The Best 3D Character Modeling Software in 2022

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Stefan Vaskevich
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CEO & Founder Cyberfox

The popularity of video games, movies, and TV series is growing, along with the need for 3D artists, visual effects artists, and modeling software. Currently, the demand for them is at an all-time high. Master the best software for 3D modeling, and your services will be highly sought after in the fast-growing 3D industry.

Professional-quality software comes at a professional price, but many programs have free trial versions and licenses for several years. Let’s look at the best 3D paid and free modeling programs to pay attention to.

What if you need a 3DCharacter right now?

Creating 3D models requires a lot of training. Employers usually need versatile professionals who can create different types of objects and do not specialize in one thing.

A 3D fashion designer also needs drawing skills. They will allow you to quickly sketch your ideas on paper to discuss and coordinate them with the customer. It is necessary to understand how the software works to create 3D models of characters, render and animate them.

To become a 3D modeler, you need to learn modeling software. One disadvantage of self-education is that you need to do a lot of research yourself to find the best free software. Training, however, is expensive and lasts for several years, plus you will have to spend a lot of time on non-core subjects.

Online courses are an opportunity to get free knowledge, practice on real projects, and add work to your portfolio. Moreover, it is possible to combine online courses with self-education according to the sources recommended by the teacher.

Often, 3D modeling is outsourced to companies. This is because they have specialists in their staff who are familiar with the software.

CyberFox Advantages

CyberFox makes 3D models based on drawings, sketches, and photographs. We help implement any project, from modeling parts for production to making a souvenir product model. Use the callback order service, and we will tell you the deadline for completing the order and the cost of 3D modeling.

Punctuality

We give you a realistic assessment of the work completion time. You always get the job right on time.

Flexibility

Based on your project, we will suggest how to achieve the best result. Just send the materials you have.

Knowledge

Our experience and knowledge allow us to offer the best solutions to show your ideas. If you have questions, just ask.

Speed

We perfectly understand when you need visualizations urgently. We work fast.

Experience

We share our expert opinion on how best to present your project because we care.

Saving time

You do not need to understand the software or 3D imaging technology. Everything is available at CyberFox.

Read on to get a brief overview of various 3D modeling software.

MakeHuman

Operating System: Windows 7 (SP1), 8, 10, Vista, XP

License: free

Reasons to buy:

  • user-friendly interface
  • free
  • well-documented

Reasons to avoid:

  • slowly evolving

MakeHuman is an interesting free tool for creating and 3D modeling realistic projects of people and humanoid creatures.

As the name suggests, the software is for designing ultra-realistic models of people. It is easy to use, but it still offers wide customization options. You can easily export the result to a popular format and use the human model in another program.

MakeHuman is distributed free of charge, both for commercial and non-commercial use. An additional advantage is the extensive documentation, which will help you understand the program’s nuances and quickly master it.

The software interface is a window with character modeling, texturing, pose adjustment, working with facial features, and other operations. For those who don’t want to spend too much time on creating a human model, it is possible to obtain a ready-made project by specifying parameters such as gender, age, physique, etc. This approach is similar to working with a character editor in video games

After you’ve created, rendered and textured the model, you can start exporting. The software supports a few source formats, including STL, MHX, OBJ, and DAE; however, those formats are supported by most popular three-dimensional software (for example, Collada and Blender).

Daz Studio

Operating System: Windows 7 (SP1), 8, 10, Vista, XP

License: $249

Reasons to buy:

  • a convenient set of tools for character modeling
  • nice appearance and low system requirements

Reasons to avoid:

  • as with any other 3D editor, this software can be difficult to learn

Daz Studio is new software for 3D graphics and animation. Over time, it is becoming more and more popular among numerous amateurs and professionals in this field, and today, it is widely used to create characters in the gaming industry.

With Daz Studio, will be able to create fantastic photographs and even videos. It is easy to use and has a vast number of free learning resources on the Internet.

The software allows you to choose from thousands of 3D people, structures, buildings, and properties to put in your scene or even a “photoshoot.” Then dress them up, move them around, and give them emotions. Once the stage is set, you can adjust the lighting and camera angle and start snapping your incredible professional-looking images. It would take a long time to list all the features of this software, so we recommend you give it a try yourself.

iClone

Operating System: Windows 7 (SP1), 8, 10, Vista, XP

License: $398

Reasons to buy: easy to use

Reasons to avoid: hard to learn

iClone is professional software for working with three-dimensional modeling and animation in real time. You get all the necessary modeling tools to work with digital actors, entourage elements, visual effects, and camera and lighting control systems, plus the ability to record movements (motion capture) using Microsoft Kinect technology, and much more.

You can use the software to create 3D movies, edit objects directly in the picture, use advanced timeline management, and make characters interact with objects. Plus, you can easily create an environment by simply dragging the desired objects with the mouse. This software also works with aspects such as camera position and lighting. In addition, special effects will help you achieve the desired result.

The software supports various video formats, and it is possible to combine real video with 3D animations created by you.

Mixamo

Operating System: Windows 7 (SP1), 8, 10

License: free 

Reasons to buy:

  • simple interface
  • easy to use

Reasons to avoid: limited functionality

Mixamo is a rather interesting free commercial project on the web. You can view animations from an extensive library, adjust movement parameters, and download the result in online mode. The library can be filled with assets generated by motion capture equipment. Recently, the system added support for exporting a biped for 3D Studio Max. 

Autodesk Character Generator

Operating System: Windows 7 (SP1), 8, 10

License: $60

Reasons to buy:  

  • vast number of different functions and features, including built-in texture libraries
  • allows you to make almost any three-dimensional object

Reasons to avoid:

  • great demands on computer resources
  • complex and confusing interface

Character Generator is unique software designed to create three-dimensional characters and develop prototype models that can be used in modeling and animation game engines. The application is made in the form of a web service and is available in any Internet browser.

The impressive set of design tools allows you to create images and work out in detail the appearance, facial expressions, gestures, and other individual behavioral characteristics of the characters. To speed up the process, you can use a collection of ready-made templates from the software library. The developers have also implemented a feature which allows you to “mix” templates and generate new character prototypes based on them.

Character Generator’s powerful tools allow an artist-designer to quickly change the body type, skin color, facial features, hair parameters, nail structure, etc. In addition, you can use ready-made presets to customize characters.

For example, more than a hundred body types, eye shapes, hairstyle options, and other physical attributes are available. The software also has an extensive catalog of clothes and various wardrobe items with the ability to edit them. Glasses, a cane, jewelry, and much more will help to give your character a finished look and create a full-fledged artistic image.

In addition, the developers of Character Generator took care of integrating the application with other Autodesk software products (3ds Max, MotionBuilder, Maya), which gives artists and designers more opportunities to implement projects. Users are also offered a cloud service for reliable data storage and quick file sharing when working together to create 3D characters.

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FAQ
At the moment, there are more than ten best free and paid programs for 3D modeling. Among them are Autodesk Maya, 3Ds Max, Blender, and ZBrush.
The process begins with sculpting the figure and assigning movement to the character. After that, the specialist enhances the details and surfaces to make it realistic.
The process of creating a 3D character takes up to 20 hours. The duration depends on the complexity of the project.
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