Naturally, we expect that we have missed some applications that you, our reader, may know about. We hope you can write in and share this information with us. We will appreciate that very much, and those that do will get a free annual subscription to architosh INSIDER membership as a sign of our appreciation.

Some Notable mac OS 3d applications

There are so many apps we can say are notable within the industry so our three chosen apps will appear quite random to many. Let’s begin with three that represent some of the biggest communities of users. On the top of that list is Trimble’s SketchUp. The app has been downloaded 35 million times and comes in both free and pro (paid) levels. With the Pro version users gain the critical ability to import key file formats like AutoCAD DWG from which to work over as a base.

The second notable app is Maxon’s Cinema 4D, a standard bearer in the animation industry for the broadcast and TV segment. It is also a popular renderer in AEC and is gaining traction in industrial design segments. It has been rumored to Architosh that Apple’s IDG (Industrial Design Group) is a heavy Cinema 4D user and many of Apple’s most amazing product creation animations are pulled off with this tool.

01 – SketchUp has by far the largest user base in the world for any CAD or 3D application. It is a mainstay across numerous industries.

02 – Maxon’s Cinema 4D is the gold-standard for several animation industry segments, but used across several industries.

03 – Chaos Group’s V-Ray is the industry darling renderer within the AEC community, working with nearly all leading CAD/BIM tools.

The third notable app is Chaos Group’s gold standard renderer, V-Ray, which comes in the form of plugins for all the leading CAD/BIM and most leading 3D modelers. The image above is from V-Ray for Rhino. The realism and accuracy and general performance of V-Ray make it a standout among the crowded field of rendering contenders—of which there are many superior choices.

This is the master mother list. For industry-specific lists visit here.

INDEX 01: A complete “alphabetical-ordered” listing of 3d applications for macOS

We have over 114 macOS native 3d applications in this list. We will add to it when we learn of new ones—and we are sure we will learn about new ones.

• 3D Coat — 3D Coat is an easy to use 3D modeling tool for creating architecture, game, animation and VR models. (macOS, Windows and Linux)
• 3Delight Studio Pro — is a high-quality, high-performance photo-realistic rendering software and tools based on the industry-proven Renderman standard and practices. It includes full Renderman API support. There are optional plugins for Maya, KATANA and 3ds Max but Studio Pro is a standalone renderer software package. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• AC3D — this app by Inivis is an easy-to-use software package for medical visualization, flight simulation, video games, virtuality reality and more…. (macOS, Windows, and Linux)
• Advanced Skeleton — by Animation Studios, is a plugin for Autodesk Maya that can create rigs with unlimited body configurations, 3 heads, 5 legs, 100 fingers, and anything goes. You can rig not only humans and creatures but also props, vehicles and just about anything else that moves. You can at anytime go from Advanced Skeleton back to Fit Skeleton, make changes and rebuild. (macOS, Windows)
• Alias — Autodesk’s Alias is an industrial Class-A surfacing design package with tools for concept modeling, surfacing, and visualization, working primarily towards industry, product, and automotive industries. (macOS, Windows, and Linux) Special note, Autodesk announced it would no longer support macOS in future versions but is working with Apple to explore how to bring future versions back to Mac. Older versions (2019 and prior) continue to work on macOS).
• Animation Master — by HASH, this product is an inexpensive novice-level 3d modeling, animation, and rendering package. (macOS and Windows)
• Appleseed — Appleseed is an open-source, physically-based global illumination rendering engine primarily designed for animation and visual effects. (macOS, Windows, and Linux)
• Argon — Ashlar’s venerable brand and line of CAD and 3d modeling apps begins at the entry level with Argon, a powerful history-free precision 3D Class-A NURBS surface modeler built with the Spatial ACIS modeling engine. (macOS and Windows)
• Arnold — Arnold was acquired from SolidAngle by Autodesk a few years ago, and the product is a superior global illumination renderer, focused on architecture, animation, film, visual effects and the VR community. It comes free with 3D Autodesk products. Previously there were plugins for rival Autodesk packages, like Houdini, Cinema 4D, and KATANA, among others. These appear to be still available.  (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Artlantis — this award-winning tool by France’s Abvent is a stand-alone renderer for architects and designers. It has legendary simplicity and power. (macOS and Windows)
• Blackmagic Design Fusion — Fusion 9 Fusion is the world’s most advanced compositing software for visual effects artists, broadcast and motion graphic designers, and 3D animators. The starting point for all visual effects is compositing, the layering of one image on top of another. Fusion makes it easy because there are only 2 basic tools you need to get started. The Merge tool lets you quickly composite two images together in 2D space, and the Merge 3D tool lets you quickly composite multiple images together in 3D space. (macOS and Windows)
• Blender — this free open-source 3D application is considered one of the best professional level 3d packages, for 3D modeling, animation, and rendering. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Blender Benchmark — this is a brand new 3D industry benchmark test suite created by the open source community behind Blender. It will supplement the likes of tools like Cinebench and other 3D industry test suites that work across platform, providing a valuable way to test Windows vs. Apple Mac hardware for the 3D industry. It can test across CPU, GPU and CUDA, and OpenCL. It is currently in beta but available. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• BodyPaint 3D — Maxon’s competitive 3D painting package works along Cinema 4D or other 3d packages and is tablet friendly offers impressive texturing and sculpting enabling painting highly detailed textures directly on your 3D objects. (macOS and Windows)
• Bryce — Bryce is an easy to use beginners package to create 3D environments. It is made by DAZ. (macOS, Windows)
• CARA VR — The Foundry produces the CARA VR plugin for Nuke that dramatically speeds up stitching and compositing of 360-degree 3D or video footage. (macOS, Windows, and Linux)
• Carbon Scatter 2017 — Carbon Scatter 2017 scatters millions of instances in seconds – create wind-swept forests or animated crowds and render them directly inside 3ds Max, Maya, and Cinema4D! Sadly this product is not going to be sold separately in the future as e-on software is focused on Vue and PlantFactory under its new parent company Bentley. (macOS and Windows)
• Carrera — An inexpensive mid-range 3d modeling, animation, and rendering package that is used with Genesis character models. Carrera is one of the oldest names in 3d in the Apple Mac universe but has a more limited place in the market these days as it is tightly focused around other DAZ products. (macOS and Windows)
• Cheetah 3D — Cheetah 3D is an easy to use 3D software made only for the Mac. It is meant for beginners to professionals to create quick and easy projects without having to navigate complex interface. (macOS)
• Cinema 4D — Maxon’s widely lauded professional but affordable 3D package is used for modeling, animation, rendering and motion graphics, used across broadcast and film, game, architecture and engineering industries. Maxon is a Nemetschek Group company based in Germany. (macOS and Windows)
• City Engine — ESRI’s City Engine transforms 2D GIS data into 3D city models, an invaluable tool for various types of professionals, including planners, urban designers, and architects. The tool integrates with ESRI’s leading ArcGIS tool. (macOS and Windows)
• Clara.io — Clara is 3D modeling web-based application based on WebGL and therefore runs across multiple modern operating systems with modern web browsers. You can model, animate, render all online. (web app)
• CL3VER — this award-winning app is a cloud-based interactive presentation software that simplifies 3D visualization for the AEC and design industries, offering an exciting way to explore design projects or products from any angle and easily evaluate alternatives. Seamlessly integrating into your daily workflow, CL3VER matches scene information as is, including cameras, materials, lights, and geometry, turning designs into 3D immersive experiences shareable via the browser, offline and in virtual reality. You can use as a plugin with Sketchup & Rhino. (macOS and Windows)
• Cobalt — Ashlar’s ultimate 3D modeling product is widely used within the product and industrial design markets and comes from a Mac stalwart developer and innovator. Like Autodesk’s Alias it comes with a Class A NURBS surfaces functionality, solids, and wireframes all in one package. (macOS and Windows)
• Continuum — Continuum is the Swiss army knife for compositors and video editors. Continuum’s range of powerful VFX plug-ins opens the door for creative work that delivers impact. The possibilities are endless with tools like Title Studio for 2D/3D titling, Beauty Studio for retouching, Image Restoration, and many more. (macOS and Windows)
• Corona Renderer — a relatively new advanced, high-performance unbiased photorealistic renderer, available to Autodesk 3ds Max as a plugin app and as a standalone CLI application and currently in development (beta) for Maxon Cinema 4D as a plugin app. The company has recently been acquired by Chaos Group. (macOS and Windows)
• Chronosculpt — ChronoSculpt by Newtek is a powerful new stand-alone application that revolutionizes working with animation and dynamic simulation cache files from any application by allowing you to use sculpting and transformation tools over time. ChronoSculpt also introduces a radical new geometry engine based on our “Hydra” technology which allows the deformation and manipulation of 8 to 10 million polygon objects with ease. (macOS, Windows, and Linux)
• Datasmith — Datasmith is a plugin is a workflow toolbox they are working on to simplify data migration into Unreal Engine for architectural and design visualizations. It is part of Unreal Engine Studio. (macOS and Windows)
• Daz3D —  a free 3D suite for modeling, animating and rendering.
• Deadline — Deadline is a hassle-free administration tool that offers flexibility and a variety of management tool options for render farms. It supports 70 different packages. (macOS and Windows)
• Design 3D CX 8 — Design 3D CX is a modeling, animation, and rendering package that is easy to use and powerful for professional use. Known earlier in time as Strata 3D, the Strata product line has expanded over the years into various versions. (macOS and Windows)
• Effects Suite — Red Giant Effects Suite is a set of 9 tools that have served the visual effects and motion graphics community for years, delivering the creative freedom to produce professional effects and motion graphics across a range of professional industries. (macOS and Windows)
• Electric Image — Electric Image (aka: Electric Image Animation System, or EIAS)  is a classic 3D modeling, animation and rendering software. One of the oldest 3D software packages on the Mac it has been involved in legendary motion pictures from Star Wars to Terminator. It is also a fast render. The product no longer focuses on modeling but rather animation and rendering. (macOS and Windows)
• Element 3D — Element 3D is a third party After Effects plug. It is used to import 3D objects for particle rendering. It mostly used for motion design and VFX. (macOS and Windows)
• Flame — Autodesk Flame is a professional, advanced interactive 3D software used for finishing, visual effects, compositing, advanced graphics, color grading, conform, editorial and look development. Unusually, it is a pro app from Autodesk that doesn’t support Windows, due to its development history. (macOS and Linux)
• FLIX — this app is a leading story development hub for animated film & TV, video games, and storyboards for live action. Created to help collaboration between artists. (macOS, Windows, and Linux)
• Forge — Forge is a powerful, cloud-based software development platform with building blocks for your next tool or software project. Forge enables your apps to view 3d models directly in your web browser. Project Quantum, which Architosh published an exclusive on last year, is built on the Forge platform.
• FormIt Pro — FormIt is a powerful BIM-powered architectural modeling software with native Revit interoperability, which enables architects to conceptually model and then analyze against environmental concerns, locate models in real site contexts, etc. It works in the cloud, on Apple iPad Pro, and on Windows. (macOS via web browser, iOS, Windows)
• formZ — formZ by AutoDesSys is a stalwart mac developer and global leader in a professional 3D package highly used in architecture and related industries, featuring modeling, animation, and rendering. There are for apps the company supplies to market—formZ Free, formZ Jr., and formZ Pro. There is also a new formZ mobile viewer for iOS.  (macOS, iOS, and Windows)
• Foto 3D CX — Foto 3D CX allows you to use your camera to capture full textured 3D models from real-world objects. (macOS and Windows)
• FPrime — this app is a Lightwave 3D plugin adding real-time interactive feedback to your workflow. (macOS and Windows)
• Fracture FX — Fracture FX is a production-proven, cross-platform demolition solution for Autodesk Maya. Its procedural, event-driven architecture allows even novice users to take complete control of a destruction simulation and final shots in record time. (macOS and Windows)
• Fusion 360 — Autodesk Fusion 360 is the first of its kind 3D CAD, CAM, and CAE tool that connects your entire product development process in a cloud platform. (macOS, iOS, Windows)
• G2 — Worley Laboratories’ G2 is a plugin for advanced lighting and shading in Lightwave 3D.
• Grasshopper — Grasshopper is a graphical algorithm editor tightly integrated with Rhino’s 3-D modeling tools. Grasshopper is the AEC industry’s leading algorithmic design platform made by McNeel and Associates. (macOS and Windows)
• Gravity Sketch — this new innovative company has two products for the 3d market, Gravity Sketch VR and Gravity Sketch iOS. The first product doesn’t quite run on the Mac yet, but we think it is worth mentioning because it will likely be supported in the near future. With this app, you design in 3D inside a VR application using VR headgear like Oculus Rift.
• Hexagon — this app is an inexpensive beginner’s 3D modeler program for creating objects simply and quickly, created by DAZ. (macOS and Windows)
• Hiero — Hiero is a part of the Nuke family offering the same powerful timeline as Nuke Studio offering great visibility over projects with seamless timesharing with other Hiero assets. (macOS, Windows, and Linux)
• Houdini — Houdini is one of the major 3D professional software packages in the market and offers a powerful procedural content creation tool for visual effects, animation, simulation, and rendering. Houdini delivers a complete, complex toolset that can deliver high-quality imagery for VFX, Architecture, Games, and VR. (macOS and Windows)
• Indigo Renderer — Indigo Renderer by OTOY is a physically based photorealistic renderer which simulates the physics of light to achieve realism. A super-realistic material system with an advanced physical camera model and the ability to simulate complex lighting can deliver beautiful images. It uses a multi-GPU architecture tapping the power of OpenCL. (macOS and Windows)
• inStudio VR — inStudio VR is an easy to use virtual reality design tool made by Strata. (macOS and Windows)
• Keying Suite — Red Giant Keying Suite is a set of 3 tools that make your keying seamless and build the realism of your shot -taking you from the initial matte to the final composite. Includes Primatte Keyer, Key Correct, Warp. (macOS and Windows)
• KeyShot — this innovative app is the first real-time ray tracing application that uses a physically correct render engine based on scientific research in the areas of scientifically accurate material representation and global illumination. Addressing the visualization needs of designers, engineers, marketing professionals, photographers, and CG specialists, KeyShot breaks down the complexity of creating photographic images and animations from 3D digital data. (macOS and Windows)
• LightWave 3D — one of the top professional 3D packages highly used in Hollywood and across numerous other industries close to and far from the film industry. (macOS and Windows)
• Lightworks — Lightworks integrates their Iray®+ technology into existing CAD systems and 3d applications or design workflows, building bespoke applications and configurators for use in the design review process and at the point-of-sale; and create immersive, beautiful, photorealistic images and animations for companies across multiple sectors using our world-leading technology and creative expertise. (macOS and Windows)
• LumenRT — Bentley’s LumenRT is a plugin for immersive visualization for Architecture and Geo Design. It can create fast photographic images and ultra high definition video of your projects. (macOS and Windows). Note, this app may not actually be supported on Mac any longer.
• LuxRender — LuxRender is a free, open sourced, physical based unbiased rendering engine that works with multiple 3d packages. It runs on any number of CPUs or GPUs. (macOS and Windows)
• Magic Bullet Suite — This app is a set of seven tools that bring intuitive, real-time color correction, and beyond, right to your editorial timeline. Includes Color Correct, Stylize, Refine, Cleanup. (macOS and Windows)
• MakeHuman — MakeHuman is a free open source tool for making 3D characters. It is often used with Blender. (macOS and Windows)
• Mari — The Foundry’s Mari is an artist-friendly 3D paint tool without limits combining power and performance for the most complex projects. Mari once made a splash at an Apple Keynote with its highly optimized macOS specific release. Mari is a 3D digital painting and texturing tool. (macOS, Windows, and Linux)
• Marvelous Designer — Marvelous Designer gives you the ability to make digital 3D clothing replicating the look and feel of real textures, and fabrics that provide realism. You can drape the garments right onto the character. (macOS and Windows)
• Maya — Autodesk’s Maya is a leading pro 3D modeling, animation, simulation, and rendering software for character animation, architectural rendering, environments, virtual reality, and motion graphics. There are actually two Autodesk Maya’s, the regular version and Autodesk Maya LT. The LT version is used for character and environment creation and animation, while the regular version is used for complex simulations and motion graphics. (macOS and Windows)
• Maxwell Render — Maxwell is a beautiful photorealistic renderer for architects and designers. The product by Next Limit is famous for its speed and render image quality. Maxwell comes as Maxwell Studio, a standalone application and in plugins for leading 3D tools like SketchUp, Rhino, formZ, and others. Importantly, the list of integrations includes Rhino for Mac. (macOS and Windows)
• Maxwell Multilight — this newish app is a standalone rendering version that does not need Maxwell Studio to enable users to modify a scene’s lighting and save multitudes of images under different light conditions. The product is completely free. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• MeshLab — MeshLab is an open source editor for 3D triangle meshes. It provides a set of tools for editing, cleaning, healing, inspecting, rendering, texturing and converting meshes. It can process raw data for 3D printing output. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Meshmixer — Meshmixer is a free state of the art software for working with triangle meshes. Great for 3D printing and scanning. It is free and comes from Autodesk Research. (macOS and Windows)
• Mitsuba — this app is a free open source (GNU General Public License) physically based renderer useful for exploration and research in computer graphics. (macOS, Windows, and Linux
• Mocha — Mocha is award-winning tracking software built upon a renowned Planar Tracking image engine. Mocha follows “pixel patterns” through the most difficult conditions including objects that go off-screen, objects that are partially obscured, even out of focus footage. There is also the product Mocha VR. (macOS, Windows, and Linux)
• Modo — Modo is a powerful, professional modeling, animation, and rendering solution for professionals that work the way an artist thinks. The product is from The Foundry.
• MOI (Moment of Inspiration) — MOI has an easy to use UI modeler for CAD users who are tired of complex CAD tools. (macOS and Windows)
• Mudbox — Mudbox is proprietary 3D sculpting and painting tool by Autodesk. Architosh has reviewed this tool in the past here. (macOS and Windows)
• NUKE — NUKE is the industry-leading compositing, editorial and review node based system used for motion pictures, television, and games. It is another product by The Foundry. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Onshape — Design, version, and share parts, assemblies, and drawings from anywhere for less than your legacy CAD maintenance fees. Onshape is fundamentally a tool for modeling mechanical or industrial parts and assemblies. It runs in the browser on any modern operating desktop operating system (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• OpenSCAD — OpenSCAD is a free software for making solid 3D CAD models. It doesn’t focus on the artistic 3d modeling, but the CAD aspects and is referred to as “the programmer’s solid 3d CAD modeler.” (macOS, Windows, Linux, UNIX)
• Octane Render — OTOY’s Octane renderer is a professional level photo-realistic images, and one of the fastest GPU accelerated renderers on the market. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• PlantFactory — e-on Software’s PlantFactory is a revolutionary 3D vegetation modeling, animation, and rendering software, dedicated to the CG, SFX, Architecture and Gaming communities. (macOS and Windows)
• Pixie — Render Pixie is a free open source photorealistic raytracing renderer. Pixie is RenderMan-like and has been developed as a useful graphics research tool and for people who cannot afford a commercial renderer. Pixie is licensed under GNU Public License. Pixie is popular with students learning the RenderMan interface and a suitable replacement for it, using the RenderMan Shading Language. (macOS, Windows, Linux, and UNIX)
• POLK — Polk contains 23 effects animation tools. It is another product by Worley Laboratories.
• Poser — Poser by Smith Micro is a 3D software modeling package with presets for creating characters. You can animate and render your characters in the Pro version. Poser is a legendary 3D character software package, long on the Mac. The latest version features physically-based rendering and Bullet Physics. 
• RealFlow — Next Limit, the maker of Maxwell, produce RealFlow which is a fluid and dynamics simulation tool for photorealistic 3D and visual effects industry. This stand-alone application can be used in conjunction with other 3D programs to simulate fluids, water surfaces, fluid-solid interactions, rigid bodies, soft bodies, and meshes. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• RealSoft — RealSoft is a modeling and raytracing application. Has not been updated in years, however. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Render[in] — Abvent’s newish Render[in] is a powerful radiosity engine created for Sketchup. It is actually part of the Artlantis rendering engine and is designed to give SketchUp users a powerful photorealistic rendering option. Runs inside of SketchUp. (macOS and Windows)
• RenderMan — Pixar’s legendary Oscar-winning RenderMan rendering software is used by not only Disney’s Pixar division but by leading film and VFX studios worldwide, for visual effects, animation, rendering, in films, TV, games, and visualization fields. It consists of RenderMan DCC Plugin and RenderMan Pro Server. The former runs inside Maya, Houdini, and Katana. The Pixar Tractor application is used for building out a RenderMan network rendering farm. (macOS, Windows, and Linux)
• Rhinoceros — aka: Rhino, Robert McNeel & Associates’ award-winning, and extremely popular professional 3D modeler application is fully NURBS-based and allows you to create just about any shape imaginable. (macOS and Windows)
• Sapphire — Sapphire is a compilation of plugins for editing, compositing, and motion graphic applications. It is the special effects tool of choice for post-production professionals across the globe because it enables endless creative possibilities and workflow efficiencies. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Sasquatch — Sasquatch is a Lightwave 3D plugin that gives you photoreal hair and fur. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Sculpt 3D — Sculpt 3D is a web-based app, from noted 3D software developer Strata, that allows you to model 3D objects like clay. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Sculptris — This app by Pixologic is a great beginner’s digital sculpting modeling tool from the makers of famed Zbrush. It’s time to design your monster! (macOS and Windows)
• SelfCAD — SelfCAD is the leader in online 3D Modeling and Slicing Software used for 3D printing with very little training. (web-based)
• Shade 3D — This app is a mac stalwart modeler, animation, and rendering software made in Japan. It is one of the oldest 3D packages on the Mac. (macOS and Windows)
• Shade 3D for Unity — this is a tool that lets you create and transform your animated 3D models into game ready content for Unity 3D development.
• Shapeasy — This is a beginner’s level 3d creation software from the folks behind Shade 3D. (macOS and Windows)
• Shave and a Haircut — Shave and a Haircut is a plugin for Maya that creates photorealistic hair and fur and responds to Maya dynamics simulations. (macOS and Windows)
• Shotgun — Autodesk’s Shotgun is a software that simplifies production project management and brings creative teams together so they can interact in real time. Used for VFX, animation, and games. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Sketchbook — this Autodesk app is a digital drawing and painting application that works just like a pen, pencil or brush for architectural design, industrial design, storyboarding and concept art. It uses over 140 layers. (macOS, Windows, iOS)
• SketchUp — Trimble’s world’s most popular 3d application makes modeling easy and friendly while providing extensible power through a vast third-party app system.  Start by drawing an object and push and pull on surfaces to create 3D forms. (macOS and Windows)
• Smoke —  Autodesk Smoke is a video effects software that combines editing tools with compositing node based tools in a timeline based workflow helping increase productivity. (macOS)
• solidThinking Evolve — Evolve is a professional 3D hybrid modeling and rendering program offering superior NURBS based modeling and best-in-class construction history. It features real-time photorealistic rendering features in addition to animation. (macOS and Windows)
• Substance B2M — Allegorithmic’s Substance B2M is an image material generator that can generate as much as you need output from a single image. (macOS and Windows)
• Substance Designer — Substance Designer is the ultimate material authoring tool and scan processing tool. It has become the standard in the entertainment industry for PBR authoring. (macOS and Windows)
• Substance Painter — Substance Painter is a powerful, 3D painting software that allows you to texture and render and share your work. (macOS and Windows)
• TAFT — This app by Worley Labs is six Lightwave 3D plugin tools ranging from weapons firing to hose animation. (macOS and Windows)
• TinkerCAD — Autodesk’s TinkerCAD is an easy browser-based 3D design modeling tool for 3D printing that is used by architects, hobbyists, toy designers and used to create objects for Minecraft. (web-based)
• Trapcode Suite — Red Giant Trapcode Suite is a set of 11 tools for 3D motion graphics and visual effects. Includes Particular, Form, Tao, Mir, Shine, Lux, Stroke, Echospace, Starglow, Sound Keys, Horizon. (macOS and Windows)
• Twinmotion — Abvent’s Twinmotion is the simplest, fastest way to do innovative cross-platform virtualization. 3D and VR solution plugin for CAD packages to be ported into the Unreal Engine. (macOS and Windows)
• Twinlinker — is an app and technology by the Abvent group behind Artlantis and Twinmotion, which enables the user to create virtual visits of your 3D model environments directly inside your web browser. (macOS and Windows)
• Unity — Unity is the most downloaded leading game engine used for creating video games, virtual reality projects, animated movies, and TV shows, and more. This game engine, like the Unreal Engine, is now powering immersive 3D experiences for pro markets. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Universe — Over 65 GPU-accelerated effects and transitions for editors and motion graphics artists by developer Red Giant. Compatible with 3D motion composers like Apple Motion Davinci Resolve, et al. (macOS and Windows)
• Unreal Engine — Unreal Game Engine is the industry-leading professional-level creative tool for video games, architectural visualization, film and TV production, and virtual reality. lt gives you the ability to build entire worlds inside Unreal. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Vue — VUE Pioneer, VUE Esprit, VUE Studio and VUE Complete provide 3D artists with powerful modular applications to create rich 3D Digital Nature scenery and landscapes. VUE xStream and VUE Infinite offer CG professionals the premiere solutions for creating exceptionally rich and realistic Digital Nature environments with seamless integration into any production workflow. (macOS and Windows)
• V-Ray — Chaos Group’s V-Ray stand-alone renderer is a leading renderer for visual effects for film, television, games, product and AEC industry visualization, and VR. V-Ray for Sketchup, formZ, and Rhino, among others are also available. GPU accelerated rendering is now available on the Mac. (macOS and Windows)
• Xfrog — Xfrog is a procedural organic 3D modeler that allows you to create and animate 3d trees, flowers, nature based special effects or architectural forms. (macOS and Windows)
• ZBrush — Pixologic’s ZBrush is a digital sculpting modeling software that allows complex detail in your objects. (macOS and Windows)

Growing This List

Have we missed a key software package you use or make that should be on this list? If so please email us at info@architosh.com and tell us about it.

We will be sure to add it to the list at the next update AND we will give you a complimentary annual subscription to Architosh INSIDER premium membership.

series index page: Mac 3D App Guides for AEC/CAID/VFX and Animation industries. 

Architosh will be reviewing and updating all our App Lists on a regular basis. See the dates below.

Listing of Updates by Date

7 Oct 2018 — Creation Date

The post INDEX 01: All Mac 3D Apps—Alphabetical Listing appeared first on Architosh.

Introduction

Just like our Ultimate Guide series on “CAD” apps for macOS, released on 11 Dec 2017, this Ultimate LIst is focused on providing value to those in search of, researching on, testing, demoing, and implementing Mac 3D software into various industry workflows or pipelines. High-value to readers is found herein in these organized lists and guides:

1. Alphabetical-based Lists — complete listings in “alphabetical order” to aid search.
2. Industry-centric Lists — designed to aid research, demonstrate comprehensiveness or lack-thereof.
3. Industry-leading Workflows — designed to provide detailed Add-On lists and information on apps that commonly work together.
4. “Must-Have” Top Apps Lists and Articles — break-down articles that discuss the apps that all users must have in particular industry workflows.
5. Software Portfolio Spec Sheets — a new type of post that provides comprehensive history, details, performance, and interoperability specifications on a specific app.

These five (5) major components will develop over time and constitute the ultimate information resource for Mac 3D applications across all types of industries and specialties.

The Indices (WIP Release 1)

The complete Ultimate List of 3D Applications for the Apple Mac Platform will be indexed entirely from this master index page and it is a work in progress (WIP).

This page will be updated periodically. (grey items are forthcoming…)

INDEX 01:  A complete “alphabetical-ordered” listing of all Mac 3D Apps

• All Mac 3D Apps

INDEX 02:  Industry-centric Listing of Mac 3D Apps

• 3D: AEC (Architecture, Engineering & Construction)
• 3D: CAID (Computer-aided Industrial Design)
• 3D: Animation, VFX, and Compositing

INDEX 03: Industry-leading Workflows

• coming….

INDEX 04:  “Must-have” top apps lists—a shortcut to the top apps in macOS 3D

• coming….

INDEX 05:  A listing of Software Portfolio Spec Sheets

• coming…

Growing This List

We will continue to grow these lists and guides in the fullness of time, to make sure we have covered the entire industry as it exists. If you have any ideas about these lists please drop us a note at info@architosh.com

main App Guides page: https://architosh.com/app-guides/

List Update Log

(latest release dated up top)

9 Oct 2018 — Creation date

The post Ultimate List of 3D Applications for the Apple Mac Platform appeared first on Architosh.

There are so many great macOS native 3D apps now that are highly useful for or actually purpose-built for the AEC industry it is hard to choose three to spotlight below. So we have chosen to focus on three that did not even exist 19 years ago when Architosh first published its original Mac App Guides for CAD and 3D.

Some Notable 3D Apps for the AEC Market

Architosh, as its name implies, was actually created to bolster morale and hope for the continued use of the Mac in the architecture market. The purpose of the site is told, originally, here on the first version of Architosh. The purpose and history are further expanded in several interviews and a podcast. Back in 1999, it was very much worth fighting for the Mac in architecture because it already had some amazing applications (all still in existence), but the three apps of note were not yet created.

The first one app of note is clearly Trimble’s SketchUp. Downloaded over 35 million times, SketchUp is the number one 3D application by use every created on any platform. Originally created just for Windows in the first decade of this century, Architosh got the exclusive story when the company (@Last Software) decided to bring the app to the Mac. If SketchUp is new to you the first thing you should know about it is its legendary ease-of-use. SketchUp brought “approachability” to professional 3D modeling.

01 – SketchUp 2018 is the current version and ships in free and Pro versions.

02 – Grasshopper enables sophisticated modeling power by using algorithms to drive 3D form.

03 – Chaos Group has announced the release of V-Ray 3 for SketchUp, a popular design workflow in AEC.

The next app of note is also a world leader. McNeel’s Grasshopper is the undisputed market and mindshare leader in algorithmic 3d modeling using a visual script node user interface. Only recently a native macOS app, Grasshopper is one of the most important and popular apps taught in architecture schools in colleges worldwide.

Finally, we must bring some limelight to V-Ray by Chaos Group. V-Ray is a rendering engine and set of plugins for popular CAD/BIM/3D apps. It’s visual quality and speed are top-shelf, and its ease-of-use has dramatically improved over the recent round of releases. V-Ray works with such popular 3d tools such as SketchUp, Rhino and popular BIM applications like Window-only Autodesk Revit. In terms of renderers on the Mac, the competition is fierce with well over a dozen superior choices, but V-Ray continues to find favor with the AEC community.

3D apps are just some of the tools required by AEC pros. To see our list of complete macOS tools for AEC also visit these guides below:

• INDEX 02: CAD: AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Construction)
• Ultimate List of CDE (Common Data Environment) Apps for Architects

INDEX 02: 3D Apps: AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Construction)

We have over 27 macOS native 3d applications in this list for AEC use. There are clearly more if we broaden our criteria around everyday use, but these below are purpose-built for the industry or well-known to be used by AEC pros.

• Artlantis — this award-winning tool by France’s Abvent is a stand-alone renderer for architects and designers. It has legendary simplicity and power. (macOS and Windows)
• Cinema 4D — Maxon’s widely lauded professional but affordable 3D package is used for modeling, animation, rendering and motion graphics, used across broadcast and film, game, architecture and engineering industries. Maxon is a Nemetschek Group company based in Germany. (macOS and Windows)
• City Engine — ESRI’s City Engine transforms 2D GIS data into 3D city models, an invaluable tool for various types of professionals, including planners, urban designers and architects. The tool integrates with ESRI’s leading ArcGIS tool. (macOS and Windows)
• CL3VER — this award-winning app is a cloud-based interactive presentation software that simplifies 3D visualization for the AEC and design industries, offering an exciting way to explore design projects or products from any angle and easily evaluate alternatives. Seamlessly integrating into your daily workflow, CL3VER matches scene information as is, including cameras, materials, lights, and geometry, turning designs into 3D immersive experiences shareable via the browser, offline and in virtual reality. You can use as a plugin with Sketchup & Rhino. (macOS and Windows)
• Datasmith — Datasmith is a plugin is a workflow toolbox they are working on to simplify data migration into Unreal Engine for architectural and design visualizations. It is part of Unreal Engine Studio. (macOS and Windows)
• Design 3D CX 8 — Design 3D CX is a modeling, animation, and rendering package that is easy to use and powerful for professional use. Known earlier in time as Strata 3D, the Strata product line has expanded over the years into various versions. (macOS and Windows)
• FormIt Pro — FormIt is a powerful BIM-powered architectural modeling software with native Revit interoperability, which enables architects to conceptually model and then analyze against environmental concerns, locate models in real site contexts, etc. It works in the cloud, on Apple iPad Pro, and on Windows. (macOS via web browser, iOS, Windows)
• formZ — formZ by AutoDesSys is a stalwart mac developer and global leader in a professional 3D package highly used in architecture and related industries, featuring modeling, animation, and rendering. There are for apps the company supplies to market—formZ Free, formZ Jr. and formZ Pro. There is also a new formZ mobile viewer for iOS.  (macOS, iOS, and Windows)
• Foto 3D CX — Foto 3D CX allows you to use your camera to capture full textured 3D models from real-world objects. (macOS and Windows)
• Grasshopper — Grasshopper is a graphical algorithm editor tightly integrated with Rhino’s 3-D modeling tools. Grasshopper is the AEC industry’s leading algorithmic design platform made by McNeel and Associates. (macOS and Windows)
• LightWave 3D — one of the top professional 3D packages highly used in Hollywood and across numerous other industries close to and far from the film industry. (macOS and Windows)
• LumenRT — Bentley’s LumenRT is a plugin for immersive visualization for Architecture and Geo Design. It can create fast photographic images and ultra high definition video of your projects. (macOS and Windows). Note, this app may not actually be supported on Mac any longer.
• Maya — Autodesk’s Maya is a leading pro 3D modeling, animation, simulation, and rendering software for character animation, architectural rendering, environments, virtual reality, and motion graphics. There are actually two Autodesk Maya’s, the regular version and Autodesk Maya LT. The LT version is used for character and environment creation and animation, while the regular version is used for complex simulations and motion graphics. (macOS and Windows)
• Maxwell Render — Maxwell is a beautiful photorealistic renderer for architects and designers. The product by Next Limit is famous for its speed and render image quality. Maxwell comes as Maxwell Studio, a standalone application and in plugins for leading 3D tools like SketchUp, Rhino, formZ, and others. Importantly, the list of integrations includes Rhino for Mac. (macOS and Windows)
• Maxwell Multilight — this newish app is a standalone rendering version that does not need Maxwell Studio to enable users to modify a scene’s lighting and save multitudes of images under different light conditions. The product is completely free. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Modo — Modo is a powerful, professional modeling, animation, and rendering solution for professionals that work the way an artist thinks. The product is from The Foundry.
• Octane Render — OTOY’s Octane renderer is a professional level photo-realistic images, and one of the fastest GPU accelerated renderers on the market. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Render[in] — Abvent’s newish Render[in] is a powerful radiosity engine created for Sketchup. It is actually part of the Artlantis rendering engine and is designed to give SketchUp users a powerful photorealistic rendering option. Runs inside of SketchUp. (macOS and Windows)
• Rhinoceros — aka: Rhino, Robert McNeel & Associates’ award-winning and extremely popular professional 3D modeler application is fully NURBS-based and allows you to create just about any shape imaginable. (macOS and Windows)
• Shade 3D — This app is a mac stalwart modeler, animation, and rendering software made in Japan. It is one of the oldest 3D packages on the Mac. (macOS and Windows)
• SketchUp — Trimble’s world’s most popular 3d application makes modeling easy and friendly while providing extensible power through a vast third-party app system.  Start by drawing an object and push and pull on surfaces to create 3D forms. (macOS and Windows)
• Twinmotion — Abvent’s Twinmotion is the simplest, fastest way to do innovative cross-platform virtualization. 3D and VR solution plugin for CAD packages to be ported into the Unreal Engine. (macOS and Windows)
• Unity — Unity is the most downloaded leading game engine used for creating video games, virtual reality projects, animated movies, and TV shows, and more. This game engine, like the Unreal Engine, is now powering immersive 3D experiences for pro markets. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Unreal Engine — Unreal Game Engine is the industry-leading professional-level creative tool for video games, architectural visualization, film and TV production, and virtual reality. lt gives you the ability to build entire worlds inside Unreal. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Vue — VUE Pioneer, VUE Esprit, VUE Studio and VUE Complete provide 3D artists with powerful modular applications to create rich 3D Digital Nature scenery and landscapes. VUE xStream and VUE Infinite offer CG professionals the premiere solutions for creating exceptionally rich and realistic Digital Nature environments with seamless integration into any production workflow. (macOS and Windows)
• V-Ray — Chaos Group’s V-Ray stand-alone renderer is a leading renderer for visual effects for film, television, games, product and AEC industry visualization, and VR. V-Ray for Sketchup, formZ, and Rhino, among others are also available. GPU accelerated rendering is now available on the Mac. (macOS and Windows)
• Twinlinker — is an app and technology by the Abvent group behind Artlantis and Twinmotion, which enables the user to create virtual visits of your 3D model environments directly inside your web browser. (macOS and Windows)

Growing This List

Have we missed a key software package you use or make that should be on this list? If so please email us at info@architosh.com and tell us about it.

We will be sure to add it to the list at the next update AND we will give you a complimentary annual subscription to Architosh INSIDER premium membership.

series index page: Mac 3D App Guides for AEC/CAID/VFX and Animation industries. 

Architosh will be reviewing and updating all our App Lists on a regular basis. See the dates below.

Listing of Updates by Date

7 Oct 2018 — Creation Date

The post INDEX 02: 3D Apps: AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Construction) appeared first on Architosh.

The product design and CAID software segment have become one of the strongest growth areas for macOS over the past decade and a half. While the largest enterprise MCAD tools have largely remained Windows-only, (e.g.: SolidWorks, ProE (Creo), CATIA, etc.) the rise of new tools like Fusion 360, and Onshape have dramatically altered the market. New tools tend to be cross-platform from the start and are increasingly written for the modern web browser.

Alongside the growth in available tools in this space on the CAD side has been large growth in the areas of Class-A NURBS and SubD (subdivision surfaces) modelers. And there have emerged some rendering tools highly oriented at CAID and product design markets. (see below)

Some Notable Computer-Aided Industrial Design macOS Apps

While Autodesk Alias has been one of the standard bearers in the CAID software industry, another superior tool for product designers has been Altair’s solidThinking Evolve, a tool we have reviewed and written about much here on Architosh. Evolve has best-in-class construction history integrated into a sophisticated NURBS modeler.

The second app of note in this product design category is Rhinoceros, (aka: Rhino 3D). McNeel’s hugely popular NURBS modeler was originally Windows-only but became a macOS app in recent years. It has also become a popular tool inside the architecture community.

01 – Altair’s solidThinking Evolve is a top contender for best industrial design creation app, native to macOS and Windows.

02 – Rhino for Mac is full-featured and nearly feature equal to the Windows version.

03 – KeyShot works as an ideal high-quality photo-realistic renderer that also plugs into all the leading MCAD tools

The third app of note in this category is KeyShot, a phenomenal rendering app that we would not be surprised to learn that Apple’s Industrial Design Group may be using. A top-shelf app with cutting-edge performance wrapped in a clean and approachable user interface and UX. KeyShot has very good connections to leading MCAD tools.

INDEX 02: 3D Apps: CAID (Computer-aided Industrial Design)

We have over 28 macOS native 3d applications in this list. We will add to it when we learn of new ones.

• AC3D — this app by Inivis is an easy-to-use software package for medical visualization, flight simulation, video games, virtuality reality and more…. (macOS, Windows, and Linux)
• Alias — Autodesk’s Alias is an industrial Class-A surfacing design package with tools for concept modeling, surfacing, and visualization, working primarily towards industry, product, and automotive industries. (macOS, Windows, and Linux) Special note, Autodesk announced it would no longer support macOS in future versions but is working with Apple to explore how to bring future versions back to Mac. Older versions (2019 and prior) continue to work on macOS).
• Argon — Ashlar’s venerable brand and line of CAD and 3d modeling apps begins at the entry level with Argon, a powerful history-free precision 3D Class-A NURBS surface modeler built with the Spatial ACIS modeling engine. (macOS and Windows)
• Cheetah 3D — Cheetah 3D is an easy to use 3D software made only for the Mac. It is meant for beginners to professionals to create quick and easy projects without having to navigate complex interface. (macOS)
• Cinema 4D — Maxon’s widely lauded professional but affordable 3D package is used for modeling, animation, rendering and motion graphics, used across broadcast and film, game, architecture and engineering industries. Maxon is a Nemetschek Group company based in Germany. (macOS and Windows)
• Clara.io — Clara is 3D modeling web-based application based on WebGL and therefore runs across multiple modern operating systems with modern web browsers. You can model, animate, render all online. (web app)
• Cobalt — Ashlar’s ultimate 3D modeling product is widely used within the product and industrial design markets and comes from a Mac stalwart developer and innovator. Like Autodesk’s Alias it comes with a Class A NURBS surfaces functionality, solids, and wireframes all in one package. (macOS and Windows)
• Design 3D CX 8 — Design 3D CX is a modeling, animation, and rendering package that is easy to use and powerful for professional use. Known earlier in time as Strata 3D, the Strata product line has expanded over the years into various versions. (macOS and Windows)
• formZ — formZ by AutoDesSys is a stalwart mac developer and global leader in a professional 3D package highly used in architecture and related industries, featuring modeling, animation, and rendering. There are for apps the company supplies to market—formZ Free, formZ Jr. and formZ Pro. There is also a new formZ mobile viewer for iOS.  (macOS, iOS, and Windows)
• Foto 3D CX — Foto 3D CX allows you to use your camera to capture full textured 3D models from real-world objects. (macOS and Windows)
• Fusion 360 — Autodesk Fusion 360 is the first of its kind 3D CAD, CAM, and CAE tool that connects your entire product development process in a cloud platform. (macOS, iOS, Windows)
• Grasshopper — Grasshopper is a graphical algorithm editor tightly integrated with Rhino’s 3-D modeling tools. Grasshopper is the AEC industry’s leading algorithmic design platform made by McNeel and Associates. (macOS and Windows)
• Hexagon — this app is an inexpensive beginner’s 3D modeler program for creating objects simply and quickly, created by DAZ. (macOS and Windows)
• LightWave 3D — one of the top professional 3D packages highly used in Hollywood and across numerous other industries close to and far from the film industry. (macOS and Windows)
• KeyShot — this innovative app is the first real-time ray tracing application that uses a physically correct render engine based on scientific research in the areas of scientifically accurate material representation and global illumination. Addressing the visualization needs of designers, engineers, marketing professionals, photographers, and CG specialists, KeyShot breaks down the complexity of creating photographic images and animations from 3D digital data. (macOS and Windows)
• Maya — Autodesk’s Maya is a leading pro 3D modeling, animation, simulation, and rendering software for character animation, architectural rendering, environments, virtual reality, and motion graphics. There are actually two Autodesk Maya’s, the regular version and Autodesk Maya LT. The LT version is used for character and environment creation and animation, while the regular version is used for complex simulations and motion graphics. (macOS and Windows)
• Maxwell Render — Maxwell is a beautiful photorealistic renderer for architects and designers. The product by Next Limit is famous for its speed and render image quality. Maxwell comes as Maxwell Studio, a standalone application and in plugins for leading 3D tools like SketchUp, Rhino, formZ, and others. Importantly, the list of integrations includes Rhino for Mac. (macOS and Windows)
• MeshLab — MeshLab is an open source editor for 3D triangle meshes. It provides a set of tools for editing, cleaning, healing, inspecting, rendering, texturing and converting meshes. It can process raw data for 3D printing output. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Meshmixer — Meshmixer is a free state of the art software for working with triangle meshes. Great for 3D printing and scanning. It is free and comes from Autodesk Research. (macOS and Windows)
• Modo — Modo is a powerful, professional modeling, animation, and rendering solution for professionals that work the way an artist thinks. The product is from The Foundry.
• MOI (Moment of Inspiration) — MOI has an easy to use UI modeler for CAD users who are tired of complex CAD tools. (macOS and Windows)
• Onshape — Design, version, and share parts, assemblies, and drawings from anywhere for less than your legacy CAD maintenance fees. Onshape is fundamentally a tool for modeling mechanical or industrial parts and assemblies. It runs in the browser on any modern operating desktop operating system (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• OpenSCAD — OpenSCAD is a free software for making solid 3D CAD models. It doesn’t focus on the artistic 3d modeling, but the CAD aspects and is referred to as “the programmer’s solid 3d CAD modeler.” (macOS, Windows, Linux, UNIX)
• Rhinoceros — aka: Rhino, Robert McNeel & Associates’ award-winning and extremely popular professional 3D modeler application is fully NURBS-based and allows you to create just about any shape imaginable. (macOS and Windows)
• Shade 3D — This app is a mac stalwart modeler, animation, and rendering software made in Japan. It is one of the oldest 3D packages on the Mac. (macOS and Windows)
• solidThinking Evolve — Evolve is a professional 3D hybrid modeling and rendering program offering superior NURBS based modeling and best-in-class construction history. It features real-time photorealistic rendering features in addition to animation. (macOS and Windows)
• Unity — Unity is the most downloaded leading game engine used for creating video games, virtual reality projects, animated movies, and TV shows, and more. This game engine, like the Unreal Engine, is now powering immersive 3D experiences for pro markets. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Unreal Engine — Unreal Game Engine is the industry-leading professional-level creative tool for video games, architectural visualization, film and TV production, and virtual reality. lt gives you the ability to build entire worlds inside Unreal. (macOS, Windows, Linux)

Growing This List

Have we missed a key software package you use or make that should be on this list? If so please email us at info@architosh.com and tell us about it.

We will be sure to add it to the list at the next update AND we will give you a complimentary annual subscription to Architosh INSIDER premium membership.

series index page: Mac 3D App Guides for AEC/CAID/VFX/Animation industries. 

Architosh will be reviewing and updating all our App Lists on a regular basis. See the dates below.

Listing of Updates by Date

7 Oct 2018 — Creation Date

The post INDEX 02: 3D Apps: CAID (Computer-aided Industrial Design) appeared first on Architosh.

On this list, we have included all the major 3D pro packages like Maya, Cinema 4D, LightWave and Houdini—those all fully cross-platform for macOS support. And of course, we have listed here Pixar’s RenderMan. Some of these tools are also listed under other category lists, like Cinema 4D under AEC, as that tool is highly used in that industry segment. Tools in this list also include compositing solutions used in visual effects with films.

There are so many superb software packages for the Mac platform in the areas of animation, visual effects, and compositors; it is hard to select three notable solutions because there are many more than that. If you are here reading this you likely have already heard of the big names like Autodesk Maya, Maxon’s Cinema 4D, Houdini and NUKE. So let’s focus on notable solutions you may not know about yet.

Some Notable Animation, VFX and Compositing Apps

A lot of macOS based 3D professionals are well aware of tools like Maya and After Effects, even if those toolsets are not in their industry sectors. They are some of the bigger names in the industry. One superb software solution is Fusion 9 by Blackmagic Design, one of the larger companies in the film and TV broadcast industries. Blackmagic actually makes a tone of hardware, including the things you would see in a live TV studio. They also make professional cameras. And—importantly—they make the Blackmagic eGPU Thunderbolt 3 external GPU case for enhancing graphics performance on hardware like the MacBook Pro.

The Foundry’s modo is an award-winning mac-native 3D application that was once featured during a Steve Jobs keynote. modo has one of the most beautiful and professional user-interfaces on the planet of any software anywhere. The package continues to gain strengths across modeling, animation, rendering and more.

01 – Fusion 9 is the latest from Blackmagic Design, a leading 3D compositor and special effects package.

02 – modo by The Foundry is more than a very versatile modeler. It is actually a complete 3D package like Maya.

03 – An image from the upcoming Houdini 17, a complete pro 3D package that has been mac native for years now.

Houdini has been mac-native for many many years now. When Houdini came to macOS users it really felt as those the whole of the animation and VFX industry was mostly supportive of the Apple platform. Houdini has recently added the ultra-fast Redshift renderer to its arsenal. Houdini 17 is on its way.

INDEX 02: 3D Apps: Animation, Special Effects (VFX) and Compositing

We have over 32 macOS native 3d applications in this list. We will add to it when we learn of new ones.

• Animation Master — by HASH, this product is an inexpensive novice-level 3d modeling, animation, and rendering package. (macOS and Windows)
• Adobe After Effects — AE is an industry standard compositing application and competes with other compositors on this list. It allows for sophisticated pro-level animation and compositing of visual assets including 3D assets and special effects.
• Blackmagic Design Fusion — Fusion 9 Fusion is the world’s most advanced compositing software for visual effects artists, broadcast and motion graphic designers, and 3D animators. The starting point for all visual effects is compositing, the layering of one image on top of another. Fusion makes it easy because there are only 2 basic tools you need to get started. The Merge tool lets you quickly composite two images together in 2D space, and the Merge 3D tool lets you quickly composite multiple images together in 3D space. (macOS and Windows)
• Blender — this free open-source 3D application is considered one of the best professional level 3d packages, for 3D modeling, animation, and rendering. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Bryce — Bryce is an easy to use beginners package to create 3D environments. It is made by DAZ. (macOS, Windows)
• Carbon Scatter 2017 — Carbon Scatter 2017 scatters millions of instances in seconds – create wind-swept forests or animated crowds and render them directly inside 3ds Max, Maya, and Cinema4D! Sadly this product is not going to be sold separately in the future as e-on software is focused on Vue and PlantFactory under its new parent company Bentley. (macOS and Windows)
• Carrera — An inexpensive mid-range 3d modeling, animation, and rendering package that is used with Genesis character models. Carrera is one of the oldest names in 3d in the Apple Mac universe but has a more limited place in the market these days as it is tightly focused around other DAZ products. (macOS and Windows)
• Cinema 4D — Maxon’s widely lauded professional but affordable 3D package is used for modeling, animation, rendering and motion graphics, used across broadcast and film, game, architecture and engineering industries. Maxon is a Nemetschek Group company based in Germany. (macOS and Windows)
• Continuum — Continuum is the Swiss army knife for compositors and video editors. Continuum’s range of powerful VFX plug-ins opens the door for creative work that delivers impact. The possibilities are endless with tools like Title Studio for 2D/3D titling, Beauty Studio for retouching, Image Restoration, and many more. (macOS and Windows)
• Effects Suite — Red Giant Effects Suite is a set of 9 tools that have served the visual effects and motion graphics community for years, delivering the creative freedom to produce professional effects and motion graphics across a range of professional industries. (macOS and Windows)
• Electric Image — Electric Image (aka: Electric Image Animation System, or EIAS)  is a classic 3D modeling, animation and rendering software. One of the oldest 3D software packages on the Mac it has been involved in legendary motion pictures from Star Wars to Terminator. It is also a fast render. The product no longer focuses on modeling but rather animation and rendering. (macOS and Windows)
• Element 3D — Element 3D is a third party After Effects plug. It is used to import 3D objects for particle rendering. It mostly used for motion design and VFX. (macOS and Windows)
• Flame — Autodesk Flame is a professional, advanced interactive 3D software used for finishing, visual effects, compositing, advanced graphics, color grading, conform, editorial and look development. Unusually, it is a pro app from Autodesk that doesn’t support Windows, due to its development history. (macOS and Linux)
• Fusion — Blackmagic’s Fusion 9 VR is one of the world’s most advanced visual effects, 3d, compositing, VR, and motion graphics apps used extensively in Hollywood production houses. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• FLIX — this app is a leading story development hub for animated film & TV, video games, and storyboards for live action. Created to help collaboration between artists. (macOS, Windows, and Linux)
• Hiero — Hiero is a part of the Nuke family offering the same powerful timeline as Nuke Studio offering great visibility over projects with seamless timesharing with other Hiero assets. (macOS, Windows, and Linux)
• Houdini — Houdini is one of the major 3D professional software packages in the market and offers a powerful procedural content creation tool for visual effects, animation, simulation, and rendering. Houdini delivers a complete, complex toolset that can deliver high-quality imagery for VFX, Architecture, Games, and VR. (macOS and Windows)
• inStudio VR — inStudio VR is an easy to use virtual reality design tool made by Strata. (macOS and Windows)
• LightWave 3D — one of the top professional 3D packages highly used in Hollywood and across numerous other industries close to and far from the film industry. (macOS and Windows)
• Magic Bullet Suite — This app is a set of seven tools that bring intuitive, real-time color correction, and beyond, right to your editorial timeline. Includes Color Correct, Stylize, Refine, Cleanup. (macOS and Windows)
• Maya — Autodesk’s Maya is a leading pro 3D modeling, animation, simulation, and rendering software for character animation, architectural rendering, environments, virtual reality, and motion graphics. There are actually two Autodesk Maya’s, the regular version and Autodesk Maya LT. The LT version is used for character and environment creation and animation, while the regular version is used for complex simulations and motion graphics. (macOS and Windows)
• Mocha — Mocha is award-winning tracking software built upon a renowned Planar Tracking image engine. Mocha follows “pixel patterns” through the most difficult conditions including objects that go off-screen, objects that are partially obscured, even out of focus footage. There is also the product Mocha VR. (macOS, Windows, and Linux)
• Modo — Modo is a powerful, professional modeling, animation, and rendering solution for professionals that work the way an artist thinks. The product is from The Foundry.
• NUKE — NUKE is the industry-leading compositing, editorial and review node based system used for motion pictures, television, and games. It is another product by The Foundry. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• POLK — Polk contains 23 effects animation tools. It is another product by Worley Laboratories.
• RealFlow — Next Limit, the maker of Maxwell, produce RealFlow which is a fluid and dynamics simulation tool for photorealistic 3D and visual effects industry. This stand-alone application can be used in conjunction with other 3D programs to simulate fluids, water surfaces, fluid-solid interactions, rigid bodies, soft bodies, and meshes. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• RenderMan — Pixar’s legendary Oscar-winning RenderMan rendering software is used by not only Disney’s Pixar division but by leading film and VFX studios worldwide, for visual effects, animation, rendering, in films, TV, games, and visualization fields. It consists of RenderMan DCC Plugin and RenderMan Pro Server. The former runs inside Maya, Houdini, and Katana. The Pixar Tractor application is used for building out a RenderMan network rendering farm. (macOS, Windows, and Linux)
• Sapphire — Sapphire is a compilation of plugins for editing, compositing, and motion graphic applications. It is the special effects tool of choice for post-production professionals across the globe because it enables endless creative possibilities and workflow efficiencies. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Sasquatch — Sasquatch is a Lightwave 3D plugin that gives you photoreal hair and fur. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Shotgun — Autodesk’s Shotgun is a software that simplifies production project management and brings creative teams together so they can interact in real time. Used for VFX, animation, and games. (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Smoke —  Autodesk Smoke is a video effects software that combines editing tools with compositing node based tools in a timeline based workflow helping increase productivity. (macOS)
• Trapcode Suite — Red Giant Trapcode Suite is a set of 11 tools for 3D motion graphics and visual effects. Includes Particular, Form, Tao, Mir, Shine, Lux, Stroke, Echospace, Starglow, Sound Keys, Horizon. (macOS and Windows)
• Universe — Over 65 GPU-accelerated effects and transitions for editors and motion graphics artists by developer Red Giant. Compatible with 3D motion composers like Apple Motion Davinci Resolve, et al. (macOS and Windows)
• Vue — VUE Pioneer, VUE Esprit, VUE Studio and VUE Complete provide 3D artists with powerful modular applications to create rich 3D Digital Nature scenery and landscapes. VUE xStream and VUE Infinite offer CG professionals the premiere solutions for creating exceptionally rich and realistic Digital Nature environments with seamless integration into any production workflow. (macOS and Windows)

Growing This List

Have we missed a key software package you use or make that should be on this list? If so please email us at info@architosh.com and tell us about it.

We will be sure to add it to the list at the next update AND we will give you a complimentary annual subscription to Architosh INSIDER premium membership.

series index page: Mac 3D App Guides for AEC/CAID/VFX and Animation industries. 

Architosh will be reviewing and updating all our App Lists on a regular basis. See the dates below.

Listing of Updates by Date

7 Oct 2018 — Creation Date

The post INDEX 02: 3D Apps: Animation, Special Effects (VFX) and Compositing appeared first on Architosh.