If you are a big fan of 3D animation movies like The Incredibles or Shrek, by now you are probably exploring some 3D software yourself. Gone are the days of Adobe Photoshop. If you wanted to bring images into life, 3D layouts might just be your cup of tea.

If you wanted to get started with 3D animation that first thing that you need to do is to find a 3D computer graphics software. Maya by Alias Systems Corporation (now owned by AutoDesk) is one of the most popular 3D modeling software. It has intensive list of functions for animation and character setup. It can be used for 3D animation, non-linear animation, and even for simple computer graphic layouts. Aside from comprehensive tools for character set-up, it also has powerful rendering functions with shading and lighting effects.

Another player in the 3D industry is 3ds (3D Studio) Max developed Autodesk Media and Entertainment. Its basic features include polygon, editable patch object, and modeling with predefined primitives. Another great feature of this software is MaxScript. It is a built-in function for scripting language where you can create a number of plug-ins.

You can also try Ulead Cool 3D. This software is often used for effects for videos. It has enhanced features on 3D text and graphics. Ulead is recommended for entry-level animators. There are pre-made shapes and objects that you can use for your designs.

So if you want to get started with animation, try one of these software yourself!