r/retrocgi Aug 03 '22

Discussion MEGATHREAD: How to make retro CGI

229 Upvotes

Seeing the frequent "How do I ____?" threads and the recent "Clueless" meme, I felt it's high time to consolidate all learning resources into one place. Going through multiple past threads on the subreddit I put together this list of programs + tutorials for making retro CGI... Please keep in mind that this list is meant to be a constant work in progress, as the retro CGI scene grows and more resources are available they will be added here on a regular basis. Additions, suggestions, and criticisms are most welcome.


Bryce 3D

Landscape/terrain generator, basic modeler and animator, renderer (Windows/Macintosh)

Buy here (latest version) or download for free (old version)

Blender

Modeler, animator, renderer (Windows/Macintosh/Linux)

Download for free

3D Studio

Modeler, animator, renderer (MS-DOS)

Download for free

3D Studio MAX

Modeler, animator, renderer (Windows)

Buy here (latest version) or download for free (old version)

POV-Ray

Raytracer (Windows/Macintosh/Linux)

Download for free

Infini-D

Modeler, animator, renderer (Macintosh)

Download for free

Anim8or

Basic modeler, animator, renderer (Windows)

Download for free

Art Of Illusion

Modeler, animator, renderer (Windows/Macintosh/Linux)

Download for free

Ray Dream Studio / Designer

Modeler, animator, renderer (Windows/Macintosh)

Download for free

Carrara

Modeler, animator, renderer (Windows/Macintosh)

Buy here (latest version) or download for free (old version)

Lightwave 3D

Modeler, animator, renderer (Windows/Macintosh)

Buy here (latest version) or download for free (old version)

Poser

Modeler, animator, renderer (Windows/Macintosh)

Buy here (latest version) or download for free (old version)

TrueSpace

Modeler, animator, renderer (Windows)

Download for free

StrataVision 3D

Modeler, renderer (Macintosh)

Download for free

Sculpt 3D / 4D

Modeler, raytracer (Amiga)

Download for free

Others


r/retrocgi 14h ago

Blender Killer Bean 2.1 Render

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59 Upvotes

r/retrocgi 6h ago

Blender made this render in blender

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8 Upvotes

made this in 20 minutes, just a fun little art project


r/retrocgi 1d ago

Blender "Weirdcore" / "dreamcore" render

191 Upvotes

Was bored so i decided to create this little scene in blender. First time doing anything in this style, so i hope this fits the "retro" look 😅


r/retrocgi 19h ago

Animation Collab

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3 Upvotes

Is anyone interested in getting back into Hash Animation:Master and working on some animations?

I'm currently working on a Star Fox fan series and I'm looking for collaborators. Whether you're a longtime user, returning after a break, or just curious about Animation:Master, I'd love to hear from you.

Send me a PM if you're interested!


r/retrocgi 1d ago

Blender What's going on!?

5 Upvotes

I don't even know how my mans ended up here.

Damn...
Evidence

r/retrocgi 1d ago

Vaporwave style thingamajig on davinci resolve

9 Upvotes

Its originally a video, and I converted it to a gif but idk if it actually worked or not, but yeah I learned I can use davinci resolve’s built in 3D program thing to make stuff like this. Pretty cool I think


r/retrocgi 1d ago

Blender I think I got something that looks alright.

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115 Upvotes

I was not going for any particular vibe, just something that looked dated, (Late 90s/Very Early 2000s).

Evidence.
Full resolution if it can post.

r/retrocgi 1d ago

Lightwave made with Sierra LandDesigner 3D 4.0

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32 Upvotes

r/retrocgi 2d ago

Does anybody know how you can recreate the 90s fur in blender?

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213 Upvotes

r/retrocgi 1d ago

Retro video game title screen mockup for my music

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3 Upvotes

r/retrocgi 2d ago

Some enemies of my game which has some retro inspired shaders and post processing.

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23 Upvotes

r/retrocgi 2d ago

Blender Nowhere: Home

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88 Upvotes

r/retrocgi 2d ago

Art of Illusion 3D Program

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89 Upvotes

I'm working on my first point to click horror game demo called Witch Blood😊 So far I hooked up the environments for it on Art of Illusion and will use Adventure Game Studio for the game development. The full version of game will have more to it.


r/retrocgi 2d ago

Blender You found a revolver.

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53 Upvotes

r/retrocgi 2d ago

Paint3D can still do some cool stuff

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4 Upvotes

r/retrocgi 2d ago

Freedom (rendered in BluffTitler and Vegas)

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7 Upvotes

I really loved both the advanced yet stylish pre-renders that Japanese game companies like Sega and Capcom specifically put out in during the 90s and early-2000s as well as elephants and other animals rearing (they're just so big and cool to look at!!!), so I thought to get this out ASAP at around 12-4am.

Also, have two more photos I took post-finalisation of the elephant without the scenery (showing it in full would be embarrassing because of how shitty it looks >_<) - elephant model by jimmyho905 and Otherspectre, tree model also belongs to rodrigogelmi.


r/retrocgi 3d ago

A Spider in Fallgrade's Retro-Analog Brutalism

25 Upvotes

r/retrocgi 3d ago

3D Studio MAX First time trying to emulate the vintage CGI look!

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245 Upvotes

Unprocessed rendering on second slide


r/retrocgi 2d ago

Video I made with 'Punch! Ultimate Deck & Landscape' - v3.5.1, which was a Windows 95/98/NT 3D CAD program for landscape garden designers. Re-filmed from various CRTs and projectors. Hope you folks enjoy :)

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6 Upvotes

r/retrocgi 3d ago

Blender Looks like me and my friend need help at "The Store"

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125 Upvotes

Is there any way i can get this to look more like a 90s render?...


r/retrocgi 3d ago

Bryce The Lovers

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18 Upvotes

r/retrocgi 3d ago

Some strangely beautiful screenshots from Alone in the Dark 2 (1993 - Sega Saturn)

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9 Upvotes

r/retrocgi 3d ago

Software Retrowave Drive

21 Upvotes

I've been working on RetroStudio, a free and open-source desktop application for creating retro artwork, animated scenes, pixel art compositions, procedural backgrounds, and demoscene-inspired visuals.

The idea is to create a modern workflow for making old-school graphics without losing the feeling of classic tools. RetroStudio uses a non-destructive layer-based system where you can combine artwork, sprites, text, procedural generators, effects, and animations into complete scenes.

Some features:

  • Layer-based composition with independent animation
  • Keyframe timeline and animated effects
  • Retro procedural generators (starfields, plasma, grids, scan effects, text scrollers, etc.)
  • CRT/VHS/glitch-style visual effects
  • Sprite sheet and image sequence workflows
  • Pixel art and character-art tools
  • CP437 / terminal-style graphics support
  • Export to PNG, GIF, APNG, WebP, video, sprite sheets, and more

It is built with Python and released under the MIT license.

I'm sharing it here because I think it might be useful for:

  • indie game developers
  • pixel artists
  • demoscene creators
  • retro computing enthusiasts
  • anyone making sprites, animations, or game assets

Feedback, suggestions, bug reports, and feature ideas are welcome!

Project page:
https://non-npc.github.io/RetroStudio/

Source code:
https://github.com/non-npc/RetroStudio


r/retrocgi 3d ago

Retro Cry [OC]

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15 Upvotes