Their are many pieces of software available for working in 3D. Each software generally caters to a particular audience, CAD (Computer Aided Design) software is designed for engineering and drafting purposes, 3D Rendering software such as Maya or 3D Studio Max are designed to create images and animations for screen or print with varying degrees of realism. Many of the different files from the software can be ported between the various programs. Here is a listing of some of the available software.
Maya (Autodesk) is currently the leading animation program for cinema; nearly every studio uses it. It is known as 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 the default mentalray. Autodesk, makers of 3ds max, has recently acquired Alias—the original creator of Maya. Maya comes in two versions: Maya Complete and Maya Unlimited. There is also Maya Personal Learning Edition, which is for non-commercial use and puts watermarks on any rendered images.
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 to the computer/video industry is its entrenched support network and its many plugins. 3ds Max is also widely used in architectural visualizations because it goes hand-in-hand very well with AutoCAD—also developed by Autodesk.
Blender (Blender Foundation) is a free 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/softbody dynamics, hardbody dynamics and fluid simulation; node based texturing and node based compositing; an integrated non linear video editor; and integrated game engine. 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). Has a unique interface which can make it hard to start learning. to see what Blender can do take a look at Elephants Dream
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 OS.
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 extremely large polygon counts. Electric Image Animation System is also well known for being extremely reasonable 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 increasing 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. Yet, formZ supports Plugins and Scripts and has advanced rendering support via Next Limit's Maxwell Renderer. formZ has extensive Import/Export capabilities and it has been around since 1991 and it is available for both Mac OS X and Windows. 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.
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 other programs, and Lightwave introduced many concepts which have later 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.
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.
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.
Silo (Nevercenter) is a subdivision-surface modeler available for Mac OS X and Windows, with a Linux OS version in development. Silo does not include a renderer. 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
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.
Terragen 2 (TG2) is now the primary development focus of Planetside Software. TG2 is a complete rewrite of Terragen from scratch, and is a significant advance beyond the capabilities of Terragen v0.9. Apart from being a much more powerful renderer, TG2 has a much more flexible architecture which will allow development to proceed at a considerably greater pace. Core Features Terragen 2 features the following as part of its core architecture : * Cutting-edge adaptive subdivision renderer. * Modular, plugin-based architecture. * Render entire planets, sweeping vistas, tiny rock gardens, or anything in between. * Import 3D objects for rendering. Export high resolution objects. * Render millions of boulders or trees using "instancing"; even billions of virtual objects * Add multiple heightfields to your scene. Use procedural terrains that can span an entire planet. * Apply almost "infinite" fractal detail to terrain and other objects. * Overhanging terrain using procedural displacements, image-based displacements, or imported geometry. * Volumetric clouds or fast "2.5D" clouds. * Production quality anti-aliasing and motion blur.
TrueSpace (Caligari Corporation) is a feature-rich 3D package with modeling, animation, 3D-painting, and it is rather easy to learn and excellent for beginners.
ZBrush (Pixologic) is a digital sculpting tool that combines 3D/2.5D modeling, texturing and painting tool available for Mac OS X and Windows.