Blender is a robust 3D computer graphics software toolset delivering an extensive range of capabilities to artists. Free, open-source, and supported across multiple OS, it’s an enticing choice for 3D creations.
Blender Top Features
3D Modelling: Shape, sculpt and artistically tweak digital objects.
Digital drawing: Craft beautiful 2D artwork with precision.
Sculpting: Flex your creativity with intuitive sculpting tools.
Animation: Animate models for compelling visual narratives.
Video Editing: Professional features for whole video production pipeline.
Feature
Description
Supported OS
Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, Haiku.
File formats
Supports Alembic, 3DS, FBX, DXF and more.
Blender Institute
Community root with 26 full-timers and 12 freelancers.
Blender Limitations
Blender Game Engine: Deprecated in 2.8 release…
Blender Internal: Removed in 2.80 release favoring Eevee renderer.
Blender Pricing
Revel in the freedom of creativity without price restrictions. Yes, Blender is free and open-sourced!
Blender Use Cases
Use case 1: Animated Films
With Blender, breathe life into your characters and scenes. It’s a potent tool for designing stunning animated films.
Use case 2: Visual Effects
Visual effects production scales new heights with Blender’s potent motion graphics capabilities.
Use case 3: 3D-Printed Models
Create intricate 3D-printed models effortlessly with Blender’s comprehensive 3D modelling suite.
Substance Painter
Substance Painter by Allegorithmic is a powerful 3D painting tool, often compared to Adobe Photoshop for 3D digital painting work. Highly utilized in the gaming industry by renowned companies like Capcom and Activision, it offers top-notch texturing capabilities.
Substance Painter Top Features
Advanced masking and procedural texturing tools
Capability for 8k texture baking
PBR material workflows in real-time
combines painting on 2D maps and 3D models in the 3D viewport
Brush, eraser, masking options for texture designs
Supports Painting Across UV Tiles
Interface Similar to 3D Software Packages & Photoshop
Substance Painter Disadvantages
Requires a polygonal model properly UV unwrapped for painting
Priced higher for individual game developers
Possible considerations for offering bundled with Substance Designer for $700
Substance Painter Pricing
Substance Painter positions at a higher price point for individual game developers. It’s comparatively cheaper than Mari, and equatable to 3D-Coat, Mudbox.
Substance Painter Use Cases
Use case 1
Ideal for use in gaming industry. Companies alike Capcom and Activision leverage its texture modeling capabilities for developing high-profile game textures.
Use case 2
Substance Painter finds utility in the creation of digital three-dimensional art, providing both basic and advanced features.
Use case 3
Asset selling on the Steam Store is achievable with its beta license, making it a valuable choice for game artists and developers.
ZBrush
Step into the world of ZBrush, a prominent digital sculpting software revered by professionals in the gaming, film, and animation industries. Offering a rich suite of 3D modeling, texturing, and painting tools, ZBrush is renowned for building not just art pieces, but realistic characters.
ZBrush Top Features
Sculptris Pro: Ideal for hatching out organic shapes and adding details to your model
Dynamesh: Simplifies the addition of complex details ensuring a constant, uniform distribution of polygons
ZRemesher: Automatic retopology tool to optimize your model
PolyPaint: Allows painting directly on a model’s surface without assigning a texture map
PolyGroupIt: Serves for easy grouping of the mesh
Gizmo 3D: For intuitive manipulation of the objects in 3D space
Feature
Description
Anatomical Sculpting
Sculpt the perfect characters from scratch, down to realistic skin, hair, and clothing details
Hard Surface Sculpting
Create complex shapes, helmet panels, and other intricate designs
Character Modeling and Posing
Build and pose characters with anatomical precision for a highly immersive visual experience
ZBrush Downsides
The user interface can prove to be complex for beginners
Lacks inbuilt rendering options, thus often requiring a support tool like Photoshop
It can be resource-intensive, requiring a high-performance computer for optimal functionality
ZBrush Use Cases
Use Case 1 – Game Development
ZBrush is instrumental in game development. With ZBrush, artists can create detailed animal characters or high-realistic dinosaur figures, enriching the overall gaming experience.
Use Case 2 – Film and Animation
In the film and animation industry, ZBrush can create lifelike characters and intricate environments significantly contributing to the visual narrative.
Use Case 3 – Educational Platforms
Educational platforms such as Udemy, Skillshare, and Cineversity often leverage ZBrush for creating comprehensive courses on 3D model sculpting, animation, texturing and more.
Open Brush
For creative minds operating in a 3-dimensional realm, Open Brush, an evolution of Google’s Tilt Brush, steps up the game in VR painting. Originally commercial, yet now an open-source player, this platform enables 3D painting within an immersive virtual environment you can mold as per your artistic vision.
Open Brush Top Features
Creation of colored strokes that function as paint and 3D geometries.
An array of stroke modification options, including mirroring, recoloring, and erasing.
Supports VR and mixed reality hardware via Unity’s XR plugin framework.
Compatibility with the Meta Quest for painting in mixed reality via the OpenXR extension.
Ability to export sketches in different formats aiding creativity integration into apps like Blender or Maya.
Aspect
Details
Version Enhancements
Open Brush 2.0 boosts interactive performance, introduces layers and pressure sensitivity, shoots up frame rates, and supports OpenXR extensions.
Tools
The introduction of two new tools, Snip and Join, allows artists to manipulate strokes easily.
Community Development
Open Brush’s open-source status facilitates community-led improvements and support.
Open Brush Limitations
Limited interactive performance in its desktop application operating in monoscopic mode on Windows or Mac.
Dependency on community-led project for the continuation of development may result in irregular updates.
Open Brush Pricing
Free to use and open-source – a generous offering amplifying its appeal among professionals and hobbyist artists alike. Its source code is accessible under an Apache 2.0 license for individuals or groups who wish to contribute to its development.
Open Brush Use Cases
Use case 1: Professional Artists
Professional artists can leverage Open Brush’s advanced features to create intricate 3D sketches, with freedom to prepare lights, cameras, and background. Well-known artist VR_Painter uses Open Brush as a primary tool.
Use case 2: Game Developers
Game developers can integrate their artwork directly into game engines, courtesy of Open Brush’s dedicated Unity SDK. Export options include popular formats such as glTF, FBX, USD, and JSON.
Use case 3: Mixed Reality Enthusiasts
For Meta Quest users, Open Brush provides an opportunity to paint in mixed reality via the OpenXR extension, leading to an immersive and interactive experience.
Tilt Brush
As a 3D painting VR App that Google acquired in 2015, Tilt Brush offers a unique and immersive 3D design experience. It was initially developed by the renowned Skillman & Hackett and has since received several awards.
Tilt Brush Top Features
3D Drawing: Designed for use with 6DoF motion interfaces, Tilt Brush allows users to draw in a 3D virtual environment.
Versatile Export Options: Creations can be exported as various file formats including .gltf, .fbx, .obj, .usd, .wrl, .stl, and native .json files.
Interactive Creations: Users can further enhance their creations by making animated GIFs, MPEG videos, or 360-degree videos.
Feature
Description
Open Source
Tilt Brush was developed as an open-source version, with its source code available for free on GitHub.
Multi-user Version
A multi-user version allows for a social painting adventure, enhancing the users’ experience.
Unique Materials
Offers a variety of painting materials, including fire, stars, and snowflakes, for unique creativity in VR.
Tilt Brush Downsides
The keyboard and mouse version is strictly for development purposes and is not made available to the public.
In light of Google discontinuing VR projects, Tilt Brush has been transitioned to an open-source project and is now called Open Brush.
Tilt Brush Pricing
Tilt Brush, now known as Open Brush, has been turned open-source after Google discontinued its VR projects, which means it’s available for free on GitHub.
Tilt Brush Use Cases
Use Case 1: Animation
The 3D painting capability of Tilt Brush can be applied in animation, creating unique scenes and characters.
Use Case 2: Multiplayer Experiences
Tilt Brush is perfect for multiplayer experiences. Its multi-user version brings social interaction in a painting adventure.
Use Case 3: Commercial Creatives
With a Steam site license necessary for commercial use, creatives can use Tilt Brush to create unique VR designs for their businesses.
Maya
Meet Maya, a high-performing Autodesk property, used extensively in creating graphics for the film, television, and interactive 3D industries. Powered by sophisticated technology from its earlier versions such as TDI Explore and Alias Sketch, Maya has carved its path since 1998 as a leading 3D graphics application. Its integration with various platforms such as Windows, macOS, and Linux extends its accessibility.
Maya Top Features
2D drawing and 3D modeling: Encapsulating a versatile range of functionalities, Maya allows for in-depth 2D drawings and immersive 3D modeling.
NURBS modeling system: Ideal for creating intricate shapes and complex designs.
Animation capability: With its advanced functionality, Maya enables creation of precise and realistic animations.
Mental Ray: A cutting-edge integrated renderer known for features like global illumination and subsurface scattering.
Detailed texturing and lighting: Allows for comprehensive texture mapping and effective lighting design.
Feature
Benefit
Adopted user interface
Fulfilment of custom needs, result of a request from Disney
Data import/export
Enhances compatibility and data flow
Advanced rigging system
Creation of realistic, interactive 3D models
Maya Downsides
May require significant training given its complex nature
Higher pricing compared to some competitors
Maya Pricing
Maya offers a variety of pricing options. Monthly and yearly subscriptions cater to different needs, with a special pricing tier for businesses earning less than $100,000. It also extends a free trial and an educational license.
Maya Use Cases
Use case 1
Maya has been adopted by big film/fantasy franchises such as Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings for creating rippling visual effects.
Use case 2
In the business world, multinational professional services giants like Accenture and Dell leverage Maya for its high-quality 3D graphical capabilities.
Use case 3
For educators and students, Maya’s educational license provides a platform to learn and create with its all-encompassing features.
Tiffany Brise
Content writer @ Aircada, patiently awaiting a consumer AR headset that doesn’t suck.
