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VFX Application every Animator ought to know about

An animation, be it within India or outside, irrespective of its ultimate us as a movie or just a serial or for mobile phones, has to have this element of VFX if it is to be made appealing to the general public. Being software-based these CGI applications have finesse, speed and most of all, sheer accuracy of work which no other system can guarantee. And there are plenty available in the market each with their own set of USPs and levels of customization such that the final product is nothing but brilliant- provided one knows how to use the same!

Indians aren’t the spending kinds and as it is their financial health is anything but awesome. Since these software do not come cheap, it makes sense to first use trial versions of these softwares, develop the competence and then go for the big one- provided you think you need it in the first place.

Most paid softwares have fixed-day trials which means you may use them for a defined number of days. In that you ought to play smart. Take it for so many days that you get the hang of it, gain familiarity with the main software, its various plug-ins besides the dedicated community which uses these softwares and swear by it. The advantage of paid softwares is that they have detailed explanation, help guides and tutorials with sample Q & A such that you know within a short time what you lack and what you would want to develop further. You may or may not purchase the software. What is important though is that you first familiarize yourself with the product thoroughly.

Photoshop:

If you haven’t heard of Photoshop, you might as well have landed from the moon! An Adobe product, it has some very awesome features including retouch photos, 2D & 3D composition and modelling, layering, artboard, merging images and more. And so, it is one of the world’s most used and appreciated imaging and designing software and almost everyone in the field has had the opportunity to have used it at least once in their lifetime.

Maya:

For an Indian, Maya means anything but reality! But in reality this is one deft piece of software which everyone in the field of VFX, 3D animation and even graphics know in various forms and to varying degrees. Extensively used worldwide – especially in Hollywood, it offers everything from animation, simulation, compositing, rendering, modelling with awesome features for 3D animation.

Arnold:

The name itself defines strength to carry on your toughest of activities and is awesome with its tracing renderer feature ideally meant for full-length animation movies. It is awesome and that’s the reason it was used in movies such as Gravity, Pacific rim, Monster House etc. With plug-in features for the likes of Houdini and Maya, it is quite adequate to work on any OS be it Mac, Linux or Windows. Get your 15-day trial version with full features but be careful not to use it to make money. Learn it and then move on to better things which in this case could be buying the licensed version!

3D Max:

Anything that needs visualization to be it for movies, an architect’s designs, a civil engineer making drawings or even a graphic artist trying to show a client what a design would look later use 3D Max. That’s the reason 3D Max finds increasing application in gaming and production with smaller budgets. One can model, animate and render for all manner of situations in 3D max. This masterpiece of software ia Autodesk’s gift to the world of animation.

MODO:

Also termed “the poor man’s Maya” given its impressive prices, it is the dream of every VFX artist with a small budget. It helps with Animation, Painting, Modelling and Rendering and plenty of other things. So if you are tight on money, know where to go!

Houdini:

As the name suggests, this is one piece of software which lets you escape with a lot of features while paying a nominal amount to its producers- absolutely like what Harry Houdini did it! Composition, modelling, animation or rendering, or for that matter, character animation, all of it can be accomplished here.

Mentalray:

A world-renowned 3D rendering software, it helps produce high-end, high-quality output for films, TV and design projects that need visualization in limited time. Its high-light includes its ability to gel with 3D Max, Maya while maintaining its flexibility and user-friendliness!

Mari:

Learning by intuitions stays for a lifetime. And so too Mari! It teaches you texture mapping, preview, layering etc. Besides, it helps with complex geometry and colour management! And best of all u can download it and use it free for 15 days!

These by no means are the only applications and software one should know about. In times to come, we shall come up with more. Until then, this should suffice!