Choosing the 2D and 3D animation software can be hard sometimes.

And it is hard because a lot of people want to do everything. There is not one tool for all. Based on our experience here you can find 2D and 3D animation software which we recommend and what we think about them.&nbsp;

After Effects is a must-have for anyone who wants to start getting into motion graphics. It is industry-standard software that is very versatile in its use.

You can create almost every type of 2D animation there. From high-end TV commercials and high-quality visual effects to simple Lottie animations which you could use on your website.

This program is really easy to use. In your first hours of learning, you would be able to make some simple but good-looking animations - and if you have some nice designs already prepared, you will be surprised how quickly you can make things move. But to achieve the best animation quality you would need years of learning and using this program.

It is our go-to software to create any animated content. No matter if this is a big animated video for Fortune 100 company, Visual Effects, or a TV commercial.

PROS: - Interface is easy to learn and very pleasant

- Easy to use - There are thousands of free tutorials online - Industry-standard - Free month trial

CONS: - Price: starts at $20.99/month or you would have to pay for full Adobe Creative Cloud package - Code of the software is really old. The oldest line of the code is from 1993. Even though, Adobe is updating it all the time there are a lot of bugs. - A lot of RAM is needed to use it.

There are a lot of 3D Animation software that we’ve been using for years and we could recommend you. Like:&nbsp; Autodesk Maya, 3D Studio Max, Cinema 4D, Blender, Houdini, and so on. Everything depends on what type of animation you would like to create and what style you need to use. But after all, you can make almost the same things with all of them, it only depends on your creativity and time.

This software is used in the biggest Blockbuster Movies studios in the world. It is really hard to learn but you can achieve a lot with it and it is very powerful.

For example, when they were creating 3D animations for the movie “Avatar” it was the primary software that they used.

PROS: - Industry-standard - Very powerful - Great for character animation and basic particle simulation CONS: - Price starts at $1785/year - Very unstable software - Hard to learn

The oldest 3D animation software is used today. Its first release was in 1990. This program is really fast, flexible, and stable. In our experience that is the most stable compared to the other software that we mentioned here. We’ve noticed (maybe that is a coincidence) that a lot of people use this software for 3D product advertisements and advertisements in general, But of course, there are a lot of high-end animation studios that are using this software for big VFX productions.

PROS: - Easy to learn - The user interface is easy to learn and visually pleasant CONS:

- It is a little bit pricey for beginners. Because the price starts at $712/year.&nbsp;

- It is not the best for interactive animations - Only a 14-days free trial

The best software for any type of simulation. This program is very advanced when it comes to simulations. And by simulations we mean, particles, water, fur, fire, explosions, and stuff like that. In our opinion, it is the most powerful software for stuff like that. If you imagine that you want to create something that will blow your mind, Houdini is right for you. But the main disadvantage is that this software is VERY hard to learn. Yes, you can make basic simulations without any problems. But when you want to create something really advanced, you need years of experience. We’ve been using it for a while and sometimes people who have years of experience don’t know how to use its potential fully. This shows how big and advanced is this software. PROS: - Free learning version for beginners to learn. - The best of its kind for simulations and destructions CONS: - Very hard to learn, the learning curve is high - It is really hard to find good tutorials - You need to know their programming language

Last but definitely not least. One of the youngest 3D software compared to the others. In our opinion, it is the best. And it is the best not only because it is FREE- as a lot of people would think - but this software is the most versatile of all of them. You can do almost everything there. From highly detailed 3D modeling and animations to even video editing This software is very easy to learn. It has a vast community behind it. You can find tutorials everywhere. A lot of people are switching from the “Industry standard” software to this one. If you want to create your first animations and you want to learn principles, this software is for you! We highly recommend Blender! This is our go-to software right now and most of our employees are switching to it. PROS: - FREE! - Easy to learn and there are A LOT of tutorials online - Very fast and very reliable - Constantly updating - Open-source - Amazing community of people who are using it CONS: - A few bugs

I am a self-taught graphic designer looking to expand my skills by learning animation. Can you share a list of the best software tools that I should explore to expand my skillset?

Can you recommend some easy-to-use software solutions for making 2D and 3D animations?