How to become a 3D animator. Part 2 What 3D program to choose?

Hello to all readers of the blog Olston3d ! AT the first part of the article - “How to become a 3D animator” - I talked about computers and their components for trouble-free work with modern 3D graphics packages. Today we will talk about the 3D packages themselves.

I will not recommend any particular 3D editor to you, since it is meaningless. There are many areas, areas and specializations in the CG industry in which one or another package is the strongest.

You should also understand that knowledge of one package will not be enough. The production cycle is divided into several stages, and each stage is performed in a different software. A little later we will talk more about this, but now let's look at what areas and specializations CG production is divided.

3D graphics applications:

• Cinema, television, advertising, clips
• Game industry
• Design, interior design, visualization, architectural visualization
• Polygraphy
• Applied 3D graphics (medicine, engineering, criminology)

Technical specialization in 3D production:

• Modeler
• Texturer
• Setaper
• Animator
• Visualizer

If you are a beginner and are just planning to become a three-dimensional artist, then it is worthwhile to decide what kind of specialization and which area of ​​3D graphics you are most attracted to.

So, what 3D packages does today's software market offer? There are a lot of them. There are paid and even free editors, for example, Blender. And Blender is not much different in functionality from its commercial counterparts.

But in the commercial sector, the choice of software is much more diverse. The main player in the three-dimensional software market is an American company Autodesk. She owns such packages as 3ds Max, Maya and Softimage XSI. There are other well-known manufacturers. The German company Maxon produces a wonderful program Cinema 4D, localized for a large number of languages, including Russian. Houdini is a three-dimensional editor produced by the Canadian company Side Effects Software. lightwave is the once very popular 3D package owned by the American company NewTek.

Each of these programs occupies a niche in the CG market. For example, Maya has firmly established itself in the film, television, video and advertising industries.

3ds Max is used in the gaming industry as well as leading in interior design and visualization.

Autodesk Softimage has proven itself in character animation.

Cinema 4D is most often used to create television special effects and advertising.

Strengths Houdini - visual programming and procedural. Used in the film industry.

Lightwave . It was once very popular, but today the software that has lost a lot of positions. Lightwave was used to create the movie "The Matrix."

Historically, 3ds Max and Maya today occupy leading positions in CG production. The sacramental question: "What is better - 3ds Max or Maya?" - has already become the talk of the town! If you want to die sooner than expected, then try asking it on any 3D forum. I advise you to study both of these packages. Each of them has its strengths and weaknesses. Accordingly, having studied 3ds Max and Maya, you will completely get rid of all weaknesses.

And I want to say that any program is just a tool in the hands of the artist. And the result of your work depends on you. From your personality, from your skills and abilities, from your talent. The whole world knows the great artist Salvador Dali. People admire his paintings and no one is interested in what colors and brushes they are painted. There is only the artist himself - Salvador Dali.

And again I want to remind you about specialization. Many of my colleagues do not know even a tenth of the capabilities of one or another 3D editor, but they are fluent in the part of the software that corresponds to their profession. For example, modellers are very vaguely aware of how the animation process is carried out, but the models made by them are a model of the correct topology and detail. That is, they are cool in their field and do not try to embrace the immense.

There is, of course, the highest caste of professionals, called generalists. 3D Generalist is a pro who knows, and not only knows, but also owns almost all the tools of the editor. And for obvious reasons, generalists are the highest paid specialists in the CG industry.

At the beginning of the article I said that in the production cycle not only 3D packages are used, but also other software. Let's take it in order. During the modeling phase, you may need programs such as Zbrush or Mudbox for detailing objects. To create scans, you can use the base package, or use specially sharpened for this program - Headus UV Layout and Unfold 3D. When texturing, you can't do without Photoshop, and BodyPaint 3D is indispensable for grouting joints at the joints of textures. If you plan to create a simulation of liquids, then no software can do this better than RealFlow. At the stage of compositing and final assembly will be needed Adobe After Effects, Nuke, Adobe Premiere.

I see frozen horror in your eyes. How? - you ask. - How can I learn such a number of programs, because life is so short !? No need to panic! It's not so scary. Properly planned training, structured classes and perseverance will lead you to victory. Tell yourself: - because others are working and nothing, they did not die or grow old!

On this optimistic note, I am completing a software review. I hope everything outlined in this article will help you in choosing the right direction. In the next part of the article I will talk about several important things - where to start learning, how to organize it and in which direction to go. And also we will try to answer the question - is an experienced teacher needed for training or will it be enough to do with the materials that the Internet offers?

See you in next part !

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