Blender
A complete, free and open 3D suite. I use it to push the brand beyond the flat: modeling, rendering and animation.
That something this capable is free software still strikes me as incredible. Blender covers the entire pipeline (modeling, sculpting, materials, lighting, rendering and animation) with no licenses or seats to pay for, which makes it ideal for experimenting without commitment.
For a product designer it's the gateway into 3D: mockups with real depth, brand pieces with volume, and photorealistic rendering with Cycles or in real time with Eevee. The leap from a flat mockup is remarkable.
The learning curve is real: the interface is dense and the shortcuts are plentiful. But the community and tutorials are enormous, and once you internalize the logic, productivity takes off.
PROS
- Free and open source, complete 3D pipeline
- Photorealistic rendering (Cycles) and real-time (Eevee)
- Gigantic community and tutorials
- Constant updates and powerful add-ons
CONS
- Steep learning curve at first
- Dense interface, overwhelming for those coming from 2D tools