Silo 2 is an extremely accomplished and complex 3D modeling application that is able to switch between what the developers call "high-polygon models" to "controlling hard-edged surfaces."

For anyone new to 3D modeling, this won't mean much and working out how to use Silo will be a job in itself. Silo can be used for creating anything from 3D characters for video games and movies to exploring 3D architectural ideas. So it's great for those developing games or those that are involved in interior design or construction.

This is no user-friendly product, though. It's designed for developers and designers who really know what they're doing as Silo is used at top design studios and professional 3D modelers. However, it's not as complex as something like 3D Studio Max because it's a much smaller package and it does come with extensive documentation to get you started.

You can create some stunning 3D graphics and models with Silo but if you're new to the genre, don't expect to learn it in a hurry.

Download Silo 2.1.1 in Softonic

I may be good at Photoshop but when it comes to 3D design I'm completely hopeless. This is why I was excited to find a program like 3DVIA Shape, with which I can create basic three-dimensional objects in no time.

Using 3DVIA Shape is a cinch. In fact, I'd say it's even easier than Photoshop and of course, much easier than other 3D tools you may have tested so far. This app could be defined as the "Paint" equivalent for 3D design; that is, a basic, simple-to-use graphic editor with which you can safely take your first steps into 3D creation.

The program includes a tutorial that launches automatically when you run it for the first time and which I strongly recommend you to follow, because it teaches you all the basics of the program in just a dozen steps. After completing the tutorial, you'll be ready to start creating your own three-dimensional figures. Of course they're going to be basic designs combining cubes, spheres and a few lines but hey, that's a start!

One thing I didn't like about 3DVIA Shape is the fact that you must create a free user account to use the program - whether you like it or not - and that you can't save your files to your hard drive, you have to publish them to your account on the 3DVIA website. The trick is, once you've published your 3D model to your account, you can visit your profile and download it as a 3DXML file.

if you want to take your first steps in 3D design but have no idea where to start, try 3DVIA Shape: a basic, easy-to-use 3D editor for beginners which also lets you share your creations online.

Download 3DVIA Shape Beta in Softonic

Side Effects' Houdini software is renowned as one of the world's best 3D animation and visual effects tool. Whether you're a student learning all there is to 3D design or a professional creating animations you'll need to get hold of this app.

The application comes with a set of powerful tools and effects, such as factures and debris, wave or impressive fire and smoke effects. The advanced fur system also ensures fur on animals looks realistic.

Another strong feature of the application is its node based workflow. All changes you make to an animation are saved as nodes in a network by Houdini, sou you can establish connections and quickly move through your modifications. The node based workflow also makes it easy to collaborate with other users on the same project.

One of the latest features you'll find in Houdini is Autodesk FBX Export, which improves integration of the program with other software. This new feature supports numerous parameters such as lights, skeletons, weighted skins or particles.

You'll probably have gotten this by now: Houdini is a powerful application. This is why you really need 64 bit processors to run it properly. The free version does have a few limitations, notably regarding the format and resolution, but it's well worth having, just for the quality of the program.

Houdini Apprentice is a top notch 3D animation and visual effects application. Highly recommended!

Download Houdini Apprentice 9.5.134 Beta in Softonic

Many of the models that you create with the help of 3D modeling tools, as well as some models converted from CAD software can be extremely complex. These models may consist of many hundred thousand polygons and are practically useless for processing in real-time visualization.

Vizup is an powerful polygon reduction system for reducing and optimizing 3D models. With the help of the polygon reducer, you can reach the optimal balance between the necessary details level and the size of 3D models.

You can also use this polygon reduction system to reduce the number of polygons for your 3D models used in virtual reality and real-time visualization systems. Decreasing the size of 3D models stored on the web lets your users and customers download them faster. The polygon reducer can also be effectively used for Level-of-Details (LOD) generation.

Download VIZup Reducer 3.0.6 in Softonic

EarthSculptor is a 3D modelling program that allows you to design the geology of a given place, real or imaginary, thanks to a powerful 3D engine that allows you to shape a defined piece of land. The way you navigate and build mountains on this land is really beautiful. Every movement, zoom in and out or rotation is extremely smooth and well rendered. You'll have to use both keyboard and mouse to fully navigate your creation.

You will probably need some time to learn how to color and apply textures to the forms you have created. As a start, to model hills and mountains, press the wave button with the up and down arrows you find in the toolbar menu on your left. To color them, just press the brush function and choose the tone you want in the palette frame on your right. Also on this side, you find the Terraform and Material controls.

Although EarthSculptor is tricky to learn for newcomers, you can have fun designing the project of your future garden or your ideal resort with this efficient 3D rendering engine.

Download EarthSculptor 1.05 in Softonic

BITC is a powerful CAD environment which allows you to read DWG files and saves you thousands of dollars.

It comes with all the general tools that you expect from a CAD environment including options to change views, draw geometric shapes plus it has some limited advanced features such as a command line, ADS options to upload and manipulate documents and functions to create and upload macros. Even though this a much cheaper CAD environment than you'd normally pay for such a package, it has a high degree of compatibility with the major programs such as Autocad, AutoLISP, ADS, and DCL routines. However, the big advantage is that it has been specifically designed for use with Windows which means that it integrates much better than most CAD applications. This means it incorporates several unique functions such as the possibility to open multiple drawings at the same time, and of displaying and editing raster images. However, its limited functionality in terms of advanced design options mean that it's probably best used in conjunction with Autocad or another major program

BITC is a comprehensive CAD environment with everything you need to edit and modify basic DWG files.

Download BitCAD IntelliCAD 6.4 in Softonic

Blender offers a complete range of tools to thoroughly develop 3D animations and design. Its revolutionary, non-overlapping and non-blocking UI delivers unsurpassed workflow. The powerful built-in database system allows instances, scene management, and dynamic linking multiple project files. Anti-aliased fonts feature international translation support.

The modeling aspects of the program are various. A range of 3D object types including polygon meshes, NURBS surfaces, bezier and B-spline curves, metaballs, vector fonts (TrueType, PostScript, OpenType) are available. 'Smooth proxy' style catmull-clark subdivision surfaces with optimal iso-lines display and sharpness editing and mesh modeling based on vertex, edge and/or face selection give you many possibilities. Editing functions such as extrude, bevel, cut, spin, screw, warp, subdivide, noise, smooth complete the modelling aspects.

Animation and rendering include armature (skeleton) deformation with forward/inverse kinematics, auto skinning and interactive 3D paint for vertex weighting. Oversampling, motion blur, post-production effects, fields, non-square pixels are just a few other of the choices you have.

Realtime 3D/game creation, a graphical editor defines interactive behavior without programming. Collision detection and dynamics simulation are included. The program features Python scripting API for sophisticated control and AI, fully defined advanced game logic. It supports all OpenGLTM lighting modes, including transparencies, animated and reflection-mapped textures.

You can save all scene data in a single .blend file. .blend format supports compression, digital signatures, encryption, forwards/backwards compatibility and can be used as a library to link to from other .blend files. The program reads and writes TGA, JPG, PNG, Iris, SGI Movie, IFF, AVI and Quicktime GIF, TIFF, PSD, MOV (Windows and Mac OS X). Native import and export for DXF, Inventor and VRML files, with python scripts are available for many other 3D formats. You can also create stand-alone executables containing interactive 3D content or play back with the 3D web browser plugin.

Download Blender 2.46 in Softonic

Ideal for you to use as modeling editor for your home additions, game design, math geometrical education or whatever your imagination tells you. The graphical interface is very easy of use so the learning curve is so short that it will give you time for the design process. To create graphics in 3D, AutoQ3D uses an open file format to incorporate in your own projects.

Download AutoQ3D 1.36b in Softonic

I must admit I have very little knowledge about CAD tools but even so, I found this application quite easy to use.

gCAD3D is a computer-assisted design application that enables you to create and render three-dimensional models without having to spend half your income in an expensive designing tool.

The program looks easy to use and includes complete documentation, though not updated to the latest version. There are also a bunch of pre-rendered 3D models which you can use to get you started or even import them in your own projects. gCAD3D features a quite plain interface, focusing mainly on the working area and putting the emphasis on information and usability.

In all, gCAD3D looks like a great 3D design app to start with, but maybe a bit too plain and simple for more advanced users.

Download gCAD3D 1.142 in Softonic

3D Canvas is a real-time, 3D-modeling and -animation tool that incorporates a drag-and-drop approach. Complex models can be constructed from simple 3D primitives or created using 3D Canvas's object-building tools. Creating an animated scene is as simple as positioning the objects within your scene for each point in time in your animation. 3D Canvas will ensure the resulting animation runs smoothly.

Download 3D Canvas 7.1.1.2 in Softonic

Winds 3D is a tool specifically designed to import and modify models through subdivision - a polygonal modeling technique that allows very well-defined polygons.

The program itself does not include tools to create it's own from scratch. Basically, Winds 3D can import models created by other design environments (such as 3D Studio, Adobe Illustrator or LightWave) into polygonal meshes and then develop them through subdivision polygons. It also includes a series of tools that will help you allocate materials, textures and UV coordinates to your models, add lights to the scene and perform screenshots among other possibilities. Note that if you're not familiar with 3D modelling and polygon designs, you'll find this program a complete mystery. Even for those well versed, it's a complex little program but fortunately, there's an extensive tutorial on the developer site that takes you from your initial import to your first modelling attempts.

A powerful program that will be of interest to serious designers using 3D Studio, Adobe products or Lightwave.

Download Winds 3D 0.99.00b in Softonic

By a bizarre twist of fate 3DS Max is now owned by the same firm that publishes its age rival, Maya, yet the pair of heavyweight 3D applications remain the two main choices for animators working in the three-dimensional realm. Although Maya’s popularity has increased of late (perhaps largely due to its superior accessibility for newcomers), 3DS still remains a key player within the industry, and this latest incarnation significantly improves upon the wire-frame mapping approach of the past.

Perhaps the biggest innovation within version 8 of the app is the inclusion of a ‘pelt mapping’ feature. For the benefit of those who don’t work for Pixar or Rockstar Games, this is basically a device for ‘unwrapping’ a wireframe model in order to paint its exterior. This can save you a lot of time and unnecessary Photoshop tomfoolery when working with organic objects, such as human faces or characters. However, it isn’t so adept at handling non-organic objects like cars, streets or houses, as the results are typically very liquidy.

As always, 3DS Max allows you to be very precise in terms of the mapping of your creations, perhaps even more so than Maya. Besides the standard mapping tools, the application now contains all manner of alignment features to ensure that you get pinpoint accuracy when modelling. What’s more, 3DS now contains more flexible options for relax, the tool that averages UVs and allows for the automatic relief of texture distortion. If used in conjunction with another function, show edge distortion, then the mapping of your characters becomes all the easier.

There are dozens of other features within the software that will help you produce stunning 3D models without tearing your hair out. We were particularly taken with the render UVW template function, allowing very quick template rendering of your prepared UVs, either in wireframe, filled, mapped or shaded versions. With a raft of skinning and modelling tools, 3DS Max gives you very precise control over your models, without having to code or program every co-ordinate, making it a very user-friendly option.

Naturally, the cost of the full version of the program will put off many 3D hobbyists, but for serious animation professionals it’s an application that is to be ignored at your peril. Although it remains to be seen whether there will be an amalgamation with Maya, 3DX Max remains a world leader in its market and, given enough patience, can be used to transform the outer limits of your imagination into a fantastic reality.

Download Autodesk 3ds Max 2008 in Softonic

Pprotopo is a plug-in for AutoCAD especially designed to generate topographical maps. With
Pprotopo you can define all the trigonometric parameters necessary to represent the inclinations of a field. Data, such as cross-sections, tables and other topographical remarks can be inserted.

To facilitate the definition of some of these parameters, Pprotopo uses the so-called contour, Ppuntos and transverse lines. In addition, it allows the importing and exporting of surfaces, layered work, inter-sectional models and unite lines amongst others.

Ultimately, Pprotopo is a plugin especially designed for surveyors and engineers performing civil works although amateur topographers may also find some value in it.

Download Pprotopo 1.0 in Softonic

Before we start, let me point out that I'm not reviewing a sofa that you sit on here (although I can reccommend the red one from Ikea I have at home). SOFA is actually an acronym for 'Simulation Open Framework Network,' but I guess they decided the shortened version was more catchy. Anyway, this is very useful program for anyone studying human anatomy, as it lets you create complex and evolving medical simluations. It's very flexible too, allowing you to combine new algorithms with those already included in SOFA.

Obviously I'm not a biologist but the list of features in SOFA looks pretty impressive from what I can see, giving you the power to view bone structure, organs, tissue, etc. from a multitude of different angles. The app facilitates deformable behavior, surface representation, solver, constraints, collision algorithm, etc., which you can control simply by editing an XML file.

It may be a beyond the grasp of those outside the medical profession, but if you're studying and researching human anatomy, SOFA provides an impressive set of tools.

Download SOFA 1.0 Beta 2 in Softonic

All IKEA fans like you and me are avidly reading through the pages of the new IKEA 2008 catalog. But did you know there is an IKEA software kit to help you redecorating your home?

One of these tools is the IKEA Home Kitchen Planner, which is especially designed to help you furnish that area of your house. It includes the complete kitchen bedroom section of the IKEA catalog and enables you to plan your kitchen's new decoration without moving anything a single inch.

Home Kitchen Planner features a very simple interface where you to create your kitchen's floor plan, choose the new furniture and even see how everything looks in a three-dimensional image. The program also generates the approximate budget and enables you to upload data to the IKEA server, so that they're ready to use when you visit your local store to buy the furniture.

On the downside, I was disappointed with the program's overall impression: the interface looks dull, furniture is poorly drawn and the 3D rendering is clunky. I guess software development is not IKEA's strong point.

IKEA Home Kitchen Planner is a cheap, efficient way to check how your new IKEA kitchen will look like before actually buying anything.

Download IKEA Home Kitchen Planner 1.9.4 in Softonic

If you're an IKEA fan like me, you'll be glad to know that the new IKEA 2008 catalog is out, with more than 300 pages full of ideas and suggestions for home furnishing and decoration.

Now, what does all that have to do with software? The answer is easy: along with their catalog, IKEA has launched a set of software decoration tools that can help you redecorating your life. One of them is this Home Planner Bedroom, which includes the whole bedroom section of the IKEA catalog and enables you to plan your bedroom's new decoration without actually moving anything.

Home Planner Bedroom features a very simple interface where you can create the floor plan for your bedroom, choose the new furniture and even see how everything looks in a three-dimensional image. The program also generates the approximate budget and enables you to upload data to the IKEA server, so that they're ready to use when you visit your local store to buy the furniture.

On the downside, and despite being an IKEA fan, I must admit I found the program to be too simple: the interface looks dull, furniture is poorly drawn and the 3D rendering is clunky. I guess software development is not IKEA's strong point.

IKEA Home Planner Bedroom is an easy-to-use 3D decoration tool that lets you test IKEA furniture at home before actually buying anything.

Download IKEA Home Planner Bedroom 2008 in Softonic

Do you want to create stunning and professional looking 3D sketches and drawings? Vue 6 Infinite allows you to do so creating specialized surroundings and particularly recreation of natural landscapes. These include the creation of some stunning complex scenery such as beaches, coasts, valleys, meadows, rocky cliffs, formation, mountains, forests and even forests.

Vue 6 Infinite includes tools to distort and modify surfaces, to generate random landscapes and work with particles to emulate all type of gaseous forms like clouds or fog. You can also add texture to create some stunning different natural light sources. Once you've designed your habitat, the program allows to give it life by adding climatic elements like wind, rain, snow or storms. Of course to achieve all this, the program needs a powerful rendering machine and users on slower computers may find the rendering process incredibly slow.

Nevertheless, if you take the time to get to grips with this professional program, you'll produce some very impressive results.

Download Vue 6 Infinite 6.5 in Softonic

Art of Illusion is written entirely in Java, and should be usable on any Java Virtual Machine which is compatible with J2SE 1.4 or later. This version is both stable and powerful enough to be used for serious, high end animation work. Many of its capabilities rival those found in commercial programs. Some of the highlights include subdivision surface based modelling tools, skeleton based animation, and a graphical language for designing procedural textures and materials.

Download Art of Illusion 2.5 in Softonic

Changing home decoration sometimes implies new painting and new fabrics, but it's difficult to say how they will look without actually applying them. Color Planner is very helpful in this situation, as it enables you to try new colors on walls and furniture before starting the job itself.

The program includes many sample images, both from exterior (houses) and interior settings such as living-rooms, kitchens, halls and others. You can test all of its functions on these pictures for as long as you like, but unfortunately, if you want to use your own pictures, you'll have to send them to the developers and pay for it.

Color Planner features a wide color range and is very easy to use. You can either click on the element you want to change and then the color, or use any of the provided color combinations.

Download Colorplanner 2.0 in Softonic

Maya is a professional solution to make 3D models. It offers a very wide set of objects and effects to work on your projects. The latest outing of the program now uses the Python scripting language, which is much more dynamic and extensible.

The whole user interface is well organized and different elements like dynamics, animation or polygons are directly accessible via tabs. The timeline at the bottom of the interface allows you to animate and control the evolution of your modeling project. Maya also offers advanced editing features in fields like rendering, animation and relationships.

Maya includes 1 minute movie tips at startup to get to know the program and learn how to use it. These will teach you a number of things like rotating, keyframe animation, component selection or preview rendering. The help menu is also full of tutorials and offers links to extra learning resources.

A solid 3D modeling application, Maya covers the subject very well and should keep any serious designer satisfied.

Download Autodesk Maya 8.5 Personal Learning Edition in Softonic