Animation & Game Design Software Recommendations and Profiles

Programs to consider:

The 3D animation industry seems dominated by industry giants such as Autodesk 3ds Max and Maya that have been competing at the top of their field for over a decade. These software packages are humongous in size and price, but largely thanks to the rise of the Internet in the past five years, an entirely free and open source option has emerged. If you haven’t worked with Blender yet, then you’re a few clicks away from owning an application that every animator should have and learn.

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Maya – or Autodesk Maya as it’s now officially known as – has had quite the interesting path in the 3D software industry. Filled with a background of mergers, it serves as a great example of why 3D artists always need to keep up to date with their ever-evolving work environment. Known for being a top tier animation competitor in the film industry, here’s what aspiring 3D animators need to know about Maya.

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Few animation programs offer as much to professionals and amateurs alike as Flash does. What started as a simple piece of software at the dawn of the dial-up era helped shaped the Internet as we know it today, and has even been responsible for dozens if not hundreds of cartoon shows on television. Instead of being a complex software kit that focuses on one job, Flash can also be used to make games, Web ads, and entire Websites. No matter what your end goal in the animation industry is, Flash should be your first step.

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3D Studio Max is the software behemoth that arguably has cast the largest shadow in the industry year after year for the past decade, but the competition sure has become dramatically closer in recent years. Despite the quickly evolving market, 3ds Max continues to fight for the throne and still boasts top of the line 3D capabilities for each of its many professional media uses.

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