trueSpace

trueSpace is a fully-featured 3D authoring package that will let you model, texture, light, animate and render 3D content. As well as traditional images and movies, you can also make 3D content for online shared spaces, and for Virtual Earth.

An entirely re-written X format exporter lets you save your trueSpace creations to load into game engines such as XNA to develop games for Windows or the Xbox 360. Also included is an export to Virtual Earth which will let you place your 3D creations straight into Virtual Earth from trueSpace. Now you can place whatever you make into real world locations in Virtual Earth and share them with others!
trueSpace also supports import from a wide variety of formats, letting you take existing objects and use them in Virtual Earth.

The improvements include the ability to sweep edges as well as faces; the option to hide geometry while point editing to make it easier to work on areas of your model; a heal vertices tool to tidy up geometry after booleans or imports; tools to optimise triangulation or quadrifying polygons to ensure a workable mesh; new point edit selection tools to grow, shrink, invert, and convert a selection; and more.

This means it is quicker and easier to work with your model in any way you need, to get precisely the result you are after with the minimum of fuss.

Homepage: http://www.caligari.com

Visual3D

Visual3D.NET™ is the first shader-based 3D engine and design toolset built on Microsoft .NET and XNA designed to simplify rapid creation of:

• Next-generation PC and Xbox 360 games
• Massive-multiplayer online games (MMOs)
• Interactive visualizations
• Training simulations
• and other 3D virtual worlds

Homepage: http://www.visual3d.net

XNA Game Studio

XNA Game Studio Express is a new game development solution targeted primarily at students, hobbyists, and independent game developers. XNA Game Studio Express is based on Visual C# Express 2005 and lets developers create games for both Windows and Xbox 360. XNA Game Studio Express contains the following:

• The XNA Framework, a set of managed code development libraries that make it possible for game developers to be more productive when creating games for Windows and the Xbox 360.
• The XNA Framework Content Pipeline, a set of tools that allow developers to more easily incorporate 3D content into their games
• XNA Game Studio Express also contains a full set of documentation, how-tos, and starter kits that demonstrate how best to use the content pipeline and XNA Framework.
• XNA Game Studio Express runs side-by-side with other versions of Visual Studio without interference
• XNA Game Studio Express has now been released, and can be found here. It supports both Windows and Xbox 360 game development.

Homepage: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/xna

Softimage|XSI Mod Tool

Mod Tool is packed with the same 3D modeling and animation tools that the pros use to create triple-A titles like Half Life 2, including:

• The world's fastest subdivision surface modeler, so you can work efficiently with intuitive XSI tools that make 3D modeling feel like sculpting.
• The world’s best polygon reduction engine: works reliably with millions of polygons, quadrangulates meshes, and preserves volume and detail.
• Fast, flexible animation tools that make it easy to pose and keyframe your characters.
• An interactive texture editor that lets you unfold UVs and place texture maps precisely.
• Ultimapper: generate normal, ambient occlusion, difference, light, and albedo maps in just a few clicks.
• Crosswalk import/export: Mod Tool is Crosswalk enabled, so you can import and export content to and from other applications using the dotXSI, COLLADA and FBX file formats.
• Net View: a built-in web browser that you can use to access the tools, sample content, and training material that comes with Mod Tool.

Homepage: http://softimage.com/products/modtool/

Houdini Apprentice

To introduce 3D artists from around the world to Houdini, Side Effects Software Inc. is proud to bring you the Houdini Apprentice program, which gives you access to the same creative power used by the best animation professionals in the industry such as Electronic Arts, Sony Pictures Imageworks and Disney Feature Animation. Houdini Apprentice is unlike any other learning package. Once you have downloaded the non-commercial Apprentice Edition software, you can use it to run ALL products in the Houdini family, including Houdini Master, Houdini Escape, Houdini Select and Houdini Halo. All your work can be saved to a special Apprentice file format so you can develop real projects then render with unobtrusive watermarks.

Homepage: http://www.sidefx.com

DesignWorkshop Lite

This software package provides all you need to build and save your own 3D models of homes, offices, or entire buildings. DesignWorkshop Lite will let you optimize, view, and walk through ready-made models of any size, in DesignWorkshop, 3DMF, or DXF format. This package contains a working application, a sample building, a 3D object library, and concise introductory notes, all together in a self-extracting archive.

Homepage: http://www.artifice.com

Vue 6 Infinite/xStream and Ozone Plugin

The Personal Learning Edition (PLE) is a fully functional version of Vue 6 Infinite/xStream. You can create complete projects, save your work, export and even render without size limit! And best of all, because it never expires, you can learn at your own pace!

Homepage: http://www.e-onsoftware.com

Terragen 2

Photorealistic landscape generator. Evolution of the release.

Homepage: http://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/tg2

3d BoxShot Maker

3D Box Shot Maker is an easy and tool to virtually design quality box shot as your software box cover. It is important to present a professional boxshot to attract your potential customers to take a closer look at your products. An impressive box shot will make your software outstanding, and easily defeat your competitors at the start.

3D Box Shot Maker accepts a front image and a side image as input, and generate the final image on the fly. It can also include a shadow and a reflection in your box shot. It will show the preview image instantly as you adjust the size and other parameters.

Homepage: http://www.bosseye.com/boxshot/index.htm

3D Canvas

Realtime 3D modelling and CAD. Easy to learn and high perfomance.

Homepage: http://www.amabilis.com/products.htm

FaceWorx

Faceworx is a free Software which creates a 3D head out of two standard 2D photos. You need two well illuminated pictures; one from the front (mugshot style) and one from the side. The software demands some skills in placing reference points and marking the contours of the face; mouth, nose, ears and eyes. The final 3D portrait can be saved and exported in the well known OBJ format.

Homepage: http://www.looxis.com

DAZ Studio

DAZ Studio provides you with models and actors who are always ready to perform. Take charge. Your virtual actors will pose in every imaginable way, wear any wardrobe, say any lines, and don't take lunch breaks. Place cameras from every angle you can think of. Enjoy professional lighting and never run out of daylight. Create the most extravagant sets imaginable. Use the best props, no matter how rare or hard to find. Get all of this and more without the Hollywood budget.

Homepage: http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/software/studio/-/?

Terragen

Terragen is a freeware scenery generator program for Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh developed and published by Planetside Software. It can be used to create renderings and animations of landscapes. It is popular among amateur artists, which can be attributed to it being freeware, its intuitive interface, and its capability to create photorealistic landscapes when used skillfully. It can also use DEM files, and other graphic surface maps for rendering. The terrain is generated from a two-dimensional heightmap. The program contains facilities for importing and exporting heightmaps to images, for use in other programs.

Homepage: http://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/

Serif 3DPlus

3DPlus is simple and easy 3D design software.

Homepage: http://www.freeserifsoftware.com

Blender

Blender is a free software 3D animation program. It can be used for modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, rigging, skinning, animating, rendering, particle and other simulating, non-linear editing, compositing, and creating interactive 3D applications. Blender is available for several operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, IRIX, Solaris, FreeBSD, OpenBSD with unofficial ports for SkyOS, MorphOS and Pocket PC. Blender has a robust feature set similar in scope and depth to other high-end 3D software such as Softimage|XSI, Cinema 4D, 3ds Max and Maya. These features include advanced simulation tools such as rigid body, fluid, and softbody dynamics, modifier based modeling tools, powerful character animation tools, a node based material and compositing system and Python for embedded scripting.

Homepage: http://www.blender.org

Sketch-Up!

Google SketchUp is software that you can use to create, modify and share 3D models. It's easier to learn than other 3D modeling programs, which is why so many people are already using it. We designed SketchUp's simplified toolset, guided drawing system and clean look-and-feel to help you concentrate on two things: getting your work done as efficiently as possible, and having fun while you're doing it.

Homepage: http://sketchup.google.com