Heyo, random art nerd here!
So, in my circles, SAI has been the most popular art program, though it has some limitations and I've heard that it crashes, not to mention it's been discontinued by the creators (unless I'm just out of the loop). SAI would be good to stick with if you want familiarity, but not if you want updates and changes. If you are looking for a replacement for your base art program, I would highly recommend Clip Studio Paint (AKA Manga Studio), that is if your into more of an anime/cartoony look than pure digital painting. (I'm pretty sure it works well for any style, but it caters to graphic novelists.) It does cost money for the more advanced options, but it's a decent program that has a lot to it. (Also, there's news that they're working on putting in the frame by frame animation option that's beta-ing over in Japan. If you're willing to pay, it could make 2d animation easier by putting your animation software and drawing software in the same place.)
Ok, moving on to what you actually asked for!!
For 2D animation, I can't really be much of a help. I'm having trouble myself finding a good program for it... I can't offer you any information beyond that which you can find through google searches (except for the info about Clip Studio Paint), so I'll just shut up about this.
3d Modeling I can help a bit more with. I only know of a few programs, but I suppose any information would be helpful.
Autodesk Maya is one you may have heard of. It's a pretty expensive software, and it's very complicated, but it really gives users a lot of freedom. If you look up tutorials, it's not too hard to learn, but because there's so many functions, you'll probably have to looks some stuff up more than once. It costs a lot, but there is a free student version, if you're willing to lie about being in a college that they give the software to. The only downside about the free version (beyond the whole lying to get it thing) is that you're unable to make any sort of money whatsoever off of what you make unless you buy it. Also, it's generally used more for 3d animation as opposed to video games, but it will work for both. (Lastly, if you're using the 3d modeling for video games, then Maya is able to link up with the Unity game engine very well.)
There's also 3ds Max. I know a lot less about this one as I've never used it, but it's made by the same people as Maya, I think. It's supposedly more lightweight, and it's built more for game designers. It's got few capabilities, but I think it's also less expensive. I don't know if there's a free version of this though.
Blender is what I'm learning currently. It's a lightweight, open source program, meaning it's free, easy(er than maya) to learn, and you are able to use whatever you make in any way you want, even to make profit. It's got a very active community compared to some softwares as well, so if you're on a budget and trying to learn, I'd say this is a great starting option.
Lastly, there's also something called DesignDoll. This isn't so much a 3d modelling software as it is a 3d model, but it's terrifically useful for artists who need to draw people. It allows for you to customize a humanoid body and move it around into all sorts of poses, and you can mess with the lighting as well. It's specifically made to be used as a model for art, though, so don't expect it to act like a 3d modelling program.
For pixel art, I really don't think you need a new program for it. There are a lot of phone apps you can find, and there's also a website called Piskel which allows you to create tiny animations for your pixel art. However, if you're just looking to make simple pixels, all you have to do is set the heiht and width of your canvas to something really small, like 20px by 20px. Then, just work using a simple pencil tool or something. If you want to make pixel art that isn't exactly pixel by pixel and just looks like pixel art, then you can just draw whatever really tiny and then resize it. Just make sure the image is a perfect resize so it doesn't blur the pixels together.
Ok, I hope this helps! Tell me if you have any questions!
Topic: Art help? (Read 1645 times)