Zbrush:
Zbrush has been a phenomenon ever since it's second release! It's one of the best organic modeling tools out there (dare I say THE BEST). It is a 2.5D and well as a full 3D design tool and works on the concept of Pixols. Most of the users initially make basic meshes in other polygonal modeling software and then import it into Zbrush to add as much detail as they can possibly imagine. Another great thing about Zbrush is that it can handle about a billion polygons on screen without any slowdowns whatsoever and retains its real time model editing capabilities! (Try pushing the limit so high in MAX or Maya and watch them crumble). It also features a full texturing and real time painting tools to paint on top of the model as well as on the canvas. Every type of bump maps or any other type of displacement you want to apply to your model is all done in real time. If you have a Tablet PC, then sculpting becomes a real joy in this software and it fits like a glove for most artists. The only downsides have to be that Zbrush is purely a modeling software and is not used for animation. Zbrush has become the standard in most Hollywood as well as videogame productions as an integral part of the development pipeline. It has been used in movies like Pirates of the Carribean and games like Rainbow Six Vegas and Doom 3.
Official Website: Pixologic
Image by Valadiseco at Zbrushcentral.com
Blender:
It is really amazing that Blender is actually a full fledged 3D design package which includes everything from modeling tools, sculpting brushes, animation and rigging tools as well as a full rendering pipelines all for FREE! Yes free! It's opensource and its awesome! Blender also contains a fully customizable interface that has a high learning curve but once you are used to it, it becomes a part of a natural workflow. You can also make your own games inside Blender by using its game engine and the software also supports Python scripting. Another great thing about Blender is that it works on Windows, Linux, Max, Sun Solaris, SGI as well as FreeBSD! You can view the video from Elephant's Dream which was entirely made in Blender at the end of this section.
Official Website: Blender.org
Image by Furumaru
Silo 3D:
At just $159, Silo 3D is one of the fast 3D modeling tools you will get in the market! It's entire user interface is completely customizable as well as skinnable. The workflow for Silo has been extremely customized and it makes sure that you get the work done in the fewest mouse clicks possible. It also contains it's famous Topology tools to create and sketch new topology over an existing mesh. Silo also allows its users to both model using the standard tools as well as sculpting tools to add further detail. Silo has also been getting really rave reviews for it's excellent toolset, workflow and streamlined interface. The only thing is lacks is probably animation tools since it is a purely modeling software (it's not really a con I think, since it was never meant to be anything other than a modeling software)
Official Website: Nevercenter
From the Nevercenter Gallery
Terragen:
Terragen is the best terrain visualization software on the market. It was designed by Planetside and has also been used in movies like Star Trek Nemesis for the creation of entire planets! The realism of the renders is something to behold, they really are photorealistic. The software can also export the generated terrain to a heightmap which can be imported into other software for further editing. The next version of Terragen is currently under production and also enables users to import objects onto their visualized terrain. The software can also render things like god rays, volumetric clouds, realistic fog, day/night environments as well as realistic oceans.
Official Website: Planetside
From the official Planetside Gallery
The above four software packages are my favorite when it comes to modeling and animation but there are many other options you can look into as well:
- Wings 3D (Opensource 3D Modeler) Official Website: Wings3D
- POV Ray (An opensource ray tracer) Official Website: POVRay
- Carrara 6 Official Website: Daz Productions
- Vue 6 Official Website: E-On Software
- Bryce 5 Official Website: Daz Productctions
