Eyes open for new toolsets
For a long time, I've been using Cinema 4D as my main tool for 3D work and motion graphics. I have the Maxon One subscription, which includes some useful tools such as ZBrush, Redshift, Cinema 4D, and many VFX/motion graphics plugins for After Effects. This costs around €1,500 per year. I also have Octane, which is still my favorite 3D rendering engine, costing around €200 per year.
I hadn't been learning Blender earlier, but I'm now diving into it deeper. The reason is that, even though Blender is awesome, it hasn't been the industry standard. Meaning, that if you're working as a freelancer in a professional studio environment, they most likely don't have a Blender workflow. However, as Stringular has its own procedures and workflows, Blender is becoming a viable option. First of all, it is free. Also, most of the new talents use Blender. Next-gen 3D artists don't even know what Cinema 4D is! I think that regardless of the strong position that Maxon has, to keep adding new users they should lower the subscription costs substantially or offer some other methods to regain popularity.
Another tool that I've been learning lately is Unreal Engine. Well, that learning curve has been ongoing for a long time, but it can be used in so many ways, so there's a lot to learn. My usual workflow is using Unreal more as a camera crew and rendering tool, whereas Cinema 4D is a tool for producing assets for it. This process works for me, even though Unreal has more under the hood than I'm currently using. And again, it is free to use.
Illustrator is also another example of a tool that is kind of an industry standard in the studio environment. I have been using Figma as well. In fact, it has many similarities with Illustrator, but again, the basic features are free to use. And it can be used via a browser quite nicely, no matter where you are. It also has pretty good support for building interactive user interfaces, something I have found very useful when making FUI designs for real-time interaction. That is lacking in Illustrator.
Adobe After Effects is still the standard for motion graphics and VFX work, although many competitors are rising—Rive, Cavalry, and Fable, to mention a few new ones. Nuke is more the VFX standard tool, but personally, I find After Effects still the better option because of its many useful plugins and recent updates. With Nuke, making motion graphics is cumbersome, although it might be better for film VFX projects. Paying €69 each month for Creative Cloud apps such as Illustrator, After Effects, Photoshop, and Premiere is something that continues. Finding a better combo is not possible at the moment.
But this is exactly what I love about the VFX/motion industry. The tools landscape is evolving constantly and requires continuous learning. When I first started, selecting the tools to concentrate on was rather simple. As a hint to someone starting their way into VFX/motion/indie films today, I would say start with Unreal and Blender. Personally, I continue to use Cinema 4D and Adobe products, but I've got new sidekicks such as Unreal, Figma, and Blender. Maybe in a few years, the tools landscape as we know it will have disappeared due to new AI tools. that anyone can use.
