Previous development of rendering and virtualization software has convinced us that an immense growth of this industry has yet to come.

Each year brought lots of advantages and benefits, especially useful in architectural visualization, 3D animation, visual effects industry, and movie industry. The latest equipment and tools, as well as programs and apps, made us believe that future solutions will be much more useful.

VR and AR technology, the possibility of hyper-realistic rendering and animation, facilitated processes of 3D modeling and rendering, and the wide spectrum of affordable software are only some of the things we couldn't expect a few years ago.

The fastest growing industry continues to surprise 3D art enthusiasts, so we can freely say that big changes and improvements are right around the corner.

There’s lots of speculation, but we decided to peek into the future. However, the users of 3D rendering and visualization software are expecting only solutions that will facilitate all tasks and processes of 3D modeling and rendering even more.

To find out what will happen to the 3D rendering and virtualization software market, we found some analyses related to the top companies, their size, and future growth trends, driving factor analysis, as well as present demand. Let's see what's waiting for us!

Who are the major players?

Based on ‘’2018-2023 Global 3D Rendering and Virtualization Software Market Report,’’ conducted by Orbis Research, we found out who the key players in the market are. This study reveals the current situation on the market, as well as the leading companies that will stay ahead of the competition in the future:

- Pixar (RenderMan 22)
- NVIDIA- Chaos Group (V-Ray, Phoenix, vrscans)
- AUTODESK (Maya, 3ds Max, Arnold Renderer, Autodesk A360, Fusion 360)
- Solid Angle
- NextLimit (Maxwell Render, Real Flow)
- Robert McNeel (Flamingo, Brazil™, Penguin, Bongo – animation)
- Cebas (finalRender)
- Otoy (Octane Render, ORC, Brigade, Light Field)
- Advent
- Bunkspeed (3ds) (SOLIDWORKS)
- LUXION (KeyShot)
- Lumion
- SolidIRIS (Thea Render, Kerkythea)

Besides, the same study reveals the segmentation by application, so we found out that Video Entertainment, Architecture, and Transportation are industries with the biggest demand.

However, software solutions developed by these companies are getting better and better over time. The attempt of integration of these rendering programs with the latest virtualization equipment also has a significant impact on the future demand for such advanced tech solutions.  

Well-known software solutions developed by the mentioned companies are improving continuously. Since these companies are the best in the industry, their mutual cooperation enabled users to combine favorite software and create hyper-realistic renders, visualizations, virtualizations, and animations.

What are the leading trends nowadays?

Various industries, but especially architectural visualization companies and the entertainment industry has been increasing the demand for advanced 3D modeling and rendering solutions, as well as 3D animation and visual effects in recent years.

By simple forecasting, future trends based on current users' demand and innovations, it's clear that VR, AR, and AI are inevitable.

Thanks to the development of VR equipment, 3D visualizations have become more realistic, providing users with the possibility to feel entire 3D scenes in real time. On the other hand, AR apps enabled us to take advantage of augmented reality using our smartphones wherever we are.

Besides, some developers such as Lawrence Lek are already working on digital algorithms that will be able to automatically create 3D models using artificial intelligence.

A study ‘’Unit shipments of virtual reality (VR) devices worldwide from 2017 to 2019,’’ done by Statista, shows incredible results. For example, in 2017, Sony sold 1.7 billion VR headsets, and the forecasted amount for 2019 is 2.2 billion devices. The situation with other vendors is similar.

For example, the latest version of Autodesk's 3ds Max 2019 is compatible with Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets, which means that the increased demand for such equipment has yet to come.

Further proof that the VR and AR industry will continue to grow in the following few years are the results from the ‘’Consumer spending on augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) content and apps worldwide from 2016 to 2021’’ statistic, also done by Statista.

In 2017, users spent about 1.8 billion U.S. dollars on AR and VR content and apps, but in 2021, consumer spending on AR content and apps was forecast to reach about 8 billion U.S. dollars and about 2.8 billion U.S. dollars on VR content and apps.

The increased demand for modern tools and equipment is a sign that the development of such solutions hasn't yet waned. We can conclude that the demand for such apps, tools, and equipment is increasing each year, so we're sure that the next few years will be the brightest for certain industries.

What about the size of the 3D rendering and the virtualization market?

The first report that we mentioned shows that Video Entertainment industry has found the best application of these 3D rendering and virtualization software, so we'll focus on the global 3D animation market.

Based on the information provided by Grand View Research, Inc.'s report, by 2025, the global 3D animation market is expected to reach USD 28.31 billion.

✓ 3D Modeling segment

By 2025, this segment is expected to account for the largest revenue and record an expected CAGR of about 10% over the forecast period.

✓ The Visual Effects segment

In 2016, this segment was estimated at about USD 2.1 billion.

✓ The Media & Entertainment segment

By 2025, this segment is forecasted to account for about 35% of the total revenue share.

3D animation market

Based on the results, they divided the 3D animation market into the five following groups:

Technique Outlook

1. 3D Modeling
2. Motion Graphics
3. 3D Rendering
4. Visual Effects

Component Outlook

1. Hardware
2. Software
3. Service

Deployment Outlook

1. On-premise
2. On-demand

End-Use Outlook

1. Media & Entertainment
2. Architecture & Construction
3. Education & Academics
4. Manufacturing
5. Healthcare & Life sciences
6. Government & Defense
7. Others

Regional Outlook

1. United States
2. Canada
3. Germany
4. UK
5. Australia
6. China
7. India
8. Japan
9. Latin America
10. Brazil
11. Mexico
12. Middle East & Africa

The results revealed that North America was estimated for the largest revenue share in 2016, and is expected to retain its dominance until 2025. On the other hand, the Asia Pacific region (Australia, China, India, and Japan) is the fastest growing market.

If we focus on the region with the best results – The United States, 3D Animation Market Analysis By Technique report showed the following results: 3D Animation Market is forecasted to grow to double its size by 2025, in comparison with 2014.

A study related to the 3D animation market conducted by Market Research Future (MRFR) helped us understand the intended audience of such a market.

Intended Audience

- Software investors
- 3D animation vendors
- 3D animation service providers
- Production houses / Animation studios
- 3D animation professionals
- 3D animation consultants
- System Integrators
- Research/Consultancy firms

The bottom line

We have to notice that the 3D animation has affected other industries except Media & Entertainment. Industries such as Architecture, Interior Design, Graphic Design, 3D Modeling, Motion Graphics, Visual Effects, Real Estate, Medicine, and many more also found an excellent application for 3D animation software.

However, the combination of all available software, apps, tools, and equipment, made it possible for almost all industries to grow and improve.

We hope that the future development of these tech solutions based on market research and user demand will bring even better results that will facilitate and enhance all the processes of rendering and virtualization. We also hope that such solutions will find a way to expand to all other industries.

What's your favorite 3D rendering and virtualization software? How did its previous development affect your business? What do you think, what will software and equipment developers offer by 2023? Let us know in the comments!