Blender

Website: Blender.org

Blender is a free, open source software 32-bit 3D modelling, animation, rendering, post-production, and gaming program. Initially developed by Ton Roosendaal's company NaN in the Netherlands, its popularity, and capabilities, have grown over the years. There is a large and active user base with ongoing development by dedicated hackers, making Blender a powerful and viable 3D software solution.

It can be used for modelling, UV unwrapping, texturing, rigging, skinning, animating, rendering, particle and other simulating, non-linear editing, compositing, and creating interactive 3D applications.

Blender has a robust feature set similar in scope and depth to other high-end 3D software such as Softimage|XSI, Cinema 4D, 3ds Max and Maya. These features include advanced simulation tools such as rigid body, fluid, and soft body dynamics, modifier based modelling tools, powerful character animation tools, a node based material and compositing system and Python for embedded scripting.



The Blender scores tank, quite frankly. The older Athlon 64 X2s work faster, especially in the single-core test, as they have the clock speed advantage. However, even the 2.4GHz Intel Q6600 is nearly 17 percent faster than a 2.4GHz Phenom 9700. In the SMP test, Phenom performance is slightly better, but not by much.

Maxon Cinebench 10 x64

Website: Cinebench

Maxon Cinebench is based on Maxon's popular animation software, Cinema 4D, which is used extensively by studios and production houses worldwide for 3D content creation. We've used the built-in CPU benchmark, which uses a 3D scene file to render a photo-realistic image of a concept bike. The scene makes use of various CPU-intensive features such as reflection, ambient occlusion, area lights and procedural shaders.



Again, single-core performance is pitiful as the low clocked Phenoms can barely keep pace with the rest of the field. However, multi-core performance is far better and the overall performance is within a whisker of a similarly clocked Intel alternative.