Choosing 3D Rendering Software?

Choosing 3D Rendering Software?

Source:

your3dsource.com

Software	Level	OS	Price	Notes	Details
Maya	Pro.	PC	$3,495.00	Full Blown Production Film Quality	Alias's Maya 3D is extremely powerful.  Its node-based architecture enables complex animation and rendering linkages to be created and it offers a nonlinear modeling history, plus Mental Ray rendering.
Strata 3D	Mid.	MAC/PC	$700.00	Have experience building tradeshow Displays In this, Use it at work. Similar to Photoshop	Strata's Strata 3D has a long history and is available for Mac and PC.  It's a sturdy if slightly archaic 3D program, but it has found favor with many digital illustrators.  It has some good rendering features, including radiosity, which are rare at the price. www.strata3d.com
Bryce 3D	Mid.	MAC/PC	$99.95	For Landscapes and Environment	Corel's Bryce 3D is an interesting 3D program.  It's primarily a landscape rendering application, designed to produce skies, seas, and terrains in a very efficient way.  It can be pressed into service as a more general purpose 3D tool, but lacks any serious modeling tools.
Pixels	Mid.	MAC	$49.00	Great for animation and video games	Pixels is a Mac-only 3D program that offers advanced rendering and animation and robust modeling for a modest cost.  It also features a renderer based on the REYES algorithm-the same one used in Pixar's RenderMan software.
Blender	Mid.	MAC/PC	FREE	Considered one of the best with full 3D production packages.	One of the best free 3D applications available is Blender. This program is a full featured 3D production package featuring the kinds of tools you'd expect to see in a mid to high end application.
Lightwave 3D	Pro.	MAC/PC	$895.00	Great tools	Newtek's Lightwave 3D is a dual application featuring separate modeler/texturing and animation/lighting/rendering apps. Its quirky interface is deceptively powerful, and it offers one of the best quality renderers out there.
Cinema 4D	Pro.	MAC/PC	$2,771.00	Full Blown Production Film Quality	The full suite of plug-ins for Cinema 4D takes it into the high end.  With advanced radiosity rendering, sophisticated character tools, and a GUI based expression system, it's also one of the easiest high-end 3D apps to get to grips with.
Poser Pro	Beg.	MAC/PC	$499.99	Character Development	It's a 3D character renderer and animator that lets you pose and animate ready-made, high quality 3D figures.  It's very powerful, but it's not an all rounder- it does one thing only-but does it very well.