The best software for 3D modeling
- Autodesk 3DS Max
- Rhino
- blender
- Zbrush 2019
- Autodesk Maya.
Creating 3D models once required expensive software running specialized operating systems and specialized hardware. Not anymore.
Most computers nowadays have enough graphical performance to model sufficiently complex designs, such as a building interior or an object for 3D printing…
And where applications once required special training and maintenance contracts, there are now many free or inexpensive tools that can help create complex shapes and mechanisms easily and efficiently.
Through this evolution, 3D modeling software has evolved into specialized tools for product prototyping, visual effects, modeling and architectural design…
Whatever type of 3D output you need, there is an application that is perfect for this task and a way to develop the skills needed to use it effectively.
- Autodesk 3DS Max
The all-in-one modeler for content creators
Versatile Modeler. The tool of choice for game creators. Amazing plug-ins. Can’t be stable. Expensive
The original Autodesk 3D Studio ran under DOS in 1988, but the current 3DS Max (formerly 3DS Studio Max) has been a Windows tool since 1996.
As a 3D modeling system, it is especially popular among those who create animations, game resources and simulations.
Standard features include skeletons and inverse kinematics, clothing modeling, skins, and character control for bipedal movements.
If the software isn’t to support the feature or rendering mode you want, an extensive system of plug-ins allows third-party plug-ins to add this to 3DS Max. Some of these plug-ins are free, but the best ones are paid.
For modeling purposes, 3DS Max supports conventional polygon construction, NURBS, and chunky surfaces.
Images can be produced using a very wide range of rendering systems, including Renderman, created by Pixar and Mental Ray.
- NURBS
When Rhino first appeared, most 3D modeling systems did basic geometry and offered some splines, but almost none could handle NURBS.
NURBS surfaces that can bend in more than one plane are important for accurately modeling the body of a vehicle or aircraft. And, Rhino is the undisputed king of NURBS.
Available for both Mac and PC, Rhino 6 can sculpt objects, adapt LIDAR scans, work with meshes from other systems, and even render scenes using ray tracing.
Like 3DS Max, there’s also a plug-in and a sophisticated platform for developers who want to create new ones. Along with plug-ins, there is a scripting language that allows you to automate complex detailing or modification processes.
But even if you’re not a software developer, you can create advanced functionality with Grasshopper, a tool for creating form generation algorithms without writing code.
Overall, this product is excellent for prototyping mechanical parts or creating conceptual designs and then turning them into physical elements with 3D printing.
Using this tool in anger, our only reservations about it are that for someone coming from a more traditional modeling environment, this learning curve can be steep.
- Blender
Blender is one of those tools that anyone can try out and use without worrying about cost or upgrading…
From the beginning, it has been an open-source 3D creation tool that can be used for free, even commercially…
While other tools focus on modeling or rendering parts of the 3D process, Blender provides the entire pipeline from modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking to video editing…
It even has a 2D animation pipeline if you need to combine 2D elements with 3D models.
There was a time when Blender was the domain of hobbyists wanting to create animated space battles or giant robot movies, but now it has evolved to the point where many commercial companies use it to create effects elements for high-budget movies.
Because the source code for this software is open source, a large community of developers has emerged who have expanded the functionality of Blender to compete with some of the more expensive solutions.
The pipeline aspect of this tool is ideal for team use, where artists can work on their part of a scene and then watch it merge with elements created by others.
The latest feature is real-time rendering using the EEVEE engine, bridging the gap between what was previously possible in real time and those effects that required exclusively offline processing.
- Zbrush 2019
Photorealistic renderingLarge selection of pluginsLinear designSubscription-only head
Zbrush is a radical departure from the conventional approach to modeling objects in 3D, as it uses a brush system that allows designers to shape virtual clay in real time…
It is popular in a wide variety of industries, especially in film and game development, as well as among conceptual artists…
The object construction system allows you to create interesting new shapes rather than painstakingly recreating existing objects in three-dimensional space…
The objects created by Zbrush tend to have a handmade feel, and the system can be used with pressure-sensitive pens and graphics tablets to help with the organic nature of this modeling method.
Another artist-friendly feature is the non-linear production path that allows you to return the design to a previous iteration, make changes, and then transfer it again. This flexibility allows mistakes, changes in thinking, or design evolution to be part of the process.
Right now you can get Zbrush either as a perpetual license or through a subscription model, but we suspect it will soon be subscription only.
- Autodesk Maya
Professional results, professional costs.
Autodesk Maya was one of the first commercial 3D rendering systems to introduce hair and fur, and remains the industry standard for creating and modeling characters in 3D…
Maya, available for Windows PCs, Apple Mac and Linux, is the software equivalent of a wizard’s hat, from which you can extract almost anything.
Its strengths lie in creating and moving characters, as well as modeling natural elements such as water, fire, sandstorms and explosions. The latest release now includes procedural Bifrost effects, allowing you to create complex elements using dynamic solvers.
Once the scene is created and the effects defined, photorealistic rendering is available using the Arnold RenderView system for stunningly realistic results.
If you want to get an idea of what Maya can do, then check out Stranger Things, as Mind Flayer from Season 2 was created and presented in this software…
The cost per seat in Maya is $1,545 a year, or $195 a month, just like 3DS Max, also from Autodesk.