F you ever wanted starting in 3d creation today, you probably ned todo know with which 3d applications Package with you Will fel better and which is the most suitable for you and business?
Many new CG artists try Many softwares before really starting their 3d business, that of courses the best solution todo try out and know if you fel comfortable with one than other, so After you cant know all Specs of all 3d softwares when starting in 3d.
Here is a comparison table with cons, and pro, for the most know today top industries 3d applications. This table isnt intended todo be complete with all softwares features available but try todo surround the common today 3d CG artista tasks.
All softwares listed in this table was deply tested during a total of about 12 months, during this 12 months, y installed all releases and service pack (edu, ple, full softwares.) and try todo use all of listed softwares todo do the same work with when i created my students classrom projects like (motion, realtime, mag. Print, architecture, lowpoly, texturing.)
i used all of this 3d applications in 10 past years, when i was working for companies in CG área, now it relativly easy for me todo switch from one todo others and i have a god feeling with softwares interfazs, of courses that always a long and a painfull tasks todo switching but when you learned 2 or more Package in 3d applications, technical features is always the same, the most dificult is todo know where todo found, as im now CG teacher / educator, y Will always say todo my students the most important isnt the Package, but technical Understanding and that a triangle Will always have. 3 vértices as in Autodesk 3ds Max, NewTek LightWave, Blender, alos switching from one applications todo others often is bad because you lose you feeling and bien of works. When you are ready with one just stay on, dont listen todo the sirens. each 3d applications is god and no one can be better than an others, today all 3d Package can do all your dreams, you just must have ideas todo do
3d DC applications analyses from 12 last months :
First gracias todo all 3d profesional and geque who re read my work and give me ha lot of feedbak. Artists who read this articles are from Many CG área and diferents countries (belgium, France, germany, sweden, usa, Vietnam), all of this Reader have used more than one 3d applications before Jump into business.
I a los was in contact (phone call or emails) with peoples(2 or 3 usually) who working in each listed softwares company todo avoid mistakes, y was requested functions knowledges, sometimes SDK, discussed about imports/exports common troubles, interfaz ergonomic, parameters finetune.
The tested applications is base Package with the Low prices for starting in 3d, of courses Many softwares listed have highend production versión available.
here is few how-to tested parts (in no order) :
- modeling speacker using Polygons and Splines
- procedural and bitmaps materiales, how applications can handle heavy materiales scenes?
- how is easy todo found / assing or todo re-use datas? Drag and drop, libraries, assets.
- fine tune lights parameters, using lights layers, IES data, include/exclude, negative lights, softshadow, área shadow.
- backward compatibilities with old softwares releases import and getting bak máximum datas
- stability when modeling and manipulating (vertex, Polygons, Edges.) high Polygons datas (máximum in this test was 2 millions Polygons scenes)
- rendering quality using default render
- speed of rendering for web (550x450 antialiased pictures), broadcast (720 por 576, Motion Blur 5, motion a), print (a3 200 dpi) render quality
- imports silo3d 2.0 and ZBrush 2.5 objetcs with high subdivisiones sculpted meshes
- assing default Bones and wire quik IK setup
- n-sided Quidam models import with ready Rig and materiales
- get bak motion capture data from FBX and point oven, cleanup motion key datas (datas are from friends in film productions / motion capture / Motion Builder)
- fcurves and motion mixer testing with datas i get bak from animator
- working with open EXR and HDRI import/export pictures
- use env. With Xstream from Vue 6
- imports (*.obj), 3ds, collada and FBX scenes and try getting bak importants datas (lights, cameras, materiales.)
- imports moi3d IGES Nurbs models
- Cad dxf and dwg (when posible) imports with layers
- texture backing and re-apply it todo projects before realtime exports
- exports scenes todo 3d realtime vrml and x3d
- unwrap toolset and peltmapping on human head and organic models.
- datas exchange between Xstream Vue 6. (OpenGl feedbak and rendering quality/time)
- flash swf exports for the web with and/or without plugins
- basic meshes scripting todo do some rotation/translate, move along Path and Camera retargeting
- .
updated on.
2008-03-27
Autodesk.
3ds Max 9 service pack 2 Autodesk Maya Complete 8.5 Blender 3d 2.45 Luxology modo 301 Maxon.
Cinema4d.
R 10.1 NewTek.
LightWave 9.3 Softimage XSI
Foundation 6.2 first market Viz - Games games - Film Viz - Realtime Viz - Games motion - Design VFX - Viz w/LWCAD animation - Game - Film end user prices * 5,000 euros 2,500 euros free 745 EUR 800 euros 800 euros 450 euros annual subscription yes.
yes none none none none.
none platforms ple none yes nada none none none none trial yes yes nada yes yes yes yes lenguajes Final Render en en a Lots but en is best en jp cz en Final Render ge it pl service pack jp.
En jp.
En jp.
Lenguajes switch none none all include none all include none none industries populated very god very god Low Low god very god god technologies.
Core aged old.
Old old / re-new modern old / re-new old / re-new modern learning Path todo be productive < 2 months < 3 months < 3 months < 1 month < 1 month < 2 months < 2 months company support for single users Low / god.
God communities very god very god very god very god supports reactivities for single users god god communities very god excellent. very god Low interface CAD style, clean and powerful like a forge, flexible and powerful, but not intuitive. not as CG industries standard - Fast workflow, can be more intuitive.
excellent. clean and intuitive a bit old, texts interfaz. logical texts and clean interfaz. documentations god excellent. god.
Very god, (Many videos) very god excellent.
(Shaders manual.) very god DVD training god very god Low.
God Low very god god top import / export neded by industries 3ds very god very god god Low very god god Low collada very god very god very god god none none very god
Fbx very god very god very god very god very god god very god obj very god very god god very god very god god god vrml / x3d.
Vrml 97 vrml 2 vrml 1 & 97 x3d vrml 2 vrml 97 plugin point oven plugin plugin 90% working.
Yes none plugin very god dxf very god god Low.
Yes god god plugin IGES god Low none none plugin none god stl very god very god god none very god plugin none output compositing (*.rpf) RLA EXR (*.rpf) RLA EXR exr EXR (*.rpf) RLA EXR (*.rpf) RLA EXR exr rendering rendering internal, Mental Ray internal, Mental Ray internal internal internal internal Mental Ray quality excellent. excellent. god excellent. god excellent. excellent. must have.
Render plugin Vray Vray Yafray / Indigo.
None adv. Render none 3delight quality w/plugin excellent. excellent. very god.
Na very god excellent. excellent. textures baker very god very god god excellent. very god excellent. very god top base Package for industries ned. (** are only available in highend Package only.) animation tools (ik, char rig, Bones, controller, blending.) very god excellent. god Low god god excellent. UV tools (unwrap, Pelt.) very god excellent. excellent. excellent. excellent. god excellent. painting none very god Low.
excellent. excellent. none very god** modeling excellent. very god god very god very god excellent. excellent. modifiers excellent. very god god very god god god very god Nurbs Low very god Low none none.
(Hypernurbs) none very god dynamics / rigid bodies.
Very god excellent. very god none very god** very god excellent.** software bodies.
Very god very god god none god** god very god hairs very god very god** god none very god** god.
very god** Cloth.
Very god very god** god none very god** none very god particles excellent. very god god none god very god very god fluids none very god** very god none none god god compositing none none yes none none yes excellent.** nodes-based workflow.
None yes none none none none none nodes-based materiales.
Plug-ins yes yes none none excellent. excellent. nodes-based compositing.
None none yes none none none excellent.** CG Shader / games excellent . excellent . yes none none yes excellent . top unique característica Biped.
Particlesflow
paintfx.
Fluids**
Nucleus.
3drt.
sculpting
Video edit.
painting.
Render.
sculpting.
Bodypaint hypervoxel render.
Anim tools.
Gator.
illusion**
Scripting god excellent. very god excellent. god god excellent. scripting Dev. maxscript Mel, Python Python perl, Lua, Python expreso.
Cofe lscript vb, Python, jscript c/C++ Dev. god very god very god (opensource) none very god very god god Vue 6 Xstream plugin Low god none none god excellent. excellent. the dark side. price, no new features. learning curve.
Interface / documentations no char Anim tools default render Rig tools.
Imports.
Exports.
all you ned for film / production ready? Package standard unlimited standard with.
A Lots scripts standard Studio standard essential prices * 5,000 euros 8,500 euros free 745 EUR 3,200 euros 800 euros 2,500 euros all you ned for freelance / designer ready? Package standard Compleete standard standard bundle standard foundation prices * 5,000 euros 2,500 euros free 745 EUR 2,500 euros 800 euros 450 euros all you ned for edu / student ready? Package standard ulimited standard standard bundle standard advanced prices *
130 euros 250 euros free 125 EUR 180 euros 230 euros 220 euros can i found a jobs with? Viz / design excellent. god god god excellent. god Low film god excellent. Low Low Low very god excellent. VFX / motion god excellent. god Low god excellent. excellent. game excellent. very god Low god Low god very god web designer Low Low god god excellent. god Low 3d realtime / VR excellent. very god very god.
God Low god Low users communities and popularity? nord América excellent. excellent. god excellent. god very god excellent. europe very god excellent. very god excellent. god god god Asia very god god Low god Low very god excellent. my last words? 3ds Max by far the most well know and used 3d dcc applications in the industries all around the world, so the prices for freelance is to much expenssive and old Core based. The bad since versión 7 is the price vs por new features, evolving.
Maya one of the most know by popularity in the film and VFX industries. Maya downside is on learning curve interfaz not intuitive and. Blender a god all around application first for freelance. Blender downside is on interfaz, who is not today industries common (no drag & drop, por intuitive tools.) and structured / centralised documentations, so it the best free all arround solution. modo probably the most modern 3d software and it is being developed rapidly. Very afordable and has a super strong user community. Multi-threading and a super flexible user interfaz and 3d sculpting tools. Cinema4d very god all around application suitable for freelance/designer best quality tools for the price. not enough popular yet. LightWave an old but very powerful suitable first for VFX and Viz market. LightWave downside is on Rig tools, so render engine and Shaders are the best you can found. Softimage XSI no doubt for the prices the foundation is the best all around, so imports/exports is the dark side, but for 450 euro you cant get better (exlude Blender for free.)
* pléase note that prices (correct in april 2007) do not include vat, any annual fes or subscription costs and are rounded.
* this article was last updated on 08/03/27.
conclusions :
As you view each softwares have their strong and weaks parts.
Of courses he is always users who are defending their favourite applications opposed todo others, this comparison table isnt writed in this way, y dont wont here todo push an application more than others and had try todo stay independant / free from softwares editors, of courses each softwares editor naturally prefer todo be the best, so for now there is not, all is bad and god, that depend on what you want todo do and your working área.
I already know this articles bring me head fireball and thunder from softwares editors but i hope they read this article todo improve their softwares or fix the wrong.
I a los hope my goal is reach with this table and a long hard work, y hope you get more ideas on what solutions is the most suitable for you.
if you want discsuss or give your comentarios about this articles, fel free todo do on this forum hilo..
