The 3 best Cinema 4D alternatives
In this practical tip we show you the best alternatives to the high-end 3D program Cinema 4D from Maxon. Some programs on the market are even available free of charge.
Free Cinema 4D alternative: Blender
Blender is a free all-round weapon when it comes to 3D animation, still image modeling or even game development.
- Interface: The user interface of Blender is chaotic at first glance. Even when you get to know the program, you will always stumble across a strangely sorted menu.
- Usability: Inevitably you need an overview of the keyboard shortcuts to operate Blender. Without this, the sensible use of the free 3D all-rounder is hardly possible. However, Blender is less common in 3D animation for video workflow.
- Features: As an open source solution, Blender offers a huge range of functions, which competitors cannot provide themselves for money. Extensions via plugins and scripts in Phyton are possible at any time.
- Price: Blender is freeware. You can get the full range of functions on the manufacturer's website or in our download area.
Expensive but free for students: Autodesk 3ds Max
With 3ds Max you get to the big counterpart to Cinema 4D. While Cinema is more designed for spline modeling and also offers some functions for poly modeling, 3ds Max is more designed for poly modeling.
- Surface: 3ds Max is much clearer than Blender, but you also need some time to get used to it. The nesting of different effects and processing steps should be carefully considered so that no stones get in the way during later work.
- Usability: Basic functions such as visual control, moving and rotating objects and resizing can be seen at a glance. When it comes to editing different objects, you should know which effect is behind which name.
- Features: In addition to extensive modeling functions, 3ds Max also offers a large rendering area with "mental ray". 3ds Max can also be expanded with scripts and many plugins. With "Vray" and one (or more) powerful graphics cards, you can even render in real-time based on GPU.
- Price: Autodesk only offers a subscription system for the 3ds Max product. The prices vary, depending on the billing period, between € 200 monthly to € 1, 600 annually. The program is free for school pupils and students and there is a free, 30-day trial version with full functionality on the manufacturer's website.
High-end video animation: NewTek LightWave
LightWave is a neat all-rounder that can be used excellently for video animation.
- Interface: Divided into several tabs, LightWave is still not the clearest 3D program, but sorts functions sensibly. So you quickly get into a pleasant workflow.
- Ease of use: The tidy surface makes LightWave relatively quick and easy to use. Of course, you also need your time here to learn all the tricks and tricks and to use them effectively.
- Range of functions: LighWave comes with a basic equipment that is impressive. Rigging, animation and rendering is possible at Hollywood level - because that's where the software is mainly used.
- Price: In contrast to Autodesk, you can buy LightWave in a full version with a permanent license. LightWave currently costs $ 695 in 2015 and is therefore significantly cheaper than the almost 3, 000 euro Cinema 4D. The student and student versions are available for around $ 200. If you've owned LightWave, you can update your version for a significantly lower price. You can download a free trial version for 30 days with full functionality from the manufacturer's website.
This practical tip shows you how to create a 3D animation in Blender.