You Can Now Download Pixar’s Rendering Software—For Free!

Aspiring animators, rejoice! Pixar’s coveted rendering software, RenderMan, can be all yours—for free.
Available for download on any non-commercial Mac, PC, or Linux computer, you can use the software without any limitations or watermarks. The only catch is that you have to pay a $495 licensing fee if you want to make money off your creations.
RenderMan is Pixar’s in-house program that has been used in all the Pixar films, as well as some Hollywood blockbusters like Godzilla and Pacific Rim. The knowledge that you can use the same software as big-budget films right on your home computer is pretty exciting.
Just keep in mind that this program only offers photorealistic 3D rendering. If you want to create your own 3D animations, Co.Design recommends Maya, which is also free to download. The RenderMan website says it also works well with The Foundry’s Katana.
[h/t: Co.Design]