Abstract

There are many popular graphical modeling tools for game design. From among these tools, Blender and 3D Studio Max were chosen as representatives of free and commercial tools, respectively. Both are widely used by digital animation companies as well as game developers. The advantages and disadvantages of the two programs were explored in a case study by using both tools to build a 3D chess game. The chess pieces were built in both Blender and 3D Studio Max. By building each piece in both programs a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of the software tools was possible. In this article, the pros and cons of each product, as determined by the case study, are presented.