If you like to do any 3D modeling or animation, Pixar's in-house software that's been used for movies like Toy Story, Cars, and recent films like Guardians of the Galaxy is now completely free to download and use.


RenderMan is used by the big time studios to create photorealistic lighting in CG scenes, and has been used by Pixar to render every one of their animated features. You can download it for free and use it as much as you want, but the one catch is that this is a non-commercial license, meaning you have to buy a commercial license if you're looking to make money off of your creation. It's important to note that RenderMan is not a 3D modeling application, so you'll need to make some 3D models or animations to render first. It can be used alongside Maya, as well as the lighting program KATANA (with compatibility for more software coming soon). You can grab a free trial of Maya or a free copy for students and teachers if you're looking to get started. You can download RenderMan at the link below.

Free Non-Commercial RenderMan Download | Pixar via Fast Company