Autodesk Maya

Autodesk Maya is a 3D modelling software developed by Autodesk for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is considered the industry standard for games and animation. The latest version of the software is Maya 2012, due to be released late in the year.

One important issue to be considered when trying Maya is the sheer processing power it demands while modelling - you will need at least a quad-core processor to meet its exacting requirements. Some popular and less demanding alternatives are 3DS Max and Cinema 4D.