3D computer graphics software
Encyclopedia
3D computer graphics software refers to programs used to create 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...

 computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...

. This article covers only some of the software used.

Uses

3D modelers are used in a wide variety of industries. The medical industry uses them to create detailed models of organs. The movie industry uses them to create and manipulate characters and objects for animated and real-life motion pictures
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

. The video game industry uses them to create assets for video games. The science sector uses them to create highly detailed models of chemical compounds. The architecture industry uses them to create models of proposed buildings and landscapes. The engineering community uses them to design new devices, vehicles and structures as well as a host of other uses. There are typically many stages in the "pipeline" that studios and manufacturers use to create 3D objects for film, games, and production of hard goods and structures.

Features

Many 3D modelers are designed to model various real-world entities, from plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...

s to automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

s to people
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...

. Some are specially designed to model certain objects, such as chemical compounds or internal organs
Organ (anatomy)
In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in structural unit to serve a common function. Usually there is a main tissue and sporadic tissues . The main tissue is the one that is unique for the specific organ. For example, main tissue in the heart is the myocardium, while sporadic are...

.

3D modelers allow users to create and alter models via their 3D mesh. Users can add, subtract, stretch and otherwise change the mesh to their desire. Models can be viewed from a variety of angles, usually simultaneously. Models can be rotated and the view can be zoomed in and out.

3D modelers can export their models to files
Computer file
A computer file is a block of arbitrary information, or resource for storing information, which is available to a computer program and is usually based on some kind of durable storage. A file is durable in the sense that it remains available for programs to use after the current program has finished...

, which can then be imported into other applications as long as the metadata
Metadata
The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...

 is compatible. Many modelers allow importers
Importer (computing)
An importer is a software application that reads in a data file or metadata information in one format and converts it to another format via special algorithms . An importer often is not an entire program by itself, but an extension to another program, implemented as a plug-in...

 and exporters
Exporter (computing)
An exporter is a software application that writes out a data file in a format different from its native format. It does this via special algorithms . An exporter often is not an entire program by itself, but an extension to another program, implemented as a plug-in...

 to be plugged-in, so they can read and write data in the native formats of other applications.

Most 3D modelers contain a number of related features, such as ray tracers and other rendering alternatives and texture mapping
Texture mapping
Texture mapping is a method for adding detail, surface texture , or color to a computer-generated graphic or 3D model. Its application to 3D graphics was pioneered by Dr Edwin Catmull in his Ph.D. thesis of 1974.-Texture mapping:...

 facilities. Some also contain features that support or allow animation of models. Some may be able to generate full-motion video of a series of rendered scenes (i.e. animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...

).

Commercial packages

A basic comparison including release date/version information can be found on the Comparison of 3D computer graphics software
Comparison of 3D computer graphics software
3D computer graphics software refers to programs used to create 3D computer-generated imagery.-General information:This is a chart on basic comparative elements that is based on the raw software without the inclusion of additional plugins....

 page. A comprehensive comparison of significant 3D packages can be found at CG Society Wiki and TDT3D 3D applications 2007 comparisons table..
  • 3ds Max (Autodesk
    Autodesk
    Autodesk, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that focuses on 3D design software for use in the architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media and entertainment industries. The company was founded in 1982 by John Walker, a coauthor of the first versions of the company's...

    ), originally called 3D Studio MAX, is a comprehensive and versatile 3D application used in film, television, video games and architecture for Windows
    Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

     and Apple Macintosh. It can be extended and customized through its SDK or scripting using a Maxscript. It can use third party rendering options such as Brazil R/S
    Brazil R/S
    Brazil Rendering System is a proprietary commercial plugin for 3D Studio Max and Autodesk VIZ. Created by SplutterFish. It is capable of high quality photorealistic rendering using fast ray tracing and global illumination....

    , finalRender and V-Ray
    V-Ray
    V-Ray is a rendering engine that is used as an extension of certain 3D computer graphics software.The core developers of V-Ray are Vladimir Koylazov and Peter Mitev of Chaos Software production studio established in 1997, based in Sofia, Bulgaria....

    .

  • AC3D
    AC3D
    AC3D is a 3D design program which has been available since 1994. The software is used by designers for modeling 3D graphics for games and simulations - most notably it is used by the scenery creators at Laminar Research on the X-Plane...

    (Inivis) is a 3D modeling application that began in the 90's on the Amiga platform. Used in a number of industries, MathWorks actively recommends it in many of their aerospace-related articles due to price and compatibility. AC3D does not feature its own renderer, but can generate output files for both RenderMan and POV-Ray
    POV-Ray
    The Persistence of Vision Raytracer, or POV-Ray, is a ray tracing program available for a variety of computer platforms. It was originally based on DKBTrace, written by David Kirk Buck and Aaron A. Collins. There are also influences from the earlier Polyray raytracer contributed by its author...

     among others.

  • Aladdin4D
    Aladdin4D
    Aladdin4D is a software program for modeling and rendering three-dimensional graphics and animations, for the Amiga platform. Aladdin 4D was originally created by Greg Gorby at Adspec Programing in Ohio, and was an updated version of an earlier 3D program called Draw4D Pro, which integrated...

    (DiscreetFX), first created for the Amiga, was originally developed by Adspec Programming. After acquisition by DiscreetFX, it is multi-platform for Mac OS X
    Mac OS X
    Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...

    , Amiga OS 4.1, MorphOS
    MorphOS
    MorphOS is an Amiga-compatible computer operating system. It is a mixed proprietary and open source OS produced for the Pegasos PowerPC processor based computer, PowerUP accelerator equipped Amiga computers, and a series of Freescale development boards that use the Genesi firmware, including the...

    , Linux
    Linux
    Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...

    , AROS
    Aros
    Aros may refer to:*Aros , a river in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium*AROS Research Operating System, a free software implementation of AmigaOS* Aros, the original Viking name of Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark...

     and Windows
    Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

    .

  • Animation:Master
    Animation:Master
    Animation:Master is a 3D character animation application offered by Hash, Inc. that includes tools for modeling, rigging, animating, texturing, lighting and rendering...

    from HASH, Inc is a modeling and animation package that focuses on ease of use. It is a spline-based modeler. Its strength lies in character animation.

  • Bryce
    Bryce (software)
    Bryce is a 3D modeling, rendering and animation program specializing in fractal landscapes. The name is taken from Bryce Canyon—a rugged region with many of the same landscapes that were first simulated with the software.- History :...

    (DAZ Productions) is most famous for landscapes and creating 'painterly' renderings, as well as its unique user interface.

  • Carrara
    Carrara (software)
    Carrara is a general purpose 3D figure posing, modeling, landscape design, rigid and soft-body dynamics, animation and rendering application. Carrara is now owned and developed by DAZ 3D...

    (DAZ Productions) is a fully featured 3D toolset for modeling, texturing, scene rendering and animation.

  • Cinema 4D
    Cinema 4D
    CINEMA 4D is a 3D modeling, animation and rendering application developed by MAXON Computer GmbH of Friedrichsdorf, Germany. It is capable of procedural and polygonal/subd modeling, animating, lighting, texturing, rendering, and common features found in 3d modelling applications.- Overview:The...

    (MAXON
    Maxon
    Maxon may denote:* An electronic musical device Maxon Effects Pedals.A surname:* Bonnie Maxon American professional wrestler* William Ralph Maxon American botanist...

    ) is a light (Prime) to full featured (Studio) 3d package dependant on version used. Although used in film usually for 2.5d work, Cinema's largest user base is in the television motion graphics and design/visualisation arenas. Originally developed for the Amiga, it is also available for Mac OS X
    Mac OS X
    Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...

     and Windows
    Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

    .

  • CityEngine
    CityEngine
    CityEngine, is a 3D modeling application specialized in the generation of three dimensional urban environments. With the procedural modeling approach, CityEngine enables the efficient creation of detailed large-scale 3D city models with merely a few clicks of the mouse instead of the time...

    (Procedural Inc) is a 3D modeling
    3D modeling
    In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical representation of any three-dimensional surface of object via specialized software. The product is called a 3D model...

     application specialized in the generation of three dimensional urban environments. With the procedural modeling
    Procedural modeling
    Procedural modeling is an umbrella term for a number of techniques in computer graphics to create 3D models and textures from sets of rules. L-Systems, fractals, and generative modeling are procedural modeling techniques since they apply algorithms for producing scenes...

     approach, CityEngine
    CityEngine
    CityEngine, is a 3D modeling application specialized in the generation of three dimensional urban environments. With the procedural modeling approach, CityEngine enables the efficient creation of detailed large-scale 3D city models with merely a few clicks of the mouse instead of the time...

     enables the efficient creation of detailed large-scale 3D city models, it is available for Mac OS X
    Mac OS X
    Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...

    , Windows
    Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

     and Linux
    Linux
    Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...

    .

  • Cobalt
    Cobalt (CAD program)
    Cobalt is a parametric-based computer-aided design and 3D modeling program that runs on both Macintosh and Microsoft Windows operating systems...

    is a parametric-based Computer-aided design
    Computer-aided design
    Computer-aided design , also known as computer-aided design and drafting , is the use of computer technology for the process of design and design-documentation. Computer Aided Drafting describes the process of drafting with a computer...

     (CAD) and 3D modeling
    3D modeling
    In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical representation of any three-dimensional surface of object via specialized software. The product is called a 3D model...

     software for both the Macintosh
    Macintosh
    The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...

     and Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

    . It integrates wireframe
    Wireframe
    Wireframe or wire frame may refer to:* Wire-frame model, visual presentation of a three dimensional or physical object used in 3D computer graphics* Website wireframe, a basic visual guide used in web design...

    , freeform surfacing, feature-based solid modeling and photo-realistic rendering (see Ray tracing), and animation.

  • Electric Image Animation System
    Electric Image Animation System
    The Electric Image Animation System is a 3D computer graphics package published by EIAS3D. It currently runs on the Mac OS X and Windows platforms.-History:Electric Image, Inc. was initially a visual effects production company...

    (EIAS3D) is a 3D animation and rendering package available on both Mac OS X
    Mac OS X
    Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...

     and Windows
    Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

    . Mostly known for its rendering quality and rendering speed it does not include a built-in modeler. The popular film Pirates of the Caribbean
    Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
    Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a 2003 adventure fantasy film based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney theme parks. It was directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...

    and the television series Lost
    Lost (TV series)
    Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...

    used the software.

  • form•Z
    Form-Z
    form·Z is a computer-aided design tool developed by AutoDesSys for all design fields that deal with the articulation of 3D spaces and forms and which is used for 3D modeling, drafting, animation and rendering.-Overview:...

    (AutoDesSys, Inc.) is a general purpose solid/surface 3D modeler. Its primary use is for modeling, but it also features photo realistic rendering and object-centric animation support. form•Z is used in architecture, interior design, illustration, product design, and set design. It supports plug-ins and scripts, has import/export capabilities and was first released in 1991. It is currently available for both Mac OS X
    Mac OS X
    Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...

     and Windows
    Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

    .

  • Grome
    Grome
    Grome is an environmental modeling package developed by Quad Software dedicated for procedural and manual generation of large virtual outdoor worlds suitable for games and other 3D real-time simulation applications.- History :...

    is a professional outdoor scene modeler (terrain, water, vegetation) for games and other 3D real-time applications.

  • Houdini
    Houdini (software)
    Houdini is a high-end 3D animation package developed by Side Effects Software which is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. It is a rewrite of the PRISMS ecosystem of standalone tools. Its chief distinction from other packages is that it has been designed as a purely procedural environment...

    (Side Effects Software) is used for visual effects and character animation. It was used in Disney's feature film The Wild
    The Wild
    The Wild is a 2006 computer-animated film directed by Steve "Spaz" Williams, produced by Clint Goldman, assistant produced by Jim Burton and C.O.R.E...

    . Houdini uses a non-standard interface that it refers to as a "NODE system". It has a hybrid micropolygon-raytracer renderer, Mantra, but it also has built-in support for commercial renderers like Pixar's RenderMan and mental ray.

  • Inventor
    Autodesk Inventor
    Autodesk Inventor, developed by U.S.-based software company Autodesk, is 3D mechanical solid modeling design software for creating 3D digital prototypes used in the design, visualization and simulation of products...

    (Autodesk
    Autodesk
    Autodesk, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that focuses on 3D design software for use in the architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media and entertainment industries. The company was founded in 1982 by John Walker, a coauthor of the first versions of the company's...

    ) The Autodesk Inventor is for 3D mechanical design, product simulation, tooling creation, and design communication.

  • LightWave 3D
    LightWave
    LightWave 3D is a high end computer graphics program developed by NewTek. The latest release of LightWave runs on Windows and Mac OS X.- Overview:...

    (NewTek
    NewTek
    NewTek, Inc. is a San Antonio, Texas-based hardware and software company that produces live and post-production video tools and visual imaging software for personal computers...

    ), first developed for the Amiga, was originally bundled as part of the Video Toaster
    Video Toaster
    The NewTek Video Toaster is a combination of hardware and software for the editing and production of standard-definition and high-definition video in NTSC, PAL, and resolution independent formats on Commodore Amiga computers and subsequently on computers running the Windows operating system...

     package and entered the market as a low cost way for TV production companies to create quality CGI for their programming. It first gained public attention with its use in the TV series Babylon 5
    Babylon 5
    Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...

    and is used in several contemporary TV series. Lightwave is also used in a variety of modern film productions. It is available for both Windows
    Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

     and Mac OS X
    Mac OS X
    Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...

    .

  • MASSIVE is a 3D animation system for generating crowd-related visual effects, targeted for use in film and television. Originally developed for controlling the large-scale CGI battles in The Lord of the Rings, Massive has become an industry standard for digital crowd control in high-end animation and has been used on several other big-budget films. It is available for various Unix
    Unix
    Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...

     and Linux
    Linux
    Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...

     platforms as well as Windows
    Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

    .

  • Maya
    Maya (software)
    Autodesk Maya , commonly shortened to Maya, is 3D computer graphics software that runs on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS and Linux, originally developed by Alias Systems Corporation and currently owned and developed by Autodesk, Inc. It is used to create interactive 3D applications, including video...

    (Autodesk
    Autodesk
    Autodesk, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that focuses on 3D design software for use in the architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media and entertainment industries. The company was founded in 1982 by John Walker, a coauthor of the first versions of the company's...

    ) is currently used in the film, television, and gaming industry. Maya has developed over the years into an application platform in and of itself through extendability via its MEL
    Maya Embedded Language
    The Maya Embedded Language is a scripting language used to simplify tasks in Autodesk's 3D Graphics Software Maya. Most tasks that can be achieved through Maya's GUI can be achieved with MEL, as well as certain tasks that are not available from the GUI...

     programming language. It is available for Windows
    Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

    , Linux
    Linux
    Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...

     and Mac OS X
    Mac OS X
    Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...

    .

  • Modo
    Modo (software)
    modo is a polygon and subdivision surface modeling, sculpting, 3D painting, animation and rendering package developed by Luxology, LLC. The program incorporates features such as n-gons, 3D painting and edge weighting, and runs on Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows platforms.-History:modo was created...

    (Luxology
    Luxology
    Luxology, LLC is a software company having as its main product the 3D art software modo....

    ) is a subdivision modeling, texturing and rendering tool with support for camera motion and morphs/blendshapes.and is now used in the Television Industry It is available for both Windows
    Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

     and Mac OS X
    Mac OS X
    Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...

    .

  • Mudbox
    Mudbox
    Mudbox is a computer-based 3D sculpting and painting tool. developed by Autodesk, Mudbox was created by Skymatter, founded by former artists of Weta Digital, where it was first used to produce the 2005 Peter Jackson remake of King Kong...

    is a high resolution brush-based 3D sculpting program, that claims to be the first of its type. The software was acquired by Autodesk in 2007, and has a current rival in its field known as ZBrush (see above).

  • Mycosm is a high-quality virtual world development engine software that uses the open source Python programming language and currently runs on Windows using the DirectX engine. The software was released in 2011, and allows photo-realistic simulations to be created that feature physics, atmospherics, terrain sculpting, CG Foliage, astronomically correct sun and stars, fluid dynamics and many other vanguard features. Mycosm is created by Simmersion Holdings Pty. in Canberra, the capital of Australia.

  • NX (Siemens PLM Software
    Siemens
    Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...

    ) is an integrated suite of software for computer-aided mechanical design (mechanical CAM), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), and computer-aided engineering (CAE) formed by combining the former Unigraphics and SDRC I-deas software product lines. NX is currently available for the following operating systems: Windows XP and Vista, Apple Mac OS X, and Novell SUSE Linux.

  • Poser
    Poser
    Poser is a 3D CGI rendering and animation software program optimized for models that depict the human figure in three-dimensional form, mostly used to pose and animate the figures in a similar way as a mannequin...

    (Smith Micro) 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.

  • PYTHA 3D-CAD is a modeler that contains functions and tools for creating and editing 2D and 3D objects. Pytha is used in many industries including millwork, interior design, architecture, exhibition design and much more. Pytha also has the ability to produce CAM information as well as photo-realistic renderings.

  • RealFlow
    RealFlow
    RealFlow is a fluid and dynamics simulator for the 3D industry, created by Madrid-based Next Limit Technologies. Currently at version 2012, the stand-alone application can be used to simulate fluids, water surfaces, fluid-solid interactions, rigid bodies, soft bodies and meshes...

    simulates and renders particle systems of rigid bodies and fluids.

  • Realsoft3D Real3D Full featured 3D modeling, animation, simulation and rendering software available for Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and Irix.

  • Rhinoceros 3D
    Rhinoceros 3D
    Rhinoceros is a stand-alone, commercial NURBS-based 3-D modeling tool, developed by Robert McNeel & Associates. The software is commonly used for industrial design, architecture, marine design, jewelry design, automotive design, CAD / CAM, rapid prototyping, reverse engineering as well as the...

    is a commercial modeling tool which has excellent support for freeform NURBS editing.

  • Shade 3D
    Shade 3D
    Shade is a 3D modeling, rendering, and animation software program developed by E Frontier Japan and published by Mirye Software.-History:Shade was first published in Japan in the late 1980s, making it one of the oldest 3D applications on Mac OS and Windows. E Frontier, a Japanese software company...

    is a commercial modeling/rendering/animation tool from Japan with import/export format support for Adobe, Social Worlds, and Quicktime among others.

  • Silo
    Silo (software)
    Silo is a polygon/subdivision surfaces 3D modeling application created by Nevercenter. It has a focus on quick editing, a customizable interface , and a flexible workflow ....

    (Nevercenter
    Nevercenter
    Nevercenter Ltd. Co. is a private company founded in 2003 and based near Salt Lake City, Utah. The company is a small team devoted to the development of software for Windows, Mac, and mobile platforms...

    ) is a subdivision-surface modeler available for Mac OS X
    Mac OS X
    Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...

     and Windows
    Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

    . Silo does not include a renderer. Silo is the bundled in modeler for the Electric Image Animation System
    Electric Image Animation System
    The Electric Image Animation System is a 3D computer graphics package published by EIAS3D. It currently runs on the Mac OS X and Windows platforms.-History:Electric Image, Inc. was initially a visual effects production company...

     suite.

  • SketchUp
    SketchUp
    SketchUp is a 3D modeling program marketed by Google and designed for architectural, civil, and mechanical engineers as well as filmmakers, game developers,...

     Pro
    (Google
    Google
    Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...

    ) is a 3D modeling package that features a sketch-based modeling approach. It has a pro version which supports 2D and 3D model export functions among other features. A free version is integrated with Google Earth
    Google Earth
    Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...

     and limits export to Google
    Google
    Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...

    's "3D Warehouse", where users can share their content.

  • Softimage
    Softimage
    Softimage, Co. was a company located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that produced 3D animation software. Their flagship products, Softimage 3D and Softimage XSI, are used in the creation of computer animation for films, television advertisement, and video games...

    (Autodesk
    Autodesk Media and Entertainment
    Autodesk Media and Entertainment, formerly Discreet, is based in Montreal, Quebec as the entertainment division of Autodesk. This division produces software used in feature films, television commercials and computer games. It also provides products for management and distribution to complement its...

    ) (formerly Softimage|XSI) is a 3D modeling and animation package that integrates with mental ray
    Mental Ray
    mental ray is a production-quality rendering application developed by mental images . mental images was bought in December 2007 by NVIDIA.As the name implies, it supports ray tracing to generate images....

     rendering. It is feature-similar to Maya and 3ds Max and is used in the production of professional films, commercials, video games, and other media.

  • Solid Edge
    Solid Edge
    Solid Edge is a 3D CAD parametric feature solid modeling software. It runs on Microsoft Windows and provides solid modeling, assembly modelling and drafting functionality for mechanical engineers...

    ( Siemens PLM Software
    Siemens
    Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...

    ) is a commercial application for design, drafting, analysis, and simulation of products, systems, machines and tools. All versions include feature-based parametric modeling, assembly modeling, drafting, sheetmetal, weldment, freeform surface design, and data management. Application-programming interfaces enable scripting in Visual Basic
    Visual Basic
    Visual Basic is the third-generation event-driven programming language and integrated development environment from Microsoft for its COM programming model...

     and C programming
    C (programming language)
    C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....

    .

  • solidThinking
    SolidThinking
    solidThinking is a 3D modeling and rendering software, developed by solidThinking Inc. It is a CAID software, i.e...

    (solidThinking
    SolidThinking
    solidThinking is a 3D modeling and rendering software, developed by solidThinking Inc. It is a CAID software, i.e...

    ) is a 3D solid/surface modeling and rendering suite which features a construction tree method of development. The tree is the "history" of the model construction process and allows real-time updates when modifications are made to points, curves, parameters or entire objects.

  • SolidWorks
    SolidWorks
    SolidWorks is a 3D mechanical CAD program that runs on Microsoft Windows and is being developed by Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp., a subsidiary of Dassault Systèmes, S. A. . SolidWorks is currently used by over 1.3 million engineers and designers at more than 130,000 companies worldwide...

    (SolidWorks Corporation) is an application used for the design, detailing and validation of products, systems, machines and toolings. All versions include modeling, assemblies, drawing, sheetmetal, weldment, and freeform surfacing functionality. It also has support for scripting in Visual Basic
    Visual Basic
    Visual Basic is the third-generation event-driven programming language and integrated development environment from Microsoft for its COM programming model...

     and C
    C (programming language)
    C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....

    .

  • Spore
    Spore (2008 video game)
    Spore is a multi-genre single-player god game developed by Maxis and designed by Will Wright. The game was released for the Microsoft Windows and Macintosh operating systems in September 2008 as Spore...

    (Maxis
    Maxis
    Maxis is an American company founded as an independent video game developer in 1987. It is currently a subsidiary of Electronic Arts . Maxis is the creator of one of the best-selling computer games of all time, The Sims and its first sequel, The Sims 2...

    ) is a game that revolutionized the gaming industry by allowing users to design their own fully functioning creatures with a very rudimentary, easy-to-use interface. The game includes a COLLADA
    COLLADA
    COLLADA is a COLLAborative Design Activity for establishing an interchange file format for interactive 3D applications. COLLADA is managed by the nonprofit technology consortium, the Khronos Group....

     exporter, so models can be downloaded and imported into any other 3D software listed here that supports the COLLADA
    COLLADA
    COLLADA is a COLLAborative Design Activity for establishing an interchange file format for interactive 3D applications. COLLADA is managed by the nonprofit technology consortium, the Khronos Group....

     format. Models can also be directly imported into game development software such as Unity (game engine)
    Unity (game engine)
    Unity is an integrated authoring tool for creating 3D video games or other interactive content such as architectural visualizations or real-time 3D animations. Unity's development environment runs on Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X, and the games it produces can be run on Windows, Mac, Xbox 360,...

    .

  • Swift 3D
    Swift 3D
    Swift 3D is a computer software application program developed by Electric Rain that allows the user to create or import 3D models, animate or manipulate them, and export them for use in Adobe Flash documents....

    (Electric Rain) is a relatively inexpensive 3D design, modeling, and animation application targeted to entry-level 3D users and Adobe Flash
    Adobe Flash
    Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...

     designers. Swift 3D supports vector and raster-based 3D animations for Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight XAML.

  • Vue (E-on Software) is a tool for creating, animating and rendering natural 3D environments. It was most recently used to create the background jungle environments in the 2nd and 3rd Pirates of the Caribbean
    Pirates of the Caribbean
    Pirates of the Caribbean is a multi-billion dollar Walt Disney franchise encompassing a series of films, a theme park ride, and spinoff novels as well as numerous video games and other publications. The franchise originates with the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, which opened at Disneyland in...

     films.

  • ZBrush
    ZBrush
    ZBrush is a digital sculpting tool that combines 3D/2.5D modeling, texturing and painting. It uses a proprietary "pixol" technology which stores lighting, color, material, and depth information for all objects on the screen...

    (Pixologic) is a digital sculpting tool that combines 3D/2.5D modeling, texturing and painting tool available for Mac OS X
    Mac OS X
    Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...

     and Windows
    Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

    . It is used to create normal maps for low resolution models to make them look more detailed.

Free packages

  • 3D Canvas
    3D Canvas
    3D Canvas is a 3D modelling and animation tool developed by Amabilis. It is available in 3 different versions - 3D Canvas, 3D Canvas Plus, and 3D Canvas Pro. 3D Canvas is freeware, whereas the Plus and Pro upgrades cost. The upgraded versions allow for a larger number of import and export formats,...

     (now called 3D Crafter) is a 3D modeling and animation tool available in a freeware version, as well as paid versions (3D Canvas Plus and 3D Canvas Pro).
  • Anim8or
    Anim8or
    Anim8or is a freeware OpenGL based 3D modeling and animation program by R. Steven Glanville, a software engineer at NVidia. Currently at version 0.97, it is a compact program with several tools which would normally be expected in high-end, paid software...

     is a proprietary freeware 3D rendering and animation package.
  • Art of Illusion
    Art of Illusion
    Art of Illusion is a software package used for 3D modeling, texturing, ray tracing, and otherwise rendering computer generated imagery stills or animations ....

     is a free software package developed under the GPL.
  • AutoQ3D Community is not a professional CAD program and it is focused to beginners who want to make rapid 3D designs. It is a free software package developed under the GPL.
  • Blender
    Blender (software)
    Blender is a free and open-source 3D computer graphics software product used for creating animated films, visual effects, interactive 3D applications or video games. The current release version is 2.60, and was released on October 19, 2011...

     (Blender Foundation
    Blender Foundation
    The Blender Foundation is a non-profit organization responsible for the development of Blender, an open source program for three-dimensional modeling....

    ) is a free
    Free software
    Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...

    , open source
    Open source
    The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...

    , 3D studio for animation, modeling, rendering, and texturing offering a feature set comparable to commercial 3D animation suites. It is developed under the GPL
    GNU General Public License
    The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....

     and is available on all major platforms including Windows, OS X, Linux, BSD, Solaris and Irix
    IRIX
    IRIX is a computer operating system developed by Silicon Graphics, Inc. to run natively on their 32- and 64-bit MIPS architecture workstations and servers. It was based on UNIX System V with BSD extensions. IRIX was the first operating system to include the XFS file system.The last major version...

    .
  • Cheetah3D
    Cheetah3D
    Cheetah3d is a computer graphics program for 3D modelling, animation and rendering. It is written in Cocoa for Mac OS X. The program is aimed at beginning and amateur 3D artists. It offers a number of medium- and high-end features in conjunction with a relatively simple user interface. Its...

     is proprietary freeware for Apple Macintosh computers primarily aimed at amateur 3D artists with some medium- and high-end features
  • DAZ Studio
    DAZ Studio
    DAZ Studio is a 3D figure illustration/animation application released by DAZ 3D Inc. It is compatible with most files intended for use by Poser. It is available free of charge . Version 1.0 was released in Fall 2005. Version 4.0.0.335 is the current release as of June 29, 2011...

     a free 3D rendering tool set for adjusting parameters of preexisting models, posing and rendering them in full 3D scene environments. Imports objects created in Poser
    Poser
    Poser is a 3D CGI rendering and animation software program optimized for models that depict the human figure in three-dimensional form, mostly used to pose and animate the figures in a similar way as a mannequin...

     and is similar to that program, but with fewer features.
  • DX Studio
    DX Studio
    DX Studio is a complete integrated development tool for the creation of 3D video games, simulations or real-time interactive applications for either standalone, Web Based, Microsoft Office or Visual Studio use.-Development:...

     a complete integrated development environment for creating interactive 3D graphics. The system comprises both a real-time 3D engine and a suite of editing tools, and is the first product to offer a complete range of tools in a single IDE.
  • Evolver
    Evolver (3D Avatar Web Portal)
    The web site Evolver claims to be the first solution to provide a central portal to design, manage and transport 3D digital avatars. Evolver enables social media experience through "avatars or user's representation" across applications which use them, such as virtual worlds, video games and social...

     is a portal for 3D computer characters incorporating a human (humanoid) builder and a cloner to work from picture.
  • FaceGen
    FaceGen
    FaceGen is a 3D face-generating middleware produced by Singular Inversions. It is used where there is a need for a large number of different possible faces, either at random or from photographs...

     is a source of human face models for other programs. Users are able to generate face models either randomly or from input photographs.
  • Geist3D is a free software program for real-time modeling and rendering three-dimensional graphics and animations.
  • GMax
    Gmax
    Gmax is a 3D modeling application based on Autodesk's 3ds Max application used by professional computer graphics artists. Whereas 3ds Max is a comprehensive modeling, animation, and rendering package with some secondary post-production and compositing features, Gmax is much more limited due to its...

  • GPure
    GPure
    GPure is software application to prepare 3D scenes from Digital mockup for :* project review,* 3D animation,* content editing,* training tools ,* interactive technical documentation* physical simulation,...

     is a software to prepare scene/meshes from digital mockup to multiple uses
  • K-3D
    K-3D
    K-3D is a free 3D modelling and animation software. Despite its name it is not a KDE application. It features a plug-in-oriented procedural engine for all of its content...

     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.
  • MakeHuman
    MakeHuman
    MakeHuman is an Open Source software application that generates 3D humanoids.Features that make this software unique include a new, highly intuitive GUI and a high quality mesh, optimized to work in subdivision surface mode ....

     is a GPL program that generates 3D parametric humanoids.
  • MeshLab
    MeshLab
    MeshLab, is a free 3D mesh processing software program; MeshLab, started in late 2005, is an open-source general-purpose system aimed to help the processing of the typical not-so-small unstructured 3D models that arise in the pipeline of processing of the data coming from 3D scanning...

     is a free Windows
    Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

    , Linux
    Linux
    Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...

     and Mac OS X
    Mac OS X
    Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...

     application for visualizing, simplifying, processing and converting large three dimensional meshes to or from a variety of 3D file formats.
  • NaroCAD a fully fledged and extensible 3D parametric modeling CAD application. It is based on OpenCascade. The goal of this project is to develop a fully fledged and extensible 3D CAD software based on the concept of parametric modeling of solids, comparable to well known solutions.
  • OpenFX
    OpenFX
    OpenFX is an Open-Source, free modeling and animation studio, distributed under the GNU General Public License, created by Dr. Stuart Ferguson. He made the decision to release the source code to the public in the middle of 1999 and released a stable version a year and a half later...

     is a modeling and animation studio, distributed under the GPL.
  • Seamless3d
    Seamless3d
    Seamless3d is open source 3D modeling software free and available for all under the MIT license.The models for the virtual reality world, Techuelife Island were created using Seamless3d technology...

     NURBS based modelling and animation software with much of the focus on creating avatars optimized for real time animation. It is free, open source
    Open source
    The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...

     under the MIT license.
  • trueSpace
    TrueSpace
    TrueSpace is a freeware 3D computer graphics and animation software developed by Caligari Corporation, bought-out by Microsoft. As of May 2009, it has been officially discontinued, but with some 'unofficial support' up to February 2010, at least.- History :The company was founded in 1985 by Roman...

    (Caligari Corporation
    Caligari Corporation
    Caligari Corporation was founded in 1985 by Roman Ormandy. A prototype 3D video animation package for the Amiga Computer, which led to the incorporation of Octree Software in 1986. From 1988 to 1992, Octree released several software packages including Caligari1, Caligari2, Caligari Broadcast, and...

    ) is a 3D program available for Windows
    Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

    , although the company Caligari first found its start on the Amiga platform. trueSpace features modeling, animation, 3D-painting, and rendering capabilities. In 2009, Microsoft purchased TrueSpace and it is now available completely free of charge.
  • Wings 3D
    Wings 3D
    Wings 3D is a free, open source, subdivision modeler inspired by Nendo and Mirai from Izware. Wings 3D is named after the winged-edge data structure it uses internally to store coordinate and adjacency data, and is commonly referred to by its users simply as Wings.Wings 3D is available for most...

     is a BSD-licensed, subdivision modeler.

Renderers

  • 3Delight
    3Delight
    3Delight is a proprietary, photorealistic, RenderMan-compliant offline renderer.It is developed by DNA Research, or DNA in short, a subsidiary of Taarna Studios.-Features:...

     is a proprietary RenderMan
    RenderMan Interface Specification
    The RenderMan Interface Specification, or RISpec in short, is an open API developed by Pixar Animation Studios to describe three-dimensional scenes and turn them into digital photorealistic images...

    -compliant renderer.
  • Aqsis
    Aqsis
    Aqsis is a free rendering suite compliant with the RenderMan standard. It is available under the GPL, with some parts under the LGPL. Its main author and project manager is Paul Gregory....

     is an free and open source rendering suite compliant with the RenderMan standard.
  • Brazil
    Brazil R/S
    Brazil Rendering System is a proprietary commercial plugin for 3D Studio Max and Autodesk VIZ. Created by SplutterFish. It is capable of high quality photorealistic rendering using fast ray tracing and global illumination....

     is a rendering engine for 3ds Max, Rhino
    Rhinoceros 3D
    Rhinoceros is a stand-alone, commercial NURBS-based 3-D modeling tool, developed by Robert McNeel & Associates. The software is commonly used for industrial design, architecture, marine design, jewelry design, automotive design, CAD / CAM, rapid prototyping, reverse engineering as well as the...

     and VIZ
  • FinalRender is a photorealistic renderer for Maya and 3Ds Max developed by Cebas, a German company.
  • FPrime
    FPrime
    FPrime is a popular previewing tool and rendering engine for LightWave 3D. Its rendering method is unique in the fact that it continuously refines images until the user manually specifies that the image is of adequate quality...

     for Lightwave adds a very fast preview and can in many cases be used for final rendering.
  • Gelato
    Gelato (software)
    Gelato is a hardware-accelerated, offline renderer created by graphics card manufacturer Nvidia. It was originally intended for use with its Quadro FX GPU, although a Quadro class GPU is no longer a requirement, as it now also supports GeForce cards. Designed to produce film-quality images, Gelato...

     is a hardware-accelerated, non-real-time renderer created by graphics card manufacturer NVIDIA.
  • Indigo Renderer
    Indigo Renderer
    Indigo Renderer is a 3D rendering software that uses unbiased rendering technologies to create photo-realistic images. In doing so, Indigo uses equations that simulate the behaviour of light, with no approximations or guesses taken...

     is an unbiased photorealistic renderer that uses XML for scene description. Exporters available for Blender
    Blender (software)
    Blender is a free and open-source 3D computer graphics software product used for creating animated films, visual effects, interactive 3D applications or video games. The current release version is 2.60, and was released on October 19, 2011...

    , Maya
    Maya (software)
    Autodesk Maya , commonly shortened to Maya, is 3D computer graphics software that runs on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS and Linux, originally developed by Alias Systems Corporation and currently owned and developed by Autodesk, Inc. It is used to create interactive 3D applications, including video...

     (Mti), form•Z
    Form-Z
    form·Z is a computer-aided design tool developed by AutoDesSys for all design fields that deal with the articulation of 3D spaces and forms and which is used for 3D modeling, drafting, animation and rendering.-Overview:...

    , Cinema4D, Rhino
    Rhinoceros 3D
    Rhinoceros is a stand-alone, commercial NURBS-based 3-D modeling tool, developed by Robert McNeel & Associates. The software is commonly used for industrial design, architecture, marine design, jewelry design, automotive design, CAD / CAM, rapid prototyping, reverse engineering as well as the...

    , 3ds Max.
  • Kerkythea
    Kerkythea
    Kerkythea is a standalone rendering system that supports raytracing and Metropolis light transport, uses physically accurate materials and lighting — and is distributed as freeware...

     is a freeware rendering system that supports raytracing. Currently, it can be integrated with 3ds Max, Blender, SketchUp, and Silo (generally any software that can export files in obj and 3ds formats). Kerkythea is a standalone renderer, using physically accurate materials and lighting.
  • LuxRender
    LuxRender
    LuxRender is an open source software rendering system for physically correct image synthesis. The program runs on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux and exporters are available for Blender, SketchUp, Cinema 4D, XSI, DAZ Studio, and Maya.-Overview:...

     is an unbiased open source rendering engine featuring Metropolis light transport
    Metropolis light transport
    The Metropolis light transport is a SIGGRAPH 1997 paper by Eric Veach and Leonidas J. Guibas, describing an application of a variant of the Monte Carlo method called the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm to the rendering equation for generating images from detailed physical descriptions of three...

  • Maxwell Render
    Maxwell Render
    Maxwell Render is a software package that aids in the production of photorealistic images from computer 3D model data; a 3D renderer. It was introduced as an early alpha on December 2004 and it utilized a global illumination algorithm based on a metropolis light transport variation.- Overview...

     is a multi-platform renderer which forgoes raytracing, global illumination and radiosity in favor of photon rendering with a virtual electromagnetic spectrum, resulting in very authentic looking renders. It was the first unbiased render to market.
  • mental ray
    Mental Ray
    mental ray is a production-quality rendering application developed by mental images . mental images was bought in December 2007 by NVIDIA.As the name implies, it supports ray tracing to generate images....

     is another popular renderer, and comes default with most of the high-end packages. (Now owned by NVIDIA)
  • NaroCAD is a fully fledged and extensible 3D parametric modeling CAD application. It is based on OpenCascade.
  • Octane Render
    Octane Render
    -Integration with other software:Octane Render comes with free plugins for the following software:* Autodesk 3ds Max* Autodesk Maya* Autodesk Softimage* MAXON Cinema 4D* Google Sketchup* Blender * Luxology Modo...

     is an unbiased GPU-accelerated renderer based on Nvidia
    NVIDIA
    Nvidia is an American global technology company based in Santa Clara, California. Nvidia is best known for its graphics processors . Nvidia and chief rival AMD Graphics Techonologies have dominated the high performance GPU market, pushing other manufacturers to smaller, niche roles...

     CUDA
    CUDA
    CUDA or Compute Unified Device Architecture is a parallel computing architecture developed by Nvidia. CUDA is the computing engine in Nvidia graphics processing units that is accessible to software developers through variants of industry standard programming languages...

    .
  • Pixar
    Pixar
    Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...

    's PhotoRealistic RenderMan
    PhotoRealistic RenderMan
    PhotoRealistic RenderMan, or PRMan for short, is a proprietary photorealistic RenderMan-compliant renderer.It primarily uses the Reyes algorithm but is also fully capable of doing ray tracing and global illumination....

     is a renderer
    Rendering (computer graphics)
    Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model , by means of computer programs. A scene file contains objects in a strictly defined language or data structure; it would contain geometry, viewpoint, texture, lighting, and shading information as a description of the virtual scene...

    , used in many studios. Animation packages such as 3DS Max and Maya can pipeline to RenderMan to do all the rendering.
  • Pixie
    Pixie (renderer)
    Pixie is a free , photorealistic raytracing renderer for generating photorealistic images, developed by Okan Arikan in the Department of Computer Science at The University of Texas At Austin...

     is an open source photorealistic renderer.
  • POV-Ray
    POV-Ray
    The Persistence of Vision Raytracer, or POV-Ray, is a ray tracing program available for a variety of computer platforms. It was originally based on DKBTrace, written by David Kirk Buck and Aaron A. Collins. There are also influences from the earlier Polyray raytracer contributed by its author...

     (or The Persistence of Vision Raytracer) is a freeware (with source) ray tracer written for multiple platforms.
  • Sunflow
    Sunflow
    Sunflow is an open source global illumination rendering system written in Java.The current status of the project is unknown, but the last announcement on the program's official page was made in 2007.-External links:***...

     is an open source, photo-realistic renderer written in Java.
  • Turtle (Illuminate Labs
    Illuminate labs
    Illuminate Labs is a Swedish software company based in Gothenburg, founded in 2002 and specializing in video games lighting. The company produces two middleware products called Beast and , based on their proprietary LiquidLight technology. Autodesk, Inc...

    ) is an alternative renderer for Maya, it specializes in faster radiosity and automatic surface baking technology which further enhances its speedy renders.
  • VRay is promoted for use in the architectural visualization field used in conjunction with 3ds max and 3ds viz. It is also commonly used with Maya.
  • YafRay
    YafRay
    YafaRay is a free, open source ray tracing program that uses an XML scene description language. It has been integrated into the 2.49 version of the 3D modelling software Blender, but requires an exporter for the redesigned 2.5 version of Blender....

     is a raytracer/renderer distributed under the LGPL. This project is no longer being actively developed.
  • YafaRay YafRay's successor, a raytracer/renderer distributed under the LGPL.

Related to 3D software

  • Swift3D is the marquee tool for producing vector-based 3D content for Flash. Also comes in plug-in form for transforming models in Lightwave or 3DS Max into Flash
    Adobe Systems
    Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...

     animations.
  • Match moving
    Match moving
    In cinematography, match moving is a visual-effects, cinematic techniques that allows the insertion of computer graphics into live-action footage with correct position, scale, orientation, and motion relative to the photographed objects in the shot...

     software is commonly used to match live video with computer-generated video, keeping the two in sync as the camera moves.
  • After producing video, studios then edit
    Film editing
    Film editing is part of the creative post-production process of filmmaking. It involves the selection and combining of shots into sequences, and ultimately creating a finished motion picture. It is an art of storytelling...

     or composite
    Compositing
    Compositing is the combining of visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are parts of the same scene. Live-action shooting for compositing is variously called "chroma key", "blue screen", "green screen" and other names. Today,...

     the video using programs such as Adobe
    Adobe Systems
    Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...

     Premiere
    Adobe Premiere Pro
    Adobe Premiere Pro is a timeline-based video editing software application. It is part of the Adobe Creative Suite, a suite of graphic design, video editing, and web development applications developed by Adobe Systems, though it can also be purchased separately. When purchased separately, it comes...

     or Apple
    Apple Computer
    Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...

     Final Cut
    Final Cut Pro
    Final Cut Pro is a non-linear video editing software developed by Macromedia Inc. and then Apple Inc. The most recent version, Final Cut Pro X, runs on Mac personal computers powered by Mac OS X version 10.6.7 or later and using Intel processors...

     at the low end, or Autodesk Combustion, Digital Fusion, Apple
    Apple Computer
    Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...

     Shake
    Shake (software)
    Shake is a discontinued image compositing package used in the post-production industry. Shake was widely used in visual effects and digital compositing for film, HD and commercials. Shake exposes its node graph architecture graphically. It enables complex image processing sequences to be designed...

     at the high-end.
  • MetaCreations
    MetaCreations
    MetaCreations was a computer software company founded in 1997 by the mergers of MetaTools, Fractal Design Corporation, Ray Dream, Specular, and RTG...

     Detailer and Painter 3D are discontinued software applications specifically for painting texture maps on 3-D Models.
  • Simplygon
    Simplygon
    Simplygon is a 3D computer graphics software for automatic 3D-optimization, based on proprietary methods for creating Level of detail LODs, through smart Polygon mesh reduction and other optimization techniques....

     A commercial mesh processing package for remeshing general input meshes into real-time
    Real-time computer graphics
    Real-time computer graphics is the subfield of computer graphics focused on producing and analyzing images in real time. The term is most often used in reference to interactive 3D computer graphics, typically using a GPU, with video games the most noticeable users...

     renderable meshes.
  • Pixar Typestry
    Typestry
    Typestry is an abandonware 3d software program released in the 1990s by Pixar for Apple Macintosh and Windows-based PC computer systems. Unlike general purpose modellers and renderers, Typestry concentrated on rendering and animating text entered by the user in multiple fonts. The fonts were...

     is an abandonware 3D software program released in the 1990s by Pixar for Apple Macintosh and DOS-based PC computer systems. It rendered and animated text in 3d in various fonts based on the user's input.

Discontinued, historic packages

  • Alias Animator and PowerAnimator
    PowerAnimator
    PowerAnimator and Animator, also referred to simply as "Alias", the precursor to what is now Maya and StudioTools, was a highly-integrated industrial 3D modeling, animation, and visual effects suite. It has had a long track record, starting with Terminator 2: Judgment Day in 1991 and ending in Star...

     were high-end 3D packages in the 1990s, running on Silicon Graphics (SGI)
    Silicon Graphics
    Silicon Graphics, Inc. was a manufacturer of high-performance computing solutions, including computer hardware and software, founded in 1981 by Jim Clark...

     workstations. Alias took code from PowerAnimator, TDI Explore and Wavefront to build Maya
    Maya (software)
    Autodesk Maya , commonly shortened to Maya, is 3D computer graphics software that runs on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS and Linux, originally developed by Alias Systems Corporation and currently owned and developed by Autodesk, Inc. It is used to create interactive 3D applications, including video...

    . Alias|Wavefront was later sold by SGI to Autodesk
    Autodesk
    Autodesk, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that focuses on 3D design software for use in the architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media and entertainment industries. The company was founded in 1982 by John Walker, a coauthor of the first versions of the company's...

    . SGI had originally purchased both Alias and Wavefront in 1995 as a response to Microsoft’s acquisition and Windows NT port of the then popular Softimage
    Softimage
    Softimage, Co. was a company located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that produced 3D animation software. Their flagship products, Softimage 3D and Softimage XSI, are used in the creation of computer animation for films, television advertisement, and video games...

     3D package. Interestingly Microsoft sold Softimage in 1998 to Avid Technology
    Avid Technology
    Avid Technology, Inc. is an American company specializing in video and audio production technology; specifically, digital non-linear editing systems, management and distribution services. It was created in 1987 and became a publicly traded company in 1993...

    , from where it was acquired in 2008 by Autodesk as well.
  • CrystalGraphics
    CrystalGraphics
    CrystalGraphics is the developer of the PowerPoint sharing website PowerShow.com, as well as templates and plug-ins for PowerPoint and Office products. Some of CrystalGraphics' products include PowerPoint templates, 2D and 3D special-effects, video backgrounds, charting, animations and other add-ons...

     Topas was a DOS and Windows based 3D package between 1986 and the late 1990s.
  • Intelligent Light was a high-end 3D package in the 1980s, running on Apollo/Domain
    Apollo/Domain
    Apollo/Domain was a range of workstations developed and produced by Apollo Computer from circa 1980 to 1989. The machines were built around the Motorola 68k family of processors, except for the DN10000, which had from one to four of Apollo's RISC processors, named PRISM.-Operating system:The...

     and HP 9000
    HP 9000
    HP 9000 is the name for a line of workstation and server computer systems produced by the Hewlett-Packard Company . The native operating system for almost all HP 9000 systems is HP-UX, a derivative of Unix. The HP 9000 brand was introduced in 1984 to encompass several existing technical...

     workstations.
  • Internet Space Builder, with other tools like VRMLpad and the viewer Cortona, was a full VRML edition system, published by Parallel Graphics, in the late 1990. Today only a reduced version of Cortona is available.
  • MacroMind Three-D
    MacroMind
    MacroMind was an Apple Macintosh software company founded in Chicago in 1984 by Marc Canter, Jay Fenton and Mark Stephen Pierce. The company's first product was SoundVision, a combined music and graphics editor. Before the release, the graphics editor was removed, and SoundVision became MusicWorks...

     was a mid-end 3D package running on the Mac in the early 1990s.
  • MacroMind Swivel 3D Professional
    MacroMind
    MacroMind was an Apple Macintosh software company founded in Chicago in 1984 by Marc Canter, Jay Fenton and Mark Stephen Pierce. The company's first product was SoundVision, a combined music and graphics editor. Before the release, the graphics editor was removed, and SoundVision became MusicWorks...

     was a mid-end 3D package running on the Mac in the early 1990s.
  • Symbolics S-Render
    Symbolics
    Symbolics refers to two companies: now-defunct computer manufacturer Symbolics, Inc., and a privately held company that acquired the assets of the former company and continues to sell and maintain the Open Genera Lisp system and the Macsyma computer algebra system.The symbolics.com domain was...

     was an industry-leading 3D package by Symbolics in the 1980s.
  • TDI (Thomson Digital Images) Explore was a French, high-end 3D package in the late 1980s and early 1990s, running on Silicon Graphics (SGI) workstations, which later was acquired by Wavefront before it evolved into Maya.
  • Wavefront Advanced Visualizer
    The Advanced Visualizer
    The Advanced Visualizer , a 3D graphics software package, was the flagship product of Wavefront Technologies from the 1980s until the 1990s.-History:...

     was a high-end 3D package between the late 1980s and mid-1990s, running on Silicon Graphics (SGI) workstations. Wavefront first acquired TDI in 1993, before Wavefront itself was acquired in 1995 along with Alias by SGI to form Alias|Wavefront.

See also

  • Comparison of 3D computer graphics software
    Comparison of 3D computer graphics software
    3D computer graphics software refers to programs used to create 3D computer-generated imagery.-General information:This is a chart on basic comparative elements that is based on the raw software without the inclusion of additional plugins....

  • 3D data acquisition and object reconstruction
    3D data acquisition and object reconstruction
    3D data acquisition and reconstruction is the generation of three dimensional or spatiotemporal models from sensor data. The techniques and theories, generally speaking, work with most or all sensor types including optical, acoustic, laser scanning, radar, thermal, seismic.-Acquisition:Acquisition...

  • 3D modeling
    3D modeling
    In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical representation of any three-dimensional surface of object via specialized software. The product is called a 3D model...

  • Computer-aided design
    Computer-aided design
    Computer-aided design , also known as computer-aided design and drafting , is the use of computer technology for the process of design and design-documentation. Computer Aided Drafting describes the process of drafting with a computer...

  • Game development tool
    Game development tool
    A game development tool is a specialized software application that assists or facilitates the making of a computer or video game. Some tasks handled by tools include the conversion of assets into formats required by the game, level editing and script compilation.Almost all game development tools...

  • Game engine
    Game engine
    A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...

  • Level editor
    Level editor
    A level editor is a software tool used to design levels, maps, campaigns, etc and virtual worlds for a video game. In some cases the creator of a video game releases an official level editor for a game, but other times the community of fans step in to fill the void...

  • List of 3D graphics software
  • Render farm
    Render farm
    A render farm is a computer cluster built to render computer-generated imagery , typically for film and television visual effects, using off-line batch processing. This is different from a render wall, which is a networked, tiled display used for real-time rendering...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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