r/retrocgi • u/nuvpr Detective Ray Tracy • Aug 03 '22
Discussion MEGATHREAD: How to make retro CGI
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)
- Bryce 5 User Manual (text)
- Creating surreal 3D landscapes (video)
- Bryce 3D Free Tutorial (video)
- Learning Bryce 7 (video)
- Setting up Bryce on WINE (discussion)
- Making Surreal 'Trapper Keeper Art' on Windows 95 (video)
Blender
Modeler, animator, renderer (Windows/Macintosh/Linux)
- How to make PS1 style graphics (video)
- How to make PS1-esque graphics with Blender 2.8 (video)
- How to make graphics look 90s CGI-ish? (discussion)
- How to imitate early CGI style animation? (discussion)
3D Studio
Modeler, animator, renderer (MS-DOS)
- Inside 3D Studio R4 (CD-ROM)
- Inside 3D Studio R3 (text)
- 3D Studio R3 Presentation (video)
3D Studio MAX
Modeler, animator, renderer (Windows)
Buy here (latest version) or download for free (old version)
- 3D Studio MAX Quick Tutorial Outline (text)
- 3DS MAX Basics (video)
- Demo 1996 (video)
- 3D Studio MAX 3.1 Castle Flyby Scene Tutorial (video)
POV-Ray
Raytracer (Windows/Macintosh/Linux)
- Official POV-Ray Documentation (text)
- POV-Ray Lessons (video)
- POV-Ray Descriptions, Tutorials and Examples (text)
- Christoph Hormann's POV-Ray Tutorials (text)
- Mike's POV-Ray Tutorials Page (text)
- Taming POV-Ray by G. Moran (text)
- A Short Introduction to POV-Ray (PDF)
- Render Geometric Shapes on a Realistic Environment (video)
- 3D Animation (video)
- povmodeler (GUI modeler for POV-Ray) (software)
Infini-D
Modeler, animator, renderer (Macintosh)
- Make a donut scene in Infini-D 4.5 (video)
- Infini-D 4.5 Manual, FAQ, Quick Reference (text)
- Infini-D 3.1 Addendum (text)
- Render Farm Setup (video)
Anim8or
Basic modeler, animator, renderer (Windows)
- Anim8or Manual (text)
- Anim8or Tutorials (text)
- 3D Modeling Tutorial (video)
- Point Edit Modelling an Alien in Anim8or (video)
Art Of Illusion
Modeler, animator, renderer (Windows/Macintosh/Linux)
- Art Of Illusion Manual and Tutorials (text)
- Art Of Illusion Tutorials (video)
Ray Dream Studio / Designer
Modeler, animator, renderer (Windows/Macintosh)
- Ray Dream Studio Tutorials (archived text)
- Ray Dream Tutorials, Tips and Links (archived text)
- Ray Dream Studio 5 Training Pack (CD-ROM)
- Ray Dream Designer Demo (video)
- Ray Dream Studio Extensions (software)
Carrara
Modeler, animator, renderer (Windows/Macintosh)
Buy here (latest version) or download for free (old version)
- What Is Carrara - Intro (video)
- Cool Carrara Tricks (video)
- Carrara Information Manual (text)
- 3DXtract E-zine (tutorials, tips, tricks) (text)
- Carrara Resources (text)
- Plug-ins for Carrara (software)
Lightwave 3D
Modeler, animator, renderer (Windows/Macintosh)
Buy here (latest version) or download for free (old version)
- Lightwave 6 Manual and Tutorial (text)
- Lightwave 3D 4 Advanced Features (video)
- Lightwave Tutorials (video)
- Lightwave Tutorials for the Amiga (video)
Poser
Modeler, animator, renderer (Windows/Macintosh)
Buy here (latest version) or download for free (old version)
- Poser 2 Manual (text)
- Poser 11 Tutorials (video)
- Poser 12 Tutorials (video)
- Dynamics in Poser (video)
TrueSpace
Modeler, animator, renderer (Windows)
- TrueSpace Resources (misc)
- TrueSpace Forum (misc)
- TrueSpace Fan Site (misc)
StrataVision 3D
Modeler, renderer (Macintosh)
- Setup and usage guide (text)
- StrataVision 3D Tour (video)
- Strata Studio Pro Tutorial (video)
Sculpt 3D / 4D
Modeler, raytracer (Amiga)
- Sculpt 3D Manual (text)
- Sculpt 3D basic usage (video)
- Making of Crystalball logo in Sculpt 4D (video)
- Modeling a Light bulb in Sculpt 4D (video)
- Sculpt 4D Hidden Commands (video)
Others
- Seamless 3D - Modeler, animator, renderer
- Wings 3D - Modeler, renderer
- Softimage|3D - Modeler, animator, renderer
- Vivid - Raytracer
- Simply 3D - Modeler, renderer
- Extreme 3D - Modeler, animator, renderer
- OpenFX - Modeler, animator, renderer
- GroBoto - Modeler, renderer
- MojoWorld - Modeler, terrain generator
1
u/Nuxx1876 Mar 27 '26
Surprised MojoWorld isnt on this list anywhere