Written by Benoît Saint-Moulin
Date : 2007-11-07 01:58:00

If you ever wanted starting in 3D creation today, you probably need to know with which 3D applications package with you will feel better and which is the most suitable for you and business ?

Many new CG artists try many softwares before really starting their 3D business, that's of courses the best solution to try out and know if you feel coMfortable with one than other, so after you can't know all specs of all 3D softwares when starting in 3D...

Here is a comparison table with cons. and pro. for the most know today top industries 3D applications. This table isn't intended to be complete with all softwares features available but try to surround the common today 3D cg artist tasks.

All softwares listed in this table was deeply tested during a total of about 12 months, during this 12 months,  I installed all releases and Service pack (EDU, PLE, full softwares,...) and try to use all of listed softwares to do the same work with when I created my students classroom projects like (Motion,  Realtime, Mag.Print, Architecture, Lowpoly, texturing,...)

I used all of this 3D applications in 10 past years, when I was working for companies in CG area, now it's relativly easy for me to switch from one to others and I have a good feeling with softwares interfaces...of courses that's always a long and a painfull tasks to switching but when you learned 2 or more package in 3D applications, technical features is always the same, the most difficult is to know where to found !

As I'm now CG Teacher / Educator, I will always say to my students the most important isn't the package, but technical understanding and that's a triangle will always have... 3 vertices :-) as in Autodesk 3ds max, NewTek LightWave, Blender,...

Also switching from one applications to others often is bad because you lose you feeling and way of works. When you are ready with one just stay on, don't listen to the sirens ! Each 3D applications is good and no one can be better than an others, today all 3D package can do all your dreams, you just must have ideas to do...

3D DCC applications analyses from 12 last months :

First thanks to all 3D pro and geek who re read my work and give me a lot of feedback ! Artists who read this articles are from many CG area and differents countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden,  USA, Vietnam,...) , all of this reader have used more than one 3D applications before jump into business.

I also was in contact (Phone call or emails) with peoples(2 or 3 usually) who working in each listed softwares company to avoid mistakes, I was requested functions knowledges, sometimes SDK, discussed about imports/exports common troubles, interface ergonomic, parameters finetune,...

The tested applications is base package with the low prices for starting in 3D, of courses many softwares listed have highend production version available !

Here is few how-to tested parts (in no order) :

• Modeling Speacker using polygons and splines

• Procedural and bitmaps materials, how applications can handle heavy materials scenes ?

• How is easy to found / assign or to re-use datas ? Drag and Drop, libraries, assets,...

• Fine tune lights parameters, using lights layers, IES data, include/Exclude, negative lights, softshadow, area shadow,...

• Backward compatibilities with old softwares releases import and getting back maximum datas

• Stability when modeling and manipulating (vertex, polygons, edges,...) high polygons datas (Maximum in this test was 2 millions polygons scenes)

• Rendering quality using default render

• Speed of rendering for web (550x450 antialiased pictures), broadcast (720x576, motion blur 5, motion AA), print (A3 200 DPI) render quality

• Imports Silo3D 2.0 and Zbrush 2.5 Objetcs with high SubD sculpted meshes

• Assign default bones and wire quick IK setup

• N-Sided Quidam models import with ready rig and materials

• Get back motion capture data from FBX and Point Oven, cleanup motion key datas (Datas are from friends in film productions / motion capture / motion builder)

• Fcurves and motion mixer testing with datas I get back from animator

• Working with OpenEXR and HDRI import/export pictures

• Use env. with xStream from Vue 6

• Imports OBJ, 3DS, Collada and FBX scenes and try getting back importants datas (lights, cameras, materials,...)

• Imports Moi3D IGES nurbs models

• CAD DXF and DWG (when possible)  imports with layers

• Texture backing and re-apply it to projects before realtime exports

• Exports scenes to 3D realtime VRML and X3D

• Unwrap toolset and PeltMapping on human head and organic models

• Datas exchange between xStream Vue 6 ! (OpenGL feedback and rendering quality/time)

• Flash SWF exports for the web with and/or without plugins

• Basic meshes scripting to do some rotation/translate, move along path and camera targetting

• ...

	Autodesk 3ds max 9 SP2	Autodesk Maya complete 8.5	Blender 3D 2.45	Luxology Modo 301	Maxon Cinema4D R 10.1	Newtek Lightwave 9.3	Softimage XSI Foundation 6.2
First market	Viz - Games	Games - Film	VIZ - Realtime	Viz - Games	Motion - Design	VFX - VIZ w/LWCAD	Animation - Game - Film
End user prices *	5,000 €	2,500 €	FREE	745 €	800 €	800 €	450 €
Annual subscription	Yes	Yes	None	None	None	None	None
Platforms
PLE	None	Yes	NA	None	None	None	None
Trial	Yes	Yes	NA	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Languages	FR EN	EN	A lots but EN is best	EN JP	CZ EN FR GE IT PL SP JP	EN JP	EN JP
Languages Switch	None	None	All include	None	All include	None	None
Industries populated	Very good	Very good	Low	Low	Good	Very good	Good
Technologies Core Aged	Old	Old	Old / Re-new	Modern	Old / Re-new	Old / Re-new	Modern
Learning path to be productive	< 2 months	< 3 months	< 3 months	< 1 month	< 1 month	< 2 months	< 2 months
Company support for single users	Low / Good	Good	Communities	Very good	Very good	Very good	Very good
Supports reactivities for single users	Good	Good	Communities	Very good	Excellent !	Very good	Low
Interface	CAD style, Clean and powerful	Like a Forge, flexible and powerful, but not intuitive !	Not as CG "industries" standard - Fast workflow, can be more intuitive	Excellent !	Clean and intuitive	A bit old, texts interface.	Logical texts and clean interface !
Documentations	Good	Excellent !	Good	Very good, (many videos)	Very good	Excellent ! (Shaders manual !)	Very Good
DVD training	Good	Very good	Low	Good	Low	Very good	Good
TOP Import / Export needed by industries
3DS	Very good	Very good	Good	Low	Very good	Good	Low
COLLADA	Very good	Very good	Very good	Good	None	None	Very Good
FBX	Very good	Very good	Very good	Very good	Very good	Good	Very Good
OBJ	Very good	Very good	Good	Very good	Very good	Good	Good
VRML / X3D	VRML 97	VRML 2	VRML 1 & 97	X3D	VRML 2	VRML 97	Plugin
Point Oven	Plugin	Plugin	90% working	Yes	None	Plugin	Very good
DXF	Very good	Good	Low	Yes	Good	Good	Plugin
IGES	Good	Low	None	None	Plugin	None	Good
STL	Very good	Very good	Good	None	Very good	Plugin	None
Output compositing	RPF RLA EXR	RPF RLA EXR	EXR	EXR	RPF RLA EXR	RPF RLA EXR	EXR
Rendering
Rendering	Internal, Mentalray	Internal, Mentalray	Internal	Internal	Internal	Internal	Mentalray
Quality	Excellent !	Excellent !	Good	Excellent !	Good	Excellent !	Excellent !
Must have render plugin	Vray	Vray	Yafray / Indigo	None	Adv.Render	None	3Delight
Quality w/plugin	Excellent !	Excellent !	Very good	NA	Very good	Excellent !	Excellent !
Textures Baker	Very good	Very good	Good	Excellent !	Very good	Excellent !	Very good
Top base package for industries need ! ( ** are only available in Highend Package only ! )
Animation tools (IK, Char Rig, Bones, Controller, Blending,...)	Very good	Excellent !	Good	Low	Good	Good	Excellent !
UV tools (Unwrap, Pelt...)	Very good	Excellent !	Excellent !	Excellent !	Excellent !	Good	Excellent !
Painting	None	Very good	Low	Excellent !	Excellent !	None	Very good**
Modeling	Excellent !	Very good	Good	Very good	Very good	Excellent !	Excellent !
Modifiers	Excellent !	Very good	Good	Very good	Good	Good	Very good
NURBS	Low	Very good	Low	None	None (HyperNurbs)	None	Very good
Dynamics / Rigid bodies	Very good	Excellent !	Very good	None	Very good**	Very good	Excellent !**
Soft bodies	Very good	Very good	Good	None	Good**	Good	Very good
Hairs	Very good	Very good**	Good	None	Very good**	Good	Very good**
Cloths	Very good	Very good**	Good	None	Very good**	None	Very good
Particles	Excellent !	Very good	Good	None	Good	Very good	Very good
Fluids	None	Very good**	Very good	None	None	Good	Good
Compositing	None	None	Yes	None	None	Yes	Excellent !**
Nodes-Based Workflow	None	Yes	None	None	None	None	None
Nodes-Based Materials	Plug-ins	Yes	Yes	None	None	Excellent !	Excellent !
Nodes-Based Compositing	None	None	Yes	None	None	None	Excellent !**
CG shader / Games	Excellent !	Excellent !	Yes	None	None	Yes	Excellent !
Top unique feature	Biped ParticlesFlow	PaintFX Fluids** Nucleus	3DRT Sculpting Video edit	Painting Render Sculpting	Bodypaint	Hypervoxel Render !	Anim tools Gator Illusion**
Scripting	Good	Excellent !	Very good	Excellent !	Good	Good	Excellent !
Scripting Dev.	Maxscript	MEL, Python	Python	Perl, Lua, Python	EXPRESSO COFFEE	LScript	Vb, Python, Jscript
C/C++ Dev.	Good	Very good	Very good (opensource)	None	Very good	Very good	Good
Vue 6 xStream plugin	Low	Good	None	None	Good	Excellent !	Excellent !
The dark side !	Price, no new features !	Learning curve	Interface / documentations	No char Anim tools	Default render	Rig tools	Imports Exports
All you need for Film / Production Ready ?
Package	Standard	Unlimited	Standard with a lots scripts	Standard	Studio	Standard	Essential
Prices *	5,000 €	8,500 €	Free	745 €	3,200 €	800 €	2,500 €
All you need for Freelance / Designer Ready ?
Package	Standard	Complete	Standard	Standard	Bundle	Standard	Foundation
Prices *	5,000 €	2,500 €	Free	745 €	2,500 €	800 €	450 €
All you need for EDU / Student ready ?
Package	Standard	Ulimited	Standard	Standard	Bundle	Standard	Advanced
Prices *	130 €	250 €	Free	125 €	180 €	230 €	220 €
Can I Found a jobs with ?
VIZ / Design	Excellent !	Good	Good	Good	Excellent !	Good	Low
Film	Good	Excellent !	Low	Low	Low	Very good	Excellent !
VFX / Motion	Good	Excellent !	Good	Low	Good	Excellent !	Excellent !
Game	Excellent !	Very good	Low	Good	Low	Good	Very good
Web designer	Low	Low	Good	Good	Excellent !	Good	Low
3D Realtime / VR	Excellent !	Very good	Very good	Good	Low	Good	Low
Users communities and popularity ?
Nord America	Excellent !	Excellent !	Good	Excellent !	Good	Very good	Excellent !
Europe	Very good	Excellent !	Very good	Excellent !	Good	Good	Good
Asia	Very good	Good	Low	Good	Low	Very good	Excellent !
My last words ?
3ds max	By far the most well know and used 3D dcc applications in the industries all around the world, so the prices for freelance is too much expenssive and old core based. The Bad since version 7 is the price vs poor new features, evolving !
Maya	One of the most know by popularity in the Film and VFX industries. Maya downside's is on learning curve interface not intuitive and !
Blender	A good all around application first for freelance. Blender downside's is on interface, who is not today "industries" common (no drag & drop, poor intuitive tools,...) and structured / centralised documentations, so it's the best free all arround solution.
Modo	Probably the most modern 3D software and it is being developed rapidly. Very affordable and has a super strong user community. Multi-threading and a super flexible user interface And 3D sculpting tools!
Cinema4D	Very good all around application suitable for freelance/designer best quality tools for the price ! Not enough popular yet !
LightWave	An old but very powerful suitable first for VFX and VIZ market. LightWave downside's is on Rig tools, so Render engine and shaders are the best you can found !
Softimage XSI	No doubt for the prices the Foundation is the best all around, so Imports/Exports is the dark side, but for 450 euro you can't get better (exlude Blender for free !)

^{* Please note that prices (correct in April 2007) do not include VAT, any annual fees or subscription costs and are rounded !}

^{* This article was last updated on 08/03/27.}

Conclusions :

As you view each softwares have their strong and weaks parts !

Of courses he is always users who are defending their favourite applications opposed to others,  this comparison table isn't writed in this way, I don't wont here to push an application more than others and had try to stay independant / free from softwares editors, of courses each softwares editor naturally prefer to be the best, so for now there is not, all is bad and good, that's depend on what's you want to do and your working area.

I already know this articles bring me head Fireball and Thunder from softwares editors :) but I hope they read this article to improve their softwares or fix the wrong !

I also hope my goal is reach with this table and a long hard work, I hope you get more ideas on what's solutions is the most suitable for you !

If you want discsuss or give your comments about this articles, feel free to do on this forum thread.

Links :

• Autodesk - 3ds max & Maya
• Blender Foundation - Blender 3D
• Luxology - Modo
• Maxon - Cinema4D
• NewTek - LightWave
• Softimage - XSI

Copyrights :

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