Perpetual licenses aren't cheap, but you can always start with Prime and upgrade over time. There's also volumetric modelling, which is perfect if you don't have the time or skillset to create smooth solid forms. It’s a professional, complex piece of software, largely recognised for its overall stability and for being the 3D modelling software with the easiest learning curve.Ĭinema 4D boasts a vivid community of creatives with a huge online library of tutorials – not to mention the training site Cineversity, to which you get free membership when you buy the app or pay for the annual Maxon service agreement (MSA). Cinema 4D’s parametric modelling toolset is generally very good, and you can increase its functionality with a range of reasonably priced plugins.

Maxon’s Cinema 4D has been around for a long time and is highly regarded in the worlds of motion graphics, visualisation and illustration. The free version gives you access to virtually all of the features from the award-winning Houdini FX, meaning you can really develop your skills. There's also the full-featured Houdini Indie, which provides an affordable commercial option for smaller studios.

Fortunately, SideFX offers Houdini Apprentice, a free version of Houdini FX, which can be used by students, artists and hobbyists on personal non-commercial projects. Like Maya, this level of power and non-standard workflow can be tricky to get to grips with. Since we last reviewed it, Houdini 18.5 has been released, bringing with it an array of new features including updates to the Solaris shot layout and look dev toolset, new cloth and fluid simulation tools, upgraded Karma renderer, and game development plugins. Find out more of what we thought in our Houdini review. When testing, we found that the problem solving capability was leagues ahead of other 3D software, with the ability to rewire feeling incredibly natural so that's a big plus point for the software. This nodal workflow isn’t for everyone, but Houdini also has some more traditional tools which allow you to directly interact with the polygons on screen. Its node-based procedural approach provides artists with an unprecedented level of power, flexibility and control. SideFX's Houdini is widely used in the VFX industry to create a range of 3D imagery.

Download Houdini Apprentice (free version).

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