A few general Questions about 3D Programs and the whole Topic of 3D. (CLOSED)

Hello, I have a few general Questions about the whole Topic of 3D. So far, I'm familiar with Daz Studio, Poser, and Blender. However, I've also heard about Cinema 4D, 3ds Max, and a few other Programs. I'm interested in how widely used these individual Programs are. Is Daz Studio the best-known Program of this type? What are the differences between the individual Programs?

I'd also be Interested in the Ecosystems of the individual Programs. Daz Studio has its Genesis Figures. Poser has the early Victoria Figures (1 - 4) and a few Figures developed specifically for Poser (La Femme, L'Homme). Does Blender have its own Figures, too? What is the Situation like with the other Programs? Is there compatibility between the Ecosystems, or are the Products not compatible with each other at all? 

Have all these Programs been around for a long time, or were there only a few to begin with? When did 3D actually start? I know Poser was released in 1994/95-was it the first Program of its kind, or were there others before it? Do all Programs cost Money, except for Daz Studio and Blender? 

Something else I'd be interested to know is whether the 3D Sector (3D Rendering) and the Gaming Sector are connected. For instance, are Products from Daz, Poser, or other Programs also used in Games? The Gaming Industry and 3D Rendering have evolved in tandem. Many Users involved in 3D Rendering also engage with Games, and it can be said that Games inspire Products for DAZ or other Programs. 

A Question that has been on my Mind for a while is, can you actually make a living creating 3D Products or 3D Renderings? I've discussed this with a few Sellers before, and so far, it sounds like you don't make big Money doing it.

AUTODESK 3D Studio Max  and  Maya are the 3D industry  powerhouses,  

Along with the UNreal Game engine. 

Blender 3D  is an important open source Indie suite of tools. 

daz studio is a small micro subset  for amateurs.

Poser is a small mostly obsolete amateur  tool  that Daz Studio replaced.

- Is there compatibility between the Ecosystems?
Using bridges yes, but mostly no for file proprietary formats, only exported objects can be used.

- Have all these Programs been around for a long time?
Yes, Rhino, Lightwave, Softimage & 3DSMax are dinosaurs.

- When did 3D actually start?
In the 60s but 3D as we know it with softwares one could buy started in the 80s mostly for CAD

- Are Products from Daz, Poser, or other Programs also used in Games? 
In some cases, 3D Sector and gaming are well connected, although most models are from inhouse modelers for big games due to licences. But for games, LOD knowledge and low poly modeling and proper texturing is required (3d models for PS2 videogames were pieces of art)

- Can you actually make a living creating 3D Products or 3D Renderings? 
I don't know about 3D Renderings but creating 3D models, yes.

Hello Tenserknot, I just Googled it and saw that Autodesk 3ds Max has been around since 1990 and Maya since 1998. Were there similar Programs before that, or were these the first of their kind? Is the scope of Blender similar to that of these two Programs, or is it more of a simpler Program? 

I need a bit more explanation, what distinguishes these Programs? (Autodesk 3ds Max, Maya, Blender, Daz Studio/Poser) Do they all offer a similar range of Functions? What are the primary use cases for each of them? Could you give me an Overview of how the 3D Sector is actually structured? So far, I'm familiar with 3D Renderings, but I also know about 3D Modeling, by which I mean the creation of 3D Objects. 

If you say that Daz Studio targets a Niche Market, does that mean 3D Rendering is just a small Part of the 3D Field? Are Daz Studio and Poser more of a Niche Market? Are 3D Renderings also just a Niche Market? So, are Daz Studio and Poser mainly for Amateurs or Hobbyists? Are Autodesk 3ds Max and Maya designed more for Professionals?

Hello Pawngame, I need a bit more explanation now. I don't have extensive knowledge regarding the History of Computer Technology yet. I had previously thought that Computers in the 1960s were used primarily for Research. Weren't Computers initially the Size of entire Rooms? The first Home Computers (like the Commodore 64) were sold in the 1980s, but they didn't have a graphical User Interface. Were there even Programs for creating Images back then? One of the first Computers with a graphical User Interface was Apple's Macintosh. 

I know a Program called AutoCAD, it allows you to create Buildings in a 3D View. So, are Programs like that considered 3D Programs, too? Up until now, I've mostly only been familiar with 3D Renderings. Is that just a small part of the 3D Field? I realize that, so far, I'm familiar with only a small fraction of the 3D World. I discovered many 3D Renderings through DeviantArt and later Pixiv, but if that represents just a small Part of the Field, then I haven't yet gained much of an in, depth understanding of it. 

I can certainly imagine making a living from 3D Modeling. So far, I've only discussed this with a few sellers of Daz Studio or Poser Products, though. But if it's just a Niche Market, you probably wouldn't make that much Money at it.

Just to briefly revisit the Topic of Games, this means that the developers create all the Characters and Props used in the Games themselves, rather than using pre-existing Products.

Hello diogenese19348, Could current developments be compared to the advent of Photography, when it became possible to capture something precisely rather than having a Painter draw it? Could this also be compared to the rise of Computer generated Imagery versus traditional Drawings? However, I would argue that the 3D Rendering Sector won't disappear entirely, it will likely shrink somewhat and shift from the Mass Market to a Niche for Enthusiasts. After all, there are still Artists who paint Images today, despite all the available technological possibilities. I don't want to delve any further into the Topic of AI, one could talk about that for days. I'm more interested in the 3D Field.

I have a few general Questions now. I'd be interested to know if the Adult / Erotic Sector is more of a Niche Market within the 3D Field. Does this sort of thing exist in the Professional sphere as well, or is it found only in Amateur and Hobbyist circles? There are Adult Products available for Daz Studio and Poser, do similar Products exist for Autodesk 3ds Max or Maya? Here is something else I'm curious about, there were some changes on this Platform a while back. Did the removal of the Adult Product Category affect Hobbyists more, or did it also impact Sellers who do this as their full-time Job? Looking at the 3D Sector as a whole, did it affect a large Number of Sellers, or only a small fraction?

There is also e-on Vue which is an excellent landscape program. Unfortunately, it was sold to Bentley a few years back and they stopped developing it. My guess is that there was not enough profit in it for them. 

https://www.bentley.com/en/products/e-on-software/

I've been using it for years. It is not an easy program to learn to use, but there are many tutorials online, especially form Geek at Play. And it is free to use, as well as many, many assets for it. I think even after I get comfortable with Ultra Scenery, I'll still use Vue. The lighting in Vue is tough to beat.

The history of 3D software is long and varied, and is well documented on the net. It started back in the 60's but was very limited in both capabilities and accessability because of the cost of the hardware it had to run on. Many softwares have come and gone over the years mainly because each has had it's strengths and weaknesses. Example:  CAD for industrial design (hard surface), Environmental for landscape or organic (plant design),  Softbody for character design and organic objects,  Architectural for building design and Animation for movment.

 Most software was built with a purpose in mind and taylored to that purpose. Software is generally judged on ease of use and capability in it's own field. I have used many of the programs mentioned above and others,  but I can only speak currently on the one I settled on as a hobbyest, with a wide feild of interest. 

Blender has been my choice; not for it's ease of use, but because it is well worth the time to learn, and does not require a large monetary commitment like some of the others mentioned.  It also has the unique feature of being a integrated suite of softwares that others are not. It can do Hard surface design, Digital sculpting, Landscape design, Architectural Design, Character design & Rigging, 2D/3D drawing and Animation, Script writing, Compositing, Video editing, and even Addon design. I am sure I have missed something in the list. In fairness not all at the top out put of the softwares costing thousands of dollars a year but it is FREE. It is written to run in Windows, Mac, and Lynux, so your choice of hardware and OS is not limited either. 
The community around it is wonderful and the addons for doing specialized things is almost unlimited. The designers listen to the users and are constantly improving it almost monthly. If you choose to use it with other softwares, it has addons to work with Dazz, Human creater, Character creater, Mixamo etc, and the Human Gen addon I use. The addons availible range from free, to a couple of hundered dollars but many of the very best are only 15 - 50. You can see them on Superhive, Gumroad, Github, and the Blender extension sites. It can import and export most of the common file formats in the 3D eco system, and is gaining traction, in many small and medium studios, for it's versatility.
In fact a small group of people last year created the movie Flow, and beat out Pixar for the Academy Award all in Blender.
If you would like to explore what can be done with this software there is no shortage of content on Youtube.
Well I guess this sounds a little like an add, but I really have nothing invested in you using it, except to share the great experiance I have had with another 3D enthusiast. 
If you has questions I will try to give answers.
Sam

this is a good video that shows the history of 3D animation

If we're talking about the history of 3D modelling, then I'd like to bring up The Utah Teapot.
It was one of the first objects ever modeled in 3D on a computer