9 programs to create your own 3D animations

3D animations occupy a piece of our hearts. But truth be told: how awesome would it be not to be able to create our own stories? For great wills, there are no obstacles. All it takes is an idea in your head and the tools. And they do exist, from beginners to professionals, the world of animation is just a step away.

Some companies have recently made editing programs available for 3D animations. And, before something that was considered elitist and worthy of major Hollywood studios like Pixar, Disney e Dreamworks began to share space with the first independent efforts of creators with access to these same tools. If 3D animation is the future, we can all be part of it.

3D animations: a brief history

3D animation is not a recent phenomenon. His first successful attempt was with Toy Story in 1996. But things took a while to heat up. After all, if the 90s is considered the Golden Age of animation with the second "Boom" da Disney, the birth of Studio Ghibli and the efforts of Fox in this segment, we can consider that the 2010s opened the doors for 3D animation.

With the emergence of princesses of Disney completely revamped in 3D technology to the revival of old favorites with Incredibles 2 (2018), there is much to be explored and stimulated in this new chapter that begins. No wonder, with the fourth chapter of the franchise Toy Story already scheduled for June 21st, it's no wonder how much animations from Pixar mess with our imagination.

A good example of this is the Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse (2018), absolute public and critical success, being the great undisputed winner of the last season of awards in the category Best Animation.

Such was the animation of the Sony with the results obtained with the franchise that the Japanese company's panel in CES 2019 was dedicated to recognized values ​​around the need to supply creators, whoever they may be, with the best working tool. That said, let's get to know them:

Maya

Why not start with that program that is a reference? This is the case of Maya, property of Autodesk and which is currently the industry standard for computer generated 3D animations, games and effects used in live entertainment and TV shows.

O Maya it is always being updated and has so many features that it is the perfect program for those who are striving to become professional animators. It is, without a doubt, the software preferred by many filmmakers as it allows a wide range of shading and lighting effects.

Another point in its favor is that it is easily customizable and you can integrate it into it. with and third-party extensions. It's very efficient. But not everything is perfect. Starting with its price. So if you're a student or aren't going to use all your resources, it's quite possible that you'd better think about other options.

O Maya costs $1,995 and is available for Mac OSX e Windows.

lightwave

lightwave is a very professional 3D animation software. It is mainly used to create animations and special effects.

O with comes with a lot of features and requires a lot of learning before you can master it. But this is not a hindrance. The results are worth the effort. The best part is that it comes with a 30-day free trial and is compatible with all the latest operating systems.

The quality of the animations is also of a high standard and the speed with which you can create animations is worthy of nora. However, it's not cheap.

O lightwave costs $995 and is available for both Mac OSX as Windows.

3D Studio Max

This is another wonderful with 3D animation of Autodesk, the owners of Maya. Although it is more popular among designers and industrial architects, she slowly transitioned into the world of film and video games. It is more suitable for 3D game development, unlike Maya, which is better for animations.

However, it is one of software most expensive 3D animation on our list and only big studios can probably afford it. O 3D Studio Max costs $3,495 and is available for Mac OSX e Windows.

Blender

You are less likely to see this with studios, but if you're working on a budget or simply doing 3D animations for your projects, the Blender is exactly what you need.

It's perfect for creating simple drawings as well as other small 3D animation projects. how is a with simpler, it does not match the tastes of the Maya and lightwave in terms of quality and features, but it's a good with by itself.

Best of all, the Blender é Free and is available for both Mac OSX as Windows.

SmartBody

Another who plays for the team software free, the SmartBody It's the indispensable type of program and we can tell you why: it helps you capture movements. Is there a resource more necessary than this?

Powered by USC Institute, this program is all about action-oriented 3D animations like: locomotion, driving, object manipulation, lip syncing, contemplation, non-verbal behavior and redirection. You can manipulate spaces and make your characters perform from simple actions like waving to more complex ones like, for example, having a glass of water.

It is worth remembering that this program has a powerful built-in scanner, which makes everything even more effective and, why not, fun. O SmartBody is free and available for Mac OSX, Windows, Linux, Android e iOS.

Terragen

O Terragen It's not exactly free, but it's part of the price range that fits your budget. What he does? 3D landscapes. The most beautiful and detailed 3D landscapes. Not 3D animations, but 3D landscapes. But that's all.

This is the kind of program that is worth purchasing if you want rich detailing for your project, and it's worth the price. If you're still in your early days as an animator, chances are this will be your next big investment.

O Terragen costs $345 and is available for Mac OSX, Windows e Linux.

Poser

This one is also another program with just one goal. Here you can create a variety of characters with 3D animation detail worthy of major Hollywood studios. With a friendly price that varies for beginners and professionals, what counts here is democracy.

The program already provides a standard housing for you to start working and, from there, the sky is the limit.Poser costs $129 in the standard version and $349 for the Pro version. is available for Windowif Mac OS.

way

way was developed for professionals in the VFX (visual effects) and design industries. compared to some other with of 3D animations, the way it's relatively easy to learn. Its highlights are surface modeling of polygons and subdivisions, a particle engine, and procedural animation.

Some of the animation tools are designed to appeal to artists who are used to 2D animation software. For example, the spacing chart that lets you manage key and intermediate poses to quickly create animations.

Mode is available for $1299 and is compatible with Mac OSX, Windows e Linux.

What are the software that caught your attention the most? Any favorites? Are you missing any? Share with us in the comments.