One of those common questions I get is, what software do you use? The simple answer is that I use Blender for sculpting, texturing, rigging, animation, and rendering. Now, is that the best program for you to use? Let’s find out.
In this post, I’m going to break down the different available 3d animation programs out there for you to use as a beginner in 3D animation. The best 3D program for you is the one you most feel comfortable in.
1. Autodesk Maya
Maya is the current industry standard when it comes to 3D animation. In most studios, Maya opens up a variety of job opportunities and allows you to communicate more freely with the majority of other professionals. This is the best software for 3d animation if you want to break into the industry.
You can model, rig, animate, and render all in the same application. The tools available are nearly endless allowing you to model and move virtually anything you want in 3d space. The drawbacks are pretty much huge for Maya unless you want to take a course on it or go through school.
For some, the learning curve is pretty steep to understand. But after going through a few numbers of tutorials and lots of practice, you will get to learn.
Maya offers 3 options for licenses. The $225 is paid monthly, $1,785 is paid annually, and $5,085 is paid every 3 years. You can get Maya from the following link https://www.autodesk.com/products/maya/overview.
There is a trial version available for download from the same link.
2. Maxson’s Cinema 4D
Maxson’s Cinema 4D is another popular choice with a gentle learning curve. It operates sort of like a 3d version of After Effects. So, knowing After Effects does provide a simple transition.
Cinema 4D is also faster than my hat for producing quick renders depending on your purposes. If you’re looking to work in advertisement, television, and other motion graphics, Cinema 4D is a very popular choice because of its speed. This is one of the top 3d animation software for creating stunning visuals and effects.
Cinema 4D also costs a pretty penny. A full package can run as much as $3,700 annually.
There’s a light version that’s also available with your subscription to Adobe’s Creative Cloud with After Effects CC.
Maxson’s Cinema 4D is available at the following link https://www.maxon.net/en/buy.
A trial version is available at the following link https://www.maxon.net/en/try
3. Blender
To start, Blender is open source and free to download and use.
Blender is constantly developed by professional artists and developers. They are trying to make it better every year. I have seen significant growth in this software to the point that it is competing with other paid professional software in the market place including Maya and Cinema 4D.
Blender can be used for lots of things like creating video games, working on VFX for movies, and creating animation for film. Studios worldwide have started using Blender in their production pipeline.
You can model, rig, animate, texture, composite, and render in Blender as well. There are plenty of free and premium add-ons available that add or enhance its functionality. This is the easiest 3d animation software to learn and use, especially if you are on a tight budget.
Because it’s free, it also has tons of tutorials online. Because of its ease of access, you don’t have to worry about rushing like you would have to do with Maya and Cinema 4D. If you ask me what program to jump into as a beginner, I would say Blender is the best 3d animation software for you.
You can download Blender from the following link https://www.blender.org/
Conclusion
Remember that animation principles are independent mediums. If you understand concepts like anticipation, ease-in and ease-out, secondary action, and others that create lifelike motions, then your animations will be amazing.
The software only helps you get that message across. Think about how you will be animating and then the choice will be much easier for you.
Once you find the right tool for your medium, now it’s time to bring your animation ideas to life. I hope you found this post useful and informative. If you have something to add you can leave it in the comment section below. You can check some of our previous posts here https://gachoki.com/blog/
