A whole variety of 3D animation and 3D VFX software is used for creating 3D animated content, which is displayed in 3D animated movies, advertisement & marketing commercials, and other entertainment-related visuals, such as television shows, home entertainment, and mobile entertainment. 3D animation is also used in developing 3D content for games. The media and entertainment vertical is evolving based primarily on the development of renderings that are ever-more photorealistic. For the 3D animation computer graphics that are devoted to digital entertainment creation, the key to technological and creative innovation is in relation to the context of the animation. It enhances the variety of acquisition formats needed to be converted before they could be used for editing, color grading, VFX, and made possible to work with proprietary & closed systems that was impractical before. Moreover, the media and entertainment vertical has been facilitated by workflow integration with third-party systems, which was restrictive, time-consuming, and clumsy. 3D animation flourished the industry by giving a feature of exporting the finished edit for multiple delivery formats, such as broadcast, web, and mobile devices, which was tedious & render-intensive.

COMPETITIVE LEADERSHIP MAPPING TERMINOLOGY

The 3D animation software in Media and Entertainment Vendor DIVE provides information about the major players that offer 3D animation products, and outlines the findings and analysis on how well each market vendor performs within our criteria. The vendor evaluations are based on two broad categories — Product Offering and Business Strategy. Each category carries various criteria, based on which the vendors will be evaluated. The evaluation criteria considered under product offering include breadth of offering, delivery (based on industries that the vendors cater to, deployment models, and subscriptions) and support (based on pre- and post-sales support services). The evaluation criteria considered under business strategy include reach (on the basis of geographic presence), industry coverage (on the basis of end-users that the vendors cater to) and inorganic growth (on the basis of partnerships, collaborations, and acquisitions).

VISIONARY LEADERS

Autodesk, NewTek, and Maxon are leading players in the 3D animation software market in media and entertainment  and are recognized as Visionary Leaders. They have a strong portfolio of 3D animation services, solutions, and associated services. These vendors have been marking their presence in the 3D animation market by offering highly customized and easily deployable software for their commercial clients, coupled with their robust business strategy to achieve continued growth in the market.

INNOVATORS

The Foundry Visionmongers, SideFx Software, Hash Inc, Pixologic Inc, and 3D Coat are recognized as Innovators in the 3D animation software market. They have an innovative portfolio of 3D animation services and strong potential to build strong business strategies for their business growth. These vendors have been providing 3D animation offerings as per their customer demands. Innovators have been forefront in deploying their solutions for niche and custom requests by their clients requiring processing of high performance workloads.

DYNAMIC DIFFERENTIATORS

Trimble Navigation Ltd, Corel Corporation and NVIDIA Corporation are recognized as Dynamic players in the 3D animation market. They have an innovative portfolio of 3D animation solutions and services and have an extensive network of channel partners and resellers to increase the deployment of their services across various vertical markets. Over the years, the Dynamic vendors have been consistently generating positive revenue growth in the 3D animation software market and their market position is enhanced by organic and inorganic strategies undertaken by them over the period.

EMERGING COMPANIES

Cheetah 3D, Reallusion, Magix, Corastar, Otoy, and Toon Boom Animation are recognized as Emerging players in the 3D animation software market. The emerging players are specialized in offering highly niche and tailor-made solutions and services to their clients. A majority of the emerging vendors have been undertaking multiple acquisitions and boosting their sales capabilities in various regions to offer their integrated services to a wide range of clients.

3D Animation Software in Media and Entertainment

Comparing 37 vendors in 3D Animation Software across 145 criteria.
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3.4
Autodesk Maya is a professional software developed precisely for 3D modeling, animation and rendering in one comprehensive and very influential package. It offer quicker animation playback in Viewport 2.0 that allows artists to review animation right in the viewport and reduces the need to produce Playblasts. The latest Butterworth and Key Reducer filters allows artists to fine tune animation curves, particularly when making use of motion capture data. It also offers an Evaluation Toolkit that helps in analyzing and understanding the usage of parallel evaluation modes.
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3.3
It simplifies the process of taking control for the beginners. The software offers various tutorials and a highly-skilled community which plays a significant role in upskilling the beginners. Cinema 4D Studio helps artists in the creation of advanced 3D graphics ensuring the creation of best quality grahpics instantly and effortlessly. It offers an excellent platform to create dynamic broadcast graphics quickly in no time. One of the most important features is its procedural workflow along with parametric modeling, shades, and textures. This software has four different senses namely, studio, broadcast, visualize, and prime.
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LightWave 3D has been used in film, television, motion graphics, digital matte painting, visual effects, video games development, product design, architectural visualizations, virtual production, music videos, pre-visualizations, and advertising. The platform offers a Noise Filter option that uses the NVIDIA OptiX™ library for AI-accelerated noise elimination when rendering still images. It also offers Online Documentation, that fits on any device that the users intend to use. The solution's OpenVDB Content Creation tool kit enables live Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG) operations.
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Houdini Core provides a unique 3D animation experience to the artists involved in creating feature films, commercials or video games. Houdini’s node-based approach provides the ability to eclose node networks into custom nodes that are shareable. Houdini’s procedural node-based workflow allows users to develop multiple shots under close deadlines while achieving the best quality. Houdini FX provides a powerful and accessible 3D experience with the help of its procedural node-based workflow, by delivering tools for simulating fluids, destruction fx, pyro fx, grains, cloth and crowds.
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Corel MotionStudio 3D is a comprehensive 3D title, animation, and motion graphics package that simplifies the process of creating exciting 3D visual effects for use in their video productions. The products lets artists use high-end particle effects, including fire, smoke, bubbles and more and allows them to watch their production theough the Preview Panel. One of the most important feature is that, MotionStudio 3D makes it easy for the users to usetheir 3D titles and graphics in other video or web productions and export their projects in a variety of formats compatible with VideoStudio® Pro X4.
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2.7

NVIDIA IRAY is a user friendly technology that generates photorealistic imagery by that simulates the physical behaviour of light and materials. NVIDIA Iray has highly analytical approach, combined with its scalability, delivers outstanding performance on NVIDIA GPUs for constant feedback and rapid results. This slash the time needed to perfect scenes and delivers images matching photographs. NVIDIA Iray is primarily for product, building and lighting designers, and digital photographers who work with 3D content, requiring predictable photorealistic imagery. IRAY Pricing plans are affordable and the vendor also offers various tutorials that can be used by the users to understand the product in detail.

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Form•Z pro is a 3D design application containing a variety of modeling personalities and tools with an easy to use interface to express and communicate imagination. It is based on advanced 3D solid and surface modeling methods that maintain accurate representations as progress from design to visualization, layout, animation and fabrication.

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Adobe Systems provides a range of 3D animation products and services for creative professionals and application developers to develop and manage creative content across several operating systems and media. Adobe acquired Mixamo, a leader in creating high-quality 3D characters. This acquisition helped Adobe produce greater output options (in both still and motion) as well as gain flexibility in making changes with respect to lighting, materials, environment, and perspective.

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2.7
1. Powerful and Intuitive 3D Modeling Software: Trimbles SketchUp software is a powerful and intuitive 3D modeling program designed for both beginner and professional 3D animators. It offers a wide range of modeling tools that can handle any modeling task. Furthermore, its easy-to-use interface makes it a great starting point for any type of animation project. 2. Real-Time Rendering: Trimbles SketchUp software offers high-quality real-time rendering capabilities. This means that users can immediately see their models in motion, helping them to quickly develop their animations. 3. Cross Platform Compatibility: Trimbles SketchUp software is available on various platforms, including Windows, Mac, and Linux. This means that users can work on their projects anywhere they are. 4. Free Model Library: Trimble provides a large library of free 3D models which users can take advantage of to create their animations. This library includes multiple building types, furniture, vehicles, and more.
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2.6

3DC-printing (short from 3D Coat for 3d printing) simplify the process of development models for 3d printing. 3D Coat has Voxel sculpting technology allows to do anything that is possible in real world without worrying too much about technical aspects. 3D Coat is easy and intuitive and can quickly start video series. 3D Coat offers short and easy instructive videos to help start creating assets asap. 3D Coat customizes the print area and sets the size of 3d printer to not exceed its dimentions. 3D Coat has dedicated export wizard which prevent all possible issues with fused deposition 3d printer type.

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The Foundry offers an end-to-end technology portfolio for 3D content designing, node-based compositor, and web-based visual developing tool set such as Nuke, Modo, Mari, Katana, Hiero, Flix, Ocula, and CaraVR. The Foundry operates in various industries such as design, games, film & TV, virtual reality, automotive, apparel, and education. The Foundry’s expertise is in developing new product lines and delivering innovative software solutions to the market. The company focuses on improving customer experience, meeting customers’ needs, and provide satisfactions.

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2.4

Smith Micro has a comprehensive portfolio of 2D/3D graphics and visual messaging products for creating and sharing rich content. It leverages the power of interactive 3D figure design in order to portray human diversity, form, and expression.  Poser Pro 11 by Smith Micro is a proven solution for creating animation and art with 3D characters. It renders photorealistic images and videos for print, web, and film projects. Through Poser Pro 11, users can easily design and animate 3D human figures. Creation can range from cartoon images to photorealistic content.

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2.3
Pixologic provides a set of 3D animation products and services to creative professionals. The company offers products for varied industries such as movies & VFX, automotive, designing, 3D printing, illustration advertising, and education. Products offered by the company have been used in the production of movies such as Jurassic World and Godzilla.The company’s strategic intent is evident from the multiple channels it used to sell its products. For instance, the company delivers its products via channel partners, e-commerce portals, and resellers. CDDS Solutions is a direct reseller and partner of the products offered by Pixologic. Additionally, the company has an online store to sell its flagship product, ZBrush, the selling of which strengthens its distribution channel as well as provides the company with a competitive edge over others.
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Reallusion Inc. is a provider of 2D and 3D animation software as well as a developer of content. It specializes in the creation of virtual production, real-time cinematic animation, and motion capture solutions that expand the capabilities of professional 3D animation technologies. Reallusion provides clients with facial and body mocap, pro character animation, and voice lipsync solutions with applications in real-time filmmaking and previsualization & production. Reallusion's solutions help several prominent educators, trainers, filmmakers, and game developers in their daily work

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OTOY Inc. is a cloud graphics company, which provides innovative technologies for content creation. OTOY’s Academy Award®-winning technology is used by major visual effects studios, animators, artists, designers, architects, and engineers, providing extraordinary creative freedom, new levels of practicality, and new economics in content creation and delivery powered by the cloud.

OctaneRender® is a fast, unbiased, spectrally correct GPU render engine, delivering quality and speed unrivaled by any production renderer on the market.

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Electric Image Animation System (EIAS) is a renowned 3D animation company that provides swift, easy solutions for animation. Its services allow users to render 3D scenes quickly without compromising on quality. Electric Image Animation System has the capability to network render to several computers across platforms for free. Professional studios across the world use EIAS for the creation of high-quality animation. It is capable of all types of animation, from architectural fly-throughs to complicated VFX shots.

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Hash Animation Master is a comprehensive and intuitive 3D animation software package. It makes 3D animation easy for everyone, from new joiners to animation experts. Hash Animation leverages its several years of experience in animation and software development to create a solution that is unparalleled in ease of use.

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1.8

Corastar is one of the leading providers of 3D software for design professionals using Adobe products. It is a creator of Strata Design 3D CX, expert-level 3-dimensional modeling and animation software that delivers enhanced potential for the entire 3D design workflow. It is utilized to create illustrations, graphical designs, and animations with realistic results. Apart from being the expert-level 3D design with a user-friendly interface, it also gives the power to create everything that you imagine such as designing packaging products, exhibits, architecture and much more.

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1.8

MAGIX 3D Maker 7 converts the scripts and figures into superior quality 3D graphics and animations. A number of designs and templates in different styles, plus in-built real-time editing and easy-to-understand tools will help you to rapidly produce professional results. It enters text directly and pick from a range of fonts including those already on computer. It also provides the option of custom format just like conventional word processing programs. It make more effects and animations where user can choose from over 700 templates, more than 400 textures and 33 different edge styles.

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1.7
Cheetah3D provides a powerful and easy tool to learn 3D modeling, rendering and animation software which was developed especially for Mac. It can create 3D artwork for iPhone game and also make first animated character. The user can create full set of polygon, subdivision surface and spline modeling tools. Cheetah3D makes modeling in 3D a breeze for new and experienced users alike.
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1.7

Muvizu is a simple and easy to use 3D application that make animations, characters and sets and carry the whole performance to life with awesome character animation system.

Muvizu is an interactive 3D animation software package which includes everything that need to outline an animated story and share it. It can easily drag and drop customizable characters and sets, animation libraries and automatic lip-synching which makes it easy to create compelling animations in minutes.

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The Messiah suite of animation tools comprises simple scripts that help characters interact with objects, make favoring breakdowns, and create smooth non-overshooting curves and re-time animation. It enables sub-surface scattering as speed and controllability of Messiah's translucency shading is perfect for creating characters.

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Storyboard Pro 6 has innovative and improved drawing tools that gives a natural feel. It provides an enviable level of control and are combined with everything which is needed for storyboarding and animatics creation. Storyboard software combines drawing and animation tools with camera controls. Storyboard Pro 6  video tracks, movie import and superior textured vector brushes are just a few of the new features that let you do more in Storyboard Pro 6. Take creative control and make the right storyboard and animatic for every project that comes your way.

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