3D Computer Animation Software - Not Cheap, And You'll Need A New Computer Too
3D computer animation software is one of the most progressive of all software fields. With major Hollywood animation studios and video game developers pushing the development of modeling and rendering tools, rarely does a month pass without the announcement of a development in the software or the hardware which runs that software. By far, the most computer intensive of all 3d processes is the rendering process, which uses the computer’s power to take the animator's models and add the required lighting and depth effects, as well as coloring each individual pixel.
3d animation software can cost you anything from nothing to many thousands of dollars. However it is often surprising what you can actually buy. Pixar, the creators of Toy Story and Monsters Inc and many other full length and short films, developed their own software to render the images and produce the high level of quality that they needed. The development costs of that software, called RenderMan, ran into millions of dollars, but you can now buy RenderMan for under $1000. However, there is a catch. It comes as a plugin for Maya which costs $2000, or $7000 for an unlimited license version.
If you are serious about 3d animation, you can download a personal learning edition of Maya 7.01 (the current version of Maya is 8.5). This comes with most of the features enabled, but does add a watermark to any images that are created. Although this can’t be used for commercial use it is a great way to get valuable experience with a top of the line 3D animation tool. The 3D software currently rated as the best available by most knowledgeable insiders is Cinema 4D Studio, produced by Maxon. Costing almost $3500, it also comes with a demo version which will allow you to test the functions before buying. As with most 3D software tools, there are different versions, so you may find that you don’t need to buy the latest, most expensive edition to achieve the results you want.
The recommended hardware for many of the animation software packages tend to be a very recent CPU, a graphics card running open GL and 1 gig of ram. In reality, you'll probably find that this specification tends to be on the low side, and most packages will require at least 2 GB of ram to render smoothly. The more powerful computer you run the software on the better. Also make sure to check that the 3D animation software is compatible with your operating system, as although many will support MAC OS, windows XP and Vista, and various Linux operating systems, not all of them do.
Animation School Privacy Policy Legal Information Contact Us
|