Best CG/3D Websites, Forums & Social Networks
I’m sure we’re all familiar with the feeling of getting stuck on a project, or feeling like you’re in a rut and don’t know how to take your work to the next level.
Since the advent of the Internet knowledge has never been easier to acquire. The ability to instantaneously communicate with others in your field is truly invaluable.
So in this article we’ll list a selection of the best sites you can use to gather knowledge about 3D art for your animations, still renders, or video game projects.
These forums are bustling with friendly, packed with likeminded individuals whose combined experience will prove invaluable in helping you with whatever 3D or CG projects you might be working on.
CGSociety
CGSociety describes itself as a “networking platform for professional digital artists”.
To this end the front page is mostly dedicated to thumbnails of other artist’s recent work. And there’s plenty to browse through.
The quality of the work on this site can be truly breath taking. From the hyper realism of some renders to the cartoon charm of more stylized examples.
After the gallery pages there’s also a news section. This section is very good for keeping up with news in the games and entertainment industries as well as other 3D related news.
The workshop section is full of courses to help you learn and improve your 3D workflow.
Offering topics that range from more traditional art forms to 3D character and environment design work. These courses all tend to lean on the more expensive side although finance options are available if you’re serious about learning.
One of the most useful sections of the CGSociety website is the forums, colloquially named CGTalk.
It has to be one of the most heavily populated CG-related forums on the web which can be great for asking advice, getting feedback, or just browsing to see if you can help out others and maybe gather some inspiration.
Polycount Forum
Polycount is one of the oldest and largest CG sites on the web.
Founded way back in 1998 as a nexus for Quake 2 models, it eventually grew and evolved into the site it is today.
It’s similar to CGSociety in that the front page is full of other artist’s work. However the core of the site lies in its forums.
These forums are full of professional and beginner creators alike so you will never be out of place. Everyone is very willing to help each other out in this community which is fantastic.
One of the unique features of Polycount is their wiki section.
This is full of very useful information of where to find references, models, and other useful information for 3D work.
Blender Community Sites
Blender is a very popular piece of 3D software due to its powerful that can make excellent industry quality products. Bonus: it’s also free!
Hosted on the official Blender website, the community page is not a forum in itself. But rather an excellent hub of where to find other sites where you can share ideas or ask for support.
If you use Blender there’s surely something on this site for you, ranging from discord servers to more traditional forum communities.
There are also many different languages to use if you’re more comfortable reading or posting in a language other than English.
ZBrush Central
ZBrush is another important piece of industry software as it relates to 3D sculpting.
It’s a versatile sculpting and painting tool that’s incredibly useful for fine details and finishing touches in your work. It can even be used to build an entire model from scratch.
ZBrush central is a site full of artists familiar with this software.
With forum rooms full of tutorials, exclusive interviews, and even some community challenges too.
There are also separate pages dedicated to galleries of 3D work provided by the community. Another good source of inspiration and ideas.
Another note is this forum also doubles for Pixologic’s other sculpting software Sculptris.
Sculptris is basically a stripped back version of Z-brush that’s free to use. Although it has fewer features than ZBrush it is still powerful software in its own right.
Reddit was formed in 2005 and has since grown to be one of the most popular social network platforms on the web.
Many of you are probably familiar with Reddit, but for those who are not, here’s a brief overview.
Reddit uses algorithms and user votes to display the most popular content at the top of its pages. Like a forum, they have separate “boards” but on Reddit they are called subreddits.
There are subreddits for almost anything from cute animal pictures to traditional art subs and even those dedicated to CG art.
A good list to get you started:
- /r/3Dmodeling/ – For general 3D modelling of all styles and types
- /r/3DMA/ – Similar to r/3Dmodelling, but includes animation
- /r/animation/ – Specifically for animation. 3D work is welcomed here but it is for all types of animation.
- /r/low_poly/ – For talking about models with the stylised blocky look that’s popular in game design
- /r/computergraphics/ – Another generalised subreddit about all things digital art (including 2D)
- /r/Maya/ – For things related to Autodesk Maya
- /r/blender/ – For things related to Blender
- /r/3dsmax/ – For things related to Autodesk 3DS Max
Be aware that this is a far from comprehensive list.
There is a search feature in the top-right of the site that can be very handy in finding new subreddits or specific posts related to other topics.
ArtStation
ArtStation’s main selling point is its fantastic portfolio services.
It can help you set up an industry-standard website with cheap(or free) hosting at a very reasonable price.
However there is a lot more to this site. It, like others on this list, offers community challenges that allow you to test your skills with other people in your sector.
It also has an online magazine filled with useful information about digital art, and even has a section dedicated to jobs within the industry from notable companies.
This is the fastest growing CG community & portfolio site online. It does tend to focus more on 2D work but there’s plenty of 3D artists on the website too.
Autodesk Forums
Autodesk is the titan of the CG industry. It boasts software under its belt like Maya, 3DS Max, Mudbox, AutoCAD, and many other big names.
The Autodesk forums are one of the best places to go if you want to talk about their software to ask questions or learn about their various workflows.
Each one of Autodesk’s programs has their own board which then in turn has further categories making it easy to find whatever it is you may be looking for.
These forums are mostly text based. While this is good for asking questions, other sites on this list may be better for posting your work or looking at other people’s work.
CG Channel
Here’s an interesting site full of useful resources on CG art.
It has a news section which is updated daily with the biggest stories in the CG space, as well as coverage for larger news stories and events.
There are also links to some free tutorials for various 3D software and useful resources to use in your projects such as textures and free models. They even offer links to some premium workshops you can take online.
While there are no community forums here they do have a section dedicated to “eye candy” where they show some impressive CG renders to help you get some nifty ideas.
Highend3d
Highend3d.com (Formerly CreativeCrash.com) is another hub for lots of CG content.
Like many of the other sites on this list, it boasts a large gallery section full of artist works and some tutorials.
It has its own marketplace as well where you can purchase new 3D assets for your projects. It even offers some of them for free.
Highend3d also has its own active dedicated forum with many categories to help you find specific advice or resources on a wide range of topics.
Well worth browsing if you have the time.
CGFeedback
As the name suggests, CGFeedback is a dedicated forum with a focus on getting feedback for your 3D or 2D art.
Feedback from people in a similar field is always useful.
Whether they be better or worse than you, fresh eyes are always invaluable. Often this leads to pointing out things that you missed.
We all know how you can become blind to your projects after working on them for too long.
The forums do expand outside of critiques into technical areas, more general discussions, artist interviews, and other exciting things. But you’ll have to dig in to see everything this forum offers.
CGTrader Forum
CGTrader is a fantastic site where you can buy and sell 3D models.
It has an extensive library which can be beneficial to almost any project. There is even a freelance section where you can commission someone to model for you, or apply to make assets for someone else.
This site has a very large community section to boot. This includes useful features such as user blogs, competitions, free tutorials, and community challenges.
There is a forum on CGtrader as well which can be very useful for asking about specific techniques.
It’s another useful place to add to your bookmarks if you’re trying to find a solution to a problem, or just want to have a look at what others have to say.
3dtotal
3Dtotal is a great website for finding 3D resources.
Founded in 1999, it offers tutorials to the world of 3D artists along with interviews and news about happenings in the CG space.
It has a large gallery full of impressive pieces from around the web. This should help find some inspiration to drive you into new innovative projects.
The thing that makes 3Dtotal unique on this list is they also publish books.
From tutorials on 3D or 2D art, to printed gallery books or anatomical references, they have a large variety to choose from.
They also sell other resources like anatomical figurines or texture packs. There’s a ton for sale under their brand so if you’re just getting into the 3D world definitely check them out.
Author: Thomas Denham
Thomas is a 3D creative working with both high and low poly modelling for still renders or real time engines. He is currently working freelance after spending 4 years at a multi-national VR company. To see Thomas' work and learn more, feel free to look at his personal site.
