Technology has really helped advance the ability to hone your animation skills in the last few years with animation software improvements and mostly hardware performance improvements. Computer animation is more of a realistic hobby now a days. The computer animation field has become very competitive because of this. There are many more schools that offer computer animation degrees now a days. It has become more and more important to develop a portfolio of your work and abilities though even with your degree. Most art schools, specifically animation departments, require some type of a “reel” which show an example of your work.
Many animation packages include a core package that you will install. You can purchase additional libraries that include textures, models, etc. to extend the core beyond the initial features and functionality. Prices range depending on features and what is included in the core packages. Many of the different software packages have communities with supporting documents and tutorials showing you have to use the software. Don’t judge the software by it’s price because there are many inexpensive options that may be exactly what you need to start. I recommend Blender because of it’s price and Blender has some impressive examples of what it can do and a community to back the software up.
The days when you needed amazing Silicon Graphics machines to run animation software are gone now.
Software Packages
- 3D Max - $3495
- Animation:Master - $299
- Autodesk Maya - $1995+
- Blender - FREE
- Carrara - $249
- Cinema 4D - $995
- Houdini - $1995+
- LightWave - $895+
- RealSoft 3D - $600
- RETASpro
- SoftImage XSI - $2995+
- TruSpace 7.6 - FREE
- Toon Boom - $330
Ultimately the decision is yours when it comes to deciding what software you want to start with. Starting with any software is better than not starting at all. I recommend researching your dream position and the different companies you may find yourself working for and see what software they are using. With most industries it is just a matter of getting familiar with the available tools. Once you have used similar tools and know what tools are, it’s usually easy to adapt to the specific tools that you are given.
Good luck with your career in computer animation. Please leave us any feedback that you feel could help support this article.
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