point lists, but it’s 100% free. While Bryce is for an extreme novice, Blender is the perfect introduction to all that 3D software has to offer animators. It doesn’t get much easier than Bryce for beginners, but it offers very little to advanced animators.īlender (The Blender Foundation) - I talked about Blender at length here, and I still can’t get over how cool it is.

It now includes animation features as well, while still having a beginner friendly interface and render setup. Most have forgotten all about the once popular software, but it’s become more than just a robust outdoor environment modeling program. There are hundreds of 3D animation software options to choose from, so where should you start? The answer depends on how much technological background you have, as well as what kind of 3D needs you have. Whether you’re a beginner or a veteran, here are the first 10 3D modeling programs you should check out and consider using:īryce (DAZ 3D) - What began as a hot fractal geometry program back in 1994 has continued to be updated over all these years, with the newest version released in 2010.
