Best 3D animation software

3D animation is a discipline that combines art and technique, tremendously important in sectors such as entertainment, videogames, advertising or art. Knowing how to choose the best 3D animation software is therefore essential when you want to bring characters and ideas to life efficiently and get the most out of every minute of work.

Nowadays it is possible to find a multitude of software options that can be useful for this type of task, but knowing which ones are the best will not only save you time, it will also allow you to achieve better results and take advantage of everything you learn in our classes!

What animation software is there?

The fact that there are different 3D animation programmes means that the features offered by each one can be very different, which in turn offers a wide range of options depending on what your needs are and what exactly you are looking for.

The fact that there are different softwares provides diversity, and knowing their functionalities when choosing them is very advantageous for your animation projects, visual effects, video game development or any other application.

Autodesk Maya

This set of tools allows both animation and modelling as well as high quality 3D simulations and renderings. It allows the creation of hyper-realistic characters and incredible effects, which makes it widely used in industries such as film, television and video games. It's not cheap and it doesn't have a gentle learning curve, but its capabilities make it a perfect choice if you want the highest quality results.

Autodesk 3ds Max

This animation, modelling, simulation and rendering tool is one of the most popular among 3D animation professionals. It has a wide variety of plugins that allow you to customise your experience to the maximum, as well as other resources that speed up your work enormously.

It excels in the modelling of all types of elements and in obtaining impressive results in rendering.

Blender

This integral tool for 3D creation also offers modelling, animation, simulation, rendering and video editing functions, all in a single software. One of its great attractions is that it is among the Open Source 3D animation programmes, which has two great advantages: it is constantly improving thanks to the many developers who invest time and effort in it, and it is also free to use, which makes it an excellent test bench for the students of our 3D Animation, Games and Interactive Environments VET course.

Houdini

Houdini is one of the most widely used 3D animation programs today, and one of the main reasons for this is its ability to perform procedural effects. In other words, it makes it easy to create complex visual effects, dynamic simulations and particle systems.

Its node-based architecture allows for the creation of highly refined and reusable workflows, flexibly adapting to the needs of projects of any scale. The great advantage of using Houdini during your 3D programming training is that it is very likely to be the software you will encounter once you enter the job market, which will make things much easier for you.

Cinema 4D

Cinema 4D is very popular among motion graphics creators and 3D designers for two main reasons: it's cheap and it's very easy to use. The software offers a robust set of tools for modelling, animation, and rendering, putting efficiency and workflow speed first.

With Cinema 4D, you can achieve high-quality results with relative ease, making 3D content creation a more accessible process for designers and animators of all skill levels, especially if they are just starting out.

Akeytsu

Akeytsu stands out from other 3D animation software because of its simplified approach to rigging and character animation. Its intention could not be more transparent: to make the animation process more accessible by removing many of the traditional complexities associated with giving characters expressiveness and body movement.

What is the best software for 3D animation?

Choosing just one among the top 3D animation programs is not easy, as one may stand out from the rest in a number of features, but lack others that make its competition shine.

Even so, it is true to say that Autodesk Maya, Autodesk 3ds Max, Blender and Cinema 4D are a step ahead, although the growth that Houdini has experienced in recent years cannot be ignored. However, if we had to choose just one, we cannot ignore the fact that Maya is the only one with an Oscar for its great contributions to the world of cinema.

In UDIT's Bachelor's Degree in Animation, you will learn to use Autodesk Maya, Autodesk 3ds Max and Blender in internships that will allow you to build your portfolio while you train withrenowned professionals such as Manuel Sirgo, director of the Degree and winner of a Goya Award for Best Animated Short Film.