You begin by drawing lines and shapes and then stretch and copy them to make whatever you like.

Best 3D Rendering Software Software Wont Break

This no-cost modeling, animation, and rendering software wont break the bank.

Former Lifewire writer Justin Slick has been creating 3D computer graphics for more than 10 years, specializing in character and environment creation.

The number and variety of 3D software packages on the market is staggering, but many of the top applications in use by commercial film, gaming, and effects studios cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.

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Its true that most commercial applications offer time-limited free trials or abbreviated learning editions for students and hobbyists.

If youre planning to work in the computer graphics industry one day, these are well worth exploring even if you cant afford a full license, because your skills in the commercial packages are what will ultimately land you a job.

However, plenty of free 3D software suites are out there for hobbyists, independent filmmakers who dont have the budget for expensive software, and budget-conscious freelance professionals who have found all the tools and power they need in cost-free solutions like Blender or SketchUp.

Just because the software is free doesnt necessarily make it any less valuable.

There are dozens of other free 3D tools available beyond those mentioned here.

Blender is easily the most versatile entry on this list, and in many regards, it compares favorably to top digital content creation tools like Cinema 4D, Maya, and 3Ds Max.

To this day, it stands as one of the greatest open-source development projects ever conceived.

Blender is full-featured, offering a complete range of modeling, surfacing, sculpting, painting, animation, and rendering tools.

The software is good enough to have produced numerous impressive short films and is in use by several professional studios.

Blender was criticized early on for having a confusing interface, but dont let outdated complaints steer you away.

The software was given a thorough overhaul recently and emerged with a fresh interface and a feature set that aims for parity with the best.

While you dont see Blender in any Hollywood effects pipelines where Autodesk and Houdini are deeply ingrained, Blender has steadily carved out a niche in motion graphics and visualization, similar to where Cinema 4D excels.

Because Sculptris uses dynamic tessellation, it is essentially geometry-independent, meaning it is an ideal learning package for someone with few or no modeling skills who wants to try his hand at sculpting.

Sculptris was originally developed independently by Tomas Pettersson, but is now owned and maintained by Pixologic as a free counterpart to ZBrush.

The website offers video tutorials and an assurance that the skills you learn in Sculptris easily translate to ZBrush.

Pixologic still allows downloads but warns that as legacy software, its no longer maintained or supported.

SketchUp is an intuitive and accessible modeler, originally developed by Google and now owned by Trimble.

SketchUp excels at practical and architectural design and probably has more in common with a CAD package than traditional surface modelers like Maya and Max.

Like Blender, SketchUp has been amazingly well received and has gradually carved out a niche with professionals in the visualization field due to its ease of use and speed.

The software has little in the way of organic modeling tools, but if your primary interest is in architectural modeling, SketchUp is an excellent starting point.

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