Aurora 3D Animation Maker can turn texts into eye-popping 3D animations. When video editing or designing web pages, do you need to transform your text to a.
- Aug 09, 2019 Description: K-3D is a free 3D modelling and animation software. It features a plug-in-oriented procedural engine for all of its content. K-3D supports polygonal modeling, and it includes basic tools for NURBS, patches, curves, and animation. Despite its name, it is not a KDE application; it uses the GTK+ toolkit via gtkmm.
- Since 1995, Poser has been the go-to software tool for 3D characters in illustration and animation for over 500,000 digital artists. Poser Pro 11 Poser is a digital stage that gives you full creative control. Work with 3D figures for any project requiring rendered images or animated video.
- Clara.io a free 3D animation software that runs in your browser. In terms of 3D modeling, it caters to most needs, as it is capable of basic modeling techniques like extrusion, beveling, slicing, cutting, and looping. Clara.io also features subdiving modeling.
- Free Animation Maker. Renderforest is online video maker tool which helps to create explainer animations, promotional videos, character animations, 3D realistic videos, kinetic typography, slideshows and a lot more. Renderforest provides a variety of animations for both personal and professional purposes.
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Are you in search of some of the best 3D animation software? There are several uses of the 3D animation software creator like creating movies, creating characters, adding voiceovers to the characters, etc.
The 3D animation maker has a great deal to explore, which is fun indeed. If you are into animation or someone who loves animation just for fun, you can try out the free 3D animation software.
Although you can find a great number of animation software in the market, only a few can be trusted completely. In this article, you can explore both free and the paid best 3D animation software that are trending the popularity charts.
Recommended 3D animation software - FilmoraPro
If you want to have more controls on 3D animation video, here we recommend using FilmoraPro. You can use it to make 3D animation by adding keyframes, so the animation will be smooth and natural. You just need to build a white plane to easily start making animation. Besides, color correction and audio mixer will raise up your 3D animation video to a new level. Download it to have a try (Free)!
Below is a comparison table that you can find the best free 3D animation makers. Some 3D animation makers are easy to use. Take a look!
| Price | OS | Pros | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blender | Free | Windows, Linux, OSX and Steam | Best 3d animation software; Active community globally | Powerful rendering support |
| Wings 3D | Free | Windows, Linux and Mac | Easy 3d animation software; Open source and completely fre | Its interface is customizable |
| K3-D | Free | GNU/Linux, MacOS X, FreeBSD, Windows | Intuitive 3d animation maker; Node-based visualization pipeline | Endless redo feature |
| Source Filmmaker | Free | Windows | Any games can be used in this animaiton maker | Game lovers will like it |
| Maya | $1,050/year | Windows, Mac | Time Editor to edit animaiton faster; You can collect motion capture data | Easy to use Motion graphics |
| Cinema 4D | $1,647 | Windows, Mac | Intuitive interface to make 3d animation | Fluid workflow to start editing for beginners |
| Mixamo | $1,500/year | Windows, Mac | Vivid and high-quality animated 3D characters | Belong to adobe family |
| Houdini | $1,995/year | Windows, Mac | Powerful VEX to make excellent 3D animations | Quick guide for learners |
Part 1: Best Free 3D Animation Software
1.Blender
An open-source professional free 3D animation software, Blender is used in hosting a range of applications like visual effects, animated feature films, video games and more. The Blender supports the entire 3D tree which includes features like, rigging, modeling, animating, simulating, compositing, rendering, and tracking motion. The features of Blender are-
- CPU, GPU, VR rendering support
- Masking and textured brushes for 3D painting
- Add-ons and customized tools with Python scripting
- Bridge fill, edge slide, grid, inset
- Both manual and auto tracking
- Camera restoration is powerful
- Curve editor and dope sheets
- Customize layout and interface
2.Wings 3D
An easy to use, unconventional sector modeler, Wings 3D is a powerful 3D animation software. Whether you are a commercial 3D animation creator or a personal one, the Wings 3D is a free and an open source 3D animation software. The features of Winds 3D include-
- Customized interface
- Support for materials and lights
- Built-in AutoUV mapping facility
3.K3-D
One of the best 3D animation software, K-3D features a procedural engine plugin for its content. It is a free 3D animation software that supports polygonal modeling. A visual pipeline architecture is combined with the flexible plugins that make the K3-D software a powerful and versatile tool. The features include-
- Consistent and intuitive
- Consist of basic tools for animation, patches, curves and NURVS
- Parametric work flow
- Can be run on Windows, OS X, Linux and FreeBSD
4.Source Filmmaker
This 3D animation software lets you make a movie inside the game engine Source. Wondering how? It is because whatever assets are present in the game, the Source Filmmaker uses it. So, the assets of the game are used by SFM in the film and vice versa. The features of this movie-making tool includes-
- Renders power of a modern gaming PC
- Whatever you see in the game is what you get in the movie
- Completely free to download
- Manages entire workflow needed to make a movie into one single system
- Virtual movie set with lights, actors, props and cameras
- Create your own movies and add features as per your requirement
Part 2: Best Paid 3D Animation Software
5.Maya
If you wish to create or develop games, 3D scenes, movies, or people, Maya is definitely one of the best 3D animation software tool available. Although a paid software, Maya 3D animation creator does complete justice to its various features of coloring, animating, and modeling. The features are-
- 30 days free trial
- Uncomplicated software
- Create complex technical effects
- High-level animation edits
- Perfect accuracy and control
- Create flying logos, titles sequences, branding, etc.
- Higher performance in high fidelity environment
6.Cinema 4D
A faster 3D animation software tool than Maya, Cinema 4D offers a gentle curve for learning but, does not cover all like Maya. The high speed feature makes the Cinema 4D software desirable in the television, advertisements, and various motion graphics. The features are-
- Extensive library of preset scenes, material, and objects
- Develop concepts without time modeling
- Dissect complete scenes
- Customized with a huge range of assets
7.Mixamo
With a straightforward and faster workflow, the Mixamo 3D software’s newest user experience and interface makes it too easy to find, create, organize and share assets and animation instantly. The features of this 3D animation software include-
- User experience is streamlined
- Fully customizable animation packs
- Faster and accurate search function
- Download multiple animations at one go
- Fast character and animation browsing
8.Houdini
Developed by the Toronto based Side Effects Software, Houdini covers every major part that a 3D animation software should do. This 3D animation maker was adapted by PRISMS group of procedural generation software tools. The keen focus on the procedural generation by Houdini differentiates it from other 3D animation creator. The features of this 3D animation software are-
- Powerful and accessible 3D animation experience
- Rigging animate characters
- Add Character FX like fur, hair, etc.
- Time-space motion path handles
- Import export to a range of formats
- Robust built-in rendering solution
Conclusion
This is the list of the free and paid best 3D animation software. So, whenever you are confused and need any assistance regarding 3D animation software, go through this content and you will find the right solution. Undoubtedly, FilmoraPro is one of the best tools for 3D animation. With a range of features like ease of interface access, preset animation effects, multiple tracks to add various videos, and more makes a complete package to ensure a great 3D animation software usage tool. Just a little trial and error can make you perfect.
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Animation has come a long way since the days of 'Steamboat Willie,' developing into a precise and scientific art.
Just look at how Pixar has changed the animation game: With 1998’s “Toy Story,” the studio introduced the world to the first-ever computer-animated feature-length film. At the time, it was revolutionary. Beforeanimation software, cartoons were created by hand, drawing or inking thousands of cells against various backgrounds in rapid sequence. Computer animation is cheaper, faster and allows animators for more flexibility.
What are the best free animation software in 2019?
- KeyShot
- K-3D
- PowToon
- Pencil2D
- Blender
- Animaker
- Synfig Studio
- Plastic Animation Paper
- OpenToonz
However, watching “Toy Story” back more than 20 years later, its animation style looks rudimentary. Today, computer animation has become the norm and has vastly improved since the release of “Toy Story.” The improvement is thanks to animation software. Each hair on a character’s head is painstakingly animated. The correct shadowing is meticulously added in each scene to make it as realistic as possible. Animators study movement to ensure their characters are anatomically correct.
What’s more, with the advancement of animation software, those outside the entertainment industry can utilize the technology as well. Marketing teams, product teams and more leverage animation solutions to enhance their websites and content. An animated video is a great supplement for a blog or advertisement; the inclusion of animated content can bring a company’s brand to a whole new level. Take Samsung, who used animation to promote their initiative for an increased use of their technology in schools. Or Johnson & Johnson, who used animation to demonstrate how to use their bubble baby bath and wash in an engaging format.
Whether you are an expert animator or looking for animation software for beginners, there are plenty of solutions available. Best of all is that you don’t necessarily have to pay to hone your animation skills. These free animation tools will help you improve your craft.
The list we’ve outlined here includes any animation solution with an available free offering. It should be noted that this does not include products that are only free on a temporary basis, such as limited trial versions for new users. They may only support one user or one project, but they’re truly free offerings. Scaling, however, will often require full investments.
These products alone have well over 246 validated user reviews on G2 Crowd as of June 13, 2019, and only represent a small portion of the 45-plus animation software offerings listed on our platform. Whenever possible, products are ranked byuser satisfaction score.
1. KeyShot
Image courtesy of KeyShot
KeyShot is a fast and user-friendly 3D rendering software with animation capabilities. This tool allows users to go from a simple model to a stunning visual in minutes. KeyShot is a completely free animation software.
KeyShot has a number of features to support animation and 3D rendering, including but not limited to:
- 2D animation and 3D animation
- HDRI lighting that allows you to light and adjust your scene as needed
- Camera control that enables users to simulate real-world camera behavior
- Dynamic texture mapping to simulate the real-world appearance of a landscape
- Focused caustics to ensure objects are properly lighted
What users like
“It's fast and most of the results come [out] pretty good. And today they can do animation and VR in KeyShot, [which] makes the software even more powerful than ever.”
— Keyshot reviewby a user in higher education
What users dislike
“The animation configuration could be easier and also give more options of possible movements.”
— Keyshot review by Julia C.
Recommendations to others considering the product
“Try it, it is very easy. I do like the animation tool, which you can [use to] make an animation rendering very easy and quick.”
— Keyshot review by Chen W.
2. K-3D
Image courtesy of K-3D
K-3D is an animation and 3D modeling software. It combines plugins with a visualization pipeline architecture to make it a powerful and flexible tool for artists. This free animation software allows users to create unique combinations in their work.
K-3D offers a number of features to make an artist’s work as easy as possible:
- An advanced undo/redo function
- Properties that can be adjusted interactively
- A node-based visualization pipeline
What users like
“This is the tool with the features, speed and stability for you.”
— K-3D review by a user in graphic design
What users dislike
The same K-3D reviewer said, “Great program all around, only complaint, just wish it had some sort of quick getting started guide, considering that's my only complaint, always have this installed on my comp.”
3. PowToon
Image courtesy of PowToon
This free animation software is intended for making short videos and presentations. Users can upload their own content or choose from PowToon’s library of royalty-free content. Animators can customize the existing templates to ensure they fit their needs.
PowToon offers paid options, but its free plan offers the following features:
- Standard video resolution
- Access to some of PowToon’s video content library
- The ability to create videos up to three minutes long
- Export to YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo and more
- The choice of aspect ratios and sizes
What users like
“I think that what I mostly like is that creating an animation with PowToon is ridiculously easy. First, I get to pick out one from many templates. After a template is selected, I like that it’s even easier to add moving characters to every slide I have for the animation.”
— PowToon reviewby Esmeralda D.
What users dislike
“I don’t really like that PowToon characters are really simplistic; if they were a bit more complex, this would also be a great tool for making quality animations.”
— PowToon review by Alicia Sarah V.
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Recommendations to others considering the product
“This tool provides a lots of attractive templates, which helps users to design their slides and making their presentation better. So, this tool helps me a lot and I recommend this tool for people who usually deal with presentations.”
— PowToon review by Raj M.
4. Pencil2D
Image courtesy of Pencil2D
This 2D animation software allows users to create more traditional, hand-drawn scenes. This is accomplished using bitmap and vector graphics. Not only is Pencil2D free, but it is an open-source animation software.
Pencil2D offers a number of features to make animation easy, including but not limited to:
- A lightweight and easy design interface
- The ability to seamlessly switch between raster and vector files
- Cross-platform functionality to facilitate operation on Mac, Windows and Linux
What users like
“I enjoy how easy it is to understand this right off the bat. I was able to start animating immediately! Another extreme plus is the ability to use layers.”
— Pencil2D reviewby Sara C.
What users dislike
“You'll have to redo your setting preferences because the program resets to default whenever you open it up. This is especially true for if you want to use the pen tool, or if you want to use different colors to connote different parts of your animation.”
— Pencil2D review by Sabrina B.
Recommendations to others considering the product
“Recommended 100 percent for the general public and people who want an efficient app.”
—Pencil2D reviewby Grey P.
5. Blender
Image courtesy of Blender
Blender is a free and open-source animation software that also has capabilities for 3D modeling, game creation, motion tracking and more. This tool enables artists to turn stills into 3D animation. Blender also offers a fast rigging tool that allows users to turn 3D models into animated characters.
The following animation features are included in Blender:
Free 3d Animation Programs Downloads
- Automated walk-cycles along paths
- An editor for character animation poses
- Non-linear animation for independent character movements
- Mirror functionality
What users like
“Blender is a free animation software, but do not let that deter you from trying it. It is a really powerful software that I use to make 3D designs. Another thing that I like about Blender is that you can easily import outside objects like textures and animations. The lighting and shadow functions also look really professional.”
— Blender review by Beth A.
What users dislike
“Image-based animation becomes difficult to perform. For me personally, I tried to get an image hand created and perform animation. It kept getting difficult to animate the image.”
— Blender review by Ankit A.
Recommendations to others considering the product
“Blender is so powerful and has so many features it's overwhelming. Approach with discipline. Decide what aspect you want to tackle first (modelling, animation, lighting, compositing, etc.), then work through a lot of Youtube tutorials.”
—Blender reviewby Michael M.
6. Animaker
Image courtesy of Animaker
Animaker is a drag and drop, online animation and video making platform. This platform is free to register for, and is less technical than many other animation solutions. Animaker is targeted towards a content marketer persona, and includes templates for making different types of animations including infographics, motion typography, whiteboards, and 2D cartoons.
Some of the major benefits of Animaker are:
- Large library of animated pre-created templates and characters
- Drag and drop editing style with 6 types of animation video styles
- Whiteboard video creation
- Simple infographic creator
- More advanced features for technical creations
What users like
“I really like the drag and drop interface, it really helps building animations on the go and within no time. A very helpful tool when you are in hurry but need a effective and productive presentation. It takes presentations to another level by giving more visual effect.”
— Animaker reviewby Harsh P.
What users dislike
“There is free pack, but it won't allow you to create long presentations and also limits the number of such presentations you can create.”
— Animaker review by Purav A.
Recommendations to others considering the product
“Using the templates provided by Animaker would reduce most of your work. Only make some minor changes as per your requirement an you are all set.”
—Animaker reviewby Rayan V.
7. Synfig
Image courtesy of Synfig
Synfig Studio is a free and open-source 2D animation software for Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. While it offers many technical and advanced features, the open-source community has created a large library of documentation and video courses in multiple languages to help novice animators become professionals. The platform is also always improving, and users have a choice between downloading the stable version or a new development version.
Synfig offers many technical animation features, including:
- Vector tweening
- Layers and filtering
- Bone system for complex editing of bitmap images
- Many advanced technical features for expert animators
What users like
“I like it a lot because it is an open source software. It is accessible to all audiences. It is not necessary to be a mirror or have a step by step to perform all the activities that can be done with it. Your presentations in 2D are made using few resources and tools - since it has so many useful tools that with only one you can do many things. Your presentations are made in a way for metric. And the best thing is that if there is a change in resolution, this does not affect your results”
— Synfig Studio reviewby Genesis M
What users dislike
“I dislike a little the idea that has some imperfections the program, in question of the interface. Since it tends to close itself and tends to get a little slow to use it. In the same way it has a problem when installing it since it does not accept being installed in some 32-bit programs, as it was my case. I had many problems to install it.”
— Synfig Studio review by Victor M.
Recommendations to others considering the product
“I recommend this software to all those people who have small companies and are in charge of the design area - since even though it is not more innovative, it fulfills all the necessary functions to make a good animation and its tools give you the opportunity to do a lot and in a short time.”
—Synfig Studio review byVictor M.
8. Plastic Animation Paper
Image courtesy of Plastic Animation Paper
Plastic Animation is the free and original version of Animation Paper. This option is a great animation software for beginners, as the product offers tutorials on how to use the software. The tutorials in this free 2D animation tool allow users to work at their own speed.
Plastic Animation Paper offers tutorials on many of its features, including but not limited to:
- Basic drawing tools
- The ability to organize a workflow with a setup and marking menus
- Layering
- How to do a walk cycle, which includes timing with clones, a light table and working in passes
- Zooming and rotating a sheet
Be the first to leave a Plastic Animation Paper review!
9. OpenToonz
Image courtesy of OpenToonz
This free (and open-source) animation software enables users to produce 2D animation. Thanks to its open-source nature, developers can modify this free animation software to fit their needs.
Using OpenToonz, users have the ability to:
- Produce affected incident light
- Change picture styles
- Create wavy distortion
- Scan four different types of images within the product — black and white, colored or with or without binarization
Next steps for selecting the best free animation software
Decide which features are important to you in a product. For example, it is important to decide whether you need open-source animation software or animation software for beginners. The features in the product you pick should allow you to effectively reach your end goal, such as educating your audience or promoting your brand in an exciting new way. Once you have chosen, read through some more verified user reviews to allow you to make the best decision for your business.
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* Please note: Reviews may have been edited for spelling and grammar.