This section provides an overview for cg softwares as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 9 cg software manufacturers and their company rankings.
Table of Contents
CG software is software for creating and editing images on a computer.
CG stands for Computer Graphics, and people who use software to create computer graphics are called CG creators.
CG software is used not only for industrial and commercial purposes, but also as personal entertainment.
CG software can be divided into two main categories: 2DCG software and 3DCG software. The price range of each type of software differs, and in recent years, free software is also on the rise.
This software is used to create two-dimensional computer graphics. Photoshop and Illustrator are the main software applications.
This software is used to create three-dimensional 3DCG. It is mainly used to create 3D models for games and animation. CAD is also a type of 3DCG software.
2DCG software can be roughly divided into raster and vector formats, while 3DCG software can be divided into polygonal modeling and sculptural modeling.
Raster format
This is a format in which CG is created by arranging single pixel dots in a grid pattern. Complex images are created by arranging a large number of dots with different densities and colors. However, the data size increases as the number of dots increases.
The main software used is Adobe Photoshop, which uses extensions such as jpg and png. While this format is significant for displaying complex images, it also has the disadvantage that the quality of the image tends to deteriorate when it is scaled up or down.
Vector format
Vector format is a format that stores and reproduces the relationship between points as numerical data. Since the shape is managed numerically, the data size is small, and it has the advantage of being easily deformable. It is suitable for logos and maps.
The main software used is Adobe Illustrator, and extensions such as PDF are also used. While it is capable of significant scaling, it has the disadvantage that it is difficult to create complex depictions.
Polygon modeling
This method defines a polygon as a region enclosed by connecting three or more vertices, and reproduces a 3D shape by combining many polygons. Most 3DCG is created using this modeling method. However, when complex expressions require a large number of polygons to be defined, sculptural modeling is sometimes used.
Sculptural Modeling
This is a method to intuitively create the shape of a 3DCG model as if sculpting. Each polygon must be connected without failure, and ignoring this will result in errors and heterogeneous shading.
However, it is useful for complex modeling because it allows modeling without regard to polygon flow. On the other hand, it has the disadvantage of large data size.
CG software offers various functions to improve efficiency. The following are examples of such functions.
Other functions are available to efficiently create CG, such as applying effects and manipulating polygons in coordinates.
CG software can be classified into integrated and specialized types.
Integrated type
This type of software provides all the functions necessary to create CG animations. Specifically, all processes such as CG modeling and rendering can be performed with a single software. Integrated products have many functions and are convenient, but they are difficult to use and often have steep learning curves.
Specialized
This refers to a product with functions only for a specific process, such as modeling or sculpting. If you are creating CG animation for the first time, specialized software is suitable for you. Specialized software is advantageous when performing complex tasks that cannot be achieved with integrated software.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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