What software would I recommend?
This is tricky. You see, I'm reluctant to suggest anything I haven't used personally and I haven't tried enough packages to be able to make any sort of meaningful comparisons. I don't think I'm expert enough to go around telling people to hand over lots of money for one software package or another.
I can however mention some software packages which I see a lot of other people using and these packages seem to have their own loyal fans. I've already mentioned Cinema 4D. Maya tends to be popular in studios creating content for the film industry. Studio Max has a lot of followers too.
Then there's another package which I think is interesting and that's Modo from Luxology. I was impressed by it when I played with a demo and liked some of its features. I'm convinced it has a simple and efficient workflow — I just wish I could find it! You see, it's that old thing about not being experienced in enough 3D packages (not because of anything wrong with Modo!) After an hour of playing I only got as far as the image above. However some of the features which I did figure out were really nice and seemed easier to learn than some of the other ways of doing things which I've seen.
So that's a few choices but there are plenty of others.
I'll add here that my observations are probably heavily influenced by my role as a freelance illustrator.
If you're thinking of purchasing
One thing I recommend is to check the list of features before you buy any software package, to make sure it can do what you want. That probably seems obvious, but you might be surprised at what some of them actually won't do. For example, some don't do animation, some don't do renders and some are only useful for modeling.
Make extra sure that your computer's system requirements are up to the task of running the software, because 3D is very demanding on computers and you might be surprised at its requirements.
If possible, ask someone who uses that package about what it's like.
Also, if you want a full-time job doing 3D then it's probably a good idea checking to see what packages are used in the places you want a job.
And of course, since some 3D packages can cost thousands of dollars then the price of a software package will obviously be a significant issue for most of us.
Thankfully, some of the major players in 3D now offer demos or even special 'learning editions' of their software, letting us try before we buy. I'm a big fan of that approach.
Finally, whatever you buy, if you're not prepared to spend a lot of time at first learning the software then maybe your money could have been better spent on something else.
Summing up
Don't think it's your fault if you can't make a 3D blockbuster movie in your first hour. It's going to take time, and if you want to make a blockbuster you'll need more than an hour, and maybe a few hundred experienced specialists too. But if you're prepared to put in some decent learning time and set yourself some realistic projects then it's possible to have a lot of fun with 3D
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