In the realm of 3D modeling, animation, and digital design, several software tools have staked their claim, aiming to be the premier choice for professionals. Programs like Maya, 3DS Max, and Cinema 4D have long been industry standards, boasting powerful features and extensive capabilities.
However, over the last decade or so, a new contender has steadily risen through the ranks, gaining the admiration and preference of both budding artists and seasoned professionals: Blender 3D.
So, what is it about Blender 3D that has captivated the artistic and design community, drawing them away from other, more established tools like Maya and Cinema 4D? Is it its user-friendly interface, cost-effectiveness, array of innovative features, or something else altogether? What are the reasons why Blender is such a popular choice for 3D modeling the world over?
Why Is Blender So Popular?
Blender is a multifaceted 3D software tool used for modeling, animation, rendering, and more. It’s versatility and comprehensive feature set make it a top choice for professionals and beginners alike.
Unlike similar quality applications that either require a one-time license or access to a subscription service, Blender is an open-source application that is free to download and begin using without the need to give any personal data or financial information like card details.
The popularity of Blender 3D stems from a combination of its incredible versatility in what it is capable of doing combined with its unmatched accessibility where a user can download and begin using Blender so long as they have a semi-modern GPU and access to the Internet for the initial download.
On top of these crucial traits, we also have a tremendous community that supports Blender and the Blender Foundation. This is a community that comprises itself both artists who use the software and developers who helped to improve it.
In other words, it’s a perfect storm of all of the ingredients that are required to make an application like Blender, popular and successful in the modern digital world.
What Are The Advantages Of Using Blender?
To truly understand why Blender is such a popular application in 2023 we need to look at the pros and cons or advantages and disadvantages of using the application compared to other options available on the market.
It should be noted that Blender is comparable with applications from many different fields because it can do so much within the application itself. There are very few applications where you can both create a 3D scene using assets and also edit videos Without having to actually leave the application.
Let’s start off by taking a look at a list of the main advantages of using Blender:
- Blender is free to download and begin using without any financial or personal commitments.
- It can be used for a wide range of tasks, ranging from 3D animation to video editing.
- Blender is open source, which means you can edit your version of Blender to your heart’s content if you know how to code Python.
- Any assets that you create using Blender or your own property, you can do with them as you wish, including selling them.
- The user interface divides up all of the various workflows that Blender is capable of performing. For example, there is a workspace dedicated to sculpting, while there is another workspace dedicated to photo editing in the form of a compositor.
- There is a lot of documentation on the various tools and workflows that are applicable to Blender 3D.
- An incredible array of educational resources are also available, making learning blender simple if you pick the right educational resources.
These are just some of the core advantages to using Blender 3D as an application for whatever task you plan.
What Are The Disadvantages Of Using Blender?
But it’s not fair to just look at the advantages of using the application. We also have to take a look at the cons or disadvantages of using something like Blender, and there are a few:
- Blender is not considered to be an industry-standard application.
- You are much more likely to gain employment if you learn an application like Maya compared to Blender, especially if you want to work in a larger company.
- Blender can have a little bit of a learning curve, especially if you try to learn everything by yourself without tapping into the library of resources.
- If you are new to 3D modeling and animation, you will not be prepared for the general user experience that comes with an application like Blender. It’s very different from a 2D application like Adobe Photoshop.
- Because it is an open-source application, bugs, and glitches can be quite easy to find in Blender, but at the same time, the developers are magnificent at fixing these bugs when they are reported.
Is Blender A Good Option For 3D Art?
Blender issues for many different tasks, ranging from 3D modeling to animation to video and photo editing. But it’s primary use case is for the creation of 3D art in the form of assets and scenes using the 3D viewport.
Blender is considered a track-of-all-trades kind of software because it can do so much, but it isn’t really considered to be the best at any wire technical or creative task That being said, it operates best as a tool for creating 3D assets and is a great option for potential 3D artists.
What will make it an even better option is the fact that it is free and accessible whilst having a tremendous amount of educational material attributed to it in the form of Youtube videos, courses, and documentation. Even though blender does have a little bit of a learning curve, regardless of what you choose to use it for, there is enough educational Material available to make the process of learning blender and 3D modeling as simple as possible.
Depending on your approach to 3D Arts, there may be some better options. If you prefer to sculpt models, Blender has a fantastic set of tools, but Z brush might be the better option for you if you specifically sculpt your models.
Is Blender Hard To Learn?
There are so many different things to learn in Blender that the question itself is a bit too generalized. It all depends on what you’re planning to use a blender for. If the question is, how hard is it to learn everything in Blender that includes 3D modeling, sculpting, rendering, animation, rigging, and video editing, then the answer is going to be very, very difficult, because there’s just so much to learn.
However, if you want to learn 3D modeling using Blender 3D by itself as a single concept, then Blender is actually a great place to start learning because it’s a very specialized skill set and since Blender is strong in this field d makes it very easy for you to locate all of the more important tools to learn 3D modeling.
Some topics within Blender are more difficult than others. If you are. if you are looking to create 3D models using traditional tools. For example, then the learning curve isn’t that steep.
However, if you want to use the geometry node system to create 3D objects and scenes procedurally, then this requires a more high-level skill set and a. steeper learning curve because then you have to learn about all of the different nodes and how they interact with each other to create the shapes that you want.
Do You Have Experience With Other Applications?
One of the most important factors when considering how difficult Blender is to learn is whether or not you already have experience in the topic that you plan to learn within Blender. For example, if your topic is animation, do you have experience with animation in another application such as Maya?
If yes, then you may find it easier to learn how to model in Blender because you are already aware of all of the concepts necessary to create 3D models which transition from one application to the next.
On the flip side, knowing Maya or similar applications can actually make Blender More challenging to learn from the perspective of having to relearn where all of the various tools are that you would be so used to using in Maya.
The Resource Base Makes Learning Blender Easy
One thing that makes Blender stand out from any other comparable application is the incredible community and the sheer volume of resources to help you make the most of the Blender software.
Both in terms of learning resources such as videos, documentation or courses, as well as the ability to access the various add-ons made by the community developers, that will allow you to improve Blender’s functionality.
When it comes to learning blender, you will find more Youtube tutorials on the topic than any other comparable application. If you were to look up Google trends, you would see that Maya is a more common search term than Blender, but if you were to search for videos on each application on something like Youtube, you would actually find more results for Blender.
This is mainly in part due to the incredible accessibility of the application. The higher level of accessibility means that there will be more potential tutors and teachers who will pass on their knowledge.
Is It Worth Learning Blender In 2023?
In the year 2023, we have begun to transition into a world dominated by artificial intelligence and AI-based applications. For example, we can create 3D-looking renders of images just by creating text prompts in applications like Midjourney and stable diffusion. Instead of having to create things from scratch in an application like Blender.
At the time of writing, the ability to create videos from scratch using artificial intelligence is starting to gain ground and is improving with each month. So despite blenders own incredible progress Is it still relevant in a world that is soon to be dominated by artificial intelligence?
For the time being, the answer is yes Artificial intelligence is still in its infancy, especially when it comes to the sort of tasks that Blender, Maya, and 3DS Max specialize in. It remains a very important skill set to know how to create 3D models scenes and Animations using these applications.
On top of that, artificial intelligence is simply a tool to make workflows that would otherwise take a significant amount of time easier to complete. And these tools will eventually be integrated into applications like Blender 3D to make them better than ever before.
Is Blender As Good As The Paid Alternatives?
Not every application is perfect and not every application is going to have every tool that you could possibly want, but Blender comes close, at least in terms of the tools that we know we want from a 3D modeling application that doubles up as a platform for 2D and 3D animation amongst other things.
It is debatable as to whether or not Blender can be considered as good as an application like Maya, which is an industry-standard in both game design and animation for the creation of 3D assets and scenes.
However, many users of Blender would swear by the software and there is no doubt that when it comes to the price versus performance value, blend out clean sweeps at the competition.
If you are in a position where Blender is a viable choice, it is generally a no-brainer. However, if you are in a situation where you are working for a company that uses. a specific application like Maya, then that is going to be the way to go.
In terms of whether or not Blender is as good as paid alternatives like Maya, that depends on what you’re using it for, but in a lot of the traditional cases such as creating 3D models and scenes, Blender is every bit as powerful as it’s paid alternatives like Maya 3DS Max and cinema 4D.
