I've seen a few of these kinds of things. A creator shows their build with neat shaders but they also have an image in the background/foreground (e.g. ocean for ships). How do you do these renders with shaders and a background?
Take this image from TribalStatic as an example of what I'm talking about:

Take this image from TribalStatic as an example of what I'm talking about:

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I recommend Blender3D, as it is entirely free, unlike $3400 like Maya.
It's pretty hard, but Blender will be easy once you get the hang of it.
Add shapes and sculpt them so they look like the pieces of the model you're creating, put them together, and render them via CPU or GPU power.
If you're using a Minecraft model, you can rig them via tutorials by the YouTube channels below:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvTkXfdV-oQRUYMM2R3p9zQ
https://www.youtube.com/user/OMGcraftShow
It's pretty hard, but Blender will be easy once you get the hang of it.
Add shapes and sculpt them so they look like the pieces of the model you're creating, put them together, and render them via CPU or GPU power.
If you're using a Minecraft model, you can rig them via tutorials by the YouTube channels below:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvTkXfdV-oQRUYMM2R3p9zQ
https://www.youtube.com/user/OMGcraftShow
Surely, they use 3d animation software (Blender3D, Cinema4D, Autodesk Maya & 3DS Max, etc.) plus Mineways to import their creation/world. They edit the background, as well as water, from the 3d animation software.
