Poser pro software update#
Poser pro software trial#
Poser pro software professional#

Poser pro software professional#

Lightwave has a ways to go to recover a share of the saturated 3D animation market, but remains a viable, well-supported, powerful tool for those looking for a complete, professional package.

Poser pro software update#

Rendering remains Lightwave's highlight, though even the most recent update lacks render passes, limiting the ability to tweak during post-production. Recent improvements in speed and ease-of-use have brought character animation in Lightwave up to par with Maya or Softimage. Like most of the other 3D applications mentioned in this article, the learning curve is steep for newbies, but the strong user base means that there is plenty of support for anyone wanting to dive in. Today, it is commonly used by smaller companies for 'small' CGI jobs, such as title sequences. Though it has been used in both film (Matrix Reloaded) and television (Babylon 5), it has lost market share to Autodesk's suite of products. Since then, Lightwave has moved on to be a popular all-in-one CGI solution. Lightwave's origin was as the 3D component of the Amiga-based Video Toaster.

Poser pro software trial#

Maya and Softimage both have free trial products that give users a chance to try before you buy.Ĭon: Very expensive, high system requirements, non-beginner friendly learning curves. Pro: Industry-standards, complete packages, wide support. Choosing which one to buy and/or learn now largely boils down to a matter of user preference, as all three are expensive (Softimage is the least so, at about $2500.00), have steep learning curves and have high computing requirements. Where each app might have served a particular market best, the lines between them are rapidly blurring. Though all three products have a great deal of overlap and can be argued to be three flavors of the same application, each has a very dedicated and vocal following. Softimage also offers developers the use of ICE (Interactive Creative Environment), which gives users the ability to extend the application via a node-based dataflow diagram, essentially creating 3D effects and tools without having to write a script. While it lacks some of the features and plugins of the more established Autodesk products, Softimage's workflow and UI are generally considered to be superior of that of Maya. Softimage is increasingly popular among animators in the film, gaming and advertising industries. Recent updates give 3ds Max painting tools it previously lacked and plugins are widely available as both official and unofficial additions to the base product.Īutodesk purchased Softimage XSI from Avid in 2008 and dropped the XSI from the name. Its interface is regarded as more user-friendly and intuitive than Maya's, and the application is able to create multiple figures quickly, a great asset for game developers. Maya's visual effects are considered excellent.ģds Max traditionally serves the gaming niche. Rendering is one of Maya's strong points, with animators able to render their creations with photo realistic results. Using integrated-nodes, animators can create and edit 3d models, and then animate them. Maya is used in television, films and video games. Which one is the 'right' one? Like a car, the answer will vary with the user.Īutodesk has captured a very large part of the professional-level 3D application market share with three well-known, comprehensive products. Those differences will be reflected in the varying prices, from cheap to mortgage-payment high. Horsepower, extras and reputation will be the factors that make up the difference between them. Even though there are many choices, every model is going to offer the essential function of getting you to from point A to B.

For the budding 3D animator, choosing the 'right' animation program is a bit like choosing a car.