...

It’s crazy how Blender, one of the most used 3D modeling software, isn’t used more in professional settings. I’m only thinking about this because I’m going to college for game dev right after high school, and some of the classes on 3D modeling require students to use Autodesk Maya. I don’t have any experience with 3D modeling in general, but I would prefer to use Blender since it’s free. There’s also the fact that Maya is only available on Windows, Mac, and a single Linux distro (Rocky Linux). I use Linux Mint, and I’m not changing operating systems to use one specific piece of software.

 

The only reason Maya is required is because a lot of the biggest animation studios use it. But Blender is pretty widely used by many people and studios across the world, is free and open-source, and has been used to make stunning films like Flow which actually won an Oscar. So why don’t more of the bigger studios use it?

 

The probably biggest reason is simply studios having set pipelines and workflows they’ve used for years. It would take a lot of time and relearning to switch to an entirely new software. Maya has a lot of trust with professional studios built over the years and studios have invested heavily into them. Blender being free doesn’t change much since prices aren’t that much of an issue for these big studios. There’s also retraining hundreds of employees on an entirely new software.

 

I should also mention Blender wasn’t widely used in the CGI field until Blender 2.8 dropped in 2019 and completely changed the software with massive improvements that made it more appealing to 3D newcomers.

 

There is also support. Autodesk has dedicated customer support teams for its users and especially for the companies, since those are the clients Autodesk can’t afford to lose. With Blender, I would have to turn to forums for help. Responses aren’t guaranteed and it’s a pain having to find someone with the same issue as you.

 

I’m honestly convinced Blender won’t be industry-standard unless it had more funding.