| 3d Computer Graphics Software |
Article Index for 3d |
Website Links For Computer Graphics |
Information About3d Computer Graphics Software |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT 3D COMPUTER GRAPHICS SOFTWARE | |
| 3d graphics software | |
| 3d computer graphics | |
|
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. MAJOR PACKAGES A comprehensive comparison of significant 3D packages can be found at CG Society Wiki . Non-Commercial/Open Source Blender ( Blender Foundation ) is a free, open-source, 3D studio for animation, modeling, rendering, and texturing offering a feature set comparable to high end and mid range 3D animation suites such as Maya , 3ds Max , or Cinema 4D . It includes advanced features such as multiresolution sculpting; retopology painting; 3D view texture painting; stack based modifier system; advanced particle system with particle based hair; cloth/soft body dynamics, rigid body dynamics and fluid simulation; node based texturing and node based compositing; an integrated non linear video editor; and integrated game engine. It can also import and export a variety of file formats. Blender is developed under the GPL and runs on all major platforms including Windows, OS X, Linux, BSD, Sun, and Irix. It is also the only 3D animation suite that is flexible enough to have been scaled upwards to work on super computers but also scaled down to work on handheld computers such as the Pocket PC (Pocket Blender). Its unique interface is often deemed difficult to learn; however, it is very streamlined once one becomes accustomed to it, and it features a "nearly unsurpassed workflow". {Link without Title} 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 is its entrenched support network and many plugins. It is also a more expensive high-end package, costing $3500 USD, compared to about $2000 USD for many 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 . Electric Image Animation System ( EI Technology Group ) is a popular 3D animation and rendering package available on both Mac OS X and Windows . Mostly known for its rendering quality and rendering speed it does not include a built-in modeler. EIAS is popular with many different 3D animators including architects who desire the ability to handle large polygon counts. Electric Image Animation System is also well known for being reasonably priced. Recently, the blockbuster film "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" and the Television hit "Lost" utilized the software. EI Technology Group Website Form-Z ( Autodessys, Inc. ) is a general purpose solid/surface 3D modeler. Its primary usage is modeling, but also has increasingly capable rendering and animation features. formZ modeling tool set is one of the most advanced of any available 3D CAD applications. 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. form-Z also supports Plugins and Scripts and has advanced rendering support via Next Limit's Maxwell Renderer. It has extensive Import/Export capabilities, was first released in 1991 and is available for both Mac OS X and Windows . The price is approximately $1495-$2390 USD depending on the desired photorealistic rendering power. 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 $7,995 USD for the Master version, 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 and efficient interface; many artists prefer it to the more technical Maya or 3DS Max. It has more powerful polygon modeling capabilities than many other programs, and introduced many concepts which have since been adopted in other packages. Its animation features are less powerful than some of the larger packages, but it is still used widely in film and broadcasting. It's particularly well known for the outstanding quality of its render engine. It is priced at $795 USD. Massive is the premier 3D animation system for generating crowd-related visual effects for film and television. Originally developed for controlling large-scale CGI battles in the Lord of the Rings, Massive Software has become an industry standard for digital crowd control in high end animation. Recently, the software has been utilized for blockbuster feature films including ''Happy Feet'', ''King Kong'', and ''I, Robot''. Maya ( Autodesk ) is currently the leading animation program for cinema; nearly every studio uses it. It is considered 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 Mental Ray , the default renderer. Autodesk , makers of AutoCAD , has recently acquired Alias --the original creator of Maya . Maya comes in two versions: Maya Complete ($1999 USD) and Maya Unlimited ($6999 USD). There is also Maya Personal Learning Edition, which is for non-commercial use and puts watermarks on any rendered images. Modo ( Luxology ) is an advanced subdivision modeling, texturing and rendering tool. It has seen rapid adoption by 3D content creators in the movie and games industry due to its extremely powerful polygon modeling toolset. (895$) Silo ( Nevercenter ) is a subdivision-surface modeler available for Mac OS X and Windows , with a Linux version in development. Silo does not include a renderer and is priced accordingly ($109 USD). Silo is the current recommended modeler for the Electric Image Animation System suite. SketchUp Pro ( Google ) is a 3D modeling package that has an innovative sketch based modeling approach ($495 USD) Softimage|XSI ( Avid ) is often seen as head-to-head competition with Maya, and is very feature-similar. Fans of the two packages 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. SolidThinking ( SolidThinking Ltd ) is a professional 3D solid/surface modeling and rendering software which features a powerful example of a Construction Tree, i.e. the history of the model construction process allowing real-time updates when modifications are made to points, curves, parameters or entire objects. solidThinking is available in four versions: MODELER, MODELER XL, DESIGN, and VANTAGE. TrueSpace ( Caligari Corporation ) is a feature-rich 3D package with modeling, animation, 3D-painting, and rendering capabilities for an affordable price. (from $199 USD for Version 5.2 to $595 USD for the latest Version 7). It's not very popular in the TV/movie industry, but it has a fairly easy learning curve and is ideal for beginners. Vue 6 ( E-on Software ) Vue 6 is the most efficient and advanced solution for creating, animating and rendering natural 3D environments. 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 USD. ''See also 3D Modeler '' OTHER PACKAGES Commercial
Non-Commercial
RENDERERS Commercial
Non-Commercial
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, Eye-on Digital Fusion , Apple Shake at the high end. MetaCreations Detailer and Painter 3D are discontinued software applications specifically for painting Texture Map s on 3-D Models. Any Raster Graphic Editor software may be used to touch up rendered 3D still images from any 3D software application. REFERENCES |
|
|