Beyond 2D (Part I)

The release of Adobe Creative Suite and Adobe Photoshop CS proved to boost Photoshop’s already booming sales. Its alternative, Paint Shop Pro is doing no worse. However, as we move out of the 20th century and into the 21st, game industries and graphics designers want something more powerful, something with even more potential. The world of 3D graphics design takes the world of 2D and adds an extra dimension. 3D design can be used for modeling or just plain picture design. Take a look at some popular products below.

Alias | Wavefront Maya Unlimited 5 (~ $6999.00)

Maya 5 Unlimited, one of the industries top creative tools, is priced at a whopping 7 grand. Its less complete version, Maya Complete, is only two thousand dollars, but hey, that’s still a lot! Although not recommended for beginning graphics designers, Maya offers a package it calls Maya Personal Learning Edition, which is free, as long as you do not use your work commercially. Maya is used to create some of the most advanced 3D textures and animations, and supports fluid movement, advanced textures, animations, exporting and importing, and a very thorough documentation. If you got the cash, go for it!

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Discreet 3D Studio Max 6 (~ $3495.00)

Possibly one of the best 3D graphics design software available today, 3DSMax has been used to create movies like Armageddon, X-Men 2, Minority Report, and Swordfish, and many more. It has also been used in the games industry to develop games like Diablo II, Halo, Max Payne, Neverwinter Nights, World of Warcraft, and much much more. 3DSMax is used by many freelancers and individual developers to create eye-boggling effects and stunning graphics. Using advanced plug-ins and models, 3DSMax might be the choice for you.

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Curious Labs Poser 5 (~ $249.00)

Poser is unique in the fact that it was made for one purpose: Character Modeling. From the tiniest facial expression to full body positions, Poser can be used to customize your 3D characters the color, shape, build, age, size, race, anything! It doesn’t even have to be human! If you are for character modeling, this is a must!

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Corel Bryce 5 (~ $79.99)

Bryce is cheap. Very cheap. But for such an affordable little program, it is superb at modeling landscapes and scenes! Using its own custom libraries, you can make your own textures and create trees, flora, mountains, office buildings, alleyways, and much more! You can even create an advanced sky and lighting effects via the Skylab. If you are new to the 3D world, Bryce has an easy to use visual interface, allowing to render what you see on screen. Want to make your own fantasy worlds? Get Bryce today!

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NewTek Lightwave 3D 7.5 (~ $1595.00)

“NewTek is pleased to accept the 2003 Emmy® Engineering Award in recognition of the role LightWave® has played in the creation of Visual Effects for television.” Lightwave has got to be one of the best out there, right up there with Maya and 3DSMax! Lightwave was used to create hit movies like the Matrix series, Daredevil, Holes, Black Hawk Down, Die Another Day, K19 The Widow Maker, and much more. With the upcoming of Lightwave 3D 8, you will be able to create morphs, use advanced real-world and not-so-real-world physics, and create sophisticated textures, all in this complex program! Going pro? Get Lightwave 3D.

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Well, there’s my starter’s guide to 3D design products. I hope you found this guide useful. Of course there are many others, but that would make this article immensely long. So get out of the 2D world, and immerse yourself in 3D!

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