List of 3D rendering software

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This page provides a list of 3D rendering software, the dedicated engines used for rendering computer-generated imagery. This is not the same as 3D modeling software, which involves the creation of 3D models, for which the software listed below can produce realistically rendered visualisations. Also not included are general-purpose packages which can have their own built-in rendering capabilities; these can be found in the List of 3D computer graphics software and List of 3D animation software. See 3D computer graphics software for more discussion about the distinctions.

TitleLicenseStatusDeveloper(s)
3Delight Proprietary Active Illumination Research (company)
appleseed MIT [1] Active appleseedhq Organization
Arion Proprietary Active RandomControl
Aqsis BSD ActivePaul Gregory
Arnold Proprietary ActiveSolid Angle, Autodesk, Sony Pictures Imageworks
Brazil R/S Proprietary Discontinued SplutterFish LLC
Bella render (software) Proprietary Active Diffuse Logic
C3D Vision Proprietary Active ASCON, C3D Labs
Centileo Proprietary ActiveCentileo LLC
Chaos Corona Proprietary Active Chaos
Cycles Apache-2.0 [2] Active Blender Foundation
D5 Render Proprietary Active Dimension 5 Techs
EEVEE GPLv2 Active Blender Foundation
Enscape Proprietary Active Enscape GmbH
Flamingo Proprietary ActiveRobert McNeel & Associates
Gelato Proprietary Discontinued Nvidia Corporation
Hyperion Proprietary Active Walt Disney Animation Studios
iClone Proprietary Reallusion
Indigo Renderer Proprietary Active Glare Technologies
Kerkythea Freeware Ioannis Pantazopoulos
Keyshot Proprietary Active Luxion Inc
Light Tracer Render Freeware ActiveLight Engine
Lumion Proprietary Active Lumion Software
LuxCoreRender Apache-2.0 ActiveJean-Philippe Grimaldi (lead)
Maxwell Render Proprietary Next Limit Technologies
Mental ray Proprietary Discontinued Nvidia Corporation
MoonRay Apache-2.0 Active Dreamworks
Octane Render Proprietary Active OTOY Inc.
RenderMan Proprietary Active Pixar
Pixie GPL and LGPL Okan Arikan et Al.
POV-Ray AGPLv3 ActiveThe POV-Team
AMD Radeon ProRender Freeware Active AMD Inc.
Radiance Free and open-source ActiveGreg Ward
Raylectron Proprietary SoftByte Labs, Inc.
Redshift Proprietary Active Maxon
SolidWorks Visualize Proprietary Active Dassault Systèmes
Sunflow MIT InactiveChristopher Kulla
V-Ray Proprietary Active Chaos
YafaRay LGPL ActiveYafaRay

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rendering (computer graphics)</span> Process of generating an image from a model

Rendering or image synthesis is the process of generating a photorealistic or non-photorealistic image from a 2D or 3D model by means of a computer program. The resulting image is referred to as the render. Multiple models can be defined in a scene file containing objects in a strictly defined language or data structure. The scene file contains geometry, viewpoint, texture, lighting, and shading information describing the virtual scene. The data contained in the scene file is then passed to a rendering program to be processed and output to a digital image or raster graphics image file. The term "rendering" is analogous to the concept of an artist's impression of a scene. The term "rendering" is also used to describe the process of calculating effects in a video editing program to produce the final video output.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blender (software)</span> 3D computer graphics software

Blender is a free and open-source 3D computer graphics software tool set used for creating animated films, visual effects, art, 3D-printed models, motion graphics, interactive 3D applications, virtual reality, and, formerly, video games. Blender's features include 3D modelling, UV mapping, texturing, digital drawing, raster graphics editing, rigging and skinning, fluid and smoke simulation, particle simulation, soft body simulation, sculpting, animation, match moving, rendering, motion graphics, video editing, and compositing.

X3D is a set of royalty-free ISO/IEC standards for declaratively representing 3D computer graphics. X3D includes multiple graphics file formats, programming-language API definitions, and run-time specifications for both delivery and integration of interactive network-capable 3D data. X3D version 4.0 has been approved by Web3D Consortium, and is under final review by ISO/IEC as a revised International Standard (IS).

Autodesk 3ds Max, formerly 3D Studio and 3D Studio Max, is a professional 3D computer graphics program for making 3D animations, models, games and images. It is developed and produced by Autodesk Media and Entertainment. It has modeling capabilities and a flexible plugin architecture and must be used on the Microsoft Windows platform. It is frequently used by video game developers, many TV commercial studios, and architectural visualization studios. It is also used for movie effects and movie pre-visualization. 3ds Max features shaders, dynamic simulation, particle systems, radiosity, normal map creation and rendering, global illumination, a customizable user interface, and its own scripting language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LightWave 3D</span> 3D computer graphics program

LightWave 3D is a 3D computer graphics program developed by LightWave Digital. It has been used in films, television, motion graphics, digital matte painting, visual effects, video game development, product design, architectural visualizations, virtual production, music videos, pre-visualizations and advertising.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3D Movie Maker</span> Movie making program by Microsoft

3D Movie Maker is a children's computer program developed by Microsoft Home's Microsoft Kids subsidiary released in 1995. Using the program, users can make films by placing 3D characters and props into pre-rendered environments, as well as adding actions, sound effects, music, text, speech and special effects. Movies are then saved in the .3mm file format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Houdini (software)</span> 3D animation software

Houdini is a 3D animation software application developed by Toronto-based SideFX, who adapted it from the PRISMS suite of procedural generation software tools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Real-time computer graphics</span> Sub-field of computer graphics

Real-time computer graphics or real-time rendering is the sub-field of computer graphics focused on producing and analyzing images in real time. The term can refer to anything from rendering an application's graphical user interface (GUI) to real-time image analysis, but is most often used in reference to interactive 3D computer graphics, typically using a graphics processing unit (GPU). One example of this concept is a video game that rapidly renders changing 3D environments to produce an illusion of motion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Software rendering</span> Generating images by computer software

Software rendering is the process of generating an image from a model by means of computer software. In the context of computer graphics rendering, software rendering refers to a rendering process that is not dependent upon graphics hardware ASICs, such as a graphics card. The rendering takes place entirely in the CPU. Rendering everything with the (general-purpose) CPU has the main advantage that it is not restricted to the (limited) capabilities of graphics hardware, but the disadvantage is that more transistors are needed to obtain the same speed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autodesk Softimage</span> Discontinued 3D graphics software

Autodesk Softimage, or simply Softimage was a 3D computer graphics application, for producing 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling, and computer animation. Now owned by Autodesk and formerly titled Softimage|XSI, the software has been predominantly used in the film, video game, and advertising industries for creating computer generated characters, objects, and environments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pre-rendering</span>

Pre-rendering is the process in which video footage is not rendered in real-time by the hardware that is outputting or playing back the video. Instead, the video is a recording of footage that was previously rendered on different equipment. Pre-rendered assets may also be outsourced by the developer to an outside production company. Such assets usually have a level of complexity that is too great for the target platform to render in real-time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3D rendering</span> Process of converting 3D scenes into 2D images

3D rendering is the 3D computer graphics process of converting 3D models into 2D images on a computer. 3D renders may include photorealistic effects or non-photorealistic styles.

Form·Z is a general-purpose solid and surface modeling software. It offers 2D/3D form manipulating and sculpting capabilities. It can be used on Windows and Macintosh computers. It is available in English, German, Italian, Spanish, French, Greek, Korean and Japanese languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3D computer graphics</span> Graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data

3D computer graphics, sometimes called CGI, 3-D-CGI or three-dimensional computer graphics, are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering digital images, usually 2D images but sometimes 3D images. The resulting images may be stored for viewing later or displayed in real time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Computer graphics</span> Graphics created using computers

Computer graphics deals with by generating images and art with the aid of computers. Today, computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, digital art, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. A great deal of specialized hardware and software has been developed, with the displays of most devices being driven by computer graphics hardware. It is a vast and recently developed area of computer science. The phrase was coined in 1960 by computer graphics researchers Verne Hudson and William Fetter of Boeing. It is often abbreviated as CG, or typically in the context of film as computer generated imagery (CGI). The non-artistic aspects of computer graphics are the subject of computer science research.

Maxwell Render is an unbiased 3D render engine, developed by Next Limit Technologies in Madrid, Spain. This stand-alone software is used in the film, animation, and VFX industry, as well as in architectural and product design visualization. It offers various plug-ins for 3D/CAD and post production applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Away3D</span>

Away3D is an open-source platform for developing interactive 3D graphics for video games and applications, in Adobe Flash or HTML5. The platform consists of a 3D world editor, a 3D graphics engine, a 3D physics engine and a compressed 3D model file format (AWD).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3D modeling</span> Form of computer-aided engineering

In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical coordinate-based representation of a surface of an object in three dimensions via specialized software by manipulating edges, vertices, and polygons in a simulated 3D space.

References

  1. "appleseed". appleseed - A modern, open source production renderer. appleseedhq Organization. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  2. "Cycles". Cycles - Open Source Production Rendering. Blender Foundation. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  3. https://architizer.com/blog/practice/tools/websites-free-download-rendering-assets/