Which 3D (render & animation) programm to learn?

Question

First of all: I'm coming from a 3D Cad background (I'm an engineer), so I'm experienced in using software like Catia, Solidworks and so on ...

Now I'm also really interessted in 3D animated stuff for things like short (TV) ads, 3D logos for brands or any other fancy cool stuff on webpages.

Really short question: Can you give me some tips on which software to learn? There are too many to choose from! :(

• 3ds Max?
• Maya?
• Cinema 4D?
• any other software I may not know?

What would you recommend?

P

Answer 1

Maya is most commonly used for 3D ads, shorts, and movies. If you're looking for the single most relevant package for your stated question, Maya is what you want. I believe they have a free trial version.

For game development, 3ds Max is the most popular package.

Blender has an idiosyncratic user interface, but it is open source and free to use; it is good enough to do professional-quality work.

Answer 2

You could do worse than try Blender (http://www.blender.org) - it's free :)

Answer 3

Another great package is Luxology Modo http://www.luxology.com/

Really great rendering as well.