When working in 3D, there is a multitude of software available to use. Many of them have vaguely similar interfaces and tools, however they are used by different people in the industry for different tasks.
Blender is a free piece of 3D software that covers a huge range of capabilities and tasks. The user interface used to be confusing and really difficult to navigate for new users, however, the software has recently had a huge update to bring it up to par with industry-standard, paid software, and now the interface makes much more sense and is very user-friendly. Blender can not only be used for 3D modeling and animation, it can be used for texturing, real-time rendering, visual effects, the list is practically endless.
Cinema 4D is a very expensive piece of 3D modeling and animation software. Some of its features are actually inegrated into Adobe After Effects, which is a piece of software I am very familiar with. Generally, Cinema 4D is used for motion graphics, and also sometimes illustration. It is also said to have a very easy learning curve, which would be great for me as I have no real 3D experience.
Maya is another piece of 3D software that has a very extensive range of capabilities, however it is very complex. It is mainly used for CG work, which is not what I am interested in, but can be used for motion graphics. The important question that Creative Bloq raised is, is it overkill for what I need to do? And in this case, I think it really would be. I would much rather use software designed for motion graphics than software designed for VFX that also has motion graphics capabilities.
The above information was all sourced from Creative Bloq, and it has to lead me to the conclusion that the best software for my project would likely be Cinema 4D. The hefty price tag is not an issue as they offer the full version for free to students, and I think the easy learning curve will really work in my favour. If I decide that I don’t like the way Cinema 4D works when I eventually get to using it, I will reconsider Blender, as I have heard a lot of good things about it from my peers, but personally I just am not a fan of it.
Bibliography
Jarratt, S. (2019). The best 3D modelling software 2019. [online] Creative Bloq. Available at: https://www.creativebloq.com/features/best-3d-modelling-software [Accessed 2 Oct. 2019].
Jennie Hawkes 